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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Janice Min
Aired September 22, 2002 - 07:34 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: Tonight, TV's brightest stars hit the red carpet for the 54th Annual Emmy Awards. So which actors will take home the honors? For any Emmy forecast, we turn to Janice Min, executive editor of "US" magazine.
Janice, good to have you with us.
JANICE MIN, "US" MAGAZINE: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: Everybody's talking about "Friends" this year, kind of the Susan Lucci of the Emmy awards for programs anyhow. What do you think? This is the year?
MIN: I think this is going to be "Friends" year. You know, basically, after 9/11, "Friends" had more viewers than it's ever had. It had 24 million viewers.
O'BRIEN: What does 9/11 have to do with it, do you think?
MIN: People really felt like, you know, conventional wisdom is that people wanted comfort. And this was sort of the comfort food of television. These were familiar faces. You know, a happy show where everyone got along and relied on each other. And it also had a great plot line, where Rachel was pregnant. And that made everyone feel really good.
O'BRIEN: So the meatloaf and potatoes of television there?
MIN: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: And they will finally -- it's sort of a reward perhaps to a body of work as opposed to just this past year?
MIN: Well "Friends" has always been considered, of course, a ratings hit. And recently, the writing teams have gotten a lot sharper. It definitely is the favorite. And it doesn't hurt that it's in its last season as well.
O'BRIEN: Ah, yes, yes, yes.
All right, let's move on. Do we know that for sure, by the way, or are they still holding out the possibility that it might...
MIN: Well, there's been some discussion that it could possibly go on, but it seems pretty definite that this will be it.
O'BRIEN: Yes, well they make than $1 million per episode per actor, right?
MIN: Exactly. Each of them will walk away with about $24 million.
O'BRIEN: That's some incentive to keep going, I would think. Anyway...
MIN: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: ...all right. And speaking of that lucrative deal, Matt LeBlanc is likely to walk away with best comedy actor?
MIN: This is an amazing coup for Matt LeBlanc. Basically he's always been a little bit of a sidekick on the show, kind of taking a backseat to the other five characters, but this year, he really got his own plot line. He fell in love with Rachel and had a very heartfelt proposal in the last episode of the last season. And he'll be rewarded this time.
O'BRIEN: All right, what about comedic actress? Are we going to stay in the "Friends" department or are we moving on?
MIN: Well, this is going to be a tight race. Basically, you have Jennifer Aniston, again, the favorite and Sarah Jessica Parker from "Sex and the City." You have two beloved actresses who've shown a lot of range, who've really grown into their roles. And you also have Jennifer Aniston this year with -- she came out with a great movie called "The Good Girls" where she showed a lot of range as well.
O'BRIEN: What does that have to do with it, though? That's a movie.
MIN: That'll influence Emmy voters.
O'BRIEN: It does?
MIN: Yes, it'll make them feel that she's just -- she's more than a comic actress. She actually has a great future ahead of her.
O'BRIEN: It's not a sequestered jury, is it?
MIN: No, it's not. But O'BRIEN: For my money, Sarah Jessica Parker wins hands down in my book, but it seems to me the, you know, it's an unfair -- it's not an even playing field when you go cable to broadcast. How do you feel about that?
MIN: It probably isn't an even playing field. But cable has made a huge amount of headway into these awards. This year, you have the show from FX called "The Shield" nominated.
O'BRIEN: No, no, what I was saying was cable has some advantages.
MIN: Oh, cable has some advantages. O'BRIEN: Tremendous advantages. Freedom to say things that you can't say broadcasters...
MIN: An actor definitely can show a lot more range in cable and also show a lot more nudity, as you see in "Sex in the City." But you definitely attract an edgier audience. You attract a more mature audience. And you can really branch out into topics that most actors on sitcoms can't -- a network sitcom can't dare to go.
O'BRIEN: All right, we've been yakking it up on comedies. Let's talk about the best drama. Who do -- "Sopranos" are out because they weren't on the air during this time span.
MIN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So what steps into the fray here?
MIN: Well, again, this could be a tight race. You have "24," a freshman series but has gotten really great reviews. You also have "Six Feet Under" on HBO. But I think the winner in this category is going to be "The West Wing." "The West Wing" is the safest choice. Emmy voters are typically pretty conservative. And they might not be able to really endorse a show like "Six Feet Under," which deals with a lot of edgy subjects, like death and mortuaries and a long standing gay relationship. "24" might be too new to reward. So I do think "West Wing" will be the favorite.
O'BRIEN: All right, and Martin Sheen, will he get best dramatic actor?
MIN: Again, this is going to be tight. I think it's going to come down between Peter Krause of "Six Feet Under" and Martin Sheen. Martin Sheen has gotten a lot of recognition for his role in the "West Wing" in the past few years. I do think this will be Peter Krause's year.
O'BRIEN: And finally, best dramatic actress, who do you go with?
MIN: Best dramatic actress, I think the upset is going to be Jennifer Gardner from "Alias." She, again, she's in a freshman series. She's a young new fresh face. She came out of nowhere, but this is just what the Emmys are trying to do this year, try to introduce some new talent to really liven up television. And hers is one of the breakout series of the year, when there have been actually very few.
O'BRIEN: All right, Janice Min, writes about television for "US" magazine. Thanks for giving us a preview. We appreciate it.
MIN: Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: All right, our pleasure.
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 22, 2002 - 07:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, TV's brightest stars hit the red carpet for the 54th Annual Emmy Awards. So which actors will take home the honors? For any Emmy forecast, we turn to Janice Min, executive editor of "US" magazine.
Janice, good to have you with us.
JANICE MIN, "US" MAGAZINE: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: Everybody's talking about "Friends" this year, kind of the Susan Lucci of the Emmy awards for programs anyhow. What do you think? This is the year?
MIN: I think this is going to be "Friends" year. You know, basically, after 9/11, "Friends" had more viewers than it's ever had. It had 24 million viewers.
O'BRIEN: What does 9/11 have to do with it, do you think?
MIN: People really felt like, you know, conventional wisdom is that people wanted comfort. And this was sort of the comfort food of television. These were familiar faces. You know, a happy show where everyone got along and relied on each other. And it also had a great plot line, where Rachel was pregnant. And that made everyone feel really good.
O'BRIEN: So the meatloaf and potatoes of television there?
MIN: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: And they will finally -- it's sort of a reward perhaps to a body of work as opposed to just this past year?
MIN: Well "Friends" has always been considered, of course, a ratings hit. And recently, the writing teams have gotten a lot sharper. It definitely is the favorite. And it doesn't hurt that it's in its last season as well.
O'BRIEN: Ah, yes, yes, yes.
All right, let's move on. Do we know that for sure, by the way, or are they still holding out the possibility that it might...
MIN: Well, there's been some discussion that it could possibly go on, but it seems pretty definite that this will be it.
O'BRIEN: Yes, well they make than $1 million per episode per actor, right?
MIN: Exactly. Each of them will walk away with about $24 million.
O'BRIEN: That's some incentive to keep going, I would think. Anyway...
MIN: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: ...all right. And speaking of that lucrative deal, Matt LeBlanc is likely to walk away with best comedy actor?
MIN: This is an amazing coup for Matt LeBlanc. Basically he's always been a little bit of a sidekick on the show, kind of taking a backseat to the other five characters, but this year, he really got his own plot line. He fell in love with Rachel and had a very heartfelt proposal in the last episode of the last season. And he'll be rewarded this time.
O'BRIEN: All right, what about comedic actress? Are we going to stay in the "Friends" department or are we moving on?
MIN: Well, this is going to be a tight race. Basically, you have Jennifer Aniston, again, the favorite and Sarah Jessica Parker from "Sex and the City." You have two beloved actresses who've shown a lot of range, who've really grown into their roles. And you also have Jennifer Aniston this year with -- she came out with a great movie called "The Good Girls" where she showed a lot of range as well.
O'BRIEN: What does that have to do with it, though? That's a movie.
MIN: That'll influence Emmy voters.
O'BRIEN: It does?
MIN: Yes, it'll make them feel that she's just -- she's more than a comic actress. She actually has a great future ahead of her.
O'BRIEN: It's not a sequestered jury, is it?
MIN: No, it's not. But O'BRIEN: For my money, Sarah Jessica Parker wins hands down in my book, but it seems to me the, you know, it's an unfair -- it's not an even playing field when you go cable to broadcast. How do you feel about that?
MIN: It probably isn't an even playing field. But cable has made a huge amount of headway into these awards. This year, you have the show from FX called "The Shield" nominated.
O'BRIEN: No, no, what I was saying was cable has some advantages.
MIN: Oh, cable has some advantages. O'BRIEN: Tremendous advantages. Freedom to say things that you can't say broadcasters...
MIN: An actor definitely can show a lot more range in cable and also show a lot more nudity, as you see in "Sex in the City." But you definitely attract an edgier audience. You attract a more mature audience. And you can really branch out into topics that most actors on sitcoms can't -- a network sitcom can't dare to go.
O'BRIEN: All right, we've been yakking it up on comedies. Let's talk about the best drama. Who do -- "Sopranos" are out because they weren't on the air during this time span.
MIN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: So what steps into the fray here?
MIN: Well, again, this could be a tight race. You have "24," a freshman series but has gotten really great reviews. You also have "Six Feet Under" on HBO. But I think the winner in this category is going to be "The West Wing." "The West Wing" is the safest choice. Emmy voters are typically pretty conservative. And they might not be able to really endorse a show like "Six Feet Under," which deals with a lot of edgy subjects, like death and mortuaries and a long standing gay relationship. "24" might be too new to reward. So I do think "West Wing" will be the favorite.
O'BRIEN: All right, and Martin Sheen, will he get best dramatic actor?
MIN: Again, this is going to be tight. I think it's going to come down between Peter Krause of "Six Feet Under" and Martin Sheen. Martin Sheen has gotten a lot of recognition for his role in the "West Wing" in the past few years. I do think this will be Peter Krause's year.
O'BRIEN: And finally, best dramatic actress, who do you go with?
MIN: Best dramatic actress, I think the upset is going to be Jennifer Gardner from "Alias." She, again, she's in a freshman series. She's a young new fresh face. She came out of nowhere, but this is just what the Emmys are trying to do this year, try to introduce some new talent to really liven up television. And hers is one of the breakout series of the year, when there have been actually very few.
O'BRIEN: All right, Janice Min, writes about television for "US" magazine. Thanks for giving us a preview. We appreciate it.
MIN: Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: All right, our pleasure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
