Pushing the envelopes

And now, the nominees:

Best drama series

Last year's nominees: "ER" (NBC); "Law & Order" (NBC); "NYPD Blue" (ABC); "The Practice" (ABC, winner); "The X-Files" (Fox)

My nominees: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (WB); "Homicide: Life on the Street " (NBC); "NYPD Blue"; "The Practice"; "The Sopranos" (HBO)

The big question is, Will the academy have the cannolis to snub "The Sopranos," far and away the best drama series of the year? Given academy voters' history of embarrassing cluelessness, don't be surprised if the nominations come out and the sublimely written, directed and acted "Sopranos" is as invisible as Jimmy Hoffa. In my fantasy, it gets a nomination (and the award).

It's an even safer bet that the academy will once again ignore WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as best drama. Most voters probably hear that title, look down their noses at its WB pedigree and dismiss it as "teen junk." The media uproar over (nonexistent) similarities to Littleton in the "Buffy" season finale won't help either. But "Buffy," a dazzlingly original tour de force of drama, comedy, horror and romance is second only to "The Sopranos" on my list. Series creator Joss Whedon gets nominated, too, for his writing and directing.

Last year's best drama series winner, "The Practice," is assured of another Emmy nomination, and that's OK by me -- David E. Kelley's legal drama had another fine season of attorney angst and juicy personal crises. "NYPD Blue" had a transitional year that dealt viewers one too many heartbreaks and focused too heavily on Dennis Franz in the wake of Jimmy Smits' departure. Yet it remains the most haunting, emotionally naked series on TV. It's more than the sum of its parts, so I'm giving it the edge over "Law & Order," even though "L&O" has dealt with cast changes better (and more often) than any other series on the air and keeps pumping out good, solid entertainment. It just doesn't move me the way "Blue" does.

I'm also torn when it comes to a personal favorite, "The X-Files." The show had some amazing episodes last season -- Chris Carter deserves directing nominations for "Triangle" and "Two Fathers"/"One Son." But the conspiracy angle seems to have run out of gas. And while the light-hearted episodes were fun, they didn't add up to much. So I'm going with "Homicide." I know, I know, I dissed it all year. But even though the show has lost some of its luster, it still had enough left over to make you sorry to see it get axed. "Homicide" has never been nominated for a best drama series Emmy, and that's a crime; I'm giving it a nomination for old times' sake. Yes, I'm breaking my "on merit only" rule, but this is my fantasy, so I get to do stuff like that.

Best actor, drama

Last year's nominees: Andre Braugher ("Homicide," winner); David Duchovny ("The X-Files"); Anthony Edwards ("ER"); Dennis Franz ("NYPD Blue"); Jimmy Smits ("NYPD Blue")

My nominees: Duchovny; James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos"); Steve Harris ("The Practice"); Dylan McDermott ("The Practice"); Smits

Franz's three Emmys for "Blue" disqualify him under the Bergen Statute. Braugher left "Homicide" before last season began. Edwards does a solid job, but I think there are worthier contenders. That leaves three slots, and I'm filling them with James Gandolfini, Dylan McDermott and Steve Harris. As Tony Soprano, the Jersey mobster and upwardly mobile suburban family man on Prozac, Gandolfini gives the sort of powerhouse performance you'd expect to find in a big-screen mob epic. His portrait of a man in the middle -- middle manager, middle-age, middle-class -- is both tough and lean. The bearish Gandolfini makes Tony as poignantly confused as any guy who only wants to do what's best for his family, but he doesn't spare us from the tension-sprung violence coiled around his heart.

In any other TV season, Gandolfini for best actor would be a no-brainer. But this was the season Jimmy Smits died. Well, he didn't really die, but he had you fooled, didn't he? Smits made a stunning exit from "NYPD Blue"; his deathbed scenes were a lesson in subtlety and control. My vote still goes to Gandolfini, but Smits sure did earn his nomination -- even if he only appeared in four episodes. As for Duchovny, he's at his best when he's doing dryly mischievous comedy with an undertone of desperation, and last season gave him ample opportunity to get seriously silly.

Don't hate Dylan McDermott because he's beautiful. McDermott is an unlikely, but fascinating, father figure on "The Practice." As the founder of his law firm, McDermott's Bobby Donnell has to make the decisions for his squabbling brood. But deep down, this whip-smart stud is a package of insecurities and neuroses. I'm nominating McDermott's burly castmate, Harris, as a lead actor, not a supporting actor. Harris' character, lawyer Eugene Young, carries as much of the emotional weight of "The Practice" as McDermott's Donnell. And Harris brings a quiet passion to his role as an idealistic guy who can't figure out whether his loyalties should belong to the black community, to the law or to the dollar. McDermott and Harris are an acting team. Look out, Franz and Rick Schroder.

Next Page: Best actress? The vampire slayer

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