Doomed Sopranos couple grab Emmys

Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo, who played a hard-luck mob couple whose relationship ended badly on The Sopranos, won drama series supporting actor and actress Emmys yesterday.

The stars of two departing series captured the comedy supporting actor and actress awards: David Hyde Pierce for Frasier, which ended its 11-year run, and Cynthia Nixon for Sex and the City, which wrapped a six-year run.

“There are so many people that are responsible for this, that if I even try to thank any of them right now, I might puke, choke, cry or die. And you’ve already seen me do that,” said de Matteo, whose character was bumped off last season. She’s now on NBC’s Friends spin-off “Joey.”

“Being on The Sopranos is the greatest thing in the world. … For an actor if this was the only thing I’d done I’d be OK with that – probably,” said Imperioli, who plays Tony Soprano’s luckless nephew and has directed some episodes of the series.

Hyde Pierce was honoured for the fourth time as best supporting actor for Frasier.

“In sitcom school they tell you how great it is to have a long-running show, but they don’t tell you how hard it is to say goodbye,” said Hyde Pierce.

Nixon beat two of her former colleagues, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis.

The spectre of reality TV hung over the night honouring the best of scripted television. The Emmys were referred to as ”the ultimate reality show” and host Garry Shandling poked fun at Extreme Makeover, Paris Hilton and Donald Trump in his opening.

“It’s to the point now when a commercial comes on I go, ‘Thank God, professional actors in a story,”’ he quipped.

Frasier, which had a chance to add to its record 31 Emmys, Friends and Sex and the City were taking a final Emmys bow yesterday.

HBO’s Sex and the City was the leading comedy nominee at the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, with 11 bids including ones for best-comedy series and for star Sarah Jessica Parker.

Kelsey Grammer of Frasier and Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc of Friends were nominated for acting trophies.

The most-nominated drama series was HBO’s The Sopranos with 20, including bids for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco. Although both actors have won before, the mob story has yet to snatch the top drama award.

Its competition included NBC’s four-time winner The West Wing.