Gabe Watson, the accused and so-called Honeymoon Killer, who spent 18 months in an Australian jail for manslaughter, was acquitted today in an American court. Watson has been cleared in the 2003 death of wife Tina, who died on their honeymoon , suspiciously, and not even two weeks after the couple got married. Prosecutors in Birmingham, Ala., alleged that Watson, 34, shut off his 26-year-old wife’s oxygen supply while scuba diving in Australia to collect insurance money. But, when the prosecution rested after two weeks, the judge granted a defense’s motion for an acquittal on the grounds the prosecution failed to prove its case. “The evidence is sorely lacking that it was an intentional act,” Judge Tommy Nail told the courtroom, according to The Birmingham News . “The only way to convict him of intentional murder is to speculate. Nobody knows exactly what happened in the water. I’m sure we’ll never know.” Watson’s mother collapsed in tears outside court. Watson was being tried in Alabama because that’s where he had been married and where the alleged murder plan had allegedly been hatched. He stunned members of Tina’s family when he pleaded guilty in Australia in 2009 to a lesser charge of manslaughter. Australian authorities agreed to release him to the United States to face charges here after American authorities waived seeking the death penalty. In 2008, while still facing murder charges in Australia, Watson married Kim Lewis, with whom he had gone to high school.
Selena Gomez has some fresh ink on her wrist. The singer stopped by Under the Gun tattoo parlor in Hollywood last night and employee Jordan Sandoval Tweeted a shot of his work on Selena’s body: a tiny little heart just under her right forearm. “She was excited…she wasn’t nervous. She is way cute,” Jordan Tweeted along with the photo, adding that Gomez “took it like a champ” and didn’t mention if the heart was in honor of someone in particular. But we all know the answer to that question, don’t we? Selena’s boyfriend is no stranger to do body art himself. Justin Bieber made headlines in January for his Jesus Christ tattoo .
Selena Gomez has some fresh ink on her wrist. The singer stopped by Under the Gun tattoo parlor in Hollywood last night and employee Jordan Sandoval Tweeted a shot of his work on Selena’s body: a tiny little heart just under her right forearm. “She was excited…she wasn’t nervous. She is way cute,” Jordan Tweeted along with the photo, adding that Gomez “took it like a champ” and didn’t mention if the heart was in honor of someone in particular. But we all know the answer to that question, don’t we? Selena’s boyfriend is no stranger to do body art himself. Justin Bieber made headlines in January for his Jesus Christ tattoo .
The National Enquirer refuses to let Whitney Houston rest in peace. The latest issue of this notorious tabloids screams “WHITNEY: THE LAST PHOTO!” and purports to depict a picture of the late singer in her casket. It was allegedly taken inside Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday and shows a woman wearing a dark dress, with “Nippy” (Houston’s nickname), along with two treble clefs, written in blue script on the lining of the casket cover. The image – blurred out above – has invoked outrage across the Internet, with Sarah Anne Hughes of The Washington Post referring to it as “shocking and disturbing.” A similar uproar took place in July 2009 when a British tabloid covered an issue with a photo of a dying Michael Jackson being wheeled out on a stretcher. What do you think of the Enquirer publishing this picture?
With ‘Birthday Cake’ and ‘Turn Up the Music’ fresh in their minds, MTV News asks music journalists for their takes on the songs. By James Montgomery Rihanna and Chris Brown in 2008 Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage By now, you’ve already heard what fans and a domestic-abuse expert had to say about Rihanna and Chris Brown’s controversial collaborations on new remixes of “Birthday Cake” and “Turn Up the Music.” Chances are, you’ve probably formed your own opinion too. But as the initial shock of the pair’s reunion subsides, and both remixes begin to diffuse into the collective conscience, we’re left with one rather important question: Beyond all the (very public) handwringing the songs have created, are they actually any good? Early opinions from critics have been lukewarm at best (and downright hostile at worst), mostly because it seems they have a difficult time separating their feelings about Brown — and his 2009 assault of Rihanna — from their feelings about the songs themselves. And really, you can’t blame them. In a lot of ways, it’s impossible not to view the “Cake” and “Music” remixes through the prism of the past three years. Still, with opinions still being formed (and feelings still fresh), we reached out to some of our favorite music journos to get their take on the songs and Rihanna and Brown’s unlikely collaboration. Here’s what they had to say: ” ‘Birthday Cake’ was pretty much destined to be a smash when Talk That Talk was released with only a snippet of it. … The 78-second bit of The-Dream-produced track inspired hosannas from members of the Rihanna Navy who couldn’t wait for the full thing to be released. … Putting Chris Brown on the [remix] (and having him sing ‘I wanna f— you right now,’ which Rihanna sang on the fade-out of the TTT version, as his opening gambit) seems almost like overplaying her hand. Like, this song was going to be a big deal to her fans no matter what, so why add the controversy to it? Then again, the past three years of her career have, it seems, been about her taking control of her public image in a big way — from enacting revenge fantasies in ‘Man Down’ to singing about sex a lot — and adding Brown to a song about fetishistic sex is a way for her to do just that, to implicitly flip off people who she sees as paternalistic or overbearing while engaging in what she calls ‘chiefin’.’ Every gossip item about the two of them getting back together or hanging out, every angry/sad/exulting blog post, every public tweet they direct to one another when presumably they could just DM back and forth, keeps them — and the songs — in the news. Meanwhile, Brown’s song and Rihanna’s contribution to it are both pretty bland, a ‘Party Rock Anthem’ with no shuffling and even less whimsy. At one point, Rihanna does the phrase ‘I love you,’ which will no doubt get tongues wagging. I am pretty much grossed out by the whole thing, to be honest.” — Maura Johnston, Village Voice “The remixes aren’t terrible, and that’s as much as I’ll say at risk of saying something positive about Chris Brown. … The most important thing to remember is that if you have a problem with these two teaming up: Don’t blame Rihanna. Blame the ravenous, unscrupulous, money-starved record industry for being complacent through this entire event. The whole machine is falling apart, so everyone — artists like Ludacris and Justin Bieber, their labels and managers, magazines like Vibe who put Chris Brown on the cover, awards shows like the Grammys, TV networks who play Chris Brown videos — they’re all too afraid to potentially put forth an opinion that would prevent them from being where money is. The fact that everyone except Jay-Z and Miranda Lambert is too chickensh– to speak out against woman-beating is pathetic beyond pathetic. Everyone is too scared to compromise their chance to catch the last remaining dollars during the music industry’s death rattle.” — Christopher R. Weingarten, SPIN “Rihanna’s ‘Birthday Cake’ was a standout track from Talk That Talk, even in its original form (as an interlude) — and more importantly, without Chris Brown. On the remix, all Brown’s aggressive, salacious verses do … is add fuel to rumors circling of their reunion behind closed doors. [And] Rihanna comes back on the song, calling checkmate on Breezy with her suggestive lyrics — “Remember how you did it?/ Remember how you fit it?/ If you still want to kiss it, come, come and get it” — making it hard to not be teased into again reading between the lines. ‘Turn Up the Music’ feels like a collaboration that would have fit both artists’ discography during their days coupled up. Although RiRi’s airy vocals blend well with the Underdogs’ dance soundscapes, adding Rihanna to the track doesn’t leave a lasting impression nor elevate the song to higher grounds. Ultimately, it’s not the content of the songs that matter; it’s the statement both singers are trying to make by simply releasing them. The collaborations appear to be a step toward reconciliation between both — seeing the tracks climb the chart is a bonus. Rihanna wants us to know that she no longer wears the shoes of the victim and Breezy wants to prove that he’s become a better man. This isn’t a personal or professional move; it’s both. Both singers have woven their personal life, a haunting moment in their lives, into a professional move. Though it’s stirred much controversy, I believe it was bound to happen.” — Erika Ramirez, Billboard.com’s “The Juice” What do you think of the collaborations? Let us know in the comments. Related Photos Rihanna And Chris Brown: A Photo Timeline Related Artists Rihanna Chris Brown
Fans weigh in on ‘Birthday Cake’ and ‘Turn Up the Music’ remixes and what working together again says about their relationship. By Jocelyn Vena Rihanna and Chris Brown in 2008 Photo: WireImage When Chris Brown and Rihanna dropped their remixes of “Birthday Cake” and “Turn Up the Music,” fans immediately began to weigh in on the collaborations and what they mean about the status of Ri and Brown’s highly publicized tumultuous relationship. While the songs may serve as a distraction from their personal past (which includes Brown’s assault of Rihanna in 2009), many of the music fans we caught up with in Times Square stood on two sides of the line. Some were willing to forget the past and enjoy the music for what it is, while others were not yet ready to forgive. “They’re both really good artists. I like Chris Brown a lot. He was down at the bottom during that time and then he came back up,” James Hauser told MTV News. “So he’s starting to do better.” Cassy Cnegt pointed out the negative attention it could bring to both artists, rehashing a personal story line that doesn’t seem to end. “I think there’s going to be a lot of bad publicity about why she’s doing it,” she said. Another fan, Billy Titus, added, “His music’s all right, but I think that she can do a lot better by herself than be with him.” Jean-Yves thinks their collaborations show how far their relationship has come. “The fact that they’re able to work together is a good sign for Chris Brown, as opposed to the animosity that was there before.” However, Aliyyah notes that it’s difficult to separate the music from the events. “Personally, I think it’s a little bit awkward for them in terms of their relationship, because he did hit her and the world knows that, so it kind of sends a weird message to her fans — especially her women fans — to still support him in that way, but I guess it’s not our life,” she said, adding that Brown has built up a “bad boy” reputation and that he may be trying to get Rihanna to take him back. While music fans stand on both sides of the complex issue, one domestic violence expert tells MTV News that seeing these two artists work together again is “not surprising.” “I don’t know what the message [of the songs] is. I would like the message to be: ‘People can change, and I will never be treated that way again and I will never treat anyone that way again.’ If they had released a song saying, ‘This is what this represents for us,’ that would be such a much more fabulous, powerful story than not saying a word,” Rita Smith, the executive director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said. “The content of the songs seems to be more in-your-face than something about, ‘We’re collaborating on something because we care about the way people treat each other.’ That would have been the message that would have been nice to come out of this very public and tragic incident.” What do you think of Chris Brown and Rihanna’s recent collaborations? Leave your comment below. Related Photos Rihanna And Chris Brown: A Photo Timeline Related Artists Chris Brown Rihanna
Songwriter The-Dream tells ‘RapFix Live’ of Rihanna, ‘She’s my friend, so whatever she wants to do is whatever she wants to do.’ By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway The-Dream on “RapFix Live” Photo: Natasha Chandel/ MTV News Fans were shocked and some outraged when they heard Rihanna ‘s “Birthday Cake” remix with ex-beau Chris Brown . The-Dream, who wrote the song, admits that he was a bit surprised when Rihanna told him that she’d like to include the man who once assaulted her on the track, but the “Shawty is a 10” singer was far more understanding than Rih Rih’s detractors. “At the end of the day, she’s my friend, so whatever she wants to do is whatever she wants to do,” The-Dream told Sway when he appeared on “RapFix Live” on Wednesday (February 22), just two days after Rihanna released the controversial remix. The-Dream remembers first getting the call from Rihanna while driving in Miami. “I think I’m gonna put Chris on it,” he remembers the Talk That Talk singer saying to him over the phone nonchalantly. “I don’t know which Chris you talkin’ about, [but] OK, cool, whatever you say,” The-Dream remembers responding. Of course there is really only one Chris, and The-Dream came to grips with the reality that the two would be coming together in song after the damaging 2009 assault that left Rihanna battered and bruised and Brown public enemy #1. “She’s pretty smart too. The same questions that went through my mind, and I’m an artist also, had to have gone through hers,” The-Dream told “RapFix Live.” “When she raised the question to me, I know she’s not crazy. So my thought was you’ve been thinking about this, you’ve already thought it out, so evidently you know what reaction you gonna get.” The singer/songwriter said that he was just happy that she gave him enough forewarning that he too could prepare for any type of backlash. Still, despite the rumblings of whether or not Rihanna is sending the right message collaborating with Chris on “Birthday Cake” as well as Brown’s “Turn Up the Music” remix, The-Dream says that it all boils down to forgiveness. “Don’t say you know how to forgive when you don’t,” he warned. “Everybody knows what took place, cool. Have the power to really forgive if that’s what it is, if not stay on that side of the fence from the beginning.” In no way did The-Dream condone Brown’s behavior on that February night in 2009, but he does suggest that it is time for people to move on. “It’s easy to kinda throw Chris under the bus all the time, but c’mon, man. OK, we get it,” he said. Do you support Rihanna’s decision to work with Chris Brown again? Leave your comment below! Related Photos Rihanna And Chris Brown: A Photo Timeline Related Artists Rihanna Chris Brown The-Dream
