GENE RANDALL, CNN ANCHOR: Some of television's biggest names will be on hand in Hollywood tonight for the Emmy awards. The ceremony comes in the midst of a strike by actors against the producers of commercials. The unions involved say they hope participants will show support by wearing gold ribbons. And CNN's Sherri Sylvester is in Los Angeles -- Sherri.</s>SHERRI SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, how are you? The gold ribbons will be worn tonight by many stars. We have quite a diverse group this year. The group of Emmy nominees include folks like Cher, you know, old television greats like Cher. Michael J. Fox and his wife, Tracy Pollan, are both nominated this year. We also have Maggie Smith, a very classic actress, lots of actors from the film world also, as well. The big race this year concerns "The Sopranos" versus "The West Wing." When it comes to "The Sopranos," the show was nominated last year. Many thought that it should win. HBO has never had a show win best drama series, so this could be a very first that you would have a cable series win best drama. "The Sopranos" is in its second year. It's up for 18 nominations in all the major categories, including best actor, James Gandolfini. They've got the supporting nods, as well, guest spots, and best actress nominees Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco. Now they face-off against "The West Wing," which is a network project from NBC. "The West Wing," of course, is about the Oval Office. It involves the presidential hopefuls who will be here tonight as well. Martin Sheen plays the commander in chief. He has been nominated for best actor. Again, 18 for that show as well. It's in its very first year. It's a freshman show, so it will be interesting to see how the voting comes down tonight. They also did change the voting rules this year, so they may skew young, and the cable shows have a good chance. I'm Sherri Sylvester, reporting live from the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles.
'Sopranos,' 'West Wing' Vie for Top Prize on Emmy Night