Jackson doctor defense may say singer killed self

LOS ANGELES | Wed Dec 29, 2010 7:51pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lawyers for the doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson could claim the pop star killed himself when a hearing begins next week, a prosecutor said on Wednesday.

In a court session to discuss evidence in the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said he believes it is clear defense attorneys are looking into that theory, which has long been a consideration.

Outside the courtroom, Murray's attorney J. Michael Flanagan declined to comment on Walgren's statement.

"I'm not going to respond to that characterization. But apparently it is a consideration of Mr. Walgren," Flanagan told reporters.

Walgren spoke at a hearing in which a judge cleared the way for Murray's defense to test residue from syringes and an IV tube used to administer drugs to Jackson.

The "Thriller" singer died at age 50 on June 25, 2009, of an overdose of prescription drugs, primarily the powerful anesthetic propofol which can be used in surgery. Other drugs in Jackson's system included lorazepam, known under the brand names Ativan and Temesta, and diazepam, the generic version of Valium.

Murray, hired as Jackson's physician while the singer prepared for a series of concerts that would have begun in July 2009, has admitted giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep. But Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The court session on the syringe testing came only days before a January 4 start date for a preliminary hearing in which a judge will decide if there is enough evidence against Murray to proceed to a full trial.

Representatives for the prosecution and defense told Reuters they expect the preliminary hearing to begin as planned and take roughly two weeks to complete.

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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Jazz musician Billy Taylor dies at 89

NEW YORK | Wed Dec 29, 2010 5:57pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billy Taylor, a leading jazz musician and composer who introduced the genre to wider audiences as a TV broadcaster, teacher and booster of new talent, died Tuesday in New York of heart failure, age 89.

The Kennedy Center for the performing arts in Washington, D.C., where Taylor had been the artistic director for jazz since 1994, called him "a great statesman and ambassador for jazz throughout the world."

"We are grateful for Dr. Taylor's devotion, friendship and his influence on jazz," Darrell Ayers, vice-president of education and jazz at the Kennedy Center, said in a statement.

Representatives for Taylor cited his daughter, Kim Taylor-Thompson, as saying the cause of death was heart failure.

Taylor was born in Greenville, North Carolina in 1921 and made his way to New York where he played with jazz greats Ben Webster, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald among others.

He began playing professionally in 1944, and as the head of his own trio, Taylor composed over 300 songs and supported future legends such as Charles Mingus.

His song "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," became an anthem for the civil rights movement. But Taylor became famous less as a performer than as one of jazz music's most vocal proponents.

On TV and radio, Taylor developed jazz programs, profiled musicians and broadcast music across the United States. He also taught jazz to people through a variety of means including grass-roots programs, and seminars at Yale University and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he got his PhD and taught as a professor.

Throughout his career, Taylor was awarded the 1992 U.S. National Medal of Arts, was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and received over 20 honorary degrees.

Taylor, who lived in Riverdale, New York, is survived by his wife, Theodora, and daughter. His son, Duane, died in 1988.

(Reporting by Basil Katz; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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"Toy Story 3," "Social Network" top film review list

LOS ANGELES | Wed Dec 29, 2010 2:50pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - They are two movies that figure in Hollywood's Oscar race, and there is good reason why. "Toy Story 3" and "The Social Network" are the best-reviewed films of the year, according to website Rotten Tomatoes

As 2010 draws to an end, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who received their Oscar nomination ballots this week, will be looking at which movies earned the most stars from critics, and Rotten Tomatoes provides answers.

The website (www.rottentomatoes.com) compiles reviews, scores them, and offers readers a way to separate the good from the bad and the just plain rotten.

Judging by their Tomatometer index, Buzz, Woody and all the toys from the Disney/Pixar animated film "Toy Story 3" rank No. 1 with critics, scoring a 99 percent "fresh" rating based on an average from 247 reviews.

Facebook film "The Social Network" is not far behind with a 97 percent positive average from 258 reviews, but Rotten Tomatoes editor-in-chief Matt Atchity said that with a few days left in 2010, more critiques for the October release could possibly come in and tilt the balance.

"If five or six more positive reviews came in, it could change that. But what I can tell you is that it's down to those two movies," Atchity told Reuters when poring over the list of seeking the moniker, "best-reviewed film" of 2010.

"Toy Story 3" was released in June, and all its reviews have been read and scored.

Atchity gave an outside chance to another Oscar hopeful, western "True Grit," saying that if "another few dozen reviews" came in and were all positive, it could be in contention.

Currently "True Grit," which premiered only a week ago, scores a 95 percent positive rating from a compilation of some 167 reviews, and is just behind November drama "The King's Speech" with 96 percent from some 142 reviews saying it was a good choice at movie theaters.

For reviews that are mixed -- not easily deemed good or bad -- Atchity and senior editor Tim Ryan said they sometimes contact the critics to discuss whether that reviewer was positive or negative toward a film.

Atchity said that in the past, generally speaking, there has been a good correlation between the best-reviewed films of the year and Academy Award nominees.

"Reviewers and academy members are both made up of film professionals, and they both know good films," he said.

Academy members give out nominations on January 25, and award winners will be named at a ceremony on February 27.

Meanwhile, the question of which movies are the best-reviewed begs the opposite of what titles were the most rotten. Atchity and Ryan said they had not perused final numbers yet, but a quick look at the site shows little-known title "Vampires Suck" with only three positives from a total 71 reviews for a 4 percent rotten rating.

They are not alone, big-time Hollywood studio production "The Last Airbender" from "Sixth Sense" director M. Night Shyamalan scored a mere 6 percent positive ranking.

Following is a list of the best-reviewed movies on Rotten Tomatoes, organized by their month of their release date:

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Michelle Williams "proud" of "Valentine" sex scene

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES | Wed Dec 29, 2010 11:04am EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michelle Williams scored a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as a wife in a fractured relationship in film drama "Blue Valentine," which hits theaters in major U.S. cities on Wednesday.

Williams, 30, perhaps best known for her performance in "Brokeback Mountain," sat down with Reuters to talk about the independent film that looks at the beginning, and end, of a once happy marriage, the sex scene that sparked controversy, and why she is proud to be a part of it.

Q: Most films are shot out of order, but for "Blue Valentine" director Derek Cianfrance wanted everything shot chronologically -- from the romantic beginning to the broken present. What was that like?

A: "As these things are happening to the character, they're happening to you. The lines get blurry, but it's very exciting to present something that feels as close to life as possible."

Q: You and Ryan took a month off between shooting the past and present and actually lived together in character. Why?

A: "The break was supposed to be a week, but it got extended to a month so that we could learn how to fight with each other and get on each other's nerves."

Q: A week was not enough?

A: "When it came time to close the chapter on the first part of the movie, we were having a hard time switching to the fighting because we had built up this trust in each other. We were hesitant to burn it to the ground. We had gone to the strangest, silliest, most intimate places."

Q: Your characters have a little daughter. Ever think about using your 5-year old daughter for that role?

A: "I think in the context of 'Blue Valentine,' that would have been too strange and not healthy for her at all. The things that were happening -- the bad vibes of a relationship for instance -- felt very real."

Q: Has putting her in film crossed your mind before?

A: "On a different movie it did. In it, there were a few very sweet, very light scenes that were more about playing. They were having a hard time finding a child and I said to the director, 'Gosh, Matilda would be the right age.' ... but then (I) realized if that's something she's interested in, then it's a choice she can make in her own life. It's something she's never expressed interest in doing. Her interests are horseback riding, Flamenco dancing and taking care of puppies (laughs)."

Q: 'Blue Valentine' stirred up some controversy when it got an NC-17 (adults only) rating in the United States because of an oral sex scene. That rating has since been reversed. At the time, what were your thoughts?

A: "It shocked me. It felt like a slap on the hand when I found out about it. When we shot that scene, both Ryan and Derek said to me, 'If this bothers you when you see it in the movie, we'll take it out.'"

Q: So when you saw it, did it bother you?

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