Beyoncé is said to have a list of specific requirements for every venue on her Mrs. Carter world tour and her mandate includes alkaline water, new toilet seats and bizarrely red toilet paper, according to reports.
Beyoncé, 31, has also requested that all her crew members wear 100% cotton, her water is chilled to 21 degrees and served through $900 titanium straws and she has access to hand carved ice balls after every show to cool her throat, The Daily Star claims.
Beyoncé is said to have a list of specific requirements for every venue on her Mrs. Carter world tour
The details of Beyoncé’s rider comes after it was claimed the singer demanded the largest changing rooms at the O2 Arena in London, UK, space which is usually reserved for sports teams.
Despite being the first performer to be offered the use of the O2’s newly refurbished rooms, Beyoncé opted for the larger set which are in a quieter part of the arena.
“The new dressing rooms are superb – it’s like you’ve stepped into a luxury apartment. But she surprised everyone by turning them down, going for the larger ones that are used by sports teams when they play at the O2,” revealed the source.
“They are much bigger though, and she was given free rein to refurbish them to her own taste. They’re also in a quieter part of the backstage area, which gives her a better atmosphere to get focused for her shows.”
Even though Beyoncé’s only there for a few nights, she has reportedly brought in her own curtains, sofas and rugs to make herself feel at home.
And instead of staying in London during her six nights of shows, Beyoncé is holed up in Berkshire at a country hotel, along with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy.
She opted not to copy Rihanna and catch the Tube to the arena for her sell-out show, proving that she’s still a diva by hitching a ride on her own private helicopter.
It’s not unusual for stars to have unusual demands when on tour.
Beyoncé’s last date at the London’s O2 Arena is Sunday, May 5th.
Lady Gaga reportedly asked for a mannequin with puffy pink public hair, Madonna is said to have requested her own furniture installed in every changing room in the past.
Nicole Kidman shows her playful side as she is staring in a commercial for Melbourne-based Swisse Wellness Vitamins.
Nicole Kidman, 45, is seen picking herbs from the garden while playfully dance-kicking to an up tempo guitar track – geared toward projecting an idealized vision of healthy living.
In the slow-moving montage, Nicole Kidman can be seen eating a low glycemic green apple as she sits in an idyllic vegetable garden in the countryside.
She is later depicted toting a basket full of garden herbs, and at one point even carries around a bunch of freshly dug up carrots still sporting their green stalks.
Underscoring the stream of dreamy images was not only the aforementioned guitar track but a gentle cadence metered out by a hand clapping.
The 30 second spot relies heavily on Nicole Kidman’s ability to convey a better, healthier, life – made possible by proper supplementation.
And the vitamin brand could not have chosen a more vibrant and carefree-seeming ambassador.
Nicole Kidman shows her playful side as she is staring in a commercial for Melbourne-based Swisse Wellness Vitamins
Kidman was the picture of glowing health and effortless joy as she pranced around the well-groomed garden – at times playing just like a child in the lush wonderland.
She has almost magically maintained an enviably youthful appearance, which may be due to a daily routine of vitamin ingestion.
Adorned in pink shorts and cowboy boots Nicole Kidman shook out her long blonde hair in various snippets of spontaneous dancing.
She even demonstrated a karate move in the pathway between an herb plot and a row of sunflowers.
Discussing her partnership with Swisse, Nicole Kidman said: “I joined Swisse because I wanted to help bring awareness to the importance of living a healthy lifestyle in a busy, often stressful world.”
“I love feeling healthy and fit. They are wonderful attributes of the Australian way of life – and I am a very proud Australian.”
Swisse CEO Radek Sali stated that the vitamin seller was “absolutely thrilled” to have Nicole Kidman as their official ambassador.
Meanwhile, Swisse, according to the Chicago Tribune, has big plans for what Nicole Kidman can do for them and are banking on her to help them reach a projected goal of $50 million in U.S. sales in the first half of 2013.
And even more astonishingly, Swisse expect to rake in $500 million annually by 2015 through products ranging from skin and hair care to multivitamins.
The Melbourne based company began carrying their health products in U.S. pharmacy chain Walgreens in February.
Lindsay Lohan finally checked into the Betty Ford Center rehab facility on Thursday night, narrowly avoiding an arrest warrant after failing to enter her court-approved facility earlier that day.
Lindsay Lohan’s entry into the Rancho Mirage, California clinic comes after she is said to have rehired her previous lawyer Shawn Holley, who negotiated with Santa Monica City Attorney Terry White to approve the Betty Ford Center as an acceptable rehab alternative.
Lindsay Lohan finally checked into the Betty Ford Center rehab facility on Thursday night, narrowly avoiding an arrest warrant
The troubled actress was scheduled to start rehab on Thursday morning to begin her 90 days of court-ordered treatment.
But she is reported to been “spooked” by the amount of paparazzi waiting outside the Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, and refused to check into the facility.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, was said to have then “begged” Shawn Holley to return as her lawyer after prosecutors said they would seek an arrest warrant if the star was not back in rehab by sunrise on Friday, reported TMZ.
The actress was allegedly unimpressed with the way lawyer Mark Heller had handled her case, and spent the better part of Thursday convincing Shawn Holley to return after she sensationally fired her last year.
“Lindsay cannot stand [Mark Heller] and thinks he doesn’t know what he is doing,” a source told RadarOnline.com.
“So late Thursday, from hiding, she began calling and emailing Shawn incessantly.
“Shawn has always had a soft spot for Lindsay, even after everything she has pulled. She hates to see her suffering,” added the source.
Shawn Holley was able to broker a last minute deal with the D.A. to approve the Betty Ford Center, where Lindsay Lohan famously fought with staffer during another rehab stay in 2010.
Lindsay Lohan’s father Michael confirmed that she had finally entered a facility, although he didn’t confirm which one.
“I can’t say where she is. She did check into a rehab. I’m really happy she’s in a rehab,” Michael Lohan told The New York Post on Friday.
Michael Lohan said Lindsay sent him a text message on Thursday night to say she was in rehab, but that she would rather be at a more upmarket facility.
“Yes, daddy I’m OK, just annoyed by this happening,” he said she wrote.
“I really want to go to treatment and, of course, something has to go wrong…I want to go to Hawaii or Antigua.”
The news comes after Lindsay Lohan decided not to enter her court-ordered rehab treatment on Thursday morning.
“She felt Morningside was not suitable for her,” a source told Us Weeklyabout her decision to leave.
“There were too many paparazzi everywhere and she didn’t feel safe.”
RadarOnline, however, reported that Lindsay Lohan did in fact walk through the doors of the facility, but left just a few minutes later.
“She told people there that she didn’t need rehab,” a source told Radar.
“And then she left. Everyone was stunned.”
Michael Lohan also confirmed to Radar that his daughter never checked in.
Lindsay Lohan was spotted at a Fry’s Electronics store in Fountain Valley at 8.45 a.m., while at the same time her lawyer was in court asserting she had already checked into rehab.
It appears Kim Kardashian and Kanye West plan to wed following the upcoming birth of their baby girl.
A source told RadarOnline.com on Friday that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have chosen a date for their nuptials and hope to wed in a seaside ceremony.
“Kim’s choice at the moment is a starlight ceremony in California’s Big Sur,” the insider confirmed just one day after Kanye West took to Twitter to post just one cryptic comment that reads: “June Eighteen.”
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West plan to wed following the upcoming birth of their baby girl
Other details offered include the revelation that Kim Kardashian, 32, intends to say her “I do’s” wearing an “ethereal white wedding dress” in a setting “where they can hear the waves and be married under the moon and stars”.
But fans shouldn’t expect an E! broadcast of the occasion, as Kanye West reportedly has requested that media be banned from the ceremony and the couple refrain from selling their wedding photos for profit.
The source confirmed: “Instead, Kanye says they should consider a donation to one of Kim’s charities like the Skin Cancer Foundation or Mattel Children’s Hospital in a deal around the wedding for a short film.”
Kim Kardashian remains eager to build a life with Kanye West, 35, but must first pass the hurdle of finalizing her divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries: “Now that Kim’s almost a free woman, she wants an immediate wedding – she wants to marry the father of her baby as soon as possible, but the birth must come first.”
The insider claims that the couple have discussed “marriage for a long time, so it’s not like Kanye is going to propose and they’ll get engaged – it’s been something they’ve been looking forward to for a while during the divorce.”
Kim Kardashian even has put together “a folder of houses she’s seen and all her recent scans and medical reports” to keep Kanye West involved in the pregnancy despite his busy schedule.
RiRi Woo, Rihanna’s new lipstick for MAC, has sold out just three hours after going on sale for the first time.
Rihanna, 25, announced herTwitterfollowers that her MAC lipstick was finally available to buy yesterday afternoon – but just a short while later she posted an update letting fans know that there were no more left.
“#SOLDOUT!!!!!!!!!! First shipment sell awf!!! Next shipment isn’t til June!!! Mac girls gone wild!!!…” the singer wrote.
RiRi Woo, Rihanna’s new lipstick for MAC, has sold out just three hours after going on sale for the first time
The shade, RiRi Woo, is a twist on MAC favorite Ruby Woo. It is the first product from Rihanna’s “multi-collection deal” with MAC.
Announcing the launch of the RiRi Hearts MAC line in February, Rihanna revealed that she had enlisted some of her girlfriends to help with the line.
“Working with MAC, it’s difficult to get a red lipstick that beats Ruby Woo, because it works on every skin tone,” she told WWD.
“I got to pick one that worked, and I tried it on all my friends to make sure it worked on all of our skin tones.”
The rest of the RiRi Hearts MAC will launch in four seasonal collections over the coming year and will also include eye shadow palettes, brushes and false lashes.
RiRi Hearts MAC will launch in four seasonal collections over the coming year and will also include eye shadow palettes, brushes and false lashes
Rihanna said she jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with the cosmetics giant.
“Being creative is something that I love,” the singer said.
“So I can put that into different outlets. My make-up looks, my fashion looks…they help me to express myself as an artist. . .
“I’ve been using MAC on tour for such a long time it was a natural fit for me.”
MAC is no stranger to celebrity collaborations, having previously worked with Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Azealia Banks to name a few.
But RiRi Hearts MAC marks the first time that the brand has taken on a famous person for more than just a one-off collaboration.
John Demsey, the group president of MAC’s parent company Estee Lauder Cos. Inc, told WWD: “These four collections are like four tracks on a Rihanna compilation. Each one has its own vibe, look, special make-up packaging and flavor.”
Amanda Bynes reportedly told publicist Jonathan Jaxson that she didn’t want to “live anymore” while “high on drugs” on Wednesday night, prompting him to call the NYPD in an attempt to assist her.
Jonathan Jaxson told RadarOnline.com he was beside himself with panic because she had told him: “I don’t want to live anymore,” and he took it mean she planned to kill herself.
“Amanda had called me and we had a private conversation, but it was clear to me that she was high on drugs,” Jonathan Jaxson told the website.
“Then, she said that she didn’t want to live anymore. I took that as that she wanted to kill herself. I freaked out.”
Jonathan Jaxson – who describes himself as a Publicist/Manager/Marketing/Consulting/God Fearing/Realtor- both called the police and rather less helpfully, tweeted the NYPD’s account to tell them Amanda Bynes was “soooo messed up on drugs”.
The media man told RadarOnline.com he wanted them to set up a welfare check but though they didn’t go to the apartment, he later received a call from an officer explaining that Amanda Bynes “was fine”.
Amanda Bynes’ behavior is prompting cause for concern as she had been uploading increasingly lascivious self-portraits from her bathroom before calling Jonathan Jaxson
Jonathan Jaxson added that it wasn’t the first time he’d heard suchlike from Amanda Bynes, and added: “But this time, I had a mental image of her in a bathtub, wanting to hurt herself.
“Then I saw a photo of her in her bathroom that she’d posted on Twitter. I freaked. I did not know what else to do.”
“I thought consciously about it for a minute and decided to call the authorities. I thought, <<I have to do something to save her>>.”
Jonathan Jaxson concluded: “When someone tells you they don’t want to live anymore, that in itself would provoke anyone who cares. I know that Amanda is a person crying out for help.”
It’s worth nothing that Jonathan Jaxson has a history when it comes to mouthing off about his celebrity friends or clients.
He had to settle with Kim Kardashian after she sued him for claiming she had a staged wedding, an assertion that’s now been disproven in the divorce courts.
But Amanda Bynes’ behavior is prompting cause for concern, especially as she had been uploading increasingly lascivious self-portraits from her bathroom before the alleged phone call took place.
Amanda Bynes, 27, appears to be spending a lot of time alone with her only interactions via Twitter and through these ever more revealing images.
There’s understandable concern coming from the Twitter community, who feel as though they’re watching a meltdown in progress.
After Jonathan Jaxson’s tweet, Jenny McCarthy, 40, tweeted in the mistaken belief that police were at Amanda Bynes’ apartment.
“Police are at Amanda Bynes’ house. I hope they get her help. Enough of this circus. She needs help. It came from a publicist but if no one can back it up it could be wrong.”
Amanda Bynes’ attempt at denial, however, just seemed even more worrying.
“@JennyMcCarthy you’re ugly!” she tweeted.
“Police weren’t at my house old lady! Shut the f**k up!”
She added: “@jennymccarthy I need help? What are u talking about? Aren’t u 50 years old? I’m 27, u look 80 compared to me! Why are you talking about me?”
Jenny McCarthy took the high road and wrote: “@AmandaBynes sorry girl. Looking out for ya.”
Posters expressing support for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is charged with last month’s bombings at the Boston Marathon, have been put up on walls in Chechnya’s capital, Grozny.
It is not clear who is behind the posters declaring Dzhokhar Tsarnaev “not guilty”, which appeared after Russia’s May Day celebrations.
The posters show pictures of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, and include an appeal for online donations.
The Tsarnaev family are ethnic Chechens but have lived mostly outside Chechnya.
Residents of Grozny say the posters most likely came from someone trying to make money out of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Posters expressing support for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have been put up on walls in Chechnya’s capital, Grozny
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s elder brother Tamerlan – a fellow suspect – was killed during a clash with police three days after the April 15 bombings, which killed three people and wounded 264.
Reports say the Tsarnaevs lived for years in Kyrgyzstan – in Central Asia – and Dagestan, another Russian republic in the North Caucasus which borders Chechnya.
In the 1990s, Russia’s war in Chechnya spilled into Dagestan. It is now more violent, and is experiencing an Islamist insurgency and harsh police crackdown.
Pro-Tsarnaev leaflets have also appeared in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, Russia’s Interfax news agency reports. Police are trying to find out who stuck them on the walls of underpasses in the city centre.
The posters in central Grozny follow an earlier campaign there in support of the Tsarnaevs. The authorities removed the earlier ones, which appeared on April 24.
The latest posters in Grozny say: “This is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old lad accused of a terrorist attack in Boston. But as many people now know, that is a groundless accusation, there is absolutely no evidence against him.
“Now he is in a serious condition, in a prison hospital, he needs medical and legal help. Dzhokhar’s parents ask you for help, to collect money for their son, whom they cannot lose, as they have already lost the older son, cruelly, unjustly. We will be grateful for any help, in the name of the Almighty do not remain indifferent.”
The message includes a number for the Russian online payment system, Qiwi Wallet, and the Tsarnaev family address in the social network, VKontakte.
According to Chechnya’s Moscow-backed President Ramzan Kadyrov, the Tsarnaevs spent little time in Chechnya, a republic devastated by war between Russia and separatist rebels in the 1990s.
Since then, Grozny has been rebuilt and now boasts skyscrapers and a huge central mosque.
Kris Jenner has created a near duplicate of the Art Deco entrance hall in her Calabasas, California mansion for the set of her new chat show Kris, which premieres July 15.
The new set looks almost exactly like her foyer – which is often featured in E!’s Keeping Up With The Kardashians – complete with a sweeping double staircase, black-and-white checkered floor and white chandeliers, reports TV Guide.
“All that’s missing is Fred Astaire,” said Kris Jenner, who teamed up with production designer Anton Goss (responsible for The Voice set) to create a replica of her home.
“I know other talk-show sets are intimate and conservative, but I dream big.”
Kris Jenner, 57, explained: “We need energy and glamour in the afternoon.
Kris Jenner has created a near duplicate of the Art Deco entrance hall in her Calabasas, California mansion for the set of her new chat show Kris, which premieres July 15
“I make a grand entrance down my own staircase at least once a day only there’s nobody there to enjoy it. I’m like, <<Where is everybody?>> That’s why I needed a talk show!”
The Kardashian momager – who has masterminded the reality TV careers of her entire family, most notably daughter Kim Kardashian – will present a one-hour show featuring celebrity guests and fashion, beauty and lifestyle discussions.
Kris Jenner said: “This is something I have wanted to do all my life so it’s definitely a dream come true! I can’t wait for this new adventure to begin.”
She tweeted her excitement about the show on Friday, stating: “Cannot wait for you dolls to see my talk show @krisjennershow!!! #KrisTV.”
Her daughter Kim Kardashian was also drumming up some support.
On her blog she wrote: “How amazing is this? The set design for my mom’s talk show is brilliant!
“It looks just like my mom’s house! Make sure you check out Kris when it airs July 15th!”
Twentieth Television believe Kris Jenner’s experience as a momager will help her be a great TV host.
Stephen Brown, Twentieth’s EVP of Development & Programming said: “The latest adventures, successes and disappointments surrounding the extensive Kardashian and Jenner family fill entertainment magazines and create daily online headlines.
“ [In the middle] of this fascinating empire is Kris Jenner – a dedicated mom and a successful business woman.
“Whether offering real advice to her family or sharing personal moments with viewers, Kris is honest, compelling, entertaining, and unscripted – all excellent qualities for a daytime talk show host.”
The last seven South Koreans workers have left Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, after the two Koreas resolved outstanding financial issues.
The workers had stayed behind after the other South Korean staff had left to negotiate wages demanded by North Korea.
Kaesong Industrial Complex has been at a standstill since North Korea withdrew its 50,000 workers in April.
North Korea has previously restricted entry to Kaesong joint industrial zone, but this is the first time all South Koreans have withdrawn.
The last seven South Koreans workers have left Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, after the two Koreas resolved outstanding financial issues
Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was launched in 2003, was seen as one of the last remaining symbols of inter-Korean co-operation.
North-South tensions escalated following Pyongyang’s third nuclear test in February.
The last seven South Korean workers had been expected to cross the border at 17:30 local time on Friday.
“The return was delayed a little [today] due to some technical procedure issue,” said Hong Yang-Ho, head of the Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee
“The North [Korea] fully co-operated during our returning process.”
Hong Yang-ho also said he believes there will be discussions about the future of the complex, but did not elaborate further.
South Korean vehicles loaded with outstanding North Korean wages and taxes worth $13 million crossed into the North at the same time the workers returned.
Those delivering the money have also returned to South Korea, reports say.
The zone is home to 123 South Korean companies which employ North Korean workers, and provides the North with badly-needed hard currency.
North Korea blocked South Korean workers from entering the zone in April, and withdrew its 53,000 workers from the industrial park a few days later.
After North Korea rejected Seoul’s calls for talks on resuming operations at the park, South Korea announced that it too would withdraw all its workers from the complex.
It pulled out 125 South Koreans last week and another 43 on Monday, leaving the final seven to “settle accounting and other unresolved matters”.
Pyongyang has been angered by tightened UN sanctions imposed after its February 12 nuclear test and by joint US-South Korea military drills, which it has described as “attack rehearsals”.
On Thursday, North Korea sentenced a US citizen to 15 years of hard labor for alleged anti-government crimes.
American citizen Pae Jun-ho, known in the US as Kenneth Bae, was detained last year after entering North Korea as a tourist. Analysts suggest Pyongyang could be using the jailed American as leverage.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body was claimed by his family on Thursday after his widow, Katherine Russell, declined to take his remains.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Terrel Harris said a funeral home retained by Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s family picked up the 26-year-old’s remains. He said he had no more information about plans for the remains.
The medical examiner determined Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s cause of death on Monday, but officials said it wouldn’t become public until his remains were released and a death certificate was filed. It was unclear on Thursday evening whether the death certificate had been filed.
Katherine Russell, who has been living with her parents in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, learned this week that the medical examiner was ready to release his body and wanted it released to his side of the family, her attorney Amato DeLuca said days ago.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s uncle Ruslan Tsarni, of Maryland, said Tuesday night the family would take the body.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body was claimed by his family on Thursday after his widow, Katherine Russell, declined to take his remains
“Of course, family members will take possession of the body,” Ruslan Tsarni said.
“We’ll do it. We will do it. A family is a family.”
After the hearse believed to be carrying Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body departed Boston, television stations reported that their helicopters followed it to the Dyer Lake Funeral Home in North Attleboro. About 20 protesters gathered outside the funeral home. An Associated Press photographer later saw a hearse leaving the home escorted by two police cars.
Dyer-Lake Funeral Director Tim Nye told The Sun-Chronicle newspaper late Thursday that the body was only brought to his funeral home temporarily and was transported to another facility, but didn’t say where.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who had appeared in surveillance photos wearing a black cap and was identified as Suspect No. 1, died days after the bombing.
Boston Marathon April 15 bombing, using pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails, ball bearings and metal shards near the race’s finish line, killed three people and injured more than 260 others.
Authorities said Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother Dzhokhar later killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer and carjacked a driver, who escaped.
Authorities said that during the gunbattle with police, the Tsarnaev brothers, ethnic Chechens from Russia who came to the US about a decade ago, set off another pressure cooker bomb and tossed grenades before the older brother ran out of ammunition.
Police said they tackled the older brother and began to handcuff him but had to dive out of the way at the last second when the younger brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, drove a stolen car at them. They said the younger brother ran over Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body as he drove away from the scene to escape.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured later, wounded and bloody, hiding in a tarp-covered boat in a suburban Boston backyard. He is in a federal prison and faces a charge of using a weapon of mass destruction to kill.
Google has changed the tagline on the homepage of its Palestinian edition from “Palestinian Territories” to “Palestine”.
The change, introduced on May 1st, means google.ps now displays “Palestine” in Arabic and English under Google’s logo.
Using the word Palestine is controversial for some. Israeli policy is that the borders of a Palestinian state are yet to be agreed.
In November, the UN gave Palestine the status of “non-member observer state”.
The decision by the General Assembly was strongly opposed by Israel and the US. Previously, Palestine only had “observer entity” status.
It followed an unsuccessful Palestinian bid to join the international body as a full member state in 2011 because of a lack of support in the UN Security Council.
Google has changed the tagline on the homepage of its Palestinian edition from Palestinian Territories to Palestine
Palestinians in general seek recognition for the state they are trying to establish and the adoption of the name Palestine.
Israel considers any formal use of the word Palestine as pre-judging the outcome of currently stalled peace talks. In much of Israel’s official terminology the West Bank is referred to as Judea and Samaria.
Google spokesman Nathan Tyler said: “We’re changing the name <<Palestinian Territories>> to <<Palestine>> across our products. We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries.
“In this case, we are following the lead of the UN, Icann [the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers], ISO [International Organization for Standardization] and other international organizations.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA) welcomed Google’s decision.
“This is a step in the right direction, a timely step and one that encourages others to join in and give the right definition and name for Palestine instead of Palestinian territories,” said Dr. Sabri Saidam, advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“Most of the traffic that happens now happens in the virtual world and this means putting Palestine on the virtual map as well as on the geographic maps,” he added.
Dr. Sabri Saidam said that since the UN vote on November 29, the PA had written to international companies, including Google, asking them to replace their usage of “Palestinian Territories” with “Palestine”.
Reese Witherspoon’s arrest video footage shows how actress got into a drunken confrontation with a police officer which resulted in her detention for disorderly conduct.
The one and a half minute film, taken from the patrol car’s dash camera and posted on TMZ, shows Reese Witherspoon luring and screaming at a police officer in Atlanta, Georgia following her husband Jim Toth’s arrest for DUI.
Reese Witherspoon, 37, was arrested for on April 19 after disobeying an officer’s order to stay in the car.
After repeated requests from the police officer and her husband to stay quiet, Reese Witherspoon’s antagonistic exchange with the police officer ended in her being handcuffed and charged.
In the video, an agitated Reese Witherspoon attempts to protest after husband Jim Toth was handcuffed after failing a field sobriety test.
The officer told the actress several times to sit down and stay in the car, much to her chagrin.
“I’m pregnant and I need to use the restroom,” she calls to the officer – but she later revealed on Good Morning America on Thursday was untrue.
Seemingly unable to listen, Reese Witherspoon gets out of the car and begins arguing with the officer who promptly arrests her.
“Do you know my name sir?” she asks the policeman, who responds with a curt, “Don’t need to know.”
“You don’t NEED to know my name?” she asks.
Reese Witherspoon appeared on Good Morning America on Thursday, in her first interview since her arrest
“You’re about to find out who I am,” the actress adds.
Clearly furious at being handcuffed, Reese Witherspoon begins to indignantly accuse the officer of harassment.
“I’m a U.S. citizen… I’m allowed to stand on American ground and ask any question I want to ask,” she screams.
“You’re harassing me as an American citizen. You better not arrest me.”
Even more damming for Reese Witherspoon was her husband’s rather embarrassed reaction to her outburst after she is handcuffed.
“I’m sorry. I had absolutely nothing to do with that,” Jim Toth told the officer.
Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon pleaded “no contest” to charges stemming from her disorderly conduct arrest two weeks ago.
The actress was not in the Atlanta court to hear her lawyer Bruce Morris enter the plea on Thursday.
Reese Witherspoon was ordered to pay a $213 fine on the charge of “physical obstruction of another”, according to TMZ.
However, Jim Toth was in court to enter a guilty plea for DUI.
The judge told him: “Consider yourself fortunate you didn’t injure your passenger [Reese Witherspoon] and didn’t kill anyone.”
Jim Toth, a talent agent for CAA, received no jail time, but must perform 40 hours of community service and attend an alcohol education programme.
He has also been placed on probation for 12 months.
Reese Witherspoon appeared on Good Morning America on Thursday, in her first interview since her arrest.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the incident, the actress said: “It was just one of those nights – we went out to dinner and had one too many glasses of wine.
“We thought we were OK to drive but we definitely were not. We are just so sorry this happened. We know better than that. It’s something that will absolutely never happen again.
“I had no idea what I was thinking that night. I saw him arrest my husband and I just panicked. I said all kinds of crazy things to the officer. I even told him I was pregnant. I am not pregnant!”
When asked what she said to her children about the incident, Reese Witherspoon told ABC: “The worst part was having to speak to the kids.
“We are so embarrassed by it but we just had to tell them that when you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility. We were honest with them.”
Reese Witherspoon has two children aged 13 and 9 with her first husband Ryan Phillippe and an 8-month-old baby with Jim Toth.
A US tanker aircraft has crashed after taking off from the Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan, local reports say.
The cargo plane had left the US Manas airbase near the capital Bishkek, officials told AFP.
The aircraft came down near the village of Chaldovar, about 160km (100 miles) west of the US Transit Center at Manas, the Kyrgyz emergencies ministry said.
The emergency situations ministry said the plane had broken into three pieces but information about casualties has yet to be released.
A US tanker aircraft has crashed after taking off from the Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan
Seven crew members died when a US civilian cargo plane crashed at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan on Monday.
Witnesses of the Kyrgyzstan crash told local media that they heard a boom and saw an explosion.
The transport plane was carrying a cargo of fuel when it disappeared off the radar near the mountain village of Chaldovar, close to the border with Kazakhstan, Reuters reported.
Rescue services went to the scene, a spokesman for the emergency situations ministry said.
However, local media reported that fire engines were struggling to reach the wreckage due to the mountainous terrain.
The US military uses the Manas airbase to maintain its operations in Afghanistan.
Lindsay Lohan was just arriving in California to enter the rehab when she changed her mind about checking in to a treatment facility at the last possible moment.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, was scheduled to enter rehab on Thursday morning to begin her 90 days of court-ordered treatment.
The actress is reported to have never checked into Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, and is said to have wanted to return to New York, but never caught a flight out.
Law enforcement sources now tell TMZ that prosecutors will seek an arrest warrant for Lindsay Lohan if she’s not back in rehab by sunrise.
Lindsay Lohan’s whereabouts are not currently known.
A source toldRadar that Lindsay Lohan has apparently been saying for the past six hours that she is ”going to return to the rehab facility but she hasn’t yet”.
“She felt Morningside was not suitable for her,” another source told Us Weeklyabout Lindsay Lohan’s decision to leave.
“There were too many paparazzi everywhere and she didn’t feel safe. Nobody close to her is happy about this. They think she’s really not being smart.”
The star allegedly got “spooked” by the paparazzi and insisted on being taken back to the airport.
“She was saying, <<I’m not going to rehab. I’m not going to rehab. Take me back to the airport>>,” a source told The New York Daily News.
Lindsay Lohan’s decision to leave rehab came while her lawyer Mark Heller was in court telling a judge that she had entered the facility at 8.45 a.m.
Lindsay Lohan’s SUV arrived at the California facility but the vehicle left with the actress still inside, according to TMZ.
The website alleges that Lindsay Lohan was spotted at a Fry’s Electronics store in Fountain Valley at 9 a.m., while at the same time her lawyer was in court asserting she had already checked into rehab.
Lindsay Lohan is reported to have never checked into Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, and is said to have wanted to return to New York, but never caught a flight out
RadarOnline, however, reports that Lindsay Lohan did in fact walk through the doors of the facility, but left a few minutes after.
“She told people there that she didn’t need rehab,” a source told Radar.
“And then she left. Everyone was stunned.”
Lindsay Lohan’s father Michael also confirmed to Radar that his daughter never checked in.
“I have no other choice than to get this out there to help Lindsay,” he said.
Michael Lohan appears to have put Lindsay off spending her court ordered 90 days at Seaford.
“I told her it’s like a motel, and you share a room and have a plastic shower curtain. You can’t smoke, you can’t leave the property. She said, <<What?!>>” he told The New York Daily News.
Lindsay Lohan’s failure to check in to the facility is likely a violation of her recent plea deal. According to the newspaper, she was on her way to the airport to board a flight for New York.
“If there’s credible confirmation she’s heading back to New York, then I’m going to have to go in and ask the court to issue a warrant,” Santa Monica City Attorney Terry White told the paper.
“If that’s the case I have been told that she will be arrested in New York and her bail will be set at $100,000,” Michael Lohan told Radar.
Michael Lohan told the Daily News he spoke to Lindsay before the flight, pleading with her not to get on it.
“She said, <<Daddy, how can they arrest me?>> I got her just before she left,” her father said.
Adding to the confusion, Lindsay Lohan wasn’t even meant to be at Morningside.
Instead she was due to spend her stint at the New York based Seafield Centre after pleading no contest to charges of lying to police about driving during a car crash last June.
Lindsay Lohan switched facilities after apparently deciding she didn’t want to attend Seafield because it banned smoking.
At the exact time the troubled actress was said to be wandering around the electronics store, her lawyer Mark Heller was in court pleading to get the okay from the judge that Morningside would suffice.
Going to a different centre unapproved by the court technically broke her plea agreement, meaning her attorney was required to appear before a judge.
Mark Heller was attempting to convince Judge James R. Dabney to approve of the switch.
He argued that as Lindsay Lohan has already entered and is “ensconced” in the program, it could effect her recovery should she have to move facilities.
“She’s going to be meeting with a psychiatrist later today,” Mark Heller explained yesterday, reinforcing that the star is “commencing immediate treatment”.
The news comes amid claims that the Morningside centre in fact does not even have a license to offer residential treatment as it was revoked in May 2012.
According to TMZ, Morningside had their license suspended after they were found to be careless with prescription drugs and went beyond the constraints of the license.
The Deputy Director of Licensing and Certificates at the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs told the website: “Morningside cannot give any treatment, as the rehab centre is allegedly only allowed to provide a sober living facility.”
But Morningside Recovery released a statement on Thursday claiming the facility does in fact have a license to provide drug and alcohol treatment.
The facility’s CEO Mary Helen Beatificato said the 2011 revocation of Morningside’s license only hinders the centre’s ability to provide detox services to residents.
The judge however didn’t seem to have too many qualms about the switch to that particular facility, despite the fact that it was not on a list of six centres approved by the court.
“It does appear to comply,” Judge James R. Dabney said, adding that the prosecution had eight days to decide whether or not they will agree with the centre being approved.
“I don’t have any problems with Miss Lohan remaining in this program until the issue is resolved,” he said.
“If we decide the program does not meet the requirements of the plea agreement then she will have to move to a different program.”
The judge explained: “The issue is going to be whether or not we need to set a hearing because the people are complaining [the centre] does not fit the parameters.”
Mark Heller and Terry White of the prosecution will reconvene in front of the judge on May 10, at which point it will be determined whether or not they will set a date for a restitution hearing.
Lindsay Lohan’s lawyer said he has faith that Morningside will be approved, even though White claimed he had three separate news articles which showed the facility in a bad light.
“If [White] says he’s satisfied then I don’t think we have to come back,” Mark Heller said.
He added: “I’m 100% sure he will be satisfied.”
The attorney then claimed that he will “make sure [Lindsay Lohan] stays in therapy”, and had called in the COO of Morningside in the hope that she could win over Terry White.
The judge later stated that Lindsay Lohan will not have to appear in court as the case continues “as long as she is in compliance”.
In addition, none of Lindsay Lohan’s progress reports are to be released to the public aside from “proof of completion” at the end of her stay.
Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev initially planned to attack Boston’s 4th of July Independence Day celebrations, US media have reported.
But they finished making the bombs more quickly than expected at Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s home, anonymous US officials are quoted as saying.
It is unclear if they planned to target a specific event, but Boston hosts major 4th of July festivities each year.
Meanwhile, the body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been claimed by family.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety confirmed a funeral home hired by his relatives picked up the remains on Thursday.
The suspect’s widow, Katherine Russell, gave consent a day earlier for the body to be released.
Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev initially planned to attack Boston’s 4th of July Independence Day celebrations
His uncle Ruslan Tsarni, who lives in the state of Maryland, said on Tuesday night the family would take the remains.
The medical examiner has said Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s cause of death has been determined, but the information will not be released until a death certificate has been filed. It was unclear if that had happened on Thursday evening.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died after a gun battle with police during which he was run over by his younger brother as he fled the scene in a vehicle, police have said.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, who was later captured and is recovering in a prison hospital from gunshot wounds, reportedly told FBI investigators of the plan for a 4th of July attack.
He also told interrogators that the two of them had initially considered suicide attacks, the New York Times reports.
Instead Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev decided to use pressure-cookers to make the two bombs they allegedly detonated on April 15 near the Boston Marathon finish line, killing three people and wounding 264.
Also according to the newspaper, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators he and his brother had listened to internet sermons by Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born al-Qaeda suspect killed in a 2011 drone strike in Yemen.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces a possible death sentence if convicted for his alleged role in the Boston attack.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev lived with his wife, Katherine Russell, and their three-year-old daughter, Zahara, in an apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Police have said they found bomb material at the residence.
The FBI has removed evidence, including DNA samples, from the Rhode Island home of Katherine Russell’s parents, where she has been staying since her husband’s death.
Katherine Russell’s lawyers say she did not know much about her husband’s activities because she spent most of her time outside the home working as a health aide while he watched their child.
Three of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s college friends appeared in court on Wednesday, accused of obstructing the police investigation into the attacks.
Police say Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev – both from Kazakhstan – threw away the suspect’s backpack after realizing he was one of the bombers.
Robel Phillipos, a US citizen, is accused of lying to investigators.
The backpack was recovered at a landfill site. A lawyer for Dias Kadyrbayev told CNN his client had turned over the laptop to the FBI, but did not specify when.
Jeff Hanneman, founding member and guitarist of metal band Slayer, has died at the age of 49.
A statement on Slayer’s Facebook page said Jeff Hanneman died of liver failure in California on Thursday.
Since 2011, Jeff Hanneman had been suffering from necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease that he is believed to have contracted from a spider bite.
On its website, Slayer paid tribute to “Our Brother Jeff Hanneman, May He Rest In Peace (1964 – 2013).”
The guitarist is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister and two brothers.
Jeff Hanneman, founding member and guitarist of metal band Slayer, has died at the age of 49
“Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11am this morning near his Southern California home,” the statement said.
Jeff Hanneman was being treated in a local hospital when he “suffered liver failure,” it added.
Slayer, co-founded by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, became one of the “big four” thrash metal groups of the 1980s, along with Anthrax, Megadeth and Metallica.
Over the past three decades, Slayer released nine studio albums and performed at thousands of live shows.
Musicians who paid tribute on Twitter included Guns’n’Roses guitarist Slash: “Tragic and shocking news about Jeff Hanneman. He is going to missed by so many. What a sad day for Metal. RIP man”.
The Recording Academy also released a statement, describing Jeff Hanneman as “an intense and powerful guitarist and a force to be reckoned with on stage”.
President Neil Portnow said: “The music industry has lost a true trailblazer, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, his bandmates and fans around the world who mourn his untimely passing.”
Slayer are due to play a series of gigs in the coming months, including UK’s Bloodstock Open Air metal festival in Derbyshire and Spain’s Resurrection festival, both in August.
Pope Emeritus Benedict has returned to the Vatican, two months after becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years.
The former pope was flown by helicopter from the Castel Gandolfo papal summer residence to live permanently in Vatican City.
Greeted by Pope Francis as he arrived, Benedict was driven the short distance to his new accommodation.
Ex-Pope Benedict, 86, was last seen in public on March 23 and there has been speculation about his health.
Observers said at the time he appeared more frail than when he stepped down on February 28.
However, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said this week that Emeritus Pope Benedict was not ill.
Pope Emeritus Benedict has returned to the Vatican, two months after becoming the first pontiff to resign in 600 years
Hours after his arrival, the Vatican issued a photograph of Benedict shaking hands with Pope Francis. However, unlike his departure from the Vatican, there was no live TV coverage of his return.
Benedict will live in the converted Mater Ecclesiae convent just behind St Peter’s Basilica, with his personal secretary, Georg Gaenswein.
The building, described as “small but well equipped” by Federico Lombardi, includes an attached chapel, a library and a study.
There is also a guest room available for when his older brother, Georg Ratzinger, visits.
The Vatican said Pope Francis welcomed Benedict “with great and fraternal cordiality”.
The two then held a “brief moment of prayer” in Benedict’s chapel.
Benedict will now dedicate himself to a life of private prayer in the service of the Church, according to the Vatican.
His arrival heralds an unprecedented era of a former pope living close to his successor at the Vatican.
But at the time of his abdication, Benedict suggested he would not try influence his successor, saying he would live out the rest of his days “hidden from the world”.
At a meeting in March with Pope Francis, he also repeated “unconditional reverence and obedience” to his successor.
When he resigned, Pope Benedict cited his advanced age as the reason, saying he no longer had the strength for “an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry”.
Jodie Foster and Cydney Bernard were spotted meeting up for a casual coffee date at Starbucks in Los Angeles’ posh Bel-Air neighborhood.
They split up almost five years ago but Jodie Foster, 50, still shares two boys with Cydney Bernard, 60.
The actress appeared happy to be able to catch up with Cydney Bernard, a film production manager who was her live-in partner for 15 years until their split in 2008.
Jodie Foster and Cydney Bernard had lots to talk about as they share parenting duties of Jodie’s biological sons Charles, 14, and Kit, 11.
Jodie Foster and Cydney Bernard were spotted meeting up for a casual coffee date at Starbucks in Los Angeles’ posh Bel-Air neighborhood
Toward the end of their get-together, Jodie Foster gave Cydney Bernard a lingering hug that showed how much she still cares for the woman she has called her “righteous soul sister in life”.
Jodie Foster ended years of speculation regarding her sexuality by coming out publicly at the Golden Globe Awards in January during which she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
In an emotional speech, Jodie Foster paid loving tribute to Cydney Bernard, who has been her mentor, friend and much more.
“I guess I just have just a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never really been able to air in public,” the actress said.
“[It’s] a declaration that I’m a little nervous about – but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now. I’m just going to put it out there – loud and proud. I’m single.”
Jodie Foster continued: “This is not going to be a big coming out speech tonight because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the stone age – in those very quaint days when a fragile girl would open up to trusted friends and family and coworkers and then gradually proudly to everyone who knew her.
“But now apparently I’m told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance and a primetime reality show.”
Jodie Foster then thanked her “heroic co-parent, my ex partner in love, but righteous soul sister in life. My confessor… most beloved BFF of 20 years, Cydney Bernard”.
“Thank you, Cyd. I am so proud of our modern family, our amazing sons, Charlie and Kit who are my reason to breathe and to evolve…
“Boys, in case you didn’t know it, this song, like all of this, this song is for you.”
Jodie Foster has never revealed the name of her sons’ biological father.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s ex-girlfriend says that she was so attracted to him when she saw him outside that she immediately went over and flirted.
“I met him standing outside a building and honestly, his face was enough to capture my heart. I walked right up to him and I was like, <<Oh my God, you are adorable. Can we hang out?>> I’m very forward,” the girl told Mother Jones.
The girl, who is a fellow UMASS-Dartmouth student that is not releasing her name, started a romantic relationship with Boston Marathon suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev last fall that only lasted about two weeks.
During that time, the girl also met his three friends – Dias Kadyrbayev, Azamat Tazhayakov and Robel Phillipos – who were arrested on Wednesday for destroying evidence and lying to federal investigators.
The girl said that they all looked up to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, whom they referred to as “Jahar”.
“They all sort of idolized Jahar,” she said.
Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, both Kazakh nationals, were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice by destroying evidence. American Robel Phillipos is charged with knowingly and willfully making false statements to investigators.
Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
She said that she met the three other young men through Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, though she described him as being the “leader of his group”.
The girl said that she was shocked by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s involvement in the bombing, as well as any help that he received from his friends.
“There was no indication that they were crazy at all. They just seemed goofy, kind of lackadaisical, not interested in their studies. But, you know, whatever, it was their first semester of college. No one really cared about books,” she said.
Dhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and the unidentified young woman spent their time together involved listening to music and smoking pot, though she says she ended things when he wanted to move faster than she did though she doesn’t consider that as an indication that he was bound to be a killer.
“I don’t think that’s necessarily being a terrorist. I think that’s just called being a hands-y teenaged boy,” she said.
The girl told Mother Jones that she was surprised by implications that the bombing had anything to do with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s religious beliefs as he never mentioned his religion during their time together.
She said that Dias Kadyrbayev, who seemed the closest to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was more conservative as he once made a comment to her at a party about her dress being too revealing.
After Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Dias Kadyrbayev appears to be the most in-command of the group as he was the one who texted.
Dias Kadyrbayev, 19, warned his friend that that he was plastered across television news outlets.
“Tsarnaev’s return texts contained <<lol>> and other things Kadyrbayev interpreted as jokes,” documents say.
On the same day that the FBI released pictures and video clips of the Tsarnaev brothers at the bomb scene, Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov removed items from the younger bomber’s dorm room.
That was just two days before the FBI searched the room.
The criminal complaint lists that they removed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s backpack from his room and “agreed to get rid of it after concluding from news reports that Tsarnaev was one of the Boston Marathon bombers”.
The three friends- Dias Kadyrbayev, Azamat Tazhayakov and Robel Phillipos- went over to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s on-campus dormitory after seeing the news reports.
When the group arrived at the dorm, Dias Kadyrbayev showed Azamat Tazhayakov a text from the bomber that said: “I’m about to leave if you need something in my room take it.”
He did not specify where he was going, but Azamat Tazhayakov told investigators that he felt that this meant he would never see Dzhokhar Tsarnaev alive again.
Dias Kadyrbayev “knew when he saw the empty fireworks that Tsarnaev was involved in the Marathon bombing”.
Azamat Tazhayakov, 19, was more alarmed because the tubes had been emptied but not destroyed, meaning that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could have either used the explosives or planned to use them.
Dias Kadyrbayev found Vaseline in the room, which he told the others Dzhokhar Tsarnaev used to make bombs.
At one point in the police interviews, Azamat Tazhayakev said that during a meal a month before the attack, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told him and Dias Kadyrbayev that he knew how to make a bomb.
Dias Kadyrbayev was reportedly the one who “decided to remove the backpack from the room in order to help his friend Tsarnaev avoid trouble”.
In a slightly unexpected explanation, Dias Kadyrbayev says that he took Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s laptop because he did not want to the roommate to think that he was “stealing or behaving suspiciously by just taking the backpack”.
Kim Kardashian’s baby girl due date could be June 18, earlier than July as has been predicted, as Kanye West made a cryptic comment on his Twitter account mentioning that day.
Kanye West, 35, has returned to Twitter after a lengthy hiatus to upload just one, tantalizingly cryptic comment that reads just: “June Eighteen.”
The rapper deleted his entire Twitter presence back in October 2012, so this new portentous tweet must herald something big in the offing.
There’s also rampant speculation that the date could be related to the long-awaited release of Kanye West’s new album, Cruel Summer.
Kim Kardashian’s baby girl due date could be June 18
It could also mean a tour is in the works.
But the most likely explanation is that Kanye West has been also working on a new fashion line in Paris – as well as putting the final touches to Cruel Summer – and it will debut on that date.
It all fits in, Kanye West’s British design partner Katie Eary, an up-and-coming designer who graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2008, is to show on June 18th at London Fashion Week’s Menswear viewing.
The date and clues all point to a Kanye West collection, she describes him as her “muse” being unveiled in London that day.
It could also explain why Kanye West has needed to be in Paris to record his new album because he could well really need to be there to work on this collection with Katie Eary.
But it being a due date cannot be ruled out.
Kim Kardashian said on the Today show in January that her and Kanye West’s bundle of joy is due in July, but there are suggestions, during a baby shower for fashion stylist Monica Rose at Bagatelle LA, Kim was overheard saying she’s due in mid-June.
Though if Kim Kardashian were trying to keep this secret, it’s unlikely Kanye West would announce it, even cryptically.
Detective Orlando Martinez, who investigated Michael Jackson’s 2005 death, has revealed that Dr. Conrad Murray was $500,000 in debt and willing to do anything to get paid while he was treating the megastar.
Orlando Martinez told jurors on Tuesday that Conrad Murray depended on the $150,000-a-month salary that he received from Michael Jackson’s concert promoter AEG Live.
Lawyers for Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine argued that AEG should have vetted Murray. AEG is defending itself from a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges the company bears responsibility for Dr. Conrad Murray allegedly giving Michael Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol.
Orlando Martinez testified that he looked into Conrad Murray’s finances searching for a financial motive for his role in Michael Jackson’s death and relied mostly on public records. The detective turned up that Conrad Murray’s Las Vegas home was in foreclosure proceedings, and the doctor faced several liens for unpaid child support and other unpaid debts.
The searches led Orlando Martinez to conclude that Conrad Murray’s financial condition was “severely distressed”.
Orlando Martinez said that led him to believe Conrad Murray’s actions were motivated by the $150,000 a month he expected to be paid by AEG.
“He may break the rules, bend the rules, do whatever he needed to do to get paid,” Orlando Martinez said.
“It might solve his money problems.”
Conrad Murray’s finances were not a factor in the criminal case that ended with his 2011 conviction for administering a fatal dose of propofol to Michael Jackson.
Orlando Martinez also showed jurors photographs the various medications officers uncovered in Michael Jackson’s bedroom, including several vials of propofol.
The paramedic who discovered Michael Jackson dead in his bedroom in june 2009 told the jury earlier Tuesday that the King of Pop appeared to have been dead at least an hour when he arrived on the scene.
Michael Jackson’s blue hands, feet and lips, and the star’s dry eyes all signaled to paramedic Richard Senneff that the singer was dead and hadn’t been breathing for a long time.
Det. Orlando Martinez said Dr. Conrad Murray was $500,000 in debt and willing to do anything to get paid while he was treating Michael Jackson
“To me, he looked like someone who was at the end stage of a long disease process,” Richard Senneff said Tuesday during his testimony in the civil case between Michael Jackson’s mother and concert giant AEG Live.
Richard Senneff also recalled how Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, was frantically trying to revive the megastar.
“He was pale, he was sweaty,” the paramedic said of Murray.
“He was very busy.”
Conrad Murray claimed he was treating Michael Jackson for dehydration and he never mentioned propofol, the hospital-grade anesthetic that killed the singer, Richard Senneff said.
He told the panel that he found an IV pole, oxygen tanks and a nightstand with several medicine bottles.
In the nearly four years since his death, nearly every aspect of Michael Jackson’s life has been explored in court proceedings, documentaries, books and news stories.
Still, the negligence case filed by his mother against AEG promises to deliver the most detailed account of the singer’s addiction struggles, including testimony from his ex-wife Debbie Rowe about treatments involving the anesthetic propofol dating back to the 1990s.
Michael Jackson died from a propofol overdose in 2009 while preparing for a series of comeback concerts at AEG’s O2 Arena in London.
Katherine Jackson contends AEG didn’t properly investigate Conrad Murray, the doctor who later administered the fatal dose. The company denies wrongdoing.
During opening statements, attorneys framed Michael Jackson’s prescription drug addiction through the prism of his superstar status.
Attorney Brian Panish, who represents Katherine Jackson, said the drug problems worsened when the pop star was under the stress of live performances.
AEG attorney Marvin S. Putnam countered that Michael Jackson’s stardom provided a cover to receive multiple, secret medical treatments, many involving propofol.
At one point in the proceedings, the harsh portrayal of Michael Jackson’s struggle with addiction, led one juror to lean forward and stare at the floor for several moments.
Katherine Jackson and two of the superstar’s children, Prince and Paris, are potential witnesses whose testimony will likely focus heavily on their grieving and losses.
On Monday, Brian Panish played a song Michael Jackson wrote for his children as a montage of photos played during opening statements. He also read a handwritten note from Michael Jackson that his mother framed and has hanging on her wall.
“The only way you can assess damages, is to know what they had,” Brian Panish said before reading the letter and playing You Are My Life.
Katherine Jackson dabbed her eyes with a tissue. On Tuesday, she left the courtroom while the paramedic described her son’s condition on the day he died.
It may be several days before jurors get another look at Michael Jackson’s softer side.
The trial will also feature testimony on Michael Jackson’s troubled finances, with debts that reached nearly $400 million by the time he died.
AEG contends the debts made him desperate to have a successful concert series.
“The private Michael Jackson was like a lot of American in the 2000s, spending a lot more than he was making,” Marvin S. Putnam told the jury after describing Michael Jackson’s lavish Neverland Ranch, his art collection and other spending.
Many other private moments from Michael Jackson’s life will be exposed as the case progresses over the next several months, with witnesses expected to testify about secret medical treatments, lavish spending and tender moments spent with his mother and children.
It appears Kris Kross’ Chris Kelly has died of a suspected drug overdose after being found unresponsive at his home, police have said.
Yesterday police were called to Chris Kelly’s home by the rapper’s cousin at around 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday. After which he was taken to Atlanta Medical Centre.
Chris Kelly, 34, – half of Kris Kross rap duo famous for the hit song Jump – was pronounced dead at 5 p.m.
It appears Kris Kross’ Chris Kelly has died of a suspected drug overdose after being found unresponsive at his home
As yet there is no official confirmation of the cause of death but Cpl Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police said: “It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose.”
An autopsy is due to be held on Thursday.
Chris Kelly, known as Mac Daddy, performed alongside Chris Smith, known as Daddy Mac, in the early and mid-90s.
The duo’s hit song Jump, from their 1992 debut album, Totally Krossed Out, helped propel them to stardom and sales of four million copies in the US, topping the Billboard charts for eight weeks.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to cut its benchmark interest rate to a new record low amid ongoing worries about the eurozone’s economy.
The widely-expected cut to 0.50% from 0.75% is the first in 10 months.
Worries about eurozone economies were underlined on Thursday with data showing manufacturing activity across the 17-nation bloc shrank in April.
In Germany, the eurozone’s biggest economy, manufacturing contracted for the second month running.
Official data released on Tuesday showed record high unemployment in the eurozone, and inflation at a three-year low.
Ahead of the ECB’s announcement, many economists were forecasting that lower interest rates were likely, but said the fresh data released this week made the case for a cut even stronger.
ECB president Mario Draghi told a news conference that “weak economic sentiment has extended into the spring of this year.”
“Inflation expectations in the euro area continue to be firmly anchored.”
ECB has decided to cut its benchmark interest rate to a new record low amid ongoing worries about the eurozone’s economy
“The cut in interest rates should contribute to support a recovery later in the year,” he added.
There are concerns that the ECB’s low interest rates are not feeding through to those economies most in need of a boost, with potential lenders still worried about the economic health of countries such as Greece and Spain.
“Monetary policy stance will remain ‘accommodative’ for as long as needed,” Mario Draghi said.
“We will monitor very closely all incoming information, and assess any impact on the outlook for price stability.”
Mario Draghi said that the ECB was prepared to cut interest rates further should conditions make it necessary. He also said the central bank was “technically ready” for negative deposit rates.
The euro fell sharply on the comments, losing 0.6% against the pound to 84.135p, edging it towards the recent low of 83.98p that it reached on April 26. Against the dollar, the euro fell below $1.31.
In recent months there have been growing calls for European countries to move away from austerity measures, which critics say are stifling growth. Instead there are calls for a greater focus on stimulus measures.
Both French President Francois Hollande and newly-elected Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta have urged a reconsideration of austerity policies.
On Thursday, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said governments must take immediate action to promote growth and the creation of jobs because patience with austerity measures is wearing thin in some countries.
“Taking these measures is more urgent than anything,” he told a conference in Portugal.
“After three years of firefights, patience with austerity is wearing understandably thin.”
A cut in interest rates lowers the costs for troubled banks that have taken emergency loans from the ECB, and could help them repair their finances so they can improve lending. But analysts were divided over whether the cut would have much of an impact.
Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) on Thursday highlighted the problems facing many eurozone countries. The index for Germany’s manufacturing sector, which accounts for around a fifth of the economy, fell to 48.1 in April from 49 in March. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.
And in France, Italy and Spain, the eurozone’s next three biggest economies, the PMI data also revealed contractions in manufacturing activity.
For the 17-nation eurozone bloc as a whole, the PMI index fell to 46.7 last month, from March’s 46.8.
“There is nothing here to suggest that manufacturing will turn the corner and stabilize any time soon, putting greater onus on policymakers to act quickly to reinvigorate growth,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, which collates the PMI figures.
A new report by the UN food agency and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network has found that nearly 260,000 people died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012.
Half of them were children under the age of five, says the report.
The number of deaths was higher than the estimated 220,000 people who died during the 1992 famine.
The crisis was caused by a severe drought, worsened by conflict between rival groups fighting for power.
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) senior economist Mark Smulders said the “true enormity of this human tragedy” had emerged for the first time from the study, done jointly with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).
“By nature, estimating mortality in emergencies is an imprecise science, but given the quantity and quality of data that were available, we are confident in the strength of the study,” said FEWS NET official Chris Hillbruner.
Somalia famine killed 260,000 people from 2010 to 2012
“It suggests that what occurred in Somalia was one of the worst famines in the last 25 years,” he added.
The UN first declared a famine in July 2011 in Somalia’s Southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions, which were controlled by the militant Islamist group al-Shabab, which is aligned to al-Qaeda.
It denied there was a famine and banned several Western aid agencies from operating in its areas.
The famine later spread to other areas, including Middle Shabelle, Afgoye and at camps for displaced people in the government-controlled capital, Mogadishu.
An estimated 4.6% of the total population and 10% of children under five died in southern and central Somalia, the report says.
“The report confirms we should have done more before the famine was declared,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.
“Warnings that began as far back as the drought in 2010 did not trigger sufficient early action,” he said in a statement, AFP news agency reports.
In Lower Shabelle, 18% of children under five died and in Mogadishu 17%, the report said.
Somalia was worst hit by extreme drought in 2011 that affected more than 13 million people across the Horn of Africa.
Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in search of food.
The UN declared the famine over in February 2012.
“While conditions in Somalia have improved in recent months, the country still has one of the highest rates of child malnutrition and infant mortality in the world,” Ben Foot, from the charity Save the Children, said in a statement.
During more than 20 years of civil war, Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battle for control – a situation that has allowed lawlessness to flourish.
Last September, a UN-backed government came to power, after eight years of transitional rule, bringing some stability to some areas.
British presenter Stuart Hall has admitted 14 charges of indecent assault involving 13 victims including one as young as nine.
James Stuart Hall, 83, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to the offences, involving 13 victims, which occurred between 1967 and 1985.
A further three charges of indecent assault and one of rape have been left to lie on the court file.
Stuart Hall has been bailed until sentencing on June 17. His lawyer said the presenter wished to apologize to his victims.
Stuart Hall has admitted 14 charges of indecent assault involving 13 victims including one as young as nine
Crispin Aylett QC added: “He is not a man easily moved to self pity but he is all too aware that his disgrace is complete.”
Stuart Hall admitted the offences last month but they could not be revealed due to reporting restrictions.
Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West, Nazir Afzal, described Stuart Hall as an “opportunistic predator”.
The prosecutor added: “We prosecuted Stuart Hall because the evidence of the victims clearly established a pattern of behavior that was unlawful and for which no innocent explanation could be offered.
“His victims did not know each other and almost two decades separated the first and last assaults but almost all of the victims, including one who was only nine at the time of the assault, provided strikingly similar accounts.
“Whether in public or private, Hall would first approach under friendly pretences and then bide his time until the victim was isolated.
“I would like to thank the victims for having had the bravery to come forward. This case clearly shows that the victims of abuse will not be denied justice by the passage of time and abusers will be held to account.”
Nazir Afzal said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would not be proceeding with the rape charge as the woman who made the allegation no longer wished to give evidence in light of the guilty pleas.
The court heard in the 1980s Stuart Hall molested a 9-year-old girl by putting his hand up her clothing.
The presenter also kissed a 13-year-old girl on the lips after he said to her: “People need to show thanks in other ways.”
On another occasion in the 1970s he fondled the breast of a girl aged 16 or 17, the court was told.
Stuart Hall was initially arrested in December and made a statement labeling the claims “pernicious, callous, cruel and above all spurious”.
He has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century, and was awarded an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours.
Stuart Hall was It’s A Knockout presenter and was working as a football commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live and wrote a weekly sport column for the Radio Times magazine until his arrest.
