‘Bohemian Rhapsody, ‘Green Book’ take top film awards

Associated Press

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.

In a Golden Globes chock full of upsets, the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” took best picture – drama, over Bradley Cooper’s heavily favored “A Star is Born,” and Glenn Close bested Lady Gaga for best actress.

Few winners were seen as more certain than Lady Gaga as best actress in a drama at Sunday’s ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. But the veteran actress Close pulled off the shocker for her performance in “The Wife,” as the spouse of a Nobel Prize-winning author. Close said she was thinking of her mother, “who really sublimated herself to my father for her whole life.”

Minutes later, the surprise was even greater when “Bohemian Rhapsody” won the night’s top award, shortly after Rami Malek won best actor for his prosthetic teeth-aided performance as Mercury.

“Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime,” said Malek. “This is for you, gorgeous.”

Politics were largely absent from the ceremony before Christian Bale took the stage for winning best actor in a musical or comedy for his lead performance in Adam McKay’s “Vice.”

“What do you think? Mitch McConnell next?” joked the Welsh-born actor, referring to the Senate’s majority leader. “Thank you to Satan for giving me inspiration for this role.”

Oh and Andy Samberg opened the Globes, put on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, on a note of congeniality, including a mock roast of attendees and a string of jokes that playfully commented on critiques of Hollywood.

Oh, who later also won for her performance on the BBC America drama series “Killing Eve,” and Samberg closed their opening monologue on a serious note explaining why she was hosting.

“I wanted to be here to look out at this audience and witness this moment of change,” said Oh, tearing up and gazing at minority nominees in attendance. “Right now, this moment is real. Trust me, this is real. Because I see you. And I see you. All of these faces of change. And now, so will everyone else.”

As expected, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt won best song for the signature tune from “A Star Is Born,” the film most expected to dominate the Globes.

While the Globes, decided by 88 voting members of the HFPA, have little relation to the Academy Awards, they can supply some awards-season momentum when it matters most. Oscar nomination voting begins today.

Jeff Bridges received the Globes’ honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award. In remarks about everything from Michael Cimino to Buckminster Fuller and, of course, to his “Big Lebowski” character the Dude, Bridges compared his life to a great game of tag. “We’ve all been tagged,” said Bridges. “We’re alive.” He ended by “tagging” everyone watching. “We can turn this ship in the way we want to go, man,” said Bridges.

A similar television achievement award was also launched this year, dubbed the Carol Burnett Award. Its first honoree was Burnett, herself.