Rock legends form new band, call it Chickenfoot

(CHICKENFOOT, HAGAR, SMITH, CHART, WE`RE, CHILI, PEPPERS)

By Mike Collett-White
LONDON (Reuters) - Some of the biggest names in rock have banded together to form a new supergroup. They call it Chickenfoot, a name they readily admit is "silly."
While the name may not be to everyone`s taste, Van Halen veterans Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and virtuoso guitarist Joe Satriani rose high in the U.S. charts with their eponymous debut album this month.
"We called ourselves Chickenfoot as a kind of a joke, and people started digging it, and so Chad`s going, `Let`s start a real band`," Hagar said during a boisterous interview with the band in London, where they performed during a European tour.
"Joe had a band called the Squares -- all of a sudden Chickenfoot sounded like a really good name," Hagar joked.
Hagar and Anthony used to jam together at Hagar`s club in Mexico, and when Smith joined them, they gelled. Smith, who still plays for the Chili Peppers, suggested forming a group, and Satriani was invited as the final piece in the jigsaw.
The four members of Chickenfoot have sold tens of millions of records and played thousands of gigs between them over the years, but the childlike enthusiasm for their latest venture comes from starting all over again.
"We`re a new band, even though we`ve got names, we`ve all been in other bands," Hagar told Reuters. "So we have to kind of let the world know who Chickenfoot is, I think."
Bass player Anthony added that he took exception to the term "supergroup."
"For me, when I hear the name supergroup I think of some pre-fab type of thing ... If the chemistry is not there you can be the best musicians, best players there are, it`s not going to come out the way I think this came out.
"This was born out of friendship, it was more organic in that sense."
The band has played a series of small gigs in the United States before flying to Europe for a tour, and returns to North America winding up its travels at the end of September.
"We`re a new band and when you`re a new band you start and play clubs and you play to your fans," said Smith. "We`re not playing stuff from Van Halen, or Joe, or Chili Peppers, we`re just playing Chickenfoot."
CHART SUCCESS
Chickenfoot`s debut album, released earlier in June, opened at No. 4 in the U.S. pop chart and No. 1 in the independent music chart. It maintained its position in the main chart the following week before slipping to No. 7 in the latest list.
"It`s the first time I`ve ever been up in that territory, above the clouds," said Satriani, who is embroiled in a copyright infringement suit with British band Coldplay over its hit single "Viva La Vida."  Continued...
Original article

Young, Springsteen give Hyde Park rock masterclass

(YOUNG, SPRINGSTEEN, STAGE, LONDON, PLAYED, VERSION, SONGS)

By Angus MacSwan
LONDON (Reuters) - If Mount Rushmore featured rock `n` rollers instead of U.S. presidents, the faces of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen would surely be carved there.
The two elder statesmen showed just why they are venerated by fans of all ages at the Hard Rock Calling festival in central London`s Hyde Park this weekend in performances brimming with passion, energy and timeless songs.
To cap it all, Sir Paul McCartney joined Young on stage for his encore, literally bowing at his feet as the Canadian played a feedback-drenched version of the Beatles "A Day in the Life."
Now aged 63 and 59, neither Young nor Springsteen has let up the pace in recent years. Both have released new albums in the past several months which had their moments even if they did not reach the heights of past classics.
They each took prominent positions against former U.S. President George W. Bush and the Iraq War. Springsteen campaigned hard for Barack Obama and played at his presidential inauguration.
Politics was largely absent from the Hyde Park shows though as they focused on entertaining the summer crowds in London, after headlining the Glastonbury Festival earlier in the week.
Young took to the stage on Saturday night looking like an old mountain man seeking shelter from a storm, with his bedraggled, thinning hair, craggy features and muttonchop sideburns. Not known for indulging his audiences, he played a crowd-pleasing set which drew heavily on "Harvest," his best-known album, and the guitar-heavy "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere."
He kicked off in his "Godfather of Grunge" persona with a crunching version of "Hey, Hey, My, My" and its refrain "it`s better to burn out than to fade away." He then stormed though a number of hard rockers, delighting rapturous fans, before switching to a mellow mood with a run of country-flavored numbers including "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man," as night fell on the park.
Young finished with a blazing version of "Rockin` in the Free World," uncharacteristically leading the crowd in a bout of arm-waving and leaving his black guitar wailing feedback, its strings shredded.
McCartney, an old friend, bounded on stage to join Young for the encore of "A Day in the Life," hugging Young and dancing around him. The two were clearly having fun.
Among the crowd was Beth Harley, a 26-year-old archaeologist, who had just arrived from Turkey on Saturday morning to see Young. She said she had grown up listening to his music as her parents played it all the time.
"It`s got a lot of edge. The songs don`t seem to age. It still seems relevant to what`s going on now," she said.
If Young is a willful eccentric, Springsteen is the great showman who delivers every time.
Taking the stage with the mighty, black-clad E. Street band, he launched into The Clash song "London Calling," bellowing its refrain "we live by the river" loud enough to be heard just down the road at Buckingham Palace. He then moved into more familiar territory with "Badlands" and the pace didn`t let up for the next three hours.
Springsteen ran around the stage, danced, and strutted along a special platform to get close to the fans and collect signs with song requests. He sang plenty of old favorites, switching from songs on the dreams and struggles of the working man to joyful sing-alongs.  Continued...
Original article

Comic-Con boasts heavy TV lineup

(PANEL, STUDIO, COMIC-CON, ABC, EVENT, TV, PROGRAM)

By James Hibberd
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - TV studios plan a strong presence at Comic-Con, the annual fan convention that seems to feature a greater number of series each summer.
Next month`s lineup at the San Diego confab includes a few titles beyond the usual sci-fi and fantasy genres. Procedurals such as Fox`s "Bones" and USA`s "Burn Notice," Fox`s musical "Glee" and Discovery`s "MythBusters" are in the mix.
Warner Bros. TV is bringing 11 shows to the event, the most the studio has featured.
"Comic-Con is the one place where Warner Bros. cross-divisionally presents a face to the consumer," said Lisa Gregorian, the studio`s executive vp marketing.
One returning WBTV program is CBS` "The Big Bang Theory," which the studio brought to the event for the first time last year. Most sitcoms would not be a good fit for the Comic-Con crowd, but the geek-friendly "Big Bang" drew an enthusiastic response. The studio hopes to make a panel for the show a regular event, particularly after its ratings surged last fall.
When selecting programs for Comic-Con, Gregorian said any show with a mythology automatically belongs, and even genre series not premiering until midseason should screen.
"Our philosophy is that if it`s ready, and it`s great, and you`re not making a lot of changes to it, you should show it to the fans," said Gregorian, whose midseason program "Human Target" will be shown.
ABC Studios is hosting at least seven panels, including one for the final season of ABC`s "Lost," credited as the first TV show to launch at Comic-Con.
ABC takes a different approach to its "Lost" panel. Instead of simply screening footage and answering questions, the event is a carefully planned production that typically includes specifically shot footage and surprise guests.
"We`ve been working on the `Lost` panel for literally months," said Mike Benson, executive vp marketing at ABC Entertainment. "We want the audience to experience `Lost` in a fully entertaining way."
This year, ABC Studios is extending that approach to panels for its new ABC dramas "V" and "Flash Forward."
"We don`t like to just stick people on a panel and have them answer questions," Benson said. "We feel like we have to do more for the audience than just promote the show. By having that experience, it gets them talking about the panel more."
20th TV is offering about nine panels, including those for Fox`s new animated comedy "The Cleveland Show" and the newly revived "Futurama."
NBC Universal has at least eight programs, but most are for Sci Fi Channel and USA, with the studio planning only a "Heroes" panel for NBC. ("Chuck," produced by WBTV, also will have a panel.) The studio`s apocalyptic midseason drama "Day One" will not be shown -- an NBC Universal spokesperson said it is "too early" -- but there will be some buzz-building marketing.
In one network`s case, Comic-Con itself will be used as programing. G4 will broadcast what is billed as the first televised panel in the event`s history. Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira will host the two-hour "Star Wars Spectacular," including a table read of a new "Clone Wars" script.
(Editing by Dean Goodman at Reuters)
Original article

A tale of two L.A. festivals

(FESTIVAL, FILMS, LAFF, AFI, YELDHAM, SCREENINGS, WHICH)

By Kirk Honeycutt
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Hollywood might be the heart of English-language moviemaking, but when it comes to film festivals, the city lacks a major-league franchise.
Not that Los Angeles has no film festivals. One of its two big ones, the Los Angeles Film Festival, successfully wrapped its 2009 edition Sunday. But the casual movie fan couldn`t be blamed for puzzling over the identities of the two festivals, LAFF and AFI Fest. However, recent leadership changes at both fests and economic realities of the recession might more forcefully define those identities.
LAFF, which has settled into the cozy confines of Westwood Village and nearby venues for several editions, is produced by parent organization Film Independent (FIND). Rebecca Yeldham, producer of such films as "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "The Kite Runner," came on board as festival director only three months before the current edition began, following the resignation of Rich Raddon.
Although she did inherit a significant support network in FIND exec director Dawn Hudson and LAFF director of programing Rachel Rosen, the wrapped fest was a learning experience for her. Where things go from here is, as she put it, "to be determined."
At the moment, the festival is a bit of this and a bit of that. But like AFI Fest, you won`t find many acquisition execs at its screenings. Neither festival tends to premiere must-see indie films. In its recent edition, LAFF showed several Sundance hits, and even in its narrative competition -- a place where one would expect new films -- "Turistas" played at Venice last year. The fest also included splashy premieres of such studio films as "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Public Enemies" to bring crowds to Westwood.
Yeldham did open the festival for the first time with a world premiere of a film without a distributor. "Paper Man" did the trick: It attracted an audience filled with film scouts, studio execs and heads of independent companies.
Yeldham pronounced herself pleased with the results -- "It was a magical night for the audience and the filmmakers," she said -- but reviews of the film were tepid, and few of the execs at opening night were seen during the remainder of the festival.
Because major premieres of new works are unlikely only a few weeks after Cannes has wrapped, LAFF seeks to create "events." These range from a screening of a restored print of the 1971 cult film "Billy Jack" to "Poolside Chats" at the W Hotel and "Festival Conversations" at various venues where festivalgoers interact with filmmakers, writers and others.
Yeldham promises to increase such events. The way of the future, she said, can be seen in the new Artist in Residence component, where "The Kite Runner" novelist Khaled Hosseini and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne curated favorite films and participated in discussions related to those selections.
Yeldham insisted that despite being a production of FIND, "we want the Los Angeles Film Festival to be a celebration of cinema from wherever the films may come, not just American independent filmmaking."
Across town, AFI Fest plays the role of the city`s long-established festival. For more than 23 years, the festival has been presented by the American Film Institute. Its declared ambition has been to survey cinema from around the globe. Coming near year`s end, AFI Fest tends to be a roundup of the most significant films of the year. But, again, few new films.
Rose Kuo came aboard as artistic director last year following the departure of Christian Gaines. AFI Fest, which runs October 30-November 7, will undergo significant changes, some, Kuo said, dictated by "new economic realities."
The festival is moving its main venue from the ArcLight Cinemas to Grauman`s Chinese. The festival will shrink from 11 days to nine and offer free tickets to all screenings.
"We are asking the public who can be part of our philanthropy to be a patron and contribute to the festival," Kuo said. "Those who can will get a pass, which gives priority entry at the door. All individual tickets to general screenings will be complimentary for all screenings, including a limited number of individual gala tickets."
If all major L.A.-based film curators -- which would include LAFF, AFI and the city`s two cinematheques, the American Cinematheque and UCLA Film & Television Archive -- came together with studio support to create a single festival, it might rival such attention-grabbers as Austin`s South by Southwest or even Sundance. But organizational egos and branding needs always have prevented the formation a superfestival in L.A.  Continued...
Original article

"Reaper" actress corners "Copper"

(PEREGRYM, WHICH, ABC, COPPER, REAPER, DRAMA)

By Nellie Andreeva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Reaper" co-star Missy Peregrym landed the lead role on the Canadian cop drama "Copper," which will air on ABC.
Billed as "Grey`s Anatomy" set in the world of rookie cops, "Copper" centers on Andy McNally (Peregrym), a newly minted cop fresh from the academy and the daughter of a homicide detective. She is anxious about her first day on the job, which doesn`t go as well as she had wished.
Montreal-born Peregrym most recently played the female lead Andi on the CW`s supernatural dramedy "Reaper." She also co-starred on the ABC drama "Life as We Know It" and had recurring roles on "Heroes" and "Smallville."
(Editing by Dean Goodman at Reuters)
Original article

"Bruno" is Borat-lite, and a little tedious

(BRUNO, BORAT, BARON, COHEN, COHEN`S, FUNNY, AUSTRIAN)

By Kirk Honeycutt
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - We all knew Borat. Borat was a friend of ours. Bruno, you`re no Borat.
Unfair to be sure, but because everyone is going to compare Sacha Baron Cohen`s "Bruno" to his insanely funny "Borat," let`s be honest: While pushing the PC envelope in new and imaginative ways as well as the MPAA`s R rating, especially insofar as the male member is concerned, "Bruno" is only intermittently funny and all too often the "ambushes" of celebrities and civilians look staged. The movie is even a tad -- dare we say it? -- tedious.
Admirers of the British comic`s gifts for caricature and improvisation and nearly everyone who found themselves laughing uncontrollably at Baron Cohen`s unrepentant anti-Semitic Kazakhstani in "Borat" probably will turn out for Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles` latest mockumentary. So boxoffice should be solid for Universal`s July 10 release. It`s unclear though whether Baron Cohen can continue to bring his TV characters into the real world, or something approximating it, without diminishing results. Based on the evidence here, such results seem inevitable.
For one thing, where the focus was laser-sharp in "Borat," it`s fuzzy in "Bruno." Bruno, for those really out of step with modern culture, is Baron Cohen`s gay Austrian fashion expert with his own TV show, "Funkyzeit." Early in the movie, Bruno makes such a disastrous spectacle of himself at a designer`s show during Milan Fashion Week, he is schwarz-listed.
He abruptly decides to go to Los Angeles, accompanied by his lovelorn assistant, Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten), to become a celebrity. One`s heart sinks right there. "Borat" zeroed in on bigotry and Western hypocrisy for its satire. The target of Hollywood and vacuous celebrityhood has so many quivers in its bull`s-eye, there is nothing left to hit.
Perhaps a victim of his own success, Baron Cohen probably is too well know to get away with so many sneak attacks on unsuspecting people no matter how he transforms himself physically. A few times in "Bruno," one senses a real victim. More often, especially with such demi-celebrities as Paula Abdul or LaToya Jackson but even with a determined dominatrix, one senses a more than willing victim.
In a recording session that ends the film, where everyone from Elton John to Snoop Dogg to Sting to Bono shows up, the film drops any pretense that these are not invited guests.
Baron Cohen has better luck outside of L.A. In the Middle East, Bruno does get chased by angry Hasidic Jews. And in trying to mediate a panel featuring an Israeli and Palestinian leader, his mixing up of Hamas and hummus is genuinely funny.
Bruno`s adopted African baby paraded before a black audience is not funny. It`s embarrassing, as is any joke that bombs, yet the comic keeps going back to it nevertheless. This is one of several instances where an audience might experience both exasperation and tedium with the comic`s relentless act of running a joke into the ground.
Bruno`s attempt to go hetero, assisted by two Christian ministers who specialize in such conversions, yields better results. Even here, though, Bill Maher beat him to the punch with "Religulous."
Borat was, despite his cheerful bigotry, somehow a lovable character. His questions sprang from the sweet innocence of a third-world bumpkin wallowing in isolated ignorance. With Bruno, you mostly feel annoyed. A gay Austrian fashionista would be no ignorant rube. He would be sophisticated, savvy and certainly aware of prejudices against gays. Would he really prance semi-naked through Middle Eastern holy sights?
The calculations behind Baron Cohen`s ambushes too often are mean-spirited. We sense, as we never did with Borat, the comic behind the character. Especially when his accent keeps changing -- from an unconvincing Austrian to his own British and even to a whisper of Borat himself.
Consequently, the character`s gayness reads false. Baron Cohen needs to spend more time in certain gay bars if he wants to learn how to do "flamboyant" and "fabulous." It`s a ghost of the real thing.
Tech credits are just fine for what essentially is an un-reality show.
(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)
(please visit our entertainment blog via www.reuters.com or on blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)
Original article

Disney star Ashley Tisdale gets edgy on new album

(TISDALE, NEW, ALBUM, WANTED, WARNER, GUILTY, PLEASURE)

By Mikael Wood
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Ashley Tisdale knows it sounds silly, but her new album has a lot to do with the color of her hair.
"For the last few years everyone has thought of me as Sharpay," the 23-year-old singer/actor says, referring to her blonde-and-bubbly character in Disney`s smash "High School Musical" films.
"So after I`d finished all the promotion for `High School Musical 3` I dyed my hair back to its original color. I`d been a blonde for five years; Disney wanted us to be those characters. But the new songs I was working on felt edgier, sort of back to how I was before `High School Musical.` I wanted to show people a side of me they haven`t seen before."
Tisdale accomplishes that -- well, sort of -- on "Guilty Pleasure," due July 28 from Warner Bros. Like her 2007 debut, "Headstrong" (which, according to Nielsen SoundScan, has sold 471,000 copies in the United States), the new 14-track set offers plenty of catchy choruses and lyrics about boys.
But with songwriting and production credits from "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, among others, "Guilty Pleasure" is a more mature, guitar-driven outing than the dance-pop "Headstrong." In the opener, "Acting Out," she promises to "break these chains" over driving bubble-punk drums, while the lead single, "It`s Alright, It`s OK," could be the younger sister of Pink`s "So What."
"A lot of the songs on the album are about survival and staying strong," says Tisdale, who co-wrote four cuts. "I really wanted it to be a statement and a reflection of what I`ve been through over the past year and how I`ve grown up."
Warner Bros. senior VP of marketing David Grant says the first component of the label`s album rollout was revealing Tisdale`s new look with a relaunch of her Web site in March and the cover of Cosmopolitan`s April issue. "We wanted to create a conversation and then follow quickly with the music," he says.
According to Grant, "High School Musical" fans have aged along with Tisdale, and they still constitute a significant portion of her audience. "But she`s taken it beyond that, too," he says. For "Headstrong" the label targeted tweens; this time, "we`re definitely looking to teenage girls."
Social-networking technology plays a central role in the label`s plans to reach that demographic. Tisdale is an especially avid Twitterer, with more than 750,000 followers.
"She`s very protective of it in terms of it sounding authentic," according to Warner Bros. senior VP of new media Jeremy Welt. "There have been a couple of times where we`ve said to her, `Hey, why don`t you mention so-and-so?` and she`s told us, `I wouldn`t say that.`" (What would she say? One recent Tweet read, "Happy fathers day!!! Goin to dinner with my family and the most amazing dad ever! I love you daddy!")
Facebook and MySpace also figure into Warner`s new-media campaign, the latter particularly as an "important streaming partner," Welt says. MySpace is streaming two tracks from "Guilty Pleasure," and Grant expects the site to feature the entire album before release date.
In the realm of retail, Grant says Target and Wal-Mart will sell exclusive editions of the album with bonus material, while a direct-to-consumer version will feature six posters and two extra songs.
Once "Guilty Pleasure" is out, Tisdale says she hopes to tour the United States and Europe (where the set was released earlier this month). "This album is so important to me," she says. "I really want to support it as much as I can. You put your heart and soul into something and it makes you a little bit vulnerable. It is who I am -- hopefully people will like that."
(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)
Original article

Canadian rockers Billy Talent eye foreign success

(TALENT, BILLY, CANADA, ALBUM, BAND`S, ACCORDING, III)

By Robert Thompson
TORONTO (Billboard) - Most guitarists would be perturbed to discover that their label was issuing their band`s latest album with a bonus CD of the songs stripped of the guitar.
But the guitarist with Canadian rock group Billy Talent looked at the bigger picture and realized the bonus disc -- complete with chord chart -- would allow bedroom dreamers raised on "Guitar Hero" to play along.
"I`m pretty sure no one has done it before," Ian D`Sa says. "When I was a kid I would have killed to be able to play along with the vocals, bass and drums on `Led Zeppelin IV.` I think this opens the boundaries between the band and our fans."
It shouldn`t surprise anyone that amateur guitarists are fans of the band`s mix of hard rock and punk. The act`s latest album, "Billy Talent III," produced by Brendan O`Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), hits stores via Warner Music Canada July 14 in Canada, where the band is already an arena-size draw.
Billy Talent`s primary markets are Canada and Germany. The band`s two previous albums, "Billy Talent I" and "Billy Talent II," sold 330,000 and 280,000 copies in Canada, respectively, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In Germany -- where "III" will be released July 10 -- the band`s first two albums have shipped 460,000 copies, according to Warner.
Warner Music Canada president Steve Kane says the United Kingdom is a priority for the label, as part of an overall European strategy. There, sales stand at 48,000 for "I" and 61,000 for "II," according to the Official Charts Co.; "III" will be released July 13.
"We need to superserve a lot of markets in Europe, but we can`t take Canada and Germany for granted," he says. "In the U.K. I think we`re one radio song away (from mainstream success)."
The band has had limited success in the United States despite significant touring commitments for its first two albums, which have sold 120,000 and 59,000 U.S. copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The band`s manager Pierre Tremblay, senior VP at Nettwerk Music Group, says Billy Talent`s reputation as a top live act should help it make inroads in the U.S. market, and then onward to Australia and New Zealand.
"This will take some patience," Tremblay adds. "Billy Talent isn`t just some pop act that you can throw a lot of money at and land on radio."
(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)
Original article

Related articles:
Canadian rockers Billy Talent eye foreign success

Canadian rockers Billy Talent eye foreign success

(TALENT, BILLY, CANADA, ALBUM, BAND`S, ACCORDING, III)

By Robert Thompson
TORONTO (Billboard) - Most guitarists would be perturbed to discover that their label was issuing their band`s latest album with a bonus CD of the songs stripped of the guitar.
But the guitarist with Canadian rock group Billy Talent looked at the bigger picture and realized the bonus disc -- complete with chord chart -- would allow bedroom dreamers raised on "Guitar Hero" to play along.
"I`m pretty sure no one has done it before," Ian D`Sa says. "When I was a kid I would have killed to be able to play along with the vocals, bass and drums on `Led Zeppelin IV.` I think this opens the boundaries between the band and our fans."
It shouldn`t surprise anyone that amateur guitarists are fans of the band`s mix of hard rock and punk. The act`s latest album, "Billy Talent III," produced by Brendan O`Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam), hits stores via Warner Music Canada July 14 in Canada, where the band is already an arena-size draw.
Billy Talent`s primary markets are Canada and Germany. The band`s two previous albums, "Billy Talent I" and "Billy Talent II," sold 330,000 and 280,000 copies in Canada, respectively, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In Germany -- where "III" will be released July 10 -- the band`s first two albums have shipped 460,000 copies, according to Warner.
Warner Music Canada president Steve Kane says the United Kingdom is a priority for the label, as part of an overall European strategy. There, sales stand at 48,000 for "I" and 61,000 for "II," according to the Official Charts Co.; "III" will be released July 13.
"We need to superserve a lot of markets in Europe, but we can`t take Canada and Germany for granted," he says. "In the U.K. I think we`re one radio song away (from mainstream success)."
The band has had limited success in the United States despite significant touring commitments for its first two albums, which have sold 120,000 and 59,000 U.S. copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The band`s manager Pierre Tremblay, senior VP at Nettwerk Music Group, says Billy Talent`s reputation as a top live act should help it make inroads in the U.S. market, and then onward to Australia and New Zealand.
"This will take some patience," Tremblay adds. "Billy Talent isn`t just some pop act that you can throw a lot of money at and land on radio."
(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)
Original article

Jackson`s final hours puzzle doctor, family

By Mary Milliken and Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The personal physician at Michael Jackson`s side when he died told police he did not inject the singer with painkillers that friends say might be behind the King of Pop`s death on the brink of a comeback bid.
A lawyer for Dr. Conrad Murray told Reuters on Sunday that the cardiologist found Jackson, 50, unconscious in his rented mansion on Thursday and tried to revive him.
"The doctor was surprised when this happened. He didn`t know why Jackson stopped breathing," said Edward Chernoff, the attorney who accompanied Murray during three hours of police questioning on Saturday.
Los Angeles police said after questioning Murray that they do not consider him a suspect, and law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times the meeting revealed "no red flag" of criminal activity.
As the case remains shrouded in mystery, the entertainment world geared up for its first big tribute to the pop star at the BET awards on Sunday. Top performers rushed to Los Angeles to appear at the show, modified at the last minute to honor Jackson.
The Jackson family holed up in their L.A. compound making plans for a funeral that could take place on Wednesday, possibly at the pop star`s famous Neverland estate in California, family friend Stacy Brown said.
Brown told Reuters that a family source said Jackson had received an injection of the narcotic painkiller Demerol shortly before paramedics were called to the mansion.
`FAMILY HAS QUESTIONS`
"They have been concerned about his addiction to medicines for years," said Brown, who co-wrote the book "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask."
"It`s been no family secret that they`ve been trying to get him help for his addiction," she said.
Chernoff said Murray "never prescribed nor administered Demerol to Michael Jackson," adding that Murray was paid by concert promoter AEG Live in the lead-up to the singer`s long-awaited comeback concert series.
The family carried out its own autopsy on Saturday after the Los Angeles Coroner said it would need four to six more weeks to determine the exact cause of death.
Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who was with the Jackson family last week, told People magazine that the family had questions.
"There is a concern about what happened the last 12 hours of Michael`s life," said Jackson, who is not related to the family. "The doctor has shown some bizarre behavior."
Chernoff said Murray was unaware of any underlying health problems that could have led to the singer`s death.  Continued...
Original article

BET Awards pay tribute to Michael Jackson

By Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The BET Awards kicked off on Sunday night with a musical tribute to Michael Jackson in which host Jamie Foxx did Jackson`s famous moonwalk and sung his hit song "Beat It" in a classic King of Pop costume -- red leather jacket and one white glove.
Oscar-winning actor and singer Foxx told the packed house in Los Angeles` Shrine Auditorium the awards program would honor Jackson, the music star who died suddenly last Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles home.
"We`re going to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us, and we shared him with everybody else," Foxx told the crowd.
"I`m going to moonwalk tonight -- going to moonwalk from here, all the way to there, for Michael Jackson," Foxx said, pointing across the stage.
He then performed the backwards shuffle dance step that Jackson made famous, but Foxx didn`t even come close to mastering the move. In fact, he tripped.
The awards given annually by the BET television network honor the best African American singers, actors, actresses and athletes. This year`s show was revamped at the last minute due to Jackson`s death, and many early performers and winners dedicated their awards to Jackson and his family.
A member of 1970s brother band the Jackson 5 and a global star, Jackson`s 1982 smash "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time and the superstar was a major influence on R&B, hip hop and many other forms of music.
"He is one of our heroes. As African Americans, we are not going to let everybody beat him up," music mogul and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs said of Jackson ahead of the show.
While the 50-year-old Jackson was loved by many, he lived a reclusive live in his final years, and in the 1990s he was twice accused of child molestation. One claim was settled out of court, and the second accusation resulted in a criminal trial. Jackson was acquitted of charges in the second case.
His death continues to be shrouded in questions of prescription drug use and, although an autopsy was performed, it will be four to six weeks before an official cause of death can be determined after toxicology tests are completed.
Family patriarch Joe Jackson told the CNN television network outside the show that there were still "a lot of concerns about what happened" in final hours of son`s life.
But inside the Shrine, the show focused on glorifying Jackson`s life. In fact, Foxx noted that as in New Orleans, where people celebrated a person`s life after his or her death, the BET Awards audience would be encouraged to party.
Early winners included Day 26 for best music group, basketball star LeBron James for best athlete, and Lil Wayne for best male hip hop artist.
(Reporting by Bob Tourtellott; editing by Todd Eastham)
Original article

Connery blasts BBC at Edinburgh film awards ceremony

By Ian MacKenzie
EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Actor Sean Connery lashed out at the BBC for its coverage of the awards ceremony at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) on Sunday when he handed out the prizes.
The EIFF award for the best new British feature film went to Moon, a "creepy, poignant and funny" sci-fi film directed by Duncan Jones. The film, which received a prize of 20,000 pounds, stars Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey.
Connery, a festival patron who gained worldwide fame for his portrayal of British secret agent James Bond, told a packed audience on the final day of the EIFF that the BBC had 300 technicians at the current Glastonbury pop and folk festival in southwest England.
"Not one (technician) at the Edinburgh International Film Festival," he said.
"It affects us all, it certainly affects me, and I think we should do something about it."
The BBC said in response: "BBC news outlets covered the Edinburgh International Film Festival on radio, TV and online. Obviously Glastonbury is a huge live music, arts and performance event and cannot be compared as like for like."
It said the BBC would cover the Edinburgh international arts festival and T in the Park pop concert later this summer.
In Moon, Rockwell`s character has almost ended his three-year solitary posting mining fuel for earth on the moon with thoughts of returning to the planet and his family.
But as his return date approaches, life on his self-contained world takes a startling turn. The jury praised Moon for its "singular vision and remarkably assured direction"
The award for best performance in a British feature film went to Katie Jarvis for her role as 15-year-old Mia in Fish Tank, "an intense and surprising story of love, lust and family."
Jarvis turned 18 last week and said this was her best birthday gift.
Easier With Practice, directed by American Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the best new international feature award featuring sex, love and loneliness over the phone.
Best documentary award was taken by Aliona Van der Horst of The Netherlands with a lament for cult Russian poet Boris Ryzhy, who committed suicide in 2001 aged 26.
American director and writer Cary Jojo Fukunaga won the new director award for Sin Nombre centered on Honduran teenager Sayra and her involvement with a dangerous gang member on the run.
The Edinburgh film festival, which opened on June 17, has as one of its major aims discovering and promoting new talent in the industry.  Continued...
Original article