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    “La La Land” to screen as centerpiece gala at AFI Fest

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2626 Views
    This image released by Summit Entertainment shows Ryan Gosling, right, and Emma Stone in a scene from "La La Land," in theaters on December 2. (Dale Robinette/Summit Entertainment via AP)
    LOS ANGELES --

    The American Film Institute (AFI) announced that La La Land will screen as a Centerpiece Gala at AFI Fest 2016. The film — from Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label — is directed by Academy Award nominee Damien Chazelle and stars Academy Award nominees Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. It will screen on Tuesday, November 15, at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

    La La Land tells the story of Mia (Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern-day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.

    There’s no denying that music courses through the veins of director/writer Chazelle. His debut, Guy And Madeline On A Park Bench (2009), was a loving ode to the city of New York, and to being young and in love; and his follow-up feature, Whiplash (2014), took audiences by storm with its intense take on a young drummer’s self-destructively ambitious pursuit of music-making. 

    Tags:AFI FestDamien ChazelleLa La Land



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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