‘Roma,’ ‘Cold War’ Among Foreign-Language Oscar Nominees

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23 January 2019, 11:25

This image released by Netflix shows Yalitza Aparicio, center, in a scene from the film "Roma," by filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron. Photo: Carlos Somonte / Netflix via AP

LONDON — Five movies about individuals and families confronting social and historical tumult are competing in the Academy Awards’ race for best foreign-language film.

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s autobiographical masterpiece “Roma” and Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski’s 20th-century romance “Cold War” were among contenders announced Tuesday. They are up against German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s artist biopic “Never Look Away,” Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s’s subtle family story “Shoplifters” and “Capernaum,” a powerful neo-realist drama about a Syrian child refugee from Lebanon’s Nadine Labaki.

The winner will be announced at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony on Feb. 24.

“Roma” received 10 nominations in all, making it the Oscars front-runner alongside Yorgos Lanthimos’ pungent period drama “The Favourite.” Cuaron’s black-and-white film is up for trophies including best director and best picture.

“LONG LIVE ALFONSO!!” tweeted Cuaron’s compatriot, director Guillermo del Toro, while the Mexican Institute of Cinematography posted: “Feel the Mexican power!”

The awards-season success of the Netflix-produced “Roma,” which stars best-actress nominee Yalitza Aparicio as the nanny to an affluent Mexico City family, is a sign of the blurring lines between Hollywood movies and international fare.

“Human experience is one in the same, and it’s so gratifying that a black and white film about life in Mexico is being celebrated around the world,” Cuaron said in a statement. “We are living a great moment in cinema where diversity is embraced by audiences.”

Another black-and-white period drama is also a contender: “Cold War,” Pawlikowsi’s tale of romance between a singer and a musician across midcentury Europe.

The film, inspired by the director’s parents, was also nominated for Oscars in cinematography and directing.

“Cold War” cinematographer Lukasz Zal said he was “very touched, very happy” by the nomination, and “terribly happy that I could take part in this great adventure.”

Pawlikowski’s last film, “Ida,” won the foreign-language Oscar in 2015.

Von Donnersmarck, who won the foreign-language Oscar in 2007 for Cold War surveillance drama “The Lives of Others,” is nominated for “Never Look Away,” which follows an artist’s evolution in a traumatized post-World War II Germany.

It also received a cinematography nod for Caleb Deschanel.

“Never Look Away,” which explores the healing power and the limits of art, was inspired by the life of 86-year-old German artist Gerhard Richter.

Richter cooperated with the director for the project but has criticized the finished film, telling the New Yorker that it had managed to “abuse and grossly distort my biography.”

Kore-eda, who won the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize with “Shoplifters,” said he never expected U.S. recognition for his tale of a family on the margins of Japanese society.

“(The) other four nominated titles in the category are absolutely amazing and strong, and I’m proud that Shoplifters is selected among them,” Kore-eda said in a statement.

Labaki, the only female director among the five, was celebrating Lebanon’s second-straight nomination, after Ziad Doueiri’s “The Insult” in 2018.

“We have always thought as Lebanese people that unfortunately nothing is possible because we always thought Lebanon is a very small country and we have always felt that we are almost invisible on the map,” she told The Associated Press.

Labaki, whose film follows a 12-year-old Syrian refugee struggling to survive on the streets of Lebanon, said she hoped its success would show that “anything is possible, it doesn’t matter where you come from, where you are born, what is your background.”

“Anything is possible. You just have to believe in your dream.”

Story: Jill Lawless

With Two Bikes and One Mission, London Duo Pedal and Play to BKK

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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23 January 2019, 11:10

Top: Adam Faulkner, at left, and Tim Stephens earlier this month in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — Chanted Indian prayers, flute notes from a Tajik funerary dirge and a chirping crosswalk button near Bangkok’s Giant Swing.

Those are some of the audio samples collected by a duo cycling thousands of miles from London to Tokyo on a mission to produce an album and hour-long documentary on their musical pilgrimage.

After 10 months on the road, they arrived in Bangkok right on New Year’s Eve. When Khaosod English caught up with them at a cafe in the Phra Khanong area, they showed up in swimming shorts.

“There’s always an amazing sense of achievement cycling into a big city that you’ve looked forward to visiting for a long time, and Bangkok really delivered,” Tim Stephens said.

Total Bike Forever consists of Stephens, 30, and 32-year-old Adam Faulkner. Half of a UK quartet called Bear Muda, the pair last year quit their full-time office jobs to embark on an epic journey.

“We wanted to travel and we wanted to play music. We gave it some thought, and we realized we could do both,” Stephens said. “It’s got to a point when we’re like ‘let’s give it a try and see what happens.’”

“It’s another full-time job: cycling, plus music,” Faulkner said with a chuckle. “But we have a balance. We’d stop cycling and make music with people that we meet.”

That means taking a break from pedaling to play ambient electronic music at various stops along the way. They’ve made a number of songs inspired by the cultural diversity and experiences they encounter.

“I Waited Too Much” was improvised when the duo tried to kill some time while stuck waiting four days at a port in Azerbaijan for a ship across the Caspian Sea. Arriving at a gas station in Turkey, they spent a night there and made a song about petrol pumps. It’s called “Fill it Up.”

Inspired by a warden met in Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountains, “Afghan Hound” was born during a live radio performance in Delhi.

“You don’t know what the next sounds would be or what you’d make,” Faulkner said.

Traveling light with limited gear strapped to their bikes, Stephens and Faulkner rely on collaborating with local talents to complete a proper track.

After their first impromptu gig in Macedonia to the live radio show in India, they came to Bangkok with two gigs lined up.

Early this month Stephens and Faulkner took over the deck at Studio Lam and played alongside local electronic trio Orbital XX, who last month were a top-billed act at Wonderfruit.

A week after that, they performed with local keyboardist Keith Nolan at Check Inn 99.

“We loved playing in Bangkok.” Stephens said. “The band we played with and supported were amazing and the venues were very different from each other. Definitely gave the sense that we were just scratching the surface of the city.”

Nolan, who jammed to a couple of songs with Total Bike Forever at Check Inn 99, described the duo’s music “creatively fresh” with “interesting” samples and a strong electro backbeat.

studio lam 4 — Total Bike Forever performs early January at Studio Lam in Bangkok

“They came to meet me, and I was so impressed with what they have set out to achieve,” Nolan said. “I was also impressed with how they had traveled so far with such clever sampling and music technology. … They can play anywhere including on the top of a cliff and in the middle of nowhere.”

It was one night in Bangkok after a wander through Khaosan Road that Stephens and Faulkner stopped at a crosswalk near the Giant Swing, where they pulled out a recorder to record its unique chirping sound for possible use.

Leaving Bangkok last week, they struck out toward Khon Kaen, where they stopped by to see The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band play.

“Watching them was amazing as the music really connected with us and we watched them in the province they originated from. They haven’t played there for years, and the crowd’s reaction was electric,” Stephens and Faulkner wrote in an email before hitting the road for Laos. “[It’s] one of the highlights of the trip so far.”

TBF CheckInn99 4 e1548216425441 — Total Bike Forever jammed with Keith Nolan at Check Inn 99 in Bangkok

After Laos, the Total Bike Forever duo will cycle to Vietnam, South Korea and then in their final destination, Japan.

Check out Total Bike Forever’s journey on their YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and website.

Royal Decree Paves Way For 2019 Election

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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23 January 2019, 11:01

A social media personality holds a "mock election" on Jan. 7 to lampoon the government's repeated delays of voting. Image: Pangpondontour / Facebook

Update: Election date is set for March 24.

BANGKOK — The final hurdle to holding an election this year was cleared Wednesday morning by a royal decree that brings Thailand closer to the elusive poll.

Signed by King Vajiralongkorn, the brief royal decree empowered the government and related agencies to hold voting for the House Representatives. The Election Commission has five days to set a date for election day after the decree is enacted.

For the past year, the junta had pledged an election would be held Feb. 24, but officials have walked back that vow since early January, when His Majesty the King announced that his coronation would take place May 4.

Election Vow Highlights:
Election Will Take Place in October 2015 at Earliest
Post-Coup Election May Be Delayed To 2016
‘There Will Definitely be an Election’ in 2017, Prayuth Promises
Junta Promises Election in 2017, For Real This Time
No Elections For Thailand in 2017, NLA Says
No Really, There Will Be Elections in 2017, Prawit Says
Asserting ‘Thailand First,’ Prayuth Says Elections Up to Him
Election in 2019 For Sure Unless Not, Prayuth Says

Election officials said earlier this month they could not finalize the date without a royal decree, which had failed to materialize as expected.

Media reports in recent days cited government sources that a new date would be set for March 24. Minutes after the royal decree was enacted, the Election Commission called an urgent meeting at its headquarters, raising speculation that an election date would be announced as early as today.

Election laws require the poll take place before May 9.

A Look at Malaysia’s Monarchy Before Sultans Pick Next King

By

Associated Press

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23 January 2019, 10:57

Then Malaysian King Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail, right, and Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, left, pray in 2002 during the Trouping the Colors in conjunction with Malaysia King's official birthday anniversary at the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: TehEng Koon / Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR — After stripping Malaysia’s royal families of some of their powers during his 22-year stint as prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad almost didn’t make it to the premiership a second time.

Though largely a ceremonial post, Malaysia’s monarch still signs off on most laws and appointments, including the prime minister, and hours after Mahathir and his alliance’s stunning general election victory last May, King Sultan Muhammad V offered the job to someone else.

The offer was rejected and Mahathir heaped pressure on the king by holding a series of news conferences. The king subsequently signed off on Mahathir, but the hours of uncertainty put the spotlight on Malaysia’s monarchy at a time when some of the royals are seeking to reassert their influence in politics.

Though Malaysia has only had a constitutional monarch since 1957, several of Malaysia’s nine royal families trace their roots to centuries-old Malay kingdoms that were independent states until they were brought together by the British.

Sultan Muhammad V became the nation’s first king to give up his post when he abruptly abdicated on Jan. 6 without explanation. Now the nation waits for Thursday’s meeting of the royal families in which they will choose a replacement.

Here’s a closer look at Malaysia’s monarchy:

Royal Dynasties

Traditional ethnic Malay rulers – mostly known as the sultan – constitutionally head nine of Malaysia’s 13 states, forming one of the world’s largest monarchy systems. Seven of the royal families are hereditary monarchies, with the northern Kedah sultanate one of the oldest unbroken dynasties in the world, dating back to the 12th century.

In Perak state, the second oldest ruling house in Malaysia, three royal families take turns to ascend the throne based on seniority. The ruler in Negeri Sembilan state, where the royal lineage is linked to the Minangkabaus from west Sumatra in Indonesia, is elected by a council of four territory chiefs.

All the families are headed by ethnic Malay Muslims males, as required.

Some of the royal families, especially those in the wealthy states of Selangor and Johor, have built-up large business interests. The most prominent is billionaire Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor, who owns a fleet of jets and loves Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The Johor sultan is also the most powerful, having his own army – a condition agreed upon for the state to join modern-day Malaysia. His army’s role is largely ceremonial today.

Picking a King

Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy was put in place after the country’s independence from Britain in 1957.

The nine heads of the royal families take part in what is known as the Conference of Rulers and every five years elect one among themselves to be Malaysia’s king through a secret ballot.

The throne was initially rotated based on seniority, but there is now an established rotation order from one state to the next, making the vote more of a formality. Royals, however, can choose to divert due to health or other issues.

Next in Line

The ruler of central Pahang state is next in line to be king. Sultan Abdullah Azlan Shah succeeded his ailing 88-year-old father on Jan. 15, in a move seen as paving the way for him to become the next king.

Sultan Abdullah, who was state regent for the past two years due to his father’s ill health, is active in the sports. He is president of the Asian Hockey Federation and a council member of world football governing body FIFA.

Sultan Abdullah, 59, must be supported by at least five of the state rulers. Next in order after Pahang, is Johor state.

Historic Abdication

King Sultan Muhammad V shocked the nation by announcing his abdication this month, days after returning from two months of medical leave. The 49-year-old sultan from eastern Kelantan state only reigned for two years as Malaysia’s 15th king and didn’t give any reason for quitting.

During his leave, it was reported that the king married a 25-year-old former Russian beauty queen. Photos of the two at a wedding reportedly held in Moscow were circulated in the British and Russian press and on social media. Neither the king, the palace nor the government has confirmed the wedding.

It marked the first abdication in the nation’s history. The reigns of three other kings were shortened by their deaths.

The Sultan’s Role

The state rulers are highly respected among Malay Muslims, who account for two-thirds of Malaysia’s 32 million people, and are seen as guardians of Islam and Malay traditions.

In addition to ceremonial duties, they can withhold consent for the dissolution of their state’s assembly and the appointments of their state’s chief minister.

During his first stint as prime minister, Mahathir pushed through constitutional amendments that stripped the sultans of their power to veto state and federal legislation. The amendments also removed their legal immunity following a series of scandals involving the Johor royal family. A special court has been set up to prosecute royals, but cases are rare.

He Who is Made Lord

Known as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, or He Who is Made Lord, Malaysia’s king resides in a 650- million-ringgit (USD$158-million) palace in Kuala Lumpur.

The king’s duties, similar to those of the British monarch, are largely ceremonial since administrative power is vested in the prime minister and parliament. He is the nominal head of the government and armed forces.

All laws, cabinet appointments and dissolution of parliament for general elections require his assent. The king also issues pardons for criminals.

Public criticism of the king and state sultans is generally illegal. Under Malaysian sedition laws, people who incite “hatred or contempt” toward the monarchy can be imprisoned for three years.

Malaysia’s constitution allocates some 5 million ringgit ($1.21 million) a year for the expenses of the king and his household, including palace maintenance, although the sum can be increased with cabinet approval.

Political Statements

The king and some state rulers have been vocal in politics in recent years. In 2015, the nine rulers issued a rare joint statement calling for a swift investigation into a massive corruption scandal at the 1MDB state investment fund.

The scandal promoted public anger that eventually led to a historic change of government in last May’s polls.

Last year, the Selangor state sultan also appointed a new chief minister who had not been formally proposed by the government. King Sultan Muhammad V also sought to block the appointment of a non-Muslim attorney-general last year but gave in after Mahathir’s government refused to budge on its candidate.

Story: Eileen Ng

Spike Lee Likes His Oscar Odds With ‘BlacKkKlansman’

By

Associated Press

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23 January 2019, 10:18

Oscar Nominations - Director — This image released by Focus Features shows director Spike Lee, left, with actors Topher Grace, center, and Adam Driver on the set of Lee's film "BlacKkKlansman." Photo: David Lee / Focus Features via Associated Press

NEW YORK — Spike Lee watched the Oscar nominations Tuesday morning on television from his bed, with his wife, Tonya, his two grown children, Satchel and Jackson, and their dog, Ginger.

Lee landed his first directing Academy Award nomination for “BlacKkKlansman,” his comic and furious send-up of white supremacism. The film, about a black detective (John David Washington) who leads an undercover investigation of the Klu Klux Klan, won six nominations altogether, including best picture and best adapted screenplay, a nod Lee shared with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott.

But the most long-in-coming nomination was Lee’s first nod for best director, something many thought should have happened numerous times before, starting with 1989’s “Do the Right Thing.” Lee was nominated then for best screenplay for that film, but the lack of more Oscar attention for “Do the Right Thing” was lamented even then by Oscar presenter Kim Basinger.

“Thirty years is a long time, ain’t it?” Lee said Tuesday by phone from the Brooklyn office of his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule, before letting out a lengthy cackle.

In that time, the 61-year-old Lee hasn’t escaped the notice of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. His “4 Little Girls” was nominated for best documentary in 1998 and he was given an honorary Oscar in 2016 when he rebuked Hollywood’s diversity record, saying: “It’s easier to be president of the United States as a black person than be head of a studio. Honest.”

But that Lee, the filmmaker of “Malcolm X,” ”25th Hour” and “When the Levees Broke,” has never won a competitive Oscar strikes many as a plain injustice. Now, Lee may have the best shot of his career in “BlacKkKlansman.”

He likes his odds.

“‘BlacKkKlansman’ is the dark horse — pun intended,” said Lee with another laugh. “You know what? That’s fitting. I’ve always been an underdog, from the very beginning, from film school. That narrative has not changed. And I like that position.”

Lee regretted the oversight of his lead actor, John David Washington, whom he called on Tuesday to console. Lee told Washington, whose father Denzel has been a mainstay in Lee’s films, that there are awards in his future. “Young blood, you’ll be here,” Lee vowed.

Adam Driver, who plays Washington’s partner in the film, was nominated for best supporting actor. “BlacKkKlansman” composer Terence Blanchard was also nominated for best score, the jazz musician’s first nomination after a career scoring most of Lee’s films since 1991’s “Jungle Fever.”

Lee becomes the sixth black filmmaker nominated for best director. The last was Jordan Peele, who produced “BlacKkKlansman” and sent Lee the script, based on Ron Stallworth’s 2014 memoir. Lee and Willmott then gave the tale a searing coda, connecting the 1970s-set film with last year’s violent white supremacist protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.

No black filmmaker has ever won best director.

“One day, one of us has got to break through,” said Lee.

Lee planned to celebrate with a get-together in Fort Lee, Brooklyn, Tuesday evening. But his thoughts were also on the timely subject of his film, one he traces directly to President Donald Trump. After the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Lee lambasted Trump for his response to Charlottesville. Lee released the film in August on the one-year anniversary of Charlottesville.

“This film speaks directly to the Looney Tunes world we live in. It speaks directly to why the government is shut down, why 800,000 people are in desperation not knowing where their next check is going to come from. It speaks to everything this guy has brought to the world since he’s occupied the White House,” said Lee. “People get it right away.”

Story: Jake Coyle

Model Who Said She Had Dirt on Russian Oligarch Walks Free

By

Associated Press

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23 January 2019, 10:11

A 2018 file photo of Anastasia Vashukevich, leaves the Pattaya Provincial Court in Chonburi province, Thailand. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / Associated Press — A 2018 file photo of Anastasia Vashukevich leaving the Pattaya Provincial Court in Chonburi province, Thailand. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / Associated Press

MOSCOW — A Belarusian model and self-styled sex instructor who last year claimed to have evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has been released from detention pending trial.

Anastasia Vashukevich, who also goes by the name Nastya Rybka, was arrested last February in connection with a sex training seminar in Thailand. She was deported from Thailand last week and was immediately detained in Moscow upon arrival. She and her Russian associate were charged in Russia with inducement to prostitution.

In court on Saturday, Vashukevich refused to elaborate on her claims that she had audio tapes of Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska talking about interference in the U.S. election.

Vashukevich’s lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina said Tuesday that she and her associate have been released, but that the charges still stand.

‘Roma,’ ‘The Favourite’ Top Oscar Nominations with 10 Nods

By

Associated Press

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22 January 2019, 21:44

Michael B. Jordan in a scene from Marvel Studios' 'Black Panther,' which was nominated for Best Picture. Photo: Marvel Studios-Disney via AP

NEW YORK — Oscar voters on Tuesday showered Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” with a leading 10 nominations to the 91st Academy Awards, while two dominant but contentious Hollywood forces — Netflix and Marvel — each scored their first best picture nomination.

Though many expected “A Star Is Born,” Bradley Cooper’s tear-inducing revival of one of Hollywood’s most oft-remade show-business myths, to top nominations, Cooper was surprisingly overlooked as director and the academy instead put its fullest support behind a pair of smaller films by international directors.

With “Roma,” Netflix has scored its first best picture nomination, something the streaming giant has dearly sought. Cuaron tied the record for most decorated Oscar nominee ever for one film with four nods for his black-and-white, memory-drenched masterpiece. The Mexican-born director earned nods for direction, cinematography, original screenplay and best picture. Only Orson Welles (“Citizen Kane”) and Warren Beatty (“Reds,” ”Heaven Can Wait”) have landed four.

Lanthimos’ period romp “The Favourite” resounded most in the acting categories thanks to its trio of actresses: Olivia Colman in the best actress category, and Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone in supporting.

Along with “Roma” and “The Favourite,” the nominees for best picture are: “A Star Is Born,” ”Green Book,” ”Black Panther,” ”BlacKkKlansman,” ”Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Vice.”

Marvel also joined the club with “Black Panther,” the first superhero movie ever nominated for best picture. Despite the overwhelming popularity of comic book movies, they had previously been shunned from Hollywood’s top honor, to the consternation of some industry insiders. After “The Dark Knight” was snubbed, the academy expanded the best picture category from five to up to 10 nominees.

There has also been some resistance among some academy members to Netflix films since the company typically bypasses movie theaters. Steve Spielberg has said Netflix films are more like TV movies and deserve an Emmy, not an Oscar. Netflix altered its policy for “Roma” and two other films, premiering them first in theaters.

Spike Lee was nominated for his first directing Oscar 30 years after a writing nod for 1989’s “Do the Right Thing.” Notably left out of the category was Bradley Cooper, whose “A Star Is Born” landed eight nominations, including best actress for Lady Gaga, but was overlooked for Cooper’s direction. The other nominees were Lanthimos, Cuaron, Pawel Pawlikowski (“Cold War”) and Adam McKay (“Vice”).

On behalf of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, presenters Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross unveiled nominations Tuesday morning from Los Angeles’ Samuel Goldwyn Theatre.

The nominees for best actor are Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale (“Vice”), Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”), Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) and Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”).

Up for best actress are Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”), Glenn Close (“The Wife”), Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), Lady Gaga and Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”).

The nominees for best supporting actress are Amy Adams (“Vice”), Marina De Tavira (“Roma”), Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Emma Stone (“The Favourite”) and Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”). Tavira was something a surprise, while Claire Foy of “First Man” was left out.

Up for best supporting actor are: Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”), Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”), Sam Elliott (“A Star Is Born”), Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) and Sam Rockwell (“Vice”). Notably snubbed was Timothy Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”).

The lead-up to Tuesday’s nominations was rocky for both the film academy and some of the contending movies. Shortly after being announced as host, Kevin Hart was forced to withdraw over years-old homophobic tweets that the comedian eventually apologized for. That has left the Oscars, one month before the Feb. 24 ceremony, without an emcee, and likely to stay that way.

Some film contenders, like Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” and the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” have suffered waves upon waves of backlash, even as their awards tallies have mounted. On Saturday, “Green Book” won the top award from the Producers Guild, an honor that has been a reliable Oscar barometer. In the 10 years since the Oscars expanded its best-picture ballot, the PGA winner has gone on to win best picture eight times.

The season’s steadiest contender — Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” — looked potentially unbeatable until it got beat. Despite an enviable string of awards and more than $400 million in worldwide box office, Cooper’s lauded remake was almost totally ignored at the Golden Globes. Still, “A Star Is Born” was the sole film to land top nominations from virtually every guild group.

The academy is reportedly planning to go host-less following Hart’s exit, something it has tried only once before in an infamous 1989 telecast that featured a lengthy musical number with Rob Lowe and Snow White.

The Oscars last year hit a new ratings low, declining 20 percent and averaging 26.5 million viewers. Though ratings for award shows have generally been dropping, the downturn prompted the academy to revamp this year’s telecast. Though initial plans for a new popular film category were scuttled, the academy is planning to present some awards off-air and keep the broadcast to three hours.

Story: Jake Coyle

Photos Suggest Third Mekong Corpse Was Found, Then Lost

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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22 January 2019, 17:56

A rescue worker examines a body found Dec. 29 in the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom city.

NAKHON PHANOM — Photos emerged Tuesday to support accounts that a third body was found in the Mekong River that has since gone missing.

Coming after two mutilated bodies recovered from the river were identified as aides of a missing prominent anti-monarchist, the photos show what appear to be a third body that can no longer be accounted for.

Surachai Danwattanusorn, a strident critic of the monarchy, went missing early last month along with two compatriots known by the names Kasalong and Phoo Chana. All three had been living together as fugitives in exile in Laos since the 2014 coup.

Update: Police Deny 3rd Corpse Was Found in Mekong

The photos show the bodies as they were reportedly found last month, wrapped head to toe in rice sacks and fishnets and tied with rope.

The other two were retrieved and identified by DNA testing by the Forensic Science Institute as that of Phoo Chana and Kasalong. They were recovered Dec. 26 and 29, respectively. Both bodies were found handcuffed, disemboweled and stuffed with concrete.

The third body was found Dec. 27, according to Chana Wasurukka, a local reporter for Khaosod newspaper. He said the village headman reported to police that afternoon that he had retrieved a floating body and secured it to the bank of the river with a sturdy, two-inch rope. He said the photos of the body were taken by local residents.

“The police said they were busy, but then a navy patrol showed up and took photos. Villagers took photos too,” Chana said by phone from Nakhon Phanom on Tuesday afternoon. By the time police arrive later that afternoon, the body was gone. Chana said the headman was instructed by security forces not to talk about what happened.

Repeated calls to the local police in Nakhon Phanom and its commander were not answered Tuesday afternoon.

That’s led to speculation the found-and-lost body was that of Surachai, whose wife says she last heard from him on Dec. 10. It’s possible it could have become untied from the shore to re-emerge as the body recovered 50 kilometers downriver two days later in Nakhon Phanom city.

That body’s legs were bent at the knee at a 90-degree angle, which a forensic examiner said, barring significant decay, is unlikely to have occurred naturally due to postmortem rigor mortis.

Warning: Below are images of the bodies as found.

The three bodies recovered at different spots last month along the Thai side of the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom province. At top, the first body recovered Dec. 26. At middle, photos purportedly showing a body recovered Dec. 27. At bottom, a third body discovered Dec. 29.

DNA Links Mekong Corpse to Monarchy Foe: Family

Police Won’t Say if Mutilated Body is Missing Republican

Cristiano Ronaldo Gets Suspended Sentence for Tax Fraud

By

Associated Press

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22 January 2019, 17:17

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal poses with the trophy after winning for The Best FIFA Men's Player award during the The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 ceremony held in January 2017 at the Swiss TV studio in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo: Ennio Leanza / Associated Press

MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo has pleaded guilty to tax fraud and received a two-year suspended sentence.

The Juventus forward, who was facing charges stemming from his days at Real Madrid, was in court for about 45 minutes and signed an agreement which will cost him nearly 19 million euros (USD$21.6 million) in fines.

Ronaldo arrived at court in a black van and was wearing a black sports coat and black pants. He walked up some stairs leading to the court house and even stopped to sign an autograph.

Ronaldo made the deal to plead guilty with Spain’s state prosecutor and tax authorities last year.

In Spain, a judge can suspend sentences for two years or less for first-time offenders.

In 2017, a state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011-14 worth 14.7 million euros ($16.7 million). Ronaldo was accused of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights.

Story: Tales Azzoni

Worshippers Flock to Funeral For Famed Monk ‘Luang Phor Koon’

By

JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

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22 January 2019, 16:09

The crematorium for Luang Phor Koon Paritsuttho’s funeral Tuesday in Khon Kaen province.

KHON KAEN — A lavish funeral began for followers to bid farewell to one of the kingdom’s most-beloved monks Tuesday, nearly four years after he died.

Funerary rites began one day after the body of Phra Thep Wittayakom, aka Luang Phor Koon Paritsuttho, was released by Khon Kaen University’s medical school, to which he had donated his body. He died in May 2015.

Officials estimate up to 100,000 people will attend his funeral daily. A royal cremation ceremony, organized by the university at Wat Nong Wang, will end Jan. 30.

During his 70 years as a monk, the former abbot of a Nakhon Ratchasima temple was highly admired as a role model for living as he preached and an ability to simplify his messages for the masses. His authenticity saw his fame spread from a small provincial ascetic to a large national following.

Despite his wishes for a “simple” funeral at the university, his followers sponsored a grand affair featuring a massive crematorium and several days of events.

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