The National Enquirer has an extraordinarily warped sense of beauty. With every media outlet and Twitter account holder in shock and disgust over that tabloid publishing a photo of Whitney Houston in her casket , courtesy of last Saturday’s funeral in New Jersey, the tabloid’s publisher, Mary Beth Wright, spoke to Fox News yesterday and actually said: “I thought it was beautiful.” This isn’t the first time the National Enquirer has invoked such controversy and outrage. In 1977, the newspaper published an image Elvis Presley in his coffin, and it also ran a a photograph of John Lennon following his death in 1980. What do you think of its decision to post a shot of Whitney’s corpse?
Thank you, Muse Magazine. By mixing style, class and old-school sophistication with crazy hot Kate Upton pictures in a new photo shoot, they’ve given everyone something to appreciate. Umm, and did we mention … Kate Upton is nude in this photo shoot?! Channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe no less? Eat your heart out, Lindsay Lohan … The array of photos, taken by Sebastian Faena, vary from a black-and-white portrait to a full-body profile with Upton in nothing but a pair of stilletto pumps. Gulp. We can’t figure out which we like more: These new pictures or Kate’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover . You know what, though? Why must one have to choose? Just gaze upon the Michigan native’s natural beauty, click to enlarge the Muse pics below, concentrate hard on not drooling too obviously, then thank us later: [Photos: Muse/Sebastian Faena]
Sit down, The Twilight Saga. Take a backseat, Harry Potter. There’s a new, early box office champion in Hollywood! According to Fandango, The Hunger Games has set a new mark for first-day advance ticket sales, as anxious Katniss Everdeen fans lit up the Internet on February 22 in anticipation of this blockbuster and purchased more tickets ahead of the film’s opening than the previous record holder, Eclipse . Said Fandango Executive Vice President and General Manager, Rick Butler: ” The Hunger Games is off to a fantastic start. We saw the biggest first day advance ticketing sales in our company’s nearly 12-year history – which is especially impressive for a March release and a non-sequel.” The Hunger Games TV Spot NOTE : Do you want to attend the March 12 Los Angeles premiere of The Hunger Games ? It’s not too late to enter that contest at Movie Fanatic !
Dr. Conrad Murray’s girlfriend, Nicole Alvarez, is begging the court to let him out of jail pending his appeal, claiming he’s a “good father” to their toddler. Somehow we don’t see it happening. Nicole Alvarez , who testified during Murray’s involuntary manslaughter trial last fall, filed a declaration of support for Murray Thursday, in which she says if Murray is released, he will live with her and their two-year-old son in Santa Monica, Calif. It’s not the most powerful or emotional letter. Alvarez says, “Dr. Murray is the father of my child,” adding, he “has been our primary source of support.” Moving stuff right there. It’s unclear how much support Murray can provide now, considering his medical license has been revoked and he’s likely spent a fortune on legal fees. Murray’s hearing for bail pending appeal of his conviction is scheduled for Friday in L.A. The D.A. opposes bail, saying Murray is a danger to society . Should be open and shut: No bail.
Murray will represent himself as he contests involuntary manslaughter conviction for which he faces up to four years in state prison. By Kara Warner Dr. Conrad Murray Photo: Pool/ Getty Images As expected, Michael Jackson ‘s former doctor Conrad Murray has filed an appeal to challenge his involuntary manslaughter conviction. According to TMZ , Murray filed the petition in pro per, which means he has decided to forego hiring legal representation and represent himself. He reportedly listed “Men’s Central Jail” and his booking number in the space on the appeal document where a lawyer would normally list a firm’s name or contact information. TMZ also reported that although Murray seems to be without a lawyer, he is still in communication with Nareg Gourjian, one of the attorneys who represented him during his manslaughter trial. “This case presents a gold mine of issues for any appellate lawyer,” Gourjian told TMZ. “Dr. Murray is confident that the Court of Appeal will vindicate him.” Following the guilty verdict, Murray’s lead defense lawyer Ed Chernoff told CNN, “What matters most right now is trying to keep Dr. Murray from taking up a prison cell in this community. That’s what we’re focusing on right now, and we’ll deal with an appeal after that.” Murray faces up to four years in state prison on the charge, but because of recent changes in California sentencing laws aimed at reducing prison overcrowding, he is unlikely to spend any time in a state facility. Gourjian has said he expects Murray to spend “maybe a little bit” of time in county jail. Related Videos Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Sentenced Related Artists Michael Jackson
Dr. Conrad Murray — who faced up to four years behind bars at his sentencing today on his manslaughter conviction for administering a deadly anesthetic to Michael Jackson – was sentenced to the maximum of 4 years in prison. But Murray will not spend a single day in prison because of a new California law. He’ll serve his time in L.A. County Jail where at the most will only serve half the sentence. Judge Pastor said, “There are those who feel Dr. Murray is a saint. There are those who feel he’s the devil. He is neither. He’s a human being.” Judge Pastor says it’s irrelevant to him that Michael might have met this fate with some other doctor. The fact is, Pastor said, Michael Jackson died because of the actions of … Dr. Murray.” Murray’s attorneys, who suggested at trial that the singer caused his own death by taking extra drugs when Murray was out of the room, asked that Murray receive probation. In his sentencing memo, the prosecution contended that Murray, 58, performed a “dangerous, unprecedented pharmaceutical experiment,” withheld from paramedics and emergency room doctors that he’d administered propofol, and hid some drugs and equipment after Jackson stopped breathing. SOURCE
Former Michael Jackson doctor faces another hearing in January to potentially provide more than $101 million in restitution to the Jackson family. By Gil Kaufman Dr. Conrad Murray receives sentencing in court on Tuesday Photo: Pool/ Getty Images Former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray was back in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday morning (November 29), where he was ordered to serve the maximum of four years in county jail. The cardiologist, who was found guilty of one felony count of involuntary manslaughter November 7, was facing up to four years in state prison in the death of the pop icon, but due to recent changes to alleviate overcrowding in California prisons, the judge in the case said he was was unable to send the doctor to state prison for his crime. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor had leeway in the sentencing, with options ranging from probation to the full sentence, but in a lengthy ruling from the bench he said that Murray’s lack of remorse and negligent behavior argued for the highest possible penalty. Do you think Conrad Murray deserved the maximum sentence? Let us know on Facebook. “He is and remains dangerous … the request of probation is denied, the court imposes the high term of four years imprisonment in this case,” Pastor said during the 90-plus minute hearing. Murray will serve his time in the Los Angeles County Jail, as well as pay nearly $900 in court fees and face another hearing in late January 2012 on a request by the prosecution to provide more than $101 million in restitution to the Jackson family. Murray was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors convinced them that Murray’s reckless use of the surgical anesthetic propofol led to the singer’s death. Before Pastor’s ruling, prosecutors not only asked for the maximum sentence, but also that Murray pay Jackson’s children more than $100 million in restitution, which is the amount they believe the singer would have earned had he lived to perform his “This is It” comeback tour, in addition to nearly $2 million in funeral expenses. Prior to handing down the sentence, a peeved-looking Pastor answered a defense question regarding a last minute notice from the prosecution noting that two previous cases suggest that involuntary manslaughter could be considered a “serious” offense and thus should subject Murray to federal prison time. “I don’t think these cases have any impact on the realignment statute,” Pastor ruled, referring to the new rules regarding sentencing that he believed superseded the earlier cases. Attorney and friend Brian Panish read a statement from the Jackson family at the beginning of the proceedings. “There is now way to adequately describe the loss of our beloved father, son, brother and friend,” Panish said. “We still look at each other in disbelief, is it really possible that he is gone? As Michael’s parents we never could have imaged we would live to witness his passing. It is simply against the natural order of things. As his brothers and sisters we will never be able to hold, laugh, or perform again with our brother Michael. And as his children, we will grow up without a father, our best friend, our playmate and our dad. We are not here to seek revenge, there is nothing you can do today that will bring Michael back. But we will keep the love in our in our hearts that Michael embodied throughout his life. His passion was for unifying the world through the gift of his artistry. We respectfully request that you impose a sentence that reminds physicians that they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder and cast aside their Hippocratic oath to do no harm. As we all know from this tragedy, doing so can have devastating results. The bible reminds us that men cannot do justice they can only seek justice. And that is all we ask as a family and that is all that we can ask for here.” As in the past, Murray, 58, sat stone-faced, listening to the statement and prosecutor David Walgren’s quick rehashing of the facts in the case. “He looked out for himself and not Michael Jackson,” Walgren said, going on to argue why the court should deny the defense’s request for probation. He quoted Pastor’s own comments about the dangerous nature of Murray’s action following the verdict as evidence that Murray should face a more serious penalty than probation. He said Murray’s abandonment of a vulnerable Jackson in the time of the singer’s need, as well as the planning the doctor underwent to procure the propofol and to not keep clear medical records about their administration were also reasons to deny probation. “It is the people’s position that prison is warranted,” Walgren said, adding that it was Murray’s negligent actions before, during and after Jackson’s death, as well as his lack of remorse and failure to take personal responsibility — as evidenced in clip from a documentary interview nine days before the verdict in which he denied culpability — that call for the longer term. A number of Jackson’s family members, including mother Katherine and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Randy and Rebbie, were reportedly on hand for the court date. When asked by the judge if the new sentencing laws allowed Murray to be sent to prison for the full term, Walgren said they did not. While the defense did not call any witnesses to testify — and Murray did not wish to speak — defense attorney Ed Chernoff did reference more than 30 pages of support memorandum from friends, family and patients in his brief statements. He agreed that Murray’s actions do warrant punishment, but asked how the court viewed the book of Murray’s life, versus one chapter. “He shouldn’t have done it,” he said of Murray’s actions. “We’re going to be honest about vulnerability. Michael Jackson was a drug seeker and he sought it out from Dr. Murray who was wrong in providing it.” Chernoff painted Jackson as a rich, powerful person who had the means to do whatever he wanted and asked the court to consider Murray’s life before the doctor began working for Jackson. He described Murray’s currently cloistered existence in jail in protective custody and asked, “but what about the rest of his life? What about before Michael Jackson asked for propofol?” he wondered, noting that for 56 years Murray had never run afoul of the law and had raised a family following his destitute beginnings on the island of Grenada. “Does any of that matter at all?” Chernoff asked dramatically as he unspooled his client’s rise from poverty and what he described as a professional life dedicated to helping poor and disadvantaged patients. “I think it should matter,” he answered. “But when the glow of vengeance has faded, he still is someone else’s problem. And Dr. Murray can do things for the community on probation that he could never do sitting in that room.” Pastor noted that he had discretion in sentencing in this case and that he took into account that both sides have said that Murray’s actions did result in the death of Jackson, though pointedly noted that Murray did not take responsibility in the MSNBC documentary that aired days after the guilty verdict. Because the case involved criminal negligence, which requires more than carelessness or mistake in judgment, but reckless actions that result in death, Pastor said it was important to focus on those factors. “This is not a question about what might have happened or what if someone else had been involved if not for Dr. Murray,” he said. “That is an insult to the medical profession. The fact is that Michael Jackson died because of the action of and the failure to perform the medical duties of Dr. Murray.” The judge said he had taken into account the full story of Murray’s life, but said the “unconscionable lies” to medical personnel and a series of “inconceivable” decisions the doctor made on June 25, 2009 jeopardized the life of his patient and superseded what the doctor had done before. “Why give probation to someone who is offended by the whole idea that that person is even before the court,” he said, referring to a “failure of character” on behalf of Murray, most specifically, a secret recording the physician made of the singer that Pastor characterized as a type of “insurance policy” against a potential future conflict between the doctor and patient that seemed beyond the pale. The day before the sentence was handed down, Murray’s mother, Milta Rush, reportedly wrote a letter to judge Pastor asking him for mercy, saying, “his [Murray’s] compassion and his soft heartedness for others led to this dilemma.” Pastor said he could find no reason to grant probation to Murray, whose actions he called a “gross, continuing deviation” from medical standards, and who he claimed is and remains a danger to the community. Without the legal authority to send Murray to state prison, Pastor said, “the court has determined that the appropriate term is the higher term of four years imprisonment … because I find that Dr. Murray had abandoned his patient, who was trusting him … he has absolutely no remorse.” A future date in January was set to begin discussing the prosecution’s request for restitution. After being given credit for 46 days of time served and good time credit, Murray was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. The Los Angeles County Sheriff will determine how much time Murray will actually do in his equally overcrowded jail and Murray’s lawyers have indicated that they plan to launch an appeal at a later date. Related Videos Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Sentenced Related Photos Michael Jackson: A Life In Photos Related Artists Michael Jackson
Conrad Murray faces four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. By Gil Kaufman Dr. Conrad Murray Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray will learn his fate Tuesday morning (November 29) in a Los Angeles courtroom. The cardiologist, who was found guilty of one felony count of involuntary manslaughter November 7, is facing up to four years in state prison in the death of the pop icon. Though the jury reached a unanimous verdict in the case, due to recent changes in California law aimed at lessening prison overcrowding, experts told MTV News that it’s unlikely Murray will spend much, if any, time behind federal bars. At the time of the verdict, Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Mike Cavalluzzi told MTV News it was too early to predict what kind of time Dr. Murray might do, calling the decision one of the toughest ones facing Judge Michael Pastor in the wake of the six-week trial. “[Pastor] will have to seriously consider all of the mitigating factors which would lean toward Dr. Murray not doing any jail time and all of the aggravating factors that would lead toward him going to state prison,” said Cavalluzzi, who was not involved in the case but has represented a number of clients facing felony charges. “It seems to me, at first blush, that any jail time wouldn’t be appropriate in this case given the fact that Dr. Murray has no criminal record and there truly was no malice, no intent to actually harm Michael Jackson at all. What he was really doing was succumbing to the wishes of a patient, and unfortunately, that patient was not a person whose wishes should have been succumbed to.” After Murray was found guilty and swiftly sent to jail with no bail, his attorneys said they were planning to appeal the verdict . They will wait until after sentencing hearing to do so, but either way, Murray will face the loss of his medical license in California. One of Murray’s defense attorneys, Nareg Gourjian, said at the time that the doctor’s team plans to ask for probation but expects his client to spend just “a little bit” of time in county jail. Related Videos Michael Jackson’s Former Doctor Found Guilty Related Photos Michael Jackson: A Life In Photos
La Toya Jackson is irate over the documentary featuring Dr. Conrad Murray to air on MSNBC. She’s demanding it be pulled out of respect for her brother Michael. The late pop singer’s sister says the controversial documentary, which will air tomorrow, essentially gives “a murderer and convicted felon … celebrity status.” Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, not murder, but MJ’s estate and fans are still understandably upset about the Conrad Murray documentary . La Toya fired off a letter to MSNBC, claiming it’s outrageous that Michael cannot defend himself against Murray’s claims, of which there are apparently many. Some of Murray’s comments about MJ in the film, taken during the run-up to his trial, which ended in a guilty verdict earlier this week, are extremely critical. La Toya says Murray will profit from “homicidal acts that left my family without a brother, my niece and nephews without a father, my parents without a son …” La Toya wants the network to shelve it, but MSNBC has no plans to, and insists that Dr. Conrad Murray’s legal team didn’t get any money, directly or indirectly. There are reports out today that MSNBC funded Murray’s legal defense in return for the rights to air the documentary, but TMZ sources say that is simply untrue. In fact, Murray’s lead attorney Ed Chernoff is about to leave the case – possibly even before an appeal is filed – because the Murray case almost put him under. Murray reportedly got $1 for his participation in the documentary, but there could be loopholes, such as a side deal to give him share in profits from the show. La Toya can be heard cheering the verdict below. Classy. Dr. Conrad Murray Verdict Reading
Mariah Carey officially has her groove – and boy – back. Six months after welcoming twins Moroccan and Monroe, the singer has lost 30 pounds, which she shows off in a big way on the new cover of Us Weekly . “I just gained an enormous amount of weight,” Carey says of the twin boy and girl she welcomed April 30 – her wedding anniversary with spouse Nick Cannon. Looking at the short shorts and toned belly, that’s a distant memory now … How did Mariah Carey pull off this weight loss plan? In July, Carey buckled down with a nutritionist and a workout plan from Jenny (formerly Jenny Craig), keeping to 1,500 calories a day and thrice-weekly workouts. “I feel incredible,” she says, just three months after her body transformation began. “It was just the biggest blessing to be able to have the babies,” Carey adds. “But I felt trapped in my body because I couldn’t move.” But now, she says, “I’m proud of how hard I worked to get my body back… I had to do this for me.” We’d say she did a heck of a job. You go girl!
