'Frasier,' 'Practice' make perfect as Emmys turn 50

The past and the future of television were the focus of the 50th Annual Prime Time Emmy awards last night in Los Angeles where Must-See TV's new flagship show "Frasier" made history as the television industry celebrated its own history.

Balancing such classic clips as the "Mary Tyler Moore" finale with honors for television's present best, like surprise Best Drama honoree "The Practice," Best Miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon," Andre Braugher of "Homicide," "Chicago Hope"'s Christine Lahti, Helen Hunt of "Mad About You" and "Frasier"'s Kelsey Grammar, the sporadically entertaining Emmy show, presented for the first time at the Shrine Auditorium, came off without a hitch.

But the telecast, extended this year to four hours to accommodate all the anniversary brouhaha, proved an affair all too long to remember, even if it wasn't short on memorable moments.

"Every show must come to an end,"said "Seinfeld"'s Julia Louis-Dreyfus presenting a clip reel of TV's greatest good-byes, "including this one."

That feeling of lethargy was the pervasive mood of the Emmy awards, as everyone given a moment on stage felt compelled to make light of the show's unprecedented running time, when they weren't educating TV land about the birth and livelihood of the medium.

The multimedia presentation of clips and testimonials gave the audience Emmy factoids like the identity of the first winner in 1948 (quiz show host Mike Stokey) and that firemen in rural Indiana enjoy "Days of Our Lives."

The show also offered a decidedly "Dateline NBC" Emmy timeline that offered viewers a chance to guess what year such groundbreaking events as Nixon's visit to China, the fall of the Berlin Wall and Roseanne Barr's changing of her name to Roseanne Arnold.

But the centerpiece of these sociological and historical programs was the unveiling of television's 10 greatest moments, the supposedly definitive collection of the broadcasts that have shaped our lives.

Among such predictable classics as the birth of Little Ricky, the Kennedy assassination and the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show," newer moments like "Who shot J.R.," the Challenger explosion and Johnny Carson's final "Tonight Show" also made the cut.

The winners of this needless but strangely compelling list were the broadcast of "Roots" and the Apollo moon landing.

But the real winners of the night were the actual Emmy recipients, a range of people that included an absent George C. Scott for Showtime's "12 Angry Men" and an elated Camryn Mannheim from "The Practice,", winner for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. Mannheim proclaimed, Emmy held high, "This is for all the fat girls!"

The wealth was spread evenly among the lower categories, as Lisa Kudrow ("Friends") and David Hyde Pierce ("Frasier") prevailed in the supporting comedy categories, Mannheim and Gordon Clapp ("NYPD Blue") won as dramatic supporters, and Gary Sinise and Ellen Barkin triumphed for their work in TV movies "George Wallace" and "Before Women Had Wings," respectively.

David E. Kelley also proved to be a big winner as his low-profile midseason replacement, "The Practice," eclipsed "ER," while his cultural phenomenon "Ally McBeal" was shut out in the Comedy category.

Besting "McBeal" for Outstanding Comedy Series was "Frasier," a win that set a record for consecutive comedy victories at five and defeated "Must See TV" old guard and fan favorite "Seinfeld."

In the major acting categories, Helen Hunt's Oscar win carried over into Emmy success, as she won her third award for "Mad About You."

Everyone's favorite shrink, Kelsey Grammar, checked himself into Best Actor in a Comedy win, the second for him.

Longtime "Homicide" fans were treated to a first-time win by Andre Braugher for Best Actor in a Drama Series and a third consecutive win for Christine Lahti, who exclaimed "You can unlock the bathrooms now," referring to her tardiness at last year's Golden Globes, must have pleased "Chicago Hope" devotees.

But some of the best lines of the night didn't come from winners at all as Chris Rock fondled a cigar and said "Early on in comedy, this was used as a prop. It still is."

09-14-98