Archive for July 1st, 2009

Michael Jackson’s Last Will & Testament Has Been Released

Makes provisions for his mother Katherine OR Diana Ross to care for his children
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

The last will of Michael Jackson, the legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his or her estate and provides for the transfer of his or her property at death, has been made available to the public after it was officially filed in court today in order for MJ’s last wishes for his estate to be carried out. For the most part, the will offers no real surprises but a couple of interesting caveats. The will states that MJ’s mother Katherine should gain guardianship of his three children but in the case of her death or inability to care for the children, it was MJ’s wish that Diana Ross be nominated to care for the children instead. Also, the will makes plainly clear that NO PROVISIONS AT ALL are to be made for MJ’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe. It seems very odd to me that he would decide to make no provisions for the mother of his two eldest children. Here is the first page of MJ’s will along with some other deets from the document:


Michael Jackson’s will has been filed with the court. Jackson asks that his mother, Katherine, be made the guardian of all three of his kids. The will says if Katherine died before him or couldn’t serve as guardian, he nominated Diana Ross. And there’s a petition filed along with the will, saying Jackson’s estate is worth more than $500,000,000. The petition says almost all of the estate “consists of non-cash, non-liquid assets, including primarily an interest in a catalog of music royalty rights which is currently being administered by Sony/ATV, and interests in various entities.” As we first reported, the will leaves everything to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, stating, “I give my entire estate to the Trustee or Trustees…” The will declares that Jackson is not married. The will names John Branca, John McClain and Barry Siegel as co-Executors. Branca was Jackson’s lawyer, McClain is a music exec and Siegel was Jackson’s accountant. But Siegel resigned from his role as executor in 2003. Branca and McClain just released the following statement: “The most important element of Michael’s will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children.”

It was widely reported before his death that Michael Jackson “promised” to relinquish control of the publishing rights to the Beatles music catalog (which he acquired in the 80s after he outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono for those rights at auction when they went up for sale) upon his death … as yet, no such provision has been found anywhere in MJ’s will. My guess is that the relinquishment of those publishing rights to their rightful owners (ie. the Beatles) will never happen. If you are at all interested in reading all 5-pages of MJ’s last will you can download a copy HERE and check it out for yourself. Honestly, there’s nothing really of surprising note in the doc. As mentioned above, it seems that the overriding concern in the document is the care of his three children.

[Source]

Beyoncé Makes A Pitstop For A Quick Dip In The Ocean

Remains fully clothed while doing so
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

It must’ve been hot as Hell in Miami, FL yesterday cuz the heat took a-hold of Beyoncé so fiercely that she had to run her ass into the beach to cool down … and the poor girl didn’t even bother to take off any of her clothing before doing so:


I mean, it’s not like I expect the pop star to go dippin’ in the ocean all nekkid or anything but homegirl couldn’t even be bothered to change into a bathing suit before diving in. Just how hot was it in Miami yesterday? Damn.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Michelle Trachtenberg Is Gettin’ Married . . .

... in her new film
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Here are a few pics of “bride-to-be” Michelle Trachtenberg on the set of her new film A Couple of Dicks (the new film by director Kevin Smith) which is currently in production in Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY lookin’ radiant in her pretty white wedding dress:


Granted, I have no idea what the premise of the film is (other than, obvs, MT is getting married) but I understand that she co-stars with Bruce Willis (who I genuinely cannot stand). As much as I love me some Michelle T., I fear the Bruce Willisness of her new film will keep me from going out to see it when it opens in theaters. I must say, tho, that MT makes a very pretty bride … don’t you think?

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Behind The Scenes Of Madonna’s Latest Louis Vuitton Photoshoot

Plus, check out another new Louis Vuitton F/W ad campaign photo
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Yesterday we got to see the full set of ad campaign photos for Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 09/10 featuring their latest spokesmodel Madonna and today we get to check out a couple of behind the scenes photos from the campaign photoshoot. Here are a couple pics of Maddy with head LV designer Marc Jacobs (with his man Lorezno Martone) on the set of the photoshoot earlier this year:


Marc Jacobs was so pleased with this spring’s Louis Vuitton campaign featuring Madonna that he was eager to do an encore. “But very quickly Marc said, ‘I want something completely different,’” related Antoine Arnault, Vuitton’s communication director. The new ingredients included a dash of Tamara de Lempicka and a soupçon of Man Ray for color-drenched images by Steven Meisel with a surreal edge, thanks to generous use of solarization, a technique of overexposure first perfected by Ray. “It gives something very graphic, more edgy” than the first Madonna campaign, also by Meisel, which depicted her as a French coquette in a Parisian bistro setting, Arnault said. The new spots, which break in a range of August titles, feature a variety of runway looks and leather goods, many in the house’s signature monogram. Asked about the impact of the first Madonna campaign, Arnault said, snapping his fingers for emphasis, “Everything she was wearing in the first campaign was sold within a few months. People came into the store saying, ‘I want the Madonna bag, the Madonna shoes.” Arnault declined to specify budgets for the fall ads, but said investments would be “flattish” versus last year. “We’re one of the rare brands to have not reduced investments,” he said. Also slated for the second half is a new campaign devoted to the Tambour watch.

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m not too enraptured by this new LV campaign featuring Madge, mainly because I’m not really feeling the Photoshopping effect added to the photos. As you can see from these behind the scenes photos, she looked fine without all the color manipulation (well, as fine as a grown woman can look while wearing bunny ears on her head). Even still … these campaign photos will be seen in fashion magazines around the world for the rest of the year. After the jump, check out one more LV F/W 09/10 campaign photo featuring Madonna was that not included in the batch we saw yesterday

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‘Entertainment Weekly’ Pays Tribute To Michael Jackson

Also, a look inside 'Time' magazine's tribute to Michael Jackson
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

This week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly will pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson by devoting 28 pages of the new issue to his memory, his impact on the world of pop culture and looking back at the mag’s coverage of his long career. Additionally, author Stephen King contributes an article to the mag on his memories of Michael Jackson. Here is the cover of this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly:


From the press release: NEW YORK – This week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly devotes 28 pages to Michael Jackson’s mysterious death, his fascinating life, and, most important, his music. With four separate tribute covers available online at www.ew.com/mjcover, fans can collect them all. The covers feature Jackson singing at home in 1972; on the set of the “Thriller” video in 1983; a portrait taken in 1983; and performing in New York City on Sept. 10, 2001. Inside the issue we have an essay that takes a look at his final days and his astounding legacy, his life in pictures via a timeline that goes inside the world of an elusive superstar, an in depth critical guide to his albums, the songs you need for the essential Michael Jackson playlist, the greatest videos – our critic picks the top 10, from “Rock With You” to “Thriller” to “Scream,” and an essay by Stephen King who writes about working with Jackson on the 1997 video Ghosts.

A CRITIC’S LOOK AT THE ALBUMS

From pint-size, remarkably self-possessed child star with his brothers in the Jackson 5 to burgeoning ‘70s solo star, ‘80s mega-icon, and beyond, Entertainment Weekly takes an in-depth look at Michael Jackson’s musical career and grades the below albums.

Jackson with the Jackson 5:

Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, 1969: A-
ABC, 1970: A
Third Album, 1970: A
Maybe Tomorrow, 1971: A-
Destiny, 1978: B

Jackson’s Solo Career:

Got to Be There, 1972: B+
Ben, 1972: B
Music & Me, 1973: B
Forever, Michael, 1975: B-
Off the Wall, 1979: A-
Thriller, 1982: A
Bad, 1987: B+
Dangerous, 1991: B+
HIStory, 1995: B
Blood on the Dance Floor/History in the Mix, 1997: B-
Invincible, 2001: C+

As I mentioned above, Stephen King penned a memorial of MJ for this issue which you can read after the jump. Additionally, I mentioned over the weekend that Time published a tribute issue of their magazine in honor of Michael Jackson and the fine folks at ONTD! provide some scans from inside the mag that, IMHO, absolutely sum up MJ’s life perfectly. Check it all out after the jump …

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A Final Farewell To Farrah Fawcett

"Goodbye, Sweet Girl"
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Family and friends of Farrah Fawcett convened together at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles, CA yesterday to pay their last respects to the late actress who passed away at age 62 last Thursday. The private service was attended by Farrah’s long-time companion Ryan O’Neal, her only child Redmond (who was allowed to attend his mother’s funeral service altho he is currently serving a jail sentence for violating his probation) and a gathering of close friends and family:


A tearful Ryan and Redmond O’Neal joined Farrah Fawcett’s closest friends and family for the actress’s private funeral Tuesday afternoon at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. Fawcett’s Charlie’s Angels costar Kate Jackson, Marla Maples, Joan Collins and Tatum O’Neal were among the 200 guests attending the hour-long Catholic service, where longtime pal Alana Stewart and Fawcett’s doctor Lawrence Piro delivered the eulogies. “Goodbye sweet girl,” said Stewart. “[Farrah] never felt sorry for herself during her illness … she fought cancer furiously.” “She’s the most beautiful angel in heaven,” Stewart added. “She always seemed so indestructible.” With city police and private security lining the streets, a hearse drove up just a few minutes before the funeral began. Ryan and son Redmond served as pallbearers carrying Fawcett’s casket, adorned with yellow and orange flowers. A man in a kilt played “Amazing Grace” on a bagpipe at the beginning of the service, which also included Bible readings and prayer. “The funeral was really just beautiful and so sweet,” Lisa Fawcett, the actress’s cousin, told PEOPLE. A special moment during the service came when “everyone just embraced [Redmond],” she says about Fawcett’s 24-year-old son, who was allowed to leave jail and attend.

I understand that letters written by Farrah Fawcett to her loved ones were read aloud at her service which expressed how much she loved and cared for those closest to her:

A friend read out Farrah’s letter to Ryan, which addressed the ups and downs of their on/off 30 year relationship: ‘When I figure out what it is all about, I can tell you.’ Redmond, who was given three hours release from jail to say goodbye to his mother, was also given inspiration to conquer his drug problems. Farrah’s letter to her 24-year-old son said: ‘The greatest gift of my life was to be your mother. By leaving you behind I hope you will be able to work out all your troubles and grow as a person.’ The friend also read a letter addressed to Farrah’s beloved father James Fawcett: ‘You gave me life and you were the greatest dad around.’ During the hour long service, Ryan, Redmond and James joined Hollywood stars, friends and family paid tribute to the former Charlie’s Angels star who died of cancer last week … Redmond, who was allowed to visit his mother at her bedside before she died, read a passage from the Old Testament book Lamentations while his father read from the book of Wisdom.


Guests were given an order of service booklet which had a glamorous image of Farrah on its cover. Giving one of her famous smiles she was seen wearing a sequinned dress. The order of service also included a few lines of the James Joyce poem At That Hour. The funeral was held just five days after the 62-year-old lost her long battle against cancer.

At last, Charlie’s Angel can now rest in heaven where she belongs. I truly hope that peace and serenity comes to Farrah’s loved ones and that they will be able to heal from their terrible loss. I’m sure it’s of some comfort to know that her painful suffering has ended. Rest well, Farrah Fawcett.

[Source, Source]

Britney Spears Releases A Music Video For ‘Radar’

Polo position
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

In May we saw photos of Britney Spears on the SoCal set of her new music video for her latest single Radar. That video, now complete, has managed to make its way to the Internets. Here are a few screencaps from Brit Brit’s new video:


I have to say … I kinda don’t like it. The song was never a fave of mine but it tends to grow on me the more I hear it. I was hoping a slammin’ music video would renew my interest in the song … but unfortch, this video looks more like a bad telenovela (complete with swarthy Latin love interest) rather than a hip music video. After the jump, check out the video for yourselves — you may like it more than I do …

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