In the battle between the two Edies in "Grey Gardens," Jessica Lange had the upper hand on screen as a stern, domineering mother who held the purse strings, but Drew Barrymore may have an edge in their Emmy bout. Barrymore had the more emotionally flashy role as a rebellious debutante yearning to pursue forbidden dreams to become a performer. However, Lange has two Oscars ("Blue Sky," "Tootsie") and Emmy voters are snobs. Checkmate?

There are other past Oscar champs in real-life roles competing here: Shirley MacLaine as France's flamboyant fashion designer in "Coco Chanel" and Anna Paquin as a heroic Pole who saves Jews from the Holocaust in "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler." Past Oscar winner Mira Sorvino stars in the fictitious role of an archaeologist investigating the theft of Vatican treasures and a string of murders in "The Last Templar."

Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver is a serious Emmy threat as a real-life mom whose son committed suicide in response to her religious zealotry in "Prayers for Bobby."

Past Emmy nominee Chandra Wilson played the kind of inspirational role that frequently gets notice in this race – as an eccentric homeless woman who confronts cancer in "Accidental Friendship."

Tammy Blanchard starred in a remake of "Sybil," which nabbed an upset victory here for Sally Field in 1976 as a mental patient with more than a dozen personalities, but this remake received lukewarm reviews and weak Nielsen TV ratings.

LEAD ACTRESS IN A TV MOVIE / MINISERIES
(Front-runners)
Lauren Ambrose, "Loving Leah"
Kathy Baker, "Jesse Stone: Thin Ice"
Drew Barrymore, "Grey Gardens"
Tammy Blanchard, "Sybil"
Sarah Chalke, "Maneater"
Jessica Lange, "Grey Gardens"
Shirley MacLaine, "Coco Chanel"
Anna Paquin, "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler"
Tracy Pollan, "Natalee Holloway"
Mira Sorvino, "The Last Templar"
Uma Thurman, "My Zinc Bed"
Sigourney Weaver, "Prayers for Bobby"
Chandra Wilson, "Accidental Friendship"