Two more terrific dancers have left Season 10 of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance after the competition’s performance show Tuesday night. The episode, which featured the finalists paired up with 10 fan favorite So You Think You Can Dance All-Stars, featured some great routines. But they weren’t enough to save the following two dancers: Nico Greetham and Makenzie Dustman were eliminated. Tucker Knox and Jenna Johnson also landed in the bottom four this week but were saved by the votes of a group of 15 judges and choreographers. Nigel Lythgoe said the voters were unanimous in wanting Tucker to stay over Nico, while the Jenna vs. Makenzie vote was closer: 9 votes to 6. Do you agree with this week’s SYTYCD results?
Debbie Rowe is expected to testify at the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial that her ex-husband was addicted to Propofol 12 years before he died. At least twice in the ’90s, doctors misused a drug similar to Propofol, enabling MJ to sleep through the night – or so TMZ reports she’ll tell the jury . Debbie Rowe will be called to testify by AEG Live, though she views herself as a hostile witness, as she feels AEG is largely responsible for MJ’s death. She is expected to say that in 1997, doctors administered Diprivan (an anesthetic and form of Propofol) to Michael in a Munich, Germany hotel room. Rowe will say the drug was administered specifically so Michael could sleep. The testimony is significant because AEG Live is trying to show Michael Jackson was responsible for his own decisions and misused drugs for years. Rowe will also say, contrarily, that she never viewed him as a drug addict. She will testify that was addicted to Demerol, which he used to deal with the pain and anxiety from scalp surgeries after being horribly burned years earlier. He was not, however, a reckless or out-of-control drug fiend in her eyes. In fact, he had gone to rehab to battle addiction and he was open about it. Rowe personally injected Michael in the buttocks with Demerol and Vistaril several times while she worked for Dr. Arnold Klein , MJ’s closest confidante. She had no idea that in the last months of Michael’s life, Klein (the rumored biological father of Prince and Paris Jackson ) gave him Demerol often. Rowe is expected to say on the stand that she saw a video of MJ leaving Klein’s office looking particularly out of it, just days before he died in 2009. After he passed, she called Klein and said “You killed him. What did you give him?” Rowe also told her therapist that year, “They’re [AEG] gonna kill him.” Whether this plays out on the stand – and how a jury reacts, with a BILLION-dollar lawsuit on the line – remains to be seen, but we’ll keep you posted.
Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense received yet another blow Monday when his most important witness was held in contempt of court and fined $1,000. Charged with involuntary manslaughter in the June 2009 death of Michael Jackson, Murray sought the help of Dr. Paul White, an expert in anesthesia. White repeatedly violated court orders to by testifying about his private conversations with Murray, however, and the judge came down on him hard. “Quite frankly, this constitutes direct contempt of court,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Pastor told White, the defense team’s final witness. White told the jury he believes that Jackson took extra doses of two drugs, including the powerful anesthetic Propofol, while Murray’s back was turned. White suggested on Monday that while he thinks Michael Jackson killed himself , it wasn’t a suicide attempt and MJ didn’t know the “potential danger.” Monday marked the second time Pastor held White in contempt – the first was October 21, when White called a member of the prosecution a vulgarity. Yesterday’s sanction was ordered after an intense exchange between White and D.A. David Walgren, who grilled him about Murray’s medical decisions . He conceded that Murray’s treatment of Michael Jackson deviated from standards of care, many of which are delineated in articles and books by White. White conceded that it was unheard of for Murray to administer Propofol in a home setting, that Dr. Murray lacked sufficient monitoring equipment. He was also forced to admit that Murray failed to write notes about his treatment of the pop singer, and that Murray should have called 911 sooner. But White refused to call these “egregious” errors … despite prosecution witnesses rattling off 17 ways in which his care likely led to MJ’s passing. When Walgren asked if it was true that Murray supplied Propofol, White countered that he understood that MJ procured his own Propofol stash as well. He also said that he believed Jackson could have injected Propofol from a partially-filled syringe that Murray may have left in Jackson’s bedroom. Pastor then sent the jury outside and complained that White was basing that on private conversations with Murray, rather than his statements to police. Later in the day, White testified that he had additional information to share with the jury but the judge told him he couldn’t, holding him in contempt. Closing arguments are expected to take place this week. It’s not looking good for the doc, who faces up to four years in prison if he’s convicted.
Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense attorney has told jurors that the personal physician to Michael Jackson gave him a modest 25 milligrams of Propofol on June 25, 2009. Reports suggest the star had significantly higher levels of the powerful anesthetic in his system, however. Of course, Murray’s defense also has an answer for that. Dr. Murray’s lawyers contend that when the cardiologist left the room briefly, Michael Jackson killed himself , unintentionally, by taking a lethal dose himself. Among the problems with Murray’s controversial defense theory: Michael Jackson’s fingerprints were NOT on any Propofol Murray’s girlfriends cast doubt on his timeline of events As testimony in the involuntary manslaughter trial continues, medical professionals are expected to reveal “toxic and lethal levels of Propofol in his system,” reports say . The levels of Propofol were reportedly extremely high, which if so, plays into the prosecutors’ case that Murray negligent in his actions before and after MJ died. Two paramedics and two doctors that treated Jackson at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center told jurors Murray never revealed he gave Jackson Propofol.
The the trial of the doctor accused of killing Michael Jackson has finally begun. The trial of Dr. Conrad Murray officially started today in Los Angeles. Murray stands accused of killing the King of Pop with an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. Several of MJ’s family members were in attendance, including Michael’s father Joseph, mother Katherine, sisters LaToya and Janet, and brothers Jermaine, Randy and Tito. LaToya carried a sunflower, Michael’s favorite flower. Dr. Murray arrived holding hands with his mother. Murray has pleaded not guilty. Watch the trial LIVE below: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy RELATED: MJ Was Paranoid He Wouldn’t Be Able To Complete Tour RELATED: Michael Jackson Estate Has Pulled In $310 Million Since His Death RELATED: Conrad Murray Trial To Be Televised
Dr. Conrad Murray is reportedly adamant that he will not accept a plea bargain of any sort in the Michael Jackson involuntary manslaughter case. Sources say Dr. Murray feels so strongly about his innocence that even a plea offering zero jail time would be out of the question on principle. Not that the L.A. County District Attorney is bending over backwards to offer such a thing. Prosecutors believe they can and will win the case. Dr. Murray’s defense revolves around the fact that only two people were in the room around the time Michael died, those being Murray and Jackson. The doctor insists he did not administer the fatal dose of Propofol. His lawyers’ theory: Murray left to go to the bathroom, a frustrated MJ woke up, administered Propofol on his own, overdosed and killed himself . As for why he was providing Propofol to start with, Murray hopes MJ’s last rehearsal footage will show “warning signs” that he was a lost cause. Michael Jackson passed away two years ago today. What do you think of Dr. Conrad Murray?
To say the prosecutors in the Michael Jackson manslaughter case are unmoved by Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense theory would be an understatement. They don’t seem particularly worried about it, either. At the preliminary hearing, a doctor for the L.A. County Coroner’s Office testified that even if Michael Jackson injected himself with a fatal dose of Propofol, as Dr. Murray’s defense team claims, he is still guilty of homicide. Dr. Christopher Rogers believes Dr. Murray had no business administering Propofol outside a hospital setting and without appropriate equipment. Rogers said that given Michael Jackson’s dependence on Propofol – Murray calims Jackson begged for the drug – the fact that Murray left MJ by himself (which he admitted) with access to the powerful anesthetic constitutes a homicide. Well, talk about turning the tables on that theory. To make matters worse, a doctor for the L.A. County Coroner’s Office testified he doesn’t believe Dr. Murray only gave Michael Jackson 25 mg of Propofol. Without saying Murray lied to cops in his interview two days after MJ died, Rogers said Jackson would have awakened after 3-5 minutes after that dose. Rogers also testified he doesn’t think Jackson swallowed Propofol, another angle to a defense that Murray’s attorneys laid the groundwork for this week. Very small amounts of the drug were found in Jackson’s stomach, he said in the latest round of testimony to see if Murray will be tried for manslaughter . Rogers said he believes it’s inappropriate to use Propofol for insomnia and that Murray’s care was “substandard” any way you slice it. Your move, doc. Dr. Murray …
Filed under: Michael Jackson , Celebrity Justice Michael Jackson ‘s death is Exhibit A for California lobbyists who are pushing for a law restricting the use of Propofol . Michael’s Law is being pushed by a group of people … all of whom have lost loved ones to the misuse of Propofol. They’ve been… Read more
Filed under: Leonardo DiCaprio , Celebrity Justice The woman accused of attacking Leonardo DiCaprio just had her bail jacked up from $60,000 to $150,000 because the judge was afraid she’d flee to Canada … like she’s already done before . 40-year old Aretha Wilson was in court today in L.A. to be… Read more
Dr. Conrad Murray intends to argue that Michael Jackson killed himself by self-injecting a lethal dose of Propofol while the physician stepped out to use the bathroom. While that sounds like legal grasping at straws, Murray’s defense team says Michael Jackson’s body – specifically his eyes – could be powerful evidence in his favor. The supposed proof that Jackson accidentally killed himself , rather than overdosing on Propofol Murray administered, was obvious when the doctor came back in. At that point, he says he saw Michael’s eyes wide open and his pupils dilated. Experts say if a patient is sleeping and overdoses, their eyes most likely would not be open. The defense contends Jackson woke up when Murray was gone, became frustrated he couldn’t sleep, grabbed the Propofol bottle and ” pushed it .” THE EYES HAVE IT : But does Dr. Murray’s story hold water? If a jury believes Jackson’s eyes were open , they could also believe Jackson was awake and, perhaps, capable of grabbing the Propofol on the nightstand. Authorities also say they have a clear explanation for why Michael trouble sleeping the night before he died – tablets that would have really riled him up. An unlabeled bottle contained 13 tablets, each a combination of ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin. Each pill contained 25 mg of ephedrine, 200 mg of caffeine and 80 mg of aspirin. The caffeine alone in each is equivalent to nearly a six-pack of Coca-Cola. According to the toxicology results, ephedrine was present in Jackson. Might he have gotten so hyped up that he felt he needed extra Propofol to sleep? Murray likely thinks so, and won’t accept a plea deal .
