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‘The Life of Chuck’ Wins the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award

Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
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‘The Life of Chuck’ Wins the Toronto Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award

Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)
Tom Hiddleston attends the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 06, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Getty Images/AFP)

The Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Award went to “The Life of Chuck,” handing Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation one of the most-watched prizes of the fall film festival circuit.

The award for “The Life of Chuck” was announced Sunday as North American's largest film festival drew to a close. “The Life of Chuck,” based on King's 2020 novella of the same name, stars Tom Hiddleston as Charles “Chuck” Krantz, an ordinary man living through apocalyptic cataclysms. Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Jacob Tremblay co-star.

TIFF's People's Choice Award is regarded as a reliable Oscar harbinger. Since 2012, every winner of the festival's top prize has gone on to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. Last year, Cord Jefferson's “American Fiction” won, and went on to be a major awards contender.

But “The Life of Chuck” could test that track record. The film is up for sale and doesn't yet have distribution. It could be acquired and quickly readied for release this fall, or it might end up a 2025 release.

“The Life of Chuck” drew mixed — though mostly positive reviews — out of Toronto, though audiences were clearly charmed by the uplifting drama.

Runners-up for the People's Choice Award, which is voted on by festival attendees, were both films that first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The first was Jacques Audiard's “Emilia Pérez.” The second runner-up was Sean Baker's “Anora,” the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes.

The audience award for top documentary went to Mike Downie's “The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal.” In the festival's Midnight Madness section, the prize went to Coralie Fargeat's “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

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Entertainment

Britney Spears Charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs

Britney Spears Charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs
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Britney Spears Charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs

Britney Spears Charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs

Britney Spears was charged in California on Thursday with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, authorities said.

The 44-year-old pop star was charged with a single misdemeanor count of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said.

A Spears representative had no immediate comment to The Associated Press.

The criminal complaint does not specify what kind of alcohol or drugs, or what amount, Spears is accused of having used.

Spears, who has since entered substance abuse treatment, was arrested March 4 after she was pulled over for driving her black BMW fast and erratically on US 101 near her home, the California Highway Patrol said. She appeared to be impaired, took a series of field sobriety tests, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs and was taken to a Ventura County jail, the CHP said.

She was released on bail the following day. Police completed their investigation and presented it to prosecutors on March 23.

A representative at the time called Spears’ actions “completely inexcusable” and said it would ideally be “the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”

Spears voluntarily checked into a substance abuse treatment facility just over a month after the arrest, her representative said.

Spears’ arraignment is set for Monday. Because it is a misdemeanor charge, she will not be required to appear in court, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the case will be handled according to their standard protocol for defendants with no DUI history, no crash or injury on the road and a low blood-alcohol level.

In court on Monday, Spears will be offered what is commonly known as a “wet reckless,” allowing a defendant to plead guilty and get a year of probation, credit for any time served in jail, a required DUI class and state-mandated fines and fees, prosecutors said.

The offer is common especially for defendants who have independently shown motivation to address their problems and seek treatment, the district attorney’s office said.

The singer has a home in Ventura County just outside the Los Angeles County line. Her arraignment will be held in the city of Ventura, a seaside community of about 110,000 people about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of downtown LA.

The onetime teen pop phenomenon and “Mickey Mouse Club” alum became a defining superstar of the 1990s and 2000s with hits like “Toxic,” “Gimme More” and “I'm a Slave 4 U.”

Most of Spears' albums have been certified platinum, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, with two diamond titles: 1999’s “ ... Baby One More Time” and 2000's “Oops! ... I Did It Again.”

Spears became a tabloid focus in the early 2000s, and a source of public scrutiny, as she battled mental illness and paparazzi documented the details of her private life.

In 2008, Spears was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship, run primarily by her father and his lawyers, that would control her personal and financial decisions for well over a decade. It was dissolved in 2021.

Since then, she has married and divorced, and released a bestselling, tell-all memoir, “The Woman in Me.”

She has essentially been retired as an artist in recent years, releasing only a few collaborative singles since her last full album in 2016.

Entertainment

Spotify Rolls Out Badge to Distinguish Human Artists from AI

02 December 2025, Saxony, Dresden: The logo of the music streaming provider Spotify can be seen on a smartphone in Dresden. (dpa)
02 December 2025, Saxony, Dresden: The logo of the music streaming provider Spotify can be seen on a smartphone in Dresden. (dpa)
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Spotify Rolls Out Badge to Distinguish Human Artists from AI

02 December 2025, Saxony, Dresden: The logo of the music streaming provider Spotify can be seen on a smartphone in Dresden. (dpa)
02 December 2025, Saxony, Dresden: The logo of the music streaming provider Spotify can be seen on a smartphone in Dresden. (dpa)

Spotify on Thursday unveiled a new verification system designed to help listeners distinguish human musicians from AI-generated content, as artificial intelligence floods streaming platforms with a growing volume of synthetic tracks.

The Swedish streaming giant said its "Verified by Spotify" badge -- marked by a green checkmark -- will begin appearing on artist profiles and in search results in the coming weeks, signaling that a profile has been reviewed and meets the platform's standards for authenticity.

Profiles that primarily represent AI-generated music or AI-created personas will not be eligible for the badge, the company said in a blog post.

"In the AI era, it's more important than ever to be able to trust the authenticity of the music you listen to," Spotify said.

To earn verification, artists must demonstrate sustained listener engagement over time, comply with Spotify's platform rules and show signs of a genuine presence both on and off the platform, such as concert dates, merchandise and linked social media accounts.

The company said more than 99 percent of artists that listeners actively search for will be verified at launch, representing hundreds of thousands of musicians -- the majority of them independent -- spanning genres and geographies.

The initiative arrives amid mounting concern across the music industry over AI-generated content overwhelming streaming catalogs.

Deezer, a competing platform, disclosed last week that synthetic tracks now make up 44 percent of all new music uploaded to its service each day.

Major labels have also pushed back. Sony Music said recently that it had sought the takedown of more than 135,000 AI-produced songs that mimicked its signed artists across streaming services.

Beyond the badge, Spotify is adding a new information section to all artist pages -- whether or not they hold verified status -- displaying career highlights, release patterns and live performance history. The company compared the feature to nutritional labeling for food, giving listeners a way to quickly gauge an artist's track record on the platform.

The announcement followed Spotify's first-quarter 2026 earnings report, in which the company said its paying subscriber base had reached 293 million.

Entertainment

King Charles Boosts His Charity Fundraiser with First Appearance at Gala Joined by Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie speaks during a cultural reception with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (AP)
Lionel Richie speaks during a cultural reception with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (AP)
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King Charles Boosts His Charity Fundraiser with First Appearance at Gala Joined by Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie speaks during a cultural reception with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (AP)
Lionel Richie speaks during a cultural reception with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (AP)

Spring gala season tends to draw celebrated artists and fashion icons to star-studded black-tie fundraisers around New York City. With a guest list boasting Lionel Richie and Anna Wintour, The King's Trust Global Gala looked no different Wednesday evening.

But one distinguished guest — even if his fleeting stop consisted of a three-and-a-half-minute speech — brought a buzz that had some members of high society lining up along velvet ropes and craning their necks inside Christie's New York auction house. That would be King Charles III, who made his first appearance in the five-year history of the event supporting his nonprofit that helps young people find work.

The buzz was evident from the red carpet. Charlotte Tilbury, the British cosmetics entrepreneur, asked Martha Stewart, who wore a sparkling blue dress, if she would tell Charles that she wore “royal blue just for you.” Natasha Poonawalla — the executive director of the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer — said “everyone's been waiting for him."

“I think the fact that he’s here is going to strengthen the presence of the foundation so much more," Poonawalla said.

It appears so. Organizers reported a record fundraising total exceeding $3 million, affirming hopes that the arrival of the monarch and Queen Camilla might boost the sum collected Wednesday as the nonprofit tries to establish an endowment for its work in the United Kingdom and deepen its relationships in more than two dozen countries.

Charles is wrapping up the first visit to the US since his coronation, a four-day trip intended to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain and strengthen the countries' fraying relationship.

The King's Trust counts 1.5 million people worldwide who have been reached in some way by its education and employment programs. In brief remarks before guests sat for dinner, Charles noted that many of their beneficiaries return to support disadvantaged young people much like themselves.

“Only now do quite a lot of them actually admit they were started (here),” he joked.

Edward Enninful, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue and a co-chair of the gala, has seen the trust's impact in West London. He said his cousins and brothers have been able to make something of their lives despite being classed by society as “not worthy.”

He described Charles' appearance as the nonprofit's “glory moment."

“He’s set the example that philanthropy matters," Enninful told The Associated Press. "No matter how well you are doing, you’re not doing enough unless you’re passing it on to a newer generation.”

The event was more intimate than previous years with just about 160 guests. There weren't musical performances either; Richie informed guests from the get-go that he wouldn't be singing. Other attendees included supermodels Karlie Kloss and Iman, actors Leo Woodall and Meghann Fahy as well as designers Donatella Versace and Stella McCartney.

Stewart recalled her own luck as she built a multi-million-dollar media empire centered around cooking, entertaining and homemaking. The lifestyle entrepreneur said she paid for her “fine education” through scholarships. And she was fortunate that all of her jobs were “excellent.”

“But I know today there’s a big challenge in getting a good job, a big challenge in getting a good education,” she said. "And we’re here to help those people.”