Lawyer slams cops who say Lindsay Lohan violated probation

LOS ANGELES | Tue Jan 4, 2011 7:16pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lindsay Lohan's lawyer on Tuesday slammed police for saying the actress violated her probation in a skirmish with a worker at the California rehab center where she spent three months in treatment.

Lohan, 24, completed her court-ordered rehab on Monday at the Betty Ford Center near Palm Springs, and on Tuesday was seen for the first time at a posh hotel in Beverly Hills with her father and her "Freaky Friday" co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.

But her legal troubles were far from over after police in Riverside, California, said Lohan should be charged with battery over a December skirmish with a Betty Ford Center worker, even though the victim wants the case dropped.

If a formal charge is filed by prosecutors, it could mean Lohan violated her probation on a 2007 drunk driving and drug conviction and a judge might decide to send her to jail.

Lohan is accused of pushing staff member Dawn Holland on December 12 and snatching a telephone from her hand after being asked to take an alcohol breath test at the Betty Ford Center.

"The investigation determined Ms. Lohan violated several aspects of her probation, including the battery," Riverside police said in a statement.

Lohan's lawyer Shawn Holley Chapman on Tuesday fired back, saying police had overstepped their bounds. "The fact that the Palm Desert Police Department...(issued) a press statement expressing its opinion about what should happen in Ms. Lohan's case is highly unusual and deeply troubling," she said.

Police said they had sent the case to prosecutors for a decision on possible charges.

Lohan's stay at Betty Ford was her fifth stint in rehab in three years and came after she failed a random drug test while on probation for the 2007 drunk driving and drug conviction.

She managed to evade the waiting media when leaving the center, but celebrity website Radaronline on Tuesday posted grainy video of Lohan hugging Curtis in the lobby of a Beverly Hills hotel that is often frequented by celebrities.

"I'm doing fine. It's so great to see you," Lohan told Curtis, according to the post on Radaronline. The two starred in the 2003 hit "Freaky Friday" when Lohan was considered one of the most promising young actresses in Hollywood.

Lohan, who lost her starring role in an upcoming movie about 1970s porn star Linda Lovelace due to her personal problems, is due back in court in Beverly Hills for a progress hearing in February. Last year she spent two stints in jail for violating probation on the conviction.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Prosecutors claim Jackson doctor acted too slowly

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES | Tue Jan 4, 2011 3:10pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The doctor charged in the death of pop star Michael Jackson removed evidence from the scene before seeking help when he found the singer unconscious, a prosecutor said on Tuesday.

The accusations came during a preliminary hearing in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who was caring for Jackson when he died of a drug overdose on June 25, 2009, and is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the singer's death.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said more than 20 minutes passed between the time Murray discovered the 50-year-old megastar in his bed not breathing and when a member of Jackson's security team called paramedics.

"It is important that at this point 911 (emergency service) has not been called or ordered to be called by Dr. Murray," Walgren told the judge in the Los Angeles courtroom, which included reporters and members of Jackson's family.

"Instead, Dr. Murray is having (a staff member) assist him in collecting medical evidence and various paraphernalia," Walgren said.

Jackson, among the best-selling recording artists of all time whose hits include "Thriller," died after a dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol that is typically used in surgery but which Jackson asked for as a sleep aid.

Murray, a Houston-based doctor with a second practice in Las Vegas, was hired to care for Jackson in advance of a series of concerts in London that were to have begun in July.

Prosecutors believe Murray administered an overdose of propofol. In the preliminary hearing, they will offer evidence to advance their theory, and a judge will determine if the facts are strong enough to bring Murray for a full trial, possibly in front of a jury.

Murray has admitted giving Jackson propofol, but has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In a separate hearing last week, Walgren said prosecutors believe the defense will claim Jackson may have died by injecting himself with propofol. [nN29261854]

Prosecutors have said they expect to call as many as 30 witnesses in the preliminary hearing.

After opening statements, Walgren called longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega to the stand as Jackson's mother Katherine, his sister La Toya and brother Jackie looked on.

Legal experts expect the judge to rule that evidence does exist to force Murray to stand trial.

(Writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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"Social Network" among Hollywood producers nominees

NEW YORK | Tue Jan 4, 2011 12:00pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Producers Guild of America Tuesday unveiled nominees for their film and television awards with "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech" among nominees for best-produced movie.

Those two films were joined by "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Inception," "The Fighter," "The Kids Are All Right," "The Town," "Toy Story 3," and "True Grit" on the PGA's list of top films as Hollywood counts the days until the February 27 Oscars, the industry's biggest movie awards held in Los Angeles.

Producers Guild and other industry honors can provide a lift to theater ticket sales and Oscar chances because many members of the PGA also belong to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, whose members cast votes for the Oscars.

The PGA picks for best documentary were "Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer," about the former New York governor's hiring of prostitutes, Rwandan genocide tale "Earth Made of Glass," as well as "Inside Job" that aims to explain the banking crisis.

"Smash His Camera" about celebrity-chasing photographer Ron Galella, "The Tillman Story," that examines the death of U.S. football star-turned soldier Pat Tillman in Afghanistan and "Waiting for Superman," that details the failures of the U.S. educational system, rounded out the documentary nominees.

The honor for best-produced animated movie puts "Despicable Me," up against "How To Train Your Dragon," and "Toy Story 3."

But the PGA's top honor is best feature film, a category that many of its nominees including Facebook drama "The Social Network," "The King's Speech" and family comedy "The Kids Are All Right," have already been put up for several other industry awards and are tipped to feature at the Oscars.

The PGA also recognizes work for U.S. television programs. In the category for best production of a TV drama, "Breaking Bad," will compete against "Dexter," "Lost," "Mad Men," and "True Blood."

Nominees for TV comedy went to the producers of "30 Rock," Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Glee," "Modern Family," and "The Office."

The Producers Guild of America hands out its awards at a gala ceremony in Los Angeles on January 22.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Patricia Reaney)

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Hard-working Nicolas Cage stars in Crusade thriller

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON | Tue Jan 4, 2011 7:06am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Nicolas Cage is working hard because he has to, but his latest turn as a mediaeval knight in "Season of the Witch" is about more than just paying the bills -- it is a welcome throwback to his childhood.

The supernatural thriller set in plague-stricken 14th century Europe opens in British and U.S. theatres on Friday, and Cage fans will see the "Leaving Las Vegas" star in the unfamiliar surroundings of a period drama.

"For some reason I kind of got swept up in a certain modern and contemporary style of acting and drama, like 'Bad Lieutenant'," the 46-year-old Oscar winner told Reuters in a recent interview to discuss the film.

Season of the Witch follows "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," Werner Herzog's cop drama in which Cage plays the kind of emotionally intense, borderline unhinged character for which he has won most acclaim.

"This (Season of the Witch) was my first chance to really go into the source, the childhood.

"When I was living in California ... my father built this wooden castle for me as a boy and I remember I really got in touch with my imagination there -- I was a sorcerer or I was a knight and because of the castle ... my mind would automatically go toward mediaeval things."

Another reason for taking on the role of the war-weary Crusader Behmen was a change of scenery from the stifling Louisiana interiors of Bad Lieutenant. Season of the Witch took the cast and crew to Hungary and the Austrian Alps.

"I wanted to be in nature, I wanted to be on a horse and in the snow and that's one of the wonderful things you can do as a film actor, you can literally just snap your fingers and be in another dimension and be in a forest."

BEST ACTOR OR WORST?

Cage and co-star Ron Perlman, of "Hellboy" fame, spend much of their screen time on horseback as they escort a young girl, suspected of being a witch and the cause of the plague, to a remote monastery where the action-packed denouement takes place.

The picture, directed by Dominic Sena, blends road movie and buddy film with supernatural thriller and period drama, and has critics wondering if it will be a hit or miss for an actor who divides audiences and exasperates even his most loyal fans.

"Since winning the best actor Oscar ... for Leaving Las Vegas, Mr. Cage has seemingly been choosing roles by throwing darts at a script-covered wall," wrote the New York Times in its cultural preview of the new year.

Cage shrugged off his fluctuating form.

"It's kind of exciting," he said. "It's exactly where I want to be, if you can always keep a little bit of mystery about it. If they can say in the same sentence that I'm the best and I'm the worst, then I think I might be doing something right."

Cage, part of the Coppola movie dynasty, is one of Hollywood's highest paid actors earning $28 million in 2009, according to Vanity Fair estimates.

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Oprah's OWN wins over cynics but many fans lost out

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Mon Jan 3, 2011 4:30pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oprah Winfrey's bold gamble on her OWN TV network debuted to mostly positive reviews and encouraging audience numbers at the weekend, winning over some cynics with its feel-good tone.

But many stalwart Oprah fans expressed dismay that they could not receive the new OWN network without paying to upgrade their cable television packages -- money that several said they could not afford.

The OWN network, a joint venture between the influential talk show host and Discovery Communications that is aimed mostly at middle-aged women, made its debut on Saturday after three years of planning.

According to preliminary Nielsen figures, OWN was watched by an average one million Americans in prime time on Saturday, and was the third biggest ad-supported cable network with women aged 25-54.

Daytime talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show", on free-to-air ABC, attracts about six million U.S. viewers daily. Winfrey, 56, will end the show in the fall of 2011 to focus on OWN.

Initial OWN programing included a behind-the-scenes show about the making of the last season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show", lifestyle advice from the likes of Dr. Phil MGraw and Suze Orman, and the first of a series of in-depth interviews with celebrities including record producer Jay-Z and journalist Diane Sawyer.

New York Times reviewer Alessandra Stanley called the channel a "no cynicism zone" which had "not a snicker of malice or a hint of raillery." Caryn James at Indiewire noted that beneath the "huge amount of lifestyle fluff" there was "a surprising layer of substance."

Media blogger Dan Abrams, a former general manager at cable news channel MSNBC, said his skepticism over whether OWN could create a clear identity in a crowded market had been overcome.

OWN's mission of self-discovery and celebration of one's own "best self" has impeccable timing, Abrams said.

"Weary Americans have grown fatigued with the national sports of bickering and finger pointing. Many are now seeking out a safe place on television far removed from the partisan hectoring, staged altercations and alcohol-induced 'hook-ups' that have come to dominate the airwaves," Abrams wrote in a column for his Mediaite.com website.

Matt Zoller Seitz at Salon.com said he was won over, to his surprise. "We won't just watch OWN; we will gaze upon it with awe and affection and marvel at the sweet magnificence of its founder," he said.

OWN is available in some 80 million homes, or 67 percent of U.S. households, on the channel that used to be occupied by Discovery Health. But many of Winfrey's millions of loyal fans were upset to find they could not access OWN without forking over hundreds of dollars extra to cable TV providers.

"I just cannot tell you how disillusioned (Oprah said "watch, watch, watch my new network") & disappointed. Oprah, did I miss the show that told us your new network was gonna cost us (the viewer) $$$$." wrote joeyskc on the OWN message boards on Monday.

A fan in New Orleans congratulated Winfrey on the new venture, but was concerned that "many people in our area will not be able to watch" the pay-to-view OWN channel. "We love you and will miss you," added Chey925.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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