ITV1 period drama Downton Abbey has won Emmys for best mini-series, best supporting actress for Dame Maggie Smith, best writing for Julian Fellowes, and best directing for Brian Percival.The top award for best lead actress in mini-series went to Kate Winslet, for playing the eponymous Mildred Pierce, beating Elizabeth McGovern,
Author: Husam "Sam" Asi
Madonna wants to tell tales
It's 3 pm on a sunny September afternoon, and I am sitting in the University Ballroom in Toronto's Park Hyatt Hotel, eagerly waiting for the most famous woman on the face of the planet. Husam Asi with
Russian Faust wins Venice Film Festival
Russian film “Faust” has won the 68th Venice International Golden Lion award, beating heavy weights such as Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method,” Polanski’s “Carnage,” McQueen’s “Shame,” and Clooney’s “The Ides of March.”The accolade was presented to Faust’s director Alexander Sokurov by the Chairman of the jury, Black Swan director
Brad and Angelina fire up Toronto
The crowd in Toronto went crazy last night when Hollywood royal couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie emerged from their limo and glided down the the Royal Thompson Hall red carpet. Waving their hands and smiling, the couple obligingly signed autographs and shook hands with the swooning fans.Pitt was
U2 documentary rocks Toronto Film Festival
Thousands of film-makers, distributers, seller, buyers and fans flooded Toronto on Thursday to attend the biggest film festival in North America.Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) opened with the U2 documentary, From The Sky Down, from Oscar-winning directory Davis Guggenheim. The screening, which was held in Roy Thomson Hall, attracted a
Miramax opens an office in London
The Hollywood entertainment company, Miramax, announced the opening of its first international office in London, which will be based in Covent Garden.Miramax London will be headed by the company’s senior vice president, Domestic Television and Digital Sales, Joe Patrick, who will continue to report to Miramax CEO Mike Lang.Joe Patrick,
Eastwoods J. Edgar to open AFI Festival
Eastwood’s eagerly awaited biopic J.Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is to open to the 25th AFI festival, which kick off in Hollywood on Nov.3 and run through Nov. 10.Shot from a script penned by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black, J. Edgar tells the story of the feared and controversial FBI director,
Eddie Murphy to host the Oscars
The actor and comedian, Eddie Murphy has been selected by the Producers of the 84th Annual Academy Awards, Brett Ratner and Don Mischer, to host the event, which will be broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 26th.Last year, the academy officials hope to attract new
The Help continues to rule the US box office
For third straight weekend, the black maids drama The Help cruised to the top of the US box office, earning an estimated 19 million over the four-day US labour- day holiday, raising its over all taking to 123.4 million.Helen Mirren’s thriller The Debt, which opened last Wednesday, was the runner-up
Al Pacino honoured in Venice
Hollywood superstar, Al Pacino, received the “Glory to the Filmmaker” award for artists who have left mark on contemporary cinema on Sunday.The Godfather star is in Venice with his latest directorial effort “Salome”, which apparently he is still unsure about its direction.“I didn’t know where I was going with
Husam (Sam) Asi 