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    Travolta to get Cinema Icon Award at Cannes Film Festival

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2252 Views
    In this Jan. 6, 2017 file photo, John Travolta arrives at the AFI Awards at the Four Seasons Hotel on in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    For John Travolta, "icon" will be the word at the Cannes Film Festival.

    Trade publication Variety said Friday that Travolta will receive its inaugural Cinema Icon Award at this month's festival in France.

    Steven Gaydos, Variety vice president and executive editor, said in a statement that Travolta's long career, popularity and honors "splendidly qualify" him for the recognition.

    Travolta received an Oscar nomination for his star-making turn in 1977's "Saturday Night Fever" and another for 1994's "Pulp Fiction."

    "Grease," released in 1978 and starring Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, is among the biggest movie musical hits ever.

    Travolta will receive the Cinema Icon Award on May 15, following the premiere at Cannes of his new film, "Gotti."

    Pitbull, who composed the film's score, will perform at the award event.

    Tags:Cannes Film FestivalCinema Icon AwardJohn Travolta



    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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