"Sopranos" taking final bow at Emmys

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - America's favorite mob family, "The Sopranos," is favored to rub out the competition at Sunday's Primetime Emmy Awards and notch a place in the record books of U.S. television's top honors along the way.

But the acclaimed gangster saga, which ended its six-season HBO run in June with a puzzling blackout, faces a tough challenge from the lovelorn doctors of ABC's hit "Grey's Anatomy" in the race for the prestigious title of best drama.

This year's Emmys are filled with intrigue, Hollywood watchers said.

The best-comedy battle is considered a three-way contest among workplace-related shows, with last year's winner, "The Office," narrowly favored over low-rated fellow NBC contender "30 Rock" and the new ABC hit "Ugly Betty."

HBO's made-for-TV movie western "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," this year's most decorated Emmy contender with 17 nominations, is expected to dominate its category. It features Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson as U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, although the actor-politician is not up for any individual awards.

But former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is. After winning Oscar fame for his 2006 climate-change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," the onetime Democratic presidential nominee may grab the Emmy limelight if, as expected, his cable venture, Current TV, receives the "interactive television services" award.

Meanwhile, the United States' most-watched TV show, Fox talent contest "American Idol," is favored to finally win the prize for reality show contest over perennial CBS champ "Amazing Race."

A defeat this year would be especially galling for Fox and "American Idol," given the network is televising an Emmy telecast emceed by "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest.

SOPRANOS SENTIMENT

Still, "The Sopranos" remains the center of attention, after massive media hype spawned by its fill-in-the-blank conclusion -- a sudden black screen that left unanswered whether burly protagonist Tony Soprano got whacked in the end.

So strong is "Sopranos" sentiment that Emmy producers have planned a rare farewell tribute to the fictional New Jersey mob family by the cast of the Broadway hit musical "Jersey Boys."

"The Sopranos" collected 15 Emmy nominations in all, the most of any series this year, including a bid for best drama.

If Tony and his crew prevail over "Grey's Anatomy" and other rivals in that race -- "Boston Legal," "Heroes" and "House" -- it will mark the first time a regular U.S. drama series has won the top Emmy prize for its final season.

"If any show can break the curse, 'The Sopranos' can. It's widely considered the greatest show ever," said Tom O'Neil, host of the Los Angeles Times' awards Web site, TheEnvelope.com.

TV critics and other pundits taking part in O'Neil's online odds-making Emmy poll predict a fourth win for James Gandolfini as best actor in a drama for his role as conflicted mob boss Tony Soprano. But he's getting a run for his money from Hugh Laurie, who plays a brilliant but grouchy doctor on "House."