An anesthesiologist is expected to take the stand Wednesday in the trial of Michael Jackson’s personal physician to testify about Dr. Conrad Murray’s use of the surgical anesthetic propofol to treat his pop star patient.

Dr. Steven Shafer, a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University and editor in chief of the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia, is one of a series of medical experts expected to testify about Murray’s administering of the powerful drug in a home setting.

Propofol, which is known to carry a risk of respiratory or cardiac depression, is typically used for surgeries in hospital operating rooms.

Shafer was retained by prosecutors in Murray’s involuntary manslaughter case and prepared several reports giving his expert opinion.

One of Shafer’s reports, which offered the opinion that propofol would not have any effect if taken orally, led defense attorneys to ask for a delay in the trial earlier this year.Shafer said that if ingested orally, the liver would have metabolized 99% of the drug before it entered the bloodstream. The defense has theorized that Jackson either drank or injected himself with propofol and caused his own death.

Jackson died June 25, 2009, from acute intoxication of propofol.

A coroner’s medical examiner testified Tuesday that he ruled the pop star’s death a homicide because of the inadequate condition in which Murray gave the drug, and because he did not believe Jackson could have given himself the lethal dose.

If convicted, Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

Source: LATimes.com

One of the most chilling moments of the Conrad Murray trial was the playing of that slurred audio recording of Michael Jackson, allegedly taped by Dr. Murray.

For many, that recording is proof that the King of Pop suffered from substance abuse. However, Dr. Murray alleges that he had no idea that other doctors were supplying MJ with drugs, in his jaw-dropping statement to police.

Dr. John Dombrowski, an anesthesiologist and pain-management specialist, appeared on Dr. Drew’s HLN show Tuesday night to discuss this issue.

“When a patient comes to me in the operating room, I have to know every medication he or she is on, so I know how the anesthetic will interact with the individual,”

Dr. Dombrowski explained.

“We as anesthesiologists are personally responsible for that patient … you have to know the medication he is getting. If you use propofol, you will know how to monitor the patient and how much to give the patient.”

Ryan Smith, host on truTV’s In Session, asked if that meant Dr. Murray may have failed Jackson by not getting to know who Jackson was interacting with … affecting his treatment.

Dr. Dombrowski replied by saying that it’s important to make sure all the medical professionals are coordinating together so they get the right care to the patient.

“When he’s [Dr. Murray] providing this level of care to Michael Jackson, he sees what medication is around him,”

Dr. Dombrowski noted.

“He can’t help but notice it. He can pick up the bottle, read what he’s taking – my goodness – ‘[say], let me give this physician a call.’ We do it all the time as anesthesiologists and people that specialize in pain medicine.”

Dr. Dombrowski ended the interview with another significant point.

“Any time you give anyone an anesthetic, you never leave the patient,”

he said.

“You don’t say, ‘he self-administered – he drunk it – went someplace else.’ I am always there in attendance to find out what goes on. You never abandon the patient at any time.”

Watch http://www.hlntv.com/DrDrew Dr. Drew weeknights on HLN at 9 p.m. ET and follow him on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/drdrewhln @DrDrewHLN

Source: CNN.com

Prosecutors plan to wrap up their case against the doctor charged in Michael Jackson’s death by calling three experts intended to help jurors make sense of the complex medical evidence they have been presented.

Prosecutors told a judge overseeing the involuntary manslaughter case against Dr. Conrad Murray that their remaining witnesses will include experts in cardiology, pulmonary and sleep issues and a leading researcher on the anesthetic propofol, which is blamed in the pop star’s death, a transcript shows.

The government’s case against Murray may conclude late this week or early next, although an exact timetable remains unclear. Murray’s defense attorneys are likely to vigorously challenge the experts, especially Dr. Steven Shafer, a researcher and Columbia University professor who will be called upon to explain propofol and its effects.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told a judge he plans to call Shafer as his final witness.

Murray’s attorneys are expected to present a defense case that includes their own witness on propofol.

Authorities say Murray gave Jackson a fatal dose of the surgical anesthetic in June 2009. Murray has pleaded not guilty in the case. The Houston-based cardiologist’s lawyers say that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose.

The other experts are Dr. Elon Steinberg, a cardiologist, and Nader Kamanger, an expert in pulmonary and sleep issues.

Prosecutors hope the trio’s testimony will support their contentions that Murray acted recklessly by giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid in the singer’s bedroom.

The outside experts’ testimony comes a day after a medical examiner told jurors that it was unreasonable to believe that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose of propofol when Murray left the room for only two minutes.

Dr. Christopher Rogers, who conducted the autopsy on Jackson, testified Tuesday it was more likely that Murray overdosed the singer when he incorrectly estimated how much of the drug he was giving Jackson to induce sleep to fight insomnia. He said Murray had no precision dosing device available in the bedroom of Jackson’s rented mansion.

“The circumstances, from my point of view, do not support self-administration of propofol,”

said Rogers, chief of forensic medicine in the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Rogers analyzed two possible scenarios for Jackson’s death. The first was the defense theory that while Murray stepped away to go to the bathroom, Jackson gave himself an extra dose of the drug he called his “milk.”

“In order for Mr. Jackson to have administered the propofol to himself, you would have to assume he woke up and although he was under the influence of … propofol and other sedatives, he was somehow able to administer propofol to himself,”

Rogers testified.

“Then he stops breathing and all of this takes place in a two-minute period of time,”

Rogers said.

“To me, that scenario seems less reasonable.”

“Less reasonable than what?”

Walgren asked.

“The alternate scenario would be in order to keep Mr. Jackson asleep, the doctor would have to give him a little bit every hour, two or three tablespoons an hour,”

Rogers said, noting that propofol is a short-acting drug that wears off quickly.

Source: washingtonpost.com

Michael Jackson could not have given himself the powerful anaesthetic that caused his death, the medic who carried out the singer’s autopsy has testified.

Dr Christopher Rogers said it was more likely Jackson’s personal physician Conrad Murray mistakenly gave him too much of the drug propofol to try to help him sleep.

He added Dr Murray had no precision dosing device in Jackson’s bedroom.

Dr Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

His lawyers claim Jackson gave himself the fatal dose while Dr Murray was out of the room.

The doctor told police, in an interview heard in court last week, that he was away from Jackson’s bed for only two minutes on 25 June 2009 to go to the bathroom, and returned to find the singer was not breathing.

However Dr Rogers testified that Jackson – who was already heavily sedated – would not have been able to inject a lethal dose of propofol before Murray returned.

“The circumstances, from my point of view, do not support self-administration of propofol,”

the chief of forensic medicine at the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said.

Dr Murray has admitted to giving Jackson 25ml of the drug to help him sleep, and would have had to give regular extra doses to keep the singer unconscious.

Dr Rogers said evidence found in Jackson’s bedroom included an empty 100ml bottle of propofol.

But he noted that as Dr Murray had no accurate equipment to check the doses being administered,

“essentially, the doctor would be estimating how much propofol he was giving”.

“I think it would be easy under those circumstances for the doctor to estimate wrong and give too much propofol,”

Dr Rogers said.

He also noted the lack of sophisticated medical equipment in Jackson’s bedroom where the drugs were administered, such as resuscitation equipment.

Dr Rogers said the cause of death was “acute propofol intoxication”, ruling the death a homicide.

The trial in Los Angeles Superior Court is expected to last five weeks, until the end of October.

If Dr Murray is convicted, he faces up to four years in jail.

Source: bbcnews.com

A medical examiner, striking a major blow to the defense of Michael Jackson’s doctor, said Tuesday it is unreasonable to believe Jackson could have given himself a fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol.

Dr. Christopher Rogers, who conducted the autopsy on Jackson, testified it was more likely that Dr. Conrad Murray overdosed the singer when he incorrectly estimated how much of the drug he was giving Jackson to induce sleep.

Rogers said Murray had no precision dosing device on hand in the bedroom of Jackson’s rented mansion.

“The circumstances, from my point of view, do not support self-administration of propofol,”

said Rogers, chief of forensic medicine in the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Rogers analyzed two possible scenarios for Jackson’s death. The first was the defense theory that while Murray stepped away to go to the bathroom, Jackson gave himself an extra dose of the drug he called his “milk.”

“In order for Mr. Jackson to have administered the propofol to himself, you would have to assume he woke up and although he was under the influence of … propofol and other sedatives, he was somehow able to administer propofol to himself,”

Rogers testified.

“Then he stops breathing and all of this takes place in a two-minute period of time,”

Rogers said.

“To me, that scenario seems less reasonable.”

“Less reasonable than what?”

asked Deputy District Attorney David Walgren.

“The alternate scenario would be in order to keep Mr. Jackson asleep, the doctor would have to give him a little bit every hour, two or three tablespoons an hour,”

Rogers said, noting that propofol is a short-acting drug that wears off quickly.

“We did not find any precision dosing device, so the doctor would be estimating how much he was giving,”

the medical examiner said.

Murray told police he gave Jackson only 25 milligrams of the drug, a very small dose that usually would have kept him asleep for no more than five minutes.

Rogers said he examined evidence found in Jackson’s bedroom and noted there was an empty 100 milliliter bottle of propofol.

Rogers said the cause of death was “acute propofol intoxication and the contributing condition was the benzodiazepine effect.”

Two sedatives from that drug group — lorazepam and midazolam — were found in Jackson’s system after he died.

Rogers said he considered a number of factors in ruling the death a homicide. Among them were Murray’s statements to police and the lack of sophisticated medical equipment in Jackson’s bedroom, where the superstar had been receiving the anesthetic.

He said there was no EKG monitor, no resuscitation equipment and no precision dosing device present in the room.

Rogers also testified it would be inappropriate to use propofol outside a hospital or medical clinic.

Walgren illustrated testimony about the autopsy by showing a stark photograph of the singer’s body on an examining table with his genitals covered. He appeared thin but not emaciated. The doctor said he was 5 feet 9 inches and weighed 136 pounds.

“I believe he was healthier than the average person his age,”

Rogers said, explaining Jackson had no fatty buildup in his arteries common to people his age.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Rogers’ testimony came after jurors heard the end of Murray’s June 27, 2009, recorded interview with police in which he first disclosed he had been giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep.

Prosecutors played the remaining 40 minutes of the interview, which included Murray’s description of informing Jackson’s mother and children that the entertainer was dead.

“After they cried and cried and cried, then his daughter uttered a lot of words of unhappiness,”

Murray told detectives, saying Paris Jackson was afraid of being alone after her father’s death.

“’I know you tried your best, but I’m really sad,’”

he continued, recounting her words.

“’I will wake up in the morning, and I won’t be able to see my daddy.’”

Jackson’s mother, Katherine, dabbed her eyes with a tissue as the recording played. She and other members of the Jackson family left court and did not see the autopsy picture.

A police detective who helped conduct Murray’s interview told jurors that Murray seemed surprised when, toward the end of the interview, he learned that three bags of medical items had not yet been recovered from the star’s bedroom.

The recording ended shortly after the physician explained the items could be found in a closet.

The interview helped transform the investigation into Jackson’s June 25, 2009, death from a simple death inquiry into a homicide case.

Prosecutors were expected to call an expert on propofol as a witness later in the day.

Source: washingtonpost.com

Michael Jackson was reportedly healthier than most people his age when he died from acute Propofol intoxication in 2009.

The ‘Thriller’ hitmaker – who died from acute Propofol intoxication in 2009 – was in good physical according to Dr Christopher Rogers, who ruled his death a homicide, and was most likely killed by the cocktail of sedatives in his body.

According to TMZ, the doctor said in court today (11.10.11) that he came to the decision 50-year-old Michael’s death was not self-inflicted because the Propofol was administered by another person other than the patient.

Meanwhile, Dr. Conrad Murray claimed Michael never told him he was seeing other doctors.

The medic is currently on trial for the involuntary manslaughter of the ‘Thriller” hitmaker and although Conrad knew Michael visited other doctors regularly, he says the pair never discussed it.

During a taped interview with police – recorded two days after Michael’s death and played in court in Los Angeles today – Dr. Murray said:

“When [Michael] came back [from Klein's office], he was basically wasted and required 24 hours for recovery.”

The doctor added that he regularly spotted prescription pill bottles by the singer’s bedside, bearing other doctors’ names.

Source: femalefirst.co.uk

A coroner who conducted the autopsy on Michael Jackson says there is no evidence supporting the theory by attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray that Jackson gave himself a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

Dr. Christopher Rogers also testified Tuesday that the singer was healthier than most people his age and his heart did not show the usual signs of fatty buildup generally seen in men the same age.

Rogers explained to jurors how coroner’s officials determined the 50-year-old singer died in June 2009 from acute propofol intoxication.

The determination led to prosecutors charging Murray with involuntary manslaughter. The cardiologist has pleaded not guilty.

Source: ABCNews.com

The L.A. County Coroner has just officially announced the cause of Michael Jackson’s death – Acute Propofol intoxication.

The report says “other conditions contributing to death: Benzodiazepine effect.” Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs (see below) used to treat anxiety and insomnia.

The manner of death is ruled: “HOMICIDE”

The Coroner did not release the full autopsy report — just a press notice. It goes on:

The drugs PROPOFOL and LORAZEPAM (Ativan) were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson’s death.

Other drugs detected were: Midazolam (Versed), Diazepam (Valium), Lidocaine (topical anesthetic) and Ephedrine (used to treat hypotension associated with anesthesia).

The final Coroner’s report, including the toxicology report, will remain on security hold, per the LAPD.

The Jackson family just released a statement:

“The Jackson family again wishes to commend the actions of the Coroner, the LAPD and other law enforcement agencies, and looks forward to the day that justice can be served.”

Source: TMZ.com

Michael Jackson’s three children “cried and cried and cried” when an emergency room doctor told them their father was dead, Dr. Conrad Murray said in a police interview two days after the pop icon’s death.

Jurors were hearing the last 45 minutes of the police interview Tuesday morning, the 10th day of Murray’s involuntary manslaughter trial. Most of the audio recording was played in court Friday.

Jackson matriarch Katherine Jackson sat on the second row of court with her husband and several of her children Tuesday after being absent from the trial for more than a week on an international trip. The Jackson family listened as Murray described to detectives the reaction of her 11-year-old granddaughter, Paris, to being told her father was dead.
“I will wake up in the morning, and I won’t be able to see my daddy,” Paris said, according to Murray.
Murray is not expected to testify during the trial, but the interview playback means jurors will have heard his story — at least as he told it two days after Jackson’s death.

She was almost Michael Jackson’s doctor Jackson friend: Murray should do time Conrad trial testimony debated
The prosecution could benefit from the jury hearing Murray say he was away from Jackson for just two minutes before finding him without a pulse. Phone records and witnesses showed that moment came after he spent at least 45 minutes on his cell phone.

Murray’s defense, however, may gain by the more personal view jurors get of the doctor without subjecting him to prosecution questioning.

The jury on Friday heard Murray’s reasons for not immediately calling 911 for help, his explanation of his much-criticized CPR techniques, and his statement that he was trying to wean Jackson off a dependency on propofol.
Tuesday’s interview playback will begin with Murray relating how Jackson’s children “really were weeping, really weeping” when they were told doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center were unable to save their father.

“I hugged them all, gave comfort to Paris, comfort to Prince, comfort to Blanket, which is the last little guy, because whenever they were sick, they would always ask for Dr. Conrad,”

Murray said.

Murray, who treated Jackson and his children for colds and minor illnesses when they visited or lived in Las Vegas, was hired as Jackson’s full-time physician just two months before his June 25, 2009, death.

“After they cried and cried and cried, then his daughter uttered a lot of words of unhappiness and, you know, she will live alone without her dad and she didn’t want to be an orphan,”

Murray said, referring to Paris.

“She asked me, ‘Dr. Murray, you said you save a lot of patients. You know, you save people with heart attacks, and you couldn’t save my dad,’”

he told detectives.

“I said, ‘I tried my best.’ And she said, ‘I know that, Dr. Murray. At least I know. I know you tried your best. I know you tried your best, but I’m really sad. You know, I will wake up in the morning, and I won’t be able to see my daddy.’”

Murray said he also was unable to explain Jackson’s death to other family members gathered in a conference room at the hospital.

“Do you know why he died?”

one of them asked, Murray told police.

“My answer was ‘No,’ and that’s the reason why I was recommending to the family to have an autopsy, because I also wanted to know,”

Murray said.

Prosecutors contend Jackson died because of Murray’s criminal negligence, including the use of the surgical anesthetic propofol in his bedroom, without proper monitoring equipment.

The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that Jackson’s death was the result of “acute propofol intoxication” in combination with several sedatives — all drugs Murray acknowledged in the police interview that he gave Jackson in the hours before his death.

But in the portion of the interview to be heard Tuesday, Murray points the finger away from him to other doctors.

“I was not aware of any other medications that he was taking, but I heard that he was seeing a Dr. Klein three times a week in Beverly Hills,”

Murray told police.

“And he never disclosed that to me.”

Defense lawyer Ed Chernoff contended at the start of the trial that Dr. Arnold Klein had addicted Jackson to Demerol, a narcotic pain reliever, during the singer’s regular visits to his Beverly Hills dermatology clinic in the weeks before his death.

“His production team had said to me recently that his worst days in the set is when he had gone to Dr. Klein’s office, which is about three times a week,”

Murray said in the interview.

“And when he came back, he was basically wasted and required at least 24 hours for recovery.”

Three earlier prosecution witnesses testified that they were aware of Jackson’s frequent visits to Klein’s office and that Jackson’s speech would be slow and slurred afterward.

Toxicology tests did not find Demerol in Jackson’s blood at the time of his death, but the defense contention is that it played a role because Jackson was unable to sleep because he was suffering from withdrawal from the drug.
Murray told police that Jackson was “showing signs of a withdrawal,” but he suspected it was from propofol, which he said he was trying to wean Jackson off after two months of nightly use.

Jackson’s death came after two nights of not using propofol. Murray said he gave him a series of three sedatives — Valium, lorazepam and midazolam — on the third night without getting him to sleep.

“It wasn’t working,”

Murray said.

“So, was he going through a withdrawal from that agent? Was it his mind that was forcing him to stay awake?”

After 10 hours of trying, Jackson begged him to give him propofol again, Murray said, which the singer called his “milk.” He needed rest before an important rehearsal for his “This Is It” comeback shows.

“I’ve got to sleep, Dr. Conrad,”

Murray said Jackson pleaded to him.

“I have these rehearsals to perform. I must be ready for the show in England. Tomorrow, I will have to cancel my performance, because you know I cannot function if I don’t get to sleep.”

By 10:40 a.m., Murray said, he gave in.

“I then decided to go ahead and give him some of the milk, so he could get a couple of hours sleep so that he could produce, because I cared about him,”

Murray said.

“I did not want him to fail. I had no intentions of hurting him. And I was compassionate. But what I was doing, too, recognizing that Michael Jackson may have had a dependency to a substance. I was trying to wean him off.”

On the recording, Murray insisted he kept a close watch on Jackson after he finally fell asleep. The physician never mentioned the long list of e-mails and calls that cell phone records later revealed.
The doctor said he left the room for about two minutes to visit the toilet. When he returned, he realized his patient had stopped breathing, Murray said.

“Immediately, I felt for a pulse and I was able to get a pulse in the femoral region,” he said. “His body was warm. There was no change in color, so I assumed that everything happened quickly.”

Murray told police he immediately started one-handed CPR on the bed alternately with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Jackson.

“I couldn’t lift him off the bed by myself,”

Murray said.

“What I did was to improvise. His bed is fairly firm, so I got my left hand under his body and I compressed with my hand not moving in place.”

Jackson security chief Alberto Alvarez, the first person to join Murray in the effort, testified that he questioned Murray’s knowledge of CPR techniques because he was trained to put a patient on a hard surface and use two hands.
Murray said he did not call 911 for help immediately because he expected answering the emergency operator’s questions would take too much time away from the resuscitation efforts.

Instead, he ran down the stairs and shouted for the chef to summon help, and he placed a call to Jackson’s personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams, to ask that he send a security guard upstairs, Murray said.
Murray said he tried his best to revive Jackson.

In the portion of the interview played Friday, Murray said Jackson told him that hiring him as his personal doctor was “divine guidance.”

Murray said that when he agreed to be Jackson’s personal physician for his “This Is It” shows in London, he had no idea he would have to give him regular infusions of propofol.
But it was a drug Jackson told him he had used for years to get elusive sleep, he said.

“I was a bit surprised of his pharmacological knowledge,”

Murray told police.

“He explained that he used it frequently on his tours.”

During his two months on the job, he gave Jackson propofol “30 days a month, every day, with the exception of three days leading up to his death,” Murray said.

If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Murray could spend four years in a California prison and lose his medical license.

Source: CNN.com

Jermaine Jackson has distanced himself from planned shows in honour of his late brother Michael, insisting he will not be performing at the Japan fundraising gigs.

After the success of Saturday’s Michael Forever – The Tribute Concert in Cardiff, Wales, the Thriller hitmaker’s mother Katherine announced two more shows in Tokyo, to raise funds for the survivors of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami disasters.
Several of the King of Pop’s siblings will be taking to the stage at the December gigs, but Jermaine – who strongly objected to the Wales tribute, which featured stars including Cee Lo Green and Ne-Yo – is not one of them.
In a post on his Twitter.com page, he writes,

“In response to (website) TMZ reports, I’d like to clarify that I won’t be taking part in any planned tribute concert in Tokyo.”

Source: contactmusic.com

Alien Ant Farm enjoyed their biggest success in 2001 with their cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal.’ The band just performed it at the ‘Michael Forever’ tribute concert over the weekend, which was held in Cardiff, Wales, alongside stars like Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson and more. The Southern California band performed two Michael Jackson songs: the aforementioned, chart-topping cover of ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘PYT (Pretty Young Thing).’

Guitarist Terry Corso commented on the So Cal band’s performance at the emotional event, saying,

“I honestly think it would be extremely hard for me or any of my bandmates to really express how much of an honor it was for us to be included in the ‘Michael Forever’ concert in Wales. It was literally one of the most exciting and surreal moments of our careers. From hanging out with Cee Lo Green in our dressing room to passing Smokey Robinson in the hall, it was the stuff dreams are made of for guys like us who grew up in a diverse musical landscape.”

Corso admitted that the fact that the band was invited to be included was touching, as well. He said,

“We are very taken by the fact that the Jackson family would keep us in their minds and include us in this special opportunity to pay tribute to the King of Pop alongside so many people that loved him. MICHAEL FOREVER!”

In other AAF news, the band will begin working on its fourth album in November. A spring 2012 release date is being eyed. It’ll be the band’s first release in a half-dozen years. ‘Up in the Attic’ landed back in 2006. The new album is special in that it will mark AAF’s first release with their original lineup since 2003.

Source: Noisecreep.com

JLS are lining up a collaboration with the Jacksons

The lads took to the stage alongside three of the Jackson brothers, Marlon, Tito and Jackie, at the Michael Jackson tribute concert in Cardiff.

They joined the likes of Pixie Lott — sporting a tiny silver dress — Christina Aguilera and Leona Lewis on the bill at the Millennium Stadium.

But behind-the-scenes JLS were hatching a plan to ensure their performance of Blame It On The Boogie was not a one-off.

Oritse Williams said:

“We discussed some things backstage about the future and they want to take us out for dinner to talk further. Who knows? It would be amazing.”

If a project does materialise, Oritse, Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes and JB Gill won’t have it easy.

Oritse admitted the Motown legends still take performing very seriously and aren’t afraid to bark out orders. He said:

“The Jacksons are all about perfection. That’s why they’re the biggest and best band of music history. Marlon taught us a few moves and Jackie wanted to hear more of our harmonies. He even had a word with Marvin and changed his harmony.”

Jermaine and others in the Jackson family disagreed with the timing of the Michael Forever show — in the middle of the Conrad Murray trial over his role in their brother’s death.

But the King of Pop’s mother Katherine, his sister La Toya, Alexandra Burke, and his three kids Prince Michael, Blanket and Paris were there.

A few stars had pulled out less than a week before the show. The Black Eyed Peas cancelled due to “unavoidable circumstances”, Jennifer Hudson cited production issues and Chris Brown couldn’t get a visa.

Source: thesun.co.uk

Following the Michael Forever bonanza in Wales, the Jackson family have announced another show in Tokyo, which will benefit survivors of the Japanese earthquakes

Following the tribute concert in Wales, Michael Jackson’s family have announced their next big-budget tribute show, to take place in Tokyo. Several of Jackson’s brothers will perform at the two-day concert, which will benefit children affected by Japan’s March earthquakes.

“[I'm] glad to see them back on stage,”

admitted Michael’s mother.

“If Michael was alive, he would definitely have done something to help the victims of the earthquake in Japan,”

Katherine Jackson declared at a London press conference.

“[He] loved children [and] he would have felt for those children who lost parents or homes.”

Jackie, Marlon and Tito Jackson – without Randy, according to his Twitter account – will perform as the Jacksons, singing “around 15 songs”. It’s not clear whether these will be drawn exclusively from the siblings’ old repertoire, or also from Michael’s solo hits. At Saturday’s Michael Forever bonanza, the three brothers joined JLS for a rendition of Blame it on the Boogie. JLS are hoping to release that team-up as a single.

“We discussed some things backstage about the future and they want to take us out for dinner to talk further,”

Oritsé Williams told The Sun.

“It would be amazing.”

In addition to the performance by the Jacksons, the Tokyo gigs will include numerous as-yet unnamed Japanese acts. All merchandising profits would go to Ashinaga, a charity that benefits children who lost their homes or families during this year’s earthquakes.

Thus far, the Jackson family have been split on the matter of tribute concerts. In particular, Randy and Jermaine have expressed their concern about drawing attention away from the trial of Conrad Murray, Michael’s former doctor. Janet Jackson also refused to perform at the Cardiff show. While Murray’s trial is expected to be completed before the 13-14 December concerts, Randy, Jermaine and Janet have not offered their support for the Tokyo event.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Raw video of Michael Jackson’s last days is not covered by laws protecting journalists from court subpoenas, making it likely that Sony will have to let lawyers use its video in their defense of Dr. Conrad Murray, a judge said Thursday.

Lawyers for Murray, who faces trial for involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s death, argued that the unseen rehearsal video could show that Jackson was ill and physically weak.

Prosecutors contend that Jackson died from an overdose of a surgical anesthetic that Murray gave him to induce sleep.

Sony Pictures, which bought the video from Jackson’s estate, is fighting the subpoena from Murray’s lawyers for access to about 100 hours of video that was used to produce the “This Is It” documentary, released several months after the singer’s June 25, 2009, death.

Since Sony was under a contractual obligation with the estate to not use anything that showed Jackson in “a negative light,” the unused video may be helpful to the defense, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said.

The judge gave Sony a week to work out technical details with the defense for a way they can view the raw video without the risk of it leaking.

Sony’s lawyer said the public release of the raw video could hurt the studio’s plans to use it in other productions, such as an anniversary edition of the documentary.

“If they become part of the public record as an exhibit, we have a whole different problem,” Sony attorney Gary Bostwick said. “That would immediately become viral on TMZ or some other website.”

Defense lawyers were ordered to narrow their subpoena request for the video, which Pastor called “remarkably over-broad.”

Michael Jackson hired video photographers to record his rehearsals as he prepared for his comeback concerts in London, scheduled for July 2009. His estate later sold the video and documentary rights to Sony for about $80 million.

Jackson was pronounced dead by an emergency room doctor at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that his death was caused by an overdose of propofol, a powerful surgical anesthetic, in combination with “the contributory affects of the benzodiazepines.”

Murray, who was hired as Jackson’s personal doctor in the months leading up to the concert, was later charged with involuntary manslaughter in his death.

“Michael is not with us today because of an utterly inept, incompetent, reckless doctor, the defendant Conrad Murray,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said in his final arguments at Murray’s preliminary hearing in January.

Murray’s lawyers suggested that a frustrated and sleepless Jackson may have self-ingested the fatal dose while the doctor was out of his bedroom.

The defense is hoping the raw video will show Jackson’s weakness and frustration as the concert dates neared.

Source: CNN

A company that owns the rights to license all things Michael Jackson is going after MJ’s dad, Joe — indirectly — claiming he’s involved in a business deal that shamelessly exploits his dead son.

Joe Jackson was pushing the new “Jackson” scent line at the Cannes Film Festival last month on behalf of a company called Julian Rouas Paris. But according to a new lawsuit, J.R.P. never obtained permission to use Michael’s name and image in connection with the product.

Now, Bravado International is asking a federal court in Los Angeles to force Julian Rouas Paris to immediately strip anything MJ-related from their smelly product line ASAP.

Bravado is also seeking $750 for each time MJ’s name and likeness were used on a product PLUS three times the amount of profits they’ve made on the scents PLUS more than $150k in damages.

A rep for Bravado says, “Michael Jackson’s talent made his name one of the most valuable in the history of entertainment, and no person acting on behalf of the estate gave Mr. Rouas oral or written consent to exploit it.”

Source: TMZ.com