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Home / News Archive / News April 2010 December / November / October / September / August / July / June / May / April / March / February / January 1 / 2 Michael Jackson Wacky Claims Rejected. 13-04-'10 TMZ has learned Michael Jackson's estate has rejected 7 creditor's claims, including one for a whopping $300,000,000. Howard Weitzman, lawyer for the estate, just filed legal papers rejecting Allgood Entertainment's $300 mil claim over a Jackson family concert that got derailed because of the ill-fated London concerts. Now for the wacky ones: First up, Jose Freddie Vallejos, a pissed-off private citizen who wants $3.3 million so he can reimburse the City of L.A. for the Jackson memorial. Next, Claire McMillan, who wants more than $2 million for her home schooling services. Nona Paris Lola Ankhesenamun Jackson claims to have been married to MJ and wants custody of the 3 kids ... the estate is telling her to pound sand. And then there's Richard Lapointe, who wants $5 mil for an MJ memorabilia auction that was canceled. Helen Harris-Scott has also been told to take a hike. She's demanding $50 mil because she claims Jackson had her phone wiretapped and had organized criminals watch her. Source: TMZ / Billie Jean Michael Ex-Wives Lisa Marie Presley And Debbie Rowe To Appear In Court! Michael Jackson's ex wives Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe are scheduled to testify in court in the ongoing trial where his doctor is facing charges of manslaughter. News reports that the late king of pop has slept with his eyes open and the testament from his former spouses will be used by Dr. Conrad Murray's defence lawyers as he battles such charges. Debbie Rowe, mother of Michael's eldest kids Prince and Paris, along with other ex wife Presley and nanny Grace Rwaramba, will be questioned during the Murray trial. The charges arose from allegations that Murray, 56, injected the 'Billie Jean' star with more than the prescribed dosage of Propofol. Sources say cardiologists presented evidence that Jackson would appear dopey and asleep with eyes open after consuming med's, and would require that the ex wives would verify such occurrences. His doctors would also be questioned as to how the late star would sleep after being knocked out, which would prove beneficial to the defence. Source: sassyqarla.com / Billie Jean Michael Jackson Slept With His Eyes Open? 11-04-'10 Michael Jackson’s ex-wives will be called to testify in Dr. Murray’s homicide case as the man attending to the King of Pop after he overdosed on Propofol aims to prove how difficult it was to tell whether the singer was asleep last June since he slept with his eyes open. “We are going to call the significant others in Jackson’s life to talk about his long-term drug use and behavior,” a defense source told News of the World. “We’ve found he would appear dopey and sleep with his eyes open when he had taken med's. We want the women closest to him to verify this.” Source: popdirt.com / Billie Jean La Toya To Accept Award For Michael In Malta. 10-04-'10 La Toya Jackson is in Malta this weekend to accept an award from Stefano Cecchi, of Cecchi Records, on behalf of her brother Michael for his lifetime achievement in the music industry. The award will be presented during a private Gala dinner on April 10, 2010. Speaking at the Radisson Golden Sands, La Toya said it was important to keep Michael Jackson's legacy alive, adding that his children were coping well and playing with other children. Source: MJFC / Times of Malta / Billie Jean MJ Most Trusted Flack Files Estate Claim. 10-04-'10 Michael Jackson's longtime publicist/manager/friend has jumped on the creditor's claim train ... and wants $360,000 from the Michael Jackson estate. Raymone Bain worked for Jackson for many years and says her salary was $30,000 a month. According to legal papers, Bain claims she wasn't paid at all in 2008. Bain filed a $44 million lawsuit against Michael Jackson just shy of two months before he died, claiming she did everything for Michael and was grossly shortchanged. Bain, who is quite the character in her own right, credits herself in the documents as "personal general manager to Michael J. Jackson." 'Nuff said. Source: TMZ / Billie Jean Wesley Snipes Wants Michael Jackson to Return as Angel. 09-04-'10 Wesley Snipes wants Michael Jackson to come back as an angel. The ‘Blade’ actor, who appeared in the late singer’s ‘Bad’ video in 1987 – was devastated when he died last June at the age of 50 and would like him to return because he was so special. He said, “I danced in the video for ‘Bad’. His death was a great loss for all of us. And I hope and pray that his creator – or whatever you believe in – will send him back as an angel to entertain us. With Michael we lost more than an ‘ordinary’ person. There has to be something angelic about someone who reached and inspired so many different people all over the world. Maybe we just didn’t look after him well enough.” Another hero of Wesley’s is legendary soul singer James Brown, who died in 2006, and is currently working on a movie about his life. He told website Skip.at, “We’re working on it. It’s on the way, but we are trying to figure out how to finance it at the moment. I guess I’ll give you James Brown when the world ends in 2012!” The 47-year-old star is so keen to portray the ‘Sex Machine’ hitmaker in a realistic way, he has been practicing his famous scream. He said, “That’s easy! I started as a dancer and singer and where I come from James Brown and Michael Jackson were very influential. We literally listened to them every day, so I can certainly do the screams.” Source: inquisitr.com / Billie Jean Michael Jackson's Children To Testify Against Doctor? 09-04-'10 As the late Michael Jackson’s manslaughter case continues, a new report claims that at least one of his children is preparing to testify against Dr. Conrad Murray, who allegedly claims that the King of Pop self-administered his lethal dose of Propofol. The Jackson family wants to do what’s best for Michael’s children and understand how traumatic it would be for them to take the stand. However, they honestly believe that Dr. Murray is to be blamed for the Michael’s death, and they believe that what the children saw the day he died will prove it. The insider adds, “Michael’s legacy is on the line and millions and millions of dollars. If the choice is between that and upsetting the children, I know which one is going to win.” There is no word yet on whether it is Prince, 13, Paris, 11, or Blanket, 8, who is being asked to take the stand. On Monday (April 5), Murray attending court – facing Michael’s family – but little progress was made. The next hearing is scheduled for June 14. Source: Billie Jean Portrait of MJ Up For Auction Online. 07-04-'10 An over-the-top portrait of Michael Jackson is going up for auction online. The eBay.com auction of the 50-by-40-inch painting by Australian artist Brett-Livingstone Strong will launch Wednesday evening, the portrait's owner said Tuesday. The colorful portrait, titled "The Book," and reportedly the only painting for which the King of Pop ever posed, depicts Jackson in a red velvet jacket, clutching a journal at his Neverland Ranch. "I've had it an awful long time," said toy inventor Marty Abrams, who acquired the painting with partner John Gentilly in 1992 from Japanese businessman Hiromichi Saeki as payment on a debt owed to them. "With the positive response to his music and the movie about him after his death, we thought it was a good time to sell it and for the world to see it." For over 17 years, Abrams kept the painting in storage in a New Jersey warehouse. It was briefly on display at the Dancy-Power Automotive showroom in Harlem after Jackson's death last June. The fantastical painting, which also features the fairy character Tinkerbell hovering in the background, is hanging inside Abrams' home in Kings Point, N.Y. The painting was originally sold to Saeki for $2.1 million in 1990. Abrams said the painting was appraised by Belgo Fine Art Appraisal and Restoration at $5.3 million in 2000, but he believes it is worth more now. Abrams hopes it will fetch over $3 million in the auction, which is scheduled to end April 17. The minimum starting bid will be $2.75 million. "Frankly, I thought instead of trying to call out to other people, let's bring the people that are really interested to us," said auction organizer Marc Samson. "The idea of doing it on eBay in an auction format seemed to make the most sense. When Marty's son, Ken, came to me with the painting, it hit me across the face. This is the way to get it out there." Source: MJFC / AP / Billie Jean Michael Jackson Inspires ‘This Is It’ Director To Give Back. 07-04-'10 Director Kenny Ortega was the visionary behind what would have been Michael Jackson’s triumphant comeback tour This Is It, and instead brought the superstar's final days to the silver screen. On The Red Carpet caught up with Ortega at a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital event Tuesday night in Los Angeles, who told us the main focus of his projects now is giving back, thanks in part, to the King of Pop. “Now my journey is about sharing, and about reminding, and about raising consciousness," he said. "And I have to say Michael Jackson did a lot to bring that into the light for me.” Source: ontheredcarpet.com / Billie Jean Michael Jackson -- Strong Stimulant Found. 07-04-'10 There may be a clear explanation as to why Michael Jackson had trouble sleeping the night before he died -- authorities found a pill bottle in the room containing tablets that would have hyped the singer up big time. The bottle, which had no label, contained 13 tablets. Each tablet had a combination of ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin. The commercial sale of ephedrine -- a stimulant designed for weight loss -- is banned in the U.S. because of reports of heart attacks, strokes and even death. Each pill contained 25 mg of ephedrine, 200 mg of caffeine and 80 mg of aspirin. The caffeine alone in each pill is equivalent to nearly a 6-pack of Coca-Cola. One company that manufactures the drug warns against using it past mid-afternoon, because it will cause insomnia. According to the toxicology results, ephedrine was present in Jackson's urine. Source: TMZ / Billie Jean New Defense Strategy For Murray. 07-04-'10 Unfortunately, Michael Jackson's eyes could be powerful evidence in favor of Dr. Conrad Murray. According to TMZ, Dr. Murray's lawyers will argue Jackson accidentally killed himself by self-injecting a lethal dose of Propofol into his bloodstream. As we reported, Dr. Murray says he left the bedroom for a short time, came back in and saw Michael with his eyes wide open and pupils dilated. Medical experts who spoke with TMZ said if a patient is sleeping and dies of an overdose, their eyes most likely would not be open. The defense position -- Jackson woke up when Murray was out of the room, became frustrated he couldn't sleep, grabbed the Propofol bottle and "pushed it" -- causing cardiac arrest. Therefore, if a jury believes Michael Jackson's eyes were open, they could also believe Jackson was awake and, perhaps, capable of grabbing the Propofol bottle which was on the nightstand. Source: TMZ / Billie Jean Michael Jackson Case Assigned To New Judge. 06-04-'10 The involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's cardiologist has been assigned to a new judge in a brief proceeding in Los Angeles. Dr. Conrad Murray, his attorneys and prosecutors assembled Monday before Supervising Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza, who quickly assigned the case to Judge Michael Pastor and sent them to his courtroom. Issues awaiting the new judge include setting a date for a preliminary hearing and Murray's fight to keep his California medical license. The state attorney general, representing the state medical board, has moved to revoke Murray's license pending trial. Michael Jackson died from acute intoxication with the hospital anesthetic propofol and other sedatives. Murray has pleaded not guilty. Source: AP / Billie Jean Michael Jackson Case Moves Slowly Through Courts. 06-04-'10 The involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's cardiologist is moving slowly through procedural steps in the Los Angeles Superior Court system. The case against Dr. Conrad Murray was assigned Monday to the trial judge, Michael Pastor, but there were no decisions on a date for the preliminary hearing or whether Murray's medical license will be suspended pending trial. The judge did schedule a June 14 court date to take up pending issues. Jackson's parents, Joe and Katherine Jackson, and his siblings Janet and Jermaine attended the proceeding. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, which carries up to four years in prison. Source: AP / Billie Jean Dr. Murray Face to Face with MJ's Family in Court. 05-04-'10 There figures to be pandemonium down at the courthouse Monday morning --we're told Dr. Conrad Murray will be in the building and come face to face with some of Michael Jackson's relatives. Our sources say the majority of Jackson's immediate family plan on being there. We're told family members, including Joe, are very upset with the information in TMZ's story Sunday -- that Dr. Murray's defense team will argue MJ killed himself by self-medicating with too much Propofol. As for Jackson fans, a Facebook group has organized a protest outside and so far nearly 500 people are scheduled to show. The hearing is set to begin at 1:30 PM PT/4:30 PM ET. We'll bring it all to you live. Stay tuned ... Source: TMZ / Billie Jean Jackson's Demanding Personality On Trial. 05-04-'10 It sounds crazy, but Michael Jackson's Coca-Cola addiction may become a building block in Dr. Conrad Murray's legal strategy. TMZ broke the story that Dr. Murray's defense will be that Michael Jackson caused his own death by pumping a lethal dose of Propofol into his own body during the time the doctor was out of the room. Sources familiar with the defense strategy tell us one of the missions is to show that Michael Jackson was a demanding celebrity who wanted what he wanted when he wanted it, even if it posed a danger to himself. One of the ways the defense will prove its point is with the famous soft drink. Jackson consumed massive quantities of Coca-Cola, knowing full well it was laden with caffeine and would make it next to impossible to fall asleep. Our sources say the defense has numerous examples of situations where Jackson hyped himself up with caffeine from soda and then used drugs -- including Propofol -- as the ultimate sleeping solution. The upshot -- Jackson was a guy who wanted instant gratification ... so the notion that he would wake up when Dr. Murray was out of the room, become frustrated and self-medicate with Propofol is consistent with his personality. Source: TMZ / Billie Jean Dr. Murray's Defense - Jackson Killed Himself. 05-04-'10 TMZ has learned Dr. Conrad Murray's legal defense is that Michael Jackson gave himself the fatal dose of Propofol. Multiple sources familiar with the strategy tell TMZ the defense argument goes like this: - At around 10:50 AM, Dr. Murray gave Jackson 25 mg of Propofol from a 20 ml bottle -- that's only about 1/8 of the bottle. - The dose Dr. Murray administered would keep someone asleep for only 5 to 10 minutes, But the Propofol, along with the Ativan and Versed that was already in MJ's system, had a synergistic effect that put Jackson to sleep for a longer period of time. - For the next hour, Dr. Murray stayed in the room and was on the phone for much of the time. Dr. Murray didn't leave the room to make the calls because MJ liked activity in the room, regularly sleeping with the lights on and cartoons blaring on the TV. - At around noon, Dr. Murray left the room for approximately two minutes to go to the bathroom. While he was gone, the defense believes Jackson suddenly awakened and was frustrated he had spent nearly 9 hours trying in vain to sleep. The defense theory -- Jackson took the 20 ml bottle of Propofol and self-injected the remaining contents through the IV, causing a massive overdose that stopped his heart. - Dr. Murray walked back in the room and saw Jackson with his eyes open and pupils dilated. Dr. Murray dropped the phone (he was speaking with his girlfriend) and began administering CPR. The defense will argue Michael Jackson was a long-time Propofol addict -- something TMZ first reported shortly after the singer's death. As one source said, Jackson liked the sensation of Propofol being administered by IV, adding, "Michael liked to push it." L.A. County Coroner's investigators took a picture in the room, showing an empty Propofol bottle on the floor, underneath the nightstand by Jackson's bed. The defense will argue Jackson grabbed the bottle from the nightstand, injected himself and then dropped the bottle. Remember, law enforcement believes Dr. Murray hid bottles of Propofol before paramedics arrived. The defense will argue ... if Dr. Murray was really hiding Propofol, he would have removed the empty bottle under the nightstand that caused Jackson's death. Ed Chernoff, Murray's attorney, could not be reached for comment. Source: TMZ / Billie Jean Paris Jackson May Blow 12 Candles. 03-04-'10 "Happy Birthday" to Paris. Michael's" daughter Paris is born on April 3rd 1998 in Los Angeles, California, USA , it's "Michael's" 2nd child. Paris gets 12 years now and that brings a lot of joy in the family Jackson. Source: Billie Jean New Spike Lee Joint: “Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson”. 03-04-'10 Roger Friedman reported the following today in his column, Showbiz411: Spike Lee is right now finishing up shooting “Inside Man 2″ with Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. But come this summer, residents of Brooklyn may find Lee’s crew setting up shop in their neighborhoods. The word is that Spike will roll into one of his own films, tentatively titled “Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson.” I’m told he’s already lined up Samuel L. Jackson, John Turturro, Julianne Moore, and Rosie Perez. “It’s a huge cast,” says a source, “and it’s all about the gentrification of Brooklyn.” More names are soon to be announced, with more Lee regulars expected to be included. Some of them could be Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington, who were in a lesser Lee film called “She Hate Me.” They deserve a second chance! About that title: Spike did put on a Michael Jackson birthday extravaganza last summer in Prospect Park called “Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson.” He may be using this title temporarily. We’ll see how it all plays out. If this film is anything like “Crooklyn,” a Lee favorite of mine, that means a lot of good music. Maybe Spike should call it “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.” Source: MJFC / Showbiz411.com / Billie Jean Fans Want Michael Jackson's Name Back On LA School. 02-04-'10 Los Angeles school officials told Michael Jackson to beat it seven years ago. Now, fans of the late pop star want him back. Supporters have started a Facebook petition to have Jackson's name restored to the auditorium of Gardner Street Elementary School. They want fans to download and sign a letter to the school district superintendent. Jackson donated money to the Hollywood school and attended the naming ceremony in 1989. But school officials, acting on parental requests, covered up his name in 2003 after Jackson was arrested for investigation of child molestation. The Facebook campaigners note that Jackson was acquitted of the charges and they want the name restored. Source: AP / Billie Jean Janet Still Can't Listen To Michael's Music. 02-04-'10 Janet Jackson is still struggling to come to terms with the death of her brother Michael and refuses to listen to his music, nine months after the King of Pop's tragic passing. The R&B superstar was left devastated when her beloved brother suffered a fatal cardiac arrest last June and she subsequently shunned all media coverage in a bid to grieve in peace. And the singer/actress confesses she has been avoiding all of Michael's songs because it's too painful to hear his voice or see his face in photos. She told People magazine, "I couldn't listen to my brother's music. That's still hard for me to do. Or to see a picture." Also, this week Oprah Winfrey sat down with Janet Jackson for Friday’s “The Oprah Winfrey Show” where the pop singer opened up about her late brother, Michael. “One thing that sticks in my head is his laughter,” Janet told Oprah, recalling fondly her late brother, who passed away last June at the age of 50 of acute Propofol intoxication. “And, the last time I saw him, which was two days before my birthday (which was on May 16), at my parents’ surprise party, I was being silly, like I always did when we were kids… and he kept looking at me a just cracking up.” Six weeks after Janet’s birthday, Michael was dead. Appearing on Friday’s “Oprah,” to promote “Why Did I Get Married Too,” Janet got revealing about her brother. “When you heard that he was gone, and gone because of drugs, were you shocked, or were you feeling like somewhere in the back of your mind, you always felt that that day could come?” Oprah asked. “I felt that day could possibly come. I think everyone thinks that who has a family member or a friend…” Janet said. “That’s why you’re having an intervention,” Oprah interjected. “Exactly,” Janet continued. Janet told Oprah about repeated attempts to save Michael from his addiction to prescription medications, including full on Jackson Family interventions. “And how did he receive that?” Oprah asked. “He was very much in denial,” Janet said. “He didn’t think he had a problem?” Oprah asked. “No,” Janet said. “Were you all worried that something like this could happen?” Oprah asked. “Of course,” Janet answered. “I mean that’s why we did what we did. I mean, we tried it several times and he was very much… in denial.” Source: Access Hollywood / Oprah.com / Billie Jean MJ HIStory Concert AppMovie Coming Soon. 02-04-'10 i-Mobilize, providers of multi-platform digital content distribution and a division of Metatron, Inc., have launched a new and previously-unreleased Michael Jackson HIStory concert as the first-ever digital app to be released simultaneously for iPad, iPhone and Android users. Michael Jackson Live in Concert HD is the first-ever official Michael Jackson AppMovie concert and first app to feature i-Mobilize universal functionality enabling users of iPad, iPhone and Android devices to download and play i-Mobilize apps on multiple devices. Michael Jackson Live in Concert HD will be available April 3rd for $9.95. The AppMovie features incredible live concert performances recorded from the legendary artist's third and final world concert tour. The two and half hour HIStory show includes hundreds of rare shots of the artist, along with stunning on-stage concert performances filmed with 50 different video cameras. Jackson performs his biggest hits, including"Scream," "They Don't Care About Us," "In The Closet," "Wanna be Startin' Something," "Stranger in Moscow," "Smooth Criminal," "You Are Not Alone," "I Want You Back," "The Love You Save," "I'll be There," "Billie Jean," "Thriller," "Beat It," "Blood on the Dance Floor," "Dangerous," "Black or White," "Earth Song," "We Are the World," "Heal the World" and "History." Michael Jackson Live in Concert HD is one of more than 600 app titles features in i-Mobilize's extensive and broad-based content library of digital download apps for major mobile device platforms. "Our Michael Jackson release represents a significant milestone for i-Mobilize, the industry and fans of digital entertainment," said Joe Riehl, CEO of i-Mobilize and its parent company Metatron. "Our universal functionality enables fans that download the new Michael Jackson concert app, to play it on their multiple mobile devices. As devices become increasingly commoditized, our platform transcendent capability helps to restore the value of entertainment content industry wide, while delivers a more valuable product and a more user-friendly experience." Source: MJFC / marketwatch.com / Billie Jean Dr. Conrad Murray: 'I'm Hanging On by a Thread'. 02-04-'10 Dr. Conrad Murray's lawyer filed legal papers today pleading with the judge in his criminal case not to yank his medical license, because he needs it to pay for his defense. Murray's lawyers are responding to the State Attorney General's motion, asking the judge to suspend his medical license as a condition to bail. Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, says his client was in financial hot water before Michael Jackson's death and is now, "without fear of overstatement, hanging on by a thread." Murray believes if the judge suspends his license, Texas and Nevada will follow suit and the doctor won't be able to make the money required to mount a defense. Although we're told Chernoff won't be making money, Murray is still responsible for expert witness fees and other trial-related expenses. Source: TMZ / Billie Jean "This Is It" Dancers To Tour Europe. 01-04-'10 The dancers Michael Jackson handpicked for his series of concert dates in London last year are embarking on their own King of Pop tribute tour of Europe. The dancers, including Mekia Cox, Tyne Hecklein and Nick Bass, will join choreographer Travis Payne on the Still the King club tour, which begins in London on 5 May (2010). All those taking part in the dates were featured in the This Is It concert film. The dancers were preparing for a 50-date run of shows at London's O2 Ar ena last summer when Michael Jackson suddenly passed away. Source: PR Newswire / Billie Jean Apollo Theater to honor Jackson. 01-04-'10 Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin will be inducted into the Apollo Theater’s hall of fame in New York City. The late King of Pop and the Queen of Soul will be honored with the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame on June 14 at the historic Harlem theater. Jackson first performed at the Apollo at its Amateur Night with his brothers in the late 1960s. They won, and their career as the Jackson Five was launched. Franklin is scheduled to attend the ceremony. The event also will honor Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony with the theater’s arts and humanitarian award. Past hall of fame inductees include Quincy Jones, Patti Labelle and Ella Fitzgerald. The legendary theater is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Michael Jackson performing during the 2002 Democratic National Committee (DNC) benefit concert, "A Night at the Apollo", at the Apollo Theater. Source: nypost / Billie Jean 1 / 2 December / November / October / September / August / July / June / May / April / March / February / January |
Updated: 12/02/2010 11:58 AM Billie Jean Web Radio Player |
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