Jackson doctor defense may say singer killed self (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Lawyers for the doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson could claim the pop star killed himself when a hearing begins next week, a prosecutor said on Wednesday.

In a court session to discuss evidence in the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said he believes it is clear defense attorneys are looking into that theory, which has long been a consideration.

Outside the courtroom, Murray's attorney J. Michael Flanagan declined to comment on Walgren's statement.

"I'm not going to respond to that characterization. But apparently it is a consideration of Mr. Walgren," Flanagan told reporters.

Walgren spoke at a hearing in which a judge cleared the way for Murray's defense to test residue from syringes and an IV tube used to administer drugs to Jackson.

The "Thriller" singer died at age 50 on June 25, 2009, of an overdose of prescription drugs, primarily the powerful anesthetic propofol which can be used in surgery. Other drugs in Jackson's system included lorazepam, known under the brand names Ativan and Temesta, and diazepam, the generic version of Valium.

Murray, hired as Jackson's physician while the singer prepared for a series of concerts that would have begun in July 2009, has admitted giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep. But Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The court session on the syringe testing came only days before a January 4 start date for a preliminary hearing in which a judge will decide if there is enough evidence against Murray to proceed to a full trial.

Representatives for the prosecution and defense told Reuters they expect the preliminary hearing to begin as planned and take roughly two weeks to complete.

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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"Social Network" spells Hammer time for actor Armie (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – They look so much alike in Oscar-hopeful film "The Social Network," they could be one man, and in fact, they are. But what the Winklevoss twins share with the actor who plays them has less to do with looks and more with their privileged background.

The actor, 24 year-old Armie Hammer, is the great grandson of oil tycoon and philanthropist Armand Hammer. He was blessed with good looks and a prominent family tree, like the Winklevoss'. But the similarities seem to stop there.

While the Winkelvoss twins, as portrayed in the movie, stuck to family traditions, attended Harvard University and became Olympic rowers. Hammer quit school, said hello to Hollywood and angered his family -- if only temporarily.

"I dropped out of high school and I dropped out of college because the movie industry was the only thing I wanted to be in," Hammer told Reuters.

"I definitely got a speech that said, 'You will be the first Hammer man to not graduate college, to not get a degree,'" he said. "But I didn't have any interest in that."

Hammer's passion for acting has clearly come through in "Social Network," because amid all the awards and box office buzz for the movie that traces the origins of Facebook, one consistent message circulating among Hollywood insiders is that Hammer is enjoying a breakthrough performance.

Industry players, the media, and audiences have been scratching their heads at just how one man played the two roles of Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who claimed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea when he founded the website and, in the process, became a billionaire.

Hammer said a typical day would involve him shooting a scene playing Cameron Winklevoss with a body double, Josh Pence, standing-in as Tyler.

After director David Fincher was satisfied with the main scene, Hammer would change costume, hairstyles and makeup and be transformed into Tyler to perform the scene again, alone. This time, the camera focused only on his face and in editing, his head would be digitally superimposed on Pence's body.

OVERCOMING TRADITION

In the movie, Cameron is portrayed as initially not wanting to press a legal claim against Zuckerberg out of deference to Harvard tradition, while Tyler is less enamored of that notion. They argue, but eventually Tyler sides with Cameron. Of the twins, Hammer's favorite to play was Cameron.

"I appreciated Cameron's sense of chivalry and that he wanted to be a gentleman," Hammer said. "I think that's becoming more obsolete in the 21st century. But it was fun to play Tyler and fly off the handle."

Hammer said he was so involved in his dual roles that he truly believed Zuckerberg "stole from us," but now that he has distanced himself, he believes all the key players in real life probably did wrong things and no one person is to blame.

Time, distance and success also have given Hammer and his parents a different perspective on his decision to become an actor. While he spent his first year in Hollywood without landing any work, his next few years brought guest roles on shows like "Veronica Mars" and "Desperate Housewives."

In 2007, he earned a big break when he was cast as crime fighting superhero Batman in the DC Comic book adaptation, "Justice League," but before the movie began filming, it was halted due to Hollywood's screenwriter strike.

But Hammer believes "everything happens for a reason," and he may be right. Soon after that job ended, he won the role of evangelist Billy Graham in the 2008 independent film "Billy: The Early Years," and only four weeks before shooting began on "Social Network" he got a call from Fincher.

The director, it seemed, could not find a pair of tall, identical twins for the Winklevoss roles. So, he began looking for a technology fix and opened auditions to individuals.

Now, Hammer is better known in Hollywood for "Social Network" than his family's name. He married TV journalist Elizabeth Chambers this year, and is planning their future.

"I'm very proud of my heritage but I would like to establish my own family, my own kids and my own legacy," he said. "I hope it has nothing to do with a last name but everything to do with the person."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Nicole Richie completes probation months early (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Nicole Richie is no longer on probation for a 2006 drunken-driving case.

A spokeswoman for the reality star-turned-fashion designer says a judge ended Richie's probation Wednesday after receiving proof that the 29-year-old had satisfied its terms.

Publicist Nicole Perna says Richie was to remain on probation until February, but the judge agreed to end probation early because Richie completed its requirements, including attending an 18-month alcohol-education program.

Richie wed her her longtime boyfriend, rocker Joel Madden, this month. They have two children together.

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Tensions, hopes run high in residential drug rehab (AP)

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – Fri Dec 31, 11:39 am ET

LOS ANGELES – Lindsay Lohan has been five times. Charlie Sheen is also a regular. Someone tried to make Amy Winehouse go, but she said, "No, no, no."

Rehab is practically a rite of passage in Hollywood, and Lohan is its latest poster child. Her trips to treatment and travails once there — including an alleged altercation with a worker at Betty Ford Center a few weeks ago — have been well documented for the past three years. The 24-year-old actress, who is set to leave Betty Ford on Monday, follows a pattern: Get in trouble, go to rehab, get released, repeat.

It's all normal, say addiction specialists: Emotional flare-ups and repeated relapses are part of the process of recovery from addiction, whether the addict is famous or not.

National studies show that the average person may need three or more stints in rehab to achieve recovery, says Geoff Henderson, senior director of Phoenix House, a drug-treatment center in Santa Ana, Calif.

So what really happens in rehab? And what's the difference between the pricey, private places favored by celebrities and the more affordable options frequented by less famous folks?

At Promises Treatment Center in Malibu, where Sheen spent 93 days this year, "we look at addiction as a physical and psychiatric disorder, not just a series of bad choices," says chief executive Dr. David Sack, a psychiatrist specializing in addiction treatment.

Scientists define addiction as a chronic illness characterized by relapses during recovery, like diabetes or hypertension. As with those health conditions, managing addiction requires a sustained lifestyle change, and most rehab centers — regardless of cost and amenities — aim to bring about that change through counseling, education and community service.

A month of residential treatment at Promises costs $50,000. Betty Ford Center charges $26,000. Phoenix House costs $3,000 to $5,000 a month. All three programs develop personalized treatment plans for each patient that include individual and family counseling, group therapy, 12-step meetings, physical exercise and community involvement.

Promises could almost be mistaken for a luxury spa, comprising five ocean-view homes in the Malibu hills. There are three swimming pools, several whirlpools and a private tennis court (with a professional instructor on call). Patients live six to a house, each typically with their own bedroom and sometimes their own bathroom. An onsite chef works with the staff nutritionist to prepare three gourmet meals a day.

"This is the kind of place where, even if you weren't in treatment, you wouldn't mind spending a few weeks," Sack says.

The facility offers massage and acupuncture to ease the pain of detox, plus yoga and neurofeedback training help patients deal with stress and anxiety. It recently added equine therapy to its menu of services.

Betty Ford Center, which sits on 20 acres in the desert east of Los Angeles, also offers acupuncture and biofeedback. Residential patients share double rooms with views of the local mountains, enjoying meals shaped by the staff dietitian and personalized exercise plans designed by the onsite fitness trainer.

Phoenix House, which has locations across the country, is more modest. The mission-style Santa Ana facility houses residents in gender-specific dorms lined with bunk beds, and each is allowed a limited amount of clothing and personal items in their shared closet spaces. There are community rooms with big-screen TVs, an outdoor workout area with weights and an exercise bike, a baseball diamond and a garden with lemon, lime and guava trees.

All three facilities limit phone and computer use. All employ counselors who are in recovery themselves. All host a daily spectrum of emotions, from anger and fear to happiness and hope. All offer treatment for the psychiatric conditions that often accompany or predate addiction, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and learning disabilities. And all have alumni programs to encourage ongoing sobriety.

But there are some differences.

Phoenix House, where the typical stay is three to six months, may serve the most diverse population. Some patients come on government referrals straight from jail or homeless shelters. Others are private customers, paying for treatment out of their own pocket or through their medical insurance. Even celebrities have stayed at Phoenix House, though Henderson, the program's director, keeps their names private.

All residents are assigned jobs at the facility, from groundskeeping duties to administrative work. Residents do the cooking and cleaning, too. Betty Ford Center also assigns its patients daily chores, such as rounding up chairs and making announcements. At Promises, cooking, cleaning and household tasks are handled by a paid staff, but patients volunteer regularly at a local soup kitchen.

"Everyone contributes," Henderson says. "It creates a social dynamic of accountability to oneself and one's peers, and aids in developing a positive self-identity and positive peer relationships."

Many Phoenix House patients abused methamphetamines, he says, so treatment programs are tailored to the specific needs of those addicts, who often have issues with learning retention.

Promises, on the other hand, serves an elite, specialized crowd: Very successful professionals. Their drugs of choice tend to be alcohol and prescription opiates, Sack says, and their problems are unique.

They're accustomed to a certain lifestyle (hence the luxury amenities) and to getting their way. They may also be public figures, facing the additional challenges fame can bring. And they may not really want to be there.

"Most who show up here have not made the conscious decision that they want treatment... They want to get someone off their back," Sack says, adding that work and legal problems are the most common precipitants. "The people who show up are, at best, ambivalent."

Therapists at both Promises and Phoenix House use a technique called motivational interviewing to help patients find their own reasons to stop using drugs. Though on opposite ends of the cost spectrum, both facilities use evidence-based methods to help their patients learn to enjoy healthy, drug-free lives.

Because all addicts, regardless of background or income, share some key things in common: Their condition has destroyed their self-worth, and perhaps their family and career, and they need care, understanding and hope as they work toward recovery — whether it's in a fancy facility or a simple one.

"People who share a problem want to socialize. They want to share their story and want to learn how others are solving it," Sack says. "People of means just don't want to share a bedroom."

___

Online:

Phoenix House: http://www.phoenixhouse.org

Promises: http://www.promises.com

Betty Ford Center: http://www.bettyfordcenter.org

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A Minute With: Bette Midler on New Year TV special (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – She has received four Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, and a Tony Award, and even after selling more than 30 million records, singer Bette Midler is still going strong.

For over 40 years, Midler has delighted audiences with her bawdy live performances, and on December 31, Midler will be ringing in the New Year on cable TV channel HBO with her special, "The Showgirl Must Go On," which is the live stage show she has been performing in recent years at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The special was taped in front of a packed house at Caesars. Midler, known as "The Divine Miss M," dons elaborate costumes and sings some of her best-known hits including "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" with her back-up singers, The Harlettes, and a 13-piece band.

Reuters spoke to Midler about the TV special, why being environmentally green is common sense and her love of books.

Q: How did you get in such great shape for the show?

A: "A year before we even started rehearsals, I started doing my warm-ups, getting on the treadmill again and lifting weights. It's fascinating to get on stage and run for an hour and a half, wringing wet at the end. And I loved every minute of it."

Q: You've had such a long and successful career. What do you think is the key to your success?

A: "I don't do everything that comes my way and I tend to do things in spurts. I'll be really busy and then just collapse, take a break for a year or two and then come roaring back. I'm not sure if that's how you achieve longevity, but I tend to sift through things and make sure they are things I really want to do."

Q: You did over 200 performances of your Las Vegas show. How do you keep a song fresh that's done night after night?

A: It's not so easy, but the crowds are different every night and every crowd becomes a beast of its own -- this huge monster that has to be wrangled and corralled. And you have to stay in tune with them. There's an ebb and flow between the crowd and the entertainer that really keeps you on your toes, and this changes with every performance. I think that's what keeps a song fresh.

Q: Are you working on any new projects?

A: No, this is one of the down times. Just looking around to see what's out there. It's a different world now, with the Internet, iTunes, YouTube, Twitter -- all this stuff which is so different from what I do and I really don't know where I fit in it. I feel if you can entertain a group of people live, you're really going to be okay, and I've always been able to do that. But I'm curious to see where I fit in in this new world, so I'm exploring my options.

Q: What's on your iPod?

A: I just love Teddy Pendergrass. I've always been a big fan. Also, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, "The Sound of Philadelphia" and Harry Nielson, "A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night," which is one of the most beautiful records ever made. And I listen to The Stones.

Q: You've been a pioneer in the now popular green movement, founding the nonprofit New York Restoration Project (www.nyrp.org). Why are you so passionate about it?

A: I feel our city has the right to be a beautiful, clean and green city. When I came back to New York City from California in 1995, I felt the city wasn't living up to its potential. So I started the New York Restoration Project with my own funds, surrounded myself with very good people and staff and we've been going strong for 15 years. We've been very lucky. We've had a tremendous outpouring of support from New Yorkers of all stripes, all colors and all ages.

Of all the things I've done, I have to say I'm proudest of the fact that we've raised awareness of people that live in the city. Mostly what I am doing is common sense. All green thought is based on common sense. If you want to survive then you have to make sure that the planet in which you live is healthy.

Q: If you weren't an actor, singer you'd be...

A: I think would probably own a bookstore. I really love books. They've been my friends my whole life. To be surrounded by wonderful books is a real treat every day.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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SC gov-elect won't let Winfrey to interview Smith (AP)

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina's new governor won't grant Oprah Winfrey a prison interview she's been trying to get for a decade with a woman who drowned her two young sons.

Susan Smith is serving a life sentence for killing 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex in 1994 by strapping them into their car seats and driving the car into a pond. She has not been interviewed since being charged. On Wednesday's show, a Winfrey staffer said she has been trying to arrange an interview.

Winfrey suggested on the show that Gov.-elect Nikki Haley could change prison rules that prohibit media interviews.

Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey said Thursday that Winfrey won't get her wish. He says Smith got enough attention when she originally claimed she was carjacked before the truth came out.

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Discovery cancels Michael Jackson autopsy TV show (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Discovery television network on Friday said it canceled plans to air a reenactment of the autopsy on Michael Jackson's body, citing an upcoming court hearing and concern by the late pop star's estate.

The show, "Michael Jackson's Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson," had been set to air in several countries of western Europe and in the United Kingdom on January 13.

"Given the commencement of legal proceedings beginning next week, and at the request of Michael Jackson's estate, the scheduled broadcast of the medical documentary related to Michael Jackson's official autopsy has been postponed indefinitely," Discovery Networks International said in a statement.

A Discovery spokesman declined comment beyond the statement. Co-executors of the estate responded in their own statement saying they were "pleased" with the decision.

The "Thriller" singer died suddenly of a prescription drug overdose on June 25, 2009, age 50, only weeks before beginning a series of comeback concerts. An autopsy by Los Angeles officials showed Jackson died chiefly of an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol that he used as a sleep aid.

Discovery's show, which was not scheduled to air in the United States, was an unofficial, fictional account of what the autopsy must have been like and its results.

But Jackson fans worldwide protested in an online petition launched earlier this month, and the co-executors of his estate sent a letter this week to Discovery Networks calling the program "insensitive" and "in shockingly bad taste."

A print advertisement for the program shows a body covered by a sheet, with one hand poking out wearing the singer's well-known sequined glove.

Following Discovery's decision, McClain and Branca released a statement saying, "we are hopeful that this show will never run in any market in the future."

"While Discovery cited legal proceedings and our request as the reasons for its decision, none of this would have happened had it not been for the incredible passion displayed by countless Michael Jackson fans worldwide who knew they stood as one and that their voices could not be ignored," the statement said.

Jackson's physician at the time of his death, Dr. Conrad Murray, has admitted giving the singer propofol, which is often used in surgery, and Murray has been charged by authorities with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death.

Murray has pleaded not guilty, and a preliminary hearing to determine if enough evidence exists to make him stand trial begins in Los Angeles on January 4.

(Editing by Christine Kearney)

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Kathy Griffin dares to be thrown off New Year's show (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Kathy Griffin ended 2009 by swearing on air during her CNN New Year's Eve Special with Anderson Cooper, getting fired and having to give her paycheck back.

This year Griffin has been invited back and hasn't tamed her act a bit.

"There's no regret," she tells The Hollywood Reporter of last year's punishment for blurting on f-bomb live on air. "I only want to go further."

In fact she's calling her fourth New Year's reunion with Cooper "Yank-watch 2011." Because this year the brass at CNN have gotten even tougher on their efforts of curbing her bad language and are fully-poised to pull her off the air.

"This year in my contract, in addition to the stipulation that I have to give my money back if I swear, they also say they are just going to literally pull me," says Griffin.

Besides the F-bomb, there are a number of no-go areas that she doesn't mind trouncing over during the broadcast.

"I have a list of words I should have looked at in my contract, but I didn't," she says. "I don't think its changed much since the George Carlin routine. I haven't technically read it. I don't consider it to be binding, I'm an artist."

Nonetheless she has a plan for when and if the ejection takes place.

"If CNN dares to pull me live, I'll be walking right over to New Year's Rockin' Eve to give Dick Clark a lap dance." she vows. "It's up to you America."

Griffin swears that her generally embarrassed co-host Cooper has no personal problems with her language, and said nothing about keeping it clean during a pre-event dinner Wednesday night in New York. But the "top brass" at CNN do. In fact last year after her f-bomb episode: "I did have to give my payback last year. I breached my contract."

As to how far she plans to make it in this year's show, even she cannot predict.

"We're on from 11 to 12:30 so I think it's important to make it to, um, at least 10 p.m." she jokes. "That's before I'm even on. But I've had nervous moments in the CNN truck before the show in the past."

Beyond that, there are situations in cold New York City where getting fired is not that bad an option -- especially when you work outside.

"It's really cold on the riser. Not like Ryan (Seacrest) in that heated glass box of warmth," says Griffin. "Sometimes in commercial breaks I just cry and Anderson rocks me. I might get fired just to keep myself warm this year."

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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Rihanna still atop Social 50 chart (Reuters)

By Silvio Pietroluongo and Keith Caulfield Silvio Pietroluongo And Keith Caulfield – Thu Dec 30, 7:09 pm ET

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Rihanna holds at No. 1 for a third non-consecutive week on the Social 50 chart, which ranks the most active artists on the world's leading social networking sites -- MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and iLike.

The ranking uses a formula blending weekly additions of friends/fans/followers along with weekly artist page views and weekly song plays. The final ranking also includes a measurement that identifies the ratio of page views to fans.

Justin Bieber bumps up 3-2, his third week in the runner-up slot in the five weeks that the chart has been in existence.

Lady Gaga rebounds 6-3 to reach a new peak, the Black Eyed Peas and Eminem stand still, holding at number 4 and 5, respectively. Akon ascends 7-6.

Leave it to a racy video to turn on the social masses. Enrique Iglesias' not-safe-for-work clip for "Tonight I'm F*****' You" premiered last week online and set the viral world on fire. The singer vaults from No. 21 to No. 7 with the largest gain of Facebook fans (up 125%) on the chart following the debut of "Tonight's" sexually charged video on December 23.

Rounding out the top 10 are Michael Jackson, who moves up a slot to No. 8, Linkin Park, which climbs 10-9, and Katy Perry, who drops 8-10.

Bay Area duo Pomplamoose has been inescapable this holiday season as they and their music have been the centerpiece of Hyundai's Christmas widely-seen television advertising campaign.

In the three spots, the act puts their distinctive spin on holiday standards "Jingle Bells," "Deck the Halls" and "Up on the Housetop." With that exposure, Pomplamoose is the top debut at No. 29 and posts the chart's best percentage gain among YouTube channel page views (up 78%).

With the absence of Pomplamoose holiday tracks at digital retailers, YouTube is a main source for those desiring to see the TV spots.

Keri Hilson also enters the tally at number 35, owed to the buzz generated by the release of her new album, "No Boys Allowed," on December 21. She posts percentage increases in all monitored social segments: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iLike and MySpace.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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Oprah aims for "mindful TV" in OWN network gamble (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – She is already the most influential woman on television, publishes a magazine, has starred in movies, opened a school in South Africa and is one of America's biggest celebrity philanthropists.

So why is Oprah Winfrey taking perhaps the biggest gamble in her life and launching a cable TV network this weekend? Because she believes people are hungry for shows that entertain, inspire and offer what she calls "mindful television."

"What I want to do is build a channel that is a respite for your mind, an oasis of stimulation that you come away from with little pieces of light.

"I'm aiming for a moment where somebody could say, 'I never thought of it that way before.' I just love that," Winfrey 56, told Parade magazine in an interview this week.

Three years in the making, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) kicks off on January 1 with a weekend of "sneak peeks" into the array of largely female-oriented original series, lifestyle, and advice shows that viewers can expect in the first year.

OWN, a venture between Winfrey's Harpo Inc and Discovery Communications, will be available in some 80 million homes.

The OWN launch has brought with it some uncharacteristic anxiety for Winfrey, who will end her popular U.S. daytime chat program, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" -- which airs in some 140 countries -- in May after 25 years.

She told her magazine "O" that she has "never felt such fear in all my life" than she has in launching OWN in a crowded TV market packed with hundreds of cable channels.

'OPRAHFICATION'

Winfrey will appear in only 70 hours of programs in 2011, but the OWN schedule has the unmistakable flavor of uplifting tales, self-improvement and struggles in the face of adversity that has come to be known as "Oprahfication."

The lineup includes a four-part special bringing together health, wealth and relationship experts Dr. Phil McGraw, Suze Orman and Dr. Mehmet Oz. There are two reality shows about the fractious relationships between movie stars Tatum O'Neal and her father Ryan O'Neal and country singers Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd.

There will be frank sex and relationship therapy from Dr. Laura Berman and another reality series called "Kidnapped by the Kids" in which children force their parents to ditch work for family time.

Two shows were Oprah's ideas. "Oprah Presents Master Class" features eight famous people including rapper Jay-Z, poet Maya Angelou, actor Sidney Poitier and TV entrepreneur Simon Cowell talking about their lives' lessons, triumphs and setbacks.

"Finding Sarah", featuring disgraced British royal Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was inspired by a confessional TV interview between the two women earlier this year.

In May, Ferguson was caught on camera appearing to ask for cash to introduce a reporter to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.

After the scandal broke, Winfrey advised Ferguson to avoid appearing on "Dancing with the Stars" or a celebrity chef program to restore her bank balance and tarnished image.

Instead, Oprah told Ferguson to work on herself, and "Finding Sarah," a six-part documentary scheduled to air later in 2011, is one result of that conversation..

Winfrey will be seen initially in a behind-the-scenes program about her final season of her chat show. She will later appear in an OWN travel series called "Oprah's Next Chapter."

She has admitted the pressure is on to succeed, but said she was looking beyond initial audience figures.

"What will be a failure is if nobody comes and watches this network. What others will perceive as failure is if some shows don't succeed," she told Parade magazine.

"I'm concerned about the bigger overall picture: my belief that people are basically good and want to see the good in them reflected through their experiences and the shows they watch."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Rep: John Mellencamp, wife split after 20 years (AP)

LOS ANGELES – John Mellencamp and his wife are calling it quits.

A spokesman for the 59-year-old rocker says he and his wife of 20 years, model Elaine Mellencamp (nee Irwin), are splitting up.

Publicist Bob Merlis declined to say Thursday if the couple had filed for divorce.

Merlis says the Mellencamps "are proud of their 20 years together and are very happy with their accomplishments both as parents and as a family."

He says they will continue to raise their two children in Indiana.

Mellencamp's latest album, "No Better Than This," was released earlier this year.

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Oprah keeps hand in media with OWN, snubs politics (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Oprah Winfrey wants to better the world in her own way, and that absolutely, positively excludes a political career.

The media powerhouse who threw her clout behind Barack Obama's presidential candidacy says she will never seek office. As she fervently asserts: "Arrgghhh! The very idea of politics. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no."

But a new, basic cable channel that bears her name and debuts at noon EST Saturday to 85 million homes across the land? That's a challenge she relishes as her syndicated talk show nears its conclusion after a singularly influential run of 25 years.

Politics is "having to live your life at the whim of somebody's polls," Winfrey said in an interview from her home near Santa Barbara. "I just feel like there's so much more ability for me, personally, to be able to effect change and to be able to influence through stories and ideas than I could ever do with politics."

She hopes to see the Oprah Winfrey Network — OWN — establish itself as a "force for good," a platform that helps people "see the best of themselves" on a broader canvas than her daily Chicago-based talk show.

With the Los Angeles-based OWN, as well as orchestrating a big finish in May for "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the talk show host said it's unlikely she'll have time for the Chicago mayoral bid of Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's former chief of staff. She and Emanuel haven't seen each other in town.

"It seems that everybody else in the world has run into Rahm except me," said Winfrey. She offered that she signed a petition to get his name on the February ballot when she was approached outside a Chicago gym.

As for Obama, Winfrey remains a steadfast booster.

"He's doing a great job, and I don't use the term 'great' loosely," she said. "The amount of pressure and opinions coming at him from every direction, to be steadfast and solid in your own conviction about how you see this country and what you believe is possible for the future of this country. I think that takes a lot of guts."

When Obama presumably seeks a second term in 2012, "I would do whatever they ask me to do. I'm open," she said.

Winfrey, who caught flack from some fans for endorsing Obama for the Democratic nomination, said she hasn't thought about how the cable channel over which she presides as chairman might figure in the national election.

"I'm really just trying to get on the air," she said, lightly. "I'm trying to think of the role OWN is going to play on Jan. 2, and the 3rd and the 4th."

A pop culture force with a daytime podium that at its peak attracted more than 12 million viewers (it's at nearly 7 million this season), Winfrey has created careers and successful TV shows ("Dr. Phil," "Dr. Oz"), energized the publishing industry with her book club picks and produced distinguished films ("Precious," "The Great Debaters"), breaking ethnic stereotypes along the way.

The 56-year-old Oprah is acutely aware of what she might be losing even as she stakes out new TV turf to promote ideas and celebrities. She was initially reluctant to surrender her daytime show, but "what I realized is the `Oprah' show has had its time and its run and its ability to affect and influence, and that now it's time for something else," she said.

Rosie O'Donnell, Shania Twain, Sarah Ferguson and Winfrey's close pal, Gayle King, all have first-season shows on the commercially-supported OWN, which will offer a varied mix of talk and reality shows, film acquisitions and original documentaries. Included in the lineup: a cooking series with Cristina Ferrare, a sex advice show with Dr. Laura Berman, style makeovers with Carson Kressley, a series about the mother-daughter relationship of Naomi and Wynonna Judd, a "docu-reality" series about women prisoners in Indiana and the theatrical release "Precious."

Winfrey's hand is on the entire schedule but she'll also be onstage in such series as "Oprah's Next Chapter," in which she travels the world in search of interesting stories, and "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes," a chronicle of her final talk show year. She will also be seen in the series "Oprah Presents Master Class" and "Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star."

OWN will be programmed around the clock, with repeats filling overnight hours.

On the cusp of her new media adventure, a Harpo Inc. joint venture with Discovery Communications (which has a reported $189 million commitment to the channel), Winfrey said she has shed any worries she had as OWN experienced an uneven and delayed gestation.

The channel starts with a modest base, taking over Discovery Health and its average 250,000 daily viewers. Among cable channels, heavyweights such as ESPN and USA average about 3 million prime-time viewers.

"I'm not afraid at all. I talked to my friend Gayle this morning and she goes, `You sure are calm for a girl who's going to launch a network,'" Winfrey recounted, then explained her approach: "It's like preparing to run a marathon and then the week before you run, you have to relax yourself in order to be able to take on the run."

Winfrey was at times serene as she talked about OWN and politics — and downright playful. Asked if she had talked to Obama recently, she took on a mock tone of hauteur.

"Well, as a matter of fact, the last time I spoke to him I was at the Kennedy Center Honors," Winfrey responded. But she dropped the Ms. Cool act as she giddily recalled being celebrated alongside a musician she adored as a girl: Paul McCartney. The two, sitting side-by-side during the ceremony earlier this month, ended up clasping hands.

When she and the former Beatle joined in on the chorus of "Hey Jude," Winfrey lost it.

"I was weeping, but weeping because I could feel the moment of myself as the 12-year-old girl on welfare in the ghetto of Milwaukee, Wis., having that dream and never imagining that the dream would take me to the balcony of the Kennedy Center holding Paul McCartney's hand. Is that unbelievable or what?"

Late this week, Winfrey visited OWN's L.A. offices for a final rally-the-troops meeting.

Then it's up to viewers who have so often approved what Winfrey gives them. She hopes they're patient as OWN finds its footing.

"This is the beginning, and the beginning of a great opportunity to use television for purposeful programming, which is the only reason I'm doing it," she said.

___

Online:

http://www.oprah.com/own

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John Mellencamp and wife separate after 20 years (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In a post-holiday week that has seen several announcements of celebrity couplings, singer John Mellencamp and his wife Elaine have decided to do the opposite and separate.

"John and Elaine Mellencamp are proud of their 20 years together and are very happy with their accomplishments both as parents and as a family. They will continue to raise their two children in Indiana but have decided to call it a day as a couple," their spokesman said in a statement on Thursday.

No further details were available.

Mellencamp gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s under the stage name John Cougar. His early rock hits include "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane" and as his notoriety grew, he dropped the name Cougar and began performing as John Mellencamp.

While he has never regained the superstar status he enjoyed during the '80s, Mellencamp has kept a solid fan base and continued to put out albums and tour around the world.

His wife, whose maiden name is Irwin, is a model who met the singer when she was hired to appear on the cover of his "Whenever We Wanted" album. She was 23 when they married.

The week after Christmas has seen a series of celebrity marriage engagements including Reese Witherspoon to talent agent Jim Toth, singer LeAnn Rimes and actor Eddie Cibrian, actress Natalie Portman to dancer Benjamin Millepied and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman and Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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Singer Akon preaches African unity in Senegal (AFP)

DAKAR (AFP) – Senegalese-American rapper and songwriter Akon called for greater African unity as he arrived in his home country to perform Friday at the world's biggest celebration of black arts and culture.

The six-time Grammy nominated singer, who recently released a single on which he collaborated with the late Michael Jackson, will perform at the final concert of the World Festival of Black Arts in St Louis, 265 kilometres (160 miles) from the capital, Dakar.

Hundreds of artists, singers and intellectuals from Africa and its diaspora have come to Senegal for the three-week festival, which is themed on an African Renaissance, with many preaching greater unity on the continent.

"Things like this actually create the environment for us to move together as one people," Akon, whose real name is Alioune Thiam, said of the festival, as he addressed a press conference late Thursday.

"The more we realise what we can do together as a unit, the farther we will get as an African nation.

"The one thing we always lack is unity, we always stay segregated. Even though Africa is one of the biggest continents, we never stay together as a people," he said.

The third festival of its kind to celebrate black identity, with the first edition hosted in Dakar in 1966, has been widely criticised for its expense, reported to be around 30 billion CFA francs (about 46 million euros).

State-of-the-art stages and expositions have been set up around the capital, with brightly lit Christmas decorations twinkling downtown as power cuts surge in the suburbs of the poor west African nation.

Asked by journalists how much he was paid to perform, Akon said he was giving the concert for free and the government had only paid the travel and hotel costs for him and his 32-member crew.

"The kind of money I am actually paid for a concert is nothing Senegal would really be able to afford. It's about uplifting the people.

"If I can get the economy up to where it needs to go in Senegal, then I can do freakin' shows here all the time and get paid what I am worth," he said.

Akon was born in the United States but spent his childhood in Senegal and later settled back in the United States before shooting to stardom with his debut album "Trouble" in 2004.

He has collaborated with Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Eminem and Whitney Houston.

While the dusty, traffic-snarled African city of Dakar is far from the sparkling life of celebrity he lives in America, he said it was where he feels most at home.

"Normally when I am here it's a matter of coming home. This is something that we always make time for somehow," he told AFP.

"All my in-laws are still here, my grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces cousins, everybody is still here. In the next few years when I decide to retire, this is where I will make my home at the end of the day."

The star is massively popular in Dakar, where tireless partygoers throb to his songs in nightclubs, mixed in between traditional mbalax and the strains of Youssou N'Dour.

"When I am normally here I travel at night because during the daytime it is hard to get around when I am recognised because of the love people have for me which I appreciate more than anything," he said.

While artists and presidents call for a United States of Africa, with Libya's maverick leader Moamer Kadhafi urging a unity government with one African army, Akon said it was conflict on the continent that was "hindering us tremendously."

"We are natural soldiers, Africans have always been fighters, but we have to find a way a non-violent way to ... get our point across to each other," he said.

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"I AM intelligent", protests Paula Abdul (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul said that being perceived as stupid was one of the most annoying misperceptions people have about her.

Abdul, 48, who returns to television next week with her own dance reality competition show, also insisted that she was naturally goofy and that her sometimes volatile public behavior was not the result of drugs or alcohol.

"I AM intelligent, I AM," Abdul told Julie Chen in an interview to be broadcast on "CBS Sunday Morning."

"But, people don't give you enough credit for having a brain," Chen replied, according to a transcript released on Thursday.

"Having a brain, that's a concept, yes, with Paula Abdul. I have a brain," Abdul said

Abdul was an "American Idol" judge for eight years before quitting the TV singing contest in 2009 in a contract dispute. Her often odd behavior on the show sparked rumors about drug taking.

But the dancer and singer told Chen; "I've never had a drinking problem. Even though I've been in this business for quite some time. I've never physically been drunk in my life. I've never been drunk in my life. I don't use recreational drugs. But, I am goofy."

"It's Paula. It is Paula. And, even the people on 'Idol' know that none of that existed, ever," she said.

Abdul's "Live to Dance" TV show starts on CBS on Jan 4.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Discovery Channel: Jackson autopsy show postponed (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Discovery Channel International has indefinitely postponed the broadcast of a show purporting to re-enact Michael Jackson's autopsy, the company announced Friday.

The company cited the start of hearings next week in the criminal case against Jackson's doctor and a request by the late superstar's estate as reasons for the postponement.

John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of Jackson's estate, accused Discovery of insensitivity toward the singer's family in a letter Wednesday demanding that the company cancel plans for the program.

They said they were especially outraged by an Internet ad for the show, "Michael Jackson's Autopsy," which they described as depicting a corpse on a steel gurney covered by a sheet with a hand sticking out wearing Jackson's signature sequined glove.

Branca and McClain said Friday in a statement that Discovery seemed to be reacting to outrage from Jackson fans, in addition to their own criticisms.

"Discovery Channel made the correct decision in choosing to cancel this exploitative program. We are hopeful that this show will never run in any market in the future," they said.

The company's decision was first reported by celebrity website TMZ.com.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled to begin Tuesday for Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter, after which a judge will decide if there is sufficient evidence to hold Murray for trial.

The singer died on June 25, 2009, of what was later found to be acute Propofol intoxication, with other sedatives found to have been a contributing factor.

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Boney M's Bobby Farrell died of heart failure: agent (AFP)

THE HAGUE (AFP) – Heart failure caused the death of 1970s disco icon Bobby Farrell in a Saint Petersburg hotel room this week, his agent said Friday citing Russian authorities.

"It was heart failure," agent John Seine told AFP by telephone from the northern Dutch town of Heemstede.

Steine said he had received an email Friday lunchtime from Euromed, a medical institution holding Farrell's body in a Saint Petersburg mortuary, to report the findings of a post-mortem investigation by Russian authorities.

Farrell, 61, was found dead in his bed by a hotel employee on Thursday morning, having given a performance the night before during which he reported feeling unwell.

A Dutch national born on the Caribbean island of Aruba, Farrell was the sole male member of Boney M, which won global fame with catchy disco numbers like "Belfast", "Ma Baker", and "Rasputin".

The group sold more than 50 million singles and 60 million albums worldwide.

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Outrage over Michael Jackson autopsy reenactment (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The executors of Michael Jackson's estate are expressing outrage over an "insensitive" television special "in shockingly bad taste" that plans to reenact the King of Pop's autopsy.

In a letter to Discovery Communications on Wednesday, John Branca and John McClain deplored in the strongest terms the Discovery Channel's "blind desire to exploit Michael's death, while cynically attempting to dupe the public into believing this show will have serious medical value."

The pair were especially angered by a European promotional advertisement for the program that shows Jackson's trademark sequined glove emerging from beneath a coroner's white draping sheet.

"Discovery obviously views this as clever advertising and creative 'branding' for the program... In fact, the ad is debased, sick and insensitive," said the letter addressed to Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav.

"On behalf of Michael's family, fans, common sense and decency, we urge you to reconsider and cancel this program."

Discovery has not yet responded to this letter about the advertised program, which does not yet have a specific air date for Europe.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at age 50 from drug-induced respiratory arrest at his Beverly Hills mansion after his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, injected him with a powerful cocktail of sedatives and painkillers, including Propofol, to help him sleep.

Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter in February this year. A judge has set a deadline of early January for prosecutors to gather evidence in that case.

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Tiger turns 35, sees year of opportunities (AFP)

ORLANDO, Florida (AFP) – Tiger Woods sent a message to his fans after celebrating his 35th birthday on Thursday, looking ahead to a year of new challenges and leaving behind a winless year of personal turmoil.

"Another successful trip completed around the sun! Thanks for all the well wishes," Woods posted on his Twitter account.

World number two Woods, who surrendered his top ranking to England's Lee Westwood two months ago, was named Friday by the US PGA Tour website atop a list of the top 100 players to watch in 2011.

It's a position Woods has occupied for much of his career even before turning professional in 1996 at age 20, but one that carries special meaning given the meltdown of his life in the wake of a sex scandal that began 13 months ago.

Woods and wife Elin Nordegren were divorced in August, nine months after revelations began about Woods's affairs with multiple mistresses. More than a dozen women claimed sexual relationships with the world's top golfer.

Several sponsors dropped Woods, who had become the first sportsman to reach one billion dollars in career endorsement and prize money. He became the punch line to jokes and took a five-month break from golf to cope with the situation.

Woods returned at the Masters in April and shared fourth, as he would at the US Open in June, but the disgraced superstar went winless for the year even as he began working on changes in his swing with new coach Sean Foley.

Regaining the clutch putting skills that once helped create an aura of golf invincibility also figures to be a major goal.

Woods, a 14-time major champion, continues to chase the all-time record of 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus.

That alone will make him the focus of a new golf season that begins next week but will not see Woods play for at least a month. He has confirmed plans to play in February's Dubai Desert Classic.

Golf fans and the extra audiences Woods attracted for his greatest challenges could rediscover why they were drawn to Woods in the first place as he tries to put aside his past and reclaim the world number one ranking.

Woods had owned the top spot for 281 weeks in a row before being toppled one week shy of 12 years atop the rankings for his career.

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