Un. Believable. Lindsay Lohan was turned away from the L.A. County Morgue this morning after showing up late for community service. Way to go, girl! The star, who was briefly cuffed and jailed yesterday, was supposed to be there at 8 a.m. At 7:40, her assistant called to say she’d be there in 10 minutes.
Among other testimony, a much-hyped slurred phone recording is played in full. By Gil Kaufman and Kara Warner Dr. Conrad Murray looks on during trial at the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 5 Photo: Getty Images After bringing a succession of Dr. Conrad Murray’s girlfriends to the witness stand, on Wednesday (October 5), prosecutors in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson ‘s personal physician focused on the kinds and amounts of drugs Murray ordered in the months leading up to the pop star’s death at age 50 on June 25, 2009. The most anticipated moment of the day was the promise of the full recording of a slurred-sounding Jackson recorded on Murray’s phone in the weeks before the “Thriller” singer’s death. Bits of the tape were played during the prosecution’s opening statements. Among the testimony Wednesday:
Despite a ruling by the Los Angeles County Coroner that Russell Armstrong died via suicide by hanging, the family of this late reality star reportedly believes he was murdered. TMZ sources report family members are convinced Armstrong’s financial woes led him down a path “with the wrong people” and one of them killed him out of retaliation. They will allegedly hire a private investigator to look into the matter. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills aired its second season premiere last night, which featured the woman talking awkwardly about Russell’s death. You can view that scene HERE .
Chelsea Settles is not small, but MTV hopes she’ll be a big hit. The network’s new reality TV starlet is coming to Tinseltown in pursuit of a career in the fashion industry. She’s pretty much the anti- Lauren Conrad . She weighs 324 lbs., which people remind her of constantly, but make no mistake, the 23-year-old is not about to let it stand in the way of a dream. As she ditches her small town roots for life in the City of Angels, all while struggling to lose weight, Settles’ career pursuits meet major obstacles. She’s leaving behind a boyfriend who isn’t always supportive, a mom struggling with severe diabetes, and battling her size every step of the way. The new star will have “an opportunity to expand her social life by confronting the social phobias that have been holding her back,” MTV explains. Unlike most reality shows (cough, any Real Housewives ), this features a genuinely likable star, one MTV hopes will be “a new kind of heroine.” Think she will be? Watch the trailer below: Get More: MTV Shows Chelsea Settles Trailer
More information has come out regarding the suicide of Russell Armstrong, including a chilling statement he allegedly made to his mother not long before hanging himself on Monday night. In an interview on HLN, Russell’s mother, John Ann Hotchkiss, tells host Jane Velez-Mitchell that her son confided in her just a couple weeks ago. Referring to his financial difficulties and allegations of abuse against his wife – all of which would be featured this fall on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – Armstrong said: Mom, they’re just going to crucify me this season… I don’t know what to do. I’ll never survive it. John Ann Hotchkiss on HLN Elsewhere: In an interview with ABC News, Ronald Richards, Armstrong’s lawyer, said the show’s focus on a lavish lifestyle plunged Armstrong into debt. “These couples join these shows, and then they keep trying to outdo each other and they end up spending all their money trying to sustain a lifestyle that’s unrealistic and wasn’t there prior to the show. The weekly social events, the dinners and all the BS, trying to pretend you have unlimited resources in Beverly Hills is tough.” As for facts/tidbits related to the tragedy, a rundown of the latest: According to the coroner, Russell was dead for at least 24 hours when his body was found. There are rumors that Russell beat Taylor Armstrong as recently as a month ago. She was supposedly hospitalized as a result. Taylor Armstrong could be responsible for her husband’s debts. Bravo will NOT air Russell’s funeral. It’s a mess at the network. What do you think should be done about season two?
The autopsy results are in and the coroner has made it official: Russell Armstrong died by “hanging and the final manner of death is suicide.” But why? Why did the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong take his own life ? It’s a question that will never have an answer, but two theories have emerged: 1. Money problems . Russell was facing a $1.5 million lawsuit, had no assets to his name and told People weeks before his death: “It got really overwhelming. When you get a TV show involved and all the pressure, it just takes it to a whole new level.” 2. A tell-all book was reportedly on the way, according to Radar Online, that would have exposed Russell as a bisexual . “There were people on the record that were going to talk about the kind of sex he liked,” a source said . “He was into S&M type stuff; choking, rough-housing and slapping.” We hate to gossip in such a manner about the dead, but at times like this, it’s hard not to wonder. Bravo, meanwhile, might delay the premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as it considers all options in dealing with this tragedy.
The autopsy results are in and the coroner has made it official: Russell Armstrong died by “hanging and the final manner of death is suicide.” But why? Why did the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong take his own life ? It’s a question that will never have an answer, but two theories have emerged: 1. Money problems . Russell was facing a $1.5 million lawsuit, had no assets to his name and told People weeks before his death: “It got really overwhelming. When you get a TV show involved and all the pressure, it just takes it to a whole new level.” 2. A tell-all book was reportedly on the way, according to Radar Online, that would have exposed Russell as a bisexual . “There were people on the record that were going to talk about the kind of sex he liked,” a source said . “He was into S&M type stuff; choking, rough-housing and slapping.” We hate to gossip in such a manner about the dead, but at times like this, it’s hard not to wonder. Bravo, meanwhile, might delay the premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as it considers all options in dealing with this tragedy.
The autopsy results are in and the coroner has made it official: Russell Armstrong died by “hanging and the final manner of death is suicide.” But why? Why did the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong take his own life ? It’s a question that will never have an answer, but two theories have emerged: 1. Money problems . Russell was facing a $1.5 million lawsuit, had no assets to his name and told People weeks before his death: “It got really overwhelming. When you get a TV show involved and all the pressure, it just takes it to a whole new level.” 2. A tell-all book was reportedly on the way, according to Radar Online, that would have exposed Russell as a bisexual . “There were people on the record that were going to talk about the kind of sex he liked,” a source said . “He was into S&M type stuff; choking, rough-housing and slapping.” We hate to gossip in such a manner about the dead, but at times like this, it’s hard not to wonder. Bravo, meanwhile, might delay the premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as it considers all options in dealing with this tragedy.
‘Jackass’ star killed in car crash stayed ‘real,’ say patrons of the Pennsylvania bar where he was last seen. By Mary J. DiMeglio Ryan Dunn Photo: Getty Images WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania — In Ryan Dunn’s adopted hometown, the “Jackass” star is remembered, not for his celebrity status, but rather for his ability to remain modest despite living in the limelight. When MTV News visited Barnaby’s of America in West Chester’s quaint downtown business district — the last place Dunn was seen before his fatal car crash early Monday morning — the bar’s patrons praised the fallen daredevil for never letting fame go to his head. As TVs showed a Phillies game and a guitarist strummed acoustic renditions of tunes ranging from Arcade Fire to Britney Spears, customers shared their memories of a neighbor who seemingly everyone in town had the chance to meet. “He was real,” said Sam Ford, who was celebrating her 25th birthday at Barnaby’s. With Dunn’s accident in mind, Ford said she and her boyfriend, Brock Jackson, would be taking a cab home that night. (Police have yet to determine whether alcohol played a role in Dunn’s death.) Jackson, 31, said he grew up playing Little League with Bam Margera and that Christopher Raab, (a.k.a. “Raab Himself”) an original member of Bam’s CKY stunt crew and the “Jackass” cast, was his best friend growing up. “I can’t even tell you how crushed he is,” Jackson said of Raab. Jackson said Dunn, who was 34, had “truly kind eyes” and “a heart and a half.” He was especially impressed by the well-known resident’s memory, saying, “He remembered every time he met somebody.” Around 2:30 a.m. on Monday, Dunn’s 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 flew through 40 yards of trees before hitting one and bursting into flames. West Goshen Police Chief Michael Carroll told Radar Online the Porsche was traveling at about 130 mph in a 55 mph zone when it collided with a guardrail. Jon Gurten, who grew up watching the “Jackass” crew’s antics, drove about 35 miles from Philadelphia on Tuesday to visit the rural crash site. “Just being local, it was weird how it hit you,” Gurten said of Dunn’s death. “We don’t know the guy, but he seemed like a normal dude doing good for himself.” Seeing the “long distance of trees that was ripped apart,” Gurten also witnessed a visit from Margera, who placed a candle near the already-replaced guardrail. Robert Moyer, 32, said at least 50 people were paying their respects when he stopped by the site Monday afternoon as police investigated amid the stench of burning wood and plastic. Moyer said Dunn shook his hand and “acted like a normal guy” when the two crossed paths at West Chester’s T.G.I. Friday’s. “He wasn’t trying to throw his money down or act like a big shot. He didn’t have a chip on his shoulder,” Moyer recalled. “He said, ‘Thanks for the support. Thanks for watching my movies.’ ” Hailing from the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania, West Chester University student Kait Sabo, 21, attested to the attention Dunn and his cohorts have brought to her new home. “When I say I go to West Chester, they associate it with ‘Jackass,’ and I’m from three hours away,” she explained. “They cheated death a lot,” Sabo said of the show’s stars. “You have to stop pushing your limits and realize death is a possibility.” Her friend, West Chester native Christy Colflesh, called Dunn a “down-to-earth, totally awesome guy” who never refused a request to pose for photographs with fans. She said at least 20 cars lined the street near the crash site on Tuesday afternoon, and some visitors collected bits of trees and whatever scraps they could find of the shattered Porsche. “So many people loved him,” she said, referring to the plethora of Ryan Dunn memorial pages that have cropped up on Facebook in the past few days. “People stand up for him.” The Chester County coroner’s report lists blunt force trauma and thermal trauma as the official causes of death for Dunn and his passenger, 30-year-old Iraq vet Zachary Hartwell , who was credited as a production assistant on “Jackass Number Two.” Hours before the crash, Dunn tweeted a photo of himself, Hartwell and another man at Barnaby’s. Toxicology results, which might help determine whether alcohol was involved in the crash, will be released in four to six weeks, the coroner’s office said. A Barnaby’s employee told MTV News on Monday afternoon that Dunn “didn’t seem intoxicated.” Dunn appeared on the MTV shows “Jackass” and “Viva La Bam” and the three “Jackass” big-screen adaptations. He was the star of his own short-lived MTV show, “Homewrecker,” and co-hosted the brand-new G4 show “Proving Ground,” which has been pulled off the network’s schedule. Share your memories of Ryan Dunn on our Facebook page or in the comments below. Related Videos Remembering Ryan Dunn Related Photos Ryan Dunn: A Career In Photos
Police estimate Dunn’s car was going 130 mph when he crashed. By James Montgomery Ryan Dunn Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images The initial autopsy of “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn and the passenger killed in an early-morning wreck in rural Pennsylvania on Monday revealed that the two died from blunt-force trauma and the fire that consumed Dunn’s vehicle. According to the Chester County Coroner, Dunn and 30-year-old Zachary Hartwell were both dead before police arrived at the scene of the accident, which occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Monday in West Goshen Township, when the amateur daredevil’s 2007 Porsche 911 GTS swerved off the road and flew through 40 yards of trees before hitting one and bursting into flames. Relive Ryan Dunn’s best stunts on the “Jackass” TV show. West Goshen Police Chief Michael Carroll told Radar Online that an accident-reconstruction team was able to determine that the Porsche was traveling at a very high rate of speed — almost 130 mph — when it collided with a guard rail. “I’ve never seen a car destroyed in an automobile accident the way this car was, even before it caught on fire,” Carroll said. “The automobile actually came apart. It was unbelievable and I’ve been on a lot of fatal accident scenes. This was by far the worst I’ve ever seen.” TMZ reported that, based on the autopsy results, “It seems it was impossible to determine if the two died from the impact of the crash itself or from the fire that resulted.” The coroner also told the site that toxicology results for both men — which would help determine whether alcohol was involved in the crash — would be released in four to six weeks. In the hours before the crash, Dunn was photographed drinking at Barnaby’s of America , a bar in West Chester, Pennsylvania, leading some to speculate that he was drunk before the accident occurred. But an employee of the bar told MTV News that he “didn’t seem intoxicated.” “He seemed like he was having a good time, hanging out with friends,” the employee said. “[He] only had a couple beers here. As far as we’re concerned, the biggest thing, our hearts go out to the family and friends, and his loss is a big loss to our community. The biggest thing we’re worried about is his friends and family.” Share your memories of Ryan Dunn in the comments below. Related Videos Remembering Ryan Dunn Related Photos Ryan Dunn: A Career In Photos
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