Viral video a stealth promo for "Robot Chicken"

(MEYER, ROBOT, CHICKEN, WRITER, GREEN, EPISODE)

By Nellie Andreeva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A viral video billed as "Breckin Meyer Responds to Perez Hilton" plays like a parody of Hilton`s video statement about his recent run-in with the Black Eyed Peas in Toronto. But in fact it`s a stealth promo for an upcoming "Robot Chicken" DVD release.
Since being released Wednesday on FunnyOrDie.com (www.FunnyOrDie.com) and later on AdultSwim.com (www.AdultSwim.com), the clip of actor/writer Meyer, which features Zac Efron, has nabbed about 370,000 views.
It was written by "Robot Chicken" creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich and head writer Tom Root to tease Adult Swim`s unusual marketing campaign for the DVD release of the animated series` extended "Star Wars Episode II" special.
Green and Senreich are donning skates to host an eight-city roller-rink tour across the U.S. The admission-free events will feature performances by hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes and appearances by "Robot Chicken" writers, producers and voice cast members, including Meyer, as well as guest bands.
Sponsored by Boost Mobile, Adult Swim`s "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" Roller Skating Tour kicks off August 1 in Los Angeles, with stops in Las Vegas, Denver, Kansas City, Mo., Indianapolis, Richmond, Va., Philadelphia and New York.
"Grab your friends, your couples skate partner and some kneepads," Green said. "We`re coming to your town! Or at least to a major market somewhat close to your town."
To heat things up, "Robot Chicken" will hold a preview party July 25 during Comic-Con in San Diego with a guest DJ. It`s open to the public.
"When Seth first pitched the idea of throwing roller-skating parties around the country, I rolled my eyes and laughed at him," Senreich said. "Now that we`re actually going to do it, I`m in awe of its absurdity and can`t wait to attend. It fits with the randomness of our `Robot Chicken` show."
The "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" DVD, which features 15 minutes of never-before-seen footage, will be released July 21. The final nine new episodes of the show`s fourth season begin July 26.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
Original article

Aerosmith drummer writes of "Hitting Rock Bottom"

(AEROSMITH, KRAMER, PEOPLE, ABOUT, HAMILTON, ALBUM)

By Gary Graff
DETROIT (Billboard) - Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer says he wrote his new book, "Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top," in order "to be entertaining, but at the same to ... help people."
Kramer tells Billboard.com that "Hit Hard," which was published Tuesday (June 30), is the result of a four-year process with writers William Patrick and Keith Garde. The book, which includes a forward by Motley Crue`s Nikki Sixx, chronicles the drummer`s substance abuse problems, his psychologically scarring relationship with his father and a similarly tumultuous, "co-dependent" battle with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Kramer hopes that the book will shed some light for those dealing with the same issues in their lives.
"My desire to help people plays a strong part in my character," Kramer says. "Because I`ve been allowed to do what I`ve done via Aerosmith, I`d like to be able to carry it on as I get older, on another level. Whatever that may be is really unbeknownst to me -- maybe some sort of a lecture series or circuit or whatever -- but I know that it will come."
Kramer says that Tyler -- whose own autobiography, "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?," has been pushed from an October publication date to the summer of 2010 -- was supportive during his bandmate`s book-writing process. "When I was trying to tell him about some of the stuff that was in the book, his comment was ... `Hey, man, as long as it`s the truth, I don`t care,`" Kramer recalls. "And that`s pretty much where Steven is at. He`s about the truth."
Bassist Tom Hamilton, who Kramer portrays in "Hit Hard" as perhaps his closest friend in Aerosmith, calls his rhythm section partner`s tome "pretty amazing. It`s a really hard-hitting book ... but there`s also a lot of neat references to people that we knew when the band started and things that happened that I forgot about. So it has some real entertainment value, too."
Aerosmith as a band collaborated with author Stephen Davis on 1997`s "Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith," but Hamilton says he does not anticipate each member of the Boston quintet bringing out his own book.
"Right now my passion is expressing myself through music," Hamilton says. "I think the thing to do is to be the last one to write a book. That way you can let everybody else put things in their book that are gonna make you mad, and then you can answer back and (have) the last word."
Aerosmith is on the road with ZZ Top until mid-September and performing its 1975 album "Toys in the Attic" during the shows. The group plans to return to work on its next album with producer Brendan O`Brien after the tour.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
Original article

Bon Jovi makes "Stand" with Iranian protest video

(VIDEO, IRANIAN, MADADIAN, SESSION, FARSI, SAMBORA, RECORD)

By Gary Graff
DETROIT (Billboard) - A new version of Ben E. King`s "Stand By Me" featuring Jon Bon Jovi dueting in Farsi with exiled Iranian singer Andy Madadian, is making the rounds as an online video.
The track`s co-producer, Don Was, says the video is meant to send "a musical message of worldwide solidarity" to the Iranian people in the aftermath of the country`s recent disputed election.
Was tells Billboard.com that the session, which took place last Wednesday in Los Angeles, was spurred by a conversation he had with Madadian about "whether there was something we could do just to send out a little message of solidarity, remembering the `60s, believing music can change things."
When they arrived to record the song, they found Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora and John Shanks, who`s producing their next album, sitting outside and having lunch.
"They asked what we were doing, I told them, and Jon said, `Look, man, if you do it right now we`ll do it with you,`" Was recalls. "So we did."
Madadian -- who`s lived in the U.S. since the Iranian revolution of 1979 -- and Bon Jovi duet on the song, with both men singing the first verse in Farsi. Sambora plays a guitar solo, with Was on bass, Patrick Leonard on keyboards and Jeff Rothchild on drums.
"We just cut it," Was says, "and the video is the session. It took about four hours and just fell into place nicely." The video, which features footage and still photos from the session, went up on Was` portion of My Damn Channel (www.mydamnchannel.com) on Saturday and was quickly disseminated via MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other sites. At the end of the video Madadian and Bon Jovi stand next to each other, with the latter holding a sign saying "We are one" in Farsi.
"It is not for sale," Was says. "It wasn`t intended to be on the Billboard charts, wasn`t meant to be a hit record or even pressed on a CD. It`s intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people. The whole idea was to get it into Iran and tell them...to carry on, that the world is watching and we`re with you."
(Editing by Dean Goodman at Reuters)
Original article

TV "pitchman" Mays had heart disease, no trauma

(HEART, TAMPA, DISEASE, TV, TELEVISION, AFTER, FLORIDA)

By Robert Green
TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Billy Mays, well known for pitching a variety of products in U.S. television commercials, had heart disease but did not appear to have suffered head trauma in a rough airplane landing prior to dying in his sleep on Sunday, a medical examiner in Florida said on Monday.
The bearded, black-haired Mays, 50, who gained fame as an enthusiastic TV "pitchman" advertising an array of commercial products, was found dead by his wife at their home in Tampa, Florida.
On Saturday, Mays was among the passengers aboard a U.S. Airways flight from Philadelphia that landed roughly at Tampa International Airport after apparently blowing a tire.
Mays told local TV shortly afterward that objects had dropped from the ceiling of the plane upon impact and he had received a blow on the head, although he said at the time he felt fine.
In a preliminary statement on Monday after an initial autopsy, Hillsborough County medical examiner Vernard Adams said his examination found that Mays had "hypertensive heart disease," which refers to heart disease caused by high blood pressure, but "there was no evidence of any head trauma."
Adams said this heart ailment "was certainly capable of causing the sudden death." He said Mays had died in his sleep.
"It`s not unusual for persons with heart disease to die this young," Adams said, adding that a formal report on the cause of death would be issued only after the results of toxicology tests were considered.
Toxicology tests can show the presence of drugs in the body.
Tampa police said no foul play was suspected.
Executives from the television home-shopping industry praised Mays` role in promoting TV salesmanship.
"DRTV (the direct-response television industry) has grown to be a $300 billion business during the last 20 years, and Billy Mays played a key role in making this possible," Julie Coons, president and CEO of the Electronic Retailing Association, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Robert Green; Writing by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Will Dunham)
Original article

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

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

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

Michael Jackson`s family seeks second autopsy

By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson`s family gathered at his parents` suburban Los Angeles home on Saturday to make funeral arrangements for the troubled King of Pop amid reports that they are seeking a second, independent autopsy.
The entertainer`s father, Joseph, issued a statement calling his son`s death "one of the darkest moments of our lives" and urging fans not to despair.
Jackson`s body was returned to his family on Friday night after an examination by the Los Angeles County coroner`s office failed to determine what killed the 50-year-old entertainer, pending toxicology tests that were expected to take weeks.
Meanwhile a lawyer for Dr. Conrad Murray, who was at Jackson`s rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles when he collapsed, said the physician had agreed to answer questions from police detectives.
"Dr. Murray intends to fully cooperate with investigators and law enforcement as they attempt to piece together what happened," attorney Bill Stradley told Reuters in an interview.
"Contrary to what has been out there, Dr. Murray has been cooperating with authorities from the outset and will continue to do so," Stradley said. "The impression that he has been hiding from authorities, that`s not correct."
Murray was desperately trying to revive Jackson when paramedics arrived and he rode with the singer in an ambulance to the hospital where the pop star was pronounced dead.
Police have said they wanted to further question Murray, a Houston-based cardiologist, about the circumstances of Jackson`s death but had not been able to arrange an interview.
Murray`s silver Mercedes was towed from the home where Jackson died so detectives could search it for evidence and medication.
MOVING VANS EMPTY HOME
The celebrity website TMZ.com reported that a second autopsy was underway at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, on the orders of the Jackson family.
Speculation has centered on Jackson`s use of prescription drugs and reports that he was injected with the narcotic painkiller Demerol shortly before he went into cardiac arrest.
Coroner`s officials have said that with no outward signs of trauma to Jackson`s body or evidence of foul play, they would have to wait for the results of toxicology tests and other studies to establish a cause of death.
Few other details were released about the autopsy`s findings, but Fox News reported on its website that investigators had found his body to be healthier and stronger than they had expected, with some scarring on the face.
Moving van crews emptied the rental home of Jackson`s belongings, reportedly on the orders of his father, Joseph, who was concerned they would be stolen.  Continued...
Original article

Michael Jackson death still unsolved after autopsy

By Dan Whitcomb and Laura Isensee
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Doctors conducted an autopsy on the body of Michael Jackson on Friday but could not immediately determine what killed the "King of Pop," amid reports he had been injected with a narcotic painkiller shortly before collapsing.
Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at his rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, with his personal physician trying desperately to revive him.
The 50-year-old pop superstar was rushed to nearby UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead without regaining consciousness.
"The cause of death (determination) has been deferred, which means that the medical examiner has ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies," Los Angeles County Coroner`s spokesman Craig Harvey said. "Those tests we anticipate will take an additional four to six weeks."
Speaking to a throng of reporters outside the coroner`s office, Harvey said, "There was no indication of any external trauma or indication of foul play to the body of Mr. Jackson."
Police said they were seeking to question Jackson`s personal physician, identified by news media as Houston-based cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray.
Jackson`s body will be released to family members after they choose a mortuary for funeral arrangements, Harvey said. There was no immediate word on when he would be laid to rest.
Celebrity website TMZ.com, citing an interview with an unidentified "close member" of the Jackson family, reported the entertainer was injected with Demerol about half an hour before he went into cardiac arrest.
DAILY SHOT OF DEMEROL?
TMZ, citing family members, said Jackson received a daily shot of Demerol, a narcotic painkiller, and that the family believed his death was caused by an overdose of the drug.
Detectives searched Jackson`s home and impounded Murray`s Mercedes from the driveway, saying it might contain evidence.
An unidentified man called a 911 emergency phone line from the mansion at 12:21 p.m. local time, saying Jackson was unconscious and not breathing.
In excerpts from the call released by authorities, the caller said the physician was the only other person present and was frantically performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the unconscious Jackson without results.
"He`s pumping, he`s pumping his chest but he`s not responding to anything, sir, please," the man said.
A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that Jackson was "heavily addicted" to the painkiller Oxycontin and was injected daily with that medication, along with Demerol.  Continued...
Original article

Michael Jackson feared he`d "end up" like Elvis: Lisa Marie

By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson`s former wife Lisa Marie Presley said on Friday the pop star was a tortured soul who once predicted that he would "end up" like her father, the late rock icon Elvis Presley.
Writing on her MySpace blog, Presley also ripped into reports in the media that her relationship with Jackson was contrived, saying they split because she could not save him from self-destructive behavior.
"Our relationship was not a `a sham` as is being reported in the press," Presley, 41, wrote in the blog posting, which was verified by her spokesperson.
She called it an "unusual relationship" but added: "Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much."
Presley, the only daughter of the original "King of Rock `n` Roll" and a performer in her own right, describes having a conversation with Jackson about her father`s August 16, 1977 death. Elvis Presley died at age 42 of a heart attack after years of drug use.
"At some point he (Jackson) paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty: `I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did.`"
Presley wrote that she tried to deter Jackson from the idea, but he shook his head and nodded "as if he knew what he knew" and would not be dissuaded.
"As I sit here overwhelmed with sadness, reflection and confusion at what was my biggest failure to date, watching on the news almost play by play the exact scenario I saw happen on August 16, 1977 happening again right now with Michael (a sight I never wanted to see again), just as he predicted, I am truly, truly gutted," she said.
Presley wrote that she and Jackson`s family tried to save him from "the inevitable, which is what just happened" but she became overwhelmed and had to end their relationship.
"I became very ill and emotionally/ spiritually exhausted in my quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him," she wrote.
(Editing by Will Dunham)
Original article

Thai police will know how Carradine died in one month

Reuters Showbiz Week
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By Kittipong Soonprasert
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police said on Monday that the cause of U.S. actor David Carradine's death in a Bangkok hotel room would not be known until they had the results of the autopsy and toxicology tests in a month's time.
The police refused to give further details about their investigation into the 72-year-old actor's mysterious death, amid intense media speculation about causes ranging from suicide to murder via accidental autoerotic asphyxiation.
"We are still investigating but we will not make any assumptions about his death until we have gathered all the facts," the deputy Bangkok police chief, Lieutenant-General Amnoy Nimmino, told a news conference.
"We have to wait for the toxicology reports, the result of the autopsy and forensic evidence. We will know everything in one month."
Carradine, the star of U.S. 1970s show "Kung Fu," was filming the movie "Stretch" in the Thai capital when a maid found him dead in his suite at the plush Swissotel Nai Lert Park on June 4.
The police also refused to confirm the authenticity of a grainy photo published by a tabloid-style Thai newspaper, which said it was of Carradine's naked, hanging body.
Carradine's family said it was "profoundly disturbed" by the photo, printed on Saturday in the Thai Rath newspaper, and threatened legal action, the actor's brother, Keith Carradine, said in a statement issued by lawyer Mark Geragos.
"The family wants it understood that ... any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published," the statement said.
Thai Rath, the country's top-selling newspaper, is known for its lively coverage of crime and celebrities. It did not give a source for the photograph and the face could not been seen.
"I cannot say anything about this photograph," said Amnoy. "The media were not present at the crime scene and this picture was not leaked by the police."
Initial police reports said the actor had committed suicide, but relatives insisted Carradine would not take his own life.
Thai police and media then speculated that accidental autoerotic asphyxiation was a possible cause of death.
The Thai coroner has said it could be several weeks before the results of the toxicology tests and autopsy are known.
Carradine's family called on U.S. authorities on Saturday to help explain how he died, and a U.S. embassy official in Bangkok said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was discussing the case with Thai police.
Amnoy said the FBI was welcome to take part in the investigation, but only after Thai prosecutors had received a formal request from the U.S. government. Continued...
Source: Reuters

"Billy Elliot" dances away with 10 Tony Awards

By Michelle Nichols and Claudia ParsonsNEW YORK (Reuters) - "Billy Elliot The Musical" swept the top U.S. theater honors on Sunday, winning 10 Tony Awards for a Broadway season that defied a recession with record ticket sales.
"Billy Elliot" is based on Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry's 2000 film about a ballet dancing schoolboy in a mining town in northern England. Elton John, who suggested the film be adapted for theater, wrote the music for the production.
"We came here at a hard time economically, you opened your wallets and your hearts to us and we love you for it," said John, one of Britain's best-known musicians whose hit songs include "Candle in the Wind" and "Rocket Man."
"Billy Elliot" was named best musical and the three teenage actors who play the title role -- David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish -- were all named best actor in a musical, the first time three actors have shared the award.
"We want to say to all the kids out there who might want to dance, never give up," Kulish said.
Daldry, who won best musical director, said the boys were "three great gifts of Broadway" and that he was "blessed in the past 10 years of my life to be working on 'Billy Elliot.'" The show has also played in Britain and Australia.
Gregory Jbara won best featured actor in a musical for his role as Billy's father and the show also won best book of a musical and scenic, lighting, sound and choreography awards. It tied with "Next to Normal" for best orchestration.
Alice Ripley was named best actress in a musical for her role as a bipolar suburban housewife in "Next to Normal," which also picked up best original score, beating nominees including Elton John and Lee Hall for "Billy Elliot" and Dolly Parton for "9 to 5: The Musical."
"Billy Elliot" had matched the record number of Tony Award nominations set by "The Producers" in 2001, picking up 15 nods. "The Producers" went on to win a record 12 awards.
"Hair," the new production of the groundbreaking 1960s musical, won the Tony for best revival of a musical.
LIZA AND LANSBURY AMONG WINNERS
"God of Carnage" -- with an all-star cast of "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels -- picked up the most awards for a play, winning best play, director of a play, and best actress for Harden.
"God of Carnage" director Matthew Warchus beat himself -- he was also nominated for best director for "The Norman Conquests," a trilogy of comedies that came to Broadway from a sold-out run in London, which won the Tony best play revival.
Liza Minnelli won the best special theatrical event Tony for "Liza's at the Palace," which featured a musical tribute to the 1940's nightclub act of her godmother, Kay Thompson.
"This is exquisite," a breathless Minnelli said. "I thought my beautiful man over there was going to win," she added, referring to comedian Will Ferrell, who was nominated for "You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush." Continued...
Source: Reuters

Family upset over photos of Carradine's body

Reuters Showbiz Week
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The family of late actor David Carradine is "profoundly disturbed" by photos published in Thailand that are said to be of Carradine's naked body hanging in his Bangkok hotel room, according to family attorney Mark Geragos.
Geragos said a statement from the actor's brother, Keith Carradine, shows that the family will take legal action against people or media outlets that publish the photos "for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress."
The Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath published photos that show the body of Carradine, who died on June 3 in Bangkok where he was filming a new movie called "Stretch."
Mystery has surrounded his death following initial reports that he had committed suicide -- claims his family has denied repeatedly.
On Saturday, Geragos said Carradine's family had asked the FBI to look into the death.
The family has hired a forensics pathologist to examine the actor's body when it is returned to the United States.
Thai newspapers said the body left Bangkok on Saturday, which Geragos confirmed at the time. The body is expected to arrive in Los Angeles as early as Sunday.
A maid found Carradine hanging in the closet of his hotel suite at Bangkok's plush Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel.
With coroners awaiting results of toxicology tests, Thai media pointed to suicide or accidental autoerotic asphyxiation as possible causes of death.
Thai officials have said it could take several weeks before the results of an autopsy performed in Bangkok are released.
Carradine starred in the mid-1970s U.S. television show "Kung Fu" and the more recent "Kill Bill" movies,
(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: Reuters

"Billy Elliot" early winner at Tony Awards

By Michelle Nichols and Claudia ParsonsNEW YORK (Reuters) - "Billy Elliot The Musical" was an early winner at the top U.S. theater honors on Sunday, picking up six behind-the-scenes Tony Awards for a Broadway season that defied recession with record ticket sales.
"Billy Elliot" is based on Oscar-nominated director Stephen Daldry's 2000 film about a ballet dancing schoolboy in a mining town in northern England. The show won 10 Drama Desk Awards and seven Outer Critics Circle Awards in the lead up to the Tonys.
"I have to thank Elton John. It was his idea to make this a musical in the first place," said Lee Hall, who won the Tony Award for best book of a musical. "He insisted we start with the music."
Hall and John, whose many hit songs include "Candle in the Wind" and "Rocket Man," are also nominated for best original score for "Billy Elliot."
Hundreds of people lined the street outside New York City's Radio City Hall, cheering nominees including singer Dolly Parton, comedian Will Ferrell, "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini and Oscar winners Liza Minnelli and Geoffrey Rush.
The Tony Awards were established in 1947 and are named for Antoinette Perry, whose nickname was Toni. Perry, who died in 1946, was an actress, stage director and philanthropist who was a founder of the American Theater Wing.
Around 750 people from the theater industry -- from actors, to directors to journalists -- vote for the Tony Awards.
The Broadway League says the 39 theaters in the famous district contribute $5.1 billion per year to the economy of New York, on top of ticket sales, and support 44,000 jobs.
During the 12-month Broadway season ending May 24, 43 shows opened -- the most in more than 25 years, said the Broadway League. There were 10 new musicals, eight new plays, four musical revivals, 16 play revivals and five special shows.
Broadway's paid attendance was 12.15 million tickets, down from 12.27 million the previous season, but gross takings rose $6 million, or 0.6 percent, to $943.3 million, beating the previous record set in the 2006/07 season of $938.5 million.
(Additional reporting by Carmen Perry)

Source: Reuters

Hollywood to portray Kenya's "Pirate Whisperer"

By Alison Bevege
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - When agents for Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson came looking for Andrew Mwangura in Kenya, he could not meet them -- he was on the run.
The man they call the "Pirate Whisperer" was dodging both local authorities and well-connected criminals who were chasing him for exposing the international links of a wave of hijackings afflicting the busy international shipping routes off Somalia.
"I said I was in trouble, come back again when the coast is clear," Mwangura told Reuters in an interview at Mombasa port.
Tinseltown plans to make an action movie about the piracy scourge. Jackson is to play Mwangura -- the quiet 47-year-old founder of the non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Program with seemingly unrivalled contacts with maritime groups, ships, ports and even pirates around east Africa.
Himself a former seaman, Mwangura breaks news time and time again on seizures and releases of ships by Somali pirates, revealing details of ransom payments in what has become a multimillion dollar business.
He is a hero to seamen, but a pain for the pirates' financiers, said to be sitting in Nairobi, Dubai and London, managing the business by calls to the gangs' satellite phones. There are strong suspicions that officials in the region could be involved, and Mwangura has not been shy of saying that.
FILM RIGHTS
Now Jackson and filmmaker Andras Hamori have secured the rights to his life story -- but getting a chance to sit down and talk scripts has been more difficult than expected.
Mwangura fell foul of the Kenyan government last year after the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks, was hijacked en route to Mombasa. Mwangura said the consignment was really for south Sudan -- and not Kenya, as officially claimed.
In October, on his way to a talk-show where he was due to speak to the relatives of the Russian and Ukrainian crew, Mwangura was arrested.
"They were waiting for me in Moscow and Kiev on camera. But I was taken to police headquarters for interrogation."
Mwangura spent nine days in jail. One frightening night, he said he was woken by security agents who wanted to take him out of the prison for reasons unknown.
"I think maybe they wanted to harm me," he said.
His cellmates joined hands to prevent the guards from taking him, and he was left in jail.
Mwangura was charged with making alarming statements to foreign media and for possessing $2 worth of marijuana. The government called him a frontman and spokesman for the pirates. Continued...
Source: Reuters