• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Veteran stars, past winners shine at Emmys

Posted on: Sunday, 18 September 2005, 22:12 CDT

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran stars and past winners dominated the early Emmy Awards on Sunday as William Shatner, Paul Newman and two co-stars of long-running sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" grabbed a share of U.S. television's highest honors.

Shatner, a repeat Emmy winner who sprang to fame as Captain Kirk on the 1960s sci-fi adventure "Star Trek," was named best supporting actor in a drama for his role as a lawyer on ABC's courtroom series "Boston Legal."

His victory came just after Brad Garrett won his third Emmy for playing comedian Ray Romano's jealous brother on "Everybody Loves Raymond," which last season ended its 9-year run on CBS.

Doris Roberts, who played an overbearing mother on the show, took the stage with two grandchildren to collect a fifth Emmy and exclaimed: "Wow, this is the icing on the cake."

"Just because you are over 40 doesn't mean you aren't hot or exciting or talented," she said backstage. "I'm out there (with) all those crazy young gorgeous women, and look who got it?"

Two other veterans, Newman and Jane Alexander, won supporting actor and actress awards for miniseries and TV movies for their respective work in HBO's "Empire Falls" and "Warm Springs," the latter about Franklin Roosevelt's struggle with polio.

NOD TOWARD KATRINA VICTIMS

The 57th edition of the Emmys opened with Louisiana-born host Ellen DeGeneres paying tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in her opening monologue.

"New Orleans is my hometown, and our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected," said DeGeneres, recalling that she also hosted the Emmys four years ago in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

"I'm really, really honored because it's times like these that we really need to laugh," the comedian said, adding on a more humorous note: "And look for me next month when I host the North Korean People's Choice Awards.

But as the live CBS telecast headed for its climax, the big question was whether Emmy voters would stick with their habit of rewarding older shows and established stars or break with tradition to shine the spotlight on new hits.

Two breakouts from ABC, castaway thriller "Lost" and the darkly comic prime-time soap "Desperate Housewives," were seen as the front-runners to sweep the top two Emmy categories, best drama and best comedy series, respectively.

Both shows helped the Walt Disney Co.-owned network reverse a 3-year ratings slump and are credited with paving the way for offbeat, form-breaking series coming to TV this fall.

A victory by both would mark the first such twin triumph for ABC since 1988.

DESPERATE FOR EMMYS

"Housewives," a wry, steamy saga of suburban intrigue set on fictional Wisteria Lane, is competing in 15 categories, tying veteran NBC sitcom "Will & Grace" as this year's most nominated series.

"Housewives" also yielded best-actress nominations for Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman.

"Raymond" co-star Patricia Heaton could also claim a third Emmy for her role as Romano's sharp-tongued wife.

The contest for best comedy actor shaped up as a race among three past winners -- Romano, Eric McCormack of "Will & Grace" and Tony Shalhoub of USA Network's "Monk."

"Lost" led the field of drama series contenders with 12 nominations overall.

Its toughest Emmy competition should be four-time past winner "The West Wing," NBC's White House drama. A "West Wing" upset would set a new record for most Emmy wins as best drama by a single show.

Emmy odds-makers favor British star Hugh Laurie to win best actor in a drama for his role as a grumpy doctor in the new Fox network hit "House." James Spader also is a contender for his role as an ethically challenged lawyer in "Boston Legal."

In the contest for best dramatic actress, pundits have singled out the stars of two cop shows -- Glenn Close for her role on cable network FX's "The Shield" and Mariska Hargitay from NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Source: REUTERS

More News in this Category