Ashton Kutcher receives mixed reviews for Steve Jobs biopic
Actor Ashton Kutcher has received mixed reviews for his portrayal of Steve Jobs in a biopic of the Apple founder, which premiered at the close of this year's Sundance Film Festival.
Jobs looks at Apple's origins in the 1970s, following its founder up to the launch of the first iPod in 2001.
The closing night awards ceremony saw wins for the dramatic movie Fruitvale and the documentary Blood Brother.
Both US titles picked up audience awards and grand jury prizes.
Jobs, released in US cinemas in April, covers the rise of the successful innovator and stars Josh Gad as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
The not always flattering drama shows Jobs withholding stock options from some of the company's original employees and denying child support to the mother of his eldest child.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, critic Sebastian Doggart said that while the story is "heroic", the "episodic [and] superficial" script "makes an almighty mess of it".
"Where the film completely falls down," Doggart continues, "is in director Joshua Michael Stern's disastrous decision to cast Ashton Kutcher in the central role.
"The poverty of his skills as a serious actor is on full display. His diction is incoherent. He clumsily signposts every emotion he thinks his character should feel."
Indiewire found Kutcher's performance to be "committed" and "certainly his most impressive turn in years, which conveys the character's focused, manipulative intentions in each calculated look".
However, reviewer Eric Cohn felt the film as a whole "plays it too safe".
"The movie is constantly at war with attempts to provide an honest portrayal, almost as if its subject were reaching beyond the grave to steer any negativity back in the direction of a hagiography."
Kutcher, 34, has said he considers Jobs his most personal film to date.
Attending the film's world premiere on Friday, he said playing Steve Jobs on screen was "honestly one of the most terrifying things I've ever tried to do in my life"Hollywood Reporter reviewer Justin Lowe commended Kutcher's performance, saying he "faithfully recreates some of his character's physical mannerisms" and managed a "fair imitation of Jobs' speaking style".
He described the film as "passably entertaining" but said it failed to "break any stylistic ground".
Variety critic Justin Chang concurred, saying the film "more or less embodies the sort of bland, go-with-the-flow creative thinking Jobs himself would have scorned".
He described Kutcher's performance as "carefully judged," but said "the illusion never fully seizes hold" despite "an impressive attempt at vocal mimicry".Award winners
Fruitvale is based on the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old who was shot and killed in a public transit station in Oakland, California in 2009.
Starring Octavia Spencer, who won the best supporting actress Oscar last year for her role in civil rights drama The Help, it was written and directed by first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler.
"This project was about humanity, about human beings and how we treat each other; how we treat the people that we love the most, and how we treat the people that we don't know," said Coogler, 26.
Best documentary winner Blood Brother follows a young American, Rocky Braat, as he moves to India to work with orphans infected with HIV.
"This means so much to so many kids," said its director Steve Hoover of his film's awards.
Other winners on Saturday included Pussy Riot: a Punk Prayer, a film about Russia's feminist protest group, and The Summit, about the worst ever climbing disaster on K2.
Both films were part-funded by Storyville, BBC Four's international documentary strand.
--BBC
Royal hoax radio show cancelled
The Australian radio show that made the hoax call to the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge in December has been cancelled.
2Day FM's Hot 30 programme had been taken off air following the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who was found hanged after forwarding the call.
The broadcaster said a new show, hosted by a different DJ, would fill the slot.
Michael Christian and Mel Greig, the DJs who made the call, were still employed by the station, it added.
The pair have been on leave since the incident and a music-based show without a host DJ has been broadcast in their show's place.
"We look forward to Mel and MC returning to work when the time is right, in roles that make full use of their talents," said Rhys Holleran of Southern Cross Austereo, owner of 2Day FM.
"We will discuss future roles with them when they are ready,"
The duchess was being treated at King Edward VII's Hospital for an extreme form of morning sickness when Christian and Greig made their prank call pretending to be members of the Royal Family.
Mrs Saldanha answered the call and put them through to another nurse who gave an update on the duchess's condition.
Mrs Saldanha was found hanged three days later.
Last month the Australian media watchdog launched a formal inquiry to examine whether any broadcasting rules had been breached.
2Day FM also pledged to give at least 500,000 Australian dollars (£330,600) from its advertising profits to the family of Mrs Saldanha.
US Senators Unveil Plan for Immigration Reform
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A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has unveiled a plan for immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those currently in the country illegally.
One of the eight senators, Charles Schumer, described it as a tough but fair plan for citizenship. At a Washington news conference Monday, the New York Democrat said President Barack Obama is pleased with the compromise.
Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, said lawmakers have an obligation to address the situation of the 11 million people in the country illegally while being fair to those seeking citizenship though legal channels.
The senators say the U.S. immigration system is "broken." They released their proposal ahead of President Obama's Tuesday speech urging action on immigration reform.
Under the plan, illegal immigrants would register with the government, pass a background check, pay fines and back taxes, and complete other steps to earn a probationary status that would allow them to legally live and work in the United States. They would then be placed at the back of the line for those seeking a so-called green card as a permanent legal resident.
The plan includes exceptions for those who entered the country as children, as well as for agricultural workers who the senators say play an important role in maintaining the nation's food supply.
The new plan also includes increased immigration enforcement.
There is also a provision to create an effective system for employers to verify that workers are legal. Another system would be set up to ensure those who enter the country on short-term visas leave when their approved time is up.
In addition to senators Schumer and Rubio, the others who worked on the proposal are Democrats Dick Durbin, Robert Menendez and Michael Bennet, and Republicans John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Jeff Flake. They represent some of the states most affected by illegal migration, including Arizona, Florida, South Carolina and New York.
Their proposal says the 11 million undocumented immigrants came "almost exclusively for jobs."
The plan would allow employers to hire lower-skilled workers for positions that Americans are unavailable or unwilling to take. It would also give permanent resident status to those who earn a doctorate or master's degree in science, engineering or math from a U.S. university, in a bid to retain more "future innovators and entrepreneurs."
The senators also want to reduce backlogs in family and employment visas, saying those efforts would help future immigrants see a legal path as the only route to entering the United States.
Chris Brown being investigated
Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown is under investigation for an alleged assault in a West Hollywood parking lot, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said early today.
Deputies responding to a report of six men fighting Sunday night found the scene clear, but were told by witnesses there had been a brief fight over a parking space.
"The altercation allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim," the department said in a statement released early Monday morning.
The "victim" wasn't identified, but the celebrity website TMZ, which first reported the fight outside the Westlake Recording Studio, said it also involved Frank Ocean, one of the top nominees at the Grammy Awards next month.
In a Twitter posting later, Ocean said he "got jumped by (Brown) and a couple guys" and suffered a finger cut.
It wasn't Brown’s first problem in the run-up to the Grammys. His attack on singer Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 awards event overshadowed the show.
Last June, he was injured in a brawl with members of hip-hop star Drake's entourage at a New York nightclub.
No arrests were made. Brown was gone by the time deputies arrived but the department said the investigation is ongoing and Brown would be contacted later. (AP)
Brazil Arrests 4 After Deadly Nightclub Blaze
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Police in Brazil have arrested four people in connection with a nightclub fire that killed 231 people early Sunday.
Two club owners and two members of the band that was playing when the blaze broke out are in police custody.
The fire quickly swept through the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, in the far south of the country, trapping people who fled to the only unlocked exit. Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation or were trampled. More than 100 people were injured.
The club was filled with university students. Survivors say a band member shot fireworks toward the ceiling, triggering the blaze that engulfed the building.
Family members have begun the grim task of burying their loved ones.
As the country mourns, Brazil canceled an event scheduled for Monday in the capital, Brasilia, marking the 500-day countdown to its hosting of the 2014 World Cup.
The disaster comes at a time Brazil is trying to show the rest of the world it is prepared to host next year's World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff cut short a visit to Chile early Sunday to return home.
Santa Maria is a major university city with a population of about 250,000, located near the borders with Argentina and Uruguay.
The fire is among the deadliest in a nightclub. A blaze in China in 2000 killed 309 people and one in Argentina in 2004 killed 194.
Bahamians vote in referendum
Bahamians voted in a referendum Monday on whether or not to legalise web-shop gambling and a national lottery following a campaign that mirrors a general election in the country.
The ruling Progressive Liberal party (PLP) of Prime Minister Perry Christie is urging voters to give his administration the nod to introduce the measure which it said would provide employment and significant revenue to The Bahamas.
But the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) wants voters to vote “No” accusing the government of having its priorities wrong.
National Security Minister Dr Bernard J. Nottage, the latest government minister to back the initiative, said that the result of the poll will be determined by a simple majority of the number of “Yes” versus the number of “No” votes for each question.
“As there are no candidates, there will be no election agents in this referendum. Instead, the regulations empower the Minister to appoint a maximum of three Local Observers per polling station with a view to ensuring the fairness of the process,” he said. (CMC)
Biggest seizure of liquid drug in UK history at Gatwick Airport
Border officials have found an £8million haul of liquid cocaine hidden in tins of carrot juice at Gatwick Airport. The UK Border Agency believes it is the biggest seizure of its kind in British history.
Staff made the discovery while carrying out checks on a cargo flight which had arrived from Jamaica this month. The drugs weighed around 80kilos and would have been worth around £8million once cut and sold on the street.
During an investigation led by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), the shipment was tracked to a number of addresses across London before arriving at premises in Beckenham, south London two days later.
Officers carried out raids on a number of properties and said they found evidence of previous shipments as well as large quantities of cash.
William Hayles, 50, and Randall St Patrick Lewis, 52, have been charged with conspiracy to import controlled drugs, and were remanded in custody until April 26, when they will appear at the Old Bailey, London.
Three people were bailed pending further inquiries.
Border Force South Director, Carole Upshall, said: 'This was a major seizure and it demonstrates how Border Force officers are on constant alert to keep illegal drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.
Poll shows Grenada Opposition could win February General Elections
The main opposition New National Party (NNP) is likely to A poll conducted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Research Services Inc (CADRES) predicts that the New National Party, which lost the 2008 election in Grenada, is now benefitting from an 11 per cent swing away from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
If this poll is correct the NNP is likely to win the February 19 general elections with more seats than it had before it was swept out of power in 2008.
Below is the official press release from CADRES
PRESS RELEASE
Against the background of widespread speculation surrounding the outcome of the February 19th General Election in Grenada, CADRES conducted a survey of public political opinion there between the 18th and 21st of January 2013 in all fifteen constituencies.
The survey was designed to gauge the national mood, and employed a methodology similar to that which has been successfully employed by CADRES across the region.
Since the survey was conducted after Parliament was dissolved and, indeed, after the date of the election was announced, it would capture the contemporary mood of Grenadians and is likely to be a good indicator of the voting intentions of Grenadians upcoming election.
The major political finding of the survey is that there has been a decisive swing against the governing NDC which CADRES measured at 11%. The opposition NNP is the sole beneficiary of this swing away from the NDC and this demonstrates that the two-party political conversation is still very much a reality in Grenada; it further indicates that the NDC off-shoot the National Unity Front (NUF) has not at this time stimulated the political interest of Grenadians.
The projected 11% swing towards the NNP needs to be placed in the context of the previous (2008) election when the swing against the NNP was -0.4% but was significant enough to cause its defeat.
On this occasion the political pendulum has swung in the opposite direction, and it would appear as though Grenadians will return the NNP to office with a majority that is more generous than that which it enjoyed before the 2008 election.
The poll also illuminated the basis of Grenadians political opinions at this time, and it is clear that their current primary concern is with matters of an economic nature. The single largest quantity of persons in the survey (48%) were most concerned about the Cost of Living at this time, while a further 23% are concerned about Employment and 15% about the Economy.
Cumulatively it can be seen that 86% of Grenadians are preoccupied with matters of an economic nature at this time and have presumably cast blame on the Governing NDC for these problems in much the same way that governments have been held accountable regionally and internationally for the recession.
Consistent with this view, some 49% of Grenadians polled indicated that they believed that Grenada was currently on the “Wrong Track”, with 25% believing the country to be on the “Right Track”, and the remainder (27%) declining to answer the question.
Although this broad preoccupation with economic matters appears to be largely responsible for the swing away from the NDC, the poll also speaks to other related issues and one such issue is the extent to which Grenadians have confidence in the governing and opposing political parties.
At this time, 30% of Grenadians still repose confidence in the NDC, while 49% have confidence in the NNP to run their affairs, which suggests that Grenadians do not believe that the NDC has the capacity to help them navigate these tempestuous economic waters.
Another political indicator that always generates interest is the question of leadership, which CADRES measured from several perspectives. Critically, the survey found that 57% of Grenadians would prefer Dr. Keith Mitchell to be their Prime Minister, while 33% would prefer Mr. Tillman Thomas to remain as Prime Minister.
In addition CADRES asked respondents to “score” the two leaders on a scale ranging from “1” to “10” as it relates to Competence, Integrity and overall Likeability for leadership. In this regard Dr Mitchel outperformed PM Thomas in all three instances, scoring 7.5 versus 6.0 for Competence, 6.7 versus 6.3 for Integrity and 7.1 versus 6.2 for overall Likeability.
Certainly these scores buttress the argument that in Grenada performance appears to impact on all other relevant political perceptions.
Naturally Grenadians are curious about the extent to which the foregoing will impact on specific constituencies nationally; however CADRES cautions that this survey was not designed to speak to constituency outcomes.
We would however admit that the data collected at the constituency level is consistent with the national trends which at this time point to a change of government.
The margin of victory at the national level will however depend largely on the extent to which individual candidates apply themselves over the next three weeks of this campaign.
Calypsonian Penguin is dead
Trinidad and Tobago has lost one of its veteran calypsonians.
Seadley Joseph, known in the arena as Penguin is said to have died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Trinidad
Penguin won the Road March title in 1982 with the song "A Deputy Essential." He won the Calypso Crown in 1984 with "We Living in Jail" and "Soft Man."
Other hits by this veteran include "Telco Poops" in 1979. In 1980 "Look The Devil Dey".
In 1982 he had an album "Life Is A Lollipop" which featured hits such as "Betty Goaty." "A Deputy Essential", and "Whe Whe Banker."
Guatemalan Judge Orders ex-President Tried for Genocide
A Guatemalan judge has ordered former dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt be tried for the genocide of nearly 2,000 indigenous Mayans in the early 1980s.
This is the first time a Latin American court has charged a former president with mass murder and crimes against humanity.
Rios Montt has been under house arrest since he lost re-election to the Guatemalan congress last year. He was immune from prosecution as a member of congress.
The 86-year-old former dictator is accused of being behind a so-called "scorched earth" policy in 1982 and 1983, when Guatemalan forces marched through Mayan villages and slaughtered women, children, and unarmed men. Many of the victims were raped or tortured.
Rios Montt and other top Guatemalan officials believed the Mayans were helping leftist guerrillas who were trying to topple the right-wing government.
The United Nations says more than 200,000 people were killed during the 36-year-long Guatemalan civil war, which finally ended in 1996.