Even if your formal invite embarrassingly got lost in the mail, you won’t want to miss the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, as TV’s finest gather to cop angel-winged statuettes. Coming at you live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, this year’s red carpet and presenters’ list includes Heisenberg himself, Bryan Cranston – already a triple Emmy winner for Breaking Bad and cooking for a fourth – along with fan favourites such as Will Arnett, Alec Baldwin, Claire Danes, Sofia Vergara, Matt Damon and Michael Douglas.
Horror, dragons & Liberace
While predicting winners is a mug’s game, do keep an eye on American Horror Story: Asylum, which leads the 2013 pack with 17 nominations. Nipping at its paranormal heels is Game of Thrones with 16, while Saturday Night Live and the HBO made-for-TV movie, Behind the Candelabra, are also in the race with 15 nods apiece. The renowned ivory tickler Elton John will channel his own inner candelabra to perform a tribute to Liberace during the show.
No Harold & Kumar
… but we’re over the moon with the choice of host and presenter Neil Patrick Harris, the comic genius who stole every one of his scenes in this trilogy of comedy flicks – from White Castle to Guantanamo Bay to a 3D Christmas – and as Barney, the serial-playboy star of How I Met Your Mother. With his Broadway chops, love of magic and former child-star survival instincts (Doogie Howser, MD), this writer-director-producer is back for his second tour of duty. On his first outing in 2009, Harris rocked the show’s opening with a song-and-dance number, Put Down That Remote, that brought down the house. He’s no stranger to hosting; indeed, he also has four Tony telecasts under his belt.
No reheated leftovers
But Harris isn’t one to cannibalise his past victories – so don’t expect a rehash of 2009.
“Having just done the Tonys, I really want to make sure that I’m not just repeating myself like a broken record,” he recently told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a whole different medium – theatre is live and a little more razzmatazz. The Emmys are honouring things on the small screen, so you can be a little broader in your scope and break the rules a little bit more. We’re going to do some things that haven’t been done before.”
Presenter pairings
The first-time Emmy nominee Kerry Washington (Scandal), the first African-American woman since 1995 to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, will team up with the iconic, four-time Emmy nominee Diahann Carroll (White Collar). The Fox stars and sisters Zooey (New Girl) and Emily Deschanel (Bones) and new CBS co-stars Allison Janney and Anna Faris (both of Mom) will also present.
The digital revolution
Coming into its own this year is online streaming video – the thin edge of a cultural wedge – with 14 nods for three original Netflix offerings: House of Cards, Arrested Development and Hemlock. In addition to its nomination for top drama series, House of Cards has its leads Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright on deck for the top drama acting awards.
Winter is coming
… so will someone please give more Emmys to Game of Thrones? The previous supporting-actor Emmy winner Peter Dinklage could repeat – and the “Mother of Dragons” Emilia Clarke has scored her first nod for supporting actress. As well, the one-time Avengers’ icon Diana Rigg easily deserves her nod for guest actress for her blunt and flinty turn as the family matriarch, Olenna Tyrell.
The bottom line
“I want it to be classy and smart,” says Harris. “If I can make the three-hour show feel even like it’s two-and-a-half hours long, then I’ve done my job.
“I’m just hoping to keep the energy, the mood in the room, light and celebratory.”
• The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live at 4am and 8pm on Monday (Sept 23) on OSN First HD
artslife@thenational.ae
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
