'And the Emmy goes to ...' some expected, some surprising winners

With 21 nominations, including nine nods in the four major acting categories, it is no surprise that NBC's White House drama "The West Wing" was a big winner at the 54th Annual Emmy Awards Sunday night, taking home four statues, including its third consecutive win for Outstanding Drama Series.

"Friends" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" snagged the majority of the comedy awards, with Raymond winning in three of the four acting categories, and both "Friends" and Jennifer Aniston receiving academy recognition that fans have long awaited.

Despite hype that the academy was finally softening up to new shows and fresh talents, many of the awards represented first time wins for familiar favorites, while freshman series like Fox's "24," ABC's "Alias," HBO's "Six Feet Under" and Fox's "The Bernie Mac Show" garnered few or no victories.

Viewers expecting the usual slightly off-color and more-than-slightly insulting humor from host Conan O'Brien were not left hanging. From a segment with the Osbournes to a set of new rules for acceptance speeches, O'Brien kept the crowd laughing with clever criticisms of the Emmys themselves and the television industry at large. O'Brien even joked that his mocking of the higher-ups would result in his unemployment.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Friends" established their presences early on in the ceremony. The cast of "Friends" flexed their comedic muscles for the crowd during their presentation of the Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series, a category in which several of the cast has been nominated in the past. Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts, who play Raymond's brother and mother, respectively, on "Everybody Loves Raymond," took home the statues in the two categories, a not-so-surprising victory over past NBC favorites "Will & Grace" and "Frasier."

It was Garrett's first win and Roberts's third.

Meanwhile, the absence of Sarah Jessica Parker, the pregnant star of HBO's "Sex and the City" who appeared only in pre-taped segments as a nominee for Outstanding Comedy Series, loomed ominously over both her and the show's chances of winning, in spite of talk that a good submission to the academy voters this year may have vaulted her past Aniston and "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Patricia Heaton as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Though "24" grabbed an early award for writing and "American Beauty" scribe Alan Ball was lauded for his directing in "Six Feet Under," "The West Wing" took a strong step in claiming precedence in the dramatic categories. John Spencer, one of "West Wing's" four nominees for Supporting Actor, Dramatic Series, and Stockard Channing, one of three from "West Wing" in the supporting actress category, nabbed their first Emmys.

Not long after, Channing topped Sissy Spacek, Joan Allen and Angelica Huston to take her second prize of the night, for her supporting role in NBC's "The Matthew Shepard Story."

"Sex and the City" and "The Bernie Mac Show" claimed their only awards of the evening for achievement in directing and writing, respectively, for a comedy series, in spite of media speculations that they might sweep multiple categories.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was in the Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series category, where Michael Chiklis of FX's relatively unheard of drama "The Shield" squeaked past favorites Martin Sheen of "The West Wing" and Kiefer Sutherland of "24" for a win.

As for comedic actors, it seems everybody does love Ray Romano, who secured lead actor honors for his CBS family sitcom over "Friends" hopeful Matt LeBlanc and first-year nominee Bernie Mac.

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Allison Janney proved unstoppable as she racked up her third consecutive Emmy for playing the press secretary on "The West Wing." Where she had previously been nominated in the supporting category, this year Janney's submission was as a lead actress. In her acceptance speech, she thanked the academy for the promotion.

Another common Emmy winner, "The Late Show with David Letterman," took home its fifth consecutive prize for Outstanding Comedy, Music or Variety Show.

The evening ended much as it began, with the cast of "Friends" taking the stage. Aniston's win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, despite stiff competition from Parker and past winner Heaton, came shortly before the final award of the evening, for Outstanding Comedy Series, was bestowed on "Friends." This was the show's first win after eight seasons and four nominations. It was Aniston's first nomination as a lead actress and her first Emmy win.

Daytime talk goddess Oprah Winfrey was honored with the first annual Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Winfrey, who received an honorary degree from Princeton last June, was praised for her considerable contributions to television by presenter Tom Hanks and video montage participants Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts and Halle Berry. In addition to the work she herself has done, Winfrey was praise for having created opportunities for other entertainers to advance their careers as well.

In her acceptance speech, Winfrey said she prides her self on being a good human being, so the award held a special significance for her. "We all just want to know we matter," she said. "We all just want to be heard."

Larry King later led a tribute to comedy legend Milton Berle, who passed away in March.

Though the show came up empty during Sunday night's broadcast, "Frasier" was victorious in the creative arts Emmy category, which highlights achievements in the less high-profile aspects of television like camera editing, makeup and guest stars. In an earlier ceremony held Sept. 15, "Frasier" added three trophies to its collection, pushing the total number of Emmys it has won to 30, an all-time record. The record was held previously by "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Though some would take the complete absence of past Emmy staples like "ER," "NYPD Blue" or any of David E. Kelly's shows as a sign that times are changing in television, the triumph of many longstanding shows proves that familiarity still breeds fondness where the Academy is concerned. But the new blood on the Emmy canvas suggests that the Academy is at least taking a step in what many think is the right direction. Now, if only "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" could finally get a little love.