'The West Wing'gets VQT vote

BYLINE: David Finnigan -- NBC's insider White House drama "The West Wing" and its veteran sitcom "Frasier" each received six nominations Tuesday for the 16th annual awards bestowed by the nonprofit group Viewers for Quality Television.

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Based in Fairfax, Va., the 15-year-old Viewers for Quality Television group has some 2,000 members and about half of them submit nominations. Tuesday's list of the most popular five nominees in each category will be mailed this week in the VQT member newsletter for a final vote, VQT founder Dorothy Swanson said. Winners will be announced in August.

Nominated for best quality drama are "Law & Order," "The Sopranos," "The West Wing," ABC's new second-chance middle-age drama "Once and Again" and "The Practice," which won last year.

Nominated for best quality comedy are "Frasier," "Sports Night" "Will & Grace," NBC's "Friends" and "Everybody Loves Raymond," which nailed this category in one of the four Q awards it won last year.

Competing for best dramatic actress are Amy Brenneman for "Judging Amy" on CBS; Edie Falco for "The Sopranos"; Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"; Julianna Margulies of NBC's "ER"; and Sela Ward of "Once and Again."

Nominated for best actor in a drama are James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos"; Dylan McDermott of "The Practice"; Martin Sheen of "The West Wing"; and Sam Waterston of "Law & Order"; and Dennis Franz of ABC's "NYPD Blue," last year's winner. ("snipped" rest of the article)__Hollywood Reporter (June 14, 2000)