Latest from Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Ahram Weekly
12 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
'Severance' leads Emmy nominations with 27 - Screens - Arts & Culture
Apple TV+'s dark sci-fi office drama "Severance" on Tuesday led the contenders for the Emmy Awards, television's version of the Oscars, with a whopping 27 nominations. "The Penguin," HBO Max's Batman villain spinoff series, came in second with 24. Two satires -- HBO Max's skewering of the rich, "The White Lotus," and Apple's new Hollywood cringe fest, "The Studio" -- tied for third with 23 nominations each. In the comedy categories, behind "The Studio" were two past winners: "Hacks" at 14 and "The Bear" at 13. The announcement from the Television Academy marks the official start of the race to the 77th Emmy Awards, set for September 14 in Los Angeles. After last year's record-breaking 18 Emmy Awards for Japan-set historical epic "Shogun," this year's drama competition looks to be more nuanced. "Severance," in which employees of biotech company Lumon have their memories surgically separated between their "innie" work lives and their "outie" personal lives, is clearly the early favorite, with star Adam Scott a nominee for best actor. But he will compete with "ER" veteran Noah Wyle, who leads "The Pitt" -- HBO Max's take on the travails of a Pittsburgh emergency room team during one 15-hour shift, effectively filmed in real time. "It's ER on steroids!" Deadline awards expert Pete Hammond told AFP of the show, which earned 13 nods. Also competing for best drama honors are Disney+'s "Star Wars" offshoot "Andor," Netflix's "The Diplomat," HBO's apocalyptic video game adaptation "The Last of Us," Hulu political thriller "Paradise," Apple's spy drama "Slow Horses," and "The White Lotus." Scott and Wyle have stiff competition for best actor: Oscar winner Gary Oldman in "Slow Horses," Pedro Pascal ("The Last of Us") and Sterling K. Brown ("Paradise"). Scott's co-star Britt Lower is a nominee for best drama actress, alongside Bella Ramsey ("The Last of Us") and Keri Russell ("The Diplomat"). "The White Lotus" earned a slew of acting nominations in the supporting categories. "The Penguin" is competing for best limited series honors against "Dying for Sex" (FX) and three Netflix efforts: buzzy teen murder saga "Adolescence," "Black Mirror," and true-crime saga "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story." "Adolescence" breakout star Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old British boy accused of murdering a female classmate, earned a nomination for supporting actor. "Monsters," the story of a pair of California brothers in prison for killing their parents after what they say was years of sexual and physical abuse, earned acting nods for Cooper Koch, Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny. - Comedy newcomer - In the comedy categories, new series "The Studio," a satire starring Seth Rogen that eviscerates the film industry, emerged as a clear favorite. Rogen also wrote and produced the show, which earned acting nominations for Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O'Hara and six guest performers. "Hacks" -- starring Jean Smart as a stand-up comedian who locks horns with her dysfunctional millennial assistant -- won for best comedy and best actress in September last year, and is nominated again in those categories. "The Bear," a dark satire set in the Chicago restaurant world, took the top prize at the previous ceremony (held in January 2024 due to Hollywood strikes), and its star Jeremy Allen White has two trophies for best actor. Beyond those three, other nominees for best comedy series are ABC's mockumentary-style sitcom "Abbott Elementary," rom-com "Nobody Wants This" (Netflix), Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," Apple's "Shrinking," and FX's vampire laugh riot "What We Do in the Shadows." Harvey Guillen ("What We Do in the Shadows") and Brenda Song ("Running Point") unveiled the key nominations in a livestreamed ceremony. Voting members of the US-based Television Academy will then have a month to catch up on their viewing before final-round voting begins in mid-August. The September 14 gala will be hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
12 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Death toll in south Syria violence tops 300: Monitor - Region
More than 300 people have been killed in days of violence in southern Syria's Sweida province, a war monitor said Wednesday, raising an earlier toll of 248 dead. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that since clashes erupted on Sunday, 69 Druze fighters were killed as well as 40 civilians, 27 of whom in "summary executions... by members of the defence and interior ministries", while 165 government forces and 18 Bedouin fighters were also killed, along with 10 members of the government's security forces in Israeli strikes. An unidentified interior ministry source said in a statement carried by state news agency SANA that "An agreement was reached for a ceasefire in Sweida and the deployment of security checkpoints in the city". The new ceasefire was reached Wednesday in Sweida, a day after an earlier truce collapsed amid days of violence between Druze and Bedouin tribes. An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that some troops stationed in the Gaza Strip were to be redeployed to the area of the frontier with Syria, where Israel has struck, claiming to defend the Druze minority. The military official told reporters during a briefing that some soldiers were "preparing to be deployed on our northern border with Syria" from Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants since the Palestinian group's October 2023 attack. For its part, Washington is talking with both Israel and Syria after the Israelis bombed the Syrian army headquarters in Damascus, the top US diplomat said Wednesday, expressing concern at the attack. "We're talking to both sides, all the relevant sides on this, and hopefully we can bring it to a conclusion, but we're very concerned," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
12 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Inaugural edition of Port Said Film Festival accepts submissions to screenwriting workshop - Screens - Arts & Culture
The management of the Port Said International Film Festival, headed by film critic Ahmed Assar, announced that it would organise a specialised workshop in screenwriting within the festival's first edition from 18 to 22 September 2025. Led by screenwriter Nasser Abdel-Rahman, the workshop, held for two days during the festival, aims to refine the skills of young writers and allow them to benefit from the expertise of renowned screenwriters in Egypt and the Arab world. Interested scriptwriters can apply via this link. The workshop will focus on three main pillars of screenwriting: the idea, the story, and the cinematic treatment. It will also cover character development and conclude with an exploration of time in cinema and how it can be used to support dramatic structure. Screenwriter Abdel-Rahman won the Locarno Festival Award for the film Al-Madina (The City, 2000) and the Best Screenplay Award from the Oran Festival in Algeria for the film Genainat El-Asmak (Fish Garden, 2008). Many of his other films were nominated for several international awards. Among his other scripts were those of Dokkan Shehata (2009), Chaos, This Is (2007), Granoita (2001), TV series Gabal Al-Halal (2014), El-Dawly (2018), and Settohom (2023). The Port Said International Film Festival is a new film festival launching in Port Said, Egypt, from 18 to 22 September. It is named in honour of the late Egyptian actor Mahmoud Yassin and will feature Egyptian and international films alongside workshops, seminars, and panel discussions. The festival is organised under the patronage of the Governor of Port Said and the Minister of Culture. Film critic Ahmed Assar serves as its president Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
42 minutes ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Atletico sign Betis' Cardoso to continue rebuild - World
Atletico Madrid signed US midfielder Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis on Wednesday for a reported 25 million euros ($29 million). "Our club and Real Betis have reached a deal for the transfer of the midfielder... who will wear red and white for the next five seasons," Atletico said in a statement. Born in New Jersey, the 23-year-old is a US international but is of Brazilian descent and has an Italian passport which allows him to be registered as an EU player. Welcome, Johnny Cardoso! 🇺🇸🇧🇷 Agreement with @RealBetis for the transfer of the U.S. international, who signs for five seasons with our club. — Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) July 16, 2025 On Tuesday, Atletico confirmed the arrival of 24-year-old Argentina attacker Thiago Almada from Brazilian side Botafogo. Diego Simeone's side also brought in playmaker Alex Baena from Villarreal earlier this summer and Matteo Ruggeri from Atalanta as they rebuild their squad following a disappointing 2024-2025 campaign which they finished empty-handed. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
One killed, 18 wounded in Israeli strikes on Damascus - Region
Syria's health ministry said a series of Israeli strikes on the army and defence ministry headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday killed one person and wounded another 18. AFP correspondents said the strikes destroyed part of a four-storey building adjacent to the defence ministry, while the city's usually bustling Umayyad Square nearby was empty except for ambulances and military vehicles. Israel's army said it struck a "military target" in the area of Syria's presidential palace in Damascus, after earlier announcing it had hit the military headquarters in the capital. The Israeli military "continues to strike military targets belonging to the Syrian regime in Damascus", an army statement said. Witnesses told AFP they heard an explosion in the area of the palace, a high-security compound which is located on a hill overlooking the capital and is where interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa receives visitors. A 51-year-old Damascus resident, requesting anonymity due to the security situation, said she was on her balcony trying to see the aftermath of the strikes near the army headquarters when she "heard an explosion and saw smoke rising near the presidential palace". Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
