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    Spike Lee to present Denzel Washington with AFI Award

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1781 Views
    In this May 19, 2009 file photo, director Spike Lee, left, and Denzel Washington talk during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles. Lee will honor Washington’s illustrious career by presenting his friend and collaborator the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. AFI says Tuesday, June 4, 2019, that Lee will present the actor and director with the honor at a gala Thursday, June 6 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (AP Photo/Mark Avery, File)

    By Kate Campione

    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    Spike Lee will honor Denzel Washington's career by presenting his friend and collaborator with the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award.

    AFI said Tuesday that Lee will present the actor and director with the honor at a gala Thursday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

    Lee has directed Washington in four films, including "Malcolm X" and "Inside Man." He also worked with Washington's son, John David, on the 2019 Oscar best-picture nominee "BlacKkKlansman."

    It's a role reversal for Washington, who has helped present Lee with an honorary Oscar in 2015 and an NAACP Hall of Fame Award in 2003.

    Mahershala Ali will join a star-studded list of presenters including Morgan Freeman, Chadwick Boseman and Julia Roberts.

    The tribute will air on TNT on June 20 at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

    The 64-year-old Washington joins the ranks of Mel Brooks, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Alfred Hitchcock. Last year's AFI honoree was George Clooney.

    Tags:AFIAmerican Film InstituteDenzel WashingtonSpike Lee



    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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