Corpus Christi Caller-Times Ricardo Baca, media critic

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Sunday, October 7, 2001

Emmys will go on with a somber note

Awards hostess Ellen DeGeneres won't be telling too many jokes

This year's Emmy Awards will be unlike any other. Because of the Sept. 11 attacks, the show will be more subdued and somber than years past. Now three weeks after the originally scheduled date, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres is still hosting the Emmys (7 p.m. tonight on CBS). She won't be telling too many jokes, and the ceremony will likely make many references to America's response to terrorism and the role TV played in the last few weeks.
   Many East Coast stars - including the casts of HBO's "The Sopranos" and "Sex in the City" - were reportedly weary of flying to Los Angeles, and to accommodate them, there will be a New York satellite broadcast. About five of the 27 awards will be presented at the Big Apple version - which will be held at "Late Night with Conan O'Brien's" NBC studio.
   Following are some of the nominees in the ceremony's biggest competitions:

   OUTSTANDING COMEDY

Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS

Frasier, NBC

Malcolm In The Middle, FOX

Sex And The City, HBO

Will & Grace, NBC

   OUTSTANDING DRAMA

ER, NBC

Law & Order, NBC

The Practice, ABC

The Sopranos, HBO

The West Wing, NBC

   ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Ray Romano as Raymond Barone on CBS's "Everybody loves Raymond"

Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane on NBC's "Frasier"

Frankie Muniz as Malcolm on FOX's "Malcolm in the Middle"

John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on NBC's "3rd Rock From the Sun"

Eric McCormack as Will Truman on NBC's "Will & Grace"

   ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Andre Braugher as Dr. Ben Gideon on ABC"s "Gideon's Crossing"

Dennis Franz as Andy Sipowicz on ABC's "NYPD Blue"

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano on HBO's "The Sopranos"

Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn on NBC's "The West Wing"

Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet on NBC's "The West Wing"

   ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Calista Flockhart as Ally McBeal on FOX's "Ally McBeal"

Patricia Heaton as Debra Barone on CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond"

Jane Kaczmarek as Lois on FOX's "Malcolm in the Middle"

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw on HBO's "Sex and the City"

Debra Messing as Grace Adler on NBC's "Will & Grace"

   ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows on CBS's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigators"

Amy Brenneman as Judge Amy Madison Gray on CBS's "Judging Amy"

Sela Ward as Lily Manning on ABC's "Once and Again"

Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on HBO's "The Sopranos"

Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano on HBO's "The Sopranos"

   Other highlights on this week are:
   Sunday
   6:30 p.m. on Fox: THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY With many viewers likely to be watching the Emmys, Fox is showing this 1998 comedy instead of its usual Sunday-night lineup. Cameron Diaz stars as Mary.
   7 p.m. on The Learning Channel: HYPERSPACE Some really big questions, starting with the origins of the universe and of life on earth, are addressed in this new three-hour mini-series. The second hour deals with the ultimate fate of the earth, and the third examines whether the human race might be able to move far away before the planet becomes uninhabitable. Sam Neill is the host.
   8 p.m. on Nick at Nite: 'CHEERS' MARATHON Cheers is joining the channel's regular lineup of vintage sitcoms, and each night this week will be devoted to episodes that showcase one of the characters. Sam (Ted Danson) gets to go first. Tomorrow: Diane (Shelley Long).
   Monday
   8 p.m. on PBS: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE The setting of Shakespeare's play is moved to the cafe society of early 1930s Vienna in this production by London's Royal National Theatre. Director Trevor Nunn says he set out to test assumptions about a work that many regard as "unsavory and possibly racist." Henry Goodman stars as Shylock.
   Tuesday
   7 p.m. on the WB: GILMORE GIRLS The well-regarded series returns for a second season with Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Max (Scott Cohen) on the verge of marriage. But her mother (Kelly Bishop) is angry about not being informed.
   9 p.m. on PBS: LOCAL NEWS A TV station in Charlotte, N.C., wages an unusual struggle to boost its news ratings while at the same time improving the quality of its journalism. Key personnel such as anchor Alicia Booth are followed closely in this five-part documentary, which continues at the same time next week.
   8 p.m. on NBC: THE WEST WING After last week's pause to reflect on current events, the series is scheduled to have its delayed season premiere tonight, returning to the story of how President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) will handle a potentially difficult re-election campaign.
   Thursday
   7 p.m. on CBS: SURVIVOR: AFRICA Now that two verisons of "Survivor" have drawn big audiences, CBS is likely to keep changing the setting as long as people will watch. This time, contestants share space with potentially troublesome creatures such as lions and elephants.
   Friday
   5:30 p.m. on Cinemax: GALAXY QUEST "Enterprise," the new "Star Trek" series, has served as a reminder of just how much history the franchise has. This 1999 spoof about washed-up actors enlisted by real aliens affectionately affirms the place of "Star Trek" in popular culture. Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver star.
   Saturday
   7 p.m. on Bravo: THE NATURAL Many players say this is their favorite baseball movie. In any case, the 1984 film has become part of the lore of the game - and an attractive alternative if there are any rain delays. Robert Redford and Robert Duvall star. Also in the cast is Kim Basinger, the guest on Bravo's "Inside the Actors Studio" at 7 p.m.

Pop culture and media critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 886-3688 or by e-mail at bacar@caller.com

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