'Bohemian Rhapsody' wins best drama film, best actor at Golden Globes

LOS ANGELES, United States — "Bohemian Rhapsody" pulled a major upset at the close of the Golden Globes on Sunday, taking home the final two top prizes to put itself into the Oscars conversation along with "Green Book" and "Roma."

On a night of wins for movies representing minorities, two awards favorites about white people -- Dick Cheney biopic "Vice" and musical romance "A Star is Born" -- all but struck out, with each picking up just one trophy in the run-up to the all-important Oscars on February 24.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" -- which charts the rise of British rock group Queen -- picked up best actor for Rami Malek, who plays legendary frontman Freddie Mercury. It also bagged the biggest movie award of the night -- best drama.

"I am beyond moved. My heart is pounding out of my chest right now," said Malek, whose list of people to thank included the Queen singer, who died in 1991.

"Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime. I love you, you beautiful man. This is for and because of you, gorgeous."

The two trophies were the final prizes in a ceremony that had been expected to be a consecration for "A Star is Born" -- starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the age-old Hollywood fable of an ailing performer and his muse -- which went into the night with five nods.

"Star" had to content itself with a statuette for best song, which went to Gaga and writing partner Mark Ronson, while Christian Bale -- who plays Cheney -- picked up the solo gong for "Vice."

Civil rights dramedy "Green Book" was the numerical winner -- if not the prestige player -- picking up awards for best comedy movie, best supporting actor Mahershala Ali and best screenplay.

The boozy gala at the Beverly Hilton also recognized Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma," a cinematic ode to his childhood in 1970s Mexico City, with best director and foreign film honors, while seven movies bagged one statuette each.

"Cinema at its best builds bridges to other cultures," Cuaron told the audience. "We need to understand how much we have in common."

Less edgy

Under an azure southern California sky, Tinseltown's A-listers worked the red carpet with last year's gender politics still very much in mind.

Many wore "Time's Up" bracelets in a nod to the movement for sexual equality in the workplace that grabbed the headlines 12 months ago as the industry faced a reckoning about rampant harassment and abuse.

Hosting the Globes were comedian Andy Samberg and actress Sandra Oh, who made history as the first Asian woman to have presented a major awards show while also taking home her second Globe for "Killing Eve."

As the only awards show where alcohol is served, the evening is usually more colorful than showbiz's other big nights.

But the presenters set the tone for a less edgy affair than in previous years with a relatively tame opening that gave more time to complimenting the nominees than assailing them with "roast"-style jokes.

Samberg paid tribute to the diversity among the slate of films up for awards, singling out "If Beale Street Could Talk," whose star Regina King took home best supporting actress honors, as well as "Black Panther" and "Crazy Rich Asians," which went home empty-handed.

"And they are not just here tonight because they resonated with audiences Hollywood often ignores," he said.

"They are here because they told stories that resonated with everyone. And that is truly a beautiful thing."

King vowed that, for the next two years, she would only produce projects that employ 50 percent women, exclaiming: "Time's Up times two!"

"And I just challenge anyone out there -- anyone out there who is in a position of power, not just in our industry, in all industries -- I challenge you to challenge yourselves and stand with us in solidarity and do the same," she said.

Bellwether of momentum

This year, the Globes come at the start of voting for Oscar nominations, and while they are not always a clear predictor of Academy Award success, they are a bellwether of momentum.

In the acting categories, Glenn Close ("The Wife") bested the favorite Lady Gaga on the drama side.

Olivia Colman, who plays Queen Anne in offbeat royal romp "The Favourite," and Bale won as expected in the comedy acting races.

"Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for playing this role," deadpanned Bale.

Bradley Cooper -- who plays the aging rocker opposite Gaga's singer in "Star" -- had been favorite for best actor in a drama but was edged out by Malek.

The television side of the Globes can feel a bit redundant coming so soon after the Emmys in September, with many of the same nominees as the Television Academy field.

Best drama series went to the acclaimed FX Cold War spy thriller "The Americans" -- its first Golden Globe for its sixth and final season.

But adding spice to the mix on Sunday are programs that aired too late for Emmys contention.

Netflix comedy "The Kominsky Method" took home the best comedy series trophy and best actor honors for Michael Douglas.

source: philstar.com

‘Yeah I’ll beat Oprah’ – Trump

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he could beat Oprah Winfrey in a presidential race, while one of Winfrey’s closest friends said the media mogul and actress was “intrigued” by the possibility of running but was not considering it now.

Speculation about a 2020 White House bid by Winfrey blew up on social media and news outlets after her rousing “new day” speech at the Golden Globes awards show on Sunday night, which touched on female and black empowerment, her roots in poverty and support of those who speak up about sexual abuse and harassment.

But some media commentators also injected skepticism into the surge of excitement among fans of the former talk show star, saying the Democratic Party and the country might well reject the notion of another celebrity political novice following Trump’s 2016 election.

Winfrey, long associated with Democratic politics and fundraising, has not commented publicly on the speculation. Known to millions by her first name, Winfrey, 63, has been a cultural force in the country for decades.


Trump, speaking with reporters during a White House meeting with lawmakers, said in response to a question, “Yeah I’ll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun.


“I know her very well … I like Oprah. I don’t think she’s going to run,” said the Republican president, 71.


Winfrey confidante Gayle King said earlier on Tuesday there was no change in Winfrey’s past position — that she is not interested in running for president

“I do think she’s intrigued by the idea, I do think that,” King said on the “CBS This Morning” program. “I also know that after years of watching ‘The Oprah (Winfrey) Show’ you always have the right to change your mind. I don’t think at this point she’s actually considering it.”


However, CNN, citing two of Winfrey’s close friends, reported on Monday that the television and movie producer and actress was actively thinking about a White House bid.


Winfrey has raised millions of dollars for various causes, including shelters for battered women but, like Trump when he launched his White House campaign, she has no prior experience in government. Trump, a businessman and former reality TV star, based part of his appeal on the fact he was truly not a Washington insider.


“NOPRAH! Do we really need another celebrity president?” read the front page of Tuesday’s New York Post. A critique in Slate on Monday was headlined “Oprah? Really?” and bemoaned the “impossibly boring” current crop of major political figures, making people more likely to vote for celebrities like Trump or Winfrey.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who was the public face of some of the Trump administration’s early missteps last year, said on the “Good Morning Britain” show that Winfrey lacked “political infrastructure” and would have a hard time adjusting to the White House.


Winfrey first gained national fame with her TV talk show, which often focused on self-improvement and touched on previously taboo subjects like incest, rape, eating disorders and depression. She used the show’s success to build a media empire encompassing movie production, magazines, cable TV, and satellite radio, becoming one of the world’s richest women.


Winfrey also branched out into acting. She is credited with roles in nearly 30 movie and TV productions, including a role in director Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple” that earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

source: interaksyon.com

Oprah Winfrey claims lifetime Golden Globe, calls for ‘a new day’

LOS ANGELES | Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman to be awarded a Golden Globe for lifetime achievement on Sunday, delivering an impassioned speech in support of those who have exposed sexual misconduct in Hollywood and beyond.

Actress, movie and television producer, and chief executive of her OWN cable channel, Winfrey, 63, was celebrated as a role model for women and a person who has promoted strong female characters.

Her honor came in a year when the awards show, Hollywood’s first leading up to the Oscars, was dominated by a scandal that has seen the downfall of dozens of powerful men as women break years of silence.

Winfrey, who along with most of the show’s other attendees donned a black gown to show support for victims of sexual misconduct, was the first black woman to receive the annual Cecil B. De Mille award, joining the likes of Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Sophia Loren.

Winfrey used her speech to praise women who have shared their stories of sexual harassment and abuse, and to declare that “a new day is on the horizon” for girls and women.

“And when that new day finally dawns it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they become leaders that take us to the time where nobody has to say ‘me too’ again,” Winfrey said, referencing the social media movement raising awareness about sexual harassment.

Winfrey was raised in poverty by a single mother and went on host the top-rated talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for 25 years before ending it in 2011.

“I want to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.”

During her speech, she recalled being inspired as a child by previous Cecil B. DeMille award winner Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win a best actor Oscar.

“It is not lost on me that at this moment there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given the same award,” Winfrey said.

She produced and acted in the 2014 civil rights movie “Selma,” and 2017’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and was Oscar nominated in 1986 for her role in “The Color Purple” which she later helped finance as a Broadway musical.

Even after ending her daily talk show, her influence on popular culture remains strong.

Forbes last year estimated her net worth at $3 billion and placed her third on its list of the America’s richest self-made women.

source: interaksyon.com

Emotion-filled ‘La La Land,’ ‘Moonlight’ lead Golden Globe nominations

LOS ANGELES | “La La Land,” an ambitious musical about two dreamers falling in love in Hollywood, and the intimate coming of age drama “Moonlight” led nominations for the Golden Globes on Monday, underscoring their frontrunner status in the long road to the Oscars.

“La La Land” scored seven nominations in all, including for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in the comedy/musical acting categories, while writer-director Damien Chazelle received nods for best director and best screenplay.

“Making ‘La La Land’ was a dream come true and we’re thrilled that Damien Chazelle’s vision has been recognized,” producers Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt said in a statement.

“Moonlight,” the tale of an impoverished black boy in Miami struggling with his sexuality, scored six nods, including Barry Jenkins in the directing and screenplay categories and Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali in the best supporting acting races.

“La La Land” is up against “20th Century Women,” the story of a free-spirited mother; raunchy superhero action movie “Deadpool”; singing comedy “Florence Foster Jenkins”; and teen tale “Sing Street” for best comedy/musical film at the Golden Globes.

“Moonlight” will face war drama “Hacksaw Ridge,” Western crime story “Hell or High Water,” adoption tale “Lion” and “Manchester by the Sea,” which is about a working-class family dealing with tragedy, in the best drama film category.

“La La Land” and “Moonlight” are very different films. But Claudia Puig, film critic at National Public Radio’s FilmWeek and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics’ Association, said they had a key element in common.

“Both are very emotional movies. They move you, they’re poignant, they touch your emotions,” Puig told Reuters.

“One maybe has a much more intellectual, sociological component while the other is escapist, but both are also about love and finding your dreams,” she added.

“Manchester by the Sea” landed five nominations, including for actor Casey Affleck and screenplay and director nods for Kenneth Lonergan.

“It will actually be my first time attending the Golden Globes and I’ve been working for more than 20 years, so this moment isn’t lost on me,” Affleck said in a statement.

DIVERSITY FINDS SPOTLIGHT

After a furor that erupted earlier this year because all 20 acting Oscar nominees were white, the Golden Globes feature numerous actors of color, including Ruth Negga of “Loving,” Ali and Harris of “Moonlight,” and Dev Patel, who is of Indian descent, for “Lion.”

“It’s taken a long time to get to this point and for people who are producing content to really see the value of opening up a bit and being more inclusive,” Ali told Reuters.

Notable omissions from the best drama film field included “Jackie,” a character study of the widow of U.S. president John F. Kennedy in the week after his assassination. Lead Natalie Portman, however, received a best actress nomination.

Martin Scorsese’s “Silence,” the tale of missionaries in 17th-century Japan, and “Fences,” a tense African-American family drama set in the 1950s, were also snubbed in the best drama race. “Fences” did bring nods for actors Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

More than 90 journalists in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association choose the Golden Globes. Winners will be announced on Jan. 8 at a televised ceremony hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

source: interaksyon.com

Amazon takes first ever Globes for ‘Transparent’

LOS ANGELES | Online retail giant Amazon scored its first ever Golden Globes on Sunday with two wins for dark comedy “Transparent” — a breakthrough in its bid to catch up with streaming pioneer Netflix.

The series, starring veteran actor Jeffrey Tambor, tells the story of a man who has transitioned to become a woman and is working out the thorny details of telling his family.

It took home prizes for best comedy/musical series and best actor for Tambor.

“This is dedicated to too many trans people that died too young,” said series creator Jill Soloway. “Maybe we’ll be able to teach the world something about authenticity and truth and love.”

A few minutes later, Tambor accepted his trophy, saying: “Oh, this is big. This is much bigger than me.”

“I would like to dedicate my performance and this award to the transgender community,” he added.

In October, Amazon ordered a second season of the series — the creation of Soloway, an Emmy-nominated writer on cult series “Six Feet Under.” The first season was released on September 26.

Amazon has recently bolstered its streaming video offerings.

But so far, its own original content has not quite reached the popularity level achieved by Netflix, with its signature series “House of Cards” and “Orange Is The New Black.”

“House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey took home the prize for best actor in a television drama — his first Globe in eight nominations.

“This is just the beginning of my revenge,” Spacey joked in the Southern drawl of his character, Frank Underwood.

Showtime’s new series “The Affair” — the story of a love affair gone wrong, told from the perspective of both the man and the woman — took home honors for best drama and best actress (Ruth Wilson).

The best drama series category had been seen as a tough one, with “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Good Wife” and “House of Cards” also in the mix.

Another big winner on the television side was “Fargo” — a miniseries based on the Oscar-winning crime thriller film by Joel and Ethan Coen.

It took home prizes for best miniseries or television movie, and best actor in a miniseries or TV movie for Billy Bob Thornton — besting HBO’s widely acclaimed “True Detective” in both categories.

Gina Rodriguez took home the Globe for best comedy TV actress for her breakout performance in “Jane the Virgin” — based on a Venezuelan telenovela.

“Thank you to my mom and my dad for telling me to dream big and to never stop dreaming,” Rodriguez said.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Birdman’ flying high as Hollywood prepares for Golden Globes

LOS ANGELES | The race to the Oscars begins in earnest Sunday when Hollywood’s A-listers gather for the Golden Globes, with dark comedy “Birdman” leading the pack in the quest for awards glory.

The film — starring onetime “Batman” star Michael Keaton as a washed-up film actor trying to revive his career on stage — earned seven nods for the Globes, the first major event in Tinseltown’s annual awards season.

Coming-of-age drama “Boyhood” and Nazi code-breaking thriller “The Imitation Game” starring Britain’s Benedict Cumberbatch are also in strong position with five nods apiece.

Cumberbatch and his co-star Keira Knightley are among a batch of Britons tipped for gold at the Globes.

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are in the running for their heartrending performances as British physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane in “The Theory of Everything,” and Rosamund Pike has earned praise for her searing turn as a wronged wife in “Gone Girl.”

Comic actresses Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be hosting the show for the third straight year.

Some critics have highlighted the lack of a clear frontrunner, in contrast to previous years like in 2012, when “The Artist” had a virtual lock on Best Picture prizes straight through to the Oscars.

“It seems like a real toss-up,” Tom Nunan of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television told AFP, adding that actors in this year’s race “are all giving career-best performances.”

TRUE STORIES

This year’s crop of hotly-tipped movies is heavy on true stories: four of the five Globes best drama nominees are based on real-life events.

Among the historical figures featured are Hawking, British mathematician Alan Turing and Martin Luther King Jr.

But “Birdman” will be the film to beat in the Best Musical or Comedy category at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the 72nd Globes ceremony begins at 5:00 pm Sunday (0100 GMT Monday).

The movie also earned nods for best actor for Keaton, best supporting actor (Edward Norton), best supporting actress (Emma Stone) and best director (Mexico’s Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu).

Keaton is facing stiff competition from Ralph Fiennes (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”), Bill Murray (“St. Vincent”), Joaquin Phoenix (“Inherent Vice”) and Austrian Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz (“Big Eyes”).

Stone also has her work cut out against Amy Adams (“Big Eyes”), Britons Emily Blunt (“Into the Woods”) and Helen Mirren (“The 100-Foot Journey”), child prodigy Quvenzhane Wallis (“Annie”) and veteran Julianne Moore (“Maps to the Stars”).

On the drama side — unlike the Oscars, the Globes have separate categories for musical/comedies and for dramas — the best film shortlist is topped by “Boyhood,” Richard Linklater’s film about a boy growing up, shot over 12 years.

While “Boyhood” has been widely tipped, its four rivals – “Foxcatcher,” “The Imitation Game,” “Selma” and “The Theory of Everything” — are all strong contenders.

BRITISH GENIUSES

Comic Steve Carell has impressed with a rare serious performance in “Foxcatcher,” but is vying for the best actor prize against a pair of Britons paying math wizards — Cumberbatch as Turing and Redmayne as Hawking.

Britain’s David Oyelowo — who plays King in “Selma” — and Jake Gyllenhaal in lurid crime drama “Nightcrawler” round out the category.

On the small screen, “Fargo” took the most nominations with five.

In the television categories, critics see a free-for-all now that the widely acclaimed “Breaking Bad” is no longer on the air or in the running.

Victories for either “House of Cards” for best drama series and “Orange is the New Black” for best comedy would be sweet for Netflix as on-demand video streaming throws mainstream network television for a loop.

The Globes are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and, while less prestigious than the Academy Awards, they still have huge marketing impact for those nominated and the eventual winners.

Unlike the Oscars, which are voted on by some 6,000 industry members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Globes are selected by fewer than 100 journalists from the HFPA.

Traditionally, the Globes ceremony is more relaxed than the Oscars, notably due to the fact that alcohol is freely available to the audience.

“The Golden Globes is traditionally a much more amusing television program,” as opposed to the “stodgy” Oscars, Robert Thompson, a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University, told AFP.

This year’s Academy Awards will be held on February 22. Oscar nominations will be announced next week, on January 15.

source: interaksyon.com

Four months after finale, ‘Breaking Bad’ bags first Golden Globe for best TV drama

LOS ANGELES | “Breaking Bad” collected its first Golden Globe for best television drama series Sunday, nearly four months after the final episode of the cult crime series was aired.

It also won a best actor Golden Globe for its star Bryan Cranston for his portrayal of Walter White, a chemistry teacher dying of cancer who turns to making meth to bring in money for his family.

“This is such a lovely way to say goodbye to the show that meant so much to me,” Cranston said upon collecting his trophy at the Beverly Hilton.

It was the first-ever Golden Globe for Cranston, who was nominated four consecutive times for his performance in the critically acclaimed show that ran five seasons on the AMC cable channel before its late September finale.

Winning best actress in a TV drama was Robin Wright from “House of Cards” — the first original series on Netflix — for her role as the wife of a cunning US congressman played by Kevin Spacey.

“Breaking Bad” outpaced “House of Cards,” Britain’s “Downton Abbey,” “The Good Wife” on CBS and AMC’s saucy “Masters of Sex” for the best drama series prize.

In the comedy corner, new Fox series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” won the prize for best series, beating established shows such as “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS and “Modern Famiy” on ABC, as well as HBO’s much-hyped “Girls.”

“This is way better than saving a human life,” quipped the show’s writer Dan Goor, who turned down medical school for show business.

“Saturday Night Live” alum Andy Samberg won best TV comedy actor for his starring role in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which recounts the antics of a team of New York detectives.

Best comedy actress went to Amy Poehler, another “SNL” veteran and Globes co-host with Tina Fey, for her NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation.”

“I’ve never won anything like this,” said Poehler, who thanked among others “my wonderful children, who are my double-A batteries” — after planting a big kiss on U2 frontman Bono on her way to the stage.

HBO’s Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra,” directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh, won best mini-series or TV movie, and its star Michael Douglas took best actor in a mini-series or TV movie.

Giving Douglas an approving thumbs-up from the floor of the hotel ballroom was Matt Damon, who had also been nominated in the same category for the same project.

Honored as best supporting actor in a series, mini-series or TV movie was another Hollywood veteran, Jon Voight, who appears in the Showtime crime drama “Ray Donovan.”

Earlier in the evening, Elisabeth Moss — best known for her work in “Mad Men” — won the Golden Globe for best actress in a mini-series or TV movie for “Top of the Lake.”

And Jacqueline Bisset, a five-time nominee, won her first Golden Globe ever, clinching best supporting actress in a series, mini-series or TV movie for “Dancing on the Edge.”

source: interaksyon.com

Red rules on Golden Globes red carpet

LOS ANGELES | Red ruled the Golden Globes red carpet on Sunday as Hollywood’s A-list stars bared their shoulders in eye-popping gowns for the first major awards show of the season.

A sprinkler malfunction almost rained on the fashion parade at the Beverly Hilton, but Tinseltown’s top film and television actors successfully strutted their stuff after workers scrambled to mop up the mess.

“American Hustle” star and best musical/comedy actress winner Amy Adams chose a two-tone burgundy-red Valentino halter dress with the same only-if-you-dare plunging neckline seen in the 1970s-era crime caper.

The key to pulling off the wide V neck? “Good posture,” Adams quipped to E! television’s Ryan Seacrest.

Lupita Nyong’o, a best supporting actress nominee for her searing turn in “12 Years A Slave,” stunned in a red Ralph Lauren column dress with matching cape, all off the shoulder.

Host Tina Fey wore several gowns throughout the night, but all of them had at least a hint of red. On the red carpet, she donned a strapless black Carolina Herrera ball gown with a long train, sprinkled with red flowers.

During the broadcast, she wore a sleeveless burgundy dress with a jeweled V-neckline, and another strapless frock in fire-engine red.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a nominee for her work in romantic comedy “Enough Said,” also wore bright red — a curve-hugging Narciso Rodriguez number.

Pop starlet Taylor Swift also wore Herrera: a strapless gown with a black bodice and a flowing red skirt.

Other bright colors were seen — “Girls” star Lena Dunham sported a strapless canary yellow Zac Posen frock with a sweetheart neckline, and “Orange Is The New Black” star Taylor Schilling wore an emerald Thakoon dress with spaghetti straps and a lacy neckline.

And best supporting actress winner Jennifer Lawrence of “American Hustle” again wore Dior — this time, a tiered gauzy white gown with two black bands.

Basic black, always a red carpet staple, of course had its place at the Globes.

Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who won the best drama actress prize for “Blue Jasmine,” wowed in a lacy Armani number. Rock star Bono called her “a goddess.”

Fey’s co-host Amy Poehler — a winner for best TV comedy actress for “Parks and Recreation” — sported a sleek black Stella McCartney gown with a stomach cutout, and “August: Osage County” star Julia Roberts chose a black and white belted dress from Dolce and Gabbana.

“I just didn’t want to break her,” Roberts said of her epic fight scene with Meryl Streep in the film about a dysfunctional family harboring secrets in Oklahoma.

Hollywood’s A-list men did not disappoint: “Wolf of Wall Street” star Leonardo DiCaprio — a winner for best actor in a comedy — wore an Armani tuxedo, while “Hustle” star Bradley Cooper sported Tom Ford.

“Good Wife” star Julianna Margulies — a nominee for best actress in a television drama — chose a black Andrew Gn gown with cap sleeves and gold accents.

One of her rivals, “Scandal” star Kerry Washington, glowed in pale flowing Balenciaga, and had perhaps the best accessory — a baby bump.

source: interaksyon.com