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'Wing,' 'Friends' are Emmy winners

'Raymond' wins three; Stockard Channing wins two

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SPECIAL REPORT • Nominee Gallery • List of Winners • Fashion Gallery • Special Report • Backstage gallery VIDEO After eight years of trying, 'Friends' finally took home the Emmy for best comedy series, while 'The West Wing' repeated as best drama. CNN's Anne McDermott reports (September 23) PLAY VIDEO RELATED • EW.COM: Emmy Awards 2002  PEOPLE.COM's Best and worst dressed at the Emmys  • Official Emmys site

(CNN) -- "Friends" finally gained some friends among Emmy voters, winning its first award for best comedy series, and "The West Wing" claimed executive privilege once again, winning the award for best drama series for the third straight year.

"Friends" had been overlooked in the past in favor of shows such as "Frasier" and "Will & Grace," but this year -- with a strong season making it the odds-on favorite among critics -- the show triumphed.

"After eight years and the last three hours and 10 minutes, this is so worth the wait," said David Crane, one of the show's producers.

The show also took home an acting award. Jennifer Aniston won for lead actress in a comedy series.

"The West Wing" cast also made out well, with its actors picking up honors for lead actress, supporting actress, and supporting actor.

One of those winners, Stockard Channing, was two-time lucky Sunday night. Channing's awards were for best supporting actress in a drama, for her performance as the president's wife on "Wing," and for her supporting role in the TV movie, "The Matthew Shepard Story."

She dedicated the second award to people "who have suffered inhumanity at the hands of their fellow man."

Other "Wing" Emmys went to John Spencer for supporting actor in a drama and Allison Janney for lead actress in a drama.

Ray Romano, after four nominations, won for best actor in a comedy series for his CBS show, "Everybody Loves Raymond." It was the show's third award of the night; Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts won for their supporting roles.

Romano thanked his parents, who were in the audience and reacted emotionally to their son's honor. "We're going right to the airport," Romano cracked.

Garrett got off a zinger in accepting his award early in the evening. "I just hope this award breaks down the door for Jewish people who are trying to get into show business," he said.

In perhaps the night's biggest shocker, Michael Chiklis of FX's "The Shield" won the Emmy for best lead actor in a drama, beating Martin Sheen of "West Wing," Kiefer Sutherland of "24," and Peter Krause and Michael C. Hall of "Six Feet Under."

Chiklis, perhaps previously best known for his roly-poly portrayal of "The Commish," remade his image, working out and shaving his head, to play the sometimes amoral cop of "The Shield." At the beginning of his speech, after saying "I'm a dreamer, and I ...," he was overcome with emotion before rallying to thank show staffers, critics and his network.

Emotional, witty moments

The HBO movie "The Gathering Storm," based on a volume of Winston Churchill's memoirs, won three awards, for best TV movie, actor Albert Finney, and writers Larry Ramin and Hugh Whitemore.

The Osbourne family, winner of a best reality show award for their MTV show "The Osbournes," presented an award for directing for variety, music or comedy program. Sharon Osbourne, who is being treated for colon cancer, earnestly thanked everybody for their prayers and encouragement.

The award went to the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.

The inaugural Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was presented to Oprah Winfrey, who gave an emotional speech.

"We all just want to know that we matter," she said. "We want validation. We want the same things."

ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC were honored with the Governors Award for jointly supporting a post-September 11 telethon, "America: A Tribute to Heroes." The award was presented by former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

"Thank you on behalf of a very grateful America," Giuliani said.

HBO's "Band of Brothers" won the award for best miniseries. As producer Steven Spielberg spoke, a split screen showed the real members of Easy Company, the World War II military unit portrayed in the program, who were gathered in a Los Angeles hotel ballroom.

Spielberg yielded the stage to a member of the company, who thanked the show's producers, author Stephen Ambrose, and the audience.

Different tone

The difference in tone between this year and last year's awards was stark.

On a glorious -- if scorching hot -- Los Angeles afternoon, the stars arrived in their finest finery for the 54th annual awards honoring the best in television. Last year, the stars were encouraged to dress in low-key fashion. That show went off in the shadow of the September 11 attacks.

Last year's show was also postponed twice -- the first time because of September 11, the second because of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan -- and ended up competing against Game 7 of the World Series.

Emmy host Conan O'Brien began the 2002 show with a taped skit featuring him as a guest in the Osbournes' house, where Ozzy Osbourne apparently neglected to wake him in time for the show. After the dog shredded his tuxedo, O'Brien tried on some of Osbourne's stage clothes. Needless to say, they weren't appropriate for the awards show.

Later in the skit, after Ozzy dropped him off at the wrong location, O'Brien ended up on "The Price Is Right's" "Showcase Showdown," where he was chewed out by Bob Barker for touching the big wheel.

"This is a huge night in my life," O'Brien said in his introduction. "I cannot tell you how proud I am to be the Emmys' first Catholic host."

He poked fun at Anna Nicole Smith, the ABC network's travails, and "60 Minutes." He also engaged in a gag with Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Garry Shandling, set to the tune of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

Many of the awards' technical category winners were named September 14. "Six Feet Under" led at that event, picking up five awards, but only earned one award on Sunday night, a directing honor for creator Alan Ball.

Other Emmy winners: writers Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran of Fox's "24"; director Michael Patrick King of HBO's "Sex and the City"; writer Larry Wilmore of Fox's "The Bernie Mac Show"; and actress Laura Linney for Showtime's "Wild Iris."

HBO and NBC each received 24 awards, including honors given during the earlier ceremony. CBS was second with eight awards, Fox earned seven, A&E got six and ABC had five.

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