Critics Choice Awards, US 'in charge' of Venezuela, BTS new album and world tour

2026 Critics Choice Awards celebrate the year’s top talent

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards celebrated the best in film and television. The annual event, known for highlighting both critical favorites and audience darlings, brought together Hollywood’s top talent to honor excellence across a variety of categories, from acting and directing to technical achievements.

See the full list of winners from the 2026 Critics Choice Awards here:

• Best Picture - One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

• Best Director - Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) 

• Best Actor - Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24)

• Best Actress - Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features)

• Best Supporting Actor - Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix)

• Best Supporting Actress - Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.) 

• Best Young Actor / Actress - Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

• Best Original Screenplay - Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

• Best Adapted Screenplay - Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

• Best Casting and Ensemble - Francine Maisler – Sinners (Warner Bros.) 

• Best Cinematography - Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams (Netflix)

• Best Production Design - Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein (Netflix)

• Best Editing - Stephen Mirrione – F1 (Apple Original Films)

• Best Costume Design - Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix)

• Best Hair and Makeup - Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix)

• Best Visual Effects - Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios) 

• Best Stunt Design - Wade Eastwood – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures) 

• Best Animated Feature - KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

• Best Comedy - The Naked Gun (Paramount)

• Best Foreign Language Film - The Secret Agent (Neon)

• Best Song - “Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) 

• Best Score - Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (Warner Bros.)

• Best Sound - Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1 (Apple Original Films) 

• Best Drama Series - The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Best Actor in a Drama Series - Noah Wyle – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Best Actress in a Drama Series - Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus (Apple TV)

• Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Tramell Tillman – Severance (Apple TV)

• Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt (HBO Max)

• Best Comedy Series - The Studio (Apple TV)

• Best Actor in a Comedy Series - Seth Rogen – The Studio (Apple TV)

• Best Actress in a Comedy Series - Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max)

• Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Ike Barinholtz – The Studio (Apple TV)

• Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

• Best Limited Series - Adolescence (Netflix)

• Best Movie Made for Television - Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)

• Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television - Stephen Graham – Adolescence (Netflix)

• Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television - Sarah Snook – All Her Fault (Peacock)

• Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television - Owen Cooper – Adolescence (Netflix)

• Best Foreign Language Series - Squid Game (Netflix) 

• Best Animated Series - South Park (Comedy Central)

• Best Talk Show - Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)

• Best Variety Series - Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO Max) 

• Best Comedy Special - SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)

US captures Maduro, “in charge” of Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured and is currently being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he is expected to face charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

Following Maduro’s detention, President Donald Trump announced an aggressive interim approach toward Venezuela. Trump said the United States would “run the country” until what he described as a “judicious transition” of power could take place. 

"We can't take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn't have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind. We've had decades of that. We're not going to let that happen," Trump said. 

He also stated that the US intends to seize control of Venezuela’s extensive oil reserves during the transition period. “We'll run it properly. We'll run it professionally. We'll have the greatest oil companies in the world going in and invest billions and billions of dollars and take out money, use that money in Venezuela, and the biggest beneficiary is going to be the people of Venezuela,” Trump added.

The political future of Venezuela remains uncertain. The country’s Supreme Court has directed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the powers and responsibilities of acting president. 

At the same time, opposition leader María Corina Machado has called for an opposition-backed candidate to take over leadership, creating competing claims over who should govern the country.

BTS announces new album and world tour

BTS is preparing for a long-awaited return, with BIGHIT MUSIC officially confirming both a new album and an upcoming world tour.

In a statement addressed directly to fans, the label announced the release of BTS The 5th Album, calling it a particularly meaningful moment for the group. According to BIGHIT MUSIC, the project “marks the first album released by the group in three years and nine months” and signals “the direction the group will take going forward.”

Calling the record “music that’s most true to BTS,” the label framed the release as a message of gratitude, saying the album serves as the group’s “heartfelt way of saying thank you to ARMY, who have been there this whole time” while waiting for BTS’ return as a complete group.

Alongside the album announcement, BIGHIT MUSIC also confirmed that BTS will be heading back on the road. “Following the release of BTS The 5th Album, BTS will be going on a world tour,” the statement read, adding that full tour details will be announced separately on January 14 at 12 am. 

The album will be available for pre-order on January 16 at 11 am (KST). It will be released on March 20 at 1 pm (KST).

Angelina Jolie visits Rafah and expresses solidarity with Palestinians

Angelina Jolie made a humanitarian visit to Egypt this week, once again voicing solidarity with Palestinians as the crisis in Gaza continues to deepen.

The Oscar-winning actress and longtime human rights advocate traveled to Arish city and the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on Friday, where she observed locations tied to humanitarian aid deliveries bound for Gaza.

Jolie arrived with a US delegation and was received by both current and former Egyptian officials. During the visit, journalists on the ground, according to Agence France-Presse, witnessed Jolie speaking directly with members of the Egyptian Red Crescent as well as truck drivers responsible for transporting aid. 

Neither Jolie nor Egyptian authorities have issued an official statement about the visit, but images and eyewitness reports from the border area quickly circulated, drawing attention to the growing bottleneck of aid and the urgency of humanitarian access to Gaza.

ICYMI:

• Descendants star Dove Cameron has entered 2026 with a major life milestone, announcing her engagement to Måneskin frontman Damiano David.

• The Duffer Brothers have revealed that the fate of Eleven in Stranger Things is being kept under the tightest lock and key, known only to them and star Millie Bobby Brown. In a recent discussion about the show’s final chapter, the creators shared that Brown is the sole cast member who has been told exactly how Eleven’s story ends. They added that they explicitly warned her not to share the secret with co-star Noah Schnapp, joking that they “swore her to secrecy.”

• The countdown to music’s biggest night is officially on. The Recording Academy has confirmed that the 2026 Grammy Awards will take place on February 1, bringing artists, industry leaders, and fans together next month to celebrate the year’s most outstanding achievements in music.

— Bea Bertuldo

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