LOS ANGELES -- Why is it when the cast of HBO's "Sopranos" walks into the party, you half expect one of them to reach into his jacket and... well, never mind. There were no guns, but plenty of high caliber talent at the Television Critics Awards ceremony Friday night.

All the principals from "The Sopranos" made the trip out from location in New Jersey -- James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano), Edie Falco (wife Carmela), Michael Imperioli (hitman Christopher) plus Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi) and that cute bald guy who plays "Uncle Junior."

The show won four TCA awards just one day after learning that they're up for 16 Emmys, more than any other show.

Gandolfini, a critical darling, was too shy to mix and mingle at the pre-awards cocktail party. He fled the mob scene of inquisitive TV reporters and retreated to the bar to smoke several cigarettes.

Also at the party: Ray Romano, winner of the comedy award for "Everybody Loves Raymond," with his real-life wife; Romano's stand-up comedy pal David Brenner; David E. Kelley, a winner for "The Practice," who arrived without wife Michelle Pfeiffer; Aaron Sorkin, creator of "Sports Night"; and of course, David Chase, writer-creator of "The Sopranos," who said when they finished filming the first season's shows, he wasn't sure anybody would actually watch them.

So much for what he knows.

Same day, different party. The Writers Guild, the union that represents TV and film scribes, gathered for drinks and fajitas with TV critics.

Christopher Lloyd, head writer on "Frasier," said this season will find Frasier in love with a woman in his building, Niles pining for Daphne (again!) as she plans her wedding to attorney Donny, and Roz and Bulldog going into a full-fledged love affair (yipes!).

Lloyd is flying the cast and writers to Maui in December to see in the Millennium in style.

Peter Mehlman, head writer of "It's Like... You Know," said his show will continue to skewer aspects of life in L.A. He's still in touch with former "Seinfeld" pals Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David and said the recent reports of a Jackie Chiles spinoff were completely true. He also revealed that when he was a writer on "Seinfeld," they initially wrote the black lawyer as the real guy, Johnnie Cochran, and that Cochran had agreed to appear on the sitcom playing himself.

"Then we thought better of it and decided it would look like we were condoning or promoting Cochcran so we rewrote it as the character Jackie Chiles," said Mehlman.

Phil Morris got the role and will repeat it in the spinoff, which could air next year.

Best line at the writers' party came from David Carren, one of the scriptwriters on CBS' "Martial Law." "We're using more comedy on the show this year, really playing to the talents of (co-star) Arsenio Hall," said Carren. "That means more laughing and less killing."

Party on!

Buzz at the wall-to-wall gossipy party was about Scott Foley (he's Noel on "Felicity") buying a new house with live-in love Jennifer Garner, who played his old g-friend Hannah (the pianist) on the show. Garner now works for Fox on the new drama "Time of Your Life" starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Deep in the crowd was 21-year-old Colin Hanks, who'd skipped the earlier interview for stars of "Roswell" because he was afraid too many questions about his Oscar-winning dad, Tom, would detract from the other actors' face-time. Young Hanks is handsome, smart and polite and a recent drama grad from Loyola Marymount University.

Highlight of the evening (for some) was seeing a nauseated TV critic blow dinner all over actor Gregory Harrison's shoes. Some joked that it was an early review of his new show, "Safe Harbor."

The next big party was Fox's bash at Yamashiro, a Japanese restaurant atop a hill above Hollywood Blvd. (really dug the view after dark). Over cocktails and sushi, critics did the chitchat thing with Jennifer Love Hewitt (her show is being remade for the second time because it's just so darned baaaaad), Chris Carter (creator of "X-Files" and the new "Harsh Realm"), most of the cast of "90210" looking not a year older than when they first debuted a decade ago, 'toon masters Matt Groening ("Simpsons") and Mike Judge ("King of the Hill"), and dozens of other prettier young things.

Much buzz about "X-Files" being snubbed by the Emmy nominations. "I expected we'd be squeezed out this year," said Carter, who acknowledged that his show was probably nudged aside by all the acclaim for "The Sopranos."

David Duchovny, just in from Rome, said he has a new way of looking at life since the birth of his and Tea Leoni's first child. "You start living for the next generation, which is very different," he said.

He also hinted that he had a "never say never" attitude toward returning for an eighth season of "X-Files." His contract, and Carter's, expires at the end of the coming TV season.

Duchovny spent part of his summer making the film "Return to Me" in Chicago. It's written and directed by Bonnie Hunt, who co-starred with Duchovny in the hit flick "Beethoven."

One of the most popular partygoers at the Fox do was, of all people, Buddy Hackett, co-star (as a chauffeur) of the new show-bizzy comedy "Action." Asked if he was still the funniest guy in the world, Hackett cracked, "I'm the top two. No. 3 is Shecky Greene."

If you say so, Buddy.