Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Jermaine Jackson on Michael's kids, estate, burial


Michael Jackson's estate should gain "close to $100 million" through contracts negotiated since the pop star's death, Jackson's brother told CNN's Larry King.
A Los Angeles judge is expected to approve a series of agreements Monday, including a deal for a movie to be released this fall about Jackson's final days before his June 25 death.

Jermaine Jackson, in a wide-ranging interview taped for broadcast Friday night on CNN's "Larry King Live," said his mother, Katherine Jackson, has not decided on Jackson's final resting place. He said he prefers the Neverland Ranch.

"I'm just concerned about security and being secure in a peaceful setting," he said.

He stopped short of revealing if his mother has hinted her preference, saying, "At the end of the day, she will make the final decision."

Jermaine Jackson told King he had no reason to believe his brother was addicted to drugs, a suspicion that detectives revealed when they requested a warrant to search Dr. Conrad Murray's Las Vegas, Nevada, home and office.

"I have never seen him act abnormal around me or never known anything like that," he said. He said he never talked about drugs with his brother "because it never came to my mind."

While the coroner's report on what killed Jackson has been delayed indefinitely, evidence emerged that he shopped for a doctor who would give him the drug investigators suspect led to his death.
Dr. Allan Metzger, whose name appeared on a search warrant served last week, refused Jackson's request in April for the anesthetic propofol, commonly known by the brand name Diprivan, Metzger's attorney said.

Investigators suspect Murray gave the drug to Jackson in the 24 hours before he died, according to a source, who asked not to be named because the individual was not authorized to speak to the news media.

"If there was anything administered in my brother's body that was not in the proper setting, meaning a hospital, then that will be dealt with," Jermaine Jackson told King.

While his mother's lawyers are waging a court skirmish with the men now in control of the Michael Jackson estate, Jermaine Jackson expressed support for John Branca and John McClain.

"These are people we have known for many, many years," he said. "They are doing an incredible job. They have raised a lot of money, close to $100 million for the estate. They are following out Michael's wishes accordingly."

Although his mother's lawyer questioned what he called "a suspicious circle of relationships" involving Branca and McClain, Jermaine Jackson said, "Anyone that contests the will is going against Michael's wishes."

Jackson's will named Branca and McClain as executors, although for now they have only limited authority as "special administrators."

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who must approve any contracts made for the estate, will hold a hearing Monday to consider several.

One agreement would bring in a minimum of $60 million from Columbia Pictures for the rights to make a documentary from video of Jackson's preparations for his "This Is It" shows that had been planned in London, England. Court papers show the estate would get most of the money, after show promoter AEG Live takes out expenses and 10 percent.

Michael Jackson's three children are "doing fine" six weeks after their father's death, Jermaine Jackson said.

"They're playing with my kids and they are coming back strong," he said.

When King asked if there was a chance the children might have show business careers, he said "there's a great possibility."

"They love film and they love movies and they know a lot about animation," he said.

The arrangement for Debbie Rowe, the mother of the two eldest children, to have limited visitation with them is "perfect" and "wonderful," he said. "We've talked about horses, she has a ranch."

He disputed suggestions that Michael Jackson was not the biological father of the children.

"People come forth and say things just to get attention, but those are definitely Michael's children.

"You can look at the kids and tell that they are Michael's kids," he said.

Jermaine said he did not know if Omer Bhatti, a 25-year-old Norwegian performer, was his brother's son.

"I would say it's probably someone Michael endeared and wanted to be part of his life," he said.

At Jackson's memorial service last month, Bhatti was seated in the front row between the pop star's father and sister.

"I've seen pictures of him dressed just like Michael with the hat and red shirt and everything," he said. "But if he's not his son, we are going to continue to give him love."

Joe Jackson -- Michael and Jermaine's father -- said in an interview with the Web site NewsOne that he believed Bhatti is Michael's son.

"He looks like a Jackson, he acts like a Jackson, he can dance like a Jackson," Joe Jackson said.
Jermaine Jackson told King that the last time he was with his brother, they were singing a song together.

"This song was so nice and he was singing the harmony, and so we started singing the harmony together, and I said 'Michael, I love what you did on that song.' He said, 'Thank you. That means a lot coming from

source : www.cnn.com


Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Potter's 'Prince' sets midnight record


"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" made $22.2 million at its midnight showings Wednesday, setting a new record. The figure was released by Warner Bros., the studio that produced the film. (Warner Bros., like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner.) The previous record was held by last year's Batman tale "The Dark Knight," which made $18 million at its midnight showings.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which opened on a Wednesday in late June, grossed about $16 million in its midnight premiere, according to the trade paper Variety.

"Half-Blood Prince," the sixth movie in the series based on J.K. Rowling's seven Harry Potter books, had more than 2,700 sold-out screenings, according to MovieTickets.com.


The film had more than 1,500 midnight screening sellouts in the United States and finished as the No. 2 all-time movie for advance ticket sales at MovieTickets.com.

The film finished just behind "Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" in advanced sales.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is showing at almost 4,300 theaters across the United States and Canada. The film is expected to gross more than $100 million this weekend and could match "Transformers" and "Dark Knight" by making more than $200 million total in its first five days.
The new movie reflects the growth of the characters: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), the orphaned boy wizard who has been forced to take on responsibilities beyond his years; Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), his best friend, who is finding depths of courage he wasn't aware of; Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), the bookish and indispensable member of their clan who has demonstrated key leadership qualities; and all the rest, preparing for the showdown with the arch villain Voldemort. Potter 101: A guide to Harry Potter »

Among the returning performers: Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, Alan Rickman as Snape, Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. One addition is Jim Broadbent, who plays Horace Slughorn, a former professor brought back to Hogwarts.
Despite the growing darkness, there's also a lightness to the new film, Radcliffe said. Unlike the previous two movies in the series, which were rated PG-13, this one is rated a more family-friendly PG.

"I think this film's funnier," Radcliffe said. "There are a couple of moments which I laughed out loud at."



Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Review::half blood prince


Entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter may not be able to see the finishing line, but he knows it's coming.
In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth film in the Potter series, he's like a marathon runner who senses that he's got this course beat: He's still pacing himself, but there's a definite spring in his step.

Potter's confidence seems to be a product of Daniel Radcliffe's authority in the role as much as anything. He's decided he's the hero of the piece, and he's happy with that; Radcliffe plays him with such implacable conviction and such lightness, it's becoming harder to worry about the character's plight.

He can be reckless and impatient, but by now he's essentially untouchable. His chums may be prey to hormonal surges -- buckets of screen time is devoted to Ron's love life and Hermione's lack of same -- but our Harry stays focused. While Ron moons over his girlfriend, every night Potter takes a textbook to bed with him.

his battered book of potions comes with scarily insightful scribbles by a former student, the titular half-blood prince, giving Potter a distinct edge over his classmates and that increasingly conflicted bleached blond, Draco Malfoy. More important, it also gets him in good with this installment's designated dodgy faculty member, Professor Horace Slughorn.

We know the drill by now: Slughorn has special knowledge that Harry must prize out of him, while the teacher's own leanings remain tantalizingly ambiguous. A special guest star in all but name, Jim Broadbent plays this mildewed academic with appropriately Dickensian panache and an undertow of sympathy (first spotted disguised as an armchair, the suspiciously solicitous Slughorn maintains at least one foot in the closet).
Adapted by Steve Kloves and directed (like Potter V, "The Order of the Phoenix") by the efficient, self-effacing David Yates, "Half-Blood Prince" is as brisk and nimble as J.K. Rowling's two-steps-forward, one-step-back narrative stratagems allow.

It risks annoying some fans by axing one significant character and a potential action show-stopper, but it's actually the overarching storyline that feels skimpy; the movie is replete with lovely, inventive design details and idiosyncratic effects work, while Yates' reluctance to pump up the bombast might be counted sweet relief after the latest bout of blockbusting overkill.

A trio of evenly spaced set-pieces do generate enough excitement to make this an iffy proposition for parents with younger kids; in particular Dumbledore and Harry's climactic cave expedition is an intense, nightmarish standout.

But for all this series' constitutional doom-and-gloom, what's truly charming about the Harry Potter movies is the rare privilege of seeing Radcliffe, Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione) and the others growing up before our eyes.
We've now had eight formative years -- the first film came out in 2001 -- telescoped into 15 hours or so of tumultuous screen time, and anyone who's stayed the course with them will feel a connection.
advertisement

Soon it will be time to let these kids go and find their own way in the Muggle world, but what rich, strange and wonderful home movies we'll have to look back on.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is rated PG and runs 153 minutes. For Entertainment Weekly's review,

source :www.cnn.com