Surprises, Expectations at Emmy's

by Nicole Jomantas
FOR THE POST

After the first award of the evening was handed out at Sunday night's Emmy Awards to Will and Grace's Megan Mullally, host Garry Shandling said, "I don't think anyone should panic ... It doesn't mean anything."

Maybe not, but it was clear early on that it was going to be a "Must See TV" evening as Will and Grace dominated the Outstanding Comedy category and the White House-based drama West Wing's nine golden ladies set a new record for most Emmys won in a single season.

In addition to winning Outstanding Comedy, Will and Grace - a sitcom that centers around a woman and her gay, male best friend - stars Mullally and Sean Hayes, who took home Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress awards.

Will and Grace's Eric McCormack and Debra Messing were nominated for Outstanding Actor and Actress, but neither won an award.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy went to Everybody Loves Raymond star Patricia Heaton, while the Outstanding Actor award went to the sentimental favorite, Spin City's Michael J. Fox. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, retired at the end of last season to spend more time working with his foundation that raises money for Parkinson's research.

Although he isn't committed to any future acting roles, the former Family Ties star told the audience, "It's been a fun ride, and stay tuned." The crowd, most of who were wearing yellow ribbons to show their support for Parkinson's research, gave Fox a standing ovation as he received his award.

The ceremony also proved that the series with the most nominations doesn't win the most awards. The critically-acclaimed HBO drama Sopranos had 18 nominations, but was snubbed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in every category except Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, where James Gandolfini beat out the favorite, West Wing's Martin Sheen.

The folks at West Wing avenged this loss with wins by Richard Schiff and Allison Janney in the Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress categories as well as directing and writing awards. And, of course, West Wing also took the top prize - Outstanding Drama Series.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night (aside from Geena Davis' extremely sheer gown) was Sela Ward's Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama win over Sopranos stars Lorraine Bracco and Edie Falco. Ward, best known for her role as Teddy on NBC's early-'90s series Sisters, won for her role in ABC's Once and Again.

Other notable winners included Late Show With David Letterman. which won Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series and Tuesdays With Morrie. Oprah's movie based on the book of the same name, won Outstanding Made for Television Movie.

But perhaps one of the most talked about parts of the evening wasn't a particular award or show, but Shandling's opening monologue when he finally gave E!'s fashion vulture Joan Rivers her due as he quipped, "No one ever talks about Joan Rivers. She looks like a hooker with a microphone."