Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe LOS ANGELES, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The 54th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards, to be handed out in Los Angeles Sunday night, shape up as a showdown between HBO's "Six Feet Under" and NBC's two-time defending champion drama series "The West Wing." HBO's "Sex and City" and NBC's "Friends" are the leading prospects for outstanding comedy series. Advertisement The Emmys telecast, twice postponed in 2001 following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the U.S. bombing in Afghanistan, will originate from a newly redecorated Shrine Auditorium, with latenight TV comedian Conan O'Brien as emcee. The 96-year-old Shrine was recently given a multimillion dollar renovation. Going into Sunday night's ceremonies, NBC's "Opening Ceremony Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games" has the most awards so far, six -- in technical and creative categories that were presented at the Shrine on Sept. 14. The special is up for outstanding variety, music or comedy special in a field that also includes "The 74th Annual Academy Awards," "America: A Tribute to Heroes," "The Carol Burnett Show, Show Stoppers," "Cirque Du Soleil's Alegria" and "Concert for New York City." Advertisement HBO's "Six Feet Under" -- which led the field this year with 23 nominations -- has five technical and creative Emmys in hand. Set in a family owned-and-operated mortuary, the show goes into Sunday's ceremonies with eight nominations, needing four wins to tie the record of nine Emmys, set by "The West Wing" two years ago. "The West Wing" took home just one trophy at the technical and creative awards -- for a two-hour documentary special featuring interviews with three former presidents and dozens of former White House staffers and advisers. NBC's White House drama goes into Sunday's ceremonies with 15 nominations. The other best drama nominees are "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS), "Law & Order" (NBC), and the innovative Fox political thriller "24," which is up for four Emmys, including best actor in a drama for Kiefer Sutherland. Pundits are giving NBC's long-running hit comedy "Friends" the best chance of taking the Emmy for outstanding comedy series over last year's winner, "Sex and the City." The show is entering its ninth and final season in first-run, making it a sentimental favorite, but it has also turned into a critical favorite -- with stars Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry regarded as favorites in the race for lead actress and actor honors. Advertisement The hit CBS comedy "Everybody Loves Raymond" is up for eight Emmys, including best comedy series and best actor and actress in a comedy for Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton. Among the other best comedy nominees, "Sex and the City" is up for six Emmys and "Will & Grace" is up for five. "Sex and the City" and "Will & Grace" already have two technical and creative awards apiece. HBO's World War II saga "Band Of Brothers," is up for outstanding miniseries, along with "Dinotopia" (ABC), "The Mists of Avalon" (TNT) and "Shackleton" (A&E). HBO has four of the five nominations for outstanding TV movie -- "Dinner with Friends," "The Gathering Storm," "The Laramie Project" and "Path to War." The other nominee is "James Dean," TNT's movie about the life and tragic death of the young film star. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central), "Late Show with David Letterman" (CBS), "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" (ABC), "Saturday Night Live" (NBC) and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (NBC) are up for outstanding variety, music or comedy series. Advertisement HBO starts the evening leading the other networks with 16 Emmys, followed by NBC with 15. ABC, A&E and Fox are tied for third with five awards each. Ozzy Osbourne and his family -- the stars of MTV's "The Osbournes -- are scheduled to appear as presenters. Their show won last week for best reality series. Sunday's telecast will feature a presentation of the TV academy's Governor's Award to ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC for their cooperation last September in presenting "America: A Tribute to Heroes," a telethon that raised an estimated $250 million for victims of the terrorist attacks. Tom Hanks is scheduled to present Oprah Winfrey with the academy's first-ever Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. The Emmys will be telecast live over NBC-TV at 8 p.m. (EDT).
