Michael Jackson's logistics director, Alberto Alvarez, recently provided investigators with details of what happened to the pop singer in the moments leading up to his June 25 death. Alvarez said he was in his trailer awaiting instructions for the day when he received a call from Michael's personal assistant Michael Amir Williams. Alvarez went to Jackson's bedroom where he witnessed Dr. Murray performing CPR on Jackson with only one hand. According to Alvarez, Murray then interrupted the life-saving treatment and delayed calling paramedics while he collected vials of drugs from the room. The Los Angeles coroner ruled Jackson's death a homicide caused by an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and two prescription sedatives. Dr. Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter. His lawyer, Ed Chernoff, said, "Alvarez's statement is inconsistent with his previous statement. We will deal with that at trial."
Mariah Carey's label, Def Jam Records, has confirmed to "Entertainment Weekly" that her new remix album has been shelved. "Angel's Advocate" was to be released on March 30. Instead, individual tracks from the collection will be issued as paid digital downloads. Two are already available on iTunes, "Up Out My Face" featuring Nicki Minaj and "Angels Cry" featuring Ne-Yo. Mariah is reportedly in the recording studio working on some new songs.
On March 23, Miley Cyrus was the celebrity mentor to the 11 remaining "American Idol" finalists. She returned to the show the following night to perform her new single, "When I Look At You." Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato also performed their duet, "Make A Wave." On the March 24 results show, 24-year-old Paige Miles lost a spot in the Top 10, which will perform on the upcoming "American Idol" tour. The Top 10 finalists will sing R&B and soul songs on the March 30 show with Usher as their guest mentor.
"American Idol" season 6 finalist Sanjaya Malakar seems to have a heavy foot. The 20-year-old was stopped by the Washington State Patrol at 2:30 a.m. on March 25 and charged with driving 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers/hour) on Interstate 405. Malakar was given a $411 ticket. He avoided a reckless endangerment charge because no other cars were in the area at the time he was pulled over.
A controversial video by hip-hop star Akon led officials in Sri Lanka to cancel his April 24 concert in the country. Buddhists were angered by the video to his song "Sexy B**ch," which shows scantily clad dancers together with a brief image of the Buddha on top of a building in the background. Hundreds of protesters threw rocks at the headquarters of Sri Lanka's largest private broadcaster that was to be the media sponsor of Akon's show. Reports say four people were injured in the attack. Akon released a statement that said, "I was not aware that the statue was even on the set of the video until now. I would never set out to offend or desecrate anyone's religion or religious beliefs. I myself am a spiritual man, so I can understand why they are offended, but violence is never the answer and I am disheartened."
Vince Neil, lead singer of the rock band Motley Crue, recently launched his own aviation company. Headquartered at McCarran International Airport, the fleet includes a Lear 35, a Gulfstream and a Hawker 700. When he's not using the airplanes, they'll be made available to the public. Neil says, "The planes are now all finished, they are all tricked out exactly how you think a rocker's tour plane would be, complete with painted flames on the fuselage and the zebra-striped interior furnishings.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES:
New albums scheduled for release on March 30 include: "Raymond v. Raymond" by Usher, "Freight Train" by Alan Jackson, "All In Good Time" by the Barenaked Ladies, "New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh" by Erykah Badu, "Somewhere Down the Road" by Amy Grant, "I Got Your Country Right Here" by Gretchen Wilson, "Telephone: The Remixes" by Lady GaGa, "Goon Affiliated" by Plies, "Reggie" by Redman, "Classics" by Jon Secada and "This Charming Life" by Joan Armatrading.
TOUR DATES AND INFORMATION:
On April 1, classic rock band Bad Company will begin a U.K. tour in Birmingham, England. The group's many hits include "Can't Get Enough," "Shooting Star" and "Feel Like Makin' Love." Bad Company will be supported by the Joe Perry Project, which released its latest album, "Have Guitar, Will Travel," in 2009. In addition to fronting his own band, Joe Perry is the lead guitarist of Aerosmith.
Country stars Hank Williams Jr., Jamey Johnson, Eric Church and The Grascals will kick off their "Rowdy Friends Tour 2010" on April 2. They'll launch the outing in Charleston, West Virginia and wrap up dates on May 8 in Kansas City, Missouri.
