HBO Leads Pack in ACE Awards Race

Home Box Office led the cable-TV industry with 112 out of 314 nominations for the ninth annual ACE Awards, cable’s own version of the Emmys, which were announced Monday by the National Academy of Cable Programming.

Among 18 other cable outlets that submitted original programming for consideration, Showtime received 46 nominations, the Arts & Entertainment Network got 35 and Cable News Network and the Disney Channel collected 10 each.

Approximately 30 winners in the program and performance categories will be announced Jan. 24 during a live ACE (Awards for Cable Excellence) telecast on HBO. The program will originate from the Wiltern Theatre here. Winners in other categories will be honored during non-televised ceremonies at the Century Plaza Jan. 22.

Some highlights of Monday’s nominations:

Movie or Miniseries: “Long Gone” and “Last Innocent Man” (HBO), “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Home Fires” (Showtime) and “Hotel du Lac” (Arts & Entertainment).

Dramatic Special: Three HBO Showcases: “Yuri Nosenko, KGB,” “Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8” and “Vietnam War Story,” and “Hess” (Bravo).

Dramatic Series: “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (USA), “The Hitchhiker” (HBO).

Theatrical Special: “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” and “Picnic” (Showtime), “Gertrude Stein and a Companion” (Bravo) and “The Browning Version” (Arts & Entertainment).

Comedy Special: “Who Dares Wins” (Playboy Channel) and four HBO specials--”Humor and the Presidency,” “Not Necessarily the Media,” “Not Necessarily the News: Inside Washington” and “On Location: Robin Williams--An Evening at the Met.”

Comedy Series: “Not Necessarily the News” (HBO), “Brothers,” “Hard Knocks” and “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” (Showtime) and “Blackladder II” (Arts & Entertainment).

Music Special: Showtime’s “Paul Simon’s Graceland: The African Concert” will compete with four HBO specials--”Barbra Streisand: One Voice,” “Tina Turner: Breaking Every Rule,” “A Night at the Filmore: A Sixties Reunion with Bill Graham” and “Carly in Concert: Coming Around Again.”

Music Series: “New Visions” (VH-1), “Cinemax Sessions” (Cinemax), “Live at the Ritz” and “Saturday Night Concerts” (both from MTV).

Variety Special or Series: “Christmas at Radio City Music Hall” (HBO), “A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor” and “New Vaudevillians, Too” (Disney Channel).

Documentary Series: “Ordinary People” (Learning Channel), “The Living Isles” (Discovery Channel), “National Geographic Explorer” and “Portrait of America” (WTBS) and “Love and Money: Lovelaw” (Arts & Entertainment).

Cultural or Performing Arts Special or Series: “Dancer” and “Bolshoi--The Golden Age” (Arts & Entertainment) and “Jazz Tap Ensemble” (Bravo).