- Artist: Britney Spears
- Label: Jive
- Album: Circus
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Michael Jackson Doctor's Trial Delayed
Judge pushes start of Conrad Murray's trial back to May.
By Gil Kaufman
Conrad Murray
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Though Conrad Murray's lawyers had been pressing for a speedy trial, a judge in the involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's doctor ruled on Wednesday to delay opening statements in the proceedings until May.
The Associated Press reported that Murray's attorneys consented to the postponement after they discussed the matter with prosecutors and both agreed they could be ready for trial by May 9.
According to a transcript from the closed-door session, though opening statements will not begin for several months, Murray told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor that he did not want to forfeit his right to a quick trial, but agreed to the delay if screening of prospective jurors begins as scheduled on March 24.
"It is only acceptable to me if this is not strung along over a long period of time," Murray told the justice. "I don't want to lose my constitutional right to speedy trial." Murray — who has pleaded not guilty to the charges — reportedly has been in favor of having the proceedings begin as soon as possible because he is facing financial troubles, but he said he understands that the delay is necessary to allow both sides to prepare for the trial.
Pastor consented because he said he didn't want to lose a jury pool, and believed a month-long delay might let potential jurors shuffle their schedules for the case, which could take up to two months to decide. The judge has reportedly clashed with Murray's defense team in recent weeks, pressing them for answers about why they had not turned over more witness notes and other potential evidence to prosecutors in the run-up to the trial.
Cardiologist Murray was hired to be Jackson's personal physician while the King of Pop prepared for his planned 50-date comeback series of shows at London's O2 arena in the summer of 2009. The doctor told police that he provided the then-50-year-old Jackson with sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol in order to combat the singer's chronic insomnia. He said he did so on the morning of June 25, 2009, when Jackson died of what a coroner deemed acute propofol poisoning.
Murray's lawyers reportedly plan to argue that Jackson was already in weak health before he died, that it's unfair to blame propofol for his passing and that, if the anesthetic was to blame, the pop superstar may have given himself the fatal dose by drinking the drug in a panic.
A status hearing in the case has been set for this Wednesday.
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsSean Kingston Expected To Make Full Recovery In Six Weeks
Singer reportedly suffered a broken jaw, fractured wrist, water in lungs in jet-ski crash.
By Gil Kaufman
Sean Kingston
Photo: Getty
After entering a hospital on Sunday with critical injuries from a personal watercraft crash, singer Sean Kingston is now expected to make a full recovery from his injuries.
CNN, citing two unnamed sources close to Kingston, reported that the injuries sustained in the crash should take around six weeks to heal. The sources told the news network that the "Beautiful Girls" singer suffered a broken jaw, a fractured wrist and water in his lungs.
The last update from Kingston's label, Epic Records, reported that he was in "critical but stable condition" in a Miami hospital on Tuesday. His rep also told MTV News that Kingston, 21, is "aware of what is going on around him" and that he was "sedated but fully conscious."
On Sunday, Kingston and a female passenger crashed his Sea Doo jet ski into the Palm Island Bridge at approximately 6 p.m. ET. After being rescued by an off-duty Coast Guard employee, the pop star was taken to the trauma center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, but has since been moved to the intensive care unit. TMZ spoke to Kingston's rescuer, who said that Sean was "puking up blood out of his mouth." Another witness told the site he noticed a gash under Kingston's chin after the crash.
Cassandra Sanchez, 23, Sean's friend and passenger on the jet ski at the time of the accident, has since been discharged from the hospital, Kingston's rep confirmed. Sanchez told TMZ that Kingston tried to turn away from the bridge but was going "really fast" and couldn't avoid the crash. Sanchez also said that as Kingston was maneuvering toward the bridge, she urged him to stop and screamed out, "We can't fit under there! Are we going to try and go under there? Sean, stop!"
Sanchez told TMZ on Tuesday that she had no plans to press charges against Kingston over the crash. "I know this whole thing was just an accident," she said. "I won't be pressing any type of charges or hiring a lawyer. Sean is a good guy."
CNN reported that Kingston had bought the jet ski just days before the accident, as he prepared to move into a new house in Miami. An eyewitness said Sean's life vest fell off during the crash, which caused him to sink below the water.
"They were calling us over, telling us, 'He's drowning, he's drowning,' " witness Carmen Rivera told CNN. "We jumped in the water to help him keep his head above water," friend Jimmy Vega added. "I pushed him up, and he was vomiting what seemed like water, and then there was some blood coming out," Jonathan Rivera said.
Rapper Trav, whose new song "Up and Down" features Kingston, told CNN he visited his friend in the hospital on Monday and said Sean was "very responsive."
Send your well wishes to Kingston by leaving a comment below.
Related Photos Related ArtistsWednesday, June 1, 2011
Beyonce Does The Math On New '1+1' Track
Singer debuted the dreamy love song from her forthcoming 4 album on Wednesday night's 'American Idol' finale.
By Jocelyn Vena
Beyoncé's "1+1"
Photo: Columbia Records
Beyoncé may not know a thing about algebra, but when it comes to the math of power ballads, she totally gets it. On Wednesday night, Beyoncé premiered her new track "1+1" during her performance on "American Idol."
After changing into a gown following her medley performance with former "Idol" contestants, B was up on the stage surrounded by soft red mood lighting and smoke, slowing things down a bit and proclaiming her love for that special someone in song. The lyrics make sweeping statements about the power of her relationship.
She sings, "Hey! I don't know much about guns but I ... I've been shot by you/ Hey! And I don't know when I'm gonna die, but I hope that I'm gonna die by you/ Hey! And I don't know much about fighting, but I, I know I will fight for you/ Hey! Just when I ball up my fist, I realize that I'm laying right next to you."
The song is the second officially released single from her album 4, which hits stores on June 28. On Wednesday, Beyoncé revealed the full track listing for 4.
"1+1" opens the album and is one of 12 songs. The remaining 11 are: "I Care," "I Miss You," "Best Thing I Never Had," "Party" (featuring Andre 3000), "Rather Die Young," "Start Over," "Love on Top," "Countdown," the recently leaked "End of Time," "I Was Here" and the album's lead-off single, "Run the World (Girls)."
Related Artists
Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
- Artist: Britney Spears
- Label: Jive, Zomba Label Group
- Director: Jonas Akerlund
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)