No script. All riff. Sheen tour details trickle out

LOS ANGELES | Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:00pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Charlie Sheen plans to "riff like an artist" from memory rather than use a script on his 21-date "Torpedo of Truth" tour next month, delivering a mostly spoken word performance of about 80 minutes, according to one of the show's producers.

Joey Scoleri told E! News in an interview on Friday that audiences would also get to ask questions of the fired "Two and a Half Men" actor, and he promised a "wild ride of highs and lows and dark and light and laughter and being surprised."

Few details have so far been released of the tour, which sold out quickly in several U.S. cities after the massive publicity enjoyed by Sheen's bizarre rants and his exit from the most-watched comedy on television.

The description on the Ticketmaster website for "Charlie Sheen's Violent Torpedo of Truth Defeat Is Not an Option" show reads merely; ""Will there be surprises? Will there be guests? Will there be mayhem? Will you laugh? Will you scream? Will you know the truth? WILL THERE BE MORE?!?! This IS where you will hear the REAL story from the Warlock. Bring it. I dare you to keep up with me."

Scoleri told E! News that Sheen was not using any writers.

"It's all Charlie. I don't think it's a script, as much as he is going to riff like an artist...He will probably do most of it from memory, he's that talented."

"There will be some multimedia, but largely just him and a microphone and he's going to talk, and having heard some of the stuff he is going to say, people are going to be pleasantly surprised. There will be some things that are shocking and provoking, but you're going to laugh," he added.

Sheen, who has been in and out of drug and alcohol rehab in the past year, was the highest paid actor on U.S. television before he was fired on March 7 because of what executives called his "dangerously self-destructive conduct".

Sheen fired back with a $100 million lawsuit against Warner Bros. Television and the show's producer Chuck Lorre claiming he was wrongfully terminated.

Scoleri said Sheen could make "several hundred thousand" dollars from each of his live shows but declined to give precise figures.

Celebrity website TMZ on Friday estimated he could rake in $7 million from ticket sales, merchandising and after-parties -- the equivalent of his salary for about four episodes for playing a skirt-chasing bachelor on "Two and A Half Men."

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Jackson dad renews call for new probe of son's death

By Tracy Rucinski

MADRID | Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:19pm EDT

MADRID (Reuters) - A week before jury selection begins in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, the late singer's father renewed calls for a federal probe into his son's death based on his belief a conspiracy was at work.

Joe Jackson, in Madrid to promote a worldwide tour of the hit Spanish musical "Forever King of Pop," said on Friday he believes Dr. Conrad Murray was acting on behalf of other people involved in Michael's career and said Michael had warned his family he would be killed over the publishing rights to hit songs such as "Thriller" and "Billie Jean."

"I want to get the other people that's involved, not just Dr. Murray. That's why I'm trying to get a federal investigation, so they can grab them all," Jackson said.

He characterized Murray as "just the fall guy," in an interview with Reuters, but declined to say who else he thought might be to blame in the death of his superstar son.

"I'm not calling names, but they know who they are," said the patriarch of the family of Jackson singers who helped define the Motown sound of the late 1960s and '70s.

"Michael knew that something was going to happen to him before it happened," said Joe Jackson, who wore his customary black fedora and gold chains.

Michael Jackson, dubbed the King of Pop for his many hits, died in 2009 at age 50 in Los Angeles of a drug overdose only days before he was to begin a series of comeback concerts in London. Murray was hired by concert promoters AEG Live to care for the singer as he rehearsed, and he was giving Jackson the anesthetic propofol to help him sleep at home.

But propofol typically is used in hospitals, not as a sleep aid. Coroners have ruled propofol was the key drug that caused Jackson's death and prosecutors have charged Murray with involuntary manslaughter for improperly administering it.

Murray has pleaded not guilty, and lawyers begin jury selection next week for a trial set to begin in Los Angeles on May 9.

JACKSON'S LEGACY

Joe Jackson was in Madrid to present an agreement between the Jackson Family Foundation and the Summum Music production company for a worldwide tour of the hit Spanish musical "Forever King of Pop," which the Jackson family has chosen "to represent Michael's legacy across the world."

Earlier this week Jermaine Jackson, the brother of Michael and a member of the Jackson Five singers, reached a deal with Crown publishing to release a memoir detailing his brother's life and promising to leave "no subject off limits."

In his life, Michael Jackson had claimed his father was abusive.

On Friday, Joe Jackson declined to comment on Jermaine's book, saying he was working on his own. He did not give details of his memoir, other than saying it would look at his "hard times" early in life, raising a family, working many jobs and molding his sons into the pop stars they eventually became.

Jermaine Jackson's book, titled "You Are Not Alone: Through a Brother's Eyes," is set for release in fall 2011.

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A trio of new entries enter crowded box office field

By Pamela McClintock

Fri Mar 18, 2011 1:58pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The weekend box office could see a close battle between three new titles -- Relativity Media's Bradley Cooper starrer "Limitless," Lionsgate's Matthew McConaughey legal thriller "The Lincoln Lawyer" and Universal's raunchy alien comedy "Paul."

All are expected to open in the low to mid teens, give or take.

If that holds true, Sony's holdover "Battle: Los Angeles" has a fighting chance of staying at the top of the chart. "Battle: L.A.," opening to $35.6 million last weekend, had earned $44 million through Wednesday.

Paramount's "Rango," coming in No. 2 last weekend, also is expected to remain a popular choice. The quirky toon's total gross through Wednesday was $75.2 million.

Disney's ill-fated toon "Mars Needs Moms" enters its second frame after opening to just $6.9 million.

"Limitless" could have an edge over the competition, since tracking shows it appealing to the broadest audience. Directed by Neil Burger, the film also stars Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro.

In the movie, Cooper stars as a down-and-out man whose life is transformed when he takes a drug that optimizes untapped parts of his brain.

"Limitless," costing $27 million to make, was co-produced by Relativity and Virgin Produced. (It's the debut title from Richard Branson's company.)

Relativity said it is already in good shape with "Limitless," since much of the film's budget was financed by foreign presales along with an upfront payment from Netflix for home entertainment rights.

If "Limitless" does well, it will mark a key moment for Relativity's new distribution and marketing division. The company's first few releases have struggled at the box office.

"Limitless" has an advantage in being rated PG-13. Both "Lincoln Lawyer" and "Paul" are rated R.

Lionsgate made "Lincoln Lawyer" in partnership with Lakeshore Entertainment. The mini-major took an equity stake in the film, while Lakeshore paid for marketing and helped coordinate foreign presales.

"Lincoln Lawyer" -- based on Michael Connelly's novel -- is showing the most interest among women over the age of 25, followed by older males. The film has a strong cast, including Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy and Josh Lucas.

Lionsgate said a big opening for "Lincoln Lawyer" isn't important, since adult-skewing titles tend to build over time.

To promote the film as it opens, Lionsgate teamed with Groupon to offer discounted tickets for this weekend. It's the first time a Hollywood studio has teamed with Groupon, although there have been several movie promotions offered by LivingSocial.

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Former Shadows guitarist Jet Harris dies: media

LONDON | Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:23pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British musician Jet Harris, who played bass guitar in Cliff Richard's band The Shadows, has died aged 71, British media reported on Friday.

Terence Harris, nicknamed "Jet" because he was one of the fastest runners in his school, was introduced to Richard in 1958, and his website credits him with coming up with the name The Shadows.

"Jet was exactly what the Shadows and I needed -- a backbone holding our sound together," Richard said in a statement.

"Jet, the bass player, will always be an integral part of British rock'n'roll history. Losing him is sad -- but the great memories will stay with me. Rock on, Jet."

With The Shadows, Harris enjoyed a string of hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s including "High Class Baby," the chart-topping "Apache" and "Guitar Tango." His last recording with the band was "Wonderful Land" in 1962, which also made it to number one in the British charts.

After leaving the group, Harris teamed up with former Shadows bandmate Tony Meehan and again reached number one with "Diamonds" in 1963.

After a serious car crash nearly ended his career he faded from the limelight, although he did tour in Europe and release several albums. As his success as a musician faded, Harris became a professional photographer.

He was made an MBE for his services to music, and died after a two-year battle with cancer. Earlier this month he was forced to cancel all appearances due to ill health.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editng by Jill Serjeant)

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