'THE SOPRANOS' AND 'THE WEST WING' SCORE AS THE 2001 EMMY NOMINATIONS ARE ANNOUNCED

July 11, 2001Jul 11, 2001, 11:00 PM GMT+1

With the nominations for the 2001 Emmys – the Oscars of US television – just announced, members of the Academy aim to pit the mob against the White House: The Sopranos racked up a field-best 22 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and a pair of Lead Actress nods, while last year’s big winner, The West Wing, notched an impressive 18 nominations.

Martin Sheen, who plays inspirational President Josiah Bartlet on the show, will face off against last year’s Lead Actor winner, James Gandolfini of The Sopranos. While Dennis Franz of veteran series NYPD Blue snagged another nomination –his eighth in as many years – as did West Wing co-star Rob Lowe, insiders predict that for Gandolfini to win again he may have to take out a hit on Sheen.

On the comedy side, top-rated Friends was largely snubbed, though stars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow both made the cut for Supporting Actress, virtually ensuring an appearance by Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt on Emmy night.

Calista Flockhart was singled out for Ally McBeal – her third nomination – though she faces stiff competition from Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex And The City and last year’s winner Patricia Heaton of the critics’ darling Everybody Loves Raymond.

New mum Calista’s co-star and on-screen love interest Robert Downey Jr will add some moviestar punch to the telecast, having scored a Supporting Actor nomination for his well-received stint on the David E Kelley comedy. Robert, despite reportedly being axed from the show following his most recent run-in with the law, looks to be the favourite as he’s already taken home both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award this season.

British actors are well-represented, with Dame Judi Dench and Emma Thompson competing in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie category. Sir Ian Holm was recognised for the drama The Last Of The Blonde Bombshells, and will compete against Colin Firth of the HBO film Conspiracy. BBC I, Claudius star Sir Derek Jacobi was lauded for Outstanding Guest Actor for his one-off appearance on the beloved comedy Frasier.

Ellen DeGeneres, herself nominated for the HBO comedy special Ellen DeGeneres: The Beginning, hosts the awards which will air live from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on September 16 on US network CBS.

For a complete list of nominees, check out www.emmys.com.

Sign up to HELLO Daily! for the best royal, celebrity and lifestyle coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.