Judge rules that camera will be allowed in the courtroom for manslaughter case.
By Gil Kaufman
Conrad Murray
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images
For what promises to be one of the most bizarre and riveting legal proceedings in years, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Monday that a television camera will be allowed in the courtroom when Michael Jackson's doctor goes on trial for involuntary manslaughter.
Reuters reported that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, approved the presence of a camera in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray as long as it does not interfere with the proceedings in the closely watched case.
The judge asked for the "absolute least-intrusive placement" of a TV camera in the courtroom, but blocked cameras from documenting jury selection.
Pastor also announced that he would bump up the opening date of the trail by four days to March 24, at which point jury selection will begin. Murray, who faces up to four years in prison if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the trial is expected to last around six weeks.
Cardiologist Murray was hired to be Jackson's personal physician in the run-up to the King of Pop's planned 50-date comeback series of shows at London's O2 arena in the summer of 2009. The doctor told police that he provided Jackson, 50, 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.
TMZ reported on Tuesday (February 8) that Murray's lawyers plan to argue that Jackson was already in weak health before he died and that it's unfair to blame propofol for his passing. Unnamed sources close to the case told the gossip site that at the time of his death, Jackson's body was already failing him in part because concert promoter AEG Live had "driven [him] over the edge" with a rigorous rehearsal schedule for the shows.
Murray's lawyers reportedly plan to call witnesses to say that Jackson was not showing up for rehearsals and when he did he showed "clear signs" of frail health. They also reportedly plan to argue that it was Jackson who administered the final, fatal dose of propofol to himself while Murray was out of the room.
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Conrad Murray's trial slated to start March 28.
By Gil Kaufman
Dr. Conrad Murray appears in court on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California
Photo: Irfan Khan-Pool/ Getty Images
Michael Jackson's former personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray entered a plea of not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the June 2009 death of the pop star at his arraignment on Tuesday morning (January 25).
According to the Los Angeles Times, when asked by judge Michael Pastor how he pleaded to the charge, Murray said, "Your honor, I am an innocent man." When Pastor interrupted and asked Murray what his plea was, the cardiologist said, "Therefore, I plead not guilty."
The brief hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court ended with Pastor setting a March 28 date for the start of a trial in the case. Murray faces a maximum of four years in prison if convicted, and the Times noted that he surprised the judge by invoking his right to a speedy trial, which meant the case would have to begin by late March. Pastor noted the rarity of a defendant asking to have a speedy trial, then set jury selection for the week of March 28 and said he was inclined to allow television coverage of the trial that the defense expects will last two months.
Lawyers for Murray have maintained his innocence all along, saying he did not do anything that "should have" caused the 50-year-old pop icon's death. The Los Angeles County Coroner's office determined that Jackson died of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol mixed with a cocktail of other sedatives.
Murray has admitted to administering propofol to Jackson in the hours before the singer's death, but the defense appears to be gearing up to claim that it was Jackson who administered the final, fatal dose of the drug after he woke in a panic from a fitful night of sleep.
During a preliminary hearing earlier this month to determine if there was enough evidence to hold Murray over for trial, the physician's attorneys said that there was evidence Jackson injected or drank a fatal amount of the drug when the doctor was not looking.
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Perez Hilton posts lyrics from singer's upcoming single and says album of the same name will 'change culture.'
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images
For fans looking for details on Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" single, out in two weeks, pal Perez Hilton gave the world a sneak peek of the tune's opening lyrics on Thursday (January 27).
Hilton posted these lyrics on his website: "Don't be a drag/ Just be a queen."
"I just posted a big surprise on my website!!!! " the gossip blogger tweeted after posting the line. "Oh, and if you're a @ladygaga fan, you REALLY wanna go to [my website] RIGHT NOW! #Leaking"
Later in the day, in another post, Hilton revealed more lyrics: "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life/ I'm on the right track, baby, I was born to survive."
His post comes hours after Gaga herself teased that she was planning to gift her fans with some of the single's lyrics, tweeting, "#thankgod4gaga is trending!? More like #thankgod4monsters! Maybe I should leak the lyrics to Born This Way today, whatdya say #leakitgaga?"
She belted out a bit of the song at the VMAs back in September. Donning her now-infamous meat dress, she sang, "I'm beautiful in my way/ 'Cause God makes no mistakes/ I'm on the right track/ Baby, I was born this way."
In his post, Hilton also revealed that he's heard the song and the album and that all of Gaga's Little Monsters won't be disappointed. "Get ready world!!!! Here she comes!!!! We've heard the song and - it MORE than lives up to the hype!!!" he wrote. "We've been holding a big secret from you all, which is we've heard the whole album. We've been there every step of the way and.... This album is going to change culture! When we can say more, we will! For now.... Don't be a drag, just be a queen!!!"
Gaga got fans hyped for the May album release of the same name on Wednesday, when she thanked them for making the song title "Edge of Glory" a Twitter trend. "Ok. Firstly, yes I love Nutella (with Banana+Wonderbread) who doesn't?" she wrote. "Secondly, I can't believe Edge of Glory was trending, sneakymonsters! Thirdly, I need a beer with my name on it cause the last 72hrs gave me a creative hangover."
Are you excited for "Born This Way"? Let us know in the comments!
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Before 3-D film hits theaters this weekend, get to know Justin's dream team.
By Jocelyn Vena
Justin Bieber in "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
Photo: Paramount Pictures
Justin Bieber hits the road with a small army. In a new, exclusive clip from his 3-D film, "Never Say Never," out this weekend, fans get an inside look at the men and women who help Bieber stay on schedule and stay sane during those grueling days on the road.
"You know I want people to see me in my everyday life," Bieber says in the clip.
Fans then get to meet Ryan Good, Bieber's stylist. "Ryan's like the coolest older brother ever. When Justin's down, I'm like, 'Ryan go make him laugh,' and Justin's cracking up," Allison Kaye, the tour's general manager, explained of Bieber's sidekick.
So what is Kaye like? "Allison's the stern one," Good explains. "She's the one that handles business."
Other members of Bieber's team include Carin, his "big sister" figure who assists Ryan with wardrobe; Dan Kanter, his musical director; Mama Jan, his vocal coach; and Kenny: "[He] is technically Justin's security guard, but his everything," Kaye explains.
"It's an uncle/nephew relationship," Kenny adds in the clip. "In my phone, I have him programmed as 'nephew.' "
His manager, Scooter Braun, also appears in the sneak peek. He explains that his job is more far-reaching than just a manager. "Ninety percent of my job is helping him become a good man. It's a family, so we're supporting each other," he said. "There's so many people out there who think he's gonna be a teen sensation and he's going to go away. I wouldn't bet against Justin."
Pattie Lynn Malette, his mom, gives props to the team working with her son. "I think it's very important to surround your child with good people," she said. "I love having different people around him that can still encourage those morals."
Check out everything we've got on "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never."
For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.
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Brit may be working with 'Telephone' director Jonas Åkerlund, but choreographer Brain Friedman debunks possible comparisons.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias
Britney Spears
Photo: MTV News
Just because Britney Spears is working with "Telephone" director Jonas Åkerlund and his stylist wife B. Åkerlund for the "Hold It Against Me" video does not mean that the clip will mirror Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's extravaganza. Spears' choreographer, Brian Friedman, said the video is all Britney.
"The styling for this video is beyond what Britney has done before," he teased. "B. Åkerlund did the styling for it, and I can say that it is not 'Britney does Gaga.' That is not what's happening with this. Gaga has her own niche, and although B. has worked with Gaga before, she's not giving Britney anything that Gaga would wear. I love seeing Britney try out new things. It's just an extension of what Britney already is."
With potential Gaga comparisons debunked, Friedman talked about having fun with Spears on set and helping her regain that joie de vivre that fans have come to know and love when she's out on the dance floor.
"One of the places that we always tend to improve with Britney is on her beauty shots, when it's just Britney alone dancing," he said. "And one of the little tricks that I like to do is stand right off camera and scream words at her to try and get motivation from her and coach her through the little scenario that she's in, so we did that in this video. And I know there was a picture posted of a bunch of microphones around her face, and that's one of the scenes in particular where I was screaming at her on the side — in a good way."
So, what does he scream at her? "Tiger! I scream tiger," he dished. "When we first started working and I had her back in the studio, I was referring to how she danced when we were working together in the past, when we were doing 'Slave,' 'Toxic,' like some of those things. She used to have a prowl about her and an attack that to me was like a tiger, so I kept telling her, 'I want to see the tiger back,' " he revealed. "I scream the word 'tiger,' so 'tiger' seems to work. It makes her laugh, so it works."
Are you excited to see "tiger" Britney back in action? Let us know in the comments!
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