AWKWAFINA AND PARASITE MAKE GOLDEN GLOBES HISTORY

Awkwafina made history at the Golden Globes when she was honored for her role in “The Farewell”. Her win made her the first actress of Asian descent to take home the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

The other actresses competing in her category included Beanie Feldstein, Emma Thompson, Ana de Armas and Cate Blanchett. During her acceptance speech, Awkwafina jokingly said, “If I fall upon hard times, we can sell this, so that’s good.” In addition to thanking Zhao Shuzhen who played her grandmother in “The Farewell,” she also expressed her sincerest gratitude to Director Lulu Wang for giving her the chance of a lifetime. Awkwafina, whose birth name is Nora Lum dedicated her Golden Globe award to her father Wally.

“I’d like to dedicate this to my dad, Wally. I told you I’d get a job, Dad. And to my grandma, my best friend, the woman who raised me. And to my mother, Tia, who I always hoped was watching from somewhere above, and I hope that she’s watching me now.”

There have only been 5 women of Asian descent who have been nominated in the category: Machiko Kyoin, Miyoshi Umeki, Yvonne Elliman, Hailee Steinfeld and Constance Wu.

Kinocine PARKJEAHWAN4wiki [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Also making history at the Golden Globes was the film, “Parasite” which won for Best Foreign Language Film. Bong Joon-ho’s movie was the first South Korean movie to win at the awards show. During his acceptance speech, Bong Joon-ho stated, “once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

SANDRA OH AND DARREN CRISS ARE DOUBLE WINNERS AT GOLDEN GLOBES

It was a night of firsts for Sanda Oh who became the first person of Asian descent to host (alongside Andy Samberg) the Golden Globes and also became the first Asian performer to win multiple Golden Globes. Oh took home the Golden Globe last night for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama for her work in BBC America’s Killing Eve. In 2006, she was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing Cristina Yang on Greys Anatomy. Oh is the first Asian woman to take home the Best Leading Actress award in over 35 years when Yoko Shimada won in 1981 for her role as Mariko in Shogun.

During Oh’s acceptance speech, she acknowledged her parents in Korean, bowing and saying “Mom, Dad, I Love You.”  

It was also an unforgettable night for Filipino American Darren Criss who won Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in the FX special series, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Criss’ award makes him the first Filipino American Golden Globe Winner. During his acceptance speech, he recognized his Filipino mom.

“This has been a marvelous year for representation in Hollywood, and I am so enormously proud to be a teeny tiny part of that as the son of a firecracker Filipino woman from Cebu that dreamed of coming into this country and getting to be invited to cool parties like this. Mom, I know you're watching this.”

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story also won a Golden Globe for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Asian Representation - 2019 Golden Globe Nominations

The 2019 Golden Globe nominations were announced live this morning from the Beverly Hilton Hotel. As expected, Sandra Oh received a Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama nomination for her role in Killing Eve.  It’s been a wonderful 2018 for the actress who made history this year as the “first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for best lead actress in a drama series” for her work on the BBC America show Killing Eve. Previously, Oh received 5 Emmy nominations for best supporting actress in a drama series while playing Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC’s hit drama Grey’s Anatomy. She will also co-host the 2019 Golden Globes with comedian and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andy Samberg.

Filipino American Singer and Emmy winning actor Darren Criss also received a (Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television) nomination for his role as Andrew Cunanan in The Assasination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The FX Show also received a nomination for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television and will be going up against TNT’s The Alienist, Showtime’s Escape at Dannemora, HBO’s Sharp Objects and Amazon’s A Very English Scandal. Criss’ costars Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez were also recognized for their work.

NBC’s The Good Place which stars Kristin Bell, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil and Filipino born Canadian actor Manny Jacinto also received a nomination for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

On the big screen, the blockbuster hit Crazy Rich Asians received a Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nod with Constance Wu also being recognized with a Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nomination for her lead role in the film.

The animated movie Mirai was honored with a Best Motion Picture - Animated nomination. Mirai tells the story of a boy who runs away from home because he feels forgotten when his little sister Mirai joins his family. He encounters an enchanted garden where he meets a teenage Mirai and they enter a world of wonder, meeting characters from their past and future as they uncover their beautiful family’s story. Featuring the voices of John Cho and Daniel Dae Kim, Mirai is the 10th highest grossing Japanese film in 2018 (according to Wikipedia).

Another Japanese film, Shoplifters also received a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language. According to Wikipedia, Shoplifters is the 4th highest grossing Japanese film of 2018. Upon receiving the Golden Globe nomination, Director Hirokazu Kore-eda said, “Thanks to many people’s help, Shoplifters has spread its wings farther and farther since the Cannes Film Festival in May. As it is my first nomination for Golden Globe Awards, I am looking forward to being a part of this new experience. My thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press.”

Shoplifters won the Palm d’Or at the 2018 Cannes International Film Festival.

Filipino American Cinematographer and Academy Award nominee Matthew Libatique was the man behind the camera lens for A Star Is Born which received a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Libatique also made a couple of cameos in the film. In addition, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper received nominations for Best Actress and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. Cooper also received a Best Director – Motion Picture for the project.  

The 2019 Golden Globes will air live on NBC Sunday, January 6th.

For a complete list of the nominees, you can click here

Sandra Oh to Co-Host 2019 Golden Globe Awards

Killing Eve actress and Co-Executive Producer Sandra Oh and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andy Samberg will cohost the upcoming 76th Annual Golden Globes.

“Sandra and Andy are the perfect choices to host this world-class event,” said Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, the co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment. “They bring wit, charm, and style to a room filled with the very best of film and television. It’s sure to be another unforgettable, fun-filled night.”

Although this will be the first time Oh and Samburg are hosting the awards show. They have taken home their own Globes. Samberg won twice for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Oh snagged a Globe as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2006 for her character in Grey’s Anatomy.

This isn’t the first time Samburg and Oh hit the stage at an awards show together. Here is a clip of them presenting an award for the 2018 Emmy Awards.

Oh is the first person of color to emcee the show. And If all goes in Oh’s favor, she may also receive a nomination for her work in BBC America’s Killing Eve.

The Golden Globes will air live Sunday, January 6th on NBC.  

The nominations for the Golden Globes will be announced tomorrow morning.