A celebration of music in film: the 76th Golden Globe Awards
Music played a major role at the Golden Globes this year, with two movies earning accolades in the main categories. While Bohemian Rhapsody bagged the award for best drama, Green Book won in the best comedy category.
Winning streak for Bohemian Rhapsody
The Freddie Mercury biopic won both awards it was nominated for; the Golden Globe for best motion picture and one for Rami Malek as best actor in a drama. Directed by Bryan Singer, Bohemian Rhapsody moved fans around the globe as well as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is in charge of awarding the Golden Globes — often regarded as a litmus test for the Oscars.
Rami Malek's role 'of a lifetime'
In his acceptance speech, actor Rami Malek thanked Queen frontman Freddie Mercury for "giving him the joy of a lifetime." Mercury died of complications related to AIDS in 1991. Queen's guitarist Brian May sat with Malek throughout the awards ceremony, representing the legendary rock band that was nominated for several Grammy Awards and won four Brit Awards between 1977 and 1992.
Comedy or drama?
The award for best musical or comedy went to Green Book, starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. As opposed to the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes make a distinction between "Best Drama" and "Best Musical/Comedy" — though sometimes the best comedies also have plenty of drama in them too, as was the case this year.
The top winner: Green Book
Out of five nominations, Green Book picked up awards in three categories, making it the 2018 winner with the most awards. Actor Mahershala Ali obtained the nod for his supporting role. Based on true events, the movie set in the context of racial segregation in the 1960s tells the story of African-American jazz pianist Don Shirley and his friendship with his white chauffeur Tony Lip.
Best original song: Lady Gaga
With her impressive film debut in A Star is Born, she was widely predicted to win the best actress award; while that didn't happen, the American singer didn't leave empty-handed, scoring the award for best original song for the track "Shallow." Two years earlier, she had also picked up a Golden Globe for her performance in the TV series "American Horror Story: Hotel."
Out of the shadows: Glenn Close
Glenn Close was also among those who scored a major win at the 76th Golden Globe. The 71-year-old actress bagged the Globe for best actress in a drama for her performance in The Wife — a film about a woman in the shadow of a narcissistic husband. The Swedish-American co-production also features Jonathon Pryce and Christian Slater.
Uncanny transformation: Christian Bale as US vice president
Christian Bale won a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy for his portrayal of US Vice President Dick Cheney, under the George W. Bush administration, in the movie Vice. With six nominations, Vice was a favorite in the running at this year's Golden Globes; it however only succeeded in this one category.
Olivia Colman a 'Favorite' of the night
The Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy also went to a Brit; actress Olivia Colman scored the award for her performance as Queen Anne (1655 - 1714) in The Favorite. Directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, the movie was nominated in a total of five categories.
Mexico scores double-win
Alfonso Cuarón's film Roma picked up not only the Golden Globe for best foreign film but he was also recognized as best director. The Mexican production was up against competition from Lebanon (Capernaum), Belgium (Girl), Japan (Shoplifters) and Germany (Never Look Away), which was directed by Oscar winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others, 2006).
Honorary award for Jeff Bridges
American Actor Jeff Bridges went home with the Cecil B. DeMille Award — an honorary Golden Globe bestowed for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment." Born in 1949, Bridges shot to fame during the 1970s and 80s with movies like Starman and Against All Odds. His most famous performance is nevertheless that of "The Dude" in the 1998 Coen brothers' crime comedy, The Big Lebowski.