LOS ANGELES, Feb 27 — The Hollywood awards season reached its glittering climax today as the Oscars began with pop star Justin Timberlake doing a rendition of his nominated song Can’t Stop the Feeling.

Nostalgic musical La La Land is leading the charge for golden statuettes with 14 nominations on a night expected to be as remarkable for political protest as for its celebration of Tinseltown’s best.

"I want to say thank you to President Trump. Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? That’s gone,” said host Jimmy Kimmel. — AFP