Gravity and 12 Years a Slave have tied for the top prize at this year’s Producer’s Guild of America (PGA) Awards.
It is the first time the guild has declared a tie for best film in its 25-year history, another indicator that this year’s Oscars race is wide open.
The PGA has correctly picked the film that has gone on to win best picture at the Oscars for the last six years.
Disney’s Frozen won best animation and Behind the Candelabra won best TV film.
ABC’s Modern Family picked up the best episodic comedy award, while Breaking Bad won for best episodic TV drama.
Gravity and 12 Years a Slave have tied for the top prize at this year’s Producer’s Guild of America Awards
James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson were among those given special honors for their contribution to film.
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks, scooped best documentary, while The Voice won best competitive TV series.
Other winners included Sesame Street, which won outstanding children’s program.
The PGA Awards followed hot on the tails of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which also took place this weekend – SAG voters eschewed both Gravity and 12 Years a Slave, choosing instead 1970s crime caper American Hustle for its top honor.
The Oscars will take place on March 2. Voting among the 6,000 members runs from February 14 to 25.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has agreed to talk with pro-EU protesters and opposition leaders after violent clashes in Kiev.
Viktor Yanukovych said a cross-party commission would be set up on Monday to try to resolve the deepening crisis. Opposition leaders confirmed this.
Earlier, a group of protesters – trying to reach parliament – clashed with police. Dozens of people were injured.
The US and EU called for an end to the violence and urgent political talks.
The violence broke out as many thousands of protesters held a rally in Kiev’s Independence Square, outraged by new laws which they said restricted basic freedoms.
The ruling party of Viktor Yanukovych denies this, saying the legislature is in line with European standards.
However, Western countries have expressed deep concern at the new laws.
The anti-government movement began in protest at Viktor Yanukovych’s decision in late November to pull out of a landmark treaty with the EU, but has expanded to demand his resignation.
President Viktor Yanukovych has agreed to talk with pro-EU protesters and opposition leaders after violent clashes in Kiev
Late on Sunday, President Viktor Yanukovych’s press office said a “working group” headed by National Security and Defense Secretary Andriy Kluyev would be set up.
It said the group – made of members of government and the presidential administration – would meet opposition representatives on Monday to try to resolve the crisis.
Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko confirmed this after meeting President Viktor Yanukovych at his residence outside Kiev.
“We must use every opportunity to resolve the crisis peacefully,” the former world heavyweight boxing champion, who leads the Udar party, told Ukraine’s Hromadske TV.
He warned against a “scenario of force”, adding that he “didn’t rule out the possibility of a civil war”.
Arseniy Yatseniuk, another opposition leader, said Viktor Yanukovych personally called him to say that he was ready for talks.
However, the opposition warned that the talks must produce real results and not be an opportunity for the president to play for time. The opposition is demanding the resignation of the government and snap presidential elections.
But opposition leaders are under huge pressure to come up with an action plan, amid criticism from many activists that their campaign has been too passive.
Iran has started restricting its uranium enrichment, state TV says, under an agreement which will also trigger an easing of international sanctions.
Centrifuges used for enrichment were disconnected at the Nantaz plant, according to TV.
The move is part of a deal reached with the US, Russia, China and European powers last November.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, will now confirm whether Tehran is implementing its side of the agreement.
This should pave the way for partial suspension of EU and US sanctions, allowing Iran to restart petrochemical exports and trade in gold, worth billions of dollars.
“The IAEA inspectors in the Natanz plant are disconnecting cascades,” the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said.
“The sanctions iceberg against Iran is melting.”
The West accuses Teheran of seeking nuclear weapons, but it denies the claim, saying its program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Verification by IAEA inspectors that the terms of the deal are being implemented by Teheran is expected to happen by the end of Monday.
Iran has started restricting its uranium enrichment under an agreement which will also trigger an easing of international sanctions
Within an hour or two restrictions on Iran’s trade would then be lifted.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped for “positive results for the country, as well as regional and global peace and security”.
Under the terms of the agreement, reached with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, Iran has agreed to halt enrichment of uranium above 5% purity.
It will “neutralize” its stockpile of near-20%-enriched uranium.
In return, the world powers agreed to suspend certain sanctions on trade in gold and precious metals, Iran’s automotive sector, and its petrochemical exports.
Officials said as a result of the deal:
From Monday, Iran starts diluting its stockpile of 20%-enriched uranium
All 20%-enriched uranium will be gone within six months
Daily access will be provided to the Fordo uranium enrichment site near the holy city of Qom
Monthly inspections will be allowed at the Arak heavy water reactor
In return, US President Barack Obama has said the US and the other five powers over the next six months will begin to implement “modest relief” so long as Iran fulfill its obligations.
Shashi Tharoor, whose wife Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a Delhi hotel room on Friday, has called for a swift investigation so that the truth “emerges at the earliest”.
The Indian minister has appeared before a magistrate probing the death of Sunanda Pushkar.
An autopsy found “injury marks” on Sunanda Pushkar’s body, but did not say if they were linked to her death.
The couple became embroiled in a row on Wednesday after Twitter messages suggested Shashi Tharoor was having an affair.
Shashi Tharoor wrote to India’s home minister over the weekend urging him to “issue instructions to the relevant authorities to expedite their investigations and come to a rapid conclusion so that the truth emerges at the earliest”.
He said he was “horrified to read the reckless speculation” over the death in the media.
“I pledge my full and unstinting cooperation. Nothing short of the truth will end the indignity to which my wife and I are being subject at a time when all I seek is to be allowed to grieve in private with her and my near and dear ones,” Shashi Tharoor wrote.
Shashi Tharoor has appeared before a magistrate probing the death of Sunanda Pushkar
On Sunday, Shashi Tharoor gave his testimony to a magistrate who is leading the inquest into Sunanda Pushkar’s death.
Doctors said the autopsy showed “certain injury marks on the body of Ms Pushkar, but the nature of these cannot be revealed”.
They said that initial results showed no sign of poison in her body, but more tests would be carried out.
A public row broke out on Wednesday when seemingly private messages between Shashi Tharoor and Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar were published on his Twitter feed.
Sunanda Pushkar, 52, said she had gone into her husband’s account and published the messages.
She accused Mehr Tarar of stalking her husband – an allegation denied by the Pakistani journalist.
Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor later insisted they were happily married and blamed “unauthorized tweets” for causing confusion.
Shashi Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team.
Sunanda Pushkar had allegedly received a free stake in the Indian Premier League franchise he was bidding for.
Shashi Tharoor was appointed minister of state for human resource development in 2012.
China’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 7.7% in 2013 from a year ago, the slowest pace of growth since 1999, official figures show.
Chinese economy is the world’s second largest.
The growth rate was higher than the government’s target of 7.5% and the same as in 2012.
The data highlights the challenge policymakers face in sustaining China’s high growth rate as they look to rebalance the economy.
Many analysts expect the country’s growth rate to slow as it takes steps to move away from an investment-led growth model to one driven by domestic consumption.
China’s growth rate slowed to an annual rate of 7.7% in the October-to-December quarter, down from 7.8% in the previous three months.
“The figure showed China’s economy had touched the bottom in the third quarter of 2013 and then stabilized in the end of last year,” said Li Huiyong, an economist with Shenyin & Wanguo Securities in Shanghai.
“We expect the trend will continue in 2014 as the policymakers [are] determined to push forward the reforms to maintain stable economic growth.
“We maintain our 2014 GDP growth forecast of 7.5% as we still need to be on guard for the risks from debt problems in the economy.”
China’s economy grew at its slowest pace in 14 years in 2013
A government-led investment boom has been a main factor driving China’s growth in recent years.
Chinese banks, especially the big four state-owned lenders, lent record sums of money in the years after the global financial crisis in an attempt to sustain the country’s high growth rate.
However, there have been concerns that part of that money has gone towards unproductive investments and that banks may not be able to recover those loans.
The fear among many is that a jump in bad loans – ones that cannot be repaid – would not only hurt the country’s banking sector, but also have a big impact on its overall growth.
There are also concerns over the growth of shadow banking – lending by non-banking companies – in the country.
Critics have warned that shadow banking makes credit less transparent and poses a major risk to China’s economic growth.
Earlier this month, various media reports indicated that China had drafted rules calling for greater supervision and monitoring of the shadow banks.
Banks have been told to publish data on 12 key indicators, including off-balance-sheet assets, to enhance their transparency.
Many analysts have said that curbing lending growth to address these concerns could would probably have a negative impact on China’s economic growth.
Nearly 70 years ago, 14-year-old George Junius Stinney Jr. from South Carolina was convicted of murdering two white girls in a one-day trial in which his lawyers called no witnesses, and executed by electrocution.
Back in 2014, attorneys in South Carolina say they have fresh evidence that warrants a new trial in the case of George Junius Stinney Jr.
George Stinney Jr. was the youngest person to be executed in the US in the last century, and attorneys say the request for another trial so long after a defendant’s death is the first of its kind in the state.
No official record of the original court proceedings exists; no trial participants are alive, and no evidence was preserved. The law is unclear on whether any statute of limitations would prevent the case from being reopened.
Despite those obstacles, attorneys for George Stinney’s family will argue at a hearing Tuesday that the crime that rocked the small mill town of Alcolu in 1944 deserves another look.
The defense filed its motion requesting a new trial in October based on newly discovered evidence. Since then, new witnesses who could help exonerate George Stinney have come forward, including a former cellmate who says the teen told him police forced his confession, attorneys said.
The defense also is relying on old newspaper accounts and a few records in state and county archives to make their case to a judge in Sumter, about 20 miles from the town where George Stinney was tried and convicted.
George Stinney Jr. was the youngest person to be executed in the US in the last century
Lawyers said they had determined George Stinney was convicted solely on testimony by police who said the teen confessed to killing Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thames, 7. The two girls disappeared on March 23, 1944, after leaving home on their bicycles to look for wildflowers.
The girls rode a distance of about a mile to a railroad track that divided the segregated town, according to the defense’s account of the case in court records.
George Stinney and his younger sister Amie were sitting on the tracks as their family cow grazed nearby. Amie recalls the girls asking where they could find flowers before both pairs of children went their separate ways.
Betty June Binnicker and Mary Emma Thames never returned home. A search party found their bodies the next morning in a shallow ditch behind a church. Their skulls had been crushed and the bicycles laid on top of them.
After George Stinney told someone he had seen the girls along the railroad tracks, he was picked up by police and held for five days before being arrested, said Matthew Burgess, one of the attorneys seeking a new trial.
The teen’s family was run out of town, and his siblings never saw him again.
George Stinney’s lawyers called no witnesses during his day-long trial a month after the murders, according to the current defense team, and a jury of white men deliberated for only 10 minutes before finding him guilty.
Then-governor Olin D. Johnston refused to grant clemency.
George Stinney, who weighed just 95 pounds, was executed by electrocution in June 1944.
Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III, the prosecutor who will appear at the hearing this week for the state, said the case was the most interesting one ever to cross his desk. But he said he will argue that no information about the original trial exists to show it had been conducted improperly.
Relatives of Betty June Binnicker, one of the girls killed, do not want the case revisited without good reason.
George Stinney’s sister, Amie Ruffner, now in her 70s and living in New Jersey, will testify that Stinney was with her the entire day of the murders and could not have killed the girls.
Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter celebrated her second birthday and her mother shared a picture of Blue Ivy Carter’s new rides – a Cadillac and Ferrari.
Beyonce, 32, posted photos of the mini cars via Tumblr on Friday.
In the photo, Blue Ivy’s new wheels are parked next to one another. Her blue Ferrari is personalized with “Blue Ivy Baby Slab” written on the front windshield, with “BABY SLAB” adorning the black interior seats. Blue Ivy’s shiny pink Cadillac, meanwhile, is twice the size of her sports car. The Fisher-Price toy features gold detailing and cotton candy-colored interior seats.
Blue Ivy Carter’s new rides
Beyonce and Jay-Z marked Blue Ivy’s birthday with a blow-out bash at Jungle Island, an interactive wildlife park and botanical garden in Miami, Florida on January 7.
Blue Ivy’s birthday party included Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, with all the ladies sporting painted faces of butterflies and flowers.
The big screen’s team-up Superman vs. Batman has been delayed by almost a year, film studio Warner Bros has confirmed.
Originally scheduled for July 2015, Superman vs. Batman release date is now set for May 6, 2016.
A sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel, the as-yet-untitled film sees Ben Affleck stepping into the Batman role, next to Henry Cavill’s Superman.
It was reported the delay was triggered by Ben Affleck sustaining a leg injury, but that has been dismissed by the studio.
Instead, the release date has been pushed back to “allow the filmmakers time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story,” it said.
The film has recently gained a third superhero – with Fast and Furious star Gal Gadot signed up to play Wonder Woman.
Originally scheduled for July 2015, Superman vs. Batman release date is now set for May 6, 2016
Filming had already started before the announcement, with some incidental footage of an American Football game shot before Christmas.
However, director Zack Snyder was not due to call “action” on the main scenes until spring.
The move away from 2015 means the Superman vs. Batman blockbuster avoids a crowded marketplace, with new installments of The Avengers, Terminator, Jurassic Park and Fast and Furious all scheduled to hit cinemas over the summer.
Warner Bros says it will still make use of the July 17 date, scheduling a new Peter Pan film by director Joe Wright for that weekend.
Meanwhile, Superman‘s release date had already been earmarked for an as-yet-unannounced film from comic book rivals Marvel – which could mean a superhero stand-off at the box office, as well as on the silver screen.
American Hustle won the top prize at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Representing his co-stars, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams and Christian Bale, actor Bradley Cooper praised film director David O. Russell.
As actors form the biggest voting bloc in the Oscars, the SAG awards are seen as a key indicator for that ceremony.
Last year, the guild chose hostage drama Argo for its top honor, with that film going on to receive the Academy Award for best picture.
However, this year’s field is more competitive – with 12 Years a Slave and Gravity expected to give American Hustle‘s A-list cast a run for their money when the Oscars roll around on 2 March.
Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, who plays an abused plantation worker in 12 Years a Slave, was given the best supporting actress award by SAG voters.
The Kenyan actress also thanked her director, British film-maker Steve McQueen, “for taking a flashlight and shining it underneath the floorboards of this nation and reminding us what it is we stand on”.
Both best actor and best supporting actor went to the stars of Dallas Buyers Club, a small film that cost just $4 million to make.
American Hustle won the top prize at this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards
The film is based on the true story of a homophobic Texan who gets AIDS and smuggles unapproved anti-HIV drugs into the US in the 1980s.
Matthew McConaughey, in the lead role, and Jared Leto both endured dramatic weight loss to play their parts.
Cate Blanchett took home the best actress prize for her complex, cracked portrayal of a socialite fallen on hard times in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine.
It was Cate Blanchett’s 17th best actress prize of the awards season – and she is considered a near-certainty for the trophy at both the BAFTAs and Oscars.
The SAG Awards also recognize actors working in TV, with sitcom Modern Family winning best ensemble in a comedy series and best male actor in a comedy series for Ty Burrell’s dumb-but-loveable patriarch Phil Dunphy.
Accepting the show’s cast award – its fourth in a row – Colombian star Sofia Vergara said the honor was “mind-blowing”, adding: “I can barely speak English.”
Breaking Bad, which left TV screens last year, continued its victory lap around the awards shows, winning outstanding dramatic cast and for best lead actor Bryan Cranston, for his indelible performance as teacher-turned-meth dealer, Walter White.
Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren won best actress awards for Downton Abbey and the TV movie Phil Spector respectively.
Michael Douglas picked up a best actor prize in the TV category for his performance as Liberace in the movie Behind The Candelabra, which was only shown on cable channel HBO.
The lifetime achievement award was given to Rita Moreno, the 81-year-old actress who played Anita del Carmen in West Side Story, alongside roles in Singin’ in the Rain and The King and I, and on Broadway in The Ritz and The Odd Couple.
Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has decided to return to the centre of the political stage, striking a reform deal with a centre-left rival.
Silvio Berlusconi, 77, was thrown out of parliament in 2013 after a tax fraud conviction.
The former prime minister still heads the opposition Forza Italia party and held lengthy talks with Democratic Party (PD) leader Matteo Renzi late on Saturday.
Under their agreement, Silvio Berlusconi will back electoral and constitutional proposals aimed at making Italy more governable.
The current electoral system has left Italy with a series of shaky coalitions.
Last year’s general election left no party strong enough to govern alone, until a broad coalition emerged, headed by Enrico Letta of the PD.
Silvio Berlusconi has agreed with centre-left rival Matteo Renzi over a reform deal
Silvio Berlusconi was initially part of the government but later pulled out. Several key former allies abandoned him to form the New Centre Right party while he became a more marginalized figure.
But he remained head of Italy’s biggest opposition faction, Forza Italia.
Matteo Renzi’s talks with the former centre-right prime minister have divided the coalition, and the PD in particular.
His car was hit with an egg and he was booed as he arrived at PD headquarters.
After the talks Silvio Berlusconi said the deal would “consolidate the biggest parties and simplify the political system”.
Matteo Renzi said the two leaders had backed a law that “favors governability and a bi-polar system, and eliminates the blackmail power of the smallest parties”.
Silvio Berlusconi is keen to make a political comeback despite his fraud conviction and a separate conviction for paying an underage prostitute. He is appealing against a seven-year jail term.
Large crowds of pro-EU demonstrators rallying against new laws which aim to curb public protests in Ukraine have clashed with police in Kiev.
Stun grenades and flares were thrown as groups of people headed for parliament, which was cordoned off by rows of police and buses.
Opposition politician Vitali Klitschko tried to stop attacks on police.
The laws were passed with a quick show of hands on Thursday by MPs loyal to President Viktor Yanukovych.
The opposition accused the ruling party of a coup.
US and EU officials have expressed deep concern at the new legislation.
Ukraine’s current anti-government movement began in protest at Viktor Yanukovych’s decision in late November to pull out of a landmark treaty with the EU, but has expanded to demand his resignation.
Large crowds of pro-EU demonstrators rallying against new laws which aim to curb public protests in Ukraine have clashed with police in Kiev
Sunday’s rally in Kiev, attended by tens of thousands, heard calls from opposition politicians to disregard the new laws curbing protests that pro-EU demonstrators have been staging for the past two months.
Clashes erupted as some people headed away from the main square towards parliament, encountering cordons set up by police. Live TV pictures showed them attempting to overturn a bus used by police. The bus was set on fire after petrol bombs were thrown.
Interior Ministry spokesman Serhiy Burlakov blamed “provocateurs and extremists” for the confrontations and urged people not to follow their lead.
Police were filming everything and had opened criminal proceedings under Article 294 (organization of mass riots), the Interior Ministry said.
Earlier the rally on the main square heard a call from a former Ukrainian navy chief for members of the armed forces to defy “illegal” orders from those in power, Unian news agency reported.
Rear Adm Ihor Tenyukh, who was sacked by President Yanukovych in 2010, warned of the dangers posed by the “coup d’etat planned by the current authorities”.
“Tomorrow the regime will enslave you too. Therefore we are calling on you to fulfill your military oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people and not to the authorities who have gone off the rails,” he was quoted as saying.
Opposition leaders are under huge pressure to come up with an action plan, amid criticism from many activists that their campaign has been too passive.
The new curbs on protests, which have been signed into law by the president, include:
A ban on the unauthorized installation of tents, stages or amplifiers in public places
Provision to arrest protesters wearing masks or helmets
A ban on protests involving more than five vehicles in convoy
Hefty fines or jail for breaches of law
The protesters have been camping out behind extensive barricades on the Euromaidan, as Independence Square has been dubbed, for nearly two months.
During an interview with a German television, President Barack Obama has said he will not let controversial NSA surveillance undermine Washington’s ties with Germany.
Speaking to Germany’s ZDF TV, Barack Obama indicated that US bugging of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone had been a mistake and would not happen again.
After the row broke out last year, Angela Merkel accused the US of an unacceptable breach of trust.
On Friday, Barack Obama ordered curbs on how intelligence was being collected.
On Saturday, he told ZDF: “I don’t need and don’t want to harm that (US-German) relationship by a surveillance mechanism that somehow would impede the kind of communication and trust that we have.”
Speaking to Germany’s ZDF TV, Barack Obama indicated that US bugging of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone had been a mistake and would not happen again
“As long as I’m president of the United States, the chancellor of Germany will not have to worry about this.”
Barack Obama added the US intelligence services, like all others, would continue to be interested in what world governments’ intentions were.
“There is no point in having an intelligence service if you are restricted to the things that you can read in the New York Times or Der Spiegel,” he said.
“The truth of the matter is that by definition the job of intelligence is to find out: Well, what are folks thinking? What are they doing?”
Barack Obama said he and Chancellor Angela Merkel might not always be of the same opinion but that was not a “reason to wiretap”.
The interview was broadcast a day after Barack Obama ordered restrictions on the use of bulk data collected by US intelligence agencies, saying civil liberties must be respected.
A Pakistani bomb blast that struck an army convoy in north-western part of the country has killed at least 20 soldiers, sources in the security forces say.
At least 24 others were injured in the explosion near the town of Bannu, with fears the death toll will rise.
The source of the explosion is still being investigated.
Pakistan’s Taliban said they had carried out the attack as part of a “fight against a secular system” and promised “many more such attacks”.
At least 20 soldiers have been killed in north-western Pakistan in a bomb blast that struck an army convoy
Soldiers and paramilitary Frontier Corps were preparing to leave Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, for Razmak in North Waziristan when their convoy was rocked by the blast.
“The explosion took place in one of the vehicles of the convoy,” an unnamed senior security official told AFP.
“We are trying to ascertain the exact nature of the explosion, whether it was a planted device or a suicide attack.”
A military source told Reuters news agency the soldiers had been travelling in a hired civilian vehicle.
Speaking to Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location, Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said: “With the help of God we claim responsibility for this.
“The army is our enemy. We will carry out many more attacks like this again.”
Last week, a senior police officer known for campaigning against the militants was killed in a bomb blast in Karachi.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from historic village of Laerdalsoyri in southern Norway as a raging fire threatens its unique wooden buildings.
Flames spread rapidly after the fire began overnight in a house in Laerdalsoyri, a village of 1,150 people in Laerdal, on Sognefjord fjord.
At least 52 people received hospital treatment but no deaths were reported.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from historic village of Laerdalsoyri in southern Norway as a raging fire threatens its unique wooden buildings
Flames have spread to at least 23 buildings, fanned by strong winds, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reports.
Emergency services are counting on the arrival of a firefighting helicopter on Sunday to help contain the blaze, while local farmers are helping the firefighters.
The Laerdal district contains a stave church and many other historic wooden buildings, hundreds of years old, much visited by tourists.
“Holy Grail” — Shawn Carter, Terius Nash, J. Harmon, Timothy Mosley, Justin Timberlake & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl & Krist Novoselic, songwriters) (Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake)
“New Slaves” — Christopher Breaux, Ben Bronfman, Mike Dean, Louis Johnson, Malik Jones, Elon Rutberg, Sakiya Sandifer, Che Smith, Kanye West & Cydell Young, songwriters (Anna Adamis & Gabor Presser, songwriters) (Kanye West)
“Started From The Bottom” — W. Coleman, Aubrey Graham & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Bruno Sanfilippo, songwriter) (Drake)
“Thrift Shop” — Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz)
COUNTRY MUSIC
Best Country Solo Performance
“I Drive Your Truck” — Lee Brice
“I Want Crazy” — Hunter Hayes
“Mama’s Broken Heart” — Miranda Lambert
“Wagon Wheel” — Darius Rucker
“Mine Would Be You” — Blake Shelton
Best Country Album
Night Train — Jason Aldean
Two Lanes Of Freedom — Tim McGraw
Same Trailer Different Park — Kacey Musgraves
Based On A True Story — Blake Shelton
Red — Taylor Swift
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“From This Valley”— The Civil Wars
“Don’t Rush” — Kelly Clarkson Featuring Vince Gill
“Your Side Of The Bed” — Little Big Town
“Highway Don’t Care” — Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
“You Can’t Make Old Friends” — Kenny Rogers With Dolly Parton
Best Country Song (A Songwriters Award)
“Begin Again” — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
“I Drive Your Truck” — Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Jimmy Yeary, songwriters (Lee Brice)
“What A Wonderful World” — Shelly Berg, arranger (Gloria Estefan)
CRAFTS
Best Recording Package
Automatic Music Can Be Fun — Mike Brown, Zac Decamp, Brian Grunert & Annie Stoll, art directors (Geneseo)
Long Night Moon — Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (Reckless Kelly)
Magna Carta… Holy Grail — Brian Roettinger, art director (Jay-Z)
Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture) — Bruce Duckworth, Sarah Moffat & David Turner, art directors (Metallica)
The Next Day — Jonathan Barnbrook, art director (David Bowie)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
The Brussels Affair — Charles Dooher & Scott Sandler, art directors (The Rolling Stones)
How Do You Do (Limited Edition Box Set) — Mayer Hawthorne, art director (Mayer Hawthorne)
The Road To Red Rocks (Special Edition) — Ross Stirling, art director (Mumford & Sons)
The Smith Tapes — Masaki Koike, art director (Various Artists)
Wings Over America (Deluxe Edition) — Simon Earith & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney and Wings)
Best Album Notes
Afro Blue Impressions (Remastered & Expanded) — Neil Tesser, album notes writer (John Coltrane)
Call It Art 1964–1965 — Ben Young, album notes writer (New York Art Quartet)
Electric Music for the Mind and Body — Alec Palao, album notes writer (Country Joe and the Fish)
Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps — Jonathan Cott, album notes writer (Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic)
360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story — Sean Wilentz, album notes writer (various artists)
Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard: Hard Time, Good Time & End Time Music, 1923–1936 — Nathan Salsburg, album notes writer (various artists)
PRODUCTION
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Annie Up — Chuck Ainlay, engineer; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Pistol Annies)
The Blue Room — Helik Hadar & Leslie Ann Jones, engineers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Madeleine Peyroux)
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here — Paul Figueroa & Randy Staub, engineers; Ted Jensen, mastering engineer (Alice in Chains)
…Like Clockwork — Joe Barresi & Mark Rankin, engineers; Gavin Lurssen, mastering engineer (Queens of the Stone Age)
The Moorings — Trina Shoemaker, engineer; Eric Conn, mastering engineer (Andrew Duhon)
Random Access Memories — Peter Franco, Mick Guzauski, Florian Lagatta & Daniel Lerner, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Daft Punk)
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Rob Cavallo — “All That Echoes” (Josh Groban), “Bright Lights” (Gary Clark Jr.). “¡Dos!” (Green Day), “If I Loved You” (Delta Rae featuring Lindsey Buckingham), “Love They Say” (Tegan and Sara), “Things Are Changin'” (Gary Clark Jr.), “¡Tré!” (Green Day), “When My Train Pulls In” (Gary Clark Jr.), “You’ve Got Time” (Regina Spektor)
Dr. Luke — “Bounce It” (Juicy J Featuring Wale & Trey Songz), “Crazy Kids” (Kesha), “Fall Down (will.i.am featuring Miley Cyrus), “Give It 2 U” (Robin Thicke featuring Kendrick Lamar), “Like Nobody´s Around” (Big Time Rush) , “Roar” (Katy Perry), “Rock Me” (One Direction), “Wrecking Ball” (Miley Cyrus)
Ariel Rechtshaid — “Days Are Gone” (Haim), “Everything Is Embarrassing” (Sky Ferreira), “Lost in My Bedroom” (Sky Ferreira), “Modern Vampires of the City” (Vampire Weekend), “Reincarnated” (Snoop Lion), “True Romance” (Charli XCX), “You’re No Good” (Major Lazer featuring Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Danielle Haim and Yasmin)
Jeff Tweedy — “The Invisible Way” (Low), “One True Vine” (Mavis Staples), “Wassaic Way” (Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion)
Pharrell Williams — “BBC” (Jay-Z), “Blurred Lines” (Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell), “Happy” (Pharrell Williams), “I Can’t Describe (The Way I Feel)” (Jennifer Hudson featuring T.I.), “Nuclear” (Destiny’s Child), “Oceans” (Jay-Z featuring Frank Ocean), “Reach Out Richard” (Mayer Hawthorne), “The Stars Are Ours” (Mayer Hawthorne)
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
“Days Turn Into Nights” (Andy Caldwell Remix) — Andy Caldwell, remixer (Delerium featuring Michael Logen)
“If I Lose Myself” (Alesso Vs. OneRepublic) — Alesso, remixer (OneRepublic)
“Locked Out of Heaven” (Sultan + Ned Shepard Remix) — Sultan & Ned Shepard, remixers (Bruno Mars)
“One Love/People Get Ready” (Photek Remix) — Rupert Parkes, remixer (Bob Marley and the Wailers)
Live Kisses — Al Schmitt, surround mix engineer; Tommy LiPuma, surround producer (Paul McCartney)
Sailing the Seas of Cheese (Deluxe Edition) — Les Claypool & Jason Mills, surround mix engineers; Stephen Marcussen, surround mastering engineer; Les Claypool & Jeff Fura, surround producers (Primus)
Signature Sound Opus One — Leslie Ann Jones, surround mix engineer; Michael Romanowski, surround mastering engineer; Herbert Waltl, surround producer (various artists)
Sixteen Sunsets — Jim Anderson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Jim Anderson & Jane Ira Bloom, surround producers (Jane Ira Bloom)
Sprung Rhythm — Daniel Shores, surround mix engineer; Daniel Shores, surround mastering engineer; Dan Merceruio, surround producer (Richard Scerbo & Inscape)
PRODUCTION, CLASSICAL
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Hymn to the Virgin — Morten Lindberg, engineer (Tone Bianca, Sparre Dahl, & Schola Cantorum)
La Voie Triomphale — Morten Lindberg, engineer (Ole Kristian Ruud & Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces)
Roomful of Teeth — Mark Donahue & Jesse Lewis, engineers (Brad Wells & Roomful of Teeth)
Vinci: Artaserse — Hans-Martin Renz, Wolfgang Rixius & Ulrich Ruscher, engineers (Diego Fasolis, Philippe Jaroussky, Max Emanuel Cenčić, Daniel Behle, Franco Fagioli, Valer Barna-Sabadus, Yuriy Mynenko & Concerto Köln)
Winter Morning Walks — David Frost, Brian Losch & Tim Martyn, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra & Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra)
Producer of the Year, Classical
Manfred Eicher — Beethoven: Diabelli-Variationen (András Schiff), Canto Oscuro (Anna Gourari), Pärt: Adam’s Lament (Tõnu Kaljuste, Latvian Radio Choir, Vox Clamantis, Sinfonietta Riga, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra), Tabakova: String Paths (Maxim Rysanov)
David Frost — Andres: Home Stretch (Timo Andres, Andrew Cyr & Metropolis Ensemble) — Angel Heart, A Music Storybook (Matt Haimovitz & Uccello), Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 (Jonathan Biss) — Ben-Haim: Chamber Works (ARC Ensemble), Celebrating The American Spirit (Judith Clurman & Essential Voices USA), Elgar: Enigma Variations; Vaughan Williams: The Wasps; Greensleeves (Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony), Guilty Pleasures (Renée Fleming, Sebastian Lang-Lessing & Philharmonia Orchestra), Verdi: Otello (Riccardo Muti, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Krassimira Stoyanova, Carlo Guelfi, Chicago Symphony Chorus & Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Winter Morning Walks (Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin — Bizet: Symphony In C; Jeux D’Enfants; Variations Chromatiques (Martin West & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra), Traveling Sonata – European Music For Flute & Guitar (Viviana Guzmán & Jérémy Jouve), Voyages (Conrad Tao), Zia (Del Sol String Quartet)
James Mallinson — Berlioz: Grande Messe Des Morts (Colin Davis, London Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir & London Symphony Orchestra), Bloch: Symphony In C-Sharp Minor & Poems Of The Sea (Dalia Atlas & London Symphony Orchestra), Fauré: Requiem; Bach: Partita, Chorales & Ciaccona (Nigel Short, Tenebrae & London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble), Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Colin Davis & London Symphony Orchestra), Wagner: Das Rheingold (Valery Gergiev, René Pape, Stephan Rügamer, Nikolai Putilin & Mariinsky Orchestra), Wagner: Die Walküre (Valery Gergiev, Anja Kampe, Jonas Kaufmann, René Pape, Nina Stemme & Mariinsky Orchestra), Weber: Der Freischütz (Colin Davis, Christine Brewer, Sally Matthews, Simon O’Neill, London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra)
Jay David Saks — Adams: Nixon In China (John Adams, Russell Braun, Ginger Costa-Jackson, James Maddalena, Janis Kelly, Richard Paul Fink, Robert Brubaker, Kathleen Kim, The Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra), Adès: The Tempest (Thomas Adès, Audrey Luna, Isabel Leonard, Alan Oke, Simon Keenlyside, Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra), The Enchanted Island (William Christie, Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, Danielle De Niese, Luca Pisaroni, Lisette Oropesa, Plácido Domingo, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus), Handel: Rodelinda (Harry Bicket, Renée Fleming, Andreas Scholl, Joseph Kaiser, Stephanie Blythe, Iestyn Davies, Shenyang & The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) Live At Carnegie Hall (James Levine, Evgeny Kissin & The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), Verdi: Rigoletto (Michele Mariotti, Željko Lu_i_, Diana Damrau, Piotr Beczala, Oksana Volkova, Štefan Kocán, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus)
CLASSICAL
Best Orchestral Performance
Atterberg: Orchestral Works Vol. 1 — Neeme Järvi (conductor), Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 1 — Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor), Los Angeles Philharmonic
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps — Simon Rattle (conductor), Berliner Philharmoniker
Best Opera Recording
Adès: The Tempest — Thomas Adès (conductor); Simon Keenlyside, Isabel Leonard, Audrey Luna, Alan Oke (soloists); Luisa Bricetti and Victoria Warivonchick (producers)
Britten: The Rape of Lucretia — Oliver Knussen (conductor); Ian Bostridge, Peter Coleman-Wright, Susan Gritton, Angelika Kirchschlager (soloists); John Fraser (producer)
Kleiberg: David and Bathsheba — Tönu Kaljuste (conductor); Anna Eimarsson and Johannes Weisser (soloists); Morten Lindberg (producer)
Vinci: Artaserse — Diego Fasolis (conductor); Valer Barna-Sabadus, Daniel Behle, Max Emanuel Cenčić, Franco Fagioli, Philippe Jaroussky (soloists); Ulrich Russcher (producer)
Wager: Der Ring des Nibelungen — Christian Thielemann (conductor); Katarina Dalayman, Albert Dohmen, Stephen Gould, Eric Halfvarson, Linda Watson (soloists); Ohmar Eichinger (producer)
Best Choral Performance
Performers who are not eligible for an award (such as orchestras, soloists or choirs) are mentioned in parentheses
Berlioz: Grande Messe de Morts — Colin Davis (conductor) (with Barry Banks, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir and London Symphony Chorus)
Parry: Works for Chorus & Orchestra — Neeme Järvi (conductor), Adrian Partington (chorus master) (with Amanda Roocroft, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC National Chorus of Wales)
Pärt: Adam’s Lament — Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor) (with Tui Hirv & Rainer Vilu; Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; Sinfonietta Riga & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra; Latvian Radio Choir & Vox Clamantis)
Whitbourn: Annelies — James Jordan (conductor) (conductor) (with Arianna Zukerman, The Lincoln Trio and the Westminster Williamson Voices)
Palestrina: Volume 3 — Harry Christophers (conductor) (with The Sixteen)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas — Leonidas Kavakos & Enrico Pace
Cage: The 10,000 Things — Vicki Ray, William Winant, Aron Kallay & Tom Peters
Duo — Hélène Grimaud & Sol Gabetta
Roomful of Teeth — Brad Wells & Roomful of Teeth
Times Go By Turns — New York Polyphony
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Bartók, Eötvös & Ligeti — Patricia Kopatchinskaja (soloist), Peter Eötvös (conductor)
Corigliano: Conjurer – Concerto for Percussionist & String Orchestra — Evelyn Glennie (soloist), David Alan Miller (conductor)
The Edge of Light — Gloria Cheng
Lindberg: Piano Concerto No. 2 — Yefim Bronfman (soloist), Alan Gilbert (conductor)
“Safe and Sound” – Capital Cities — Grady Hall, video director; Buddy Enright, video producer
“Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film” – Jay-Z — Mark Romanek, video director; Shawn Carter & Aristides McGarry, video producers
“Can’t Hold Us” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton — Jon Jon Augustavo, Jason Koenig & Ryan Lewis, video directors; Tricia Davis, Honna Kimmerer & Jenny Koenig, video producers
“Suit & Tie” – Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z — David Fincher, video director; Timory King, video producer
“I’m Shakin'” – Jack White — Dori Oskowitz, video director; Raquel Costello, video producer
Best Music Film
Live 2012 – Coldplay — Paul Dugdale, video director; Jim Parsons, video producer
¡Cuatro! – Green Day — Tim Wheeler, video director; Tim Lynch, video producer
I’m in I’m out and I’m Gone: The Making of Get Up! – Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite — Danny Clinch, video director; Ben Harper, video producer
Live Kisses – Paul McCartney — Jonas Akerlund, video director; Violaine Etienne, Aron Levine & Scott Rodger, video producers
The Road to Red Rocks – Mumford & Sons — Nicolas Jack Davies & Frederick Scott, video directors; Dan Bowen, video producer
Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue has been damaged by a lightning strike.
The thumb on the right hand of the 125ft-statue was hit during a storm on Thursday night, officials said.
Officials from the Archdiocese of Rio, which manages the statue, told Brazilian media that repairs will be made to the statue soon.
Christ the Redeemer statue is visited by nearly two million people ever year.
Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue has been damaged by a lightning strike
In 2010, the statue underwent a $4 million restoration.
Thursday’s storm had one of the highest numbers of lightning strikes recorded in Brazil since the country began monitoring storms in 1999.
The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) told O Globo that the statue is struck by lightning on average between three and five times a year.
Christ the Redeemer was inaugurated on October 12, 1931, on top of Rio’s Mt Corcovado and is considered the largest Art Deco-style sculpture in the world.
Madonna has caused a stir after using a racial slur on her Instagram page.
The singer uploaded a snap of her son Rocco fighting in the boxing ring on Instagram on Friday alongside the caption: “No one messes with Dirty Soap! Mama said knock you out! #disn—–.”
After she was bombarded with complaints about use of the N-word from fans, Madonna deleted the image, only to re-upload it with another comment: “Ok let me start this again. #get off of my d— haters!”
Madonna uploaded a snap of her son Rocco fighting in the boxing ring on Instagram
Madonna later apologized in a statement, saying: “I am sorry if I offended anyone with my use of the N-word on Instagram. It was not meant as a racial slur…I am not a racist.”
The singer added: “There’s no way to defend the use of the word. It was all about intention…It was used as a term of endearment toward my son who is white. I appreciate that it’s a provocative word and I apologize if it gave people the wrong impression. Forgive me.”
Rocco is Madonna’s only child with ex-husband Guy Ritchie. She is also mum to teenage daughter Lourdes, from a previous relationship, and adopted kids Mercy and David.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has checked into a rehabilitation center to treat his long-time struggle with alcoholism, his agent Darren Prince announced.
Darren Prince declined on Saturday to say which facility will treat Dennis Rodman and how long he will be there.
Dennis Rodman, 52, recently returned to the US from his latest trip to North Korea.
He later apologized for comments he made in North Korea about detained American missionary Kenneth Bae, saying he had been drinking and was under pressure as he organized an exhibition game there.
Dennis Rodman sang Happy Birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the start of the exhibition game.
Dennis Rodman has checked into a rehabilitation center to treat his long-time struggle with alcoholism
“What was potentially a historic and monumental event turned into a nightmare for everyone concerned,” Darren Prince said.
“Dennis Rodman came back from North Korea in pretty rough shape emotionally. The pressure that was put on him to be a combination <<super human>> political figure and <<fixer>> got the better of him.
“He is embarrassed, saddened and remorseful for the anger and hurt his words have caused.”
Dennis Rodman won five NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls and was one of the NBA’s fiercest rebounders and most colorful personalities.
The results of a two-day referendum showed that the proposed new Egyptian constitution has been backed by 98.1% of people, officials say.
Turnout was 38.6% of the 53 million eligible voters, the election committee said.
The draft constitution replaces one introduced by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi before he was ousted.
The referendum is being seen as a vote on the legitimacy of Mohamed Morsi’s removal and of the army, which toppled him in July last year.
The vote, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday but was boycotted by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement from which Mohamed Morsi comes and which wants to see him returned to office.
Several people died in violence involving Mohamed Morsi’s supporters on the first day of voting.
Egypt’s draft constitution replaces one introduced by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi before he was ousted
There were further clashes with the security forces on Friday in which four people died, the Health Ministry said.
Election Commission head Nabil Salib called the vote an “unrivalled success” with “unprecedented turnout”, AP news agency reported.
A constitutional referendum held in 2012 while Mohamed Morsi was in power but boycotted by secularists saw a turnout of 33%, with 64% of voters approving the document.
The new proposed constitution was drafted by a 50-member committee that included only two representatives of Islamist parties.
Critics say the document favors the army at the expense of the people, and fails to deliver on the 2011 revolution that led to the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
Under the draft:
The president may serve two four-year terms and can be impeached by parliament
Islam remains the state religion – but freedom of belief is absolute, giving some protection to minorities
The state guarantees “equality between men and women”
Parties may not be formed based on “religion, race, gender or geography”
Military to appoint defense minister for next eight years [youtube 4QHb1D3zQHI 650]
Valerie Trierweiler has left the Paris hospital where she was admitted a week ago after reports emerged of an affair between President Francois Hollande and actress Julie Gayet.
France’s first lady left the Pitie Salpetriere hospital for a presidential residence at La Lanterne in Versailles, the magazine Paris Match said.
Valerie Trierweiler was admitted to hospital apparently in shock after learning of Closer magazine reports.
It said that the affair had begun during the 2012 presidential race.
Valerie Trierweiler left the Pitie Salpetriere hospital for a presidential residence at La Lanterne in Versailles
Valerie Trierweiler, 48, works for Paris Match, which said she was planning to rest at the residence.
Francois Hollande has not commented on the latest news.
However, a source at the presidential office told AFP that Valerie Trierweiler would rest at La Lanterne “for a few days”.
Valerie Trierweiler was admitted to hospital on January 10.
Francois Hollande visited her for the first time on Thursday evening.
French media have claimed that Valerie Trierweiler suffered an anxiety attack last week, but her friends have played down her condition.
President Francois Hollande would clarify whether Valerie Trierweiler was still first lady before a trip to the US on February 9.
Sunanda Pushkar – the wife of Indian Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shahsi Tharoor who was found dead yesterday in a Delhi hotel – was an Indo-Canadian entrepreneur and businesswoman.
She was a sales manager in the Dubai-based TECOM Investments and co-owner of the India-based Rendezvous Sports World.
Sunanda Pushkar was born on January 1st, 1962, in a Kashmiri family of landlords and Indian Army officers native to Bomai. She was the only daughter of Lt. Col. Poshkar Nath Dass and Jaya Dass. Her father PN Dass retired from the army in 1983.
A born rebel, Sunanda Pushkar broke the age-old tradition of Kashmiri Pandits when she attained the first name of her father as her surname albeit with some modification. Poshkar became Pushkar and Sunanda Dass became Sunanda Pushkar.
Sunanda Pushkar was a sales manager in the Dubai-based TECOM Investments and co-owner of the India-based Rendezvous Sports World
Sunanda Pushkar graduated from the Government College for Women in Srinagar, where she studied between 1986 and 1988.
Before marrying Shashi Tharoor, Sunanda Pushkar had been married twice. Her first marriage to fellow Kashmir Pandit and hotel management graduate Sanjay Raina of Srinagar ended in a divorce in 1988. Sanjay Raina’s website describes him as “one of India’s leading stage performers and pop” and who spearheads an entertainment management company.
Later Sunanda Pushkar married a Kerala businessman, Sujith Menon, who was dealing with firefighting equipment. Sujith Menon later went to Dubai where he organized some events of south Indian film stars which however flopped. He returned and later died in an accident in Delhi. Their son Shiv was born in November 1992.
Sunanda Pushkar married Shashi Tharoor in 2010, after he was elected to the Indian Parliament. The couple had a Malayali wedding ceremony in Shashi Tharoor’s ancestral home at Elavanchery in Kerala. This was the third marriage for both of them.
