Bada bing! 'Sopranos' rules Emmy nominations list But will voters give it the Best Drama award?

Will the third time be the charm for "The Sopranos"? After storming to higher ratings and even greater critical acclaim than in its heady first two seasons, the HBO mob drama received more Emmy Award nominations Thursday - 22 - than any other program. Now the question is whether Emmy voters finally will reward "The Sopranos" with its top prize: Best Drama Series. We won't know until Sept. 16, the night the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences gives out its 53rd annual awards on CBS. "The West Wing" garnered 18 nominations, followed by 13 for the made-for-TV miniseries "Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." "Will & Grace" and the HBO movie "61*" each received 12 nominations. There was no drama in the drama category, with the same five shows nominated last year returning this year (see list on Page E-6), and there was little relief in comedy, with "Malcolm in the Middle" the only new nominee for Best Series. (It replaced "Friends.") Though "Law & Order" is enjoying its best ratings in its 11-year run and got one of the Best Drama nominations, its Emmy stock appears to be falling. The show's two Best Actor nominees from last year, Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston, were dropped in favor of Rob Lowe of "The West Wing" and Andre Braugher of "Gideon's Crossing," a show canceled earlier this year by ABC. However, the real race for Best Actor is likely among Dennis Franz of "NYPD Blue," James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos" and Martin Sheen of "The West Wing." Gandolfini's triumph last year was one of few for "The Sopranos," which has entered the last two Emmy ceremonies with high hopes, only to have most of them dashed. The series collected 16 nominations in 1999 after its first season, more than any other program. But it won just four statuettes that year. Afterward HBO officials claimed they weren't surprised. First-year shows never fare that well at the Emmys, they said. Last year a rookie show, "The West Wing," cleaned HBO's clock. It received 18 nominations and scored a record nine Emmy wins, including Best Drama. "The Sopranos" may have a better chance this year due to the legal and other woes of "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin. He was picked up at an airport on drug charges April 15. In exchange for a guilty plea on possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, crack cocaine and marijuana, Sorkin agreed to enroll in a rehab program. As if that weren't troubling enough to Emmy voters, many of whom write for television, Sorkin posted a lot of mean things about a former writer on "The West Wing" to an online message board two weeks ago. In the message, Sorkin claimed that he wrote all the show's scripts and only handed out credits to the other writers on the show "by way of a gratuity." (Sorkin later apologized for his comments.) And The New York Times ran an embarrassing story last month revealing that writers on the show would not get previously promised raises as a cost-cutting measure. The bitter irony: One of the top producers of "The West Wing" is John Wells, who recently led the Writers Guild of America in negotiations for higher payments from the big TV studios. If you are wondering what the key to a hit drama series is, think ensemble. Of the 10 nominees for Best Supporting Actor/Actress in a Drama, eight appear on "The West Wing" or "The Sopranos." Newcomers to the Emmys this year included Frankie Muniz of the hit comedy "Malcolm in the Middle" and Marg Helgenberger of the new CBS drama "CSI." Calista Flockhart returned to the Best Comedic Actress category, replacing "Dharma & Greg's" Jenna Elfman. On the outside looking in again is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," despite the efforts of an online fan group to draw attention to it. A group called Give Buffy an Emmy collected more than $5,000 from viewers and took out "For Your Consideration" ads in trade magazines urging Emmy voters to give "Buffy" a closer look. But the show once again failed to get a nomination in any of the major categories. The academy this year added several categories to honor nonfiction television. They were dominated by the cable networks, with such nominees as "Road Rules," "Junkyard Wars," "Taxicab Confessions" and "The E! True Hollywood Story." ("Survivor" also got a nod.) You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Clockwise, from upper left: Peter Boyle, Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton and Doris Roberts @ART CREDIT:CBS @ART CAPTION:James Gandolfini @ART:Photos (2, color)