HBO Leads Nominations for Cable Awards

Paced by a horror anthology, a movie about Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal and a dramatic series about soldiers in Vietnam, HBO dominated the nominations for the 11th annual ACE Awards Thursday, the cable industry’s version of the Emmys.

HBO grabbed 103 of the 338 nominations from the National Academy of Cable Programming, with “Tales from the Crypt,” the pay-cable network’s series of horror stories, leading all programs with 16 nominations. Its movie “Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story,” which won an Emmy last month for its teleplay, was the second-most recognized program with 10 nominations, while “Vietnam War Story” placed third with 8.

HBO’s spoof of televangelism, “Glory! Glory!” garnered 6 nominations, including acting honors for Ellen Greene, Richard Thomas and James Whitmore.

With “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” paving the way with 7 nominations, including 3 for its writing staff, Showtime’s 29 total nominations made it the second most-honored cable service. The Disney Channel came in third with 23, Arts & Entertainment had 21, CNN and ESPN tied with 18, TNT nabbed 17, Lifetime and TBS each tallied 13 and the Discovery Channel rounded out the top 10 with 11 nominations.

Thirty different cable networks, including local sports service Prime Ticket, received at least one nomination.

“Not Necessarily the News’ ” Lucy Webb, who has won the ACE for best actress in a comedy series four consecutive years, picked up yet another nomination. Her streak might be in jeopardy this year, however, as she runs up against Emmy-nominated Blair Brown, the star of “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,” which moved from NBC to Lifetime earlier this year and grabbed 5 ACE nominations.

Awards in the high-profile categories will be presented during a ceremony at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on Jan. 14. About 10 cable networks will simultaneously televise the ceremony. The bulk of the awards will be handed out in a non-televised industry dinner two days earlier.

The nominees include:

Comedy Series: “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,” Lifetime; “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” Showtime; “Not Necessarily the News,” HBO.

Dramatic Series: “The Hitchhiker,” USA; “The Ray Bradbury Theater,” USA; “Shortstories,” A&E.;

Movie or Miniseries: “Looking for Miracles,” Disney Channel; “Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story,” HBO; “Nightbreaker,” TNT; “Tailspin: Behind the Korean Airliner Tragedy,” HBO; “Traveling Man,” HBO.

Dramatic or Theatrical Special: “A Christmas Wife,” HBO; “Dead Man Out,” HBO; “Lip Service,” HBO; “Time Flies When You’re Alive,” HBO; “Vietnam War Story,” HBO.

Documentary Special: “Australia: The Last Barrier,” TBS; “JFK: In His Own Words,” HBO; “The Making of a Legend: Gone With the Wind,” TNT; “You Don’t Have to Die,” HBO; “Woodstock Stories,” VH-1.

Talk Show Special or Series: “CNN Crossfire,” CNN; “The Capital Gang,” CNN; “Larry King Live,” CNN; “Superstars & Their Moms 3,” TBS; “What’s Up, Dr. Ruth?” Lifetime.

Children’s Programming--8 and Younger: “Encyclopedia,” HBO; “Eureka’s Castle,” Nickelodeon; “Raffi in Concert with the Rise and Shine Band,” Disney Channel; “Storybook Classics: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Showtime.

Children’s Programming--9 and Older: “Caddie Woodlawn,” Disney Channel; “Danger Bay,” Disney Channel; “Danny, the Champion of the World,” Disney Channel; “Kid’s Court,” Nickelodeon; “Videopolis StarTracks,” Disney Channel.

Magazine Show Special or Series: “CNN Future Watch,” CNN; “The Big Picture Special Edition,” MTV; “Entertainment Watch Star Power,” VH-1, “Esquire: About Men for Women,” Lifetime; “National Geographic Explorer,” TBS.

News Special or Series: “The Big Story: The Big Spill,” CNN; “The International Hour,” CNN; “Science Stalks the Criminal,” CNN; “World Monitor,” Discovery.