News A Night of Firsts, Emmy Honors TV's Finest Download the Primetime Emmy winners press release The HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America soared high above the competition at the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on September 19, collecting a total of 11 awards, tying the record for most Emmys won by a program in a single year set by the 1976 miniseries Eleanor and Franklin. Angels also made history as the first miniseries to win all four acting awards. Al Pacino won the lead actor award for his portrayal of Roy Cohn, while Meryl Streep won the lead actress award for her performances as a quartet of characters -- Ethel Rosenberg, Hannah Pitt, Continental Principality and an octogenarian rabbi. In the supporting categories, Angels co-stars Mary Louise Parker and Jeffrey Wright were honored. “There are some days when I, myself, think I’m overrated,” admitted Streep, who won her last Emmy more than a quarter of a century ago for her performance in the 1978 miniseries Holocaust. “But not today.” In the battle of the network and cable giants, HBO came out on top for the second year in a row, winning 32 awards in the prime time competition, which included Creative Arts awards from a ceremony a week earlier. Fox earned 10 awards, while NBC collected 8, ABC and PBS tied with 7, A&E took 4 and Cartoon Network, CBS, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Showtime, UPN and USA all won 2. Fox’s Arrested Development was named outstanding comedy series. After giving the usual thank you’s to the cast and executives, series creator and executive producer Mitchell Hurwitz asked the audience to tune into critically acclaimed but low-rated series. “Let’s watch it. You want to?” Sex and the City’s (HBO) Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon were both first time winners for outstanding lead and supporting actress in a comedy series, respectively, while Frasier’s (NBC) Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce put an exclamation point on the show’s eleventh and final season by winning outstanding lead actor and supporting actor in a comedy series, respectively. It was the fourth win for both actors. “Frasier was a gift in my life,” mused Grammer, “and the people that I got to meet and work with were the greatest gift. And this is just the cherry on top.” HBO’s mob drama The Sopranos became the first cable program to capture the award for outstanding drama series. The show also won outstanding writing in a drama series for scribe Terence Winter and awards for supporting performances in a dramatic series for one-time onscreen couple Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo. “There’s so many people responsible for this, but if I even try to thank any of them right now, I might puke, choke, cry or die, and you’ve all already seen me do that,” said Matteo, whose character Ariana La Cerva was killed off last season. Allison Janney took the award for outstanding actress in a drama series for her performance as C.J. Cregg on NBC’s The West Wing, giving her fourth win from five consecutive nominations (2000-2004). The award for outstanding actor in a drama series went to first-time nominee James Spader for his performance as Alan Shore on ABC’s The Practice. The third Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was awarded posthumously to Danny Thomas, star of the long-running sitcom “Make Room for Daddy” (1953-1965). The actor, producer and comedian, who died in 1991 at the age of 77, was dedicated to raising money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The award was accepted by his daughter, actress Marlo Thomas. One of the evening’s winners was too busy to make it to the podium. Louis J. Horvitz accepted his award for outstanding director for a variety, music or comedy program for The 76th Annual Academy Awards (ABC) from the control booth, where he was in the midst of directing ABC’s telecast of the Emmys. Accepting her award for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program for “Elaine Stritch: At Liberty,” Elaine Stritch delivered a speech that was simultaneously funny, moving, brutally frank and exceedingly long. “I try not to drink, but Jesus,” said Stritch, 79, who talks about her long battle with alcoholism in At Liberty. “And look at the company I’m in… I’m so glad none of them won.” As her speech continued long past the producers’ recommended 30-second limit, she declared, “I’m not moving from here until someone comes and gets me.” Stritch’s colorful speech and the abundance of reality programming provided a rich source of comic material for host Garry Shandling. “It’s gotten to the point that when a commercial comes on, I say, thank God – professional actors and a story,” quipped Shandling near the top of the show. To help present the award for outstanding reality competition program (won by CBS’ “The Amazing Race”), Shandling brought out “real people” Amy Scholsohn of Orlando, FL, and Bruce Milam, Jr., of Joilet, IL. Told they were going appear on a reality show, they were flown in from out of state, brought on to the stage blindfolded and surprised with the job of reading the nominees from the teleprompter. “They’ve already been signed to host next year,” said Shandling after a commercial break. “That’s it for us professionals.”