Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Gets His Day In Court

Jackson's choreographer Kenny Ortega is expected to testify at the preliminary hearing in Los Angeles.
By Gil Kaufman


Dr. Conrad Murray (file)
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

More than a year and a half after the shocking death of Michael Jackson, the only person charged in the singer's death, his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, will finally get his day in court.

Murray, who has been charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, will be in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday (January 4) for the first day of a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to hold a full trial. The hearing, in front of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, is expected to last two weeks and feature testimony from more than two dozen witnesses, most of whom are medical experts.

Prosecutors will attempt to show that Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge, was responsible for the singer's death from an overdose of prescription drugs on June 25, 2009. Murray's lawyers have said the doctor did inject the 50-year-old pop icon with the powerful surgical anesthetic propofol in an attempt to combat Jackson's chronic insomnia, but that the dose "should have" not been enough to kill him.

TMZ reported on Tuesday that one of the star witnesses during the preliminary hearing will be Jackson's "This is It" choreographer Kenny Ortega. Citing an unnamed source, TMZ said that Ortega is expected to testify that the week before Jackson died, the singer complained that he felt cold, had the shakes and could not perform, which resulted in a canceled rehearsal.

On the next day, June 20, 2009, an emergency meeting was reportedly called at Jackson's rented Los Angeles mansion between the pop star, Ortega, several executives from concert promotion giant AEG Live and Murray. The meeting was described as "intense, loud and argumentative" and Ortega is said to have laid into Jackson, imploring the singer to take better care of himself in the lead-up to what was intended to be his live swan song.

According to TMZ, Ortega is expected to testify that Murray said some "terrible things" during the meeting and displayed a lack of concern and respect for his patient, comments that could be "damaging" to Murray.

Last week, one of the prosecutors in the case claimed that Murray's lawyers were planning to claim that Jackson killed himself when he self-administered a lethal dose of propofol after waking up in a panic from a bout of fitful sleep.

Ortega is also reportedly set to testify that in the two days before his death, Jackson was a changed man, impressing his backup dancers with his upbeat singing and dancing. The testimony could be key to the prosecutors' case, since it could paint a portrait of Jackson as being healthy and energetic before Murray administered the cocktail of sedatives and propofol that allegedly resulted in the singer's death.

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655231/michael-jackson-doctor-conrad-murray-gets-his-day-court.jhtml

INVENTEC NIKON Amy Cobb Aaliyah QIMONDA

Flyde is a super-fast retro racing Time Waster

flyde
I liked Flyde from the moment I laid eyes on it. It reminded me of an anciet DOS game I used to play as a kid, where you had to race around in 3D and jump platforms while the level rushes by. [I totally played that game too -- anyone remember the name?! -Ed]

In Flyde there's no jumping per se: you control a white triangle that drives on or flies over a track made out of squares. There are colorful squares and black squares. The black squares are actually "holes" - when you drive over them, you fall into the abyss of space and die.

But it gets a little more complicated than just "not driving over the black squares". Instead of only one track, you have two tracks. When you drive over a square in the color of the other track, you switch tracks! The second track is above you, so when you switch, you're actually flying upside-down.

To keep from driving over the black squares, you have to continuously switch from track to track by touching the colorful squares. You're going pretty fast so navigating between those evil black squares and switching tracks just at the right moment is pretty challenging, and also a lot of fun.

The soundtrack consists of a robot with an attitude problem, but it also tells you how many points you've accumulated. This, along with nice electronic background music, makes Flyde a truly engaging time waster, even if you're not into retro gaming.

Oh, and don't judge me by the score in the screenshot. My top score is actually 12,610 - what's yours?

[Update: The old DOS game is called SkyRoads. Thanks, TnS! Awesome commenting there.]

Flyde is a super-fast retro racing Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/03/flyde-is-a-super-fast-retro-racing-time-waster/

Alicia Keys AMAZONCOM Asia Argento ADOBE SYSTEMS Brooke Burke

iPad 2: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

The original iPad was pretty much awesome, although it was missing some features that clearly should have been included. After some design leaks, it is fair to say that some of these issues are going to be resolved with the iPad 2. For starters, there is going to be a camera. It is amazing to me that Apple, of all companies, would decide to leave one of its products devoid of a camera.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/71604.html

Cameron Richardson DIEBOLD Aubrey ODay DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM

The Clearest Pictures of the Sony PlayStation Phone [PlaystationPhone]

Hey there PlayStation Phone. You look like a PSP Go. Why weren't you announced at CES? We'll never know. Anyway! Chinese site IT168 gives an in-depth look at the once anticipated PlayStation Phone by posting the clearest images and videos yet. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/U94UhKzk5R8/the-clearest-pictures-of-the-sony-playstation-phone

Aisha Tyler Carmen Electra Angela Marcello China Chow Blake Lively

Lil Wayne Producer Bangladesh Plans Future Collaborations With Ke$ha

'It gives her a whole new look and it shows how creative I am,' Grammy-nominated producer says of Cannibal singer.
By Jayson Rodriguez


Bangladesh
Photo: MTV News

Producer Bangladesh's biggest break came when he powered Lil Wayne's "A Milli." Then he upped the ante on Weezy's recent release "6 Foot 7 Foot." So, what does the Grammy-nominated beatsmith have in store for the new year? More of the same, actually.

Bangladesh hopes to continue his genre-bending ways, whether it's lending rock-leaning sensibilities to Lil Wayne or injecting a pop star's work with edgy hip-hop drums. He and Dr. Luke (Britney Spears, Pink, Katy Perry) recently worked together on Ke$ha's "Sleazy," from her Cannibal LP.

"I met Luke through a mutual friend, so it was like me walking into a stranger's house," Bangladesh told MTV News. "I really didn't know what to expect. But it was all love. It was kind of like the roles were reversed, like I was the biggest producer and he just had a couple of hits. Once I saw how he felt about me, I was like man, I might be the truth. [He laughs.]"

After hitting it off, they joined forces for "Sleazy," the first of many collaborations Bangladesh is shooting for with the "Tik Tok" star.

"That's a good look, because it gives her a whole new look and it shows how creative I am," he explained. "It shows how music is changing. And it shows that I'm kind of the changer behind it. The leader. I'm trying to mix the different genres where it's still convincing, like, I believe them doing this."

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655413/lil-wayne-producer-bangladesh-plans-future-collaborations-with-keha.jhtml

Amanda Marcum AMKOR TECHNOLOGY Beyoncé Charlize Theron ORACLE

Windows Phone 7 "Mango" may add HTML5, Silverlight support to WP7's browser

Over at ZDNet, Mary Jo Foley has been speculating about the future of Windows Phone 7. According to Foley, a major update is due around Jan/Feb 2011, adding copy/paste functionality and two major browsing enhancements: HTML 5 support and a Silverlight plug-in. Foley also wonders whether enterprise tweaks might be part of the game plan as well. Microsoft, of course, doesn't comment on rumors -- so we'll have to wait for someone to score some hands-on time with the WP7 update.

Despite the update's appetizing codename, Microsoft doesn't seem to be converging on a single food-related theme for its Windows Phone OS. The next release, Windows Phone 8, is codenamed "Apollo". We can only hope 8.5 will be codenamed "Starbuck".

Bear in mind this is all sheer speculation; however, after Windows Phone 7's somewhat lackluster launch, any sort of improvement could be exciting.

Windows Phone 7 "Mango" may add HTML5, Silverlight support to WP7's browser originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/16/windows-phone-7-5-mango-may-add-html5-better-silverlight-supp/

Amanda Detmer Abbie Cornish Cameron Diaz AnnaLynne McCord Alessandra Ambrosio

Daily Crunch: Spring Forth Edition

?Air Conditioned? 2022 World Cup In Jeopardy As Players? Union Calls For Winter Tournament FCC Reveals The JBL On Air Wireless AirPlay Speaker System This Super Mario Bros 3 Furniture Set Will Really Impress The Princesses PrimeSense, Co-Creator Of Kinect, To Lead Open Gesture Tech Organization Dear Tech Early Adopters: Manufacturers Don?t Care About You

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/12/22/daily-crunch-spring-forth/

Aki Ross Brittany Daniel DELL Bonnie Jill Laflin AVNET

Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Didn't Seem To Know CPR, Bodyguard Testifies

Jackson's two oldest children were in bedroom witnessing drama, bodyguard Faheem Muhammed said.
By Gil Kaufman


Conrad Murray (file)
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images

One of the most shocking revelations to emerge from the first day of testimony in the pretrial hearing of former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray is that as the pop icon lay dying in his rented Los Angeles mansion, cardiologist Murray asked in a panic, "Does anyone know CPR?"

According to CNN, that's what bodyguard Faheem Muhammed said on the stand. Tuesday was the first day of testimony in hearings aimed at determining whether there is enough evidence to try Murray on a felony count of involuntary manslaughter in the June 2009 death of the King of Pop.

The hearing is slated to last around two weeks and feature 20 to 30 witnesses, most of whom will be medical professionals. But it was the shocking testimony of Muhammed on Tuesday that grabbed headlines. He said that he and fellow guard Alberto Alvarez walked in on a scene in which Murray was crouched next to the motionless body of Jackson and it appeared that the heart surgeon did not know how to give CPR.

As they waited for paramedics to arrive, Muhammed said Murray stood next to Jackson's bed and asked in a panicked voice if anyone else in the room knew how to administer the life-saving technique.

"I looked at Alberto because we knew Dr. Murray was a heart surgeon, so we were shocked," Muhammed said. When defense attorney Ed Chernoff asked whether Murray was asking for help because he was exhausted after staying up all night administering sleep aids to the chronically insomniac Jackson, Muhammed replied, "The way that he asked it is as if he didn't know CPR." He also said that he never witnessed Murray performing CPR on Jackson before paramedics arrived and that the singer's two oldest children, Prince Michael and Paris, were in their father's bedroom as the drama was unfolding. Among the Jackson family members in court on Tuesday to watch the proceedings were family matriarch Katherine, sister LaToya and brothers Randy and Jackie.

Prosecutor David Walgren referred to Murray's use of "ineffectual" CPR, which included using one hand while Jackson was on a soft bed, which is counter to recommended techniques. Walgren also told the judge in the case that medical experts would testify that Murray took "a number of actions" that "showed an extreme deviation from the standard of care," after being hired to serve as Jackson's personal physician in the lead-up to a series of comeback shows in England.

The prosecutor also claimed that Murray waited at least 21 minutes to call an ambulance after he found Jackson unresponsive. "By all accounts, Michael Jackson was dead in the bedroom at 100 North Carolwood prior to the paramedics' arrival," Walgren said. The Los Angeles County coroner later determined that the singer died of "acute propofol intoxication," saying the overdose of the surgical anesthetic and the combined effects of other sedatives caused his death.

Chernoff has said that Murray administered propofol and other sedatives to Jackson in the hours before the pop star's death, but not in quantities that "should have" caused his death. CNN reported that Murray's defense team hinted that it would argue that Jackson was facing intense pressure over his upcoming 50-date This Is It comeback series of shows at London's O2 Arena and that led to his demands for treatment to help his chronic insomnia.

Also testifying on Tuesday was the director of the shows, Kenny Ortega, who described Jackson as "involved, active, participating" at his final rehearsal, which ended 12 hours before his death. That was very different from the out-of-it singer who could barely make it through rehearsals on June 19, six nights before his death. At a meeting called after Ortega sent Jackson home that night for some rest, the director described a scene in which Murray scolded him for cutting the rehearsal short.

"Dr. Murray told me that this was not my responsibility, and he asked me not to act like a doctor or psychologist," Ortega said. Murray has pleaded not guilty in the case, and according to a recent report, Walgren believes that the doctor's lawyers may claim that Jackson self-administered the final, fatal dose of propofol and essentially killed himself after waking up in a panic from a fitful night of sleep.

Testimony in the case will continue on Wednesday (January 5).

Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655306/michael-jackson-doctor-conrad-murray-didnt-seem-know-cpr-bodyguard-testifies.jhtml

Cheryl Burke Christina Ricci QUALCOMM ASML HOLDING ACCENTURE