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Emmy nominees on the Web
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - September 7, 2000
By Stacey M. Bohning
Of the Post-Dispatch
It's time to roll out the red carpet and all that glitters for the 52nd
Annual Emmy Awards. The ceremony also serves as an unofficial
kick-off of the fall TV season, a season that seems to start later and
later each year. While you're waiting around for the repeats to end, visit
your favorite Emmy-nominated shows at their virtual homes on the
Web.
A sample of nominees
Sunday night we'll see a showdown between your favorite mobsters
and your favorite president. The HBO series "The Sopranos" tied with
NBC's "West Wing" to receive the most nominations, 18 each. I don't
know who will win that contest, but "The Sopranos" wins my vote for
the best Web site.
The Sopranos
http://hbo.com/sopranos * * * *
If you can't get enough of your favorite mob family on television, head
straight to this official site. You'll need Real Player G2 and the
Shockwave Flash 4 plug-in in order to take full advantage of this classy
and snappy site that has all the bells and whistles. The insider's guide
offers episode summaries, interviews with cast members that include
video clips, cast bios and filmography, FAQ and a mobspeak glossary
where you can find out what an Omerta is (I'm not telling). There's also
a chat room, bulletin boards, an e-mail newsletter, trivia game and a
weekly contest.
If you have trouble keeping up with the characters, the family tree
section will help. The section shows how the characters are related to
each other and offers brief introductions and video clips. However, to
fully experience the section, you will need at least a 56 K modem
connection and a minimum screen resolution of 800 by 600. Check out
the FBI File section to read memos, incident reports and diary entries
written by agents Lipari and Taylor. Keep in mind that this is an adult
show and some of the Web site's content may not be suitable for
children.
Personal Interactive Desktops
http://www.thepid.com * * *
The Sopranos home page links to a site where you can download a
personal interactive desktop (pid for short) for the show. The desktop
is free and includes games, photographs and advertising. In the
Entertainment section, you will also find a pid for the HBO show "Sex
and the City," which is another one of this year's Emmy nominees.
Other pid categories include animals, art, destinations, kids, lifestyle,
music, nature and sports.
The Sopranos in Jersey
http://www.nj.com/sopranos * * *
No other Sopranos site can compare to the official site, but this page,
courtesy of the New Jersey Star-Ledger, also offers some interesting
features for fans of the show. Download free wallpaper for your PC,
flip through the family photo album, read about HBO's open casting call
for the show and listen to the Jersey City police scanner.
The West Wing
http://www.nbc.com/westwing/home.html * *
POTUS Josiah Bartlett and his staff are waiting to greet you at this
official Web site. Unfortunately, it's just a cookie-cutter site that doesn't
offer as much as the Sopranos' site. Browse through cast bios, watch a
video clip of an interview with Rob Lowe, chat about the show, join the
club and read episode synopsis. If you want something more, your best
bet is to click on the links page and check out fan Web sites.
An Unofficial Tribute to The West Wing
http://homepages.go.com/homepages/t/h/e/thewestwing/ * * *
Wow. This fan has gone the extra mile to produce a site that has
everything West Wing fans could possibly want. Read episodes that
fans have written for the show (otherwise known as fanfiction or fanfic),
browse photo galleries, video, audio and screensavers, sign the
guestbook, visit the chatroom, complete a survey and even more
features that are too numerous to list here. You can also read
"Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from The West
Wing." The site doesn't have the designers of a major television
network behind it, but its content surpasses the official site.
Just Jack from "Will & Grace"
http://www.justjack.com/ * *
This wacky show from NBC has been nominated for best comedy. Its
stars, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan
Mullally also received nominations. This NBC site devoted to Hayes'
character, Jack, is still under construction, but it seems the network is
on the right track. If you follow the show, you know that last season
Jack was forced to marry Karen's maid Rosario so she could stay in
the country. This site plays off that story line with a love letter to Jack
from Rosario and a family album in its immigration section. Browse
through the family album and you'll see a photo of Rosario standing in
front of a very famous St. Louis landmark. If you have seen the show
you know that Jack can be wild and wacky and over the top. That
personality comes through on this site so keep that in mind.
Eric McCormack's official site
http://www.ericmccormack.com * * *
This site devoted to McCormack, who plays Will in "Will & Grace," is
a virtual theater. Users will have to get used to scrolling sideways
instead of up and down in order to navigate the site. McCormack has
included personal messages for fans to read, a biography with photos, a
guestbook and news. Don't miss the story board that describes the
five-day process of making an episode of "Will & Grace" and stop by
the popcorn stand to download a free screensaver. An animated
version of McCormack appears throughout the site as the usher and
concession stand worker, but you will need the Shockwave plug in to
see him.
Malcolm in the Middle official site
http://www.fox.com/malcolminthemiddle * * *
This show has also been nominated for best comedy and Jane
Kaczmarek is among the best actress nominations for her portrayal of
Lois, Malcolm's mom. This is Malcolm's site, so most of the information
found here is from his perspective. His online journal lists "what's wrong
this week" and videos on the site allow Malcolm to introduce you to his
family and friends. Discuss the show on message boards and in the
chatroom and read bios of the cast and creators. The trick with this site
is scrolling down to the bottom of the page in order to access
navigation for the other sections.
Malcolm fan site
https://www.angelfire.com/tv/reese/malcom.html * * 1/2
If you didn't get enough of Malcolm and his family at the official site,
this fan has created a site devoted to everything Malcolm. Complete
polls, read episode guides, listen to sounds, browse pictures and enter
contests at this shrine to the series.
"Judging Amy" official site
http://cbs.com/network/tvshows/primetime/shows/judgingamy/ * *
Although this series isn't competing with "The Sopranos" for an Emmy
in the best drama series category, Amy Brenneman has received a
nomination for best actress and Tyne Daly has received a nomination
for best supporting actress. The official CBS site includes cast bios,
episode summaries and information about contacting the show.
"Judging Amy" fan site
https://judgingamy.tripod.com/index.html * * *
The show also has a loyal following on the Web. This attractive site
includes a message board, photo gallery and news articles. The episode
summaries list ratings and guest stars and include a link to the transcript.
In addition, you can find out what music was played on the show and
buy the CD online if you're so inclined.
"Once and Again" official site
http://abc.go.com/primetime/once_and_again/once_home.html * * *
In addition to "Judging Amy," the ABC drama "Once and Again" also
received quite a bit of attention last season. The show about two
divorced families isn't up for best drama series, but Sela Ward received
a best actress nomination for her portrayal of Lily. The official site
includes interviews, video clips, an episode guide and message board.
You can also share your own stories about divorce and read stories
from other viewers. In addition, the site includes links in its resources
section to sites like Family.com and Parents Without Partners.
"Sex and the City" official site
http://www.hbo.com/city/ * * * *
Finally, we come full circle back to an HBO Web site for best comedy
nominee "Sex and the City." You can get into the spirit of the show by
reading the girls' black books, chat with a real shrink and view fashion
slide shows. The site looks nothing like "The Sopranos" site, which
means its design fits the personality of the show. Remember that this is
an adult show and some of the Web site's content may not be suitable
for children.
Copyright © 2000 St. Louis Post-Dispatch. All rights reserved.
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