HBO Earns 107 Cable Award Nods; ‘Beavis’ Gets Comedy Bid

“Beavis and Butt-head,” MTV’s controversial animated series that has been accused of being responsible for a fatal fire, received a CableACE Award nomination as cable television’s best comedy series Tuesday as awards in all 88 categories were announced.

“Beavis and Butt-head” will compete against two HBO series that are previous best comedy series winners--”Dream On” and “The Larry Sanders Show.” The other nominees were HBO’s sketch comedy series “The Kids in the Hall” and Comedy Central’s mix of sarcasm and mediocre movies, “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

HBO dominated the nominations with 107 of the 410, more than the combined total of the next three networks--Showtime (54), A&E; (26) and ESPN (26). HBO also had three of the top four nominated programs: “The Larry Sanders Show,” (11); “Dream On,” (10) and “Stalin” (seven).

But the honor of being the top-nominated program went to “Fallen Angels,” Showtime’s original film noir anthology, with 12.

The awards show will be held Jan. 16 at the Pantages Theatre and televised by TNT. Among the nominees:

* Movie or miniseries: “A Year in Provence: Spring,” A&E; “A Year in Provence: Summer,” A&E; “Barbarians at the Gate,” HBO; “Stalin,” HBO; “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom,” HBO.

* Actor in a movie or miniseries: Alan Arkin, “Cooperstown,” TNT; Brian Dennehy, “Foreign Affairs,” TNT; Griffin Dunne, “Love Matters,” Showtime; Anthony Edwards, “Sexual Healing,” Showtime; Forest Whitaker, “Last Light,” Showtime.

* Actress in a movie or miniseries: Mary Alice, “Laurel Avenue,” HBO; Holly Hunter, “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom,” HBO; Diane Keaton, “Running Mates,” HBO; Rhonda Stubbins-White, “Laurel Avenue,” HBO; Mare Winningham, “Better Off Dead,” Lifetime.

* Actor in a comedy series: Brian Benben, “Dream On,” HBO; Michael McKean, “Dream On,” HBO; Garry Shandling, “The Larry Sanders Show,” HBO; Jeffrey Tambor, “The Larry Sanders Show,” HBO; Rip Torn, “The Larry Sanders Show,” HBO.

* Actress in a comedy series: Denny Dillon, “Dream On,” HBO; Melissa Joan Hart, “Clarissa Explains It All,” Nickelodeon; Wendie Malick, “Dream On,” HBO; Armelia McQueen, “Adventures in Wonderland,” Disney Channel.

* Dramatic series: “Avonlea,” Disney Channel; “Fallen Angels,” Showtime; “Tales From the Crypt,” HBO; “The Hidden Room,” Lifetime; “The Showtime 30 Minute Movie,” Showtime.

* Actor in a dramatic series: Gary Busey, “Fallen Angels: Since I Don’t Have You,” Showtime; Gary Oldman, “Fallen Angels: Dead End for Delia,” Showtime; Stacy Keach, “John Carpenter Presents Body Bags: Hair,” Showtime; Harry Dean Stanton, “Hotel Room: Blackout,” HBO; James Woods, “Fallen Angels: Since I Don’t Have You,” Showtime.

* Actress in a dramatic series: Tess Harper, “The Hidden Room: After the Crash,” Lifetime; Helen Mirren, “The Hidden Room: Love Crimes,” Lifetime; Catherine O’Hara, “The Hidden Room: The First Battle,” Lifetime; Mariangela Pino, “The Showtime 30 Minute Movie: Evening Class,” Showtime; Isabella Rossellini, “Fallen Angels: The Frightening Frammis,” Showtime.

* Dramatic or theatrical special: “Parrallax Garden,” A&E; “Proudheart,” Nashville Network; “Sexual Healing,” Showtime; “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” Showtime.

* Music special: “A Romantic Evening With Ray Charles,” Bravo; “Child of Mine: Songs for Our Children,” Disney Channel; “Michael Jackson in Concert in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour,” HBO; “MTV’s Rock n’ Roll Inaugural Ball,” MTV; “Paul McCartney: Up Close,” MTV.

* Music series: “Birdland,” Bravo; “Bobby Jones Gospel,” Black Entertainment Television; “Center Stage,” VH-1; “MTV Unplugged,” MTV; “Ronnie Reno’s Old Time Music Festival,” Nostalgia Television.

* Talk-show series: “Crossfire,” CNN; “Larry King Live,” CNN; “Politically Incorrect,” Comedy Central; “Women Aloud,” Comedy Central.

* Documentary special: “Mob Stories: America Undercover,” HBO; “National Geographic Explorer: The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal,” TBS; “Sex Sells,” Showtime; “The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter: America Undercover,” HBO; “Why Am I Gay?: Stories of Coming Out in America: America Undercover,” HBO.

* Sports news series: “Baseball Tonight,” ESPN; “College GameDay,” ESPN; “NFL GameDay,” ESPN; “SportsCenter,” ESPN.