LOS ANGELES: Cold War spy series “The Americans” and animated movie “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” carried off Golden Globe awards on Sunday in a mostly politics-free ceremony where nice triumphed over nasty.
Michael Douglas was named best television comedy actor for playing an aging acting teacher in “The Kominsky Method,” while Richard Madden was a first time winner for British television thriller “Bodyguard.”
Hosts Andy Samberg and “Killing Eve” nominated actress Sandra Oh opted for a positive vibe in their opening remarks, in contrast to the political barbs and sharp jokes, often directed at US President Donald Trump, that have marked recent awards shows.
Oh joked they were chosen as Globes hosts “because we are the only two people left in Hollywood who haven’t got in trouble for saying anything offensive.”
“Bradley Cooper — you are hot!,” said Oh, calling out the “A Star is Born” actor and director.
“Hey Jeff, I wish you were my dad,” quipped Samberg, addressing actor Jeff Bridges, who will be presented later on Sunday with a lifetime achievement award.
On a more serious note, Asian actress Oh paid tribute to the plethora of Golden Globe-nominated films and TV shows featuring black and Asian actors and directors, including “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Black Panther” and “BlacKkKLansman.”
“I wanted to be here to look out into this audience and witness this moment of change, ” she said. “Right now this moment is real. Because I see you ... all these faces of change. And now so will everyone else.”
The Golden Globes kicks off the countdown to the Oscars in February, and the remake of “A Star is Born” went into Sunday’s ceremony with five nominations, including two for Cooper as actor and director.
Pop star Lady Gaga, sporting old-school glamor plus blue hair on the red carpet, is the front-runner for a best drama actress Golden Globe for her role in the movie — her first as a lead actress.
She also looks certain to take home the award for best original song, for her hit single “Shallow,” while “A Star is Born” is a strong contender for the top Golden Globe of best drama film.
But there is stiff competition from box-office hits “Black Panther,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which stars Rami Malek in an acclaimed performance as late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Despite being musicals, both “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “A Star is Born” are competing in the more prestigious drama race.
Political comedy “Vice” got the most Golden Globe nominations — six — but the film’s scathing portrait of former US Vice President Dick Cheney has proved divisive among both audiences and film critics.
However, Christian Bale’s performance as Cheney is favored to beat Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns“) and Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book“) as best movie comedy actor on Sunday.
A strong line-up of comedies and musicals also includes “Crazy Rich Asians” and bawdy historical movie “The Favourite,” starring British front-runner Olivia Colman.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant, additional reporting by Lisa Richwine and Nichola Groom, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
’The Americans’ wins TV Golden Globe in politics-light show
’The Americans’ wins TV Golden Globe in politics-light show
- Pop star Lady Gaga, sporting old-school glamor plus blue hair on the red carpet, is the front-runner for a best drama actress Golden Globe for her role in the movie — her first as a lead actress
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
