Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Michael Jackson's Kids Formed Prayer Circle as Father Fell Ill
Michael Jackson's chef is speaking out about the day the King of Pop died and the bizarre role Dr. Conrad Murray -- Jackson's private physician and now the focus of a manslaughter investigation -- played that morning.
On June 25, Kai Chase, a professionally trained chef who has worked with Macy Gray and Jamie Foxx, said she knew something was up when Murray didn't come downstairs to get the juices and granola he routinely brought Jackson each morning.
See 32 photos from inside Michael Jackson's Staples Center memorial
She said she was also used to seeing the doctor coming down the steps carrying oxygen tanks. When Murray didn't come downstairs the morning of June 25, "I thought maybe Mr. Jackson is sleeping late," Chase told the Associated Press.
"I started preparing the lunch and then I looked at my cell phone and it was noon. About 12:05 or 12:10 Dr. Murray runs down the steps and screams, 'Go get Prince!' He's screaming very loud. I run into the den where the kids are playing. Prince (Jackson's oldest son) runs to meet Dr. Murray and from that point on you could feel the energy in the house change.
"I walked into the hall and I saw the children there. The daughter was crying. I saw paramedics running up the stairs."
Then, a small group consisting of the children, their nanny, a housekeeper and Chase held hands and began to pray, Chase recalled.
See photos of Michael Jackson's kids through the years
As paramedics raced to the room, Chase said, "We were all praying, 'Help Mr. Jackson be O.K.' "Then everyone was very quiet."
At about 1:30 p.m. she said security guards told her and other staff to leave the property because "Mr. Jackson was being taken to the hospital," according to the AP.
Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
See how Michael Jackson's face has changed over the years
Authorities searched Murray's Las Vegas home and medical office Tuesday, following a raid last week at his clinic and storage in Houston.
A law enforcement official told the AP that investigators believe Jackson died from a fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic Propofol, allegedly supplied by Murray sometime in the early morning of June 25.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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Brüno (character)
Brüno Gehard (pronounced "gay-hard"), sometimes written as Bruno or Brueno, is a fictional Austrian fashion reporter portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who first appeared during short sketches on The Paramount Comedy Channel in 1998, before reappearing on Da Ali G Show. Following the success of Ali G Indahouse and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,Universal Studios gained rights to make and release a feature film.
Officials probe Jackson's doctors in star's death
Investigators looking into the death of pop starMichael Jackson have seized new information to analyze as they narrow their focus in what could become a criminal investigation.
Almost one month after the King of Pop died, federal and local agents on Wednesday raided the Houston clinic of Conrad Murray, the personal physician Jackson hired in May to look after him as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts in London.
Among the items seized were files copied from an office hard drive and 21 documents. Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, said authorities believed the evidence "constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter." He did not provide further details, and police said they do not consider Murray to be a suspect.
Authorities are investigating several doctors who associated with Jackson to see if they inappropriately provided him with prescription drugs.
In the weeks since he died, rumors about what killed him have been rife. Several members of Jackson's family have said they suspect foul play. Investigators appear to be focusing on a powerful anesthetic, propofol. The drug was found in the Beverly Hills mansion Jackson was renting, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation who is not authorized to speak publicly.
Wednesday's raid of Murray's clinic in a lower-income area of north Houston was the most visible sign yet that Murray remains a central figure in the investigation.
On June 25, Murray found Jackson unconscious in a bedroom of Jackson's rented mansion, his lawyer has said, and tried to revive him and ultimately helped summon paramedics.
Police have twice interviewed Murray, including at the Los Angeles hospital where Jackson was taken and pronounced dead. The coroner's office wanted its own interview, which the lawyer agreed to; it may happen Friday without Murray present, according to Miranda Sevcik, Chernoff's spokeswoman. Chernoff would answer questions on the doctor's behalf.
"Based on Dr. Murray's minute-by-minute and item-by-item description of Michael Jackson's last days, he should not be a target of criminal charges," Chernoff had said in a statement a day before the raid. "Dr. Murray was the last doctor standing when Michael Jackson died, and it seems all the fury is directed toward him."
Murray also has a clinic in Las Vegas, which showed no signs of activity Wednesday.
Also Wednesday, Los Angeles County coroner's officials were piecing together Jackson's medical history from subpoenaed records related to nutritionist Cherilyn Lee's treatment of Jackson, according to Lee's spokeswoman, Belinda Foster.
The registered nurse is cooperating with investigators but required a subpoena because the records were protected by law, Foster said.
The coroner's office did not return calls Wednesday seeking comment.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
'Potter' conjures up $159.7 million in 5 days (AP)
Harry Potter continues to work box-office alchemy, turning his latest movie adventure into an overnight blockbuster.
The sixth installment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," took in $79.5 million domestically over opening weekend and $159.7 million since debuting last Wednesday, according to estimates from distributor Warner Bros. on Sunday.
The movie also took in $237 million overseas since Wednesday in 54 countries, bringing its worldwide total to $396.7 million.
With some of the best reviews of any "Harry Potter" movie, "Half-Blood Prince" was off to the fastest overall start in franchise history.
The sixth movie about the young wizard came in $20 million ahead of the last movie, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which grossed $139.7 million domestically in its first five days two years ago.
The new film had the second-highest start ever for a movie premiering on Wednesday, trailing the $200 million five-day opening for last month's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
"Half-Blood Prince" already has surpassed the $157.3 million "Order of the Phoenix" pulled in during its entire first week. By the end of its seventh day Tuesday, "Half-Blood Prince" will be in the $180 million range on its way to becoming the franchise's first $300 million domestic smash since the original movie, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.
The audience was a bit older for the new movie, with more elder teens turning out to see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and pals Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) as they deal with adult concerns such as heartache, jealousy and romantic triangles.
Fans have grown up with the franchise, from young readers whose parents had to debate whether the early movies might be too intense for their children to see.
"When the first movie came out, they fought to go. The mother was like, well, should I take them, should I not take them?" Fellman said. "Now they're driving themselves to this and going to the midnight show."
Sacha Baron Cohen's mock documentary "Bruno" plummeted after its No. 1 debut the previous weekend. The Universal Pictures comedy fell to fourth-place with $8.4 million, down a whopping 73 percent from its $30.6 million opening.
Crowd-pleasing movies typically dip 50 percent or less in their second weekends. But "Bruno" has had mixed reviews and failed to earn the audience buzz that made a $128 million hit out of Baron Cohen's 2006 comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."
After 10 days in release, "Bruno" has climbed to $49.6 million and will finish far below $100 million domestically.
While "Harry Potter" had a healthy start, the overall box office plunged compared to the same weekend last year, when the Batman juggernaut "The Dark Knight" had its record opening weekend of $158.4 million.
The top-12 movies this weekend combined for less than that, taking in $153.9 million, down 39 percent from a year ago.
"We got kind of slaughtered even with the 'Potter' movie, but we knew that was going to happen," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "When one movie last year makes more than what the top-12 movies did this year, you're going to have a down weekend."
Fox Searchlight's romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt andZooey Deschanel, got off to a big start in limited release with $837,588 in 27 theaters. That amounted to an average of $31,022 a cinema, compared to $18,376 in 4,325 theaters for "Half-Blood Prince."
A hit with critics, "500 Days of Summer" expands gradually into wide release over the next few weekends.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $79.5 million.
2. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," $17.7 million.
3. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," $13.8 million.
4. "Bruno," $8.4 million.
5. "The Hangover," $8.32 million.
6. "The Proposal," $8.3 million.
7. "Public Enemies," $7.6 million.
8. "Up," $3.1 million.
9. "My Sister's Keeper," $2.8 million.
10. "I Love You, Beth Cooper," $2.7 million.
Convert Harry Potter Movies to MP4, AVI, DVD, MOV, TOD etc.
Apollo 11 Facts: 40 Years Later
On the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, get the facts on Apollo 11's historic trip, from initial skepticism to lunar firsts and the implications for returning humans to the moon.
More Apollo 11 Moon Landing 40th Anniversary Coverage
• APOLLO 11 HOAX PHOTOS: 8 Moon-Landing Myths—Busted
• APOLLO 11 AT 40: Who Owns the Moon?
• MOON PICTURES: 1960s Orbiter Images Restored
• VIDEO: Abandoned McDonald's Serves Restored Moon Pics
• APOLLO 11 PHOTOS: First Manned Moon Landing
• APOLLO 11 HISTORY: Sounds of the Space Age Interactive
• EARTH'S FIRST RISE: Dive Deep Into a Lunar Orbiter Picture
• MOON PHOTOS: New Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures
• Moon Myths Quiz
• Moon Quiz
• APOLLO 11: New Before-and-After Photos of Moon Bases
• PHOTOS: Apollo 11 Among Landmarks in Google's New Moon
July 16, 1969: The world watched in anticipation as three men were hurtled skyward in a rocket bound for the moon.
(Read about the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission in a 1969 National Geographicmagazine article.)
The Apollo 11 launch date had arrived with just months to spare: Nine years earlier, U.S. President John F. Kennedy had said that by the end of the decade the country would put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth.
The successful Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, ushered in an era of moon exploration that has so far gone unrivaled (Apollo 11 quiz).
(Find out about NASA's plans to return humans to the moon in Naked Science: Living on the Moon, which airs Thursday, July 23, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.)
Moon Race
President Kennedy's moon mandate came at the height of the space race—a kind of subplot to the Cold War between the United States and what was then the Soviet Union.
(Hear sounds of the space age, including the Apollo 11 mission, with an interactive version of a pressed vinyl record that was included in the December 1969 issue of National Geographic magazine.)
The U.S.S.R. had made the opening gambit, sending the first artificial satellites into orbit, starting with the 184-pound (83.5-kilogram) Sputnik I in October 1957.
The Soviets followed that success a month later with the first animal in space, Laika the dog, which did not survive the experience. (See pictures of monkeys and other primates sent into space.)
Things came to a head in April 1961, when the Soviets sent the first human to space. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made a 108-minute suborbital flight in a Vostok 1 spacecraft and returned safely to Earth.
A month later Alan Shepherd became the first American in space with his suborbital flight aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft.
From there the two countries started upping the ante by increasing the number of orbits per flight. Meanwhile Kennedy's moon directive had signaled a change in tactics for the U.S.
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