The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Michael Jackson’s life and death back in spotlight in new trial Posted: 28 Apr 2013 05:24 AM PDT UPDATED @ 08:46:30 PM 28-04-2013  LOS ANGELES, April 28 — Almost four years after his shocking death, the bizarre life and sorry demise of Michael Jackson will play out again in a $40 billion civil trial that pits the singer's family against the organizers of a musical comeback that never happened. Opening statements are set for Monday in what is expected to be an emotional, three-month long jury trial that seeks to hold AEG Live, the promoters of the never-realized series of 2009 London concerts, liable for the wrongful death of the "Thriller" singer. The lawsuit, brought by Jackson's elderly mother Katherine on behalf of the singer's three children, alleges that privately-held AEG Live was negligent in hiring the physician convicted in 2011 of his involuntary manslaughter to care for the singer while he rehearsed for the series of 50 shows. Jackson, 50, drowning in debt and seeking to rebuild a reputation damaged by his 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation charges, died in Los Angeles of an overdose of the powerful surgical anesthetic propofol and a cocktail of other sedatives in June 2009. His personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is serving a four-year prison sentence after being found criminally negligent by administering propofol to Jackson as a sleep aid. Murray's six-week trial in 2011 portrayed the former child star known for his stunning dance moves and spectacular public performances as a slurring, drugged-up man off-stage who slept with a toy doll on his bed and whose planned comeback tour was plagued with problems. The civil trial in Los Angeles is expected to be just as sensational, although a request by TV networks for live coverage was turned down. AEG Live contends that it did not hire or supervise Murray and claims that Jackson had prescription drug problems for years before entering into any agreement for the "This is It" London concerts. The concert promoters also argue that they could not have foreseen that Murray posed a danger to Jackson. Sex abuse trial may be revisited Los Angeles Superior Court judge Yvette Palazuelos ruled last month that AEG Live can raise Jackson's 2005 child abuse case as it may be relevant to the singer's history of prescription drug abuse and despondency. Jackson's two oldest children, Prince, 16 and Paris, 15, are on the witness list this time, although neither testified in Murray's trial. Singers Prince and Diana Ross are also potential witnesses along with the singer's ex-wives, Lisa-Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe. "Any time you start injecting family members and rather sensitive issues (into the mix), there are going to be strong feelings," former federal prosecutor Marcellus McRae told Reuters. Murray is not being sued but is also on the witness list, although he has made clear from jail that he will refuse to answer questions for fear of jeopardizing his appeal process. "The jurors are going to be asked to decide to what extent a third party can be held liable for the actions of someone else. "To what extent did they (AEG Live) have visibility into what Dr. Murray was doing, did they encourage what he was doing? To what extent was whatever Dr. Murray did a reasonable and foreseeable consequence," McRae said. Katherine Jackson, 82, and her son's three children are seeking some US$40 billion (RM121 billion) in damages from AEG Live for loss of the singer's earnings and other damages. AEG Live has argued in court papers that the figure is absurd because Jackson's career was in a downward spiral at the time of his death. The final amount will be determined by the jury should it hold AEG Live liable for negligence. — Reuters |
| Michael Buble mixes it up on album of standards, original songs Posted: 27 Apr 2013 10:18 PM PDT NEW YORK, April 28 — With a son on the way and a new album with more original songs than ever, Michael Buble is venturing into uncharted territory without letting go of his personal or artistic roots. "To Be Loved", the 37-year-old Canadian singer's follow-up to his 2011 "Christmas" album, mixes standards inspired by jazz, Motown and even the Bee Gees, with tracks written by Buble as well as collaborations with Bryan Adams and Reese Witherspoon. "I wanted everything to be soulful," Buble told Reuters. The album grabbed the top spot on the UK Billboard chart the week of its April 15 release there, and is poised to take the top US spot after debuting stateside this week. Buble said that he was inspired to write more of his own songs, such as the single "It's a Beautiful Day" after receiving a positive response to previous originals such as "Haven't Met You Yet" and "Home". Still, he remains committed to the classics that first made him famous. "I love writing songs, but the truth is I love doing thoughtful, great covers too," he said. "It'll never get to a point where I have a record that comes out of all originals."
"The truth is that the greatest review I can get is somebody putting their hard-earned money into the hand of a cashier and investing in me to buy the CD," he said. By that measure, he is doing quite well: Buble has sold 45 million albums over the course of his career, and is set to play 10 sold-out shows at London's 02 Arena beginning on June 30. He will be back from touring in time for the birth of his first child, a son due on August 21. Buble said that he and wife, Argentine actress and singer Luisana Lopilato, agreed that family would always come before career. He has already cut back on his time away from home in anticipation of his son's arrival. "My wife is a really successful actress, and I don't think it's fair for me to be the one who's always working," he said. "She loves working, it feeds her soul, and when she's working she's happy." Buble, who comes from a family of fishermen in British Columbia, Canada, says he wants his son to grow up with the same values that marked his early years. "I think we take great comfort in knowing that we have families that are so down to earth and real, great blue-collar families, that just being around that will be enough to keep that kid centred," he said. On his new album, Buble sings a song called "I Got It Easy", which he wrote about his current life. "I want him to grow up knowing that it doesn't come easy, that you have to work for things you really want," he said. — Reuters |
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