Golden Globes opens with Charlie Hebdo tribute

The speech, by Theo Kingma noted a serious moment during the awards, which are largely light-hearted

Theo Kingma, president of Hollywood Foreign Press Association, received a standing ovation when he made a speech touching on the recent Paris attacks on magazine Charlie Hebdo and the Sony hack at the Golden Globes Awards ceremony.

Taking the stage, Kingma called out for freedom of speech, everywhere from North Korea to Paris.

"The freedom of artistic expression is a beacon across the globe. We stand united everywhere from North Korea to Paris," he said.

The speech noted a serious moment during the awards, which are largely light-hearted.

On Wednesday, 12 people were killed at the headquarters of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. On the red carpet of the awards, stars like George Clooney, Kathy Bates and Helen Mirren carried 'Je Suis Charlie' buttons, a slogan adopted by supporters of press freedom around the world.

After North Korea condemned 'The Interview' and hackers threatened attack on theatres showing the comedy. Sony pulled the movie, only to release it later in a limited theatrical release and digitally.

The ceremony's hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler joked about the movie during their monologue, saying North Korea's condemnation wasn't even the worst review the movie got.