Royal Couple Sues Over Photos of Topless Duchess

By ALAN COWELL and JOHN F. BURNS

LONDON — In a dispute evoking the furor that swirled around press coverage of Diana, Princess of Wales, Britain’s royal household began legal proceedings on Friday against a French magazine that published paparazzi photographs of the former Kate Middleton, the wife of Diana’s elder son, Prince William, sunbathing topless at a secluded villa in Provence.

‘‘St James’s Palace confirms that legal proceedings for breach of privacy have been commenced today in France by the duke and duchess of Cambridge against the publishers of Closer Magazine France,’’ the couple’s office said in a statement.

Coming after the publication of photographs last month of Prince Harry, Diana’s younger son, cavorting naked at a party in Las Vegas, the appearance of the images of the former Miss Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, in the French edition of Closer magazine raised profound questions about the limits of royal privacy and threatened to revive old strains with the press.

Before his marriage to Miss Middleton last year, Prince William repeatedly indicated that he wished to shield her from what the royal family depicted as the hounding of Diana before, throughout and after her doomed marriage to his father, Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne.

At the moment of her death in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, photographers were in pursuit of Diana. “William and Harry lost their mother in circumstances in France where the press, at that time, were completely out of control,” Michael Ellis, a Conservative lawmaker, told Sky News. “This will bring back painful memories.”

Another statement from the couple’s office called the publication of the photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge “grotesque and totally unjustifiable,” comparing the images to “the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to the duke and duchess for being so.”

The images of the duchess were not, initially at least, published in Britain, where newspaper standards and practices have come under an unaccustomed and fierce spotlight after the phone hacking scandal that has focused primarily on Rupert Murdoch’s British newspapers.

A Web version of the cover of Closer hid its content behind a thick black bar. In France, the magazine went on sale with a cover showing the topless duchess, a headline in English saying “Oh my God!” and, in French, “The Photos That Will Go Around the World.” Inside, several grainy photographs showed the royal couple sunbathing beside a swimming pool.

Referring to the duke and duchess, their office said Friday that “their royal highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and unjustifiable manner.”

“Their royal highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them. Officials acting on behalf of their royal highnesses are consulting with lawyers to consider what options may be available to the duke and duchess.”

The images emerged as the couple traveled in the Far East as part of a tour observing the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60-year rule. Their schedule for Friday included a visit to a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The photographs were taken before the official tour, while the couple vacationed in Provence, in southern France, last week at what British media reports described as a chateau owned by Lord Linley, the Queen’s nephew.

The villa complex, built around a 19th-century hunting lodge called the Château d’Autet, is set in 640 acres of woodland and can house up to 17 people at four main properties. Apart from being a vacation retreat for Lord Linley and his family, it has also been rented out for thousands of dollars a week, offering guests a variety of recreational options including a tennis court, a swimming pool and an area to play the French bowling game called boule. A promotional Web site extolled its unique “peace and quiet.”

Prime Minister David Cameron’s office joined broad condemnation of the publication of the photographs, saying that Mr. Cameron “echoed the anger and sadness of the palace” and that the duke and duchess “are entitled to their privacy.”

Condemnation of the publication spread across the British news media, sometimes evoking old rivalries between France and Britain. A headline in the tabloid The Daily Mirror referred to the French edition of Closer as a “sneaky French mag.”

Diana’s friend Rosa Monckton said in a message on Twitter: “I’m on a rant and very angry having seen at firsthand the emotional price paid for press intrusion. My last word on this: leave Kate alone.”

According to the newspaper The Evening Standard, photographers, including local cameramen not linked to international paparazzi, said the couple were visible from a nearby road as they relaxed on a terrace beside a pool. Prince William appeared to be reading an iPad as Kate rubbed sun cream into his back, the newspaper said.

Closer magazine insisted there had been no breach of safety or security, according to The Evening Standard. “If two public figures chose to strip off in full view of a public road, then they can expect to be pictured, and they were,” an unidentified person at Closer magazine was quoted as saying.

The editor of Closer magazine in France, Laurence Pieau, defended the decision to publish the pictures. “For me those pictures are not shocking,” Ms. Pieau told The Associated Press. “Just a beautiful couple, an in-love couple in the south of France. Kate is the girl next door.”

Since the couple married, the British press has generally fallen in with informal requests by their office for privacy, although The Sun, a Murdoch-owned tabloid, defied a royal request to refrain from publishing the photographs of the naked Prince Harry after they appeared elsewhere.

The British edition of Closer magazine said on Friday that it had not been offered the photographs of the duchess and would not anyhow publish them.

But overseas outlets have been less cooperative with the royal household, publishing photographs of the couple and their puppy despite efforts by royal officials to discourage coverage of the dog.

According to British media, there have been Internet photographs of the couple walking the dog on a beach in Anglesey, near a Royal Air Force base where Prince William is a search and rescue helicopter pilot. An Australian magazine has also printed pictures of the couple on their honeymoon in Seychelles.

French legal experts who work on privacy issues said the couple could have a strong case under French privacy laws if they sue in a French court. Jean-Frédéric Gaultier, a parter in the law firm Olswang, told the BBC that the couple could sue for an injunction to force Closer to withdraw the issue carrying the photographs, and to prevent any sale of the photographs to other publications. They could also sue for damages, he said.

Mr. Gaultier said that there had been a longstanding wariness in France toward media invasion of the private lives of public figures, but that this had eased since the sex scandal that enveloped Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former French finance minister and onetime head of the International Monetary Fund. 

“Things are changing,” he said, but not to the degree that French courts would accept paparazzi using “long-lens photography” to intrude into the private lives of the duke and duchess. “The overwhelming public interest in this case is not obvious,” he said.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: September 14, 2012

An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Laurence Pieau, the editor of the French edition of the magazine Closer, as a man. Ms. Pieau is a woman.

‘Walking Dead’: Another episode, Shane now a Zombie

Those were the words Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) spoke at the beginning of this episode of “Walking Dead” during his eulogy for the dearly departed Dale Horvath. It was Rick’s big “Live together, die alone” moment, his opportunity to step up, prove his leadership skills and unite the group.

Less than an hour later, his words were proven false. Rick and his posse of dysfunctional, perpetually bickering zombie-pocalypse survivors are still as cracked and fractured as ever. And as a result, another key character is dead.

Warning: spoilers ahead. (But really, not that spoilery since I think we all pretty much knew this person was going to bite it this season.)

Shane Walsh, you magnificent, stubborn, Otis-killing, Lori Grimes-obsessed, pseudo-bald bastard — you had to go and get stabbed and then shot by the Grimes boys, didn’t you?

You had to because the “Walking Dead” writers promised major developments in this season’s final episodes, and major developments in a show about a horrifying dystopian society usually mean casualties. You had to because Lori Grimes made that speech about how much she appreciated what you had done for her, which was the first red flag that you were so not going to live through this episode. You had to because Jon Bernthal, the actor who plays you, has signed on to Frank Darabont’s upcoming pilot, “L.A. Noir,” which was kind of a clue that Shane might not survive to hook up with Andrea another day.

Still, it’s a little sad. Shane stood out as perhaps the most compelling conflicted character in season two. It was never clear what Shane might do next, and on a show where everyone has had the same argument at least five times, a dose of unpredictability was welcome.

Naturally, the circumstances surrounding Shane’s death — which occurred after Shane got rid of Randall and involved a stabbing, a zombie-fication and a shooting committed by a preteen — have raised some questions, as did a few other things in this episode. Let’s address some of those now, with further conversation to follow in the comments section.

Why did Shane turn into a zombie?

This was definitely confusing. I watched the ending three times to try to figure this out and I’m still flummoxed.

After Rick stabbed Shane, there were quick flashes of zombies growling and feasting on something. But we never saw Shane get attacked. It appeared that Rick was standing over his body the whole time, and that the walkers didn’t approach en masse until after Shane turned.

So when and how did this happen? Did Shane have traces of the infection in his bloodstream that were activated once he died? If so, that flies in the face of zombie rules and regulations as we know them. Is it possible Rick was in some sort of trance and that Shane was bitten during that time, while Rick remained unscathed? Because that makes no sense at all.

I am eager to hear theories on this one because honestly, I’m stumped.

Update: As many smart commenters below have noted, it seems fair to assume that the virus that causes zombie-fication is indeed airborn and was already in Shane’s bloodstream when Rick stabbed him. (I failed to note that Randall also zombiefied after Shane broke his neck, another clue that the walkers-must-be-bitten-to-become-walkers rule is actually off the mark.)

The “Walking Dead” writers have not explicitly explained the details yet, but that basic premise — that everyone is already infected — makes sense. And it raises the stakes enormously if anyone who dies immediately adds to the walker population. Thank to all the readers who astutely processed all this. (Also — hey, Andrea, let’s not enable anyone else’s suicidal tendencies anymore, um-kay?)

What was Shane’s plan — did he want to kill Rick or force Rick to kill him?

Shane was clearly goading his old buddy with some highly charged language during their stand-off. (“Lori and Carl, they’ll get over you. They’ve done it before” — I mean, that was cold. Like, buried-in-the-back-of-the-freezer cold.)

But if he had genuinely wanted Rick dead, he could have offed him quickly and easily, the same way he did Randall. Maybe Shane couldn’t muster the courage to kill his friend so quickly. Or maybe Shane just wanted Rick to kill him and put him out of his own guilt and misery, so he was trying to fire him up to commit the act. Personally, I am leaning toward the former — he wanted to blast Rick in the back of the head before he knew where the bullet came from, but doing so was just too hard.

Who is really responsible for killing Shane?

Technically, it was Rick since he stabbed first. But Carl shot Shane in the head after he turned walker, something he might not have done if both his father and Shane hadn’t encouraged him to hold on to Daryl’s gun. So really, this was a joint effort. Not sure how that would be explained in a court of law. (It’s not double murder since only one person died ... so maybe it’s murder to the second power?) Fortunately, since the “Walking Deaders” are living in a time of total anarchy, there probably won’t be a criminal trial in this matter.

Should we assume now that Rick’s transformation into Shane is essentially complete?

I believe so, given the fact that he killed his best friend in cold blood. (Yes, he screamed and cried and felt bad, but that doesn’t change it.). Plus, he gave his son what qualifies as the harshest father-son pep talk in TV history. “People are going to die,” he told Carl. “I’m going to die. Your mom — there’s no way you can ever be ready for it … the best we can do is avoid it as long as we can.” (This, by the way, is the exact same speech Howard Cunningham gave to Richie Cunningham in the rarely seen zombie episode of “Happy Days.”)

Rick’s better angels, to borrow the title of the episode, have become ruthless realists.

Why didn’t Rick and Carl see the thousands upon thousands of zombies heading toward them at the end of the episode?

In the last shot, an upward pan revealed that literally every zombie in the state of Georgia, as well as several from the Carolinas, are heading toward the farm. They were feet away from the Grimes guys. But they didn’t seem to realize how much potential they had to become walker meat in approximately, oh, ten seconds. How is this possible? Can this be explained by using the same flawed logic that presumably explains Shane’s zombieness?

Did Lori Grimes know Shane was going to die?

Per the conversation she had previously with Shane, it sure seemed like she thought it would be wise to have a “final talk.” But I don’t think she knew a stand-off was imminent. I do think she may have had a premonition that her former lover wasn’t long for this world. We women tend to have sixth senses about these things. Although you’d think her psychic powers would help her keep better tabs on her kid’s whereabouts.

Speaking of which, did anyone else laugh out loud earlier in the episode, when Shane asked Carl: ‘What are you doing wandering around by yourself?’

I was so hoping Carl would say, “I’m doing what I do in every single episode. Seriously, don’t you pay any attention to how negligent my parents are?”

This has nothing to do with Shane, but: Wasn’t it nice to see T-Dogg actually doing something (sort of) in this episode?

They finally gave him lines and everything! He even got to make a nice, subtle reference to the Governor, a character who shall rear his head in season three. Truly a banner week for T-Dogg.

Do you think Shane’s demise is good or bad for the future of ‘Walking Dead’?

Well, the narrative in the comic moved ahead just fine after Shane’s death. And there was only so long the writers could drag out the triangular situation between him, Lori and Rick. Plus presumably, Rick is going to go to even darker places after offing his friend, which could be interesting.

But as noted earlier, Shane’s starkly black and white approach to handling life’s major obstacles will be profoundly missed. From now on, we’ll just have to watch “Walking Dead” while always asking ourselves WWSWD — What would Shane Walsh do?

By Jen Chaney | 10:24 PM ET, 03/11/2012

Did Aretha Franklin Die?

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin has died. That’s the news that’s topping Google Trends at this moment. Nothing is confirmed as yet.

Aretha underwent surgery for a mystery illness about a month ago. And rumor has it that she had pancreatic cancer. The National Enquirer reported recently that Aretha has incurable pancreatic cancer. The rag lists pancreatic survival rates at 5-10%, and even lower for someone of Franklin’s age and weight. Patrick Swayze died from the same form of cancer in September last year.

Fox 2 News quoted Franklin herself as saying she had “highly successful” surgery recently. “God is still in control. I had superb doctors and nurses whom were blessed by all the prayers of the city and the country,” she said.

Franklin canceled a number of concerts back in October citing “health reasons,” and in early November, she has cancelled all engagements for the next six months.

The death rumor could just be a hoax. We’ll keep you updated.

Our prayers go out to Aretha and in God we trust always.

Bobby Hebb dies at 72; writer and singer of '66 hit 'Sunny'

Bobby Hebb, a musician and songwriter whose 1966 hit "Sunny" about a smiling girl became a pop music classic, died Tuesday of lung cancer at a Nashville hospital. He was 72.

"Sunny" was recorded by many other singers, including Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Frank Sinatra and Jose Feliciano. Hebb's version reached No. 2 on the Billboard pop charts.

The song's key lines:

Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain.

Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain.

The dark days are gone and the bright days are here.

My sunny one shines so sincere.

Sunny one so true, I love you.

Hebb had said in several interviews that he wrote "Sunny" in response to the slaying of his brother Harold outside a Nashville nightclub and to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy a few days before.

After a Japanese artist had a hit with the song in Asia and vibraphone player Dave Pike recorded it in the United States, Hebb recorded the vocals at Bell Sound in New York.

At the height of the song's popularity, Hebb toured with the Beatles in the United States.

In 1971, Lou Rawls won a Grammy award for "A Natural Man," written by Hebb and Sandy Baron.

As recently as 2007, Hebb was still writing songs and had his own publishing company and record label, Hebb Cats.

Hebb was born in 1938 to blind parents who were gospel-singing musicians. Raised in Nashville, Hebb became one of the first black musicians to perform on the Grand Ole Opry show in the 1950s. He also played spoons and danced with Roy Acuff's country band, the Smoky Mountain Boys.

In 1955 he joined the Navy and played trumpet in a military jazz band. He also played guitar, piano and percussion.

Survivors include a daughter and four sisters.

Rachel Zoe says she's 'better off' after firing Taylor Jacobson for allegedly stealing from her

BY Cristina Everett
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The drama that unfolded after the firing of celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe's sharp-tongued fashion assistant, Taylor Jacobson, finally came to light Tuesday night.

During the season premiere of "The Rachel Zoe Project," Jacobson was accused of swiping and never returning the company's high-priced designer merchandise.

Zoe's husband Roger, who now works for the company, discovered the mishap and handed the pink slip to Jacobson, who never makes an appearance on the episode.

"Not much shocks me in my life, but this is one of the things that has really shocked me the most in my life and my career, for sure," Zoe wrote on her Bravo blog, adding that she has not spoken to Jacobson since the incident occurred last November.

On the show, Zoe noticeably feels betrayed having built such a strong friendship with Jacobson over the past four years.

Despite the loss of a friend and employee, Zoe acknowledges that her company "is actually better off" without the disgruntled Jacobson, who was better known for her combative personality often aimed at co-worker Brad Goreski.

"We just have a really happy work environment, everyone works extremely hard and laughs all day," Zoe wrote in the blog. "There are no fights, there are no slamming doors, there is no negative energy anywhere, which is quite wonderful. It's almost like I forgot what it's like to have a work environment like that."

Ouch. Even though Jacobson is no longer an employee at Rachel Zoe, Inc., the bleached blond seems to continue being a thorn in Zoe's side throughout the season. Not only did Zoe learn that her reps took on Jacobson as a client, but a teaser clip hints that Jacobson got a chance to style an actress for the Golden Globes in January.

Due to a confidentiality agreement, Jacobson has kept her side of the story to herself. However, she did tell TVGuide.com that stealing the company's merchandise would not make sense.

"I will say this: I don't fit into sample sizes!" Jacobson told the Web site in July. "Where did that even come from? I'm not a size zero. I have 34-D boobs! Models are flat. I don't fit into samples. I don't understand. It's the weirdest thing to me. I'm fat."

Whatever the truth really is, Zoe said she believes that "everything happens for a reason."

"At the end of the day I do have an incredible husband that has always lived by the mantra, 'Karma is a bitch, and it always comes back around,'" writes Zoe. "And it has already and it will continue to do so."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/08/04/2010-08-04_rachel_zoe_betrayed_and_shocked_after_exemployee_taylor_jacobson_allegedly_stole.html#ixzz0veOcRPsd

The Bachelorette Finale: Who Did Ali Choose?

After 10 rose ceremonies and the unexpected departure of two different suitors, Ali Fedotowsky's final choice was surprisingly easy for her: She avoided the customary dueling proposals and told Chris not to bother proposing, because she loved only Roberto.

Ali's all-or-nothing campaign seems to have worked: Roberto had the same feelings for her.

Host Chris Harrison previously hinted at the ending, telling TVGuide.com, "It's not your typical proposal day."

At least, not your typically Bachelorette proposal day, what with only one guy proposing and all. It was actually kind of... normal.

What do you think of Ali's surprising decision?

Kevin Jonas engaged to Jersey girlfriend Danielle Deleasa

by Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger

Kevin Jonas is taking a Jersey girl as his bride. Though the Jonas Brothers, who are from Wyckoff, moved to a fancy new spread outside Dallas, he found love with Danielle Deleasa, a former hairdresser who hails from Denville, and showed up at her doorstep Wednesday morning with a proposal and a diamond ring Jonas designed himself, People reports.

"She said yes, yes, yes like 500 times super fast in a row," Jonas, 21, tells People.
Though Internet reports have said that Jonas and Deleasa, 22, were childhood friends, People says she met Jonas two years ago while both were vacationing in the Bahamas with their families.

Jonas had been performing Tuesday night in Vancouver and took a red-eye to the East Coast. "It was tough performing last night, knowing that I was going to ask the biggest question in my life to the most amazing girl in the world," he says. Younger brothers Joe (who is dating actress Camilla Belle) and Nick (who is reportedly back on with ex-girlfriend Miley Cyrus) congratulated their brother via Twitter: "Dani welcome to the family, we can't wait to have you join us on the road!"

Kevin Jonas and Deleasa have been rather low-key about their relationship, and she's made few, if any, red carpet appearances on his arm. We did dig up one photo of Deleasa in our archives -- she was photographed for a story on her school back in 2000 -- but posting a photo of someone from their middle-school years? We're not that devoid of morals.

Michael Jackson's will surfaces

By Harriet Ryan

The posthumous affairs of Michael Jackson boiled down to two things Tuesday: His memorial service will draw a huge crowd and the settling of his estate will be complicated.

Beyond that was a storm of rumor, supposition and educated guess interrupted by snatches of information more intriguing than complete.

An entertainment attorney who had worked for Jackson produced a 7-year-old will that named him and a music executive as executors. Lawyers for Jackson's mother, who had asked a court for control of his affairs a day before, said they were evaluating the validity of the document.

Meanwhile, reports about funeral arrangements swirled, with a source close to family discussions telling The Times that one potential plan involved a memorial at Staples Center followed by a procession to Jackson's Neverland Ranch, where a more intimate service for family, friends and the music industry would occur.

Law enforcement agencies strategized, school officials near the ranch mulled traffic congestion and broadcast outlets, anticipating one of the largest media events in years, began talking about how to share helicopters, satellite coordinates, video feeds and other resources. There was just one thing missing: official information.

"We don't know the details of what any movement would be," said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Mark Garrett. "We've heard rumors just like the media and the public."

An attorney for Jackson's parents, Katherine and Joe Jackson, declined to comment on the funeral planning and said the couple's legal team was focused on evaluating the July 2002 will.

"I just saw the will for the first time this morning. We are in the process of reviewing it. We did not see it prior to the filing. We wish we had known about it earlier," said attorney L. Londell McMillan.

The document was produced by John Branca, a lawyer who began representing Jackson in 1980. Branca and Jackson parted ways in 2006 in a disagreement over other advisors, but on June 17 -- eight days before his death -- Jackson signed a letter once again retaining Branca as his lawyer, according to a source familiar with the relationship.

The source, like many connected to the Jackson case, spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the situation.

The 2002 will named Jackson's 79-year-old mother as guardian of his three children and ordered that all his assets be moved into an entity known as the Michael Jackson Family Trust, a source with knowledge of the will said. It appointed as executors Branca and John McClain, a founder of Interscope Records and an associate of Jackson since his youth, the source said.

McMillan declined to comment on a Wall Street Journal report that the will splits Jackson's assets among his mother, children and one or more charities. The lawyer said it was "a good thing" and "part of the process" for those who had worked with the performer to produce documents related to his estate.

"Mr. Jackson had a series of lawyers over time, and part of our challenge is to make contact with each and every one of those advisors to review their files," he said.

In an appearance on "Larry King Live," a probate attorney said Branca "may not have the full picture" of Jackson's estate planning.

"Things were in transition often in Michael's life," said lawyer Burt Levitch.

Katherine Jackson has temporary custody of Michael Jackson's two sons and his daughter and temporary control of his estate with limited powers, including the right to secure his tangible assets. In court filings requesting those powers Monday, her lawyers checked a box indicating that the singer died without a will, but they acknowledged elsewhere in the documents that they had heard of a will but not seen it.

"It was important for Mrs. Jackson to proactively take legal action and protect the well-being of the children and the personal property and belongings" of her son, McMillan said.

He said he represented Jackson in the 3 1/2 years leading up to his death. McMillan said the entertainer never told him that he had rehired Branca but, he said, "It's possible."

A statement issued Tuesday on behalf of Branca and Joel Katz, an Atlanta attorney who had been helping Jackson negotiate new record deals, said they "are now carrying out his wishes and desires as expressed in the last will and testament. It is their sincere desire that Michael's affairs be handled with dignity and respect."

Branca, whose clients include Santana and Aerosmith, advised Jackson on what is acknowledged as Jackson's smartest business decision: Buying half of the Beatles' catalog in 1985 for $47.5 million. The catalog, supplemented over the years by the work of many other artists, is estimated to be worth at least $1 billion.

In a May interview with The Times, Branca said he stopped working with Jackson because the entertainer brought into his inner circle "people who really didn't have his best interests at heart."

"The paradox is that Michael is one of the brightest and most talented people I've ever known," he added. "At the same time, he has made some of the worst choices in advisors in the history of music."

The other executor named in the will, McClain, worked with Michael Jackson, his sister Janet, and the Jackson 5 as well as with rappers Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. He is best known for his work at Interscope Records, where he was responsible for bringing the controversial yet lucrative gangsta rap label Death Row Records into its corporate fold.

An executor role would give Branca and McClain power to manage Jackson's finances while the court is settling his affairs, a process that could take years. Jackson, 50, died with more than $400 million in debt, but his assets -- including his musical catalog and his partial ownership of the Sony-ATV catalog -- outweigh his debts by hundreds of millions of dollars.

"That is going to be a very important responsibility considering the size of the debts and the projected size of the estate. . . . There is also going to be a responsibility during that time to monetize the assets. The judge is going to want to make sure a responsible person is admitted," said Lawrence Heller, a veteran L.A. probate attorney who has handled estate planning for Sammy Davis Jr. and other celebrities.


Times staff writers Chris Lee, Andrew Blankstein, Ari B. Bloomekatz, Ruben Vives and Raja Abdulrahim contributed to this report.

OK! Magazine Michael Jackson Cover Picture: Too Much?

A photo of a dying Michael Jackson lying on a stretcher is the cover image on the latest edition of OK! Magazine, and is certain to elicit strong, mixed reactions.

The race is on to break the latest news on what may be the biggest celebrity gossip story ever, but do we really need to see "the last photos" of the pop icon?

OK! allegedly paid $500,000 for the cover picture you see below.

While covering Jackson's tragic death is unavoidable, would a tribute such as the commemorative covers released by Entertainment Weekly be more appropriate?

On the flip side, do you want to see all the details because you are interested in the story, even if the images of the dying Jackson happen to be upsetting?

What do you think of the picture on OK's "tribute" issue below? Is it disrespectful to Michael Jackson or are they just reporting the news?

Kim Kardashian Engagement Ring?!

by Toshiba Reynolds

Hollywood's favorite famous-for-nothing socialite Kim Kardashian is apparently shopping for an engagement ring!

Kim Kardashian and NFL player Reggie Bush, who have been together for at least a year, have been pondering wedding nuptials for quite some time now - but are they finally tying the knot?

According to reports, Kim Kardashian bragged to E! Online over the weekend that she is finally shopping for an engagement ring but Reggie was nowhere in sight!

Kim explains why she's shopping for her ring: "It's just easier. Isn't it easy if someone's like, 'This is exactly what I want.' It'll make your life so easy."

Oh, and if you were looking forward to wedding photos down the road when the pair finally does marry, don't: "Reggie would rather die. He would rather not marry me. He's very private. We're complete opposites."

That's for sure.

Video: Eminem Rapping at 2009 MTV Movie Awards

2009 MTV Movie Awards has just been wrapped and video footage showing Eminem's live performance has been found. In the clip, he is captured rapping a medley of hit singles "We Made You" and "Crack a Bottle".

Aside from the arrival of Eminem's live performance footage, a clip featuring Sacha Baron Cohen's alter ego in movie "Bruno" flying on a sling over audience seat and falling on Eminem's face has also been outed. The rapper and actor had a small fight before the Slim Shady got pissed off and walked out of the audience seat.

In regard of the hilarious scene, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest tweeted, "First MTV person said real..another said unsure...I figure it was planned but em didn't know Sasha's bare moon was going to be in his face."

2009 MTV Movie Awards was held at Gibson Amphitheatre on Sunday, May 31 and hosted by "Saturday Night Live" regular Andy Samberg. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart-starring film "Twilight" led its winners list with five kudos, one of which was for Best Movie title.

Beside having Eminem as a performer, the awards also tapped Kings of Leon to rock the event. This band delivered "Use Somebody", the single lifted from their 2008 studio album "Only by the Night". Additionally, "Britain's Got Talent" runner-up Susan Boyle was also planned to sing at the awards gala, but the idea reportedly was ruled out by the singing contest's bosses. "We tried to get her. I wanted her here, but they've got a pretty strict contract over there," Andy Samberg chimed in.

Eminem rapping "We Made You" and "Crack a Bottle":

Dom DeLuise, actor, comedian and chef, dies

LOS ANGELES - Dom DeLuise, the portly actor-comedian whose affable nature made him a popular character actor for decades with movie and TV audiences as well as directors and fellow actors, has died. He was 75.

DeLuise died Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told KTLA-TV and radio station KNX on Tuesday. The comedian died in his sleep after a long illness. Calls to his agent were not immediately returned.

The actor, who loved to cook and eat almost as much as he enjoyed acting, also carved out a formidable second career later in life as a chef of fine cuisine. He authored two cookbooks and would appear often on morning TV shows to whip up his favorite recipes.

As an actor, he was incredibly prolific, appearing in scores of movies and TV shows, in Broadway plays and voicing characters for numerous cartoon shows.

Writer-director-actor Mel Brooks particularly admired DeLuise's talent for offbeat comedy and cast him in several of his films, including "The Twelve Chairs," "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie," "History of the World Part I" and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." DeLuise was also the voice of Pizza the Hutt in Brooks' "Star Wars" parody, "Spaceballs."

The actor also appeared frequently in films opposite his friend Burt Reynolds. Among them, "The End," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," 'Smokey and the Bandit II," "The Cannonball Run" and "Cannonball Run II."

Another actor-friend, Dean Martin, admired his comic abilities so much that he cast DeLuise as a regular on his 1960s comedy-variety show. In 1973, he starred in a situation comedy, "Lotsa Luck," but it proved to be short-lived.

Other TV credits included appearances on such shows as "The Munsters," "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Burke's Law," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and "Diagnosis Murder."

On Broadway, DeLuise appeared in Neil Simon's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and other plays.

Because of his passion for food, the actor battled obesity throughout much of his life, his weight reaching as much as 325 pounds at one point. For years, he resisted the efforts of family members and doctors who tried to put him on various diets. He finally agreed in 1993 when he needed hip replacement surgery and his doctor refused to perform it until he lost 100 pounds.

He and his family enrolled at the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C., and DeLuise lost enough weight for the surgery, although he gained some of it back afterward.

On the positive side, his love of food resulted in two successful cookbooks, 1988's "Eat This — It Will Make You Feel Better!" and 1997's "Eat This Too! It'll Also Make You Feel Good."

At his Pacific Palisades home, DeLuise often prepared feasts for family and friends. One lunch began with turkey soup and ended with strawberry shortcake. In between, were platters of beef filet, chicken breast and sausage, a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and a saucer of lettuce.

He strongly resembled the famed chef Paul Prudhomme and joked in a 1987 Associated Press interview that he had posed as Prudhomme while visiting his New Orleans restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.

DeLuise was appearing on Broadway in "Here's Love" in the early 1960s when Garry Moore saw him and hired him to play the magician "Dominick the Great" on "The Garry Moore Show."

His appearances on the hit comedy-variety program brought offers from Hollywood, and DeLuise first came to the attention of movie-goers in "Fail Safe," a drama starring Henry Fonda. He followed with a comedy, "The Glass Bottom Boat," starring Doris Day, and from then on he alternated between films and television.

"I was making $7,000 a week — a lot of money back then — but I didn't even know I was rich," he recalled in 1994. "I was just having such a great time."

He was born Dominick DeLuise in New York City on Aug. 1, 1933, to Italian immigrants. His father, who spoke only Italian, was a garbage collector, and those humble beginnings stayed with him throughout his life.

"My dad knows everything there is to know about garbage," one of the actor's sons, David DeLuise, told The Associated Press in 2008. "He loves to pick up a broken chair and fix it."

DeLuise's introduction to acting came at age 8 when he played the title role of Peter Rabbit in a school play. He went on to graduate from New York City's famed School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.

For five years, he sought work in theater or television with little luck. He finally decided to enroll at Tufts College and study biology, with the aim of becoming a teacher.

Acting called him back, however, and he found work at the Cleveland Playhouse, appearing in stage productions that ranged from comedies such as "Kiss Me Kate" to Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

"I worked two years solidly on plays and moving furniture and painting scenery and playing parts," he remarked in a 2006 interview. "It was quite an amazing learning place for me."

While working in summer stock in Provincetown, Mass., he met a beautiful young actress, Carol Arthur, and they were soon married.

The couple's three sons, Peter, Michael and David, all became actors and all appeared with their father in the 1990s TV series "SeaQuestDSV," in which Peter and Michael were regulars.

WARNING: Facebook Scam On the Loose,FBAction.net, Steals Passwords

by Pete Cashmore

Facebook is falling prey to a widespread phishing attack today that tries to steal your login and spam your friends.

I’ve got a number of messages in my Facebook inbox with links to “FBAction.net”, a site that displays a fake Facebook login. Enter your details there, and it will spam all your friends with the same message and link. More worrying: you might get locked out of your account for a time until Facebook sorts out this mess.

There is no malicious payload with the attack, it seems: no virus is downloaded or any other nasties: it’s simply a huge nuisance for Facebook users.

As always, don’t enter your Facebook password if the URL is not Facebook.com, and contact Facebook if you’re no longer able to access your account.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick having twins

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Sarah Jessica Parker is expecting twins this summer, but she's not pregnant.


Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker are expecting twins this summer.

The "Sex and the City" star and her husband of 12 years -- actor Matthew Broderick -- "are happily anticipating the birth of their twin daughters later this summer with the generous help of a surrogate," according to a statement issued by their publicists.

"The entire family is overjoyed," the statement said.

It did not say if the surrogate was the genetic mother of the twins or if embryos from Parker, 44, had been transferred to her.

The couple already has a 6-year-old son, James Wilkie, who was named after Broderick's father, actor James Broderick.

Lollapalooza 2009 lineup

CHICAGO, Illinois --
The line-up for a revived 2009 Lollapalooza mega-concert tour has been announced. Depeche Mode, Tool, The Killers, a reunited Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, and Kings of Leon will headline, joined by Lou Reed, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, and Rise Against, who are all also slated to perform at Grant Park in Chicago for the summer musical festival August 7-9.
Festival founder and Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell said he is thrilled to return to the Lollapalooza stage alongside friends old and new.
“The mighty Jane’s Addiction returns to Lolla after 18 years — meeting up with our pals The Beastie Boys and Depeche Mode, offering the best of the freshies The Killers and Kings of Leon, and paying honor to one of our greatest inspirations, Lou Reed,” Perry said in a statement released to Access Hollywood.
In addition to the headliners, the 2009 bill is bursting with a wide-array of musical flavors and Access On The Download picks like Chicago’s Andrew Bird, TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, Neko Case, STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector Nine), Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Of Montreal, Arctic Monkeys, Coheed and Cambria, Ben Folds, Fleet Foxes, Silversun Pickups, Kaiser Chiefs, Bon Iver, Crystal Castles, Santogold, and many more.
This year’s line-up also features some of the most exciting break-out bands of 2009. Acts like Lykke Li, Passion Pit, Asher Roth, Friendly Fires, Gang Gang Dance, Bat For Lashes, Gaslight Anthem, Chairlift, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Virgins, Ida Maria, Glasvegas, and White Lies will rock Chicago.
Lollapalooza will also have a non-stop electronica stage.
“The electronica area is being constructed louder and clearer than ever,” Farrell said, “with a lineup that knows what to do with all that sub!”
A limited number of advance price three-day passes are now available for $190. When this allotment sells out, regular price three-day passes will be available for $205. Prices include all service fees. Three-day passes and VIP packages are available at www.lollapalooz

Lollapalooza organizers will reveal Tuesday the complete list of artists and bands scheduled to appear at the festival Aug. 7-9 in Grant Park.

Besides confirming headliners Depeche Mode, Tool, the Killers, Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys and Kings of Leon as reported last month in the Tribune, the festival also will announce sets by the following artists:

Lou Reed, Ben Harper, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Rise Against, Andrew Bird, TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend, the Decemberists, Neko Case. STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9), Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Of Montreal, Arctic Monkeys, Coheed and Cambria, Ben Folds and Fleet Foxes.

The rest of the lineup is as follows:

Silversun Pickups
Kaiser Chiefs
Crystal Castles
Bon Iver
Santigold
Atmosphere
Dan Auberbach
Cold War Kids
Deerhunter
Lykke Li
Robert Earl Keen
Peter Bjorn and John
Heartless Bastards
Gomez
Glasvegas
Federico Aubele
Dan Deacon
Passion Pit
The Raveonettes
The Gaslight Anthem
The Airborne Toxic Event
White Lies
Ra Ra Riot
No Age
Asher Roth
Los Campesinos!
Bat For Lashes
Chairlift
Gang Gang Dance
The Virgins
Amazing Baby
Portugal. The Man
The Knux
Ida Maria
Delta Spirit
Friendly Fires
Manchester Orchestra
Constantines
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
Hockey
Miike Snow
Alberta Cross
Hey Champ
Sam Roberts Band
The Henry Clay People
Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam
Cage the Elephant
Living Things
The Low Anthem
Blind Pilot
Langhorne Slim
Other Lives
The Builders and The Butchers
Eric Church
Joe Pug
Kevin Devine
The Green Cards
Carney
Thenewno2

DJ sets etc. at Perry's Place
Bassnectar
MSTRKRFT
Simian Mobile Disco
DeadMau5
Boys Noise
KiD CuDi
Crookers
A-Trak
Hercules and Love Affair (DJ Set)
The Bloody Beetroots (DJ Set)
LA Riots
Kaskade
The Glitch Mob
Hollywood Holt
Rye Rye
He Say, She Say
Car Stereo (Wars)
Dark Wave Disco
Moneypenny
Yello Fever
Animal Collective (DJ Set)

Mel Gibson's Wife Files for Divorce After 28 Years of Marriage

Mel Gibson 's wife Robyn has filed for divorce after 28 years of marriage.

In the papers -- signed Apr. 9 -- she cites "irreconcilable differences."

"Throughout our marriage and separation we have always strived to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family and will continue to do so," a rep for Gibson, 53, tells Usmagazine.com in a statement.

TMZ.com alleges that "there is no prenuptial agreement" based on source reporting. In 2006, Gibson's fortune was estimated at $900 million. Under California law, community property -- which includes earnings -- is divided 50/50.

See Hollywood's ugliest splits

Robyn -- who famously stood by Gibson during his highly publicized 2006 DUI arrest -- lists the date of separation as "to be determined," which TMZ points out is important because "earnings generally cease to be community property when the couple separates."

Robyn, who has seven children with Gibson, has requested spousal support and attorneys' fees.

She is also seeking joint physical and legal custody of their son, Tom, who turns 10 Tuesday. (Tom is their only child who is a minor.)

See Hollywood's longest relationships

Robyn has snapped up attorney Laura Wasser, who most recently represented Britney Spears in her split from Kevin Federline .

The couple has dogged split rumors for some time.

Gibson was recently photographed with a woman who did not appear to be his wife in Costa Rica on March 4.

See today's top celeb news photos

Asked at the time if he and Robyn had split, his rep had no comment.

"Mel is on family vacation with his entire family and their friends," a source told Us. "His sons are there with their girlfriends, his pregnant daughter is there - the whole family is there."

Life on Mars, "Life Is A Rock": The series ends badly

I don't watch this show myself. But this is someone who does.

by Alan Sepinwall/The Star-Ledger



The "Life on Mars" series finale had a very frustrating explanation for the whereabouts of Sam Tyler

While I gave up on the American "Life on Mars" four or five episodes in, for the sake of completism -- and my fondness for the ending of the original series -- I checked out last night's series' finale, and... hoo-boy. Spoilers for both US and UK finales coming up just as soon as I shave my mustache...
So... where to begin? I guess with a quick recap of the UK finale for those who didn't see it, just to point out how strangely and awfully the US ending went wrong.

In the last episode of "Life on Mars" UK, Sam is caught in an ambush with the rest of Gene's team when he suddenly wakes up back in the present. He's told it was all some kind of elaborate coma fantasy, and sees that several figures from that fantasy (notably the Internal Affairs cop trying to bring down Gene) were based, "Wizard of Oz"-style, on people from the hospital. But after being back in his old life for a while, Sam discovers that he doesn't fit in, that he can't really feel anything, that he has no emotional connection to the 21st century anymore. And so -- as the full version of the Bowie song plays, just like it did in the pilot -- he goes up onto the roof of a tall building, jumps off, and...

...finds himself back in 1973, saving Gene, Ray and the others from the bad guys and committed to spending the rest of his existence in this weird place, not caring if it was a fantasy, or Purgatory, or something else entirely.

That is an ending. Whatever problems I may have had with the original show (which, like the remake, sometimes trended too closely to being an actual '70s cop show instead of a pastiche of one), I will always love it for that last episode.

I knew the American producers had a different take on the "mythology" of where/when their Sam was. I wasn't expecting a rehash of the original finale (though, based on the reaction this morning of several disgruntled "Life on Mars" USA fans whom I told about the old ending, they might have been better off copying it wholesale). But I also wasn't expecting anything as dumb and/or as insulting to the viewer as the ending we got.

The short version, if you didn't watch and are just curious how it ended: After a kidnapping case that sees Gene killing Sam's dad to save adult Sam's life, Sam more or less told his mom who he was, Annie (who figured out where Sam was in time to save him) got a promotion to detective, and Sam decided that he was sent back in time to meet and fall in love with Annie, and that he didn't care about ever going back to 2008, at which point he...

...finds himself several decades into our future, waking up from two years of hibernation on a NASA spaceship heading for Mars. He's not a cop from 2008 at all. That's just a fantasy cooked up by the ship's computer to keep his mind occupied during the travel (the astronaut version of Ray, sadly mustache-free, selected an elaborate island sex dream), and the trip back to 1973 was a glitch in the system. "Gene Hunt" is not the name of a person, but the mission they're on to find out if there was ever life on Mars, and Harvey Keitel is on board as Major Tom, astronaut Sam's dad.

Words fail me.

It's one thing to say that 1973 wasn't real, or even that the present-day material wasn't real (as the UK finale briefly suggested in a head-fake to the audience), but to say that neither was real? That none of what the viewer watched for these 17 episodes mattered? That it was all a very literal joke on the series' title?

Well, if I was someone who had actually ridden this particular train from beginning to end, sad that the ratings weren't strong enough to keep the show around, I would be furious about this. As it was, I was pretty mad that I stayed up after "Lost" just to watch it.

And the really maddening thing is that, until the idiotic, obnoxious twist ending, the finale was actually very good. I have to credit some of its power to the extensive use of Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" -- like the original finale's use of Bowie on the rooftop, it gave scenes like Sam and Annie's kiss, or even Annie's unlikely promotion, some real weight. And the scene where we see Sam in the present-day, reading "Gulliver's Travels" to an old woman whom we assume to be his mom (as he promised her in 1973), but who turns out to be Annie, was lovely, even if it wound up mattering not at all in the grand scheme of things.

I'd like to think that this was a case of the writers being so frustrated with the cancellation that they were venting their anger at ABC with this stupid ending, but based on how early and often we saw the miniature Mars Rover, I have to assume this was their plan all along, which... wow. Just wow. Even the final shot, of 1973 Gene's leg preparing to step onto the Mars surface, seems less an attempt to give this silly explanation some ambiguity than it feels like someone's idea of a memorable closing image, meaning be damned.

I'm mad. How about you?

Heidi Montag Pregnant?

Personally I think it is a bad April Fools joke. I had someone at my office pull the same prank on me this morning too. I was thinking myself that the baby probably wasn't his since they are the typical long distance relationship.

Is Heidi Montag pregnant... or is it just a bad April Fool's Day joke?
The Hills took to her Twitter on Wednesday afternoon for the big announcement.

"I wanted to tell my twitter friends first," she wrote. "I am pregnant!!!!!!!! I couldn't be more excited!!! I hope its a boy!"

The baby daddy — if she is expecting — presumably would be her longtime beau, Spencer Pratt. The duo staged a fake wedding — one conducted sans a proper marriage license — in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Nov. 19. They are still legally unwed.

Do you think Heidi's expecting — or is it just a big gag? Weigh in below.

Mark Ballas Sports Dancing with the Stars Boner

by Elizabeth Fairview

Mark Ballas is having an embarrassing moment. (ABC Images)
Where's Chris Hansen with To Catch a Predator when you need him? Poor 17-year-old Shawn Johnson, who last week, was almost nabbed by her stalker, is now dealing with another kind of weirdo - her own dance partner!

Mark Ballas and Shawn Johnson performed the lindy hop on Tuesday night’s Dancing with the Stars, however the Internets started to blow up with the news that Ballas was sporting more than just some jivin' moves. Now it could have been those flimsy, red cotton shorts, or a bad camera angle, but judge for yourself - TMZ has the video. Don't act like you're not impressed, people.

No ‘Light’ at the Tunnel’s End: CBS Cancels Long-Running Soap Guiding Light

By BILL CARTER

CBS announced Wednesday the cancellation of the longest-running scripted program in broadcasting history, the soap opera “Guiding Light.”

The actors Kim Zimmer and Bradley Cole at work on a scene in “Guiding Light.” The CBS daytime drama, which began on radio in 1937, will end Sept. 18.

The show has been on radio and television for 72 years, beginning on NBC radio in 1937 and moving to CBS television in 1952.

The show’s run will end with an episode Sept. 18.

The move came after many years of steeply declining ratings for the hourlong soap, which is owned by Procter & Gamble and thus was a link to the earliest days of daytime serial dramas on radio. The shows were eventually called soap operas because soap companies sponsored them.

A spokeswoman for P.&G., Jeannie Tharrington, said the company would seek to place “Guiding Light” elsewhere. “We’re looking at all our options,” she said. “This show started as a 15-minute radio show, and then it was a half-hour television show, so it has adapted over the years.”

Ms. Tharrington said P.&G. would look to any possible outlet to continue the series. A canceled NBC soap, “Passions,” moved for a time to the satellite service DirecTV, but it failed there and is now gone.

None of the producers or stars of “Guiding Light” would grant an interview Wednesday about the decision. “The news is too fresh,” Ms. Tharrington said.

In an official statement, Ellen Wheeler, the executive producer, said, “It will be difficult for all of us at the show to say goodbye.”

The CBS president, Nancy Tellem, said, “It was not an easy decision to make, but we talked it over with our partners at Procter & Gamble, and we agreed it was time.” Ms. Tellem said she had not heard that P.&G. was looking to place the show elsewhere but said that CBS would wish the company well in that effort.

The biggest star in the show’s current cast is Kim Zimmer, a four-time Emmy winner for best actress in a daytime serial. Another star, Justin Deas, has won six Emmys for his acting. The show also provided breakthroughs for many well-known actors, including Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones, Calista Flockhart, Allison Janney and Cicely Tyson. “Guiding Light” claims the distinction of being the first network soap to introduce regular African-American characters, in 1966.

CBS and the producers of “Guiding Light” — which is shot on the East Coast, in the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan and on location in Peapack, N.J. — had taken several steps in recent years to keep the series alive, especially in switching the production to a digital format.

That move, last year, included the introduction of hand-held digital cameras and permanent, four-wall sets as opposed to the traditional, constantly reconstructed three-wall sets built by soaps to accommodate bulky pedestal cameras. Rather than expensive lighting and sound equipment, the show also began using hand-held lights and microphones.

The changes resulted in a look vastly different from the traditional soap, with more camera movement, more muted lighting and much more use of outside locations. The moves saved considerable money, according to CBS executives.

But not enough to save the series. This year the audience for “Guiding Light” had declined to an average of just 2.1 million viewers an episode. Its pattern over recent years had been steadily downward. Last year it averaged about 2.4 million viewers an episode. Five years ago the average was about 3 million viewers.

“Guiding Light” also had the smallest audience of any of the remaining network daytime soaps and a smaller audience than many of the game and talk shows that also fill network daytime hours. The most-watched soap, “The Young and the Restless” on CBS, is averaging about 5.26 million viewers an episode. The network’s game show “The Price Is Right” has an average of about 4.95 million viewers. ABC’s talk show “The View” averages about 4.25 million viewers.

ABC’s top soap, “General Hospital,” averages about 2.97 million viewers, and NBC’s only soap, “Days of Our Lives,” has about 2.76 million, though those shows have much younger audiences, making them more desirable to many advertisers.

Ms. Tellem said that the hour devoted to “Guiding Light” — its scheduling has varied in different cities from 10 a.m. in New York to as late a 3 p.m. in some cities — will be retained by CBS. The network is likely to fill it with another game show or talk show, she said.

When “Guiding Light” ends, another CBS soap, “As the World Turns” — also shot in New York — will become the longest-running daytime serial drama. It started in 1956.