Michael Jackson

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King Of Pop

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oh those are great, got a collection myself. keep it up!

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Source: DA to seek indictment of Jackson doctor

By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch, Ap Special Correspondent – 20 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Nearly seven months after Michael Jackson's death stunned the world, the official investigation of his death is edging toward conclusion with prosecutors prepared to seek an indictment of Jackson's doctor on a charge of involuntary manslaughter, The Associated Press has learned.

The fate of Dr. Conrad Murray has been the subject of speculation since he found Jackson unconscious in his home in Los Angeles last June. Jackson was preparing for a strenuous concert comeback in London, and Murray, a cardiologist, had been hired as his personal physician for the tour.

A law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation remains open said Friday that Murray would be prosecuted on a theory of gross negligence alleging that his treatment of Jackson was an extreme departure from the standard of care normally followed by physicians.

The coroner has ruled Jackson's death at age 50 was a homicide caused by acute intoxication by the powerful anesthetic propofol, with other sedatives a contributing factor.

Propofol depresses breathing and heart rate while lowering blood pressure, so it's supposed to be administered by an anesthesia professional in a medical setting.

The singer died after Murray administered propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep, court documents state. Murray told police he left the room to use the bathroom, and phone records show he also made calls for 47 minutes around the time Jackson encountered problems.

When Murray realized Jackson was unresponsive, he began frantic efforts to revive him, but Jackson never regained consciousness.

The coroner found the propofol was administered to Jackson without any medical need and that recommended resuscitation equipment was missing.

As the police investigation neared an end, criminal attorney J. Michael Flanagan said Friday he had been hired to join Houston attorney Edward Chernoff in representing Murray.

In addition, Chernoff released a statement saying he had not received notice that a grand jury was hearing the case or inviting Murray to testify.

Chernoff spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik said earlier that Murray neither prescribed nor administered anything that should have killed Jackson.

Flanagan previously worked in the media spotlight representing Britney Spears in a hit-and-run case. He said he tried a propofol case several years ago, representing a nurse who was acquitted after it was shown she played no role in administering propofol to a patient who died.

Flanagan said there was a difference between a nurse's role and "a very sophisticated doctor making a medical judgment."

To prove gross negligence, he said, prosecutors would have to show a conscious indifference for life.

"This trial could end up being a trial of medical practice," he said. "The question is what discretion does a doctor have to treat a patient, and if a doctor makes a mistake, is it a crime?"

Jackson family spokesman Jesse Derris said he had no immediate comment from the family.

A final legal action could be weeks away, after the case is formally transferred to the district attorney's office by the Los Angeles Police Department. If a grand jury indictment is sought, secret hearings would be held, and the panel would have the final decision on possible charges.

An involuntary manslaughter conviction carries a potential sentence of two to four years in prison.

The district attorney's office is waiting for Los Angeles police to turn over the case before presenting it to a grand jury, the source said.

However, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office denied that any decisions have been made.

"We have been working closely with the Los Angeles police during the pendency of this investigation," spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. "There is no case before us at present, and no final decision has been made."

To prove a charge of involuntary manslaughter, authorities must show there was a reckless action that created a risk of death or great bodily injury. If a doctor is aware of the risk, there might also be an issue of whether the patient knows that risk and decided to take it.

A large number of witnesses have been interviewed by police, including those who were present during Jackson's last days and those who worked with him in preparation for his comeback concert, "This Is It."

Authorities have also lined up medical expert witnesses to testify about the normal standard of care in a situation such as Jackson's and to give opinions on why Murray's actions constituted gross negligence, the source said.

Murray's professional history is expected to be explored during a trial with an emphasis on whether he had the required expertise in administering propofol.

The timing of an indictment would be dictated by two factors — how long it takes for the district attorney's office to conduct an internal review of the evidence and when the grand jury will be available to hear the case.

The person said it was thought that it would be more efficient to go to a grand jury than to charge Murray and proceed by way of a preliminary hearing. A presentation to the grand jury where witnesses testify behind closed doors could take three to five days.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100108/ap_en_..._jackson_doctor

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MJ

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Michael Jackson tribute at Grammy Awards to be in 3-D

A planned tribute to Michael Jackson at the upcoming 52nd annual Grammy Awards will feature the first-ever 3-D performance on an awards show.

Grammys executive producer Ken Ehrlich said a 3-D mini-movie created for Jackson's "Earth Song" will be presented as part of a tribute performance featuring Smokey Robinson, Usher, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood.

Jackson is being honored posthumously with the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award. Ehrlich said he met with Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, the day before he died to discuss a Halloween project the singer was working on with CBS.

He said that just before the meeting, he watched the mini-movie with Jackson, which was to be a standalone piece during the live show in the "This Is It" tour.

"He told me this was to be one of the most important elements of the show to him because it was his opportunity to deliver a really strong message about the environment in the same way that it had done when he first did the song several years ago," Ehrlich said on a media conference call. "This film, and the 3-D in which it was done, it's pretty brilliant and it's pretty wonderful."

Jim Farber, music critic for the New York Daily News, said the combination of 3-D technology and Michael Jackson could be a strong way for the show to get viewers talking.

"Obviously there is a tremendous amount of interest in Michael Jackson since his death," Farber said. "There was plenty before that, but even more since."

The hope is also that it will get viewers tuning in, Farber said, at a time when network television has been losing its audience.

"Award show ratings have gone up and down over the years," Farber said. "Certainly there has been some [ratings] erosion for the Grammys from its peak, so they could use all of the gimmicks they can get."

It is not the first time the awards show has used technology to make for a more interesting performance. In 2008, Alicia Keys performed a "duet" with the late singer Frank Sinatra on the Grammys, similar to an earlier performance by Natalie Cole with her late father, crooner Nat King Cole.

Ehrlich said producers decided not to have the tribute performers sing along with a digitized version of Jackson, and instead chose to use the film.

"After he passed, we knew that people would be looking at the show to see what we do for Michael," Ehrlich said. "It occurred to me to take this one song, which admittedly was not a big hit, though it went to number one [in Europe], that captured so much of Michael's spirit and what he was all about and to bring it to life ... with four or five singers singing along with Michael's voice."

Ehrlich said the selection of the singers was organic -- Robinson was extremely close to Jackson, and Jackson had great admiration and respect for Usher, Dion, Hudson and Underwood.

Viewers will be able to pick up free 3-D glasses from Target to fully enjoy the experience, Ehrlich said.

The executive producer said he expects the moment to rank up there with the great Grammy moments of Jackson's career, including the year he was nominated for 12 Grammy Awards on the back of "Thriller," and the time he performed a show-stopping version of his hit "Man in the Mirror."

Ehrlich said he is not against using 3-D technology in the future, though he estimates that the show is probably about five years away from being completely broadcast in 3-D.

"I would love to think that at some point we become the first awards to broadcast the show in 3-D, but that would depend on millions and millions of 3-D [television] sets," Ehrlich said.

The 52nd Grammy Awards are scheduled to be shown Sunday, January 31, on CBS.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/....grammy.awards/

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http://www.businessoffashion.com/2010/01/b...ga-part-ii.html

BoF Exclusive | Zaldy Goco talks about designing for Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga, Part II

Yesterday, we learned about the beginnings of Zaldy Gocos work in the music and fashion industries. Today, in part two, we speak to him about his close collaboration with Michael Jackson for the This is It concert extravaganza.

NEW YORK, United States When Zaldy Goco answered the phone last April and learned that Michael Jacksons creative team wanted him to develop some costume ideas for the King of Pops long-awaited comeback concert series in London, he could scarcely believe his luck. A long time fan of the sometimes-maligned, but always-loved music legend, Zaldy set about developing an approach for creating costumes that at once hearkened back to iconic images from Jacksons past, while also making him relevant for contemporary fashion of the day.

The results were amazing and once the decision was made to make Zaldy the chief costume designer for the upcoming concerts, the process to get there involved five up close-and-personal fittings between Zaldy and Michael Jackson over a period of a several weeks, including the last fitting, just days before the singers sudden death.

Zaldy kindly spoke to BoF about the experience of designing for Michael Jackson and shared some photos of Jackson from the fittings, published here for the very first time.

BoF: And now for the topic that I am sure everyone is most interested to hear about: your collaboration with Michael Jackson for the This Is It tour. How did that come about?

It was such a surprise that began with a really casual phone call from someone who was representing Michaels choeographer, Travis Payne. It was already the end of April and the tour was starting in July, and he asked me if I was interested in making some outfits. Of course I said yes! But, I really didnt take it all that seriously as I knew that Michael had only ever really worked with one designer in the past named Michael Bush. He had developed all of Michaels iconic looks for Thriller and Bad. So, by no means was it definite. I thought maybe Id get to make a couple of outfits maybe.

It turns out that Michael had been advised to take more of a fashion look with his presentation, and he had asked to see designs from some really big names, including, I believe, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. My impression is that he got all these packages from these different designers and then he chose who he wanted to work with.

When he got my package, they called me right away and said he that Michael was jumping up and down screaming, saying Ive always wanted to do this! Ive always wanted to do this!

They asked me to come to L.A. the next day to meet Michael and told me they wanted me to do the entire show. In the end, because Michael is so faithful, he did ask Michael Bush to work on a few of the outfits as well, which I thought was really nice especially because it was supposed to be Michaels last tour.

BoF: Wow, thats pretty amazing. How would you describe what you designed for him?

This is the thing. When they first asked me to do this, they said we need you to re-invent Michael. And my first thought was that Michael does not need to be re-invented, especially not now. He is one of the only artists who created iconic looks and iconic images to go along with iconic songs. Its not necessary for those looks to be reinvented they just needed to be made more relevant for today. Nobody wants to see a Thriller jacket that it isnt red and black. People were going to want to see those iconic images, made more relevant to the times.

So, thats what my approach was referencing what we knew, but bringing more technology and new techniques that Michael had never used before.

BoF: What are your favourite looks that you designed for Michael Jackson?

They all kind have their own specialness for me. But, if you ask anyone who works with me, they will always say the We Are The World outfit, embroidered with all kinds of techniques from around the world from African to American Indian to Japanese to Chinese. It was quite a mix, and very beautiful.

But for me, I loved the Black or White leather jacket, with three different custom plated coloured studs, which was kind of a Sumurai-referenced jacket. The finale jacket is also a favourite, especially because Michael was so excited about it. I had made what Michael called secret treasures in the shape of little teardrops that enclosed around crusts of crystal chunks.

And then of course there was the light-up outfit for Billie Jean, which was a collaboration with Philips Technology, which really, really made him the happiest. The last time I saw him was about six days before we were leaving for London, and I tried these pants on him and he was silent; completely stunned. After about thirty seconds, he said Its everything Ive always wanted.

So, that was pretty special for me.

BoF: And then, of course there was his sudden death, which must have turned things upside down for you.

I experience anti-climax after every project, but I was in disbelief. I didnt know what to do with myself. I had been living and breathing Michael Jackson for weeks on end. When I design for a musician, I immerse myself completely in their music. It just has to play in my head the whole time.

I decided I needed to lock myself away in a hotel to get away, but even that didnt work. Everywhere I went, people were listening to Michael Jackson. There was no escape.

BoF: Did you have any sense that he might be unwell?

Not at all. And that is the thing that I think the movie really shows. He was quite lively, energetic and strong. And, he was super in tune to all the details. Every time I met with him, he was always catching little details. When Id do fittings with him, he was very solid and very strong.

BoF: Last year was quite a year for you. Doing Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson in one year is pretty big. What lies ahead for you 2010?

Its funny because I kept seeing the two of them side-by-side in stories or hearing their names mentioned in the same story. And then, all of a sudden I was working with both of them. But right now, Im pretty excited to get back into the Scissor Sisters, who are launching their third album. But also, last year was a big music year, and Im thinking of leaning back towards fashion again.

BoF: So there could be a Zaldy label again?

There could be. Right now I am working on a gown for the Met Ball. So, lets see. Im working on a couple of things.

BoF: Thanks very much Zaldy for sharing your story with us.

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