Headlines

Michael Jackson's Assistant Sues AEG

2:40 AM |

Michael Jackson's personal assistant Michael Amir Williams has filed a class action lawsuit against concert promoting company AEG, ET has learned.

In court documents obtained by ET, Williams alleges that he and the crew hired for the This is It tour lost out on wages after Jackson's death.

As Dr. Conrad Murray (who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's case) was reportedly hired and supervised by AEG, the papers go on to ask for unspecified damages from the company.

According to the filings, the plaintiff claims that AEG agreed to pay the crew "up to $7.5 million" for the tour prior to Jackson's passing.

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Murray invites Jackson's mom

6:55 AM |
Murray invites Jackson's mom
Conrad Murray, the doctor convicted in Michael Jackson's death, is inviting the late pop star's mother to visit him in jail to "answer any questions she might have."

Murray extended the invitation Tuesday night in a statement released to CNN through his lawyers, Valerie Wass and Michael Flanagan..

"I've been told that she has a desire to speak with me before she departs this life," Murray said. "Seeing that she is up in age and in questionable health, and the fact that she is the mother of a very dear departed friend, it would give me great pleasure to sit with her one on one and answer any questions she might have."

Murray was sentenced to four years in prison last November after a jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 25, 2009, death.

Murray, who is expected to serve at least two years in a Los Angeles County jail, said he would put Katherine Jackson's name on his visitor's list.

"It would put her at peace," he said. "I would do that truly out of concern for her and altruistic love and concern for others. I want to see her. I do not want Mrs. Jackson to suffer. She remains as dear to me as my own mother, unbeknownst to her."

News coverage of the ongoing feud among members of the Jackson family apparently prompted Murray's offer.

"Although I am not permitted to see the news in jail, there are times when intermittent snippets are seen before a channel change occurs," Murray said. "I recently saw Katherine Jackson in one of those snippets. She appeared to be extremely sad. I also heard she is having a difficult time."

A representative for Katherine Jackson said he would present the offer to her, but he doubted she would accept.

Katherine Jackson is dealing with a major division in her family that grew larger when four of her children recently took her to Arizona for 10 days without letting Michael Jackson's three children speak to her.

Murray invites Jackson's mom

Murray invites Jackson's mom


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Bobby Brown set to wed Again

2:33 PM |
Bobby Brown will this weekend be tying the knot with his fiancĂ©e Alicia Etheridge  in the beautiful state of Hawaii.

Brown who is set to perform in the city of Honolulu alongside his New Edition band mates will be using the opportunity to finally ‘jump the broom’ with Alicia after two years of dating.

Alicia travelled along with Brown to Nigeria in March for a ‘New Edition’ concert held in Lagos and Port Harcourt.

TMZ reports that June 15 has been penned down for an elaborate wedding also scheduled to hold in Hawaii.

The couple have been engaged since May 2012 and have a child together.
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Michael Jackson Property nearly cost $1m

1:33 PM |
The contents of the home where Michael Jackson lived with his three children just before his death have sold for nearly $1 million at auction.

Darren Julien, president of Julien's Auctions, was unable to provide a more specific figure as he continued to tally the totals Saturday after the daylong auction, which brought in nearly triple the company's pre-auction estimate of $200,000 to $400,000.

Among the highlights: A kitchen chalkboard where Jackson's children wrote "I love daddy," which sold for $5,000, and an armoire upon which Jackson wrote a message to himself on the mirror that fetched $25,750.

The auction also included furniture, artwork and other items from the rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive, where Jackson lived as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts in London before his death in June, 2009.

The headboard from the bed where Jackson died at age 50 was removed from the auction at the family's request, but the rug that was beneath the bed sold for $15,360. The estimate had been $400 to $600.

Julien's Auctions re-created the mansion inside its Beverly Hills showroom and invited fans to fill the space where the bed would have been with a tribute to the late King of Pop. Julien promised to deliver all of the tribute items to Jackson's children and family matriarch Katherine Jackson.

"Michael Jackson has the greatest fans in the world. I can see why he lived for them," Julien said. "They came out every day this week to bring gifts. It's unlike anything we've ever seen as it relates to a celebrity and their fans."

Julien's Auctions has conducted auctions for dozens of celebrities, including Cher, Barbra Streisand, William Shatner and Slash.

Jackson commissioned the company to sell the contents of his Neverland Ranch before the auction was called off in early 2009. Julien's also sold Jackson's famous "Thriller" jacket for $1.8 million earlier this year.
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Janet Jackson puts new "face" on weight loss

6:47 AM |
It's no secret that Janet Jackson has battled weight issues her entire life, but what her fans may not know is that even when the singer is on tour, sweating every night, she still has problems staying slim.

So Jackson joined the ranks of Nutrisystem users on Thursday to become the "new face" of the weight-loss program, promoting a new "SUCCESS" diet plan even as she uses it to help raise money to feed the world's hungry.

The "Rhythm Nation" singer and member of the famous Jackson family, wrote fearlessly about self-image issues in her book, "True You," documenting a period in 2006 when she put on weight for a movie and ballooned to 180 lbs, only to become fodder for fat jokes in the tabloid press.

But Jackson said it's not only working as an actress that can cause her to put on pounds. Rather, it is everyday life that gets her. And even after dancing and singing nearly every night on her "Number Ones," she still battles weight gain.

"Your body gets used to different exercises, and I've been performing for so long that my body's just used to it. Actually, I have to work a little harder while doing a show," she told Reuters.

Weight gain, she said "is something I've dealt with my entire life."

In her book "True You," which was published in hardcover earlier this year and hit stores in paperback this week, Jackson writes "eating was emotional for me; eating calmed my nerves and brought me instant gratification."

After Nutrisystem chief executive Joe Redling read the book, he approached Jackson about his weight-loss program and gave her some of Nutrisystem's pre-packaged foods to sample while on tour. Jackson said she was sold.

"When I was in hair and makeup, we were all taste testing. Everybody was going crazy for it," she said.

LOVE THE CHEESE PUFFS

When asked her favorite Nutrisystem meal, Jackson said "I can't say there's just one thing," then she paused.

"They do have cheese puffs," she said. "It had been years since I wrapped my lips around cheese puffs because they were things I had to stay away from."

Jackson joins a long list of celebrities, including Kirstie Alley and Jennifer Hudson, who have publicly battled weight loss and endorsed diet programs. Typically, the stars document how much they lose, but Jackson doesn't want to do that.

"I'm going about this a different way by not putting a pound amount on it," she said. "It's about when I feel healthy, about when I feel good. That is how I want to be," she said.

Like most people, she pops her meals into a microwave to heat them up, but is quick to add that, unlike many others, she has a trainer to help her work out. She stresses the importance of exercise, but emphasizes that people don't need a trainer when all they really need to do is go for a long walk or do other everyday activities that get them off their couches.

Key to Jackson's involvement in Nutrisystem, she said, is that for every pound its dieters loose in 2012, the company will donate $1 worth of food to people in need. The pair have created "Nutribank," (www.nutribank.org ), to work with hunger organizations around the world. Last year, Nutrisystem users lost 10 million pounds, in total.

"I feel that my true calling is to help people," she said. Now, that calling extends to weight loss and quashing hunger.
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Michael Jackson doctor plans to appeal conviction

11:05 AM |
Michael Jackson's doctor filed court papers on Friday indicating he plans to appeal his involuntary manslaughter conviction over the singer's death and his four-year jail sentence.

Lawyers for Dr. Conrad Murray filed the papers with Los Angeles Superior Court in a precursor to a formal appeal being lodged with a California Appeals Court.

Murray was convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter, or gross negligence, after admitting he gave the pop star nightly doses of the anesthetic propofol in June 2009 to help him sleep.

Murray was sentenced on Tuesday to four years in jail by an angry Los Angeles judge who called him a "disgrace to the medical profession."

Jackson, 50, died in Los Angeles on June 25, 2009, of an overdose of propofol - which is normally used to sedate patients during surgery - and sedatives. His death came just weeks before a planned series of comeback concerts in London.
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Sherlock Holmes, Clinton, Gates on PBS

8:32 AM |
NEW YORK—There's good news for fans of Sherlock Holmes and "Downton Abbey": They're both coming back to PBS next year.

A two-part examination of Bill Clinton's presidency, a look at some celebrity family trees by Louis Gates and a series on American infrastructure hosted by a former "Survivor" contestant are all part of PBS' new spring schedule, the public broadcasting service said Wednesday.

An abrupt season ending to "Downton Abbey" with several unanswered questions—including whether the show was even going to return—led to angry phone calls from many fans, said Paula Kerger, PBS president. The first season was only four episodes. The second season, set during World War I, contains seven episodes and starts Jan. 8.

The "Masterplace Mystery!" presentation of "Sherlock, Series 2" is set in 21st century London and will air in three episodes in May, PBS said.

The "American Experience" documentary on Clinton premieres on President's Day and features fresh interviews with many in the administration and some of the president's adversaries. It does not include a new interview with Clinton, Kerger said.

The positive side of profiling such a recent president is that many people within the administration are still alive. The negative side is losing the perspective of history, she said.

"He's an interesting and complex individual and I think the piece captures that," Kerger said.

Harvard professor Gates is host of "Finding Your Roots," a 10-part series that begins March 25. The series will have celebrity juice—Kevin Bacon, Barbara Walters, Tyra Banks and Martha Stewart are among those who have their family roots explored—and Gates tries to tie those family stories to historical trends.

Yul Kwon of "Survivor" will be host of "America Revealed" starting on April 11. He'll try to show how infrastructure is changing traffic and food production, for example.

Cultural programming includes a premiere of Anna Deavere Smith's play "Let Me Down Easy," a music special on Tony Bennett's duets album, and Michael Feinstein's "American Songbook."

"We're going to continue our focus on arts content," Kerger said.
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The Justin Bieber baby saga keeps on going

1:33 AM |
JUST hours after it was reported that Mariah Yeater had dropped the paternity lawsuit against Justin Bieber, her newly appointed lawyer has declared that the case is still very much alive.

The 20-year-old baby mama's new attorney, Jeffrey Leving, has told TMZ he firmly believes his client's allegation that Bieber is the father of her four-month-old son and they will push on with their mission to get the singer to take a DNA test.

Leving claims Yeater dismissed the lawsuit to open the door for a private settlement and avoid a "media circus".

"We want privacy," Leving told ET, "and we want to wrap this up."

"The case is completely out of control and I don’t want something terrible to happen to my client or her child."

Leving said Yeater is still recieving death threats and is being constantly stalked, but has still been coping as well as "a 20-year-old woman with no money and no job" can.

As for the Bieber's threats that he will counter-sue, Leving told the gossip website it was just another example of a celebrity trying to push around the little guy.

Ms Yeater claims she got pregnant after having sex with Bieber, then 16, while backstage at one of his concerts in Los Angeles in October 2010.

Bieber vehemently denies the allegations, saying he has never met Ms Yeater. He is reportedly prepared to take a paternity test to prove he is not the father.

He also plans to sue Ms Yeater and her lawyers for making a bogus claim.

Bieber, who is dating Disney starlet Selena Gomez, hired crisis management guru Matthew Hiltzik of Hiltzik Strategies to help manage the scandal.

Yeater had claimed on CBS show The Insider that Bieber immediately took a liking to her after his concert at the Staples Centre and asked if they could go somewhere.

She claimed that once in a backstage bathroom, "his whole demeanour changed. It went from cute and gushy to just more aggressive." She added that the sex lasted 30 seconds.

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Michael Jackson's deathbed was withdrawn from auction

4:27 PM |
The headboard from Michael Jackson's deathbed was withdrawn from auction on Tuesday at the request of the singer's family.

But previously unseen footage of the King of Pop's 1993 concert tour is up for sale in London this month, and auctioneers say it could fetch up to $6 million.


The London-based Fame Bureau is selling the concert footage, filmed during Jackson's "Dangerous" tour in 1993 at a stop in Argentina, on Nov. 26. If the film meets expectations, it would become among the top prices ever paid for any pop culture memorabilia at auction.


It was shot by Jackson's production crew and meant to be an intimate portrait of Jackson on tour. But the singer was unhappy with the quality and gave the lone copy to his driver, who is now selling the footage, the auction house said.


"It's a film that's frighteningly personal and up-close," said Fame Bureau CEO Ted Owen in an interview posted on YouTube. "It's like you're on stage with Michael Jackson".


A DVD of the "Dangerous" concert tour, filmed in Bucharest, was released in 2005 and is still available on Amazon.com and other retailers for about $12.


Items related to Jackson have skyrocketed in value since his death in 2009. The red and black leather jacket he wore for his 1983 "Thriller" video sold for $1.8 million in Los Angeles in June.


But an elaborate antique Louis XV-style headboard from the bed where Jackson died on June 25, 2009 is no longer among potential Jackson collectibles, according to Julien's Auctions.


It carried an asking price of $3-5,000 in a December sale of items from the rented Los Angeles mansion where the 50 year-old singer was found lifeless more than two years ago.


But auctioneer Darren Julien said the headboard was removed from sale at the request of the Michael Jackson estate and the singer's family.
"We want to maintain a good relationship with the family and we don't want to do anything upsetting for them," Julien told ET
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