» Special Report  |  Nominees Bios  | Printable Ballot  |  Archive

Emmys: The nominees react

HBO's "Sex in the City" is nominated for a number of Emmy's including outstanding comedy series.

(CNN) -- Last year's winner for best actor in a comedy Eric McCormack of "Will and Grace" was passed up for an Emmy this year.

But that did not hinder his high spirits when announcing the award nominations along with Laura Innes, of "ER," on Thursday. After learning he wasn't nominated McCormack joked, "It's just as well. You know how hard it is to get a sitter? It really is."

McCormack aside, those who gained Emmy nods seemed pleased. Nominees from shows such as "Sex and the City," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Six Feet Under" got in touch with CNN after hearing the good news.

Aaron Sorkin, show creator, 21 nominations, outstanding drama series: "The West Wing"

"It's incredibly exciting. It's a great morning for us. ... We're always thrilled to get this kind of recognition. ... We all learned on September 11th what hard is, and so I'm reluctant to say that it was hard this year, but it was. The cast, and the crew and the staff, I mean, everybody really rose to the challenge as a team."

Rachel Griffiths, nominee, lead actress in a drama series: "Six Feet Under"

"This is bit more like a team that made the Super Bowl. ... I had just managed to find myself a Starbucks in South London to get myself a coffee here, and I didn't really know what time it was, so I wasn't expecting the news."

Cynthia Nixon, nominee, supporting actress in a comedy series: "Sex and the City"

"I was actually in the midst of breakfast, and Angela Tarantino, who does publicity at HBO, called me -- very excited, shrieking into the phone. It was very nice. ... 'Sex and the City' won last year, which was so exciting, but Sarah and I weren't out there because we are doing plays in New York. So you can be sure we will be there this year with bells on this time around."

Peter Boyle, nominee, supporting actor in a comedy series: "Everybody Loves Raymond"

"I am enjoying it, and it's a welcome surprise. ... I was involved in a medical procedure 48 hours ago. I went under anesthesia and had my gallbladder removed. I took that as a sign. The tradeoff is lose a body part, get an Emmy nomination. Not a bad deal."

Doris Roberts, nominee, supporting actress in a comedy series: "Everybody Loves Raymond"

"When I won my Emmy last year, I said it was my birthday. ... I'm 71 and I'm kicking, honey. ... I've worked in this business for 47 years. This is the best gig I've ever had."

Anthony Zuiker, show creator, nominated for outstanding drama series: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"

"It's unbelievable to wake up to those kind of nominations and that kind of company, it's just a dream again, and we're very excited, and it should be a war on the 22nd. ... We take nothing for granted. We didn't get the nomination last year, but this year recognizing the show is a big deal. We were holding our breath the whole time."

Freddy Rodriguez, nominee, supporting actor in a drama series: "Six Feet Under"

"It's amazing. It is all happening so fast, too. We're, like, on cloud nine right now. ... I was in bed. My publicist called me, and she was like, 'Wake up, you've been nominated' -- screaming and everything. I was a little tired, but once I heard the amount of nominations that we had it was just overwhelming. A sudden adrenaline rush, I think, came through my body."