Tragedy has struck for the family of Glee star Charice Pempengco. The estranged father of the 19-year-old Filipino starlet, best known for her role as Sunshine Corazon on the FOX show, was stabbed to death Monday night in the singer-actress' hometown in the Philippines.
Beyoncé Bianca Kajlich Bijou Phillips Blake Lively Blu Cantrell
Unable to make their love last forever, Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard have decided to part ways.
The decision to get divorced comes after the "Your Highness" actress and her Death Cab for Cutie partner spent two years together as a married couple.
Insiders tell Us magazine of the breakup, "It was mutual and amicable. There was no third party involved."
Sources add that the divorce decision is based on career schedules keeping Deschanel and Gibbard apart.
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/zooey-deschanel/zooey-deschanel-ben-gibbard-call-it-quits-557791
Emmanuelle Chriqui Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmy Rossum Erica Leerhsen Erika Christensen
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Catherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore Charlies Angels
Conrad Murray's defense team presented a series of character witnesses who praised his skills as a physician.
By Gil Kaufman
Dr. Conrad Murray appears in court Wednesday
Photo: Getty Images
The day after one of Michael Jackson's former nurses was brought to tears while testifying at the involuntary manslaughter trial of the singer's former doctor, Conrad Murray, it was the cardiologist who got weepy on Wednesday (October 26) as his defense team produced a series of witnesses attesting to Murray's skills as a physician.
The Witnesses
» Andrew Guest, former patient of Conrad Murray
» Gerry Causey, former patient
» Lunette Sampson, former patient
» Ruby Mosley, former patient
Key Testimony
» After weeks of prosecution witnesses hammering away at what they deemed Murray's unprofessional, sloppy work in the final, crucial hours of MJ's life, the cardiologist's defense team spent Wednesday serving up a string of character witnesses to speak on Murray's behalf, according to the Los Angeles Times. The patients from Murray's Las Vegas and Houston practices talked about the hours he spent speaking to them, calling them at home and on weekends, and the free services he offered to those who were indigent. "That man sitting there is the best doctor I've ever seen," said Andrew Guest, who Murray treated for a heart condition in 2002. "I'm alive because of that man." Their testimony caused Murray to well up with tears at various points.
» Longtime patient and friend Causey said his appointments with Murray often lasted more than four hours, with the doctor often calling Causey's wife afterward to explain his treatment. Sampson also testified to Murray's careful, exhaustive attention and Mosley said Murray set up a clinic in a low-income neighborhood in honor of his father, who was a physician in that area.
» While cross-examining the witnesses, prosecutor David Walgren pointed out that each patient had received care for heart-related ailments and were not treated for sleep disorders or drug dependency. Prosecutors have said Murray's motivation to give Jackson the surgical anesthetic propofol was his promised six-figure monthly salary.
» Each patient also noted that when Murray did sedate them it was in a hospital setting with monitoring equipment and backup personnel. Prosecutors have argued that Murray did not have proper monitoring equipment or a nurse assistant when he gave Jackson a fatal dose of propofol and then left the room on June 25, 2009.
» When jurors left for the day, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor spoke directly to Murray and reminded him that he has a right to choose whether or not he testifies on his own behalf in the trial. Pastor said he would ask Murray for an answer on that question later this week when the defense rests its case. Murray was not listed on Thursday's defense witness roster submitted by attorney Ed Chernoff.
Murray, who was being paid $150,000 a month to care for Jackson, has pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of involuntary manslaughter and is now facing four years in prison. But new sentencing laws in California aimed at mandatorily reducing state prison overcrowding mean that, as a nonviolent offender with no prior record, he could be sentenced to county jail instead. If that is the case, his sentence could be reduced to two years and, because of overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail, he may be allowed to serve the majority of his time under supervised house arrest.
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Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Morrison Jennifer ODell Jennifer Scholle Jennifer Sky
Last prosecution witness finishes his testimony in Dr. Conrad Murray involuntary manslaughter trial.
By Gil Kaufman
Dr. Conrad Murray
Photo: Pool/ Getty Images
The final prosecution witness in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson physician Dr. Conrad Murray finished his testimony Thursday (October 20), paving the way for the physician's defense to present their witnesses.
Once again, the jury heard from anesthesiologist and propofol expert Dr. Steven Shafer, who presented a detailed list Wednesday of the 17 errors he believed Murray made in his treatment of Jackson.
The Witness
» Dr. Steven Shafer, anesthesiologist
Key Testimony
» Shafer, who has spent 20 years studying the effects of the surgical anesthetic propofol, informed the jury that there is no way Jackson could have caused his own death by swallowing the drug. Until it abandoned the line of reasoning last week, Murray's defense team appeared to be pursuing a theory that the pop star administered the fatal dose of the drug to himself when Murray was out of the room.
» According to CBS News, Shafer's claims were meant as a response to a report from defense expert Dr. Paul White, who said Jackson may have caused his own death by swallowing propofol. But Shafer said it's impossible for any propofol that is swallowed to enter the bloodstream, which is where coroner's officials found the drug during an autopsy of Jackson.
» Shafer also said Murray's improper use of propofol -- allegedly as a sleep aid -- has made his own patients afraid of the drug. "I am asked every day I'm in the operating room ... 'Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?' " Shafer said.
» A large portion of Thursday's testimony was dedicated to Shafer outlining his mathematical models that simulated various levels of propofol use, as well as demonstrations of how Murray had his medical equipment set up to administer propofol to Jackson. The prosecution later summarized Shafer's testimony, reiterating the fact that in Shafer's professional opinion, Murray's multiple deviations from standard medical care were the direct cause of Jackson's death. Shafer also said Murray is responsible for "every drop of propofol and lorazepam" that ended up in Jackson's room, no matter if he administered it or not, because Murray introduced Jackson to the sedatives in the first place.
» Murray's defense team was slated to question Shafer on Friday afternoon.
Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of involuntary manslaughter, is facing four years in prison if convicted. But new sentencing laws in California meant to mandatorily reduce state prison overcrowding mean that, as a nonviolent offender with no prior record, he could be sentenced to county jail instead. If that is the case, his sentence could be reduced to two years and, because of overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail, he may be allowed to serve the majority of his time under supervised house arrest.
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Jamie Chung Jamie Gunns Jamie Lynn Sigler Janet Jackson January Jones
Chris Marrs Piliero opens up to MTV News about working with non-actor Jason Trawick in new video.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf
Jason Trawick and Britney Spears in "Criminal"
Photo: Jive
Britney Spears certainly had everyone talking when she dropped her steamy "Criminal" video. Sure, fans were talking about the sex and gunplay, but they were also going bananas over the appearance of Brit's real-life boyfriend, Jason Trawick, who plays her criminally handsome beau in the clip.
The idea to include Trawick in the video was all Britney's, but director Chris Marrs Piliero wasn't sure he was so into it. "When she first hit me up, she had a basic story in mind, and she actually always originally planned to have Jason, her boyfriend, play the role, and I wasn't super stoked on that idea at first, actually," he told MTV News.
Most of his reservations were because Trawick isn't a professional actor and he wasn't sure his rookie acting skills would translate well in the mini-movie. "I wanted to make a really rad, epic video, and I definitely got the sense from her she wanted something really cool," he explained. "And in my mind, I was just thinking then, 'We really should not be using your boyfriend; we should get an actor.' So, I mean, I didn't say that, but in the back of my mind, I'm like, 'I don't like this idea at all.' "
Trawick and his abs, however, managed to impress Piliero — and Britney loyalists everywhere. "At the end of the day, Jason killed it. That was one of those things I was really stoked [about], as much as I went into it like, 'Wow, he's not an actor. This is going to be interesting,' but I really do like a challenge, and I really do like the idea that I'm a director and my job is to direct and get the performance. For me, it was a fun challenge to be like, 'I'm gonna make sure that you are awesome,' and he was."
Piliero also worked with Spears on her video for "I Wanna Go," and he was once again dazzled by her sassy acting skills. "Of course, Britney was rad," he said. "She does a good job at nailing and doing the little acting thing. She's cool at it."
What did you think of the "Criminal" video? Share your reviews in the comments!
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