The Emmy awards and fall season premieres are just around the corner, so it's time to recognize some of America’s great television thespians. Or better yet, the actors pretending to be Americans. You thought we hadn’t noticed the influx of Brits infiltrating our airwaves?

Some accents are more convincing than others, of course, so we've assembled some of the most smashing in our British Invasion gallery. Who do you think does the best job at converting their aluminiums to aluminum? Who can say that losing the extra "i" in speciality is their specialty? Do you fancy someone else altogether? Whinge away in the comments!

Meanwhile, please enjoy Hugh Laurie's special tribute to our great country.

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The Emmy Awards are taking a cue from the Grammys. And the Tonys. But not, luckily for Kanye West, from the Video Music Awards.

Despite having no obvious ties to the TV world, the VMA-deprived rapper has been confirmed to perform at this Sunday's Primetime Emmys. Also joining the bill is the cast of Broadway's Jersey's Boys, which will perform a musical tribute to The Sopranos.

West, who vowed this week to keep himself and his videos away from MTV after going home empty-handed from the cable net's ceremony over the weekend, apparently has no such qualms with network TV and will perform a musical number during this weekend's show.

According to E! Online Senior Editor Marc Malkin, who first reported the unusual booking last week, the hip-hop star will perform as part of a skit inspired by some of the current music competition shows and will be joined onstage by The Office star—and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominee—Rainn Wilson.

Emmy producers confirmed to E! News anchor, and Emmy host, Ryan Seacrest that West would indeed be taking part in the show, though did not specify in what capacity. Fox, which is televising the ceremony, has so far declined to comment on the potential Wilson-West partnership.

But there was no such omertà at the network when it came to another song-and-dance routine. Ken Erlich, the longtime executive producer of the Emmy telecast, trumpeted the Jersey Boys' salute to those other Jersey boys in a press release Wednesday.

"We would be remiss if we didn't recognize the longtime contribution to television by one of our medium's most creative and durable drama series, The Sopranos," he said.

The Tony-winning musical follows the meteoric rise of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons from the blue-collar streets of Newark to international stardom. The show's four stars will pay homage to Tony Soprano and families, who over the course of their television tenure have garnered 18 Emmys and are up for another 15 on Sunday.

But Erlich isn't quite as chatty about another of the evening's potential musical acts, the much-speculated reprise of Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake's already Emmy-winning Saturday Night Live number, "Dick in a Box."

The duo scored the award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics at last weekend's Creative Arts Emmys. Samberg told reporters backstage that he was in talks with Emmy producers; however, Timberlake's rep said the singer's only engagement for the evening is a concert later Sunday night down the street at Los Angeles' Staples Center.

Whoever shows up to the ceremony, though, can do so with something of a clean conscience. Fox has unveiled plans for its "Green with Emmy" campaign, attempting to use only eco-friendly renewable energy to power the broadcast. Organizers already installed a solar panel canopy above the red carpet and will combine solar, wind energy and hydropower for the remainder of the show.

Still, the network, whose goal is to become entirely carbon neutral by 2010, isn't going completely green. Organizers shot down early plans to change the hue of the red carpet to something a little more shamrock in honor of Mother Nature.

The ranks of Emmy winners have a new member: Justin Timberlake.

The "SexyBack" singer, a four-time Grammy winner, claimed a statuette at Saturday's Creative Arts Primetime Emmys for his heartfelt, if frank musical contribution to Saturday Night Live, "Dick in a Box."

Kathy Griffin, Spike Lee, John Goodman and Eric Cartman were among the other winners as announced at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. In all, the night saw Emmys presented in more than 60 categories, many of them for behind-the-scenes work such as casting, editing and special effects.

Timberlake's win came in the Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics field. The ditty, which is about what it's title says it's about, and which made its legend on YouTube, where its lyrics can be enjoyed in all their uncensored glory, defeated the likes of "Everything Comes Down to Poo," from Scrubs.

Timberlake, currently on tour, was not present at Saturday's ceremony. Cowriter/cosinger (and SNL regular) Andy Samberg was.

Griffin, meanwhile, claimed her first-ever Emmy for her Bravo bid for A-list fame, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, which prevailed in the Reality Program category over Antiques Roadshow, Dog Whisperer, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Penn & Teller: Bull----!

Lee, who just can't win at the Oscars, scored his first Emmy for Outstanding Direction for Nonfiction Programming for HBO's Hurricane Katrina documentary, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.

Goodman turned back the likes of reigning Oscar champ Forest Whitaker for the Guest Actor in a Drama Series Emmy. Goodman, winless in his previous nine Emmy bids, scored for his turn in the late Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Whitaker was nominated for his recurring role on ER.

Saturday's other acting champs: Stanley Tucci, Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for USA's Monk; Elaine Stritch, Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for NBC's 30 Rock; and, two-time Oscar nominee Leslie Caron, Guest Actress in a Drama Series for NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

South Park, meanwhile, trumped a field that included Robot Chicken and longtime nemesis The Simpsons for Outstanding Animated Program.

HBO shows won the most Emmys, 15. Low-rated NBC was Emmy's top broadcast network, with 12 trophies.

Elsewhere: CBS' Tonys telecast beat out the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the Super Bowl's Prince-ly halftime show for the Special Class Program Emmy; Sci-Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica collected its first ever Emmy, for visual effects; and, ABC's Dancing with the Stars did not—repeat, did not—win for Outstanding Choreography. Dancing, in fact, was the only show of the choreography category's four nominees that did not win. (Two episodes of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and NBC's Tony Bennett: An American Classic all claimed trophies.)

The usually luckless American Idol—at the Emmys, anyway—was honored with the Governors Award for its "Idol Gives Back" charity special.

Idol will try to win a competitive Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition at next weekend's Primetime Emmys, featuring the far-flung award-show's 29 remaining categories.

E! will present the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys, with host Carlos Mencia, as a two-hour special next Saturday at 8 p.m. (E! and E! Online are divisions of E! Networks.)

Fox is set to air the 59th Annual Primetime Emmys, with host Ryan Seacrest, next Sunday at 8 p.m.

 

Tired of seeing the same batch of housewives, presidential cabinet members and flamboyant buds and their platonic gal-pals walking away with Emmys year in and year out?

So were the folks behind the awards.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced plans for an overhaul of the nomination voting process, designed to end the reign of terror of perennial nominees and give overlooked rookies a shot at Emmy gold.

The changes will affect the nomination process of six major categories: Best Actor, Actress and Series in both comedy and drama genres.

The nominees in each category will now be whittled down by both popular vote and a judging panel, rather than the old method, which determined finalists through a simple member vote. The result was a traditionally Nielsens-dominated crop of nominees chosen more for their popularity than by virtue of performances, and routinely ignored much-heralded yet low-rated shows.

Here's looking at you, Lauren Graham.

The new system will still canvass TV Academy voters, but asks members to list 15 possible nominees for acting and 10 for series, rather than the standard five. The finalists from that vote will then be asked to submit a sample TV episode to a blue-ribbon judging panel, which convenes in North Hollywood on June 24-25, and which will--get this--actually watch the nominated shows and performances before naming the five nominees.

The more democratic--and critic-pleasing--process is not a new one.

"We currently use the same process to determine the nominees for performers in a music variety show and guest actors in a series," TV Academy director John Leverence said. "Now we're extending it to the lead acting categories and best series. At this point we are not yet introducing it in the supporting actor races."

The new rules will also allow for 700 more voting members. The TV Academy is inviting a slew of directors and casting executives to cast their votes in the acting categories, which were previously decided on by 1,400 actors alone.

"This new voting initiative hits the issue of a narrow nomination's process head-on," TV Academy Chief Executive Dick Askin said. "It significantly increases the potential for the widest and most diverse selection of nominees as possible."

But only time will tell if the extra vetting process makes any real dents in the nominees or if, come this summer, it'll be more of the same old, same old.

It's the second time in as many years that Emmy officials have attempted to overhaul the staid program with some major changes, increasing the pool from which nominees were chosen in 2004 to allow new blood into the often predictable winners circle.

Needless to say, the enacted changes weren't exactly successful.

Bringing new nominees into the stale mix may also help boost the Emmys' perpetually low-rated ceremonies. Critics have argued that the lack of suspense in honorees has driven away viewers, particularly younger ones who feel disenfranchised that their favorite shows are routinely shunned from the awards.

Here's looking at you, too, Kristen Bell.

Emmy nominees will be announced July 6, with the new and improved kudosfest airing Aug. 27.

As if waiting to see the winner of Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special or Animation wasn't compelling enough to keep viewers tuned in to the Emmys, the producers of TV's annual self-back-patting fest have come up with a new gimmick: a celebrity sing-off.

Organizers of the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, airing Sept. 18 on CBS, unveiled a lineup of stars and professionals who really can hit the high notes (opera singer Frederica von Stade) and some who seem to think they can (Donald Trump) for Emmy Idol, described in the official press release as "an American-Idol-esque contest."

The stars' performances of classic TV theme songs will be scattered throughout the three-hour ceremony. Viewers will be encouraged to vote during the live broadcast, either by text message or via cbs.com, with the winning rendition announced at the end of the show. (As of yet there's been no decision what prize, if any, will be awarded.)

Kristen Bell, star of UPN's girl detective series Veronica Mars, whose extensive musical theater credits include an acclaimed performance in A Little Night Music, will be the only star to sing solo. She will perform the theme song from Fame.

William Shatner, Emmy winner for The Practice and now nominee for the spinoff Boston Legal, is still damned for his rendition of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. But he did get some good notices for spoken-song album Has Been, and he will team up up with mezzo-soprano von Stade, currently starring in the title role of the Los Angeles Opera's production of Offenbach's The Grand Duchess. They will perform the theme from, naturally, Star Trek, the sci-fi series that make Shatner a star as Captain Kirk.

An even odder coupling is ubiquitous tycoon Trump and Emmy winner (and nominee again this year) Megan Mullally of the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. Mullally's Broadway musical credits include Grease and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. As the latter is obviously not Trump's theme song, the duo will perform the theme from Green Acres.

I Try Grammy winner Macy Gray, who is featured in the Emmy-nominated HBO movie Lackawana Blues, teams up with Gary Dourdan, whose singing may surprise fans, although his c-stars on CBS' CSI know he's a fine musician. They will perform the Movin' on Up from The Jeffersons.

Song-and-dance acts on awards shows have been mocked and derided in the past--most memorably Rob Lowe's partnering an unauthorized Snow White in the opening number of the 1989 Oscars--but the Emmy brain trust is apparently confident their Idol gambit is worth a try.

"There are certain television theme songs that are nearly as memorable as the shows connected to them," says Ken Ehrlich, the executive producer hired by CBS and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to try to reverse the show's ratings slump.

"By jogging memories as well as creating wonderful moments by having them performed on this year's Emmy show, we think we're giving viewers one more reason to tune in and be entertained. I think we've got some great television moments in this year's broadcast and our Emmy Idol performances are just the tip of the iceberg."

The show will open with the Black Eyed Peas and Earth, Wind and Fire performing "September," with the "Do you remember ??" lyrics playing over clips of the past TV season's "most memorable moments."

All presenters and performers on the show will be given magnolias, the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi, the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and viewers will be provided information as to ways they can contribute to recovery efforts.

Ellen DeGeneres, a Louisiana native, who has been personally impacted by the devastation, is the show's host. She previously hosted the Emmys delayed in the wake of the 9-11 tragedy and was praised for hitting all the right notes that time.

Angels in America soared to lofty, record-tying heights at the 56th Annual Emmy Awards. Frasier and Sex and the City were honored for their swan-song seasons, while Friends was ignored. Arrested Development pulled a huge upset in the Best Comedy race. And, at long last, The Sopranos earned the nod for Best Drama Series.

Television's biggest night was, as usual, defined by sentimentality, sarcasm and the occasional unscripted off-kilter moment that left viewers scratching their heads, much to host Garry Shandling's delight.

Angels, the HBO miniseries about the fight against AIDS in the 1980s, took the lion's share of the night's awards, capturing seven altogether. Coupled with the four awards the series snagged at the Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 12, the show netted a total of 11 awards, topping the nine trophies won by the miniseries Roots in 1977 and tying the record set by the all-time Emmys champ, 1976's television movie Eleanor and Franklin.

Originally adapted for the small screen from Broadway, where it won a Pulitzer and several Tony Awards, the show swept the acting field for the Miniseries/TV Movie category, taking Best Actor (Al Pacino), Best Actress (Meryl Streep), Supporting Actor (Jeffrey Wright) and Supporting Actress (Mary-Louise Parker).

"There are some days when I, myself, think I am overrated," Streep said upon her victory. "But not today."

Parker beat out fellow nominee Angela Lansbury (for The Blackwater Lightship) in the Supporting Actress field, making Lansbury zero for 18 at the Emmys.

Pacino's Angels win marked both his first Emmys victory and nomination. Wright, meanwhile, has already nabbed both a Tony and a Golden Globe for the role he originated onstage and adapted for television.

The series also captured Best Director for Mike Nichols, Best Writing for Tony Kushner and Best Miniseries.

With seminal comedy series such as Sex and the City and Frasier coming to a close this year, many of the newly out-of-work stars were honored for their small-screen contributions.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon captured trophies for Best Actress and Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Sex and the City, which wrapped in February after six seasons. It was the first win for either actress.

"Matthew and James Wilke...sweet," Parker said, addressing her husband, Matthew Broderick and their toddler son, as she held her trophy, triumphing over the likes of fellow hopeful Jennifer Aniston.

"Great punctuation for the end of a long sentence," Parker added.

Nixon triumphed over castmates Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis, who both managed to look appropriately elated for their costar.

THE BIG WINNERS
Top Shows
Emmys
Angels in America
11
Frasier
6
Arrested Development
5
Carnivāle
5
24
4
The Sopranos
4
Network
Emmys
HBO
32
Fox
10
NBC
8
PBS
7
ABC
7
(includes Creative Arts Emmys)

Frasier stars Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce each captured their fourth Emmy wins for Best Actor and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively. The show finished its 11-year run this past spring, ending Grammer's time as alter ego Frasier Crane--a role that stretched over 20 years and three different shows. The two trophies brought Frasier's overall tally to a record 37.

"I had the most extraordinary life on television," Grammer said. "Frasier was a gift in my life, and the people that I got to meet and work with were the greatest, and this is just the cherry on top."

Grammer also paid tribute to the late John Ritter, who received a sentimental Emmy nod in the category for his work on ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.

Pierce accepted his trophy with a few words about the difficulty in bidding farewell to his series and closed with a cynical quip about the evolving face of television.

"They say comedy in television is changing," Pierce said. "When they change it back, call me."

In a surprise victory, Fox's low-rated freshman show Arrested Development took the prize for Best Comedy Series, Best Director and Best Writer. Meanwhile, fan favorite Friends was snubbed across the board, taking home no prizes for its final season.

On the drama side, The Sopranos became the first cable show to capture the Best Drama Emmy and halted The West Wing's four-year win streak. Star-crossed television lovers Drea de Matteo and Michael Imperioli took home Best Supporting Actress and Actor Emmys for their work on The Sopranos.

"There are so many people that are responsible for this, that if I even try to thank any of them right now, I might puke, choke, cry or die. And you've already seen me do that," said de Matteo, whose character was killed off last season. (She now appears on NBC's Joey.)

James Spader, star of canceled show The Practice (and its soon-to-be spinoff, Boston Legal), scored an upset victory for Best Actor in a Drama Series, while perennial favorite Allison Janney won Best Actress for the West Wing.

Meanwhile, the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was given to the late comedic actor Danny Thomas, and was accepted by his daughter, Marlo Thomas of That Girl fame.

As always, the Emmy telecast paid tribute to recently deceased members of the Industry. This year's list of the lamented included Ronald Reagan, Marlon Brando, Julia Child, Art Carney, Tony Randall, Jack Paar, Ray Charles, Isabel Sanford and Real World creator Mary-Ellis Bunim, among many others.

Some of the more bizarre segments of the broadcast included Broadway vet Elaine Stritch's acceptance speech for her win in the Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Musical program.

"Look at the company I'm in, just look at it," Stritch, 79, crowed. "And I'm so glad none of them won!"

She continued with the night's windiest speech--at one point was partially bleeped for profanity by ABC censors--proclaiming that she was going to have to be carried off the stage. Eventually, she left of her own volition. And became the night's biggest punchline.

E! News Live
Tune in for complete recap and celebrity reaction to the Emmy Awards.
Airs: Mon., 7 p.m.

In the telecast's most memorable moment, Shandling brought two "real people" onstage to present the award for Best Reality Competition to The Amazing Race--without their knowledge.

The unwitting presenters--Amy Scholsohn of Orlando, Florida, and Bruce T. Milam Jr. of Joliet, Illinois--were a sidebar to Shandling's running diatribe on the reality-television genre. Shandling lifted their blindfolds, told them they were being watched by 200 million to 300 million people and proclaimed that he had made them instantly famous. Milam wiped tears from his eyes and proclaimed The Apprentice his favorite show, while Scholson combed the audience for her favorite stars ("People say I look like Jennifer Aniston," she said upon spying the Friends star and hubby Brad Pitt). The pair was later booked for a slot on The Tonight Show.

HBO dominated this year's awards, winning 16 of the 27 prizes handed out Sunday and, counting the Creative Arts Emmys, a total of 32 statuettes. Fox nabbed 10 overall, NBC trailed with eight, ABC and PBS earned seven each, and CBS took home two.

Get the complete list of winners.

The oddsmakers say this will be the Emmy year of The Sopranos and Sarah Jessica Parker. The averages say different.

Going into Sunday's big show, The Sopranos has never won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series; Sex and the City's Parker has never won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

The gambling site, WagerOnSports.com, has HBO's mob hit down as a 5/7 favorite to deny Joan of Arcadia (3/1) its first divine win, and The West Wing (9/2) its record sixth Emmy in the category.

Likewise, its latest line has Parker at 5/7 to beat back Friends' Jennifer Aniston (19/10) and Everybody Loves Raymond's Patricia Heaton (3/1).

But before money is bet that can't really be bet--WagersOnSports.com isn't called WagersOnEmmys.com for a reason--consider: The statistics show The Sopranos historically has won fewer than two Emmys for every 10 nominations.

If it were a baseball player, Tony Soprano's hard bunch, with 13 wins out of 69 nominations through last year, would be batting a soft .188. Team Sex and the City would be even worse--a bench-riding .114 hitter.

"There are plenty of variables, but, yes, I do think that one can make a connection, factoring in these variables, between past performance and future performance in both baseball and Emmy-nominated television."

So says Jon Weisman, who crunches baseball numbers obscure, OBP (on-base percentage), and obscurer, OPS (on-base plus slugging), on his blog, Dodger Thoughts (http://www.all-baseball.com/dodgerthoughts/). (Outside of the dugout, he's written about TV for Variety and the Los Angeles Times.)

In an email interview, Weisman was asked whether Frasier's career Emmy-winning percentage of .316, tops among all this year's nominated comedies with more than a few seasons under its belt, was a sign of more walks to the podium for the show's players on Sunday night.

"Most baseball careers have an arc to them that is age-dependent," Weisman said, taking into account Frasier's just-completed, 11-year prime-time run. "You'd expect a .316 hitter to do well the next year; you'd look for an older .316 hitter to decline."

"Barry Bonds is an apparent exception, but while Frasier might be a Hall of Fame show, it's no Barry Bonds."

When informed Frasier has already made good on three of its nine nominations this year--it picked up the hardware at last Saturday's Creative Arts Primetime Emmys--Weisman was unfazed.

"Well, that's baseball for you," he said.

Owing to the whims of the sports and/or Emmy gods, Frasier, with a record 34 wins so far, isn't even nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series this year.

Among the contenders, Will & Grace (.261) and Everybody Loves Raymond (.255) have had the most success; Curb Your Enthusiasm has had the least (.083). First-timer Arrested Development, which won two Emmys last weekend, is the pick of the odds-makers.

Among drama series, The Practice has the highest career batting average, .324, which doesn't even include the two Emmys it won last weekend for guest stars William Shatner and Sharon Stone.

But like the dead-and-buried Frasier, the dead-and-buried Practice isn't up for the big series prize. Among shows that are, The West Wing leads the way, with a .319 winning percentage. 24 is the only other nominated drama to be batting even .200, although its average is up to .286 after last weekend's four Creative Arts wins.

In looking at who wins Emmys and who doesn't, TV historian Tim Brooks considers factors that don't compute on a calculator: Sentiment, commercialism, favoritism.

Brooks, for instance, thinks Parker has a good shot at her first acting Emmy for Sex. (She's previously won for producing the series.)

"Anything that comes off an HBO show has a bit of a jump start," says Brooks, coauthor of The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present. "Plus the fact that she hasn't won [works in her favor]."

Similarly, Brooks thinks a certain amount of respect will be paid to the late John Ritter, up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for 8 Simple Rules.

At 4/9, Ritter's the favorite of the oddsmakers. Still, Brooks doesn't think sentiment will overcome the reality that 8 Simple Rules is neither a cool, nor hot show.

"My guess is that he probably won't win," says Brooks.

Garry Shandling, sporting a career .053 Emmy batting average, is set to host the 56th annual show Sunday from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Barring extra innings, the ABC telecast will run from 8-11 p.m. (ET/PT).

E!'s Emmy Sunday begins at noon (ET/PT) with Live Countdown. The annual Live from the Red Carpet, with newly installed red-carpet host Star Jones, dishes from 6-8 p.m. (ET/PT).

Additionally, E! is set to air the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys from 8-10 p.m. (ET/PT) on Saturday.

Sorry, boxes of Cracker Jack not included.

Angels, mobsters, the goodbye girls and some surprise contenders will muscle one another for Emmy glory this year.

Nominees for the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Thursday morning, with HBO dominating all categories, including Best Miniseries (Angels in America, with a leading 24 nods), Best Drama Series, (The Sopranos, with 20) and Best Comedy Series (the dearly departed Sex and the City, with 11).

Aside from HBO's whopping 124 nods (second-place NBC had just 65), another big storyline was Emmy getting sentimental, with swan-song nods to all four Sex and the City stars--Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and first-timer Kristin Davis. Friends' Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc and Frasier's Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce also racked up farewell nominations, although their respective series didn't make it into the Best Comedy race.

Emmy also bestowed a posthumous nod to 8 Simple Rules star John Ritter, whose sudden death rocked TV land last September. Ritter, who was 54, completed just three episodes of the ABC sitcom.

Ritter, Grammer and LeBlanc will be up against Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David and Monk's Tony Shalhoub, while the funnylady race will be between Aniston, Parker, Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle) and Bonnie Hunt (the now defunct Life with Bonnie).

Although old faves ruled, there were some key breakthroughs. CBS' Joan of Arcadia scored a Best Drama nod in its rookie season, and God-stalked star Amber Tamblyn made the cut in the Lead Actress category.

Tamblyn will compete against Emmy vets Allison Janney for The West Wing and Edie Falco for The Sopranos (who announced the nominees with fellow Emmy contender Shalhoub this morning) and hopefuls Jennifer Garner for Alias and Mariska Hargitay for Law & Order: SVU.

On the comedy side, Fox's poorly rated but critically lauded Arrested Development beat out Frasier and Friends for a nod. An Emmy win could save the lagging series from the chopping block next season.

Otherwise, it was business as usual.

West Wing and Sopranos will duke it out again for dramatic supremecy. As the defending champ, the White House series, which has taken the Best Drama trophy four years running, will have to fend off the advances of New Jersey's famiglia, which swept the Lead Actor and Actress categories last year.

? Complete list of contenders

Three-time career winner James Gandolfini will get a fourth chance at Emmy greatness, if he can defeat presidential alter ego Martin Sheen (The West Wing), TV G-men Kiefer Sutherland (24) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace) and legal eagle James Spader, whose star turn salvaged The Practice's last season.

That's good news for Spader's spinoff series, Boston Legal, debuting on ABC this fall.

Rounding out the drama category are CBS' CSI and Joan of Arcadia and Fox's 24.

Joining Arrested Development and Sex and the City in the Best Comedy showdown: HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, CBS' Everybody Loves Raymond and NBC's Will & Grace

All told, HBO topped the network scorecard with 124 nominations, a personal best for the cable net and the most of all networks for the fourth year in a row. It was followed by NBC with 65, CBS with 44, ABC with 33, Fox with 31 nods.

In other Emmy tidbits: TOP CONTENDERS
Show
Nominations
Angels In America
21
The Sopranos
20
The West Wing
12
Deadwood
11
Sex and the City
11
Prior Emmy winners Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Eric McCormack and Debra Messing (Will & Grace) were the most notable snubs in the lead acting categories.
Sex and the City's Davis must be having a Susan Lucci moment with her first Emmy nomination. Along with costar Cattrall and Nixon, she'll compete for the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Emmy against Everybody Loves Raymond's Doris Roberts and Will & Grace's Megan Mullally.
Competing among the supporting actors will be Jeffrey Tambor for Arrested Development, Brad Garrett and Peter Boyle for Everybody Loves Raymond, David Hyde Pierce for Frasier and Sean Hayes for Will & Grace.
Two new buzz cable series failed to do much damage in the glamour categories. HBO's Deadwood racked up 11 nods altogether, tying Sex and the City's tally, but its only high-profile nominations came in the Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama races for Brad Dourif and Robin Weigert. FX's Nip/Tuck, meanwhile, didn't crack any of the drama categories--its five noms came for technical achievement.
Weigert will go against slain Sopranos moll Drea de Matteo, Tyne Daly of Judging Amy and Janel Moloney and Stockard Channing of The West Wing.
The Supporting Actor in a Drama showdown contenders are Dourif, Victor Garber of Alias, John Spencer of The West Wing and two Sopranos players, Michael Imperioli and the recently whacked Steve Buscemi.
The Reagans, dumped by CBS for political reasons and shunted off to Showtime, scored seven nominations, including Outstanding Made-for-TV movie and acting nods for Ron and Nancy stand-ins James Brolin and Judy Davis.
America's former First Family will be vying with TV movies And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (HBO), Something the Lord Made (HBO), Ike: Countdown to D-Day (A&E) and The Lion in Winter (Showtime). Meanwhile, miniseries frontrunner Angels, based on Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning AIDS drama, will battle against PBS' American Family: Journey of Dreams, A&E's Horatio Hornblower, PBS' Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness and USA's Traffic: The Miniseries.
Donald Trump's ego is in danger of exploding after The Apprentice made the Reality-Competition Program cut. The boardroom dramedy will seek immunity against The Amazing Race, American Idol, Last Comic Standing and Survivor: All Stars.
Makeover madness has gripped the Outstanding Reality category in the form of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. They'll tackle PBS' Colonial House, Showtime's Penn & Teller: Bulls--t and HBO's Project Greenlight.

The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards takes place in all its glory Sept. 19 at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium; the ceremony, hosted by Garry Shandling after a four-year absence, will be broadcast on ABC, with E! providing the live red-carpet countdown.

Get the complete list of Emmy nominees.