 |
|
|
Entertainment & Area Guide  |
||||||
|
Top Areas
St. Petersburg Times Online Tampabay.com Calendar Classifieds Movie Times Restaurant Guide Weather
Interactive
Calendar
Other features  Around Town Quick glance Attractions Beaches Golf Government Education Libraries Maps Museums Parks Spectator Sports Ybor Times
|
At 51st Emmys, it's just broadcast TV as usualBy ERIC DEGGANS, Times Television Critic © St. Petersburg Times, published September 13, 1999 When HBO's groundbreaking, Mafia-centered black comedy The Sopranos emerged as top dog this year with 16 Emmy nominations, critics nationwide wondered: Is this the year Emmy finally gets it? But the 51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards broadcast Sunday proved to be business as usual in Hollywood, with superstar producer/creator David E. Kelley taking home honors both for best TV drama (ABC's The Practice) and best comedy series (FOX's Ally McBeal). "And I said I was surprised before," joked Kelley, walking onstage to accept the comedy award seconds after his drama win. "When they told me, "You've got to go back out,' I thought there was a mistake and The Sopranos had really won." No such luck for HBO's critical favorite, which topped many critics' lists but was shut out of major Emmy categories, except best actress in a drama, where co-star Edie Falco's powerhouse turn as Carmela Soprano brought her first Emmy win (creator David Chase also won an Emmy for best writing in a drama series). "This is the most surreal experience of my life," quipped Falco, who edged ahead of castmate Lorraine Bracco, ER's Julianna Margulies, The X-Files' Gillian Anderson and last year's winner, Chicago Hope's Christine Lahti. "It's an absolute thrill." Indeed, Emmy affection for past winners dominated the major categories, with NYPD Blue star Dennis Franz earning his fourth consecutive honor as best actor in a drama. The award vaulted him past Sopranos star James Gandolfini, the critical favorite, and Franz's own co-star Jimmy Smits, who left the show in an emotional episode in which his character, Bobby Simone, died. "I was feeling pretty comfortable in my seat, knowing I wasn't going to have to get up and say anything. . . . I figured Jimmy was," Franz said, nodding to Smits. Among the tried-and-true, Mad About You star Helen Hunt also notched a fourth consecutive win as best actress in a comedy -- an award given for a season that was likely the show's worst in seven years. Show host David Hyde Pierce won his third Emmy as best supporting actor in a comedy, while 3rd Rock From the Sun's Kristen Johnston -- who won as best actress in a comedy last year -- took home the award again in 1999. "I really don't know why I won this," said a breathless John Lithgow, who took home his third Emmy Sunday as best actor in a comedy on 3rd Rock From the Sun. "As far as I know, every actor in town thinks what I do is totally disgraceful. I embarrass myself, sometimes." Forget about Don Cheadle's mesmerizing turn as Sammy Davis Jr. in HBO's The Rat Pack; the Emmy academy instead honored movie star Peter O'Toole as supporting actor in a miniseries for CBS's confusing Joan of Arc. Cheadle, also nominated as best actor in a miniseries for HBO's A Prayer Before Dying, was beaten by Winchell star Stanley Tucci, who also edged out such respected actors as Jack Lemmon, Sam Shepard and Ian Holm. (Even as Cheadle was shut out, A Prayer Before Dying won Emmys as best made for TV movie and best writing for a miniseries or movie.) "Thank you ... but you've made a huge mistake," said Tucci, who played legendary gossip columnist Walter Winchell in HBO's biopic. "Ian, I'll find you later and give this to you." Even first-time Emmy winners came from expected quarters, with The Practice's Holland Taylor earning her first award in a category castmate Camryn Manheim took last year (supporting actress, drama). Another castmate, Michael Badalucco (Jimmy Berluti), also won as supporting actor in a drama. "(She's) a woman who put a flag in the moon for women over 40 who can think, who can work, who are successes, who can cook and who can cook," Taylor said of her character, Judge Roberta Kittleson, a middle-aged jurist with an active sexual appetite. Though critics expected The Sopranos to offer cable TV's first big challenge to broadcast series, the miniseries categories were the only areas where cable continued to dominate, with Helen Mirren named best actress in a miniseries for Showtime's The Passion of Ayn Rand and A&E's Horatio Hornblower honored as best miniseries. The most surprising, diverse and forward-looking wins came in unexpected categories, with John Leguizamo's ambitious HBO one-man show Freak taking honors for performance in a variety or music show. HBO's The Chris Rock Show also took the third Emmy in its short history Sunday, this time for writing in a variety or music show. "Anybody can write a one-man show. . . . All you need is a year, paper and pen and a messed up life," said Leguizamo, noting the diversity of the cable channel's programming by renaming it the "Hispanic Box Office." "The Latino voice is often missing from the media, so I'm glad I'm here." Though it's known as TV's biggest awards ceremony, the Emmys often have trouble finding their pop culture niche. Not as prestigious as the Oscars or as naughty as MTV's Video Music Awards, they offer a parade of stars people welcome into their living rooms every night -- hardly a buzz-worthy draw. And when it comes to hosts, Emmy has always had trouble, advancing a wooden Bryant Gumbel two years ago and offering a hostless, four-hour extravaganza last year that dragged on like a bad Jerry Lewis telethon. This year, hosts David Hyde Pierce and Jenna Elfman (Dharma and Greg) proved surprisingly entertaining, opening the show with an interpretive dance number that was gently comic and nimble. Forget about star power: Sometimes, it's better just to have hosts who can make the canned jokes sound interesting. The telecast also offered some cute touches, especially South Park's tribute to dead performers (mostly featuring Kenny, who got killed again when a big Emmy dropped on him) and a Felicity spoof with the cast plopped in scenes styled like NYPD Blue, The X-Files and ER (if only the series' writing were this sharp). Tampa Bay area viewers came late to the festivities, telecast live Sunday from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, joining Fox's hourlong pre-show 30 minutes late, thanks to a long-running Tampa Bay Buccaneers football game (the Bucs lost, adding insult to injury). After watching a few minutes of lame host Pat O'Brien struggling to find interesting things to say about Ally McBeal co-star Lisa Nicole Carson's dress, it was obvious we hadn't missed much.
Winners at Sunday night's Emmys: * * *
© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.
|
|||||
