NBC Takes Home 15 Emmys in Early Award Presentations

Prime-time ratings leader NBC put up the biggest numbers at Sunday’s nighttime Emmy Awards presentation, claiming the most trophies in 52 categories primarily covering technical areas such as editing, sound and lighting.

An additional 28 awards devoted mostly to programs and performers will be presented this Sunday and televised on CBS at 8 p.m.

Among acting and program categories recognized Sunday, “The Simpsons” was named outstanding animated series for the fourth time in the last five years, while Mel Brooks and Carol Burnett walked away with guest actor and actress in a comedy for appearances on NBC’s “Mad About You”--the sixth time Burnett has been honored.

On the drama side, Pruitt Taylor Vince won for his guest role as a vigilante killer in ABC’s canceled “Murder One,” while Oscar winner Dianne Wiest took home an Emmy for the Disney Channel series “Avonlea.”

NBC, which received the most nominations for this year’s night-time Emmys, garnered 15 awards overall Sunday, led by three each for “ER” and “3rd Rock From the Sun”--the latter winning in sound, choreography and costume design for its 3-D season finale.

CBS and pay service Home Box Office followed with 10 apiece--the HBO tally including the first Emmy ever presented for best commercial, which went to an ad titled “Chimps,” in which TV-watching chimps mimic lines from great movies. ABC totaled five Emmys, with Fox and PBS each collecting four.

This is the first year technical Emmys have been awarded a week prior to the main ceremony, having previously been handed out the night before. A list of winners follows:

* Cultural program: “Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’ With the New York City Opera--Live From Lincoln Center,” PBS.

* Children’s program: “How Do You Spell God?,” HBO.

* Informational special: “Without Pity: A Film About Abilities,” HBO.

* Information series: “A&E; Biography,” A&E; “The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century,” PBS.

* Animated program (one hour or less): “The Simpsons,” Fox.

* Best commercial: HBO-Chimps, PYTKA (production company), BBDO (ad agency).

* Guest actor, comedy series: Mel Brooks, “Mad About You,” NBC.

* Guest actor, drama series: Pruitt Taylor Vince, “Murder One,” ABC.

* Guest actress, comedy series: Carol Burnett, “Mad About You,” NBC.

* Guest actress, drama series: Dianne Wiest, “Avonlea,” Disney Channel.

* Voice-over performance: Jeremy Irons, “The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century,” PBS; Rik Mayall, “The Willows in Winter,” Family Channel.

* Cinematography, series: Constantine Makris, “Law & Order,” NBC.

* Cinematography, miniseries or special: Donald M. Morgan, “Miss Evers’ Boys,” HBO.

* Music composition, series: Louis Febre, John Debney, “The Cape,” syndicated.

* Music composition, miniseries or special (dramatic underscore): Laurence Rosenthal, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Travels With Father,” Family Channel.

* Music direction: Mark Watters, “Centennial Olympic Games: Opening Ceremonies,” NBC.

* Music and lyrics: Alf Clausen, Ken Keeler, “We Put the Spring in Springfield,” “The Simpsons,” Fox.

* Main title theme music: Mark Isham, “EZ Streets,” CBS.

* Choreography: Sarah Kawahara, “Scott Hamilton: Upside Down,” CBS; Marguerite Derricks, “3rd Rock From the Sun,” NBC.

* Editing, series (single-camera production): Randy Jon Morgan, “ER (The Long Way Around),” NBC.

* Editing, series (multi-camera production): Kris Trexler, “Ellen (The Puppy Episode),” ABC.

* Editing miniseries or special (single-camera production): Michael L. Brown, “Miss Evers’ Boys,” HBO.

* Editing, miniseries or special (multi-camera production): Michael Polito, Randy Magalski, Mark Muheim, Catherine Shields, Joe Wiedenmeyer, “The Kennedy Center Honors,” CBS.

* Art direction, series: Graeme Murray, Gary P. Allen, Shirley Inget, “The X-Files,” Fox.

* Art direction, miniseries or special: Don Taylor, Jo Graysmark, John Bush, “Emma,” A&E.;

* Art direction, variety or music program: Bob Keene, Steve Bass, “Centennial Olympic Games: Opening Ceremonies,” NBC.

* Casting, series: John Levey, Barbara Miller, “ER,” NBC.

* Casting, miniseries or special: Linda Lowy, “Bastard Out of Carolina,” Showtime.

* Costuming, series: Paul Dafelmair, “JAG,” CBS.

* Costuming, miniseries or special: Andy Gordon, “ ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ Festival of Fun Music Spectacular,” Disney Channel.

* Costume design, series: Melina Root, “3rd Rock From the Sun,” NBC.

* Costume design, miniseries or special: Mary Malin, “The Inheritance,” CBS; Jenny Beavan, “Emma,” A&E.;

* Costume design, variety or music program: Jane Ruhm, “Tracey Takes On . . . (1976),” HBO.

* Main title design: Mike Jones, “Dark Skies,” NBC.

* Makeup, series: Ron Berkeley, Kathy Berkeley, Thomas R. Burman, Bari Dreiband-Burman, “Tracey Takes On . . . ,” HBO.

* Makeup, miniseries or special: Bill Corso, Douglas Noe, Tracy Levy, Ve Neill, Barry Koper, Ashlee Peterson, Jill Rockow, Steve Johnson, Joel Harlow, “Stephen King’s The Shining,” ABC.

* Hairstyling, series: Josee Normand, Susan Bagdadi, Karen Asano Myers, Monique De Sartre, Charlotte Gravenor, Jo Ann Phillips, Frank Fontaine, Diane Pepper, “Star Trek: Voyager,” UPN.

* Hairstyling, miniseries or special: Gloria Montemayor, Lola (Skip) McNalley, Dorothy Andre, “Mrs. Santa Claus,” CBS.

* Lighting direction (electronic), comedy series: Alan Walker, “Cosby,” CBS.

* Lighting direction (electronic), drama, variety, miniseries or special: Peter Morse, Allen Branton, “Bette Midler: Diva Las Vegas,” HBO.

* Technical direction/camera/video, series: Michael Stramisky, Les Atkinson, Hank Geving, Rob Palmer, Kurt Tonnessen, Kevin Fraser, Bill Gardhouse Jr., “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” NBC.

* Technical direction/camera/video, miniseries or special: Donna Stock, Wayne Orr, Ted Ashton, Rick Robinson, John Palacio Sr., “Beauty and the Beast: A Concert on Ice,” CBS.

* Sound editing, series: Thierry J. Couturier, Stuart Calderon, Ira Leslie, Maciek Malish, Debby Ruby-Winsburg, Chris Fradkin, Jay Levine, Chris Reeves, Susan Welsh, Jeff Charbonneau, Gary Marullo, Mike Salvetta, “The X-Files,” Fox.

* Sound editing, miniseries or special: Tom deGorter, Peter Bergren, Kenneth Johnson, Brian Thomas Nist, Joseph H. Earle Jr., Brad Katona, Eric A. Norris, Andrew Ellerd, Linda Keim, Bruce Tanis, Ron Evans, Gary Lewis, Barbara Issak, Paul Longstaffe, James B. Hevenstreit, Stan Jones, Alyson Dee Moore, Ginger Geary, “Stephen King’s The Shining,” ABC.

* Sound mixing, comedy series or special: Jesse Peck, Todd Grace, Craig Porter, “3rd Rock From the Sun,” NBC.

* Sound mixing, variety or music series or special: Edward J. Greene, Tom Vicari, Robert Douglass, “The 69th Annual Academy Awards,” ABC.

* Sound mixing, drama series: Lowell Harris, Allen L. Stone, Frank Jones, Michael E. Jiron, “ER,” NBC.

* Sound mixing, drama miniseries or special: Larry David Husby, David E. Fluhr, Adam Jenkins, Don Digirolamo, “Titanic,” CBS.

* Individual achievement, informational programming: Jason Rosenfield (editor), “Memphis PD: War on the Streets,” HBO; Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, M. Watanabe Milmore (editors), “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills,” HBO; Paul Trautman (production mixer), Paul Schremp, Darren Barnett, Pattie Lorusso (re-recording mixers), “National Geographic Special: Tigers of the Snow,” NBC.

* Individual achievement, cultural programming--performance: Pilobolus Dance Theatre troupe, “John F. Kennedy Center 25th Anniversary Celebration,” PBS.

* Achievement in animation: Gary Hurst (production designer), “Testament: The Bible in Animation (Moses),” HBO; Loraine Marshall (color director), “The Willows in Winter,” Family Channel; Phil Weinstein (storyboard-artist), “Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh,” CBS.

* Special visual effects: Mike McGee, “The Odyssey,” NBC.