Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 23, 1994 TAG: 9407290046
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By PHIL KLOER COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Stephen Bochco's controversial cop drama blasted into the Emmy Awards record books Thursday, earning 26 nominations - the most ever for a TV series in a single year - and surpassing the legacy of ``Hill Street Blues' '' 21 nominations in 1981.
Not only were stars David Caruso and Dennis Franz nominated for dramatic actor awards, but ``Blue'' got an unprecedented five out of five nominations in the drama writing category.
The ABC drama simply cannot lose.
The ``Blue'' dominance in nominations sets up high expectations for the series in the Emmy Awards themselves, which will be announced live Sept. 11 on ABC. ``Hill Street Blues'' set the standard its first season with eight awards. Can its progeny, ``NYPD,'' equal or surpass that?
``NYPD'' also nailed nominations for its supporting cast - two out of five nominations for best supporting actor in a drama, three out of five nominations for best supporting actress in a drama and single nominations for both guest actor and guest actress in a drama.
Other shows doing well in the Emmy nominations Thursday included NBC's comedies ``Seinfeld'' (12 nominations) and ``Frasier'' (11); last year's drama juggernaut ``Picket Fences'' (10); ``Late Show With David Letterman'' (seven); the movies ``And the Band Played On,'' HBO's dramatization of the early years of AIDS (13), and CBS and Bette Midler's remake of ``Gypsy'' (12).
PBS's ``Tales of the City,'' which provoked snits among some Georgia legislators and others to the extent that PBS announced it would not do a planned sequel, was nominated for outstanding miniseries. But it faces strong competition from ``Prime Suspect 3,'' ``Stephen King's The Stand,'' ``Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All'' and ``World War II: When Lions Roared.''
Atlanta author Terry Kay's ``To Dance With the White Dog'' scored seven nominations, including nods for stars Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy (always Emmy favorites), as outstanding TV movie, where it competes against ``Gypsy,'' ``And the Band Played On,'' ``Breathing Lessons'' and ``A Place for Annie.''
Virtually shut out of nominations was last season's biggest new hit, ``Grace Under Fire,'' which got only one nomination for Diane Ladd in a guest role. Although the voting members of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences sometimes recognize quality quickly (witness ``NYPD Blue'' and last year's acting and series wins by ``Picket Fences''), more frequently they are slow to acknowledge shows built around strong women, such as Roseanne (who wasn't nominated her first three seasons and finally won last year) and now, it appears, ``Grace's'' Brett Butler.
Another notable omission this year: Tim Allen for ``Home Improvement.'' His staff failed to enter him in time.
Phil Kloer writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
by CNB