Simpsons Notch Early Emmys
August 31, 1998 © E! Online. by Marcus Errico

Score: Bartman 1, Cartman 0.

In an early Emmy Award showdown, The Simpsons has been named top animated series for the fifth time in six years, besting rookie series South Park and King of the Hill for the honor.

All told, the Fox ‘toon picked up three trophies, including a voice-over award for Hank Azaria (Apu, Moe, et al.) and best music and lyrics (for parodist extraordinaire Alf Clausen and collaborater Ken Keeler’s faux Broadway spectacular “You’re Checkin’ In [A Musical Tribute to the Betty Ford Center]”).

The awards, handed out Saturday, were among the first batch of Emmys presented. Most of the weekend honorees were behind-the-scenes types–the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences saves the tube-friendly awards, like the best series and acting trophies, for the televised ceremony. This year’s 50th anniversary show airs September 13 on NBC.

While Saturday’s affair had a decidedly low glitz factor, there were some marquee names picking up hardware for guest-acting gigs. Mel Brooks (Mad About You) and Emma Thompson (Ellen) won for comedy, while Cloris Leachman (Promised Land) and John Larroquette (The Practice) collected drama awards. Larroquette had the night’s best line; honored for his turn as a gay serial killer, the Night Court alum pronounced, “I’m queen of the world!”

NBC’s Merlin scored a field-best four awards Saturday (visual effects, art direction, makeup, costume design), while Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, ER and HBO’s From the Earth to the Moon all collected two prizes.

And Apple Computer’s “Think Different” campaign was voted 1998’s best advertisement in that category’s second year of existence.