The 54th Annual Emmy Awards Show had many different television shows represented as nominees on Sunday night, but only the few elite came away with major awards. “The West Wing” won its third “Outstanding Drama Series” award in a row. The show also nearly swept the individual acting awards for dramatic series. John Spencer and Stockard Channing won “Best Supporting Actor” and “Best Supporting Actress.” The “Outstanding Lead Actress” award went to Allison Janney for her work on “The West Wing.” Janney has won “Best Supporting Actress” the last two years.
The “Best Lead Actor” award surprisingly did not go to “The West Wing.” The winner, Michael Chiklis of FX’s “The Shield,” could not believe it either. Chiklis gave a dramatic acceptance speech in which he thanked nearly everyone besides the errand boy.
The comedy awards turned out to be much more competitive than their drama counterparts. “Friends” won its first “Outstanding Comedy Series” in nine years. “Everybody Loves Raymond” took home three of the individual comedy awards. Ray Romano received his first “Best Lead Actor” award while his associates, Doris Roberts and Brad Garrett, swept the “Best Supporting” awards. Jennifer Aniston became only the second “Friends” cast member to win an Emmy after receiving the “Best Lead Actress” award.
Other highlights of the night included hilarious skits from Conan O’ Brien. Conan started off the awards show night with a skit where he woke up late for the Emmys at MTV’s favorite family, the Osbournes’ house. Conan successfully kept the audience amused and the show moving at the same time.
Oprah Winfrey took home the first ever “Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.” Oprah gave a very eloquent speech that had her husband crying in the audience. She expressed her gratitude for the award and promised that it would inspire her to do more.
Larry King gave a speech remembering Milton Berle. Berle became television’s first superstar in the 1950s. The Emmys made a slide show of Berle clips from early television in which he dressed up as a clown and as a woman, among other things. Berle passed away this year after nearly eight decades in the entertainment business.
For more highlights and a complete list of winners, log on to www.emmys.com or www.tvguide.com.