Oppenheimer has continued its winning streak – picking up more top gongs at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ahead of next month’s Oscars.
Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the ‘father of the atomic bomb’ won best cast in a motion picture, while its star Cillian Murphy scooped the prize for best actor at the Hollywood ceremony.
Co-star Robert Downey Jrpicked up the award for best supporting actor.
Image: Cillian Murphy has already enjoyed success at the BAFTAS and Golden Globes. Pic: AP
The red carpet event followed the longest actors’ strike in history and is a key indicator for the Academy Awards, for which voting is currently taking place ahead of the 10 March ceremony.
Murphy, who has already enjoyed success at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes, said: “Twenty-eight years ago when I was trying to become an actor, I was a failed musician and I felt extremely like an interloper, but now looking out at you guys here today, I know I am part of something truly wonderful.”
Accepting his award, Downey Jr said: “Why me, why now, why do things seem to be going my way?”
Picking up the prize on behalf of the cast, Sir Kenneth Branagh, who plays physicist Niels Bohr in the film, described the award as a “full circle moment” following the actors’ strikes.
Paying tribute to the union, he said: “Thank you SAG-AFTRA, thank you for fighting for us.
“Thank you for every SAG-AFTRA member whose support and whose sacrifice allows us to be standing here, better than we were before.”
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Image: Sir Kenneth Branagh described the award as a ‘full circle moment’. Pic: AP
He recalled the walkout of the Oppenheimer cast at last July’s London premiere as the strike began.
He said: “We went from the red carpet and we didn’t see the film that night. We happily went in the direction of solidarity with your good selves. So this is a full circle moment for us.”
Lily Gladstone was named best actress for her role as Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon, while Da’Vine Joy Randolph picked up the prize for best supporting actress for her role as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers.
“I am beyond humbled and I am so incredibly grateful to be considered among you,” Randolph said of her fellow nominees Emily Blunt, Penelope Cruz, Jodie Foster and Danielle Brooks.
“How lucky are we that we get to do what we do… For every actor still waiting in the wings, it is not a question of if, but when. Keep going.”
Image: Lily Gladstone won the best actress prize for her role in Killers Of The Flower Moon. Pic: AP
It was a successful night for TV comedy-drama The Bear, the story of a star chef who returns to Chicago to run the family business after the death of his brother.
Stars Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri were presented with the awards for best actor and actress in a comedy series respectively, while the series won best ensemble in a comedy series.
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong won best actor and actress in a limited series for their roles in Beef, about a pair who start a life-changing feud after a road rage incident.
Image: Da’vine Joy Randolph says she was ‘beyond humbled’. Pic: AP
Actor Pedro Pascal appeared visibly shocked and emotional as he appeared on stage to collect the award for best male actor in a drama series for his role in The Last Of Us.
“This is wrong for a number of reasons, I’m a little drunk, I thought I could get drunk. I’m making a fool of myself, but thank you so much for this,” Pascal told the audience.
He later told British star Tan France he was going to celebrate the win by kissing Succession star Kieran Culkin as “revenge”, as the pair have made jokes at each other’s expense during their awards season speeches.
TV hit Succession, about warring siblings in a media dynasty, was named best ensemble for a drama series.
Image: TV hit Succession was named best ensemble for a drama series. Pic: AP
Star Alan Ruck said the cast had made “friends for life” and described it as “one last hurrah” following the end of the last series.
“Right now, you are looking at some of the luckiest people on the planet. And some of the most grateful,” he said.
“Because not only did we get to work on one of the best television shows maybe ever, we made friends for life.
“I think the magic of Succession was the writing was so fabulous it inspired all of us to bring our A game from the very beginning, we got off watching each other work, we caught lightning in a bottle. Lucky.”
Image: Barbra Streisand received a lifetime achievement award. Pic: AP
Hollywood star and singer Barbra Streisand was honoured with the SAG Life Achievement Award.
Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt who starred in the 2006 hit film The Devil Wears Prada reunited on stage to present the award for best male actor in a comedy series.
Image: Stars of the 2006 hit The Devil Wears Prada reunited on stage. Pic: AP
British star Naomi Watts introduced the in memoriam segment of the show, which honoured actors including Harry Potter star Sir Michael Gambon and Friends actor Matthew Perry.
The ceremony was streamed on Netflix for the first time, and is one of the service’s most significant forays into live streaming so far – with a live tennis event to follow next month.
The rapper Ghetts, who allegedly caused the death of a man in a hit-and-run collision, is facing further charges.
The rapper was charged at the end of last month after a 20-year-old died in a road incident in northeast London.
The musician, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, initially faced a single count of causing the death of Yubin Tamang by dangerous driving.
He now faces two further charges of driving dangerously before and after the collision on 18 October.
It is alleged he drove dangerously in Tavistock Place, in the Bloomsbury area of central London, and on other roads in the borough of Camden, north London.
The collision with Mr Tamang occurred in Redbridge Lane, Ilford, at 11.33pm on 18 October, the Met Police said. Clarke-Samuel is accused of failing to stop after his BMW hit the victim.
Mr Tamang died on 20 October.
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Clarke-Samuel allegedly continued to drive dangerously in Worcester Crescent, Redbridge, on the journey back to his home in King’s Avenue, Woodford, east London.
The black BMW, which is allegedly registered and insured in the defendant’s name, was said to have suffered significant damage.
The rapper has been in custody since a preliminary appearance at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on 27 October.
Jimmy Cliff, a musical artist who helped bring reggae to an international audience, has died aged 81.
Known for hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want, The Harder They Come, and Many Rivers To Cross, his career spanned six decades.
Image: Cliff performing on the Pyramid Stage, at the Glastonbury Festival in 2003. Pic: PA
His wife, Latifa Chambers wrote on Instagram: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia.
“I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him.
“To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career. He really appreciated each and every fan for their love.”
Thanking the medical staff who helped during his illness, she added: “Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes.”
Signed by his wife, and two of his children, Latifa and Lilty, the statement concluded: “We see you Legend.”
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Tributes to the singer included those from Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, calling him “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world… Jimmy Cliff told our story with honesty and soul. His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect that Jamaican culture enjoys today.”
UB40 star Ali Campbell, who covered Cliff’s song Many Rivers To Cross in 1983, also paid tribute, saying he was “absolutely heartbroken to hear about the passing of a Reggae forefather” in a post on X.
Campbell also called Cliff “a pillar of our music, and one of the first to carry reggae out into the world”.
Image: Jimmy Cliff (L) stands with Wyclef Jean at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2010. Pic: Reuters
A legend of music and screen
A two-time Grammy-winning artist, Cliff was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 2003, the highest honour in the arts and sciences, from the Jamaican government.
Over the years, he would work with stars including the Rolling Stones, Sting, Elvis Costello, Annie Lennox, Paul Simon and Wyclef Jean.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
A prolific writer, frequently expressing his humanitarian views through his work, his 1969 track Vietnam was reportedly described by Bob Dylan as “the best protest song” he had ever heard.
Cliff was also well known for cover versions of songs, including Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 movie Cool Runnings, and Cat Stevens’ Wild World.
He twice performed on high-profile US chat show Saturday Night Live.
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An actor and a musician, as well as singing the title track of 1972 cult classic The Harder They Come, Cliff also starred in it.
One of the first major commercial releases to come out of Jamaica, the movie is credited with bringing reggae to the world, as well as showing a grittier and more realistic side to the country.
During this time, Cliff’s fame rivalled Bob Marley as the reggae’s most prominent artist.
The storyline, which revolved around Cliff’s character, Ivan, moving to Kingston, Jamaica, to make it as a musical superstar, had parallels with his own.
Image: Cliff at the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards at the London Arena in London’s Docklands in 2002. Pic: PA
‘Hurricane Hattie’
He was born James Chambers, during a hurricane, on 30 July 1944, in St James Parish, northwestern Jamaica.
In the 1950s, he moved with his father from the family farm to Kingston, determined to succeed in the music industry.
He began writing as Jamaica was gaining its independence from Britain, and as the early sounds of reggae – first called ska – were being developed.
At just 14, he became nationally famous for the song Hurricane Hattie, which he had written himself.
Cliff would go on to record over 30 albums and perform all over the world, including in Paris, in Brazil and at the World’s Fair, an international exhibition held in New York in 1964.
The following year, Island Records’ Chris Blackwell, the producer who launched Bob Marley And The Wailers, invited Cliff to work in the UK.
Image: Jimmy Cliff during the Love Supreme Jazz Festival in 2019. Pic: Shutterstock
‘I still have many rivers to cross!’
Speaking about his burning passion for life during a 2019 interview, when the star had begun losing his sight, Cliff said: “When I’ve achieved all my ambitions, then I guess that I will have done it and I can just say ‘great’.
“But I’m still hungry. I want it. I’ve still got the burning fire that burns brightly inside of me – like I just said to you. I still have many rivers to cross!”
Cliff’s last studio album, Refugees, made with Wyclef Jean, was released in 2022, and the singer said he wrote the title track “due to emotional feelings towards freedom taken away from human beings”.
A woman has been charged with fraud offences over the alleged sale of Oasis tickets.
Rosie Slater has been charged with 11 counts of fraud by false representation, Staffordshire Police said.
The 32-year-old, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, has been granted unconditional bail and is due to appear in court at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 11 December.
The charges relate to the alleged sale of Oasis tickets in May.
It comes as ministers confirmed plans to make it illegal for tickets to concerts, theatre, comedy, sport and other live events to be resold for more than their original cost.
Earlier this month, pop stars including Sam Fender, Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Radiohead urged the prime minister in an open letter to stand by his election promise to restrict online ticket touts.
The huge profits made by resellers were put in the spotlight last year when thousands of Oasis fans complained of ticket prices for their reunion tour, with some Wembley Stadium show tickets listed at more than £4,000.