Iranian American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo was named best supporting actress
in a miniseries or movie for her role as the wife of Saddam Hussein in
House of Saddam. The miniseries, which
was co-produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Home Box Office or
HBO cable network, explored relations within the former Iraqi dictator's family
and inner circle.
The actress, who was nominated for an Oscar for the 2003 feature film
House of Sand and
Fog, thanked her family, and the cast
and crew of the four-episode series.
"I cherish this more than you can possibly imagine. Thank you," Aghdashloo said.
'Madmen', '30 Rock' Earn Top Emmy Honors
Mad Men, a drama series about the advertising business, and the comedy 30
Rock earned top honors at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. The
Emmys are considered the highest honors in American television.
30 Rock, an ensemble comedy that looks
behind the scenes of a fictional television show, was named best comedy series
for the third year in a row. Series' star Alec Baldwin was named best comic
actor for the second year running.
The show had 22 nominations, but failed to live up to its promise. It won just
three Emmys. Comedienne Tina Fey created the show. She is a writer on the series
and stars in it. She lost out on the acting Emmy to Toni Collette, however, the
Australian performer who stars in the series United States of Tara.
Actress Sigourney Weaver presented the Emmy for best drama series.
"And the Emmy goes to Mad Men," she
said.
Mad Men, a show about the New York
advertising business in the 1960s, won the Emmy for best drama for the second
consecutive year.
Glenn Close earned the Emmy for best actress in a drama for her role as a
ruthless lawyer in the series Damages.
Accepting the award, she talked about the entertainment business and some of its
stars who have died in the past year.
"I just think it is such a huge privilege to be in the community that we are all
a part of," Close said. "Looking at who we lost this past year, you think, what
a legacy we have, and what power we have."
Pop star Michael Jackson, actor Patrick Swayze and actress Farrah Fawcett are
among the entertainers and personalities who were memorialized on the show.
Bryan Cranston took the Emmy for best actor in a drama series for Breaking Bad,
a show about a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal
cancer and embarks on a career making illegal drugs. Accepting the award,
Cranston reflected on the flawed character, and his own good fortune.
"Breaking Bad is a story about a good
man who makes bad decisions. And I stand before you a humbled man very grateful
for the decision the academy has made to honor me with this award. Thank you so
much," he said.
Irish-born Brendan Gleeson won the Emmy for best actor in a miniseries or movie
for his role as former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the
television film Into the Storm.
Grey Gardens, a story based on two
eccentric relatives of the late Jackie Kennedy Onassis, widow of President John
F. Kennedy, was named best television movie. Jessica Lange won an Emmy for her
starring role in the film, and Ken Howard earned one for his supporting role.
The adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little
Dorrit, a co-production of the BBC and U.S. Public Broadcasting System,
won three awards.
The Emmys are presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. They are
the highlight of the year in the U.S. broadcasting industry, but the telecast
has suffered from poor ratings. Producers hoped this year's host, actor Neil
Patrick Harris, would add some zest to the program, and several Emmy recipients
had warm praise for his performance.
