PEOPLE

Sundance hands out awards

1/29/2013
BLADE NEWS SERVICES
Director Ryan Coogler accepts the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award for the film
Director Ryan Coogler accepts the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award for the film "Fruitvale" during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Awards Ceremony in Park City, Utah.

Fruitvale, a drama based on the real-life story of a young man shot to death at an Oakland, Calif., BART station, took home the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday night. The movie also won the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film.

The Grand Jury Prize for U.S. documentary went to Blood Brother, Steve Hoover’s look at his best friend, who moves to India to help children with HIV. The film also won the Audience Award for U.S. documentary.

Fruitvale is the first feature-length film from USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate Ryan Coogler, 26. Actor Forest Whitaker served as a producer on the movie, which stars Michael B. Jordan.

The directing award in the U.S. dramatic category went to Jill Soloway for the marriage drama Afternoon Delight.

A special jury award for acting in the U.S. dramatic category was given to Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller for The Spectacular Now.

Two special jury awards were given for U.S. documentaries. One went to Jacob Kornbluth for Inequality for All, a look at the wealth gap in America featuring former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. The other went to American Promise, directed by Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson, which follows two African-American boys over 12 years as they attend very different schools.

Chris Brown involved in possible assault

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 Monday.

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.

The “victim” wasn’t identified, but the celebrity Web site 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.

Brown, 23, remains on probation for the attack on Rihanna and is due back in court on Feb. 6 to update a judge on his progress.

Empowering women

Artist Yoko Ono, Toledo-born feminist and writer Gloria Steinem, and model Lauren Bush are joining others worldwide to empower women in the marketplace through ethically-themed fashion.

The campaign, called ImagiNation 365, is led by Maiden Nation, an online social platform.

Ono, Steinem, and Bush contributed by designing pieces of jewelry that express their vision.

Other designers live in countries including Poland, Afghanistan, India, Argentina, and South Africa. Four are teenagers from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Proceeds from the sales go to causes chosen by the designers, such as helping Japanese girls after the 2011 nuclear meltdown or job training in Haiti.

Morrissey ailing

A spokesman for Morrissey says the former Smiths frontman and solo artist postponed several shows after being diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer.

Lauren Papapietro said via email that Morrissey had been treated at a suburban Detroit hospital.

He missed a show last Thursday in Flint, Friday in Minneapolis, and Saturday in Chicago.

Shows also are being rescheduled for Nashville; Atlanta; Asheville, N.C.; Lawrence, Kan.; Clear Lake, Iowa, and Lincoln, Neb.

Ticketholders are being asked to keep their tickets because those dates will be rescheduled. The tour is scheduled to resume Feb. 9 in Las Vegas.

He is expected to fully recover.