Danny Puff

NEW YORK (AP) Tony Bennett doesn't think Amy Winehouse's life was tragic. He believes the singer who died at age 27 lived a complete life because she was able to achieve her goal: becoming a respected musician.

"Her dream was to become famous and a beautiful singer and she accomplished that," he said Thursday night at the first Amy Winehouse Foundation Inspiration Awards and Gala, where he received the lifetime achievement award.

"Even though she had a short life, she had a great life because she ended up praying for the success that she wanted and it happened. This is what this night's about."

Bennett, 86, was honored at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where attendees included Winehouse's father, mother and brother, her ex-boyfriend Reg Traviss, Harry Belafonte, Jennifer Hudson, Sean Lennon and producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, who was also honored.

Winehouse died in 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning. Though troubled, she was a critical darling and earned five Grammy Awards for her sophomore album, "Back to Black." The foundation established in her name assists disadvantaged youth. It was launched in Europe in 2011, and last year in the United States.

Winehouse and Bennett won a Grammy Award last year for the duet "Body & Soul." Belafonte presented the award to Bennett, and even said Bennett introduced him to Winehouse's music. He brought on the laughs before he invited Bennett to the stage. Seconds after a loud thump was heard Belafonte's cane fell to the floor the 86-year-old said: "Excuse me, I just dropped my teeth."

Jennifer Hudson performed three songs at the event, earning a standing ovation from the crowd of a few hundred. Bennett and Belafonte who sat together even curled up with their wives as the Oscar and Grammy winner belted songs like "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."

Hudson called the event "beautiful" and said Winehouse was "such a talent, such a gift."

"Call me anytime for positivity," she said.

But she wasn't the only one who set the crowd on fire: Bennett also wowed with memorable performances of "Maybe This Time" and "Watch What Happens."

Rapper Nas, who was nominated for a Grammy with Winehouse this year for the jam "Cherry Wine," also earned an award, accepting in a video.

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Online:

http://www.amywinehousefoundation.org/

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Follow Mesfin Fekadu on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin

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NEW YORK (AP) They've both helped make millions at the box office and are two of Hollywood's most sought after talents, but "The Croods" voice stars Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone say they still get self-conscious hearing themselves on film.

"It's like hearing your voice back on a voicemail," said the 24-year-old Stone, who is known for her trademark raspy voice. "I still can't believe I sound like this."

"I can't believe you sound like this either," joked the 36-year-old Reynolds in the same recent interview. He went on to confess that "everyone feels that way like there's some solace in that. I think everyone feels like that when they hear their own voice. (It sounds) kind of shrill and brutal."

They're going to have to get used to it. The animated "Croods" opened Friday on more than 4,000 domestic screens amid predictions it will be the weekend's No. 1 movie.

The 3-D film, which also stars Nicolas Cage, takes place in prehistoric times and focuses on the world's first family, the Croods. Stone is a teen girl named Eep, who longs to leave her cave and see what's out there. Her father, voiced by Cage, is overly protective. One day they meet a guy named Guy, played by Reynolds. The Croods and Guy venture out together and learn about the world.

This is the first time Reynolds and Stone have done an animated movie, and they hope it rates with some of their own childhood favorites.

Reynolds says he was a fan of the TV show "Thunder Cats" and adds "Smurfs" was pretty good, too. "Not a turn on but a good cartoon nonetheless."

Stone's animated faves? "I loved 'Peter Pan' and 'Alice in Wonderland.'"

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Online:

http://www.thecroodsmovie.com/

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Alicia Rancilio covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar

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TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index advanced on Friday as hopes that Cyprus will strike a bailout deal before a looming deadline boosted financial shares and helped offset an 8 percent fall in BlackBerry .

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index unofficially closed up 9.48 points, or 0.07 percent, at 12,757.35.

(Reporting by John Tilak; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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ZURICH (Reuters) - A self-styled healer was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in jail on Friday after a Swiss court found the acupuncturist guilty of infecting 16 people with HIV.

A Berne court found the man guilty of causing bodily harm and spreading the virus which can cause Aids, court secretary Rene Graf told Reuters. He did not give any further details.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 15 years in jail, according to media reports.

"The accused and nobody else is responsible for infecting the 16 people," Swiss news agency SDA quoted court president Urs Herren as saying, adding the man's motive could have been to seek attention, exact revenge, or prove his omnipotence.

The 54-year-old from the Swiss capital Berne had consistently denied the charges, blaming the victims for contracting HIV through unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, Swiss media reported.

They did not reveal the man's identity or nationality, in accordance with rules on Swiss criminal proceedings.

The case came to the attention of the authorities after an HIV-positive patient told a hospital he suspected his infection was linked to acupuncture treatments he received from the man.

The majority of the infected individuals were students of a music school run by the man, who also had an acupuncture practice. Some of the victims told the court he stabbed them with a needle from behind during treatment, SDA reported.

Police stormed the man's home a week ago after he stopped coming to the trial. The man, who was free on bail, had barricaded himself inside and was armed with a knife, issuing threats to police, according to media reports.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Clelia Oziel)

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By Euan Rocha

TORONTO (Reuters) - Nearly two months after its formal unveiling, BlackBerry's new Z10 smartphone finally went on sale in the hyper-competitive U.S. market on Friday, where its performance may well decide whether BlackBerry can reestablish itself as an industry leader.

BlackBerry, which is already selling the new touch-screen smartphone in about 25 countries, aims to make the Z10's new operating system the clear No. 3 platform on the market, a realistic but still difficult challenge, analysts say.

"I think the U.S. will be a challenge for BlackBerry more so than some of the countries where they have already launched," said Morningstar analyst Brian Colello.

"The momentum for iPhone and Android is too strong here. I still think they can win over some enterprise users, but the U.S. is a country where BlackBerry's brand has been greatly diminished."

BlackBerry once ruled the U.S. smartphone market, but it has fallen badly in recent years as devices powered by Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems dominate sales both in North America and overseas.

The BlackBerry 10 operating system will now slug it out with Microsoft's Windows 8 platform to secure the No. 3 spot in the market.

But by most accounts BlackBerry has a tough fight ahead. It not only has to win back the hearts and minds of consumers, but the timing is hardly ideal, with the Samsung Galaxy S4, expected to go on sale by the end of April, generating a lot of buzz.

"We believe BlackBerry's launch in the strategically important U.S. market will run into intense competition as Samsung, Apple, HTC and Nokia refresh their line-ups," Raymond James analyst Steven Li said in a note to clients on Friday.

Despite the buzz around other devices, some expect the Z10 to do well in the United States.

Best Buy's head of mobile sales, Scott Anderson, said the retailer has been able to gauge demand for the Z10 based on sales at Best Buy stores in Canada.

"We have fairly consistently increased the allocation of it to our stores as it has got more and more buzz. Even though we aren't releasing any numbers, we do put this in the realm of a serious iconic launch," he said, adding that BlackBerry has a window of opportunity over the next month before the new HTC and Samsung smartphones hit store shelves in the United States.

U.S. DELAY

The Canadian company was forced to delay the Z10's launch in the U.S. market because testing by telecommunications carriers there took longer than expected.

"We've been working very intensely for the last two months with the carriers and partners to ensure the retail experience will be great for customers," BlackBerry Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben said in an interview with Reuters.

The launch, though, appeared to be low-key at AT&T stores in New York, where there was no sign of posters or other marketing to highlight the launch day. An AT&T sales associate at one of its stores said the store had sold several of the devices early in the day.

The device went on sale at AT&T Inc stores across the country early on Friday, while Verizon Inc is set to begin selling the device in its stores on March 28.

Carriers in the United States allowed customers to pre-order or pre-register for the devices earlier this month.

"Relative to the population, we are on the same trajectory as we were in Canada with respect to pre-registration, and as you know we've had a very solid performance in Canada during the first six weeks," Boulben said.

BlackBerry has yet to release hard numbers on initial sales of the Z10 in major markets such as Britain and Canada, where it went on sales soon after the introduction.

The company is expected to provide a first reading on the Z10's popularity when it releases its quarterly results on March 28. BlackBerry's shares surged last week, however, after it said one of its partners had placed an order for 1 million BlackBerry 10 smartphones, the largest single purchase order in the company's history.

BlackBerry's volatile shares were down 8 percent at $14.82 on Friday afternoon on the Nasdaq, while its Toronto-listed shares were trading at C$15.09.

The BlackBerry Q10 model, which has a traditional physical keyboard that's likely to appeal to professionals who are heavy email users, is expected to go on sale next month. It won't reach U.S. store shelves until May or June. The company also plans to launch lower-end versions of the devices this year.

"I really expect a great start from the Z10 in the United States and that will be amplified by the Q10," Boulben said.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Frank McGurty, Peter Galloway and Nick Zieminski)

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A 61-year-old French man was arrested at Philadelphia International Airport and charged with impersonating a pilot after airline officials found him in the cockpit of a plane scheduled for takeoff, police said Friday.

The crew of a US Airways flight bound for West Palm Beach, Fla., found Philippe Jernnard of La Rochelle, France, in the jump seat behind the pilot on Wednesday evening, removing him after he was unable to produce valid credentials and became argumentative, police said.

Jernnard, who was a ticketed passenger, was wearing a white shirt with an Air France logo and had a black jacket with epaulets on the shoulders, police said. Officer Christine O'Brien said police found him in possession of a counterfeit Air France crew member ID card.

Air France said Jernnard is not one of its employees and was not wearing the airline's uniform.

It's not clear how Jernnard got into the cockpit, but one security expert said he didn't view it as a breach.

Pilots can typically ride for free in the jump seat of another airline, but they must make arrangements ahead of time and their presence would be noted on a passenger manifest. That manifest is reviewed by the pilot before takeoff meaning that Jernnard didn't have a chance of remaining, said Douglas Laird, former security director for Northwest Airlines.

"The guy can't do any harm sitting up there. He has no access to the controls sitting there. I think the system worked," said Laird, who now runs an airline security consultancy in Reno, Nev.

Police said there's no indication Jernnard meant any harm. A US Airways spokeswoman referred questions to the FBI, which confirmed it is investigating but declined to comment Friday.

O'Brien said Jernnard initially became upset at the gate when he asked to be upgraded to business class.

"The (US Airways) employee gate agent told the male there was no space left in business class. He became irate," O'Brien said.

Jernnard then boarded the plane and made his way to the jump seat.

He was charged with criminal trespass, forgery, records tampering, false impersonation of a person privately employed, and providing false identification to law enforcement. He was jailed on $1 million bail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 5. Federal charges are also expected.

Jernnard is represented by the Philadelphia public defender's office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In France, police in La Rochelle as well as the national police declined to comment, saying they are not allowed to disclose information about individuals.

Jernnard's stunt mirrored one by con man Frank Abagnale Jr., whose exploits were chronicled in the 2002 hit film "Catch Me If You Can." In the movie, Abagnale, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is able to make his way into a plane's cockpit, bluffing his way past security and distracting the FBI by donning a pilot's uniform.

Laird said he can recall a few other cases before the Sept. 11 attacks in which civilians talked their way into the cockpit and were not discovered until the planes had actually taken off.

"If you are civilian, you can't pass yourself off as an Air France pilot because within about 30 seconds the pilots go, 'This guy has not a clue,'" Laird said. "It would be like you and I passing ourselves off as surgeons."

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Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania. Associated Press Writer Greg Keller in Paris contributed to this report.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) John Besh has cooked for thousands in his restaurants. He has cooked for millions on TV. But he recently realized he'd lost sight of cooking for the most important diners of all his family.

Besh, who owns eight restaurants in south Louisiana and one in San Antonio, said that for years he was working to feed the public but "wasn't feeding the people as a father I was called to feed, and my wife called me out on it."

The husband and father of four said his family was the inspiration for his new cooking show, "Chef John Besh's Family Table."

In the new 26-part series, Besh creates family-friendly meals and gives tips on how to get the most use out of ingredients for economic value. Besh said he hopes the show will inspire families to gather around the supper table.

"We've lost sight of that family table, which has always been that glue that holds our culture together," said Besh, who with his wife of 20 years, Jenifer, has four sons ranging in age from 17 to 8. "The family table is where we communicate and learn how to communicate and negotiate."

Besh said his family also was the inspiration for his latest cookbook, "My Family Table: A Passionate Plea for Home Cooking." Recipes from the book will be made on the show, which was filmed in Besh's kitchen at his 10-acre Bayou Liberty home near Slidell, La.

Besh said he grew up hunting and fishing with his father and grandfather. Cooking and eating together as a family was a part of his upbringing, he said.

"If we went fishing for speckled trout, we'd come home and have trout meuniere for dinner," he said. With four boys who all play sports, "we live at the ball field, and I'm amazed at how many kids are being raised on food from the bag."

The show will air in parts of the Gulf Coast region on WYES-TV beginning April 6, and it will be distributed nationwide through American Public Television. WYES produced cooking shows for Louisiana chefs Justin Wilson and Paul Prudhomme.

"To be a chef in New Orleans, you're a steward of a great tradition and one of many who will pass it on," he said. "Maybe I'm inspiring the next generation of Louisiana chefs."

This will be Besh's second show produced by WYES. "Chef John Besh's New Orleans" has been airing for the past two years.

Besh said that because viewers in other parts of the country had trouble getting some of the local ingredients he used in the first series, such as andouille sausage and soft-shell crabs, he used more accessible foods such as chicken and pork roasts in the new series.

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Online:

John Besh, http://www.chefjohnbesh.com/restaurants.html

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By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are looking into possible anticompetitive issues involving distribution of Apple's iPhone and its iPad tablets because of what sources said were informal complaints from several telecoms operators.

The complaints to the European Commission underscore the broader battle between the telecoms industry and content providers, such as Apple and Google, which provide new digital services that run over telecoms systems.

A Commission spokesman on Friday said that the EU competition regulators had been informed about concerns over the world's most valuable technology company and its distribution practices for iPhone and iPad.

"There have been no formal complaints, though," Antoine Colombani told a regular Commission briefing.

"Generally, we are actively monitoring developments in this market. We will, of course, intervene if there are indications of anticompetitive behavior to the detriment of consumers."

Three people familiar with the matter said that several telecoms companies had aired their grievances to the Commission.

Their concerns focused on the commercial terms in contracts with Apple, said one of the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"Apple insists on a certain level of subsidies and marketing for the iPhone," said the source, who declined to identify the companies that had approached the Commission.

Apple's iPhone accounts for half of its revenue.

A second source said that the companies expressed their concerns to the Commission late last year.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said: "Our contracts fully comply with local laws wherever we do business, including the EU."

It is not the first time Apple has come under the scrutiny of the EU antitrust regulators. The company was the target of an investigation nearly three years ago over its iPhone business practices.

It subsequently allowed cross-border repair services and eased restrictions on applications for the iPhone, which resulted in the Commission dropping its investigation.

(Additional reporting by Leila Abboud in Paris; Editing by Rex Merrifield and David Goodman)

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By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - With a smile on her face, dressed in a simple black peacoat and carrying an elegant unbranded bag, China's new first lady, Peng Liyuan, stepped into the international limelight on Friday and became an instant internet sensation back home.

Stepping off the aircraft in Moscow - the first stop of President Xi Jinping's maiden foreign trip since assuming office - Peng's glamorous appearance and obvious affection for her portly husband caused Chinese microbloggers to swoon.

"So beautiful, Peng Liyuan, so beautiful! How composed, how magnanimous," wrote one user on China's popular Twitter-like service Sina Weibo.

"Who could not love such a lady as this and be insanely happy with her?" wrote another.

Taobao, an online shopping site similar to eBay and Amazon, quickly began offering for sale coats in the same style of Peng's, advertising it as "the same style as the first lady's".

Others wondered what brand her bag and shoes were.

"Her shoes are really classic, and who designed her bag?" wrote a third Weibo user.

Peng is best known in China as a singer, and for many years was arguably better known and certainly more popular than her husband.

People who have met her and know her say that Peng is vivacious and fun to be around, though she was ordered to take a back seat after Xi became vice president in 2008 as he was being groomed for state power.

But she is expected to be given high-profile events of her own to attend on Xi's sweep through Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo on a week-long trip, as the government tries to soften the image of China abroad.

Peng has won praise for her advocacy for pet causes, most notably for children living with HIV/AIDS, and may visit charities related to this while abroad.

Unlike the baby-kissing politicians of the West, China's Communist Party works hard to keep its top leaders from appearing too human - to the point that for many, even their official birthdates and the names of their children are regarded as a state secret.

Xi and Peng are different. Their romance has been the subject of dozens of glowing reports and pictorials in state media.

"When he comes home, I've never thought of it as though there's some leader in the house. In my eyes, he's just my husband," Peng gushed in an interview with a state-run magazine in 2007, describing Xi as frugal, hardworking and down-to-earth.

Peng is Xi's second wife, and the two have a daughter studying at Harvard under an assumed name. Xi divorced his first wife, the daughter of a diplomat.

Chinese first wives have traditionally kept a low profile over the past few decades, because of the experience of Jiang Qing, the widow of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong.

Jiang was the leader of the "Gang of Four" that wielded supreme power during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. She was given a suspended death sentence in 1981 for the deaths of tens of thousands during that period of chaos.

(This story corrects the year Xi became vice president to 2008)

(Additional reporting by Megha Rajagopalan and Beijing newsroom, and Anita Li in SHANGHAI; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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SYDNEY (AP) Ellen DeGeneres is so excited to be Down Under, she's even tweeting that way.

The talk show host's Twitter account had an upside-down message Friday saying, "I made it to Australia!"

She's visiting Sydney and Melbourne on her six-day trip to the country for segments being filmed for her popular U.S. television show.

DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi greeted fans at the Sydney airport upon arrival. Photos posted on the show's website and social media accounts showed the couple in front of the Sydney Opera House and DeGeneres looking at kaolas and a giraffe at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is in its 10th season. DeGeneres was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor last year.

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