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American Morning
'Friends' Expected to do Well at Emmys
Aired September 20, 2002 - 9:48 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is television's big night. Sunday night, Hollywood's biggest stars are going to be out. The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Last year you might remember the show postponed twice after 9/11. Finally held in November. What can we expect this year?
Ken Tucker, "Entertainment Weekly, " joins us with his Emmy predictions.
Good to see you.
KEN TUCKER, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY" REPORTER: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Welcome to our new establishment here, the new digs on 6th Avenue.
TUCKER: That's really cool.
HEMMER: So, "The Sopranos" are not in this year. They took 15 months off, so I think -- is the competition skewed just a little bit?
TUCKER: A little bit. The show that really benefited from that was "Six Feet Under," another HBO show. Which got more nominations...
HEMMER: Twenty-three.
TUCKER: Yes, than any other drama.
HEMMER: What do you think about this? How does it fare on Sunday night?
TUCKER: How does "Six Feet Under?"
HEMMER: "Six Feet Under," yes.
TUCKER: Yes, it does pretty well. I mean, it doesn't do the numbers that "The Sopranos" does, but it's got one of those kind of growing cults and a lot of respectability, especially out in Hollywood where the voters are and that's where it's important.
HEMMER: Now, you mentioned two shows on HBO. 93 nods, HBO leads the pack.
What are they doing right over there?.
TUCKER: Well, I think they are giving creators chances to do what they want to do as opposed to lots of executives coming around saying, Fix that joke, fix that scene.
HEMMER: I've heard that before. Where have I heard that before?
Best -- let's move to best comedy, best actress actually in a comedy series.
You say who on Sunday night?
TUCKER: I think it's going to be Jennifer Aniston. I think in general in the comedy category it's going to be a "Friends" sweep. I think, you know, with -- when you've got "Friends" going into its final season, it got huge ratings this year, it beat Survivor every week and you've got Jennifer Aniston having a baby at the end of this season, this is like classic Lucille Ball stuff, you know? It's got to be an Emmy.
HEMMER: It's got to be it, that's right.
On the end's men's side, Matthew LeBlanc and Matthew Perry will both fight it out.
Do you see a nod in either direction for those men?
TUCKER: I see it tilting toward Matt LeBlanc. I think because that character Joey has always been sort of the nice, dumb guy. But this season, the way the shows were written he was much more touching, he had a chance to show some range, be a little more serious. I think the voters really like that.
HEMMER: Interesting. "Bernie Mac."
TUCKER: Yes. That's a new...
HEMMER: Two nods, what do you think?
TUCKER: A new face for TV. I think it's great that he's nominated in the best actor comedy category. I don't think he will win, but I think it's a great thing because the show is very different. It's very -- literally, in your face. He looks straight at the camera and talks to you. And he's just a great new kind of personality to be on TV. And for that to get nominated its first season is quite an achievement.
HEMMER: Move away from the comedies quickly, Ken. Let's talk about dramas.
TUCKER: Yes.
HEMMER: On the actress side you like who?
TUCKER: On the actress side I like Jennifer Garner from "Alias." Another new face.
HEMMER: Yes.
TUCKER: I think that she could have some competition. There's Francis Conroy from "Six Feet Under," is nominated. And I think -- but I think that Jennifer Garner really gave this kind of show- stopping performance. She not only can do these action scenes, but she also has these very emotional scenes with her father and coming up now with her long-lost mother. So I think she's a star to watch.
HEMMER: On the actor's side, best actor in a drama would be what then?
TUCKER: I think best actor in a drama kind of comes down to Kiefer Sutherland in "34" or Peter Krause...
HEMMER: "24"
TUCKER: Yes, I'm sorry.
HEMMER: No problem.
TUCKER: I'm giving it 10 more years of -- on the air. Or Peter Krause in "Six Feet Under." Or "Twelve Feet Under." I think, again, Peter Krause gave a terrific performance, especially in the episode that he submitted. It shows his real range. He can do comedy, he can do drama. It's great.
HEMMER: Host, Conan O'Brien. Good choice?
TUCKER: Very good choice. I mean I think that he's really got that -- he's got that balance of being irreverent and also kind of respectful to the tradition of the Emmys. He's not going to pull a David Letterman and be too cranky about it. It'll be good.
HEMMER: Excellent. And "Soprano" fans are going to have to decide Sunday night what do they watch?
TUCKER: I know.
HEMMER: The second in the series or do they watch the Emmys?
TUCKER: I know. It's going to be interesting. I think they will really be pulled. I think a lot of "Sopranos" fans are going to switch over at 10:00.
HEMMER: Good to see you. We'll talk next week. Ken Tucker at "Entertainment Weekly."
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 - 9:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is television's big night. Sunday night, Hollywood's biggest stars are going to be out. The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Last year you might remember the show postponed twice after 9/11. Finally held in November. What can we expect this year?
Ken Tucker, "Entertainment Weekly, " joins us with his Emmy predictions.
Good to see you.
KEN TUCKER, "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY" REPORTER: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Welcome to our new establishment here, the new digs on 6th Avenue.
TUCKER: That's really cool.
HEMMER: So, "The Sopranos" are not in this year. They took 15 months off, so I think -- is the competition skewed just a little bit?
TUCKER: A little bit. The show that really benefited from that was "Six Feet Under," another HBO show. Which got more nominations...
HEMMER: Twenty-three.
TUCKER: Yes, than any other drama.
HEMMER: What do you think about this? How does it fare on Sunday night?
TUCKER: How does "Six Feet Under?"
HEMMER: "Six Feet Under," yes.
TUCKER: Yes, it does pretty well. I mean, it doesn't do the numbers that "The Sopranos" does, but it's got one of those kind of growing cults and a lot of respectability, especially out in Hollywood where the voters are and that's where it's important.
HEMMER: Now, you mentioned two shows on HBO. 93 nods, HBO leads the pack.
What are they doing right over there?.
TUCKER: Well, I think they are giving creators chances to do what they want to do as opposed to lots of executives coming around saying, Fix that joke, fix that scene.
HEMMER: I've heard that before. Where have I heard that before?
Best -- let's move to best comedy, best actress actually in a comedy series.
You say who on Sunday night?
TUCKER: I think it's going to be Jennifer Aniston. I think in general in the comedy category it's going to be a "Friends" sweep. I think, you know, with -- when you've got "Friends" going into its final season, it got huge ratings this year, it beat Survivor every week and you've got Jennifer Aniston having a baby at the end of this season, this is like classic Lucille Ball stuff, you know? It's got to be an Emmy.
HEMMER: It's got to be it, that's right.
On the end's men's side, Matthew LeBlanc and Matthew Perry will both fight it out.
Do you see a nod in either direction for those men?
TUCKER: I see it tilting toward Matt LeBlanc. I think because that character Joey has always been sort of the nice, dumb guy. But this season, the way the shows were written he was much more touching, he had a chance to show some range, be a little more serious. I think the voters really like that.
HEMMER: Interesting. "Bernie Mac."
TUCKER: Yes. That's a new...
HEMMER: Two nods, what do you think?
TUCKER: A new face for TV. I think it's great that he's nominated in the best actor comedy category. I don't think he will win, but I think it's a great thing because the show is very different. It's very -- literally, in your face. He looks straight at the camera and talks to you. And he's just a great new kind of personality to be on TV. And for that to get nominated its first season is quite an achievement.
HEMMER: Move away from the comedies quickly, Ken. Let's talk about dramas.
TUCKER: Yes.
HEMMER: On the actress side you like who?
TUCKER: On the actress side I like Jennifer Garner from "Alias." Another new face.
HEMMER: Yes.
TUCKER: I think that she could have some competition. There's Francis Conroy from "Six Feet Under," is nominated. And I think -- but I think that Jennifer Garner really gave this kind of show- stopping performance. She not only can do these action scenes, but she also has these very emotional scenes with her father and coming up now with her long-lost mother. So I think she's a star to watch.
HEMMER: On the actor's side, best actor in a drama would be what then?
TUCKER: I think best actor in a drama kind of comes down to Kiefer Sutherland in "34" or Peter Krause...
HEMMER: "24"
TUCKER: Yes, I'm sorry.
HEMMER: No problem.
TUCKER: I'm giving it 10 more years of -- on the air. Or Peter Krause in "Six Feet Under." Or "Twelve Feet Under." I think, again, Peter Krause gave a terrific performance, especially in the episode that he submitted. It shows his real range. He can do comedy, he can do drama. It's great.
HEMMER: Host, Conan O'Brien. Good choice?
TUCKER: Very good choice. I mean I think that he's really got that -- he's got that balance of being irreverent and also kind of respectful to the tradition of the Emmys. He's not going to pull a David Letterman and be too cranky about it. It'll be good.
HEMMER: Excellent. And "Soprano" fans are going to have to decide Sunday night what do they watch?
TUCKER: I know.
HEMMER: The second in the series or do they watch the Emmys?
TUCKER: I know. It's going to be interesting. I think they will really be pulled. I think a lot of "Sopranos" fans are going to switch over at 10:00.
HEMMER: Good to see you. We'll talk next week. Ken Tucker at "Entertainment Weekly."
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
