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Emmy Predictions

Aired September 20, 2002 - 13:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's Emmy time. Let's get a preview as to what shows are hot, what actors are hot, what isn't. "TV Guide" national writer Ted Johnson joining us from Los Angeles with the buzz on what's going on this year.
Ted, we don't have a lot of time, so let's get right to it. Good to have you with us, first of all.

TED JOHNSON, "TV GUIDE": Yes, good to be here.

O'BRIEN: And we'll get right to the headline. Best comedy program by all accounts is going to be something that has been around for a while.

JOHNSON: Yes, a show that has been around for a number of years, but has been largely overlook by the economy.

O'BRIEN: The Susan Lucci of shows, you know.

JOHNSON: Yes, exactly. This will be the year of "Friends," had a very a good season creatively and ratings wise, and I think this is kind of the sentimental favorite. It's regarded as the comedy show that really carried us out of 9/11, at least on the network level.

O'BRIEN: And probably, this is going to be last year for "Friends," you think. Say good night Irene, they win the Emmy, they go, or are they going to keep cashing in?

JOHNSON: I think this will be the last season of "Friends," and the Academy tends to like to award a show when it is clear it is about to wrap it up.

O'BRIEN: Sure.

JOHNSON: It happened with Mary Tyler Moore and "Mash."

O'BRIEN: Sure, kind of the body of work award. Now, your choice for what should win is not "Friends"; it is "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

JOHNSON: Yes, I think this is a show that has broken a lot of ground in TV. It's an improv show with Larry David, who did "Seinfeld," and I think he did an amazing thing. "Seinfeld" really redefined comedy, and I think "Curb Your Enthusiasm" does the same thing. So for sure, I think it's also the funniest show on TV.

O'BRIEN: All right, well, maybe next year for them. All right, best actor in a comedy. Let's go back to "Friends," shall we? JOHNSON: Yes, again, I think the academy is going to look on "Friends," and say, hey, we are going to give them some acting . Wards Matt Leblanc overlooked year after year. I think he is going to win in this category, and I think he should win. His character has always been kind of made fun of, and I think he has showed a lot of range this season.

O'BRIEN: All right, so he should win by your account as well. That's always nice to see a little confluence there, and how about the best actress in a comedy. Will you stick around in "Friends?"

JOHNSON: Stick around in "Friends." I think it will be Jennifer Aniston. Now another thing is, she has also gotten very good reviews for her performance in the movie "The Good Girl." That is a factor, and voters are making their choices.

O'BRIEN: Not exactly a sequestered jury, is it?

JOHNSON: Not at all. A lot plays into it. It's not just quality, it's also politics, popularity, a number of different things.

O'BRIEN: All right, best drama, and a lot of people say it is unfair to include the cable programs with broadcast, because it's not a level playing field, but the likely winner you say "Six Feet Under."

JOHNSON: Yes, I think "Six Feet Under" will win. It's interesting, this is a category that has been dominated by "The West Wing" in recent seasons, and it's always been kind of a competition between "The West Wing" and "The Sopranos." "The Sopranos" is not eligible this year, because there are no original episodes.

So HBO, with "Six Feet Under," it won the Golden Globe. I think that this show will win in this category.

O'BRIEN: But the should win, you say, is "24," why?

JOHNSON: I think it is "24," Because again, this is a show that really broke new ground at the networks. This is something that they really took a gamble on, Fox took a gamble on, done in realtime, a very difficult show to pull off. What could have been really hokey at a number of points really was a very engaging series.

O'BRIEN: All right, best actor in drama. Back to "The West Wing" again.

JOHNSON: Back to "The West Wing," Martin Sheen, overlooked for the last couple of years. He has often lost out to James Gandolfini from "The Sopranos," and obviously, again, Gandolfini not in this category. I think as a sentimental favorite, they will give it to Martin Sheen.

O'BRIEN: But your should win in the case is a different choice?

JOHNSON: Yes, it is Michael Chiklis in an FX show called "The Shield." Michael Chiklis really plays a very complex character. That of Vick Mackey. He is not that likable of a police officer, but he shows a lot of range. Chiklis also changed his appearance. You'll remember his last show before this was "Daddio," which was very kind of inane comedy series. And he really totally transformed himself. He lost a lot of weight, really kind of an amazing transformation for an actor.

O'BRIEN: So if you lose weight, you win a statue, right?

JOHNSON: Yes, that's right. He's kind of the Robert De Niro of...

O'BRIEN: All right. We are about out of time. But in fairness, we have to get to the best actress in drama. Will win, Amy Brenerman (ph) in "Judging Amy," should win, you say, is Jennifer Garner, why?

JOHNSON: I think that she -- this was a very, again, a very different type of a show. She was a lead actress. There is a number of actresses in this category, who probably could be in the supporting category, and I think she was the standout, you know. She had a very difficult role, a strong woman character as well.

O'BRIEN: Ted Johnson, with "TV Guide," thanks for running through a lot of ground very quickly with. We appreciate it. We hope you folks are taking notes at home.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 20, 2002 - 13:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's Emmy time. Let's get a preview as to what shows are hot, what actors are hot, what isn't. "TV Guide" national writer Ted Johnson joining us from Los Angeles with the buzz on what's going on this year.
Ted, we don't have a lot of time, so let's get right to it. Good to have you with us, first of all.

TED JOHNSON, "TV GUIDE": Yes, good to be here.

O'BRIEN: And we'll get right to the headline. Best comedy program by all accounts is going to be something that has been around for a while.

JOHNSON: Yes, a show that has been around for a number of years, but has been largely overlook by the economy.

O'BRIEN: The Susan Lucci of shows, you know.

JOHNSON: Yes, exactly. This will be the year of "Friends," had a very a good season creatively and ratings wise, and I think this is kind of the sentimental favorite. It's regarded as the comedy show that really carried us out of 9/11, at least on the network level.

O'BRIEN: And probably, this is going to be last year for "Friends," you think. Say good night Irene, they win the Emmy, they go, or are they going to keep cashing in?

JOHNSON: I think this will be the last season of "Friends," and the Academy tends to like to award a show when it is clear it is about to wrap it up.

O'BRIEN: Sure.

JOHNSON: It happened with Mary Tyler Moore and "Mash."

O'BRIEN: Sure, kind of the body of work award. Now, your choice for what should win is not "Friends"; it is "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

JOHNSON: Yes, I think this is a show that has broken a lot of ground in TV. It's an improv show with Larry David, who did "Seinfeld," and I think he did an amazing thing. "Seinfeld" really redefined comedy, and I think "Curb Your Enthusiasm" does the same thing. So for sure, I think it's also the funniest show on TV.

O'BRIEN: All right, well, maybe next year for them. All right, best actor in a comedy. Let's go back to "Friends," shall we? JOHNSON: Yes, again, I think the academy is going to look on "Friends," and say, hey, we are going to give them some acting . Wards Matt Leblanc overlooked year after year. I think he is going to win in this category, and I think he should win. His character has always been kind of made fun of, and I think he has showed a lot of range this season.

O'BRIEN: All right, so he should win by your account as well. That's always nice to see a little confluence there, and how about the best actress in a comedy. Will you stick around in "Friends?"

JOHNSON: Stick around in "Friends." I think it will be Jennifer Aniston. Now another thing is, she has also gotten very good reviews for her performance in the movie "The Good Girl." That is a factor, and voters are making their choices.

O'BRIEN: Not exactly a sequestered jury, is it?

JOHNSON: Not at all. A lot plays into it. It's not just quality, it's also politics, popularity, a number of different things.

O'BRIEN: All right, best drama, and a lot of people say it is unfair to include the cable programs with broadcast, because it's not a level playing field, but the likely winner you say "Six Feet Under."

JOHNSON: Yes, I think "Six Feet Under" will win. It's interesting, this is a category that has been dominated by "The West Wing" in recent seasons, and it's always been kind of a competition between "The West Wing" and "The Sopranos." "The Sopranos" is not eligible this year, because there are no original episodes.

So HBO, with "Six Feet Under," it won the Golden Globe. I think that this show will win in this category.

O'BRIEN: But the should win, you say, is "24," why?

JOHNSON: I think it is "24," Because again, this is a show that really broke new ground at the networks. This is something that they really took a gamble on, Fox took a gamble on, done in realtime, a very difficult show to pull off. What could have been really hokey at a number of points really was a very engaging series.

O'BRIEN: All right, best actor in drama. Back to "The West Wing" again.

JOHNSON: Back to "The West Wing," Martin Sheen, overlooked for the last couple of years. He has often lost out to James Gandolfini from "The Sopranos," and obviously, again, Gandolfini not in this category. I think as a sentimental favorite, they will give it to Martin Sheen.

O'BRIEN: But your should win in the case is a different choice?

JOHNSON: Yes, it is Michael Chiklis in an FX show called "The Shield." Michael Chiklis really plays a very complex character. That of Vick Mackey. He is not that likable of a police officer, but he shows a lot of range. Chiklis also changed his appearance. You'll remember his last show before this was "Daddio," which was very kind of inane comedy series. And he really totally transformed himself. He lost a lot of weight, really kind of an amazing transformation for an actor.

O'BRIEN: So if you lose weight, you win a statue, right?

JOHNSON: Yes, that's right. He's kind of the Robert De Niro of...

O'BRIEN: All right. We are about out of time. But in fairness, we have to get to the best actress in drama. Will win, Amy Brenerman (ph) in "Judging Amy," should win, you say, is Jennifer Garner, why?

JOHNSON: I think that she -- this was a very, again, a very different type of a show. She was a lead actress. There is a number of actresses in this category, who probably could be in the supporting category, and I think she was the standout, you know. She had a very difficult role, a strong woman character as well.

O'BRIEN: Ted Johnson, with "TV Guide," thanks for running through a lot of ground very quickly with. We appreciate it. We hope you folks are taking notes at home.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com