People’s Choices: Sandler, Willis and ‘The Sixth Sense’

“The Sixth Sense” was the big winner at the 26th annual People’s Choice Awards in Pasadena on Sunday, grabbing trophies for both favorite movie and favorite dramatic film, as well as a favorite actor award for star Bruce Willis.

Adam Sandler was named favorite comedy actor, and his picture, “Big Daddy,” garnered the favorite comedy movie prize.

NBC’s “Friends” and “ER” topped the TV awards, being named favorite comedy series and drama series, respectively, while Drew Carey (ABC’s “The Drew Carey Show” and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) and Calista Flockhart (Fox’s “Ally McBeal”) were named favorite male and female TV performers.

In the music categories, Ricky Martin was named favorite male performer, Shania Twain took the female honors, and the Backstreet Boys won the favorite group trophy.

Other winners of the awards, which were telecast on CBS, included Julia Roberts (favorite movie actress), Harrison Ford (favorite movie actor in a drama), Billy Campbell (favorite male in a new TV series for ABC’s “Once and Again”) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (favorite female in a new series, for Fox’s “Time of Your Life”).

The People’s Choice Awards--billed as the first awards show of the new year--are voted by a nationwide Gallup poll.