‘I don’t believe it was a contributing factor,’ Dr. Paul White testifies. By Gil Kaufman Dr. Conrad Murray Photo: Pool/ Getty Images Testimony from the final defense witness resumed Monday (October 31) in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson ‘s former doctor, Conrad Murray. Once again, jurors heard from Dr. Paul White , an expert on the surgical anesthetic propofol, who tried to convince the court last week that Jackson had injected himself with a fatal dose of the drug while Murray was absent. As he did Friday, White also offered that Murray’s conduct was unusual and broke protocol but didn’t rise to the level of involuntary manslaughter. The Witness
Kody Brown and Robyn Brown, one of the titular stars of TLC’s Sister Wives, welcomed the family’s 17th child last week at their home in Las Vegas, Nevada. With four wives and now 17 kids, guy’s got his hands full. Fortunately, there’s time for fun and family bonding to keep the unit strong. On Sunday’s episode, Kode, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn went camping. Sleeping under the stars, fishing, complaining, yelling, mass chaos … in the end, the camping trip was a lot like any family’s, just much, much bigger. Heading out to Big Bear Lake in California because it’s too hot in Vegas on July 4 – almost hot enough to literally fry an egg on the sidewalk, but not quite – the gang heads to the mountains for a camping trip to reconnect with each other. Some of Kody Brown’s kids are less than thrilled, however. Kody tries to chalk it up to hormones and kids getting pissed for no reason at all in their formative years. Meri thinks the teens are justified in their anger, however. The fam did just move, after all, and Janelle sees resentment in her son Hunter, who feels that the Browns were basically chased out of Utah, friends and family. Hunter also has a problem accepting Robyn, wife #4 . Robyn’s children – she has three by a different father – complicate things, and when they start getting on people’s cases, Meri gets involved and Robyn breaks down. She even describes the possibility of having her children leave the family, since legally, they have the right to choose to live with their father if they like at age 13. That’s on hold for now, but still, emotionally heavy stuff for Robyn. This week’s Sister Wives episode also featured a kid swap of sorts. Christine’s two daughters, Brianne and Isabel, are apparently going to be moving in with Meri, with the rationale behind that Isabel gets along better with Meri. Looks like polygamy has its perks after all – and not just for Kody. Christine says people might think she’s a bad parent, but admits Isabel living with Meri is just one of the things they can do that a conventional family cannot. Robyn has a name for her sister wives’ children: “Bonus children!” Call them what you want, they were not the happiest family ever this week, but that’s okay. Everyone struggles from time to time with familial relationships, and for the Browns, those relationships are very complex, making them hard to work through. Despite their unorthodox lifestyle and enormous brood, they face personal struggles and try to find solutions like the rest of us. It’s funny how that works out. What do you think of Kody Brown and Sister Wives?
Dr. Conrad Murray will no longer be taking the stand to testify in his own defense in the involuntary manslaughter trial stemming from Michael Jackson’s 2009 death. This marks a reversal of his original plan to testify . Murray told his lawyers from day one that he wants to testify and tell his side of the story, but his lead attorney, Ed Chernoff, believes it’s not worth the risk. His reasoning is simple: Murray wouldn’t be able to withstand a tough cross examination that the DA would subject him to, and would hurt his own cause . “Clients always want to testify, but in this case, the D.A. would wear him down, and Murray just wouldn’t be able to overcome the basic facts,” says a source. To name a few: ” not calling 911 right away , failure to tell ER doctors and EMTs that he gave Jackson Propofol, not having the proper monitoring equipment.” The defense’s final witness, Dr. Paul White, testified Friday that Michael Jackson killed himself with a lethal injection by mistake with Murray out of the room. That long shot theory is probably Murray’s only hope of a not guilty verdict, but Deputy D.A. David Walgren still has a chance to cross examine him today. Moreover, after the defense formally rests their case, prosecutors – who have made a very strong case thus far – can call additional rebuttal witnesses. The trial resumes this morning in Los Angeles.
The late Michael Jackson likely helped himself to extra doses of potent drugs while Dr. Conrad Murray’s back was turned and accidentally took his own life. That’s according to the defense’s final witness, who finally came out and said, under oath, the theory that Murray’s defense has been floating for months. Murray’s lawyers long have asserted that Jackson caused his own death , even as the likelihood of such an event has been discredited by the prosecution. Still, White told the jury, in Jackson’s last minutes of consciousness, the insomniac took several pills of the sedative lorezepan, then injected the Propofol. “You think it was a self-injection of propofol between 11:30 and 12?” defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan asked. “In my opinion, yes,” White responded. White, like the prosecution’s star witness, Dr. Steven Shafer, is an anesthesiologist and Propofol expert. The prosecution will cross-examine him next week. After that, it’s up to the jury to determine if there is reasonable doubt to acquit Murray of involuntary manslaughter, or if the prosecution made its case . It goes without saying that Jackson’s family feels they have. Family members have attended trial every day, wasting little time praising the D.A. – or in this case, denying Michael was responsible for his own death. His sister La Toya Jackson Tweeted, after a particularly tense Friday in courty: “MICHAEL DID NOT KILL HIMSELF!!! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT!!!!” The implication isn’t that he tried to, but point taken. There’s also the question of whether that would absolve Murray of guilt even if it did occur. The state contends it would not, and that he’s guilty anyway. Prosecution witnesses say Murray not only gave too much Propofol, he also failed to properly monitor MJ, botched CPR and waited too long to call 911 . That, along with inconsistencies in Murray’s own timeline of events, plus startling images like the Michael Jackson autopsy photo , could be his undoing. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. Dr. Conrad Murray :
Forbes magazine predicts Cirque du Soleil tribute show ‘Immortal’ will put King of Pop in the lead again next year. By Gil Kaufman Michael Jackson Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage For the second year in a row, Michael Jackson has topped Forbes magazine’s list of top-earning dead celebrities. The King of Pop, who died unexpectedly at age 50 in June 2009, earned an estimated $170 million over the past year, making him the second-highest-earning pop star this year (behind U2) — dead or alive. The megabucks came in from sales of his music, as well as his stake in the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog, and while impressive, was a big step down from the $275 million the Jackson estate earned in the year after the singer’s death. Songwriters who own their work tend to place high on the Forbes list because their catalog sales often remain strong after their death, one of the reasons Jackson’s posthumous career has been so lucrative. The magazine speculated that Jackson is likely to top the list again next year thanks to the recent launch of the Cirque du Soleil tribute show “Immortal,” which, if successful, could net more touring income for the singer in death than he earned in life. In a distant second was the perennial chart-topper in the Forbes tally, Elvis, whose catalog and merchandise sales (not to mention his pricey Cirque show, “Viva Elvis”) helped bring in $55 million from October 2010 to October 2011. Two late Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison, placed fifth and 13th on the list, respectively, at $12 million and $6 million, also thanks in part to catalog sales and the proceeds from a Las Vegas Cirque show, “Love.” Fifty years after her death, blonde starlet Marilyn Monroe was #3 with $27 million, followed by “Peanuts” cartoonist Charles Schulz. Actress Elizabeth Taylor tied at #5 with Lennon at $12 million, mostly due to the perennially strong sales of her perfumes, just ahead of renowned genius Albert Einstein ($10 million) and Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel ($9 million). Tied at #9 are guitar god Jimi Hendrix, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” author Stieg Larsson, actor Steve McQueen and songwriter Richard Rodgers ($7 million). Harrison was at #13, tied with pin-up icon Bettie Page and pop-art legend Andy Warhol ($6 million). Related Artists Michael Jackson
‘Nobody who cared or had your best interest at heart is going to give you this,’ Cherilyn Lee recalls telling MJ. By Gil Kaufman and Kara Warner Cherilyn Lee, Michael Jackson’s former nurse practitioner, testifies in court on October 25, 2011 Photo: Paul Buck-Pool/ Getty Images The second day of testimony from defense witnesses in the involuntary manslaughter trial of former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray included claims by one of the singer’s former nurses that MJ demanded she provide him with the surgical anesthetic propofol. The Witnesses
Dr. Conrad Murray’s lawyers question why LAPD surveillance expert only submitted a portion of tape into evidence. By Kara Warner Orlando Martinez Photo: Pool/ Getty Images Day 16 in the involuntary manslaughter trial against Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray marked the end of the prosecution’s case and the first day the defense had an opportunity to call witnesses to the stand. Testimony kicked off with a cross-examination of propofol expert Steven Shafer, during which Murray’s attorney Ed Chernoff challenged Shafer’s theory that there is no way Jackson could have killed himself with self-administered doses of Lorazepam and propofol. Chernoff and his team then moved through several witnesses Monday (October 24). The Witnesses
As if Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense team didn’t have its work cut out for it already, the legal ensemble is starting to fracture amid reports of persistent infighting. Ed Chernoff, Dr. Murray’s lead attorney, is from Houston and had been staying with another member of the team, J. Michael Flanagan, to save Murray money.
Top 32 contestants vie for spots in the top 16. By Adam Graham Paula Abdul with guest judge Pharrell on the “X Factor” on Sunday Photo: FOX The second half of the final 32 “X Factor” acts performed in front of the judges at their respective homes on Sunday’s episode, vying for spots in the top 16. Those 16 will compete in the show’s live episodes and ultimately battle it out for a $5 million recording contract. The judges were joined by celebrity consultants for this round. Rihanna partnered with L.A. Reid at his home in the Hamptons to evaluate the boys; Pharrell Williams helped Paula Abdul critique the groups in Santa Barbara, California; and Enrique Iglesias assisted Nicole Scherzinger while she evaluated the over-30s at her home in Malibu, California. Over in France, Simon Cowell was joined by a team of industry professionals to assess the girls after his original co-judging choice, Mariah Carey, was detained due to a hurricane. First up for the girls was early favorite Jazzlyn Little, who, despite her imminent stage fright, made a lasting impression early on with her rendition of Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down.” Her nerves seemed to have gotten the better of her again prior to performing, though she pulled through on a stepped-up version of Gloria Gaynor’s disco classic “I Will Survive.” Impressed, Cowell said the 16-year-old “put herself back in the frame,” though vocal coach Savan Kotecha was rougher, dismissing the performance as “a little high school talent show.” Rachel Crow is too young to even enter a high school talent show, yet the 13-year-old sang a resonant version of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” on Cowell’s back patio. Cowell called it “unbelievable” and sent Crow off with a “well done, you,” which had the spiral-haired teenager beaming. Tiah Tolliver, the 20-year-old Washington singer for whom Cowell has fought hard in the competition, put a showy spin on Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” which seemed to divide Cowell’s aides, though Cowell argued yet again, “I always thought she fits in this show.” But he didn’t have to do any convincing of the merit of 19-year-old Melanie Amaro, whose take on Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There” caused Cowell to mock-faint on his patio couch. There was no mock-fainting going on with Rihanna, but she was clearly intrigued by Chris Rene, the garbage collector and recovering addict who performed “Everyday People” for her and L.A. Reid at Reid’s picturesque estate. “He has something very special. I want to know more about him,” Rihanna told Reid, helping confirm Rene’s status as one of the show’s early frontrunners. Ri-Ri was also intrigued by 20-year-old Marcus Canty, who sang K-Ci & JoJo’s “All My Life” directly to her, though she said she was unconvinced of his potential star power. Rihanna was less impressed with Brennin Hunt, the 26-year-old with the soap-star good looks, whom she called “corny” and said he gave off a ” ’90s boy band” vibe following his performance of Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Like a Star.” She liked 30-year-old country singer Tim Cifers, who performed a twangy version of Luther Vandross’ touching “Dance With My Father,” though L.A. Reid was disappointed by him. “I wanted so much more from him,” he said. In the over-30 group, Josh Krajcik — whom producers somewhat hilariously insist on referring to as a “burrito maker” — caused Iglesias and Scherzinger to debate his potential star power. The husky singer “is not your typical star,” Iglesias said, and Scherzinger agreed he’s “a little rough around the edges.” But both seemed pleased with his version of “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” and the “burrito maker” seems poised to live another day in the competition. Meanwhile, 42-year-old wedding DJ Tiger Budbill seemed to be making a direct plea to the judges with his version of Solomon Burke’s “Don’t Give Up on Me,” which hit home but also had Scherzinger questioning his marketability. (Didn’t she notice his name is Tiger Budbill ? What more do you need?) Christa Collins, meanwhile, a former child star who claimed to be the prototype for Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, sang an awkward version of Radiohead’s “No Surprises” that left Scherzinger wanting more “pain” and “emotion” from her. And from Scherzinger’s perspective, nerves got the best of 60-year-old LeRoy Bell during his rendition of “Make You Feel My Love,” which could hurt his chances going forward. In the groups category, the standouts were the Stereo Hoggz, the Houston group whom Pharrell praised as mixing Motown soul with Ginuwine swagger, and Intensity, the group of 10 outcast solo artists who were put together as a group by the judges. They performed an exciting mash-up of the Ting Tings’ “That’s Not My Name” and Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True.” On Tuesday’s “X Factor,” the top 16 acts will be chosen, leaving the other half to pack their bags and say goodbye. Who do you think should make the top 16? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: ‘X Factor’ Judges Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid
Lady Gaga and Usher are among the music stars coming together to celebrate former President Bill Clinton and the 10th anniversary of his foundation this weekend. Highlighting the 65-year-old’s efforts to protect the environment, promote global health and stimulate the economy, the Decade of Difference concert honoring the Clinton Foundation will be held at the famed Hollywood Bowl. The show will stream live on Yahoo at 7 p.m. EST Saturday. Lady Gaga and others will honor the former President tomorrow. Kenny Chesney, Juanes, K’Naan and XX are also on the bill for the one night only event, which will also feature an acoustic set by U2’s The Edge and Bono. We’ve already heard about what happened when Lady Gaga met President Obama . We can only hope she wears something like this tomorrow night as well. [Photos: WENN.com]
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