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Jubilation as ‘Pride of Malaysia’ Yeoh Wins First Oscar

Michelle Yeoh with her Oscar for Best Actress for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" in the press room during the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, 12 March 2023. (EPA)
Michelle Yeoh with her Oscar for Best Actress for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" in the press room during the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, 12 March 2023. (EPA)
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Jubilation as ‘Pride of Malaysia’ Yeoh Wins First Oscar

Michelle Yeoh with her Oscar for Best Actress for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" in the press room during the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, 12 March 2023. (EPA)
Michelle Yeoh with her Oscar for Best Actress for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" in the press room during the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, 12 March 2023. (EPA)

Family and friends of Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh responded with screams, jubilation and pride on Monday at her winning the Academy Award for best lead actress, Asia's first ever winner in the category.

There were ecstatic roars and fist-pumps as her triumph was announced at an Oscars viewing party in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, with all eyes on her surprised and delighted mother, Janet Yeoh.

"She's a very hardworking girl, you know. Everybody knows it," she told a news conference afterwards, in front of a poster of her daughter that said "Pride of Malaysia".

The actress's niece, Vicki Yeoh, looked equally stunned as the announcement was made, clutching her face and letting out a huge scream as the tears welled up.

"Jaw dropping moment ... I was speechless I cried, it happened so quickly and we are so happy that she won, that our auntie won," she said.

Yeoh, 60, won the award for her portrayal of a Chinese American laundromat owner Evelyn Wang, dealing with family turmoil in the science-fiction kung fu comedy "Everything Everywhere All at Once".

It was Yeoh's first Oscar nomination and she had been widely regarded as the front-runner.

Yeoh made her Hollywood breakthrough when she was cast as the first ethnic Chinese Bond girl in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" opposite Pierce Brosnan. She has also starred in martial arts movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon," the 2005 period drama "Memoirs of a Geisha" and the 2018 romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians".

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lauded Yeoh's success and said her career was illustrious and exemplary and would continue to inspire Malaysians.

"In creating history by being not just the first Malaysian but the very first Asian actress to win in this category, we take enormous pride in her achievement, adding to a long list of successes and capping a critically acclaimed acting career spanning decades," Anwar said in a statement on his Facebook page.

Family friend Derrick Lee described her as an inspiration.

"The efforts that she put in for this film is extraordinary," he said at the party.

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Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
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Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album.

The Grammy winner's 12-track “GNX” is his first release since 2022's “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake.

Lamar first teased the album with a cover art and video snippet of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other notable producers include Sounwave and DJ Mustard, who both contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track emanating from the Drake feud.

Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine."
On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his hometown.
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”
The surprise release caps a big year for Lamar, who was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.
Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is up for best rap performance and best rap song, too.