- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia, Parkwood
- Director: Beyoncé / Adria Petty
FSU Cowgirls Gabrielle Union Garcelle Beauvais Genelle Frenoy
Sunday, January 1, 2012
VOTE! Who Would You Rather Date: Ryan Gosling or Prince William?
Both Prince William and Ryan Gosling have had a lot to celebrate in 2011! The royal made a memorable trip down the aisle with Kate Middleton, and the other ... well, what hasn’t he done? From blockbusters to breaking up street fights, the actor has been everywhere (except, to fans' chagrin, nabbing People’s Sexiest Man honor).
Lana Del Rey To Perform On ?Saturday Night Live?
Lana Del Rey, the inexplicably mega-hyped retro-soul/pop singer who has yet to actually release an actual album (there?s one coming in 2012) and has risen to seemingly instant internet popularity due to videos for three songs, will be bringing herself to the masses next January, when she will be the musical guest on Saturday Night [...]
Russell Brand Steps Out in London a Day After Divorce Filing
Fresh off of the sudden news that he's filed for divorce, Russell Brand was spotted departing the Savoy Hotel in London on New Year's Eve (December 31).
Trying to keep a low profile, the British comedian/actor wore dark shades and a grey winter cap as he picked up his ride from valet outside of the UK hotel's main entrance.
The sighting comes just a day after Brand filed papers seeking a divorce from singer wife Katy Perry, with the submission citing "irreconcilable differences" as the cause of the parting.
With reports claiming that Katy asked Russell to seek the legal separation in an effort to avoid upsetting her religious parents, Brand told press of the marital demise, "Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."
Conrad Murray Sentenced To Four Years In Jail1675062
Former Michael Jackson doctor faces another hearing in January to potentially provide more than $101 million in restitution to the Jackson family.
By Gil Kaufman
Dr. Conrad Murray listens as he sits in court during his sentencing for the involuntary manslaughter of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on November 29, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Judge Michael E. Pastor sentenced Murray to four years in county jail for his involuntary manslaughter conviction of Jackson.
Photo: Pool/ Getty Images
Former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray was back in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday morning (November 29), where he was ordered to serve the maximum of four years in county jail. The cardiologist, who was found guilty of one felony count of involuntary manslaughter November 7, was facing up to four years in state prison in the death of the pop icon, but due to recent changes to alleviate overcrowding in California prisons, the judge in the case said he was was unable to send the doctor to state prison for his crime.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor had leeway in the sentencing, with options ranging from probation to the full sentence, but in a lengthy ruling from the bench he said that Murray's lack of remorse and negligent behavior argued for the highest possible penalty. Do you think Conrad Murray deserved the maximum sentence? Let us know on Facebook. "He is and remains dangerous ... the request of probation is denied, the court imposes the high term of four years imprisonment in this case," Pastor said during the 90-plus minute hearing. Murray will serve his time in the Los Angeles County Jail, as well as pay nearly $900 in court fees and face another hearing in late January 2012 on a request by the prosecution to provide more than $101 million in restitution to the Jackson family. Murray was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors convinced them that Murray's reckless use of the surgical anesthetic propofol led to the singer's death. Before Pastor's ruling, prosecutors not only asked for the maximum sentence, but also that Murray pay Jackson's children more than $100 million in restitution, which is the amount they believe the singer would have earned had he lived to perform his "This is It" comeback tour, in addition to nearly $2 million in funeral expenses. Prior to handing down the sentence, a peeved-looking Pastor answered a defense question regarding a last minute notice from the prosecution noting that two previous cases suggest that involuntary manslaughter could be considered a "serious" offense and thus should subject Murray to federal prison time. "I don't think these cases have any impact on the realignment statute," Pastor ruled, referring to the new rules regarding sentencing that he believed superseded the earlier cases. Attorney and friend Brian Panish read a statement from the Jackson family at the beginning of the proceedings. "There is now way to adequately describe the loss of our beloved father, son, brother and friend," Panish said. "We still look at each other in disbelief, is it really possible that he is gone? As Michael's parents we never could have imaged we would live to witness his passing. It is simply against the natural order of things. As his brothers and sisters we will never be able to hold, laugh, or perform again with our brother Michael. And as his children, we will grow up without a father, our best friend, our playmate and our dad. We are not here to seek revenge, there is nothing you can do today that will bring Michael back. But we will keep the love in our in our hearts that Michael embodied throughout his life. His passion was for unifying the world through the gift of his artistry. We respectfully request that you impose a sentence that reminds physicians that they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder and cast aside their Hippocratic oath to do no harm. As we all know from this tragedy, doing so can have devastating results. The bible reminds us that men cannot do justice they can only seek justice. And that is all we ask as a family and that is all that we can ask for here." As in the past, Murray, 58, sat stone-faced, listening to the statement and prosecutor David Walgren's quick rehashing of the facts in the case. "He looked out for himself and not Michael Jackson," Walgren said, going on to argue why the court should deny the defense's request for probation. He quoted Pastor's own comments about the dangerous nature of Murray's action following the verdict as evidence that Murray should face a more serious penalty than probation. He said Murray's abandonment of a vulnerable Jackson in the time of the singer's need, as well as the planning the doctor underwent to procure the propofol and to not keep clear medical records about their administration were also reasons to deny probation. "It is the people's position that prison is warranted," Walgren said, adding that it was Murray's negligent actions before, during and after Jackson's death, as well as his lack of remorse and failure to take personal responsibility — as evidenced in clip from a documentary interview nine days before the verdict in which he denied culpability — that call for the longer term. A number of Jackson's family members, including mother Katherine and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Randy and Rebbie, were reportedly on hand for the court date. When asked by the judge if the new sentencing laws allowed Murray to be sent to prison for the full term, Walgren said they did not. While the defense did not call any witnesses to testify — and Murray did not wish to speak — defense attorney Ed Chernoff did reference more than 30 pages of support memorandum from friends, family and patients in his brief statements. He agreed that Murray's actions do warrant punishment, but asked how the court viewed the book of Murray's life, versus one chapter. "He shouldn't have done it," he said of Murray's actions. "We're going to be honest about vulnerability. Michael Jackson was a drug seeker and he sought it out from Dr. Murray who was wrong in providing it." Chernoff painted Jackson as a rich, powerful person who had the means to do whatever he wanted and asked the court to consider Murray's life before the doctor began working for Jackson. He described Murray's currently cloistered existence in jail in protective custody and asked, "but what about the rest of his life? What about before Michael Jackson asked for propofol?" he wondered, noting that for 56 years Murray had never run afoul of the law and had raised a family following his destitute beginnings on the island of Grenada. "Does any of that matter at all?" Chernoff asked dramatically as he unspooled his client's rise from poverty and what he described as a professional life dedicated to helping poor and disadvantaged patients. "I think it should matter," he answered. "But when the glow of vengeance has faded, he still is someone else's problem. And Dr. Murray can do things for the community on probation that he could never do sitting in that room." Pastor noted that he had discretion in sentencing in this case and that he took into account that both sides have said that Murray's actions did result in the death of Jackson, though pointedly noted that Murray did not take responsibility in the MSNBC documentary that aired days after the guilty verdict. Because the case involved criminal negligence, which requires more than carelessness or mistake in judgment, but reckless actions that result in death, Pastor said it was important to focus on those factors. "This is not a question about what might have happened or what if someone else had been involved if not for Dr. Murray," he said. "That is an insult to the medical profession. The fact is that Michael Jackson died because of the action of and the failure to perform the medical duties of Dr. Murray." The judge said he had taken into account the full story of Murray's life, but said the "unconscionable lies" to medical personnel and a series of "inconceivable" decisions the doctor made on June 25, 2009 jeopardized the life of his patient and superseded what the doctor had done before. "Why give probation to someone who is offended by the whole idea that that person is even before the court," he said, referring to a "failure of character" on behalf of Murray, most specifically, a secret recording the physician made of the singer that Pastor characterized as a type of "insurance policy" against a potential future conflict between the doctor and patient that seemed beyond the pale. The day before the sentence was handed down, Murray's mother, Milta Rush, reportedly wrote a letter to judge Pastor asking him for mercy, saying, "his [Murray's] compassion and his soft heartedness for others led to this dilemma." Pastor said he could find no reason to grant probation to Murray, whose actions he called a "gross, continuing deviation" from medical standards, and who he claimed is and remains a danger to the community. Without the legal authority to send Murray to state prison, Pastor said, "the court has determined that the appropriate term is the higher term of four years imprisonment ... because I find that Dr. Murray had abandoned his patient, who was trusting him ... he has absolutely no remorse." A future date in January was set to begin discussing the prosecution's request for restitution. After being given credit for 46 days of time served and good time credit, Murray was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. The Los Angeles County Sheriff will determine how much time Murray will actually do in his equally overcrowded jail and Murray's lawyers have indicated that they plan to launch an appeal at a later date.
Related Videos Related Photos Related ArtistsKe$ha Is Channeling 'Sexiness' Of '70s Rock For New Album1663946
Glitter-heavy pop star tells MTV News she's going for 'balls-out, irreverent rock and roll.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias
Ke$ha
Photo: MTV News
Ke$ha's already got the face paint down pat, and, during recent live sets, she's even taken to guzzling blood out of a human heart, so it should come as no surprise that, on her upcoming album, the pop star is taking things back to the most theatrical era of rock: the prop-heavy, arena-spanning heyday of the 1970s. Ke$h revealed her plans over the weekend in Los Angeles, on the red carpet of KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert, where she told MTV News that the follow-up to her breakout Animal album (and, we suppose, Cannibal too) would be heavy on hard riffs and light on pretty much everything else.
"The next album ... I've been working on writing on the road, but as far as a sound, I just know it's gonna be balls-out, irreverent rock and roll," she said. "I've been pretty much in this '70s rock and roll kick and I just want to capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that's just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a f---, so we'll definitely put a bit of rock and roll in it." So, does that mean that fans can expect the likes of Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton to show up on her new album? Perhaps. Because while Ke$ha's new album is still a ways off, she's already begun calling in favors, hoping to line up a killer collabo for the new disc. "I'm trying, trust me," she laughed. "I really would love to connect with one of my idols, I mean, that's my dream. I'm working on it." What do you think of Ke$ha going rock for her next album? Tell us in the comments!
Related Photos Related Artists'Dark Knight Rises' Star Anne Hathaway Talks Catwoman
'It's just a matter of doing your homework and getting underneath the character's skin,' actress says.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
Anne Hathaway in "The Dark Knight Rises"
Photo: Warner Bros
While it may feel like the trailers and photos from "The Dark Knight Rises" have shown us a lot from Christopher Nolan's third and supposed final trip to Gotham City, we have yet to see that much from Catwoman.
After spy photos from the set forced their hand, Warner Bros. released an early look at Anne Hathaway's take on Gotham's most notorious cat burglar astride the Batpod, but aside from that photo and her brief but enticing appearance in the theatrical trailer, Selina Kyle's role in "Rises" remains a mystery.
Hathaway did, however, open up to the L.A. Times' Hero Complex during a visit to the London set of "The Dark Knight Rises." She spoke at length about why she loves her so-far divisive costume and how her Catwoman fits into Nolan's Gotham.
Check out our photo analysis of Hathaway's Catwoman.
When Warner Bros. released the first photo of Hathaway in full Catwoman attire, fan reaction ranged from full-fledged support to outright hatred. Hathaway has always stood by the costume's unusual take on the classic look, and she once again made her case to Hero Complex. "I love the costume because everything has a purpose," she said. "Nothing is in place for fantasy's sake, and that's the case with everything in Christopher Nolan's Gotham City."
Once Hathaway won the highly coveted role, she dove deep into research, taking in Catwoman's classic comic book appearance and the original inspirations Bob Kane and Bill Finger used to create the character. Hathaway said she drew inspiration from actress Hedy Lamarr to help shape her performance. "[Lamarr] takes these long, deep, languid breaths and exhales slowly," Hathaway said. "There's a shot of her in [the 1933 film] 'Ecstasy' exhaling a cigarette and I took probably five breaths during her one exhale. So I started working on my breathing a lot."
From there, a lot of the heavy lifting belonged to Nolan and his brother Jonathan, who co-wrote the script with the director. According to Hathaway, this Catwoman follows the pattern set by Nolan's other Gotham City residents. "You look at Heath's performance as the Joker, there was a lot of madness there but there was also a grace and he had a code there. There's a lot of belief and codes of behavior in Gotham and my character has one, too," she said. "A lot of the way she moves and interacts with people is informed by her worldview. Chris has given us all such complex, defined, sophisticated worldviews that it's just a matter of doing your homework and getting underneath the character's skin."
Do you think Anne Hathaway will kill it as Catwoman? Let us know in the comments below!
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