Emmys Love 'Raymond, Lost'

The CBS sitcom bids farewell with three wins, while ABC's new series is top drama

The old and the new won big at Sunday night’s Emmys, as ABC’s rookie series Lost was named outstanding drama series and CBS’s Everybody Loves Raymond said goodbye with top comedy honors.

Along with the HBO movie The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Raymond was the night’s big winner, with three Emmys. Doris Roberts and Brad Garrett of Raymond also won, for their supporting roles.

“I have to dedicate this to Britney and our baby,” Garrett joked. “This is amazing.”

Felicity Huffman took home the coveted Desperate Housewives Emmy, being named best actress in a comedy series over her nominated costars Marcia Cross and Teri Hatcher.

Huffman – who plays Lynette, the harried mother of four on Housewives – said to the other women of her show, “I love you,” but saved her most ardent sentiment for last.

“I’d like to thank the incredible William H. Macy for taking a chunky 22-year-old … and making me his wife,” Huffman said.

Patricia Arquette, who plays a problem-solving psychic in NBC’s Medium, was named best drama series actress, and in her speech offered her “respect and gratitude” to volunteers helping Hurricane Katrina victims and issued a prayer that soldiers in Iraq “come home safe and sound.”

Tony Shalhoub won his second Emmy as best actor in a comedy series, for Monk, and James Spader won his second consecutive Emmy as dramatic series actor, for Boston Legal. (He previously won for the same character on The Practice.)

In his speech, Shalhoub joked: “I just want to say to the other actors, there’s always next year – except Ray Romano.” Romano’s Everybody Loves Raymond ended its nine-year run this year. From the audience, Romano good-naturedly rolled his eyes.

While Housewives went into the evening tied with Will & Grace for most nominations, 15, its other main award was for its direction, by Charles MacDougall. ABC’s satiric suburban series lost the comedy writing Emmy to FOX’s ratings challenged Arrested Development – whose writers acknowledged that no one watches their show.

Besides its top drama series victory, ABC’s Lost, about crash survivors stranded on a mysterious island, won an Emmy for its director, J.J. Abrams.

For the third year running, The Amazing Race beat out such heavy contenders as The Apprentice and Survivor to win best reality-competition program.

Jon Stewart and his team from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show won Emmys for comedy writing and for best variety, music or comedy series.

Geoffrey Rush, who won outstanding TV-movie actor for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (for which he also won the Golden Globe last January), cited such classic American TV shows as The Real McCoys, The Red Skelton Show and Sugarfoot as inspiring him to become an actor when he watched them as a child in his native Australia.

The HBO movie about the late Pink Panther star also won an Emmy for its director, Stephen Hopkins, as well as another for its writers, Roger Lewis and Christopher Markus.

Even so, the Emmy for best TV movie went not to Sellers but to HBO’s Warm Springs, about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s struggle against polio. Jane Alexander won the Emmy for supporting actress in a TV movie for her role as FDR’s imperious mother, Sarah Roosevelt.

Best actress in a TV movie went to S. Epatha Merkerson, for HBO’s Lakawanna Blues, who complained to an appreciative audience that her acceptance-speech notes had slipped down her cleavage.

The Lost Prince, a Masterpiece Theater production about Britain’s real-life Prince John, the youngest child of George V and Queen Mary (and an epileptic who was kept from public view), was named best miniseries.

When the entire cast of Everybody Loves Raymond gathered onstage – likely for the last time – to present an award, star Ray Romano asked his TV mom Doris Roberts why she couldn’t stop laughing. “Oh, honey,” she told him, “I’ve been drunk since the wrap party.”

Roberts and costar Brad Garrett were early winners, while supporting dramatic honors went to Blythe Danner, for Huff, and to Boston Legal‘s William Shatner – who over the course of the three-hour ceremony also delivered a campy vocal rendition of the Star Trek theme with opera star Frederica von Stade.

Still, Donald Trump and Megan Mullally’s version of Green Acres was voted favorite old theme-song performance of the night by the public in a contest called “Emmy Idol.”

The evening also recognized the contributions of Johnny Carson, the king of late night who died in January, and late ABC anchor Peter Jennings, who was remembered by his colleagues, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather.

Here’s a rundown of the major winners:

• Drama Series:Lost
• Comedy Series:Everybody Loves Raymond
• Miniseries: The Lost Prince
• Made-for-TV Movie: Warm Springs
• Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race
• Lead Actor, Drama: James Spader, Boston Legal
• Lead Actress, Drama: Patricia Arquette, Medium
• Lead Actor, Comedy:Tony Shalhoub, Monk
•Lead Actress, Comedy: Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives

9:30 p.m.: Raymond, Daily Show Score

Everybody Loves Raymond

‘s supporting crew and Jon Stewart’s Daily Show news team took top honors at Sunday night’s 57th annual Emmy Awards.

Brad Garrett won the first prize of the evening, for supporting actor in a comedy series – and less than an hour later, his TV mother Doris Roberts also won the Emmy, as best supporting actress.

“This is the icing on the cake,” she told the crowd. “Nine wonderful years on Everybody Loves Raymond.” She thanked the fans and “everybody who watched, and everybody who didn’t watch. I just want to thank everybody.”

She also brought her grandchildren up to the stage and introduced them, saying: “This is what really made it work.”

Roberts’s win preceded David Letterman’s heartfelt tribute to the king of late night, Johnny Carson, who died in January. On TV’s biggest night, Letterman called Carson “the biggest star in television.” Summing up Carson’s style, Letterman said, simply, “All so easy, so effortless.”

On the awards front: Jon Stewart and his team from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show won Emmys for comedy writing and for best variety, music or comedy series.

Said Stewart, clutching his gold trophy: “When I first said that I wanted to put together a late-night comedy team that would only be 80 percent Ivy League-educated Jews, people said I was crazy. ‘You need 90 percent.’ (they said). Well, we proved them wrong.”

In the supporting actress race, Blythe Danner won her first-ever Emmy for her role in the dramatic series Huff, on Showtime. “I think my (late) husband, Bruce Paltrow, is up there stirring things up for me.” She also thanked her children, who include daughter Gwyneth Paltrow – calling them “my brilliant inspiration.”

For the third year running, The Amazing Race beat out such heavy contenders as The Apprentice and Survivor to win best reality-competition program.

Hugh Jackman, sporting Wolverine-like facial hair, won for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program for hosting last June’s Tony Awards. Aware of the big awards-show pitfall, he said he knew that the music to cut off his speech would start before he finished all his acknowledgments. And it did – though he did manage to squeeze in thanks to his wife, Deb.

Two veteran actors won in the supporting categories for dramatic TV movies. Jane Alexander won the second Emmy of her career, this time for her role as Sarah Roosevelt (mother of FDR) in HBO’s Warms Springs. Paul Newman won for Empire Falls, also on HBO.

8:30 p.m.: Brad Garrett Wins Big
Everybody Loves Raymond costar Brad Garrett won his third Emmy and the first Emmy of Sunday night, as best supporting actor in a comedy series.

“Thank you so much. I have to dedicate this to Britney and our baby,” he quipped.

On a more serious note, Garrett thanked his costars on the CBS sitcom, which ended its nine-year run in May – and is signed for syndication until 2019, costar Doris Roberts said on the red carpet before the ceremony.

“We had an amazing run,” said Garrett. “What a road it’s been. I have to thank an amazing ensemble.”

Meanwhile, William Shatner won his second Emmy, this time for Boston Legal, as best supporting actor in a drama series. (Last year, he won in the same category, for The Practice.) And Donald Trump (dressed as a hayseed farmer) and Megan Mullally kicked off the “Emmy Idol” singing competition, performing the theme to Green Acres.

As she did four years ago at the Emmys following 9/11, ceremony host Ellen DeGeneres kept the mood light but sensitive to current events on Sunday night, nearly three weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

Speaking from the stage of L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium following a musical performance by Earth, Wind and Fire and the Black Eyed Peas, DeGeneres said: “You’ll notice some of us are wearing magnolias, in support of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is my hometown, and I have family in Mississippi, Our thoughts and our prayers go out to everyone affected.”

She also said: “I guess I don’t have to point that this is the second time I’ve hosted the Emmys after a national tragedy. I’d like to say that this is an honor, because it’s times like this that we really need laughter.” Pause, then: “And be sure to look for me next month, when I host the North Korean People’s Choice Awards.”

She also pitched herself to emcee the Oscars. “Man,” she said, “I’d love to host that show.”

Desperate Housewives,

which ended its first season with a cliffhanger last May, went into the evening tied with Will & Grace for most nominations, 15. The veteran NBC sitcom is about to start its eighth and final season with a special, live episode on Thursday.

As for stargazing, a very pregnant Jennifer Garner, nominated for best dramatic series actress on Alias, walked down the red carpet before the show alone. She said that new hubby Ben Affleck was inside the hall, waiting for her. She also admitted that she knew the sex of her child but was keeping that to herself.

What she did say was that she and Ben were feeling the effects of a terrible loss on Sunday – by their beloved Boston Red Sox (to the Oakland A’s).

Heidi Klum also showed up on the carpet, without husband Seal – and showing no effects of having had a baby only six days ago. “I hope I don’t look like I’m still having the baby,” said the svelte-as-ever supermodel.

Teri Hatcher, asked if she felt “diva or desperate” before the show, replied: “Neither. I feel hot.”

A week ago, acting awards for guest actors on comedy and drama series were presented at a ceremony that also recognized technical achievements. In the acting arena, winners included Amanda Plummer (for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives), Bobby Cannavale (Will & Grace) and Ray Liotta (ER) – who was at the Toronto Film Festival last weekend and arrived at the Emmys Sunday night saying he was looking for his award.