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and in hollywood, after months of scandal, and the reputation of some , we preview this year's golden globes. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm george howell. >> i'm lynda kinkade. thank you for joining us. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. 5:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. the u.s. president pushing back against allegations that he lacks the intelligence, that he lacks the temperament to lead the united states. >> michael wolff paints an embarrassing portrait of the president in the new tell all book "fire and fury" suggesting mr. trump is selfish and intellectually lazy. the president denounced the book as phony and full of lies. >> earlier saturday, he went further in a series of tweets arguing that his path from businessman to tv star to president, that qualified him as a, quote, very stable genius, as

you see there. here's what he had to say on saturday. >> i went to the best colleges, or college, i went to a -- i had a situation where i served very excellent student, came out, made billions and billions of dollars, became one of the top business people, went to television and for ten years was a tremendous success, as you probably have heard, ran for president one time and won. >> while complaining about the best sell wears n-seller was no on the president's agenda. >> he's been meeting at camp david, the presidential retreat in maryland. boris sanchez has this report for us. >> reporter: the president making news on multiple fronts today, not only saying he backs his attorney general just one day after some congressional republicans called for a new attorney general, but also praising direct talks between north and south korea, and sending a message to democrats saying that the legal status of

dreamers, daca, would not be resolved unless he got funding for his border wall. all of that being overshadowed by the president being forced to defend his own mental state, his own mental condition. he's clearly taking the comments being made by michael wolff, the author of "fire and fury" personally, wolff saying the president has lost it, going as far to say 100% of the people around the president has questioned his fitness for office. the president fighting back, saying that michael wolff is a fraud and what he's done with his book is a disgrace. also refuting the idea that he was interviewed by michael wolff for about three hours. and as he was asked about his early morning tweets on saturday, taking a shot at his former chief strategist steve bannon calling him sloppy steve. listen to more of what the president said. >> i did a quick interview with him, a long time ago, having to do with an article. but i don't know this man, i guess sloppy steve brought him into the white house quite a

bit. and it was one of those things, that's why sloppy steve is looking for a job. >> reporter: these questions about the president's mental state aren't exactly new. a few months ago steve bannon reportedly said there was a 30% chance that president trump would be removed from office because people around him would invoke the 25th amendment over questions about his mental state. and just last month, you had more than a dozen lawmakers briefed by a yale psychiatrist as to his mental condition, and mental acuity. so certainly the conversation isn't something new, we had yet to see that kind of forceful response from the president justifying his position as president. boris sanchez, cnn, at the white house. >> in the background, the russia investigation, it is steadily pushing on. special counsel robert mueller looking into possible collusion, possible untruthful statements and the possibility of obstruction of justice. >> and no one seems more aware of that fact than president

trump. here's what he said saturday when asked about it. >> mr. president, if robert mueller asks you to come and speak with his committee personally, are you committed still to doing that? >> just so you understand, just so you understand, there has been no collusion. there has been no crime. and in theory, everybody tells me, i'm not under investigation. maybe hillary is. i don't know. but i'm not. but there has been no collusion. there has been no crime. but we have been very open, we could have done it two ways, we could have been very closed and it would have taken years, but sort of like when you've done nothing wrong, let's be open and get it over with. honestly, it is very, very bad for our country. >> a lot to talk about here, let's do so with kate andrews, kate is the news editor at the institute of economic affairs, live for us in our london bureau this hour. good to have you with us, kate. the president claims that he is open as you just heard, open to this investigation, that he's been open to it, he says it is bad for the country.

at the same time, there are some serious questions about whether he or people around him have taken moves to obstruct the process. what do you make about what you just heard there? his comments on this investigation? >> we're not surprised to hear that he said there has been no collusion, that has been the president's line from the beginning. i imagine it will be until the end. i still think that perhaps democrats in particular are holding on to too much hope when it comes to this idea that the russian investigation is going to be what topples over this presidency. you know, i don't think that things like the dossier has been particularly helpful. you have a lot of rumors out there, the latest book from michael wolff, "fire and fury," making allegations about russia saying it was treasonous, unpatriotic. we need the evidence. someone is going to have to come forward with that evidence at some point. unfortunately, as we continue to focus on this so much, trump when it comes to domestic policy agenda is pushing for things that i'm deeply uncomfortable with, usinging daca and the dreamers as a negotiating tool to build his border wall i think

is very unpresidential. dock why's dre-- i think those the issues we need to focus on at the forefront until we get the evidence, one way or another. whether or not there has been collusion. >> all right, let's talk about a bit about that. given everything he's dealing with, does the president really have the political capital to move forward because, look, you've got a government shutdown looming, you've got daca as you just pointed out. the president even spoke about that. let's listen to it and talk about it on the other side. >> we want the wall. the wall is going to happen or we're not going to have daca. we want to get rid of chain migration, very important. we want to get rid of the lottery system. in addition to that, we want money for funding, we need some additional border security. >> can the president move the ball forward? >> it certainly was one of hiss campaign.

it reminds us how far away the republican party has drifted from, you know, ronald reagan hitting on a hill. it is quite depressing in my opinion given how beneficial immigrants are to the u.s., both culturally and economically. does he have the political capital? well, he got tax reform through, actually in an impressive way. that was the first really big win for the president. i wonder this year if he'll be able to continue upwards and get more of his policy agenda through. he has to compromise with the republicans in congress. they're going to be looking to the midterms, they're going to be looking to november and thinking, what do our constituents want to see from us, and i think actually health care is what they have to focus on. immigration, while important to many, may not be the number one issue on their list. >> kate, so mired by investigations, certainly an important agenda ahead for this president, but he is being dogged by this new book as you point out, this book "fire and fury," pushing back, insisting he's smart, insisting he's

stable. he described himself as a very stable genius, that's the quote. so here's the question, we're seeing this president show the world his resume, he feels the need to tell the world about his resume. does this push back help or hurt the president and is he just helping this office sell more books? >> well, that's a very good point. michael wolff, the author comes out saying where do i send the box of chocolates too. we have to ask ourselves with this book, do we have a reliable narrator. i'm speaking about wolff, who in past has been accused of coloring his journalism with gossip and culture rather than hard facts, but i'm referring to steve bannon who seems to be the key source in this book. steve bannon is the former white house chief strategist and is connected to breitbart news. one of my biggest concerns when trump came into the administration, he put someone like bannon with ugly rhetoric about women and minorities and immigrants into a senior position. so we have to remember that even

though this book is full of goodies for some that help to reassure them that they are right that the president is not very stable at the moment, these are also people that they might not want to be associated with. and i think the president pushing back so hard on this book just gives the book more credibility as if there is something to find. where in reality, he should be more presidential, he should be above it, the office is above this kind of rhetoric and coming out saying he is like really smart isn't doing much to convince people he actually is. >> it is interesting the daylight that we're seeing between the president and steve bannon and the questionable daylight, the discrepancy between these two moving forward for this president, does that hurt him with his voter base moving forward. we'll have to wait and see. kate, thank you so much for your time today, live for us today in london. donald trump says he would absolutely be open to talks with north korean leader kim jong-un, speaking to reporters saturday, mr. trump warned that if he were to deal with north korea, he

wouldn't budge from his demand that they give up their nuclear program. >> the president also said he's happy that north and south korea, that they open lines of communication and' pe he appearo take credit between the upcoming meeting between the two presidents. >> president moon called me and we had a great discussion a couple of days ago and he thanked me very much. i hope it works out. i want to see it work out between the two countries. i would like to see them getting involved in the olympics and maybe things go from there. i'm behind that 100%. he actually thanked me. he said, and a lot of people have said, a lot of people have written that without my rhetoric and without my tough stance and not just the stance, this is -- this is what has to be done, if it has to be done, that they wouldn't be talking about olympics, they wouldn't be talking right now. >> just to follow up on the conversations between north korea and south korea. are you willing to engage in phone talks with kim jong-un right now? >> sure. i believe in talking.

>> paula hancocks joins us from seoul with more. we know the representatives from south korea and north korea are meeting for the first time in two years face to face. president trump appearing to take credit for it. does he deserve credit here? >> well, you're not going to get any kind of response from the south korean side. they're really focused more on making sure these talks on tuesday actually go somewhere, making sure that north korea is going to attend the winter olympics in south korea. not just because, because they don't want any kind of provocation, any missile launch, nuclear test during the olympics, which could spook the athletes and tourists that are going to be here. certainly from the u.s. side, they believe that the pressure they have put on north korea has helped to bring north korea to this point. we don't know what is in kim jong-un's mind, in the north korean leader's mind. it is difficult to know. it is a significant change that just in the last week we have gone from people talking about

potential preemptive strikes or war and now talking about peace talks and they will be meeting in just two days. so certainly kim jong-un, he puts his mind to something, he moves very quickly. north korea's leader turns a year old on monday. he's young, but he's also ambitious and brutal. kim jong-un has gone further and faster than his predecessors by accelerating north korea's nuclear missile program. far outpacing his father kim jong-il and his grandfather kim il-su il-sung. north korea fired 23 rockets during 16 tests. the most recent one in november flew higher and further than any others. an achievement that kim boasted about during his recent new year's address. >> reporter: the entire united states is within range of our nuclear weapons. and a nuclear button is always on my desk. >> reporter: the rapid advancement of the program has rattled world leaders, most

notably u.s. president donald trump. >> the united states has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy north korea. rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. >> reporter: kim himself joined in the war of words with the u.s. by calling trump a mentally deranged dotard, an insult that sent many scrambling for the dictionary. kim jong-un is used to operating in the shados of world approval, the u.n. security council recently tightened sanctions for its nuclear weapons program. and in 2014, a u.n. commission of inquiry found north korea's leadership guilty of crimes against humanity, a claim which pyongyang denies. within his own country, kim is feared and trusts only a select few. he's famous for his tactic of purging senior officials, having ousted dozens including his own

uncle. kim's half brother was mysteriously murdered in the kuala lumpur airport after two women wiped his vase with a vx nerve agent, both pleading not guilty. north korea denies anything to do with his death. it is unknown how the ruthless leader marks a birthday and whether or not the official talks with south korea which begin the day after would lead to a year of dialogue or more deadlock. certainly here in south korea, there are great hopes that it can at least lead to a north korean delegation and athletes at the olympics. lynda? >> so as you mentioned, paula, north korea certainly wants to compete in the olympics. what -- how can south korea use this as leverage? what can south korea get out of the talks? >> well, the first thing that they want is first and foremost they want north korea at the olympics. the south korean president moon

j jae-i jae-in called them the peace olympics. on the other hand, we have heard from president moon as well saying he hopes that this will lead further, that we're not just going to talk about olympics, that they're going to broaden it out, talk about the nuclear issue and also saying that he wants to bring the international community into this as well. he's already spoken to the u.s. president donald trump and has the -- effectively the blessing, if you like, from the u.s. president, saying he hopes these talks are going to be successful and that he will also be sending his own delegation, including members of his own family to the pyeongchang winter olympics so first thing to look at is the olympics, but could this sports be a stepping off point, the start of something that politics couldn't achieve?

lynda? >> could sport bring them together? paula hancocks, thank you. still ahead, from palace to prison, why saudi arabia says that it arrested 11 more princes. that story ahead here on "cnn newsroom."

welcome back. a police official says the anti-government protests are over, and most of the people have been arrested -- that have

been arrested have now been released on bail. >> this according to state media. the wave of anti-government protests started in iran just over a week ago. it led to at least 21 deaths. authorities report only 450 people were detained, but the u.s. challenges that figure. it says there were at least a thousand arrests. in saudi arabia, there has been a new round of royal arrests. authorities say that 11 princes were detained on thursday for staging a sit-in at a palace in riyadh. they were reportedly protesting blocked state payments for their water and electric bills. >> this comes after a wave of high profile arrests back in november. the government says it was part of a corruption crackdown, led by the saudi crown prince. authorities detained dozens of royals. >> gul is following the story live for us in istanbul, turkey. we have seen big rounds of arrests before.

tell us about what you've learned regarding this one. >> george, in this particular case, according to saudi arabia's attorney general, the 11 princes had gathered outside of a royal palace, and they were protesting cuts to subsidies for their electricity and water bills. as well as demanding compensation for the execution of one of their cousins, who was convicted of murder in 2016. they gathered outside of this palace, and authorities told them that their demands were unlawful. and when the princes refused to leave, they were arrested for disrupting public order and security. this all according to that statement from saudi arabia's attorney general. we don't know the identity of the princes at this time. and cnn can't independently verify that the princes were, in fact, outside of this palace,

protesting what i just mentioned. so there is still a lot that we don't know. what we do know at this point is that the context of these arrests is about how -- how this interesting time that saudi arabia is going through. over the last couple of months, we have seen that there have been social and financial reforms that saudi arabia has been trying to implement. and in november, as you mentioned earlier, there was a huge crackdown under the umbrella of corruption sweep that ensnared royals, business men, as well as senior government officials. and the shake-up in saudi arabia is thought to be led by the crown prince, mohammad bin salman. he's viewed as a young and ambitious leader who is trying to change things in the kingdom. but critics say that the corruption sweep, the alleged corruption sweep, that happened in november, as well as what we

just saw happening this week, are, in fact, a way for the crown prince to try to consolidate his power and to get rid of any challenge to his authority. george? >> gul, reporting live for us there in istanbul, turkey. thank you for the report. we'll stay in touch. the italian coast guard says it has recovered the bodies of eight migrants off the libyan coast. 84 people were rescued when their dinghy sank saturday in the mediterranean sea. they were spotted by a patrol plane taking part in an anti-smuggling operation. >> in the meantime, nigerian foreign minister says nigeria will send thousands of its citizens home from libya. many have been trapped there since trying to get to europe. they often face dire conditions and abuse including forced labor. nasa is celebrating the life of one of the most accomplished and well traveled men in its history. the former chief astronaut john young died on friday. >> he was 87 years old.

and he has spent 835 hours of his remarkable life in space. martin savidge has the details. >> reporter: when it came to space life, if anything, without john young you wouldn't have known. >> i was excited. >> i was bored to tears. >> reporter: this was one of young's last interviews, he and fellow astronaut bob griffin sat down with cnn, shortly before the space shuttle program ended. he talked about flying with griffin on that first shuttle flight, "columbia," 30 years earlier. was he worried about flying something that never flew before? >> we had ejection seats. things went really south, we could jump out. >> reporter: young was born in california, 1930, went to high school in orlando. graduated georgia tech, and entered the navy and ultimately

became a test pilot. in 1962, he was chosen as part of the first group of astronauts selected after the mercury 7. his name may not be a household one. but many inside the space program believe his accomplishments rival those of shepard, glen and armstrong. >> his legacy in american space history really is in some ways more significant than armstrong's. john's career, with nasa, is over 40 years long. and he was -- he was so important to the entire human space flight program. >> reporter: during that time, about the only thing john young didn't fly was in a mercury capsule. in 1965, he and gus grissom flew the first two-man flight on board gemini 3. he flew again on gemini 10 and apollo 10 and walked on the moon with apollo 16 in 1972.

a signature moment, duke snapped a picture as young jumped off the ground and saluted the flag. >> that's a pretty outstanding picture here, i tell you. >> come a little closer. >> okay, here we go. a big one. off the ground. >> reporter: at one point, they talked with ground control about a program on the drawing board, called the space shuttle. >> this looks like a good -- a good move here. the house passed the space budget yesterday, 277-60, a vote for a shuttle. >> reporter: nine years later he flew the first shuttle. >> john young and bob griffin are walking out of the breakfast area now. >> reporter: over the years, it always bothered young that the nation didn't press outward faster. >> sure like to see us get on with a big human space exploration of these places around that are nearby like the moon and on to mars. that would be terrific. >> reporter: young retired from nasa in 2004, 42 years after his

selection. >> he was the astronaut's astronaut. >> reporter: martin savidge, cnn.

welcome back to viewers in the united states and all around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom," it is good to have you with us. >> i'm george howell. >> i'm lynda kinkade. thank you for joining us. u.s. president donald trump pushing back against allegations he's not mentally fit for office. that unflattering image detailed in a new book "fire and fury." the president fired back saturday saying he's, quote, a very stable genius. president trump says he is open to direct talks with the

north korean leader kim jong-un. however, he says that doesn't mean that the united states is softening its position on forcing north korea to give up its nuclear program. mr. trump also praised south korea for working to open dialogue with the north, the two countries set to meet on tuesday. saudi arabia says it arrested 11 princes for staging a protest at a palace in riyadh. the attorney general says they were upset about blocked state payments for their water and electric bills. it adds they also wanted compensation for the execution of a cousin. search and rescue operations under way after an oil tanker and cargo ship collided off the china coast. this happened about 300 kilometers, about 160 nautical miles east of shanghai. all 32 people on the tanker are missing, and the vessel is still on fire. crews have rescued the 21 people on the cargo ship. we continue to follow this story. >> incredible pictures there.

michael wolff's best-selling book presents a negative image of the trump white house, portrays the president as ill-suited to lead the country. >> to write the book, wolff says he spent many hours inside the west wing of the white house over the past year. he said he interviewed about 200 people and even spoke to the president, but mr. trump disputes that. here's what he had to say. >> i hear this guy that does not know me, does not know me at all, by the way, did not interview me -- he said he interviewed me for three hours in the white house, it did not exist. it is in his imagination. what i was heartened by, because i talk about fake news and the fake news media, really the fact that so many of the people that i talk about in terms of fake news actually came to the defense of this great administration and even myself because they know the author and they know he's a fraud. and when i saw some of the people say, and you look at some

of his past books, he did a book on rupp ert measuert murdoch, a expose and false, so much of it was false, i consider it a work of fiction, i think it is a disgrace that somebody is able to have something, do something like that, the libel laws are weak in this country. >> the president calls it fake news when he doesn't like it, we follow the ethics of journalism. the president noted, though, the author michael wolff is no stranger to notoriety, part of that is due to his unconventional style. >> randi kaye has more on his often colorful and controversial career. >> this is the most extraordinary story of our time. >> reporter: once a copy boy for "the new york times," michael wolff is now media's favorite bad boy. at 64, wolff is immersed in a world of media and money, power and politics. >> he's been always been very up-front about the fact that that's who he wanted to be. he doesn't have an interest in

being kind of a shoe leather reporter. he uses media reporting or in this case political reporting as a way to hang out with the elite that he really is fascinated by. >> reporter: michelle cottle who interviewed wolff years ago describes him as part gossip columnist and part psychotherapist, whose writing is so distinctive, it is more like art. >> it is his very peculiar writing style, where he'll set the scene, so he doesn't say someone is sad asaid, and a quol say this is what they should have said, it is art he's sticking in there that makes it not quite a hard quote. >> reporter: in fact, wolff has been accused of inaccuracies in his reporting over the years and his style is anything but conventional. she says worlff doesn't work th phones like most reporters and

go on the record and off the record either. wolff had a long and polarizing career. in the 1990s, he started an internet company, since then, he's written for vanity fair, new york magazine and the guardian. most recently he worked as a columnist and media critic for the hollywood reporter and "usa today." >> there is a michael wolff here to see you. >> read michael wolff and thank your lucky star he's not writing about you. "usa today." >> this is off the record! >> reporter: wolff once wrote a scathing book about rupert murdoch calling him the whore -- >> reporter: it is that buzzie catty way of reading and writing

that readers gobble up. >> he would make really cutting personal observations about the rich and the famous and their wives and children. he once sent his child as a spy to steve ratner's house when he was writing about ratner and people were appalled, but he knows that readers love that stuff and controversy is his friend. >> reporter: and that means he's in friendly confines now. randi kaye, cnn, new york. well, still to come, that huge winter storm that hit the u.s. has airports struggling to get back on track. why international travelers have been special hard hit. remember our special night? abdominal pain... ...and diarrhea. but it's my anniversary. aw. sorry. we've got other plans. your recurring, unpredictable abdominal pain and diarrhea... ...may be irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or ibs-d. you've tried over-the-counter treatments and lifestyle changes,

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that winter storm that has just been hitting the u.s. east coast, many parts of the united states, it left many airlines scrambling to get back on track. international flights at new york's jfk have been especially hit hard. >> a picture of a wife and child arriving from paris, he tweeted can chaos at jfk had to wait six hours post landing to be able to exit the plane and now have been waiting for baggage for three hours and told it might take another four to come. he left home in paris 24 hours ago. >> certainly hope he's on his way well. another passenger sent us this picture. after a ten-hour flight and five hours stuck on the tarmac, he tweeted this, hey, it's us on brazil 8550, can we come in? you put us on a four hour tarmac time-out.

it is cold here. >> stuck on the tarmac in that ice. >> terrible. >> a spokesman says domestic flights at jfk are nearly back to normal. >> dan lieberman has more on the delays. >> reporter: we're standing outside jfk airport in new york where there has been a lot of delays, especially for international flights coming into the u.s. more than 3,000 flights have been delayed and more than 400 cancellations on saturday, all in the aftermath of this brutal storm that has hit the eastern seaboard. and a lot of this -- a lot of this is coming from international flights that have gotten backed up, coming into jfk specifically here in new york. the port authority has been trying to assist passengers and communicating with airlines, trying to get flights finally in. there has been a lot of passengers who have been going on social media, complaining, stuck on airplanes, on the tarmac, for hours, unable to get

off, all this is due to a backlog of international flights that have come in. we spoke with one passenger who was finally able to get off an airplane here in new york. here is what he had to say. >> going to the bahamas from london. and, yeah, was supposed to be here for an hour and 15 minutes and we were stuck on the runway for three hours and get our bags for two hours and i don't think the flight will be in until tomorrow. we're gearing up for the delta desk. >> what is the airline telling you here? how has the airline responded? >> well, the airlines, they're doing everything they can, really. it is the airport's chaos. >> that passenger was one of the lucky ones to make it into new york. a lot of people are still not being able to land, a lot of people are not making it into the u.s. yet. the airlines and airport here say they recommend that passengers check in with them, check in with the airline, before heading to the airport to

make sure their flights are still on time. >> all right, dan, thank you so much. amid the frigid temperatures, you got a feel for the firefighters in boston, massachusetts, fighting this big massive fire and cold weather is creating additional challenges. our meteorologist derek van dam here to tell us more about it. >> as if battling a five alarm fire wasn't enough, they have to add in temperatures at negative 2 degrees fahrenheit, negative 19 celsius. and literally the water that they're using to combat the blaze of this large multifamily home is freezing on all the surfaces that it touches. almost instantaneously. you'll be happy to know there are 14 residents that call this home and they're all accounted for and they're safe. but these pictures are really just quite astounding to see the brave firefighters here with the icicles just starting to form, even on their helmets and all of the power lines behind them. incredible. incredible to see. that gives you an indication of

how cold it is across the east coast. this has been our big story for the past several days. we still have windchill warnings and advisories from the owhio river valley through new england. this morning, the potential to set 37 record low temperatures including new york, boston, and the nation's capital as well. we get to say good-bye, though, to this arctic chill. and replace it with some mild weather as we head into the first half of the workweek. looking good into new york city, going to see that mercury and the thermometer climb above the freezing mark for a change. now, flipping to the west coast, we have a different set of circumstances to talk about. a constant plume of moisture is going to put southern california in the firing range for the potential of landslides and mudslides. remember, we had the thomas creek fires, the largest fires ever recorded in california history. and late december of last year. well, now those burn scars have created very susceptible landslide conditions and you factor in rainfall totals in excess of 3 to 5 inches, that is

a recipe for disaster. that will be a big story for us going forward over the next two to three days. taking you to south australia, where temperatures have skyrocketed into the upper 40s, that's over 115 degrees fahrenheit, a western suburb of sydney, penreth, the warmest temperature since 1979. look at how australians are dealing with the heat across this area. they have taken whatever they can, headed out to the water to chill out, i would say. >> i would not be running in those conditions. >> no. >> the beach does look good. >> there is a cold front that came through and it is also alleviated the fire threat, which is good news. >> that is good. my family in sydney finding it a bit too hot. >> they want to see the cold weather from atlanta there. >> not this cold. too cold. >> i don't think they want that. >> thank you. coming up, it is typically a night of glitz and glamour. this year, sex scandals

overshadowed one of hollywood's biggest nights. we look ahead to sunday's golden globes.

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carpet and champagne will be flowing at the 75th annual golden globes. >> a fun time. but the glitz and glamour may take a back seat as hollywood grips with a string of sexual harassment scandals. stephanie elam has a preview. >> reporter: it is that time of year, awards season in hollywood. the golden globes kick off the festivities by honoring the best in film and television from the last year. "the shape of water" leads the movie categories with seven nominations including best picture, drama. >> it is a very artful, fantastic, visually striking film. also with an actress sally hawkins who they like very much. >> reporter: the unusual romance faces off against "call me by your name," "dunkirk," "the post" and "three billboards outside ebbing, missouri". >> how long this has this been going on, this thing. >> reporter: the inclusion of "get out" stirred up some

controversy. but the racially tinged thriller was a fan favorite in theaters. >> sink into the floor. >> reporter: the box office hit is up against "the disaster artist," "the greatest showman," i, tonya" and "lady bird." for television, it is all about the ladies of "big little lies," the hbo series up for six awards, the most of any television program, including best tv movie or limited series. >> in addition to being a great show, it is also really on point with the conversation in hollywood right now. >> reporter: in fact, expect sexual harassment and sexual assault in the entertainment industry to be addressed during the show. nominees like meryl streep are planning to wear all black in support of the me too movement. >> very excited because everyone is going to be there. what's that? oh, he's not going to be there. well, that's good. nobody wants him there. >> reporter: seth meyers, who is hosting the show, is known for his politically charged comedy,

his promo posters, tout, hollywood, we have a lot to talk about, makes it clear he won't back down at the globes. >> it will be difficult to avoid having some national and presidential politics creep into what seth meyers has to say for the stage. >> reporter: a lot to expect from hollywood's biggest party. stephanie elam, cnn, hollywood. >> well, for more on hollywood's big night, richard fitzwilliam joins me from london. the red carpet, of course, always a sea of colors, reds and blues and silvers and golds. this year, women will be wearing black. it stands against sexual harassment, instead of standing up on the red carpet, they're standing up united in a movement. >> absolutely. and i think that this is a tremendously positive development, time's up is the name of the movement. it is just started following on the hash tag me too and it is a

question of the fashions, the speeches, and also the pin, this particular movement, becoming a worldwide part of pressure. no question the intention is not only in hollywood, but elsewhere, those who are predators who are responsible for harassment, watch out. and it is very important that art shows it has a purpose, if it is to mirror life, it should attack the particularly repulsive part of hollywood's complicity in what we have seen since ashley judd's courageous revelations against that monstrous harvey weinstein in the "new york times" in october. >> no doubt we'll see a lot of politically charged speeches. looking at the actual awards, it seems to be a very wide open

awards season. the most in recent history, really. doesn't seem to be a clear front-runner when it comes to a best feature, best picture. but "the post" starring meryl streep seems to be drawing a lot of attention. but there are tough contenders. >> yes, indeed. it is terrifically exciting because though we're expecting christopher nolan for "dunkirk" about the evacuation of british troops from france, the fact of the matter are that "the shape of water," a dark fantasy movie about the relationship between a mute played by sally hawkins and a sea monster, that is in with the chance. my own feeling is that the post may very well win because it has such relevance today and it also has tom hanks and meryl streep, but nolan may win for best director for "dunkirk" and also frances mcdonough for "three

billboards outside ebbing, missouri" and "call me by your name," a gay romance, a superb movie. you have five top class movies in the drama category and "lady bird" probably likely to beat "i, tonya," in the musical comedy category. >> we heard president trump got together with his cabinet and watched hugh jackman in "the greatest showman" at camp david on friday night. we have heard from hugh jackman. he says he doesn't think he's going to win best actor in a musical or comedy. he's putting his money on james franco. >> i think he's right because "the disaster artist" about the most bizarre movie that ever appeared, it is said, in hollywood, has become a cult, this is a very funny movie, done well, and i think franco will win for best actor in a musical

comedy. but i think it will be "lady bird," greta gerwig, directorial deb debut, and also important in the year where hollywood is addressing the allegations or i hope it will be, overwhelmingly this evening will be expect of harassment and abuse, the way ridley scott quickly reshot kevin spacey's part in "call me by" in -- "all the money in the world," giving christopher plummer the chance to play john paul getty, that will get him best supporting actor. >> we will wait and see. richard fitzwilliams, we'll leave it there. a lot to watch out for tonight. thanks so much. >> thank you. thanks for watching and joining us for this edition of "cnn newsroom." i'm lynda kinkade. >> i'm george howell. to our viewers in the united states, "new day" is next.

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