Dr. Conrad Murray will be sentenced next Tuesday, and how much jail time he serves will depend on what a judge decides after hearing arguments from both the defense and prosecution – which will be poles apart as you might expect. The D.A. wants Michael Jackson’s former personal physician to spend the maximum possible four years in prison for his involuntary manslaughter conviction. Meanwhile, defense attorneys asked that he only receive probation. Prosecutors David Walgren and Deborah Brazil told Judge Michael Pastor that Murray showed no remorse for Jackson’s death and has blamed others instead. Moreover, he chose to slander the King of Pop both at trial and in the documentary he filmed during it, making a lenient sentence for the doctor inexcusable. The film does not portray MJ flatteringly. In one interview for it, Dr. Conrad Murray actually says, “I don’t feel guilty because I did not do anything wrong.” The maximum jail sentence isn’t the only thing the prosecution is seeking – they’re looking for damages of up to $100 million due to Jackson’s death. The defense for Murray, who is on suicide watch , begged to differ. Defense attorney Nareg Gourjian cited positive letters from Murray’s former patients and said, “There is no question that the death of his patient, Mr. Jackson, was unintentional, accidental and an enormous tragedy for everyone affected.” “Dr. Murray has been described as a changed, grief-stricken man, who walks around under a pall of sadness since the loss of his patient, Mr. Jackson.” Funny, his actions don’t exactly suggest that, do they?
We told you guys yesterday that LisaRaye was engaged to mega pastor Noel Jones. Well LisaRaye took to Twitter to squash the rumor: “Come on come on y’all…IF I was engaged u would see a ring 1st of all AND that wouldn’t b a secret becuz 1 would b happy u think?….Thanks” Our sources are standing by their story and it gets even more interesting as upstanding folks from the gospel community are weighing in on the rumor: RELATED: Is LisaRaye Engaged To A Mega Pastor?
On the season finale of Dirty Soap, Fary tried to set Nadia Bjorlin up with a guy, JP and Farah hit a turning point in their relationship, and everyone went camping. Kelly Monaco, meanwhile, prepares for life after General Hospital – funny that this is a new reality show about a declining genre – by better building up her brand. Whatever that means. She’s trying to branch out, let’s just leave it at that. Also, Kirsten Storms (pictured) is still MIA, but not forgotten. Get well girl. Tension between John-Paul Lavoisier and Farah Fath begins early when he says, at a group dinner, that he will never wear a wedding ring. Passive-aggressive much? Farah gets upset, and asks if he’s scared to move out to L.A. with her. He says she is the only reason he would move there, but still seems willing to take the plunge. Brandon Beemer plans a fun, totally non-scripted-by-E! camping trip for the gang to attend. Everyone, sans Kirsten of course, sets up camp near the beach to chill. There, Farah’s friend Danny asks Nadia about her mom and Brandon, and if her mother Fary is one of the reasons why she and Brandon aren’t already married. She says yes, basically, and he tells her to live life for her, no one else. Farah talks with Jenna about being career oriented and managing work and family life. Kelly Monaco interjects, saying she would love to be a mother one day. Kelly, of course, never married her ex after a 17-year relationship. She says while she firmly believes in commitment, it’s not a necessity to have a piece of paper. The men, meanwhile, are all on Brandon’s side. The Beemer admits he fears their relationship is not going to work out if Nadia believes anything that Fary says. Farah basically just wants to know if JP will marry her. He’s not saying. Then the elephant in the room comes to visit around the fire. The future of daytime TV is tepid at best and the gang does not know what lies ahead for them. Talk then turns to Kirsten Storms. girl who took over for Kirsten on General Hospital is good, but she’s not Kirsten. No word on her health. They toast her honor. Danny stars meddling, getting on JP for not popping the question, then riling up Farah while she’s drunk and making her cry over the prospect of JP not proposing. Good friend right there. He does get them to talk, however. JP says he wants to spend his life with her and all that, but she wants him to tell her flat out if he doesn’t want to get married. JP’s response? He just wants to hang out. Wrong answer. Farah tells him she’s going to break up with him. JP doesn’t want to, but it looks like he has no choice. The next morning, he comes around and decides life without her is too sad to risk losing her over this. He says one day they will get married. She’s like, thrilled. Kelly meets a guy to help her expand her brand. She begins to educate herself on clothing lines and meets with a designer at a convention whose line she may rep. Then the most awkward moment of all time. Nadia meets Fary for lunch and finds that her mom has brought Fernando along to meet her. She’s being set up. Nadia texts Brandon to meet them as Fary talks Fernando up. He starts flirting with Nadia pretty good too. But then Brandon shows up, much to Fary’s chagrin. Needless to say, lunch ends abruptly. Brandon and Nadia talk about how to handle this going forward, and he’s clearly thrown off by it, but they’re still okay. This woman clearly needs to be cut off – no one with any respect for their kid treats them like that – but we’ll see if they’ve got the guts to stand up to her. And there you have it. Until next season, hopefully … What did you think of the season finale of Dirty Soap? And the season as a whole? Who are your favorites and least favorites? Comment below!
Sister Wives took the show on the road this week. In the wake of a more serious episode that saw them discuss polygamist leader Warren Jeffs , TLC’s big happy polygamist family drama went road-trippin’ last night. The occasion was a panel discussion that Kody Brown and his four wives, Meri, Christine, Janelle and Robyn, agreed to attend at the request of a lecturer they met. Despite fears of facing a hostile audience, the fab five and the four oldest Brown children (Mariah, Logan, Aspyn and Madison) ventured out to the East Coast … The family first went out to dinner with Danielle, the pastor who invited them out and arranged this, and some college students to prep them for the panel discussion. Kody and the wives answered questions (at times personal ones) and a gay student, who worries that the Brown family wouldn’t accept him, learns it’s not the case. “How can we say we don’t accept your lifestyle, but please accept ours? We’re not like that,” says Christine, earning rave reviews from the student and her audience. The four teenagers, who are out there to look at Boston-area colleges, went out for ice cream with the college students, who asked about the plural marriage lifestyle. Specifically, will they continue it themselves when they become adults? Mariah, Meri’s only child, said, “I’ve decided I want to live like this.” Seriously. She even said she looks forward to having sister wives. That’s … good for her? Madison, however, has different ideas. She told the college students she doesn’t want to be in a plural marriage and Aspyn says she doesn’t think she will, either. Logan says Kody told him to just do whatever makes him happy, and really, that’s what it’s all about. As long as they’re not pressured and they have the choice. Finally, at the event, Kody worried people will call him a misogynist. That’s not exactly what happened, but he did face some tough questions just the same. Asked about the possibility of “brother husbands,” Kody was thrown for a loop and said he found the question “abrasive.” “That’s not a tenant of our faith,” Meri says. “Religions have rules and beliefs,” added Janelle, but you have to admit, that’s a fair question. Religion or not, what if the shoe were on the other foot, Kode-man? All in all, people were inquisitive, but receptive and tolerant.
Kim Kardashian is doing all she can to milk her divorce for all the publicity possible smooth things over with Kris Humphries. The disgraceful reality star actually flew to her ex-husband’s hometown today, as multiple sources confirm she’s landed in Minnesota. To what end? NOT to reconcile, insiders tell TMZ. Instead, Kim and Kris will simply meet with the pastor that officiated their August 20 wedding in an attempt to gain closure. And, hey, if paparazzi just happen to be present, and if new stories are created out of the meeting, and if this trip makes Kim seem more sympathetic and less despicable for crapping all over the institution of marriage… so be it, right? [Photo: WENN.com]
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.
Robert Jeffress, the pastor who ignited controversy Friday after he said Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney belonged to a “cult” because he is Mormon, defended his comments Sunday and repeated his earlier assertions. Jeffress is a key supporter of GOP contender Rick Perry, and made his remarks to reporters after introducing the Texas governor at the conservative Values Voter Summit in Washington,… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 09/10/2011 16:58 Number of articles : 2
Jury selection officially got underway today in Los Angeles for the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s personal physician. Not one person out of 160 was unfamiliar with the case. “We didn’t expect that you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, or you’d made a pit stop here from Mars,” Judge Michael Pastor quipped. Pastor cautioned all the potential panelists that they were going to have to take care to avoid any outside information about the trial – especially online. So no reading entertainment news sites? We feel so hurt. They are also not allowed to post any messages on social media, send or read Tweets or Google the case. If they do, they could face jail time or fines. Pastor told prospective jurors that he has/had the option to have the panel sequestered throughout, but is “reiterating [his] faith” in the jurors by not doing so. Instead, the jury will be bused to the court from a secret location each morning, and escorted away every night. They won’t leave in between. Outside court, a lone supporter for Murray carried a sign reading: “I support Dr. Conrad Murray, an innocent man who must be exonerated.” Willie L. Hampton said he was a friend of Murray’s of three decades, said he shook hands with many Jackson fans and agreed to keep peace. Murray faces up to four years in prison for allegedly causing the death of his famous patient by overdose on the surgical anesthetic Propofol. His defense was dealt a blow when Pastor ruled MJ’s private life – including testimony from some doctors who treated him – was out of bounds . The main trial is expected to begin later this month with opening statements. It is speculated that Dr. Murray will testify in his own defense. [Photo: WENN.com]
Prosecutors trying to convict Dr. Conrad Murray of involuntary manslaughter want to make sure the trial does not become about Michael Jackson’s personal life. In particular, they want the judge to disallow all testimony related to allegations of Michael Jackson molesting children, and to block a potentially key witness. Steve Robel, a key Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s investigator in MJ’s 2005 molestation trial, is on the witness list compiled by Dr. Conrad Murray’s team. Dr. Murray’s trial is scheduled to get underway next month . Prosecutors want all references to molestation barred from Murray’s trial, on grounds it has nothing to do with MJ’s death and would merely inflame the jury. Also, prosecutors have also asked the judge to block the testimony of doctors who treated Jackson but were not involved in his care at the time of his death. This is a major issue that could dramatically alter the case. Why? The defense will argue at least nine other doctors addicted MJ to meds – including Propofol – and are responsible for the condition Michael was in. Murray, therefore, cannot be held responsible for what happened. Judge Pastor has not ruled on the motions, but what he decides on that point could be critical in determining how Murray’s defense takes shape. Pastor has, however, determined that the Murray jury will NOT be sequestered during the trial, as he does not want jurors to feel like inmates. Pastor feels that even though Jackson’s death was incredibly high profile, measures will be in place to make sure the jury is not contaminated. Murray’s team argued that sequestering the jury would be the only way to prevent their client from full-on character assassination by the press. [Photo: WENN.com]
Nick Ashford, one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson that penned elegant, soulful classics for the likes of Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye and funk hits for Chaka Khan and others, died Monday at age 70, his former publicist said. Ashford, who along with wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, died in a New York City hospital, said publicist Liz Rosenberg, who was Ashford’s longtime friend. He had been suffering from throat cancer and had undergone radiation treatment, she told The Associated Press. I had been blessed to meet them last summer and I can say that the love that emanated between them was the epitome of all that one hopes for in Black love. He still looked at Valerie with love in his eyes each night. Each of their videos gave life and light to what their love for each other was. Here is my photo last summer with friends at the couple’s Sugar Bar. How ironic when you consider the beautiful songs that came from that throat. What a wonderful voice he had. I LOVED the beautiful songs that he wrote. What a poet, he was. And what a legacy he has left to us in a world where real music is a thing that’s going the way of the dinosaur. Nick Ashford, who with his wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of Motown’s most powerful love duets, died Monday in a New York hospital. He was 69 and had been undergoing radiation treatments for throat cancer. Ashford and Simpson wrote Motown’s two favorite “Ain’t” songs, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” along with “You’re All I Need To Get By.” They also had a long singing career, scoring their biggest chart hit with 1984′s “Solid (As a Rock)” and later settling into a long run at clubs and cabarets. They also owned several restaurant/clubs, including the 20/20 on W. 20th St. and the Sugar Bar on W. 72nd St. They were a DJ team for several years on WRKS (98.7 FM), playing the kind of music they wrote and sang. Ashford, a tall imposing man whose signature hair was long, was known as a gentle presence in the music business. Nickolas Ashford was born in South Carolina and grew up in Michigan. He moved to New York in the early 1960s with $57 in his pocket, hoping to make it in show business. He was attending Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Church when he met Valerie Simpson, a New Yorker who sang in the choir and also had musical ambitions. They recorded together briefly and unsuccessfully in 1964 as “Valerie and Nick,” but had more success with writing songs – which at first, said Ashford, they sold for $75 apiece. One Pastor Wages War On Obesity In His Congregation & Sees Victory Affirmation Of The Day:Live In The Present Moment.
