'Angels,' 'Sopranos' hit high notes
'Arrested' wins best comedy series
By Todd Leopold
CNN
(CNN) -- Its ads say "It's not TV, it's HBO," but the cable network certainly dominated television's top awards Sunday night.
The HBO movie "Angels in America" won best miniseries and tied a record with 11 Emmys.
The network's show "The Sopranos" finally won best drama, and its recently concluded "Sex and the City" picked up awards for best actress and best supporting actress in a comedy.
Four of "Angels' " actors -- Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright and Mary-Louise Parker -- won, as did playwright Tony Kushner and director Mike Nichols. The show also won four awards at Monday's creative arts presentation.
Wright gave an impassioned speech about AIDS, noting the worldwide spread of the disease since "Angels" premiered in 1991; and Kushner put in a plug for gay marriage.
"Thanks to my wonderful husband, Mark. Someday soon we can have a legal marriage and you can make an honest homosexual out of me," he said.
A regal Streep joked about being "overrated," but dismissed the criticism. "Not today," she said.
"Angels" tied the award for wins for one program, ever, which is held by the TV movie "Eleanor and Franklin."
The sitcom "Arrested Development" came out of nowhere as a rookie to win best comedy series.
"Arrested" creator Mitchell Hurwitz, slyly noting the show's low ratings, finished his speech by saying, "You know what? Let's watch it."
Finally, 'Sopranos'
"The Sopranos" has long been heralded as one of the finest shows on television, but despite many acting wins over the years, the show had never won best drama.
Along with the top award, "Sopranos" performers Michael Imperioli, who plays mobster Christopher Moltisanti, and Drea de Matteo, who played his late girlfriend Adriana, won Emmys for the show, as did writer Terence Winter.
"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," said an emotional de Matteo.
"The Sopranos" earned 20 nominations, second only to the six-hour movie version of "Angels," which garnered 21 nods.
HBO -- which led all networks with 124 nominations -- also did well in the comedy arena. "Sex" stars Sarah Jessica Parker (best actress in a comedy series) and Cynthia Nixon (best supporting actress in a comedy series) both won awards. The Emmy was Parker's first.
In a mild surprise, James Spader of "The Practice" won best actor in a drama, defeating "The Sopranos' " James Gandolfini and "Without a Trace's" Anthony La Paglia, who were considered the category's favorites. Spader's character is in a new show this fall, the "Practice" spinoff "Boston Legal."
"The Practice" also won two awards at Monday's creative arts presentation for two guest stars -- William Shatner and Sharon Stone.
Gags and speeches
NBC's much-honored "Frasier" may have ended its 11-year run in May -- and was not nominated for best comedy series -- but two of its actors picked up trophies to add to their Emmy collection.
Kelsey Grammer won best actor in a comedy, and David Hyde Pierce won best supporting actor in a comedy.
"In sitcom school they tell you how great it is to have a long-running show, but they don't tell you how hard it is to say goodbye," Hyde Pierce said.
Its recently departed colleague "Friends" wasn't so fortunate. Jennifer Aniston, thought to be a leading candidate to win best actress in a comedy, lost to Parker. The show was shut out overall.
Allison Janney won her fourth Emmy for "The West Wing" in the best actress in a drama category and invited fellow nominee Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: SVU") -- also wearing a green dress -- on stage with her.
"The Daily Show" won two awards, one for best variety/music/comedy series and another for the show's writing staff.
ABC's pre-Emmy show could have used help from a copy editor, if not a writer; the program's title credit glittered on screen as "Countdown to the Emmy's 2004" (sic).
A joke on reality
Emmy coverage was to be jazzier than usual, including behind-the-scenes coverage from the control room. Though there were few of these shots, one winner -- Louis J. Horvitz, who won for directing the Oscars -- was in the production booth for his award, and let loose with a happy shriek.
The show was also quick to prompt winners to end their speeches with music from the house orchestra, though the prompting was hilariously disregarded by Elaine Stritch, who won for the HBO presentation of her one-woman show, "Elaine Stritch at Liberty."
"Look at the company I'm in here. And I'm so glad none of them won," Stritch said before the orchestra finally played her off the stage.
Winners cracked jokes at her expense throughout the evening.
The Emmys pulled a page from the self-parody handbook with its opening video sketch, which pitched the program as "the ultimate reality show."
Host Garry Shandling got into the act in the video, noting the show is "not about me," which he followed with an image discussion with the plastic surgeons of "Extreme Makeover," including one who suggested a sex change for the host. Reality show jokes continued throughout the evening.
The show also had a sharp poke at the Swift boat controversy, showing a parody ad from "Continental Skiff Boat Oarsmen for Veracity" criticizing George Washington.
In the best reality-competition program category, "The Amazing Race" surpassed last season's breakout hit "The Apprentice," along with "Survivor," "Last Comic Standing" and "American Idol."
The award was, fittingly, presented by two non-celebrities -- Amy Scholsohn of Orlando, Florida, and Bruce T. Milam Jr. of Joliet, Illinois -- who were surprised to find themselves on the Emmy stage, peering at Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
