Predicting the Emmys with Experts

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/18/2001 at 01:33 PM EDT

So far, Martin Sheen of "The West Wing" and Lorraine Bracco of "The Sopranos" seem likely to take home Emmys on Sept. 16, say industry pundits. But before you start wagering on the TV awards, it might be wise to check out the Web site GoldDerby.com, which has assembled a group of critics to handicap the race. The gurus include Lynn Rice of Entertainment Weekly (which, like PEOPLE, is published by Time Inc.), Lynn Elber of the Associated Press and Robert Bianco of USA Today, among others. "There are early frontrunners at this point," says site host Tom O'Neil, who adds that the actual predictions will not be made "for a few more weeks, until we find out what (examples of their work) the nominees are submitting to the Emmy judges." (General consensus is that Bracco's rape sequence in the HBO mob series could cop her the Emmy.) The GoldDerby.com track remains open all year, says O'Neil, "because there's always another awards show." In recent races, critic Jack Mathews, of New York's Daily News, reaped the highest score among his peers by predicting the lineup of Oscar nominees. "Entertainment Tonight" movie maven Leonard Maltin, meanwhile, scored highest when he predicted Oscar winners.