Judge orders Michael Jackson doctor to stand trial

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES | Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:12pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A judge on Tuesday ordered Michael Jackson's doctor to stand trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's drug overdose death and suspended the doctor's California medical license.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor found that enough evidence exists to bring Dr. Conrad Murray to trial for the "Thriller" singer's death in June 2009, due principally to an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol.

"I order the defendant be held to answer" for the crime, Pastor said after six days of testimony in a preliminary hearing as Jackson's sister, LaToya, and his brother, Randy, looked on.

Involuntary manslaughter is defined as an unintentional killing without malice and is a lesser charge than murder. Still, Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

During the hearing, prosecutors brought to the witness stand a Jackson employee who testified that Murray ordered him to hide drug evidence the day the singer died, June 25. Phone records showed Murray called his girlfriend shortly after giving Jackson propofol, instead of caring for the singer.

Coroners ruled Jackson died from propofol and the effect of sedatives including lorazepam, but the anesthetic was the key drug. Propofol is most often used in hospitals, but Jackson took it as a sleep aid. Murray has admitted giving the singer propofol.

Defense attorneys have suggested Jackson may have injected himself with the fatal dose, but a pair of medical experts testified on Tuesday that even if that were the case, Murray was still be responsible because he supplied the propofol.

"It's like a heroin addict -- you're going to walk away from him with a syringe full of heroin next to him? It's the same thing with propofol," said Dr. Richard Ruffalo, an anesthesiologist at California's Hoag Clinic.

MURRAY, A HELP?

Defense attorneys also claimed Murray was trying to get Jackson off drugs to help him.

"Why, all of the sudden on the day that Dr. Conrad Murray is trying to wean off Michael Jackson trying anything else but propofol, would he suddenly be given a dosage that goes above that. That defies common sense," defense attorney Joseph Low said in his summation on Tuesday.

Low even suggested Jackson's drug use had riddled his body and, by age 50, it may have been his time to die.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren seized on that last point, saying: "the standard of care was breached, unfortunately and tragically, over and over again because of Dr. Murray's actions. That is why Michael Jackson is no longer here. Not because it was Michael Jackson's time to go."

Judge Pastor's ruling largely had been expected because the burden of proof is low in a preliminary hearing. Murray is due in court on January 25, at which time a trial date could be set.

Outside the courthouse, Randy Jackson appeared pleased at the outcome. "I think the prosecutors, everyone, did a great job," he told reporters as he was entering his car.

Michael Jackson is a member of the Jackson family of singers and is among the best-selling recording artists of all time. He died of the drug overdose only days ahead of a series of planned comeback concerts in London. Murray had been hired to care for the singer as he rehearsed for those shows.

(Writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Philip Barbara)

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Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel on "Batman" short-list

By Borys Kit

Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:58pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Christopher Nolan is looking at some of Hollywood's leading actresses -- as well as a few emerging talents -- for major female roles in "The Dark Knight Rises," his next Batman film.

Sources tell THR's "Heat Vision" that Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel are due to test for roles in the Warner Bros. superhero tentpole in the next two weeks.

Also testing are relative newcomers Kate Mara and Charlotte Riley. Hot British actress Gemma Arterton was also scheduled to test but, as Heat Vision first reported last week, Arterton just landed the female lead in Paramount's "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" and might now have scheduling issues.

"Dark Knight Rises" needs to fill two big female roles, a villain and a love interest. Sources say one character is Talia, the daughter of villain Ra's Al Ghul, who was portrayed by Liam Neeson in Nolan's first Gotham-set crime pic "Batman Begins." In the comic books, Talia is both Batman's lover and antagonist, ultimately siring his alter ego Bruce Wayne's son.

While Knightley, Hathaway and Biel are well-known actresses, the other two are up-and-comers. Mara had brief roles in "127 Hours" and "Iron Man 2" in 2010. Her sister Rooney Mara is currently shooting David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" in the title role.

Riley is a British actress who has done mostly TV work. She is engaged to Tom Hardy, who co-starred in Nolan's summer smash "Inception" and has already booked an unspecified role in "Dark Knight Rises."

The film is looking at a May start, with shooting to take place in London and Los Angeles, according to insiders. Christian Bale is set to return as the Caped Crusader.

Nolan and Warner Bros. decline to comment.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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Britney Spears' new single blasts on to radio

By Gary Trust

Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:53pm EST

NEW YORK (Billboard) - After just one day, Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" already ranks as the No. 16 most-played track at pop radio, according to Nielsen BDS.

The first single from Spears' forthcoming ninth album ranks at No. 16 in plays - and No. 7 in audience - on Billboard's Pop Songs building chart, to be released on Billboard.com on January 17.

The survey lists the most played songs on 130 mainstream top 40 radio stations, as monitored by BDS.

"Hold It Against Me" logged 595 plays on Monday on 114 of the chart's reporting stations, or 88% of the panel. The song's first-day airplay translates to 7.8 million in audience.

KIIS (102.7)/Los Angeles and KHTS (Channel 933)/San Diego led all pop reporters with 18 first-day plays each.

"In 24 hours, 'Hold It Against Me' instantly shot to number one in station requests," says KIIS assistant program director/music director Julie Pilat. "Looking at the feedback we got on Twitter, the responses range from 'BEST SONG EVER' to 'Can't get enough of the new Britney' to 'I need this song to breathe!' Undoubtedly, Britney is back and on her way to another No. 1 single."

Fellow mainstream top 40 programmers report that early listener reaction to the song has been overwhelmingly positive.

"It's another home run for Britney," says Sharon Dastur, program director of WHTZ (Z100)/New York, which spun "Hold It Against Me" eight times yesterday. "The Tweets, texts and Facebook posts are overflowing with listeners that are excited that Britney is back with another smash."

"Instant listener reaction in Miami has been massive," says WHYI (Y100)/Miami program director Alex Tear. "We are already playing the song in heavy rotation, in addition to offering instant access to hear it on Y100.com. It sounds great on the radio."

"With all those pickup lines in the song, how can it not get 'picked up' to play on the radio?," muses John Reynolds, WNKS (Kiss 95.1)/Charlotte, N.C., program director. "It's another Spears hit."

With the song's debut on Pop Songs, Spears will up her count to 25 chart entries. It's a sum bested only by Mariah Carey (29) and Madonna (26) in the chart's 18-year history.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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Less nasty, more nice in revamped "American Idol"

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:31pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" returns to television next week not only with two new celebrity judges, but a whole new attitude -- less of the cutting put-downs and more support and coaching for aspiring new pop stars, producers said on Tuesday.

The exit of caustic British judge Simon Cowell, and the addition of singer Jennifer Lopez and rock star Steven Tyler has shaken up the dynamics of the top-rated TV singing contest, and placed the emphasis squarely on encouraging original talent, they said.

Gone are the old "nasty and nice" roles once seen from judges, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told TV journalists.

"It's about giving the right information to (the contestants) so they continue on their journey as an artist. It is a lot more about searching for that eventual winner, than stopping people getting there.

"In the past, we may have been accused of putting barriers up against them or making glib remarks, rather than trying to help them through the whole process," Lythgoe said.

"American Idol", the most-watched TV show in the United States for six years, has undergone big changes as it enters its 10th season in a bid to reverse sliding viewership and find talent equal to early winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, who went on to Grammy-winning careers.

Record producer Jimmy Iovine will act as in-house mentor and contestants will get the chance for the first time to perform songs they have written themselves.

Lythgoe said the changes were aimed at ensuring that the contestants go into the competition "with confidence and pride in themselves."

Lopez, Aerosmith frontman Tyler, and original judge Randy Jackson said they would be honest with hopeless singers.

But Lopez, a successful singer and actress in her own right, said "there is nothing like having that discussion with another artist to help you grow.

"We are not here to break people down, but to help them move through it," she added.

Iovine will coach the contestants, help them pick songs and work with top record producers during the contest.

"My job is to help make sure we find an original voice, rather than someone who is singing like someone else. In the past, they weren't really getting a lot of help improving," he said.

"American Idol" has been a ratings juggernaut, and a huge generator of advertising revenue for Fox, and it has spawned record sales and digital downloads of songs by the finalists.

But the show has lost about six million viewers in the past four years and the 2010 finale drew the lowest audience since 2002, attracting 24.2 million people. Recent winners Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze saw dismal sales for their debut albums

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"Jersey Shore" star Snooki turns novelist

By Christine Kearney

NEW YORK | Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:26pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Reality television personality Snooki doesn't read books much, nor magazines or newspapers for that matter -- unless she is in them.

But the popular 23 year-old castmate from hit MTV reality show "Jersey Shore" has written a book, and it's not just the now ubiquitous memoir from B-list celebrities that are often successful these days. Snooki is taking a risk, releasing this week a novel, "A Shore Thing," inspired by her exploits along New Jersey's famed boardwalk in the U.S. summer.

"I didn't want to do what everybody expected me to do, like an autobiography, or how to be a guidette," she told Reuters, referring to one of the TV show's signature slang words for a female Italian American.

"I wanted to surprise everybody, so I did a novel," she told Reuters.

"Jersey Shore" landed on the U.S. pop culture map with a bang about one year ago, and its cast members in their 20s are now stars. The show puts the men and women in a house -- the first one in Seaside Heights, New Jersey town and for season two, in Miami -- and turns the cameras on as the group parties all night and looks to hook up with the opposite sex.

Their antics have made audiences laugh, applaud and, occasionally, drop their jaws in sheer wonderment. Season No. 3, in which the cast returned to Seaside Heights, debuted on MTV last week to the biggest audience ever for a series telecast on the youth-oriented network, 8.45 million viewers.

Snooki, whose real name is Nicole Polizzi, is a ringleader as a TV personality. As an author, she is equally adept at promoting her novel unlike some of her fiction-writing contemporaries. During a TV interview, she smiled and expertly showed off the cover that features her signature voluminous "poof" hairstyle she has worn from age 16.

In "A Shore Thing," Snooki's main character is based on Snooki. The author said she is a "pint-sized" and "carefree outspoken party girl," who with partner in crime -- based on her "Jersey Shore" castmate Jenni "Jwoww" Farley -- cruises the Jersey Shore looking for fun and boys.

FACT AND FICTION

The book pokes fun at Snooki's real-life arrest in July last year for public drunkenness while taping the TV show's current season.

"It's a scary thing," She said about the incident, "especially for a little four-foot-nine girl, so I wanted to put it in the book but also have a silly side to it. Because I don't want people to think it's so serious, because it was just a little mistake. Lesson learned."

To help write "A Shore Thing," Snooki enlisted collaborator Valerie Frankel, who Snooki said, wrote "the good paragraphs and, like, the good sentences ... obviously I wrote her things that I wanted her to put in the book."

The 4-ft. 9-in. Polizzi has no qualms that the world's literati who are steeped in great American novels might scoff at her fiction. "I can't please everybody, and as long as my fans love it and they are happy with it, that is all that matters," she said.

But she admitted to some concern about being compared to other writers. "I am in like a whole new category, I am like a weirdo, so I don't want to be compared to the greatest authors ever, so I was a little intimidated," she said.

Her literary inspirations, she said, came from comedian Chelsea Handler, the "Twilight" series of teen vampire novels and Nicholas Sparks' romance "Dear John." She also loves cheerleading magazines, owing to her years as a cheerleader.

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