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    Ashton Kutcher will play Steve Jobs in a movie about the late Apple co-founder from his early days as a "wayward hippie" up through to his technology ventures, according to show business publication Variety.    The independent film "Jobs" is based on a script by Matt Whiteley and will be directed by Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote").    A separate movie project about Jobs, based on the 2011 biography by Walter Isaacson, is being developed at Sony Pictures Studios .  Kutcher, who replaced Charlie Sheen on the long-running television sitcom "Two and a Half Men," is scheduled to shoot the movie during the TV series' production hiatus. Kutcher's big-screen credits include "Valentine's Day," "What Happens in Vegas" and "The Butterfly Effect."

    Grammy just announced its Special Merit Awards recipients and this year's selections are Allman Brothers Band ,Glen Campbell,Antonio Carlos Jobim,George Jones ,the Memphis Horns ,Diana Ross ,Gil Scott-Heron.       They will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards while Steve   Jobs, who died in October, is among those receiving  the Trustees Awards that recognise "outstanding contributions to the industry in a non-performing capacity".    The iPod creator is honoured for his part in devising "products and technology that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books.     The special invitation-only ceremony will be held during Grammy  Week on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, and a formal acknowledgment will be made during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards telecast, which will be held at staples center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012.

     Lady Gaga  has been voted The Associated Press Entertainer of the Year.There were 135 ballots submitted by U.S.  news organizations  that make up the AP's membership. Editors and broadcasters were asked to cast their ballots for who had the most influence on entertainment and culture in 2011. Lady Gaga narrowly edged out the late Apple founder  Steve Jobs  by three votes. Her year was dominated by the release of her second studio album, "Born This Way."   Previous winners of the AP Entertainer of the Year include  Betty White ,  Taylor Swift , Tina Fey and Stephen Colbert.

      Walter Isaacson's biography of Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs leapt to the top of bestseller lists in its first week in book stores, flying off shelves to the tune of 379,000 copies, according to Nielsen's BookScan. "Steve Jobs," which came out on October 24 from publisher Simon & Schuster, sold three times more copies than the next-bestselling book, John Grisham's "The Litigators." In its first week alone the book became one of the year's 20 bestsellers. It has been a year since any book has sold more copies in its first week. Both former President George W. Bush's autobiography, "Decision Points," and Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth," sold more than 400,000 copies in their first week last November.   Jobs died on October 5 of pancreatic cancer, age 56. The publication of Isaacson' book, which was written with Jobs' cooperation, was moved up from the original 2012 date.

    An authorised biography of steve jobs  was high on best-seller lists within hours of Apple's announcement of his death. And publisher simon & schuster announced Thursday that the release date has been moved up from Nov. 21 to Oct. 24. As of early Thursday morning, Walter isaacson 's "Steve Jobs" was No. 1 on Amazon.com and No. 3 on Barnes & Noble.com. Fittingly, the book also tops Apple's own list: the iTunes books best-seller list. Isaacson's book includes extensive interviews with the Apple co-founder, who rarely discussed his private life. Isaacson has written best-selling biographies of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. Jobs died Wednesday at age 56 after a long battle with cancer. Associatedpress