Michael Jackson's doctor guilty of manslaughter

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's personal doctor was found guilty on Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's drug-related death in 2009 but may not spend much time in jail.

Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, was led away in handcuffs after the jury in Los Angeles reached a unanimous verdict. Dozens of fans outside the court erupted in cheers and some burst into tears.

"Justice was served. Michael is with us," said Jackson's brother Jermaine.

Murray faces up to four years behind bars when he is sentenced on November 29 but may spend only months in Los Angeles' overcrowded cells.

Murray pleaded not guilty to giving the "Thriller" singer a fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol -- normally used in surgery -- that was ruled the main cause of his death at the age of 50.

Prosecutors argued Murray was grossly negligent in administering the propofol to help Jackson sleep. Defense lawyers claimed Jackson delivered the fatal dose to himself.

The judge ordered Murray, who had been free on bail for two years, held in custody until his sentencing. The doctor did not testify at the six-week trial and looked impassive as the guilty verdict was announced in the packed courtroom.

Jackson's mother Katherine and sister Rebbie cried silently at the result. Other family members in court included his siblings La Toya and Randy, along with his father Joe.

"I am," Katherine Jackson said when reporters asked if she was pleased with the verdict.

Jackson was found lifeless at his Los Angeles mansion on June 25, 2009, about three weeks before he was due to begin a series of concerts in London aimed at returning him to the limelight after the humiliation of his 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation allegations.

Murray admitted giving Jackson a small dose of propofol to help him sleep. But his lawyers argued the singer was dependent on the drug and likely gave himself an extra, fatal dose -- and swallowed a handful of sedatives -- without Murray knowing.

"THE CAUSATIVE FACTOR"

Murray's lawyer J. Michael Flanagan was asked by reporters if he was disappointed and he replied: "Of course."

Prosecutors said Murray was negligent for administering the drug in a home setting, failing to monitor Jackson, delaying a call to emergency services and failing to tell medical personnel he gave the singer propofol.

Judge Michael Pastor said Murray was "now a convicted felon who has been deemed the causative factor in Michael Jackson's death."

Pastor said the doctor should be detained before being sentenced to protect public safety.

Even if Murray is sentenced to the maximum four months, legal experts said involuntary manslaughter is not considered a serious felony in California law and carries a stipulation that only 50 percent of any sentence must be served behind bars.

Because of jail overcrowding, officials could release him after only months.

"It's pretty obvious by putting him in custody, which was the biggest surprise of the entire trial, that we're probably looking at a sentence of three to four years," Stan Goldman, a professor at Loyola Law School, told Reuters.

But he added: "I'd be surprised if a year from today Conrad Murray was still behind bars."

Still, Jackson fans were overjoyed. On the street outside the court, more than 100 of them whooped with joy and chanted "Thank you judge" as the verdict was read live on television.

Bus driver Dana Brenklin, 35, burst into tears.

"Of course it's not enough and it's not going to bring back Michael. But for two years, I had a project, justice for Michael Jackson, and I got what I wanted," Brenklin said.

Trial watchers said the guilty verdict was almost assured.

Prosecutors were required to prove only that Murray was reckless in his care. The judge told jurors the doctor could be found guilty even if the jury believed Jackson gave himself the propofol, as long as such a possibility was foreseeable.

"The prosecution did a great job of creating a portrait (of Murray) that asked 'Is this how someone would have acted if he was responsible?'" said Marcellus McRae, a former federal prosecutor who is now a trial lawyer with the New York-based law firm Gibson Dunn.

(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and John O'Callaghan)

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Michael Jackson's children appear at tribute show (AP)

CARDIFF, Wales – Chart-toppers, soul singers and three generations of Michael Jackson's family — including his children — celebrated the King of Pop at an energetic tribute concert Saturday, urging fans to focus on the late star's music rather than his death.

The run-up to the "Michael Forever" concert was overshadowed by the Los Angeles manslaughter trial of Jackson's doctor, and marred by fan criticism, sluggish ticket sales and dissension within the Jackson family. But once the four-hour show started, Jackson's musical genius, and the warm tributes of friends and family, carried the night.

"We're very happy to be here on this special night to honor our father," said Jackson's 13-year-old daughter Paris, who made a brief onstage appearance alongside brothers Prince, 14, and 9-year-old Michael Joseph Jr., known as Blanket.

The children wore outfits evoking their father's famous styles — Paris most strikingly, in a red and black "Thriller"-style jacket. Blanket stood stoic and shy, but the older children smiled and appeared confident in the spotlight.

On a stage shaped like a giant glove, musicians including Christina Aguilera, Gladys Knight and Cee Lo Green performed songs from across Jackson's career — from his childhood with the Jackson 5 through monster solo albums like "Thriller" and "Bad."

The Black Eyed Peas, probably the biggest act on the bill, pulled out of the lineup this week, citing "unavoidable circumstances."

Participants urged fans to ignore the criticism and controversy, and to revel in the celebration of Jackson's musical legacy.

"It's not about the controversy," said R&B star Ne-Yo, who kicked off the show with a rendition of "Billie Jean," complete with some passable moonwalking. "It's not about the trial. It's not about his death. It's about celebrating his life. It's about celebrating his music."

The 50,000-strong crowd at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium did just that, roaring with approval as Jackson's brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie — three-fifths of the original Jackson 5 — took the stage to perform "Blame It On the Boogie" with British boyband JLS.

"Can you feel his spirit in the house tonight?" asked Marlon. Judging by the cheers, the fedora hats and the sequined gloves in the audience, many could.

Jackson died in June 2009, at age 50, as he was preparing for a string of comeback concerts in London.

His last hours are being relived in graphic detail at the manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom of his rented mansion on June 25, 2009.

"This is a great counter-act to that," said Motown great Smokey Robinson, who gave a soulful rendition of "She's Out of My Life." "And it gives people something happy to do, rather than thinking about what's going on in the trial."

The show mined a rich trove of Jackson hits. Leona Lewis crooned "I'll Be There," Beyonce delivered the early single "I Wanna Be Where You Are" and Jamie Foxx performed "Rock With You." Aguilera sang Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" — one of Jackson's favorite songs.

"Tonight is a history lesson," Foxx told the crowd. "We're going to cover five decades of greatness."

The show reached a climax with Knight performing the poignant "Gone Too Soon" before a rousing finale that brought most of the performers — and the Jackson children — back onstage for the exuberant "Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough."

The concert has divided the King of Pop's family and followers. The three brothers, sister La Toya and vocal group 3T — composed of three of Michael's nephews — all performed, while 81-year-old matriarch Katherine was in the audience.

But Michael's brothers Jermaine and Randy and sister Janet have stayed away, saying it is wrong to hold the show at the same time as Murray's trial.

Before the show, Marlon Jackson said he respected his siblings' decision, but said he was sure Michael would have approved.

"Each one of us grieves differently," he said. "We want to celebrate the positive side of his life, the positive things that he did."

Some fan groups around also criticized the show for ticket prices that started at about $100 and for what some regard as an out-of-the-way location in Cardiff, 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of London.

"I believe it should wait, not only because of the Murray trial," said Wesley Noorhoff, president of a Dutch Michael Jackson fan club. "If you do a tribute to Michael, it has to be the best there is, just like Michael."

But those who came to Cardiff said it was a fitting antidote to the grim courtroom spectacle in Los Angeles.

"There's a lot of negativity in that courtroom," said Ronnie Lee, a 32-year-old truck driver from Pembroke, Wales, sporting a "Thriller" T-shirt. "This is a chance to say, 'Thank you Michael' and celebrate the music."

As the crowd poured out of the stadium, opinion was divided.

"Rubbish," said Sophie Stockdale, 23. "If you wanted to watch Beyonce on video link, you could do it on YouTube."

But Sophie Morris, also 23, said she'd loved it.

"It was amazing," she said. "I actually cried three or four times."

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Online:

http://www.michaelforevertribute.com

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

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Jackson's fame challenges Murray jury selection (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sat Sep 10, 4:23 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – In life and death, Michael Jackson generated the type of headlines that, just like his songs, stick in people's minds.

Nowhere was that more evident than in a Los Angeles courthouse this week when a judge asked 370 citizens whether any of them were unaware of the case against a doctor charged in the pop superstar's death. Not a single hand was raised.

That didn't surprise the judge, who knew he'd have to go out of this world to find people who hadn't heard of Jackson and the manslaughter case against Dr. Conrad Murray.

"We didn't expect you'd been living under a rock for the past several years, or that you made a pit stop from Mars," Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor told a group Thursday. A day later, when Pastor asked whether anyone didn't know about the case they might serve on, there was tittering.

Potential jurors who were called in an aborted effort to start the trial earlier this year were equally aware of the case. After three days of screening sessions, only one prospect had no knowledge of the case, and that person did not speak English.

It remains to be seen how many of the 145 prospective jurors are actually Jackson fans. The group filled out an exhaustive questionnaire that included questions about whether they ever considered themselves fans, purchased his music or books about him, or saw the posthumous film based on his final rehearsals, "This Is It."

Knowledge of Jackson, and indeed the case against Murray, are not automatic grounds for disqualification from jury service — far from it. But experts and the judge presiding over Murray's trial have said they want people who can put aside what they know and base their decision on the physician's fate solely on what they hear in the courtroom.

"If you've got a jury of 12 people who have never heard of Michael Jackson, I'm not sure they qualify for jury duty," said Stan Goldman, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Thousands of news stories have been published and broadcast about the case since Jackson's death in June 2009, including Murray's arraignment on an involuntary manslaughter charge about seven months later. Authorities contend the Houston-based cardiologist gave the singer a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol in the bedroom of his rented mansion, but Murray and his attorneys deny any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors plan to argue that Murray's conduct was an extreme deviation from the "standard of care" that doctors are supposed to provide.

Pastor has expressed unwavering optimism in jurors throughout the screening process so far and hopes to be able to pick a jury from the pool of 145 prospective jurors qualified this past week in as little as a day.

Goldman said the process shouldn't be as difficult as in other high-profile cases, where jury selection can take days or weeks.

"It's not your typical celebrity trial," Goldman said. "The guy on trial is not a celebrity — it's just different."

"I don't think this is nearly as difficult as the case in which Michael Jackson himself was on trial," he said, referring to Jackson's 2005 child molestation case, which ended in the singer's acquittal.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys now have roughly two weeks to pore over a detailed 30-page, 113-question survey before prospective jurors are directly questioned. Legal teams often employ jury consultants to help them pick jurors who are likely to be favorable to their side, but it remains unclear whether Murray, who is cash-strapped, will have any consultants.

While there are questions directly related to Murray's case, prospective jurors are also being queried about their views on celebrities as well.

One question seeks a response to the statements, "Celebrities and high-profile people feel they are entitled to act however they please" and "Celebrities and high-profile people think they can bend the rules."

Other questions focus on prospective jurors' own experiences with anesthesia and other medications, whether they have ever been investigated for a crime, and what type of media they consume, including "Dateline" and police procedural shows such as "Law & Order" and "CSI."

Having the answers to such questions has its limitations. Goldman said in all likelihood, prosecutors and Murray's attorneys are going to find themselves having to pick a jury of people that they're not entirely comfortable with.

"The trick here," Goldman said, "is trying to figure out who's fair and who's not."

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AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/celebritydocket

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Jury selection begins in trial of Jackson's doctor (AP)

LOS ANGELES – A pool of prospective jurors appeared ready for the news delivered to them Thursday by a judge: They had been summoned to serve on Los Angeles' biggest trial of the year — the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor.

No one flinched at the announcement. And when Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor asked whether anyone in the courtroom was unaware of the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, not a single hand was raised among the 160 or so people in the room.

The judge was not surprised.

"We didn't expect you'd been living under a rock for the past several years, or that you made a pit stop from Mars," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said.

Murray has pleaded not guilty in the case. Authorities contend he gave Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol in the bedroom of the pop superstar's rented mansion in June 2009, but attorneys for the physician deny he administered anything that should have been fatal. They will contend that Jackson swallowed an overdose of propofol when Murray wasn't watching.

Murray sat with his lawyers on one side of a long table and prosecutors on the other in the vast jury assembly room which was transformed into a courtroom for the first round of a jury selection process that will take two weeks to find a pool of 100 people willing and qualified to serve on the case which Pastor said would last about five weeks.

Those who passed the first hurdle of having no hardships were given a 30-page questionnaire to fill out. The judge said it was one of the most extensive such forms ever, probing jurors' lives and their knowledge of a case focusing on the death of one of the world's most famous men, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," Murray said softly as he was introduced to the panelists. Attorneys also arose and greeted the prospects, who responded with a calm, "Good morning."

For the rest of the 20-minute session, Murray sat starting straight ahead, showing no reaction.

The judge told prospects he had decided against sequestering the jury because he felt, "Jurors would, in effect, be prisoners if they were holed up in a hotel.

"I chose not to follow that path," he said "and by making that choice I am reiterating my faith in every juror chosen in this case."

A central focus of his talk was the Internet and all of its offshoots.

"I certainly realize that for some of us, especially those who have grown up in the Internet age, searching the Internet is as easy as breathing," Pastor said.

But he warned that jurors must avoid online reports about the case.

"If you want to Google, Google away," he said. "Surf the Net, but not about anything to do with this case."

He read an admonition that will be repeated daily forbidding them to discuss the case with anyone, to post messages on social networks or to read any tweets about the case.

He warned they must wait until 90 days after the case is over to negotiate any deals to be paid for information.

"This is not a case about whether Dr. Murray is guilty or innocent," he said. "It's about whether the people can meet the burden of proving him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

On Thursday, those who had no hardships, filled out a 30-page questionnaire aimed at determining their level of knowledge of the case and any strong views about Jackson or Murray.

This was the second attempt to start jury selection. In May, the judge aborted an earlier session because lawyers needed more time to prepare. Prosecutors and defense attorneys will have several days to scrutinize the responses before direct questioning of potential jurors begins on Sept. 23.

Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, stunned the world. The singer had been in final preparations for a series of comeback concerts in London, and the focus quickly turned to Murray, his personal physician.

The Houston-based cardiologist faces up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted.

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AP reporter Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

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Doctor's trial may avoid Michael Jackson's past (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Michael Jackson's former doctor faces a tough challenge clearing himself of involuntary manslaughter charges in the pop star's death as his trial, which promises to avoid many dark aspects of Jackson's life, begins with jury selection this week.

While it is Dr. Conrad Murray, who will be on trial when attorneys begin selecting a panel on Thursday, the "Thriller" singer's infamy will loom large over the proceedings.

Jackson was one of the world's most recognizable singers, dubbed the King of Pop, when he died in June 2009, at age 50. He also was known to have battled an addiction to painkillers, and Murray's attorneys had hoped to present evidence of his past drug use at the trial.

But in an obstacle for the defense, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor barred testimony from a half-dozen doctors whom Murray's attorneys had indicated in court papers would portray Jackson as drug-dependent.

"The deck is, for various reasons, stacked against the defense here," said Stan Goldman, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Jackson stopped breathing at his Los Angeles mansion on June 25, 2009, in what authorities say was an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and various sedatives.

Murray, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter, has admitted giving Jackson propofol, a drug normally used for surgery, as a sleep aid.

During a series of court hearings earlier this year defense attorneys suggested that when Murray was out of the room, Jackson could have given himself a large, fatal dose of the drug, possibly by swallowing it.

Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

FINDING A JURY

As for choosing an impartial jury, legal experts say it will be impossible to find anyone who knows nothing of Jackson. Some will adore him, while others will abhor him. So attorneys will have to work to find the most unbiased jury possible under the circumstances.

"It's going to be like a Ouija board, it's going to be guess work," Goldman said.

After a jury panel is selected, the trial will be recessed until opening arguments begin the last week of September.

Jackson's family has faithfully attended all the court hearings in the case, with his mother, Katherine, 81, often sitting with his father, Joseph, 83.

The King of Pop's supporters also will be on hand, and if earlier hearings are any indication they will wear black as a sign of mourning over their fallen idol. At earlier court hearings, some fans hired a plane to fly a banner over the courthouse that read "Change charges to murder."

"If the jurors walk through, on the way to the courthouse, a massive amount of fans who are declaring the guilt of the defendant in the case, I find it hard to believe it won't have some impact," Goldman said.

But some trial watchers say the circus atmosphere that is expected outside the courthouse may, in fact, never materialize. Indeed, Jackson's fans failed to jam the streets of downtown Los Angeles during his 2009 memorial, as had been widely expected.

Laurie Levenson, a colleague of Goldman's at Loyola Law School, said she does not believe the proceedings will become anywhere near the public and media frenzy that accompanied the 1995 murder trial and acquittal of O.J. Simpson.

For one, the Grenada-born Murray is not a celebrity, just a doctor with patients in Nevada and Texas.

"We have a 'trial of the century' about every six months here in Los Angeles," Levenson said wryly.

(Editing by Chris Michaud and Bob Tourtellotte)

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David Gest, Jacksons plan tribute tour to Michael (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Producer David Gest, Tito Jackson and others close to Michael Jackson on Monday unveiled a singing and spoken-word tribute tour to the late King of Pop.

"A Jackson Named Michael: Remembering a Legend," kicks off in the United Kingdom in March 2012, and follows another tribute set for October in Wales that has caused some controversy among fans of the "Thriller" singer.

Gest's show will feature Tito, a member with Michael of Motown singing sensations The Jackson 5, along with another sibling Rebbie Jackson and friend Deniece Williams singing tunes and telling tales about Jackson's life and career. Plans call for a question-and-answer session with audience members.

"The majority of the show will be reminiscences and stories about Michael that the public has never heard," Gest said in a statement.

The tour also follows the October U.K. release of Gest's documentary film, 'Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon," which Jackson's mother and family matriarch Katherine Jackson called "a tremendous achievement."

"This is not my story, but the story of many of Michael's friends' recollections," she said in a statement.

Michael Jackson, who rose to fame in a family of singers before embarking on a solo career that included smash hits such as "Thriller" and "Billie Jean," died in June 2009 of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol which he used as a sleep aid.

His physician at the time, Dr. Conrad Murray, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. He has pleaded not guilty and a trial will start in September.

Katherine Jackson is just one of the family's members who has backed a one-night tribute planned for October 8 in Cardiff, Wales. But that tribute has caused some fans to cry foul over the singers who were invited, the charities benefiting from ticket sales and its timing during Murray's trial.

(Reporting and writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Chris Michaud)

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Michael Jackson's 53rd birthday: the world celebrates (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Michael Jackson would have turned 53 on Monday if not for his untimely death on June 25, 2009.

And though the musical legend has left this world forever, the King of Pop's life is being celebrated throughout the country in a variety of ways.

The big celebration is occurring in Jackson's birthplace in Gary, Ind., where the city is holding a four-day celebration that began over the weekend.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the extended bash -- marked by musical performances and a circus -- drew hundreds of fans over the weekend, and was attended on Saturday by Jackson's family, including his 13-year-old daughter, Paris, as well as his sons Prince, 14, and Blanket, 9, and his father Joe.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, was also on hand for the festivities on Sunday, TMZ reported.

Those who couldn't make it to Indiana still managed to find ways to celebrate.

In San Francisco, the singer's birthday was marked with a flash mob dancing to "Thriller." The semi-organized dance performance wound its way from the city's Ferry Plaza to Union Square, into the Mission District's Dolores Park and finally into the Castro District.

Jackson's influence on musicians is probably inestimable, and quite naturally the artists who've drawn inspiration from him are remembering him on his special day.

Former Tribe Called Quest rapper Q-Tip performed a special tribute to Jackson at his concert in New York City's Irving Plaza on Saturday.

"Michael Jackson was a huge influence on my music and was an inspiration to me and so many others," Q-Tip told the press. "I want to bring people together to celebrate the man, his music and his legacy that will undoubtedly live on forever!"

Meanwhile, Chris Brown weighed in on the milestone Monday, writing on his twitter account, "Happy birthday Michael Jackson!!!! Your the greatest!"

The celebration of Jackson's life and musical contributions won't stop thee. "Michael Forever -- The Tribute Concert" will take place on October 8 at the 74,500-seat Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Though the production has been beset by problems, artists including Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, the Jackson Brothers, Leona Lewis and Smokey Robinson are scheduled to perform.

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Michael Jackson's children visit Ind. boyhood home (AP)

GARY, Ind. – Michael Jackson's children and father visited the late pop star's boyhood home in Gary, Ind., as the town celebrated what would have been his 53rd birthday.

Hundreds of fans took part in activities outside the house in Jackson Street over the weekend ahead of Jackson's birthday on Monday.

Thirteen-year-old Paris Jackson told WLS-TV that she enjoyed seeing so many fans at the house when she and her brothers, 14-year-old Prince and 9-year-old Blanket, visited on Saturday.

The Post-Tribune of Merrillville reports that Jackson's father Joe attended activities at the home on Sunday.

The Jackson family moved from Indiana to California in 1969 after the Jackson 5 struck it big. Jackson died in June 2009.

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Katy Perry may beat Michael Jackson's singles record (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" is the fifth song from her latest album to top Billboard's Pop Songs airplay chart.

That breaks a record previously owned by Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake, who'd previously had a mere four tunes each from a single album land at No. 1 on that chart, which has been around for 19 years.

But Perry is poised for a far more significant achievement when the Hot 100 is announced later today. Michael Jackson holds the record on that historic chart, having topped it with five singles from his 1987 "Bad" album.

If "Last Friday Night" reaches No. 1 on the Hot 100, as expected, she'll tie Jacko's high mark ... and then, surely, try to outdo it by releasing a sixth single from "Teenage Dream's" treasure trove of smashes.

Meanwhile, Eric Church was indulging in some self-fulfilling prophecy when he titled his third effort "Chief." The upstart country singer turned out to be the commander-in-chief of the latest Billboard 200 album sales chart, as his latest effort debuted on top with 145,000 copies sold -- more than quadrupling the opening numbers for his previous album.

Female singers made most of the news over on the album sales chart, after Church's stately No. 1 bow. Adele fell from the top spot to No. 2, even though, at 83,000, her unit figures were actually up a little, as they have been almost every week.

Kelly Rowland's ultimate career destiny is still a question mark, as her third solo album, "Here I Am," entered at No. 3 on sales of 77,000 units -- a slight comedown for Beyonce's former sidekick, despite the urban ubiquity of her "Motivation" single.

Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" sold 54,000 and moved up five spots to No. 4, in its first full week of predictably robust posthumous sales. Another white British soul singer, Joss Stone, enjoyed the week's final top 10 entry, as "LP1," her first independently released album, kicked in at No. 9 with 30,000 sold, a slight improvement over her previous major-label-backed effort.

One singles chart that Perry is not currently queen of is digital song sales. The top spot belonged, as it has for a month now, to LMFOA's unstoppable "Party Rock Anthem," which sold another 202,000 downloads. After a slow start last week, Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Otis" jumped up to No. 9 by selling 113,000, setting the stage for next Monday's release of the superstar collaborators' full album, expected to be one of the year's biggest sellers.

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Michael Jackson's former GM pleads in tax case (AP)

WASHINGTON – A former general manager for Michael Jackson has pleaded guilty for failing to file tax returns during the time she worked for the late pop star.

The Justice Department says Raymone Bain failed to pay income taxes owed from 2006 through 2008. During that period, she was responsible for daily operations of the Michael Jackson Co., including financial, public relations and marketing tasks.

Court documents put the tax loss between $200,000 and $400,000.

Bain pleaded guilty to two counts in federal court Wednesday. She could face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine for failing to file a federal tax return in 2008, and up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine for failure to file a District of Columbia tax return in 2008.

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Michael Jackson's `Thriller' jacket up for auction (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The jacket Michael Jackson wore in his "Thriller" video is hitting the auction block.

Auction administrator Darren Julien says the red and black leather jacket is "the most recognized and significant piece of pop culture" to come up for sale, and he expects it to fetch at least $200,000 at the Music Icons auction on June 25 and 26 at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills.

Jackson autographed the jacket as a gift to his longtime costume designers, Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush. He wanted them to use the small calfskin jacket as a template for his future concert fashions. A portion of the proceeds from its sale will benefit the Shambala Preserve, where Jackson's two Bengal tigers, Thriller and Sabu, have been living since the pop star left his Neverland ranch in 2006.

Other Jackson items up for sale include the wig he wore when he announced his ill-fated "This Is It" concert series in London, a fedora and spangled glove he wore on stage, his shirt from the "Scream" video and the battered mailbox from the Carolwood Drive estate where Jackson died at age 50 in 2009.

The Music Icons sale also includes one of Eric Clapton's guitars, Frank Sinatra's patent leather boots and 1986 Jaguar, handwritten lyrics and a leather jacket from Johnny Cash, jackets and a guitar from Elvis Presley, a signed harmonica from Bob Dylan and nearly 600 other pieces of music memorabilia from Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, The Beatles and others.

The collection will be on view free to the public from June 13 to 25 at Julien's Auctions Gallery in Beverly Hills.

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Online:

www.juliensauctions.com

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Orlando Bloom joins Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "Lord of the Rings" star Orlando Bloom has joined the cast of Peter Jackson's upcoming "Hobbit" movies -- even though his character, the elf Legolas, doesn't appear in J. R. R. Tolkien's original novel.

Jackson announced the casting in a Facebook post Friday.

"Ten years ago, Orlando Bloom created an iconic character with his portrayal of Legolas," he wrote. "I'm excited to announce today that we'll be revisiting Middle Earth with him once more. I'm thrilled to be working with Orlando again."

Jackson is currently directing the two-movie adaptation in New Zealand.

He helped catapult Bloom to stardom by giving him his first major film roles as Legolas in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Looking back, Jackson wrote on his Facebook page, "I look older and he doesn't! I guess that's why he makes such a wonderful elf."

The "Hobbit" movies, which have been in the works for 14 years, has faced a series of setbacks.

In 2005, Jackson filed suit against New Line Cinema, claiming he had lost revenue from merchandising, video, and computer games releases associated with "The Fellowship of the Ring" and was no longer attached to "The Hobbit."

Three years later, director Guillermo del Toro signed on but dropped out in May 2010 due to scheduling conflicts.

Jackson was confirmed again as director in October 2010, but union disputes in New Zealand threatened to relocate filming to Europe. In January, Jackson underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer, delaying shooting further.

On March 21, it was announced that shooting had begun in Wellington, New Zealand. Jackson also posted two images of himself on his Facebook page hanging out on set.

Actors Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis are reprising their roles from "Rings" in the prequel, which centers on Bilbo (Freeman) finding the supernatural ring and passing it on to his nephew, Frodo (Wood).

The first of the two movies is planned for a December 2012 release and the second is expected a year later.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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