NEWCOMERS TRIUMPH AFTER RULES CHANGED.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

The 52nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards cleared the decks. The edict was clear: Honor quality new shows and fresh talent, and don't let old winners rest on their laurels.

However, it's hard to say what effect the voting changes - allowing more, ostensibly younger academy members to cast ballots by watching nominated shows at home - had on the success of ``The West Wing,'' which probably would've been a shoo-in under the old voting system, as well.

Thomas Schlamme, accepting his Emmy for directing ``The West Wing'' - the show's fourth win Sunday evening, coming less than halfway through the ceremony - started to gush about series creator Aaron Sorkin, but admitted that if he continued, everyone would ``start to resent him.''

At that point, even host Garry Shandling conceded the evening suspensewise. ``West Wing'' carried most precincts, besting ``The Sopranos'' in the year the rules change was supposed to make it easier for HBO's gritty mob show to win. In fact, ``The Sopranos'' won one fewer trophies Sunday night than it did last year - James Gandolfini's deserved victory for Outstanding Actor in a Drama. Again, however, the winner (this time, Sorkin), graciously paid homage to the quality of now perennial bridesmaid ``The Sopranos.''

``Will & Grace's'' triumph as Outstanding Comedy was telegraphed pretty early on, as well. But backstage most winners didn't comment on the rule changes, and Schlamme would only say, ``I don't know whether it did or didn't (have an effect).''

Nonetheless, in the wake of so many complaints of older shows winning again and again, the new additions to the academy's voters were clearly hungry to recognize fresh talent and programs. Patricia Heaton's Outstanding Comedy Actress win 2 1/2 hours into the show (for ``Everybody Loves Raymond'') was the first by a show on the air for more than two years - and even that represented her first Emmy and only her second nomination.

Michael J. Fox's ``Spin City'' swan-song victory following Heaton was the first by a repeat acting winner, though not for the same role, and it was clearly a sentimental nod to the actor's departure from his show. Otherwise, new shows a season or two old - ``Will & Grace,'' ``Malcolm in the Middle,'' ``Once and Again'' and ``West Wing'' - prevailed.

Even early on, it was subtly apparent that the new voting rules had changed the tenor of the ceremony - British transvestite comic Eddie Izzard won two Emmys for ``Dress to Kill,'' his brilliant HBO stand-up performance, beating such stalwarts as Chris Rock, David Letterman, Billy Crystal, Cher and Conan O'Brien. Izzard's special was ruthlessly funny and uncommonly intelligent, and for the academy to acknowledge such rarefied material is proof that someone really was paying attention.

The rules change did not manage to help Emmy spread the wealth; things did pile up. HBO miniseries ``The Corner'' deserved its three awards, and few would begrudge NBC's sitcom ``Will & Grace'' its three wins, but certainly the three garnered by ``Tuesdays with Morrie'' could've been shared with other productions. And ``The West Wing's'' nine Emmys by evening's end (including some given in an earlier, unaired ceremony), seemed fairly gratuitous.

Shandling kept the evening reasonably entertaining, and thanks to a few absentee winners (note to academy: Give more awards to Brits!), the show almost came in on schedule. But, come on: Giving an Emmy for directing to the guy directing the show smacks of the worst kind of nepotism and solipsism imaginable.

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Photo: Gary Shandling was the host for the 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach