By Mary-Ann Russon & Melissa-Ann Tan • UrbanWire
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Another year has gone by, and once again, the Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is set to grace our screens for the 56th time. Aside from honouring the best in American television, this annual awards event, to be held at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles on September 20, allows us the satisfaction of catching a quick candid glimpse of our favourite stars with their glittering smiles and glitzy outfits (and laugh at those that are not that flattering).

Being avid TV watchers, UrbanWire takes a stab at predicting who will take the shiny gold trophies home this year.

Best Drama Series

Nominees:

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• Joan Of Arcadia
• The Sopranos
• 24
• The West Wing

While the ratings for usual Drama Series winner The West Wing have taken a nosedive, mafia drama The Sopranos is topping them, leading with 20 nominations, 2nd to Angels in America, which received 21 nominations this year. Although promising, Joan Of Arcadia is in its first season, and 24's losing viewers. The Sopranos has been nominated several times in the past but has never won, and we think it's about time it breaks through this year. We're still sore, of course, that HBO's Six Feet Under was left in the cold with no nominations, but that's a different story...

Who Will Win: The Sopranos
Who We'd like to Win: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Best Comedy Series

Nominees:

• Arrested Development
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• Sex And The City
• Will & Grace

Will & Grace is losing popularity, while Arrested Development is still a very young programme, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, although it's been nominated for Best Comedy Series 3 times before, has never won, so Everybody Loves Raymond looks to be the strongest contender, having won Best Comedy Series last year, and retaining high ratings this year. However, considering that after a very successful run, Sex And The City finally came to a close earlier this year, it's likely the TV Academy will let it go out with a bang. This may well be the Sex And The City's Emmy year.

Who Will Win: Sex And The City
Who We'd like to Win: Everybody Loves Raymond

Best Reality Competition Series

Nominees:

• The Amazing Race
• American Idol
• The Apprentice
• Last Comic Standing
• Survivor

In the ratings race, American Idol is undisputed champ for all programmes, and many of the TV Academy judges probably sms-ed and texted their own votes for Fantasia, Diana and Jasmine et al, so no prizes for guessing.

Who Will Win: American Idol
Who We'd like to Win: The Amazing Race

Best Actor In A Drama Series

Nominees:

• James Spade - The Practice
• James Gandolfini - The Sopranos
• Kiefer Sutherland - 24
• Martin Sheen - The West Wing
• Anthony LaPaglia - Without A Trace

With 24 being moved from the coveted Tuesday line-up to the less important slot Monday, and The Practice having ended its run, Without A Trace, The West Wing, and The Sopranos are the only serious contenders in this category. However, seeing that Martin Sheen has never won despite being nominated 4 times, it seems likely that James Gandolfini - who has won the award 3 times in the last 4 years - will bring the trophy home again this year.

Who Will Win: James Gandolfini
Who We'd like to Win: Martin Sheen

Best Actress In A Drama Series

Nominees:

• Jennifer Garner - Alias
• Amber Tamblyn - Joan of Arcadia
  
• Mariska Hargitay - Law & Order: SVU
  
• Edie Falco - The Sopranos
  
• Allison Janney - The West Wing

Although The West Wing's Allison Janney has won Supporting Actress twice, it looks like Edie Falco of The Sopranos might sweep this award for the 3rd time. On our part, we're rooting for the surprise nominee this year - Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU for her terrific performance as Detective Olivia Benson.

Who Will Win: Edie Falco
Who We'd like to Win: Mariska Hartigay

Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Nominees:

• Victor Garber - Alias
• Michael Imperioli - The Sopranos
  
• Steve Buscemi - The Sopranos
  
• John Spencer - The West Wing
  
• Brad Dourif - Deadwood

For the past 4 years, actors from The West Wing have been winning Best Supporting Actor. However, due to the drop in ratings, we don't think The West Wing will carry it off this year. A much likelier winner would be The Sopranos, and since this is Michael Imperioli's third nomination, it may well be him.

Who Will Win: Michael Imperioli
Who We'd like to Win: Victor Garber

Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Nominees:

• Robin Weigert - Deadwood
  
• Tyne Daly - Judging Amy
  
• Drea de Matteo - The Sopranos
  
• Janel Moloney - Judging Amy
  
• Stockard Channing - The West Wing

Thanks to Judging Amy's steady appeal, Tyne Daly might well win in this category a 2nd time. That would certainly make us happy, at any rate.

Who Will Win: Tyne Daly
Who We'd like to Win: Tyne Daly

Best Actor In A Comedy Series

Nominees:

• Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm
• John Ritter - 8 Simple Rules
  
• Kelsey Grammer - Frasier
  
• Matt LeBlanc - Friends
  
• Tony Shalhoub - Monk

Not having been nominated in 4 years, it would be truly amazing if Frasier were to suddenly sweep this award. And while ratings for Friends weren't bad, they've long lost their edge over the others and are actually not strong considering this is their last season. A first nomination for 8 Simple Rules, the series has now been moved to the Monday line-up - a bad sign in American TV - discounting it somewhat, even though compassion might lead the TV Academy to confer it posthumously on John Ritter. However, given that 3rd season Monk ratings are once again fantastic, Tony Shalhoub looks set to take this award home.

Who Will Win: Tony Shalhoub
Who We'd like to Win: Matt LeBlanc

Best Actress In A Comedy Series

Nominees:

• Patricia Heaton - Everybody Loves Raymond
  
• Jennifer Anniston - Friends
  
• Bonnie Hunt - Life With Bonnie
  
• Jane Kaczmarek - Malcolm In The Middle
  
• Sarah Jessica Parker - Sex And The City

With heavyweights like Patricia Heaton (twice named Best Actress) and Sarah Jessica Parker (who has been nominated 4 times but never won) around, the other nominees are there really just to make up the numbers. It's very hard to choose between these 2 very talented thespians, and it could go either way. On 1 hand, Patricia Heaton could well win again, and Everybody Loves Raymond is doing fantastically ratings-wise. On the other hand, being that this year of Sex And The City's swan song, it wouldn't be surprising if the TV Academy decided to be generous, and shower the show with a big sweep of awards.

Who Will Win: Sarah Jessica Parker
Who We'd like to Win: Patricia Heaton (whoever it is who wins, we want the other, and we're not just trying to be contrary)

Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Nominees:

• Jeffery Tambor - Arrested Development
• Brad Garrett - Everybody Loves Raymond
• Peter Boyle - Everybody Loves Raymond
• David Hyde Pierce - Frasier
• Sean Hayes - Will & Grace

Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond are the top contenders for this award. As David Hyde Pierce has won 3 times, and has been nominated for the past 4 years, he could win. But then again, so could Brad Garrett, who has won twice in the last 4 years. We're putting our money on Brad.

Who Will Win: Brad Garrett
Who We'd like to Win: David Hyde Pierce

Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Nominees:

• Doris Roberts - Everybody Loves Raymond
• Kristin Davis - Sex And The City
• Kim Cattrall - Sex And The City
• Cynthia Nixon - Sex And The City
• Megan Mullally - Will & Grace

It would be highly surprising if Sex And The City didn't take home at least 1 award this year, and with 3 nominations in this category, it has to be this one, if nothing else. Of the 3 actresses, Kim Cattrall looks most likely to win, considering that she's already garnered a Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress last year, but we can't discount Kristin Davis or Cynthia Nixon. However, if amazingly they're all jinxed, then Doris Roberts of Everybody Loves Raymond should step up to the plate. Sorry, Megan.

Who Will Win: Kim Cattrall
Who We'd like to Win: Doris Roberts

The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards airs Sep 20, 8 am, MediaCorp Channel 5, with a repeat broadcast at 10.30pm.

Pictures courtesy Warner Brothers, HBO, NBC, ABC, Fox, USA Network, and CBS.