U.S. takes 23 Rockie noms

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TORONTO � The U.S. is at the head of the list among this year�s Rockie Award nominees.

TV offerings from the U.S. garnered a total of 23 Rockie noms, nearly sweeping the continuing series category with five of six nominees: "ER," "NYPD Blue," "The Practice," "The Sopranos," and "The West Wing." The comedy category featured the usual suspects: "Ally McBeal," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Frasier."

Brits score

British-produced TV programs received 15 nominations as longform dramas scored big as usual, with nods going to the miniseries "Wives and Daughters" and "Warriors" as well as telepic "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence."

Canadian TV entries received eight nominations, including the National Film Board�s "When the Day Breaks," in the animation category, and "The Dinosaur Hunter" in the children�s programs category.

Eighty-four nominees were chosen in 14 program categories from more than 1,000 entries worldwide. The Rockie Awards are the highlight of the Banff Television Festival, which is set to take place June 11-16.