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LOS ANGELES : Hollywood's glitterati turned out in force Sunday to fete television's finest performances at the 62nd annual Emmy Awards, with actors Edie Falco nabbing one of the first coveted statuettes of the evening.
The evening at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater got underway with Falco, an alumna of the hit show "The Sopranos" winning away top acting honors for her starring turn in the show "Nurse Jackie," a dark comedy in which she depicts a drug-abusing hospital worker.
"This is just the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened in the history of this ceremony," a flabbergasted Falco told the audience. I'm not funny !"
Also expected to fare well over the course of the evening the comedy series "Glee" and "Modern Family."
Other top contenders were producer Tom Hanks' and Steven Spielberg's epic, World War II miniseries "The Pacific" which garnered 24 nominations, making Home Box Office (HBO) cable television network the most prominent in the event, with 101 nominations this year.
The show covers the exploits of young American soldiers proudly defending their nation after Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Another top contender in the August 29 award ceremony is Fox Television's "Glee," in which a Spanish professor takes over a high school music class given up for hopeless by his predecessor.
The comedy series garnered 19 nominations in this, its first appearance at the Emmys. It already won a Golden Globe for best comedy earlier this year and threatens to dethrone "30 Rock," a three-year winner of the best comedy series.
"Nurse Jackie" and "The Office" are included as contenders in the category.
In the drama series, the successful "Mad Men," with 17 nominations, is aiming for its third consecutive Emmy.
But the series about the high-pressure world of advertising in 1960s New York is facing tough competition from "Lost," the globally popular tale about survivors on a mysterious island, the final episode of which aired in the United Stats in May.
Nominated for 12 Emmys this year, "Lost" has made off with nine awards in the past six seasons, but only got the top award for best drama series in 2005.
It will have to cross swords this year with, among others, "Dexter" and "True Blood."
In the best actor and actress categories, all of last year's winners were in the running, including Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), Toni Collette ("United States of Tara"), Glenn Close ("Damages") and Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad").
They compete Sunday with Tina Fey ("30 Rock"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), Hugh Laurie, ("House"), Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Steve Carell ("The Office") and Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie").
In the category of outstanding made for television movie, critics were keeping an eye out for "You Don't Know Jack" directed by Bary Levinson ("Rain man"), a brilliant portrait of euthanasia advocate Jack Kevorkian, popularly known as "Doctor Death" who served eight years in prison for helping a man commit suicide.
Al Pacino, who plays the much maligned right-to-die activist who was released in 2007, is in the running for best lead actor in a miniseries or a movie, along with Jeff Bridges -- who won his first Oscar last year -- Ian McKellan and Dennis Quaid.
In Sunday's award ceremony, George Clooney, who led a galaxy of stars in a January telethon fundraiser for Haiti's earthquake victims, is to receive a special Emmy for his humanitarian efforts.
The 49-year-old Hollywood heartthrob will be honored for hosting the "Hope for Haiti Now" special, as well as his efforts to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina and raise awareness of the crisis in Darfur.
"George was an obvious choice for this honor," said John Shaffner, chairman and chief executive of the Television Academy.
- AFP/ht
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