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07-08-09 EUR ALL ON ONE PAGE
MICHAEL JACKSON GETS A STAR-STUDDED SENDOFF: Carey, J-Hud, Wonder, Mayer, Jermaine, Richie among performers at an emotional public memorial.
*As billions of people watched around the world, 8,750 ticketed fans, as well as family members, friends and celebrities attended a public memorial for Michael Jackson held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Smokey Robinson opened the memorial Tuesday by reading comments from Diana Ross (who chose not to attend the ceremony, but rather grieve privately), and former South African president Nelson Mandela.
As the gospel "Soon And Very Soon" began playing, Jackson's golden, flower-draped casket was escorted into the Staples Center by his famous brothers (all wearing a single sequined glove) following a motorcade that traveled from Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale.
Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz performed Jackson's 1970 ballad "I'll Be There," which she sang famously during an episode of "MTV Unplugged."
Queen Latifah read a poem by Maya Angelou that offered a loving tribute for the entertainer. "He took a pose on his toes for all of us,"
Angelou wrote, remarking on his worldwide influence from "Birmingham, Ala., to Birmingham, England."
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy remembered Jackson's early days at the famed Detroit label. "The more I think about Michael, and talk about Michael, the more I think that 'King of Pop' is not good enough," said Gordy, who signed The Jackson 5 in 1968. "I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived."
Lionel Richie, Jackson's collaborator on the anthem "We Are the World," sang his signature Commodores classic, "Jesus is Love," while a very pregnant Jennifer Hudson sang Jackson's 1990s hit "Will You Be There."
John Mayer performed a guitar instrumental of "Human Nature," and civil rights leader Al Sharpton, angrily denouncing the media focus on the bizarre aspects of his life, said he had a message for Jackson's three children.
"Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with," he said to wild cheers, including enthusiastic applause from Paris.
In other highlights, R&B singer Usher moved close to Michael's casket and sang a heartbreaking rendition of Michael's "Gone Too Soon," while actress Brooke Shields, who briefly dated the singer, remembered his laugh as "the sweetest and purest of anyone's I had ever known."
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, talked about how Jackson held court with African leaders in his bid to help slow the spread of AIDS there.
The two-hour memorial, produced by AEG Live and Kenny Ortega, also focused on Jackson's charity work for childrens' groups and his role in opening the mainstream pop and celebrity world up to African-Americans.
MICHAEL'S DAUGHTER BRINGS WORLD TO TEARS: Paris Katherine, 11, speaks publicly for the first time about the 'best father you can imagine.'
*The public memorial service for Michael Jackson on Tuesday featured memorable performances from Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and others, but it was the King of Pop's 11-year-old daughter who left the biggest impression with mourners inside of the Staples Center and the billions watching around the world.
As the star-studded tribute concluded, Jackson’s children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris Katherine, 11, and Prince Michael II (Blanket), 7, took the stage during a group performance of “Heal the World.”
After the song, Paris gave an impromptu speech from the stage surrounded by the Jackson family.
“I just want to say ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine,” she said through tears. “And I just want to say I love him so much.”
She then broke down into the arms of her aunt Janet Jackson before the entire Jackson family surrounded them. It was one of the first times any of Jackson's children had ever been heard publicly.
Meanwhile, 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael; and 7-year-old Prince Michael II, known as Blanket, were also in attendance for their father's memorial. Both wore the same dark suit and yellow tie as the rest of the men in the Jackson family, and Paris wore a black dress with white trim.
Gone were the veils, the party masks and the guarded gates and walls that kept the Jackson children hidden from view for more than a decade. Those were replaced with images of their young faces up on stage as the ceremony came to a close, comforting one another and fidgeting as kids will: Prince chewed gum and toted the memorial service program; Paris turned a small patent-leather purse over in her hands; and Blanket held his program and clutched a Michael Jackson doll.
STEVIE WONDER BIDS FAREWELL TO MICHAEL: Singer chose two of his own songs to perform at the public memorial.
*At Michael Jackson's public memorial on Tuesday, Stevie Wonder performed two of his own classics that took on new meaning with the King of Pop's sudden passing: 1971's "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" and 1974's "They Won't Go When I Go."
Before performing, Wonder told the crowd: "This is a moment that I wished to never see come. But as much as I can say that, and mean it, I do know that God is good, and I do know that as much as we feel — and we do — that we need Michael here with us, God must have needed him far more. Michael, I love you and I told you that many times, so I'm at peace with that."
"Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer," from Wonder's "Where I'm Coming From" album, was co-written with Wonder's then-wife Syreeta Wright and uses the seasons to address a failed relationship.
Wonder's performance Tuesday added his friend's name to the lyric to alter the meaning: "Michael, why didn't you stay?"
Wonder then segued into the angry, stately "They Won't Go When I Go," from 1974's "Fulfillingness' First Finale," the lyrics of which could be interpreted to convey a message about Jackson's death:
"No more lying friends, wanting tragic ends / Though they do pretend, they won't go when I go/ All those bleeding hearts, with sorrows to impart/ Were right here from the start, and they won't go when I go ... When I go, where I'll go/ No one can keep me from my destiny."
JACKSON'S CASKET WAS UNEXPECTED AT STAPLES: Ticketless fans rush to line streets for motorcade.
*Jackson's family and close friends held a brief private ceremony earlier on Tuesday at a Los Angeles cemetery before unexpectedly bringing the singer's body to the memorial downtown via motorcade.
Fans made it to curbs and bridges as the funeral procession made its way along freeways cleared of traffic for one of the biggest celebrity events ever seen in a city accustomed to living with superstar citizens, reports Reuters.
Police had estimated that more than 250,000 people would gather outside the arena but the orderly crowds were much smaller than expected.
Many fans and downtown office workers appeared to have stayed at home to watch the ceremony live on national TV networks or on the Internet.
Police, security, escorts and sanitation for the memorial ceremony are expected to cost cash-strapped Los Angeles city council nearly $4 million. The city council on Tuesday launched a web site asking for fans to make donations toward the cost of hosting Tuesday's events.
JACKSONS HAVE PRIVATE CEMETERY SERVICE: Ceremony took place at Forest Lawn before the public memorial.
*A private service for Michael Jackson, attended by family members and dozens of friends, was held Tuesday morning in advance of the star-studded memorial that took place hours later in downtown Los Angeles.
Escorted by the California Highway Patrol, the motorcade left the family's Encino home shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday and reached Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills about 15 minutes later. Authorities shut down sections of freeways during the height of Los Angeles' morning rush hour to allow the motorcade to pass.
Jackson's family members, led by parents Joe and Katherine, were seen walking into a hall at the cemetery where a small viewing was apparently held the night before.
After the private ceremony, Jackson's body was driven through Los Angeles streets to the singer's public memorial.
LOS ANGELES ACCEPTING MEMORIAL DONATIONS: The city is broke, yet it still paid for part of Jackson's service.
*The city of Los Angeles, affected deeply by California's overall financial crisis, has set up a Web site seeking donations to help pay for Tuesday's Michael Jackson memorial at the Staples Center.
City officials estimated the cost of footing the bill at $4 million, according to reports.
Mayor's office spokesman Matt Szabo says the site launched Tuesday is linked to a PayPal account where donors can help defray the expected millions of dollars in costs with tax- deductible credit-card contributions, according to the Associated Press.
The Web page reads: "Help the City of Angels provide the extraordinary public safety resources required to give Michael the safe, orderly and respectful memorial he deserves."
Numerous law enforcement officers and fire department resources had been involved in Jackson family motorcades through the city and in guarding a wide perimeter around Staples Center.
BILL CLINTON REMEMBERS MICHAEL: Former president says King of Pop raised money for Democratic Party and performed at his first inauguration.
*Bill Clinton took time away from his aid mission to Haiti on Tuesday to remember Michael Jackson, and recall a time when he helped to bail out the Democratic Party at a crucial time.
The former U.S. president, now a special U.N. envoy to Haiti, recalled Jackson's performance at a 2002 fundraiser at New York's Apollo Theater.
"He basically helped save my party from terrible financial distress, so he was very kind to me personally," Clinton said during a stop on his tour of a still-struggling northern Haiti.
Clinton spoke fondly of Jackson, recalling that the singer performed at his first inauguration in 1993. He also said Jackson had struggled with the burden of early fame.
"He was an immensely gifted man and I think he basically meant well," Clinton told The Associated Press. "I know about all the trouble he had in his life and I hope he will be remembered for his contribution as an artist. I hope his children turn out well. That would be the greatest tribute you could have."
GLOSSY PROGRAMS HANDED OUT AT MJ MEMORIAL: Book opens with full page remarks by LaToya.
*Mourners at the Michael Jackson memorial service were handed full-color, glossy programs filled with triumphant photos and emotional tributes to the late singer, including one entire page from his sister, LaToya.
In her message, she recounts a day in 1980 when Jackson watched the Grammy ceremony and was crying because he only won one Grammy. He promised her that on his next album, he would win more Grammys than anyone in music history.
"I will be the biggest and the greatest entertainer of all time," she quoted him as saying. She added, "You've lived your dream, you've proven to us all that if you believe, you will achieve; you believed, and oh my, did you achieve!"
The metallic gold program cover opens to pictures of Jackson with his brothers and sisters, celebrities and world leaders. It also features testimonials from other Jackson family members, as well as statements from Thomas Mesereau Jr., the lawyer who defended him on child molestation charges, and Grace Rwaramba, the longtime nanny to Jackson's children.
The final picture on the back cover is of Jackson rehearsing for his "This is It" comeback show on June 23. An acknowledgment says: "Without the love and devotion of Michael's beloved mother, Mrs. Katherine Jackson, this program would not have been possible."
SHIELDS, JERMAINE 'SMILE' FOR MICHAEL: Late singer's childhood buddy and brother salute his favorite song from Charlie Chaplin during memorial.
*In a touching personal tribute to Michael Jackson by his longtime friend Brooke Shields, the actress mentioned that his favorite song was "Smile," a tune written by Charlie Chaplin for his 1936 film "Modern Times."
"There is a line [in the song] that says, 'Smile when your heart is aching,' " Shields said in her speech. "And though our hearts are aching, we need to look up, where [Michael] is undoubtedly perched in a crescent moon, and we need to smile."
With that, Jermaine Jackson took the stage – dressed in a dark suit and wearing a single, sequined glove – and gave an emotional rendition of "Smile" through a voice that at times choked with emotion.
"That's the time you must keep on trying/ Smile, what's the use in crying?" he sang, stopping for a few beats to stop the tears from falling down his cheeks. "You'll find that life is still worthwhile/ If you just smile."
As the Staples Center gave him a standing ovation, Jackson took a petal from his boutonniere and gently flicked it onto the lid of his brother's gold-plated casket. He then walked off the stage, into the arms of his awaiting family, while a single spotlight shone on the stage and an image of the Jackson 5 appeared on the screens.
SECOND MEMORIAL PLANNED FOR MIJAC'S B'DAY?: Roger Friedman says a concert is in the works for his birthday next month.
*Hollywood Reporter columnist Roger Friedman says a second memorial has been scheduled for Michael Jackson, but details were very slim at press time.
"Sources tell me that Jackson insiders are planning a true memorial concert for what would have been the singer’s 51st birthday on Aug. 29," Friedman wrote Tuesday.
"The location would be the O2 Arena in London, where Jackson was set to start his This Is It concert tour this coming Monday."
Details will follow, Friedman noted.
JACKSON'S DEATH CERTIFICATE ISSUED: Cause has been listed as 'deferred' pending toxicology results.
*Michael Jackson's official death certificate was issued Tuesday - with the cause of death listed as "deferred," according to reports.
With the result of toxicology tests still pending, Jackson's death certificate was quietly issued the same day as his public and private memorials in Los Angeles.
The certificate also says that Forest Lawn has "disposition" of the singer's body temporarily, and the final resting place for the King of Pop remains unknown.
His sister LaToya Jackson provided the information on the death certificate, which lists his occupation as "musician" and type of business as "entertainment."
KARDASHIAN SISTERS FEEL MJ'S DAUGHTER'S PAIN: Kim K tweets '“I spoke at my dad’s funeral and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.'
*The Kardashian girls – who frequently hung out at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch as kids – attended the King of Pop's memorial service for Michael Jackson on Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Afterward, Kim posted comments about the experience on her Twitter page:
“Kourtney, Khloe, my mom and I just left the Memorial. Everyone had such amazing memories of MJ. We all cried & laughed & remembered!
“Michael’s children were so brave … 2 stand there on stage & speak to the world about their father.
“I spoke at my dad’s funeral & it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I was shaking & crying & what Paris did was sooo soooo brave!”
Kim, who dated one of Jackson’s nephews when she was a teenager, spent her 14th birthday at a party held at Neverland.
DIANA DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS IN MJ'S WILL?: Someone claims to have overheard her son Evan saying his mom had 'no idea.'
*Fox.com is reporting that Diana Ross had "no idea" she was named in Michael Jackson's will as a secondary guardian should his mother Katherine Jackson be unable to take care of his children.
The Web site is quoting an unnamed source who claims to have overheard Diana's 20-year-old son Evan Ross talking to friends about the will during Diddy's July 4th White Party in Beverly Hills.
He reportedly said that is mother had "no idea" Jackson had named her in the will and wasn’t too thrilled about being put in such a position of responsibility, the Web site reported Tuesday.
ROCK HALL WAS TO HOLD MJ CANDLELIGHT VIGIL: Event was scheduled for Tuesday night at famed venue in Cleveland.
*Hours after the memorial service in Los Angeles, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland was scheduled to honor Michael Jackson with a candlelight vigil, reports the Associated Press
The event was to include remarks from a local church pastor and from Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the rock hall and museum. Fans were invited to give their own testimonials to the King of Pop during the ceremony on the hall's outdoor plaza.
Also on Tuesday, the museum planned to unveil a special memorial wall dedicated to Jackson, a two-time rock hall inductee. He was inducted in 1997 as part of the Jackson 5 and then again in 2001 as a solo artist.
The hall's collection includes several outfits Jackson performed in and one of those very familiar gloves.
POLICE SEARCH FOR MOTIVE IN STEVE MCNAIR CASE: Medical examiner waiting for more info before ruling killing a murder-suicide.
*Tennessee's state medical examiner said Tuesday that investigators are not quite ready to conclude that Steve McNair was killed by his girlfriend before she killed herself because the woman didn't appear to have a motive.
However, the medical examiner does say that murder-suicide is the most likely scenario, reports the Associated Press.
After the couple was discovered shot to death on Saturday, police were quick to label McNair's death a homicide. He had been shot twice in the head and twice in the chest, while 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi was dead from a single gunshot to the head. Under her body was a gun she had purchased less than two days before the killings.
Investigators were waiting on ballistics tests on the weapon before issuing a ruling on Kazemi's death, which medical examiner Bruce Levy said could come in the next few days.
Kazemi's gun purchase, which was revealed on Monday, is a strong indication that she was responsible, he said.
"If we had known on Sunday about the gun I think we would have been very comfortable in ruling murder-suicide," he said. "I'll be very surprised now if they rule it isn't."
Levy said an apparent lack of motive by Kazemi has made investigators careful about exploring every possibility, including the unlikely scenario that a third party could have staged the scene.
MIJAC BITS: President Obama asked about MJ again; final burial mystery; Gordy's memorial speech; Corey Feldman's MJ outfits.
*President Barack Obama, on a visit to Russia, said Michael Jackson was "one of the greatest entertainers of our generation, perhaps any generation," and added: "I think like Elvis, like Sinatra, like The Beatles he became a core part of our culture.
*TMZ.com is reporting that Michael Jackson's body will not be going back to Forest Lawn. "The body will go somewhere else pending final burial -- we don't know where that is. If a casket goes to Forest Lawn, it's a decoy," according to the Web site. "We've learned the death certificate lists Forest Lawn as the responsible mortuary because the body was embalmed there -- but the rest is being kept secret."
*Berry Gordy was among the few at Jackson's public memorial who referred obliquely to the darker side of Jackson's life, which in the last 10 years had come to overshadow his prowess as a performer and his 13 Grammy awards. "Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful. Sure there was some sad times and maybe some questionable decisions on his part, but Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of," said Gordy.
*To pay homage to his friend and idol Michael Jackson, actor Corey Feldman showed up to the Staples Center Tuesday wearing a faux-military jacket, shades, and a black fedora. Just two days after Jackson's death, during Feldman's L.A. concert with his band Truth Movement, the actor told the audience he wanted to honor "the world's greatest entertainer" with a moment of silence – all while dressed in a Jackson-style buttoned regal jacket.
ACC PROTESTS CONFEDERATE FLAG IN S.C.: League to hold its baseball tourneys in N.C. instead.
*Concerns about the Confederate flag have led the Atlantic Coast Conference to move three future baseball tournaments out of South Carolina, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The league said Monday that it instead will hold its championship in Durham, N.C., in 2011 and ‘13 and in Greensboro in 2012.
The ACC previously awarded the tournament to Myrtle Beach, S.C., from 2011-13. That decision drew criticism from the NAACP, which has boycotted South Carolina for flying the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds.
Commissioner John Swofford says the tournament was awarded to Myrtle Beach with the understanding that discussions were held with groups that had sensitivities regarding the flag, but that “it has become clear this was not the case.”
EUR DVD REVIEW: Entourage: The Complete Fifth Season
Fifth Season of Hit HBO Series Released on DVD
DVD Review by Kam Williams
*If you every want to get a good idea of what it’s like to try to make it in show business, for better or worse, you might like to check out Entourage.
For this Emmy, Golden-Globe and Peabody Award-winning slice-of-life drama offers a super-realistic, albeit often lighthearted look at the fortunes of a young Hollywood actor on the rise.
That fictional character, Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier), negotiates his way around the murky waters of Tinseltown with the help of his tough as nails agent, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), and surrounded by three childhood friends: his manager Eric (Kevin Connolly), his half-brother Drama (Kevin Dillon) who is also an aspiring thespian, and party animal Turtle (Jerry Ferrara).
And rounding out the support players in Vince’s entourage are his publicist Shauna (Debi Mazar) and Ari’s long-suffering assistant Lloyd (Rex Lee).
Season Five also featured an impressive array of guest appearances, including by Giovanni Ribisi, rapper Bow Wow, Fran “the Nanny” Drescher, Oscar-winner Martin Landau, Lukas Haas and comedian Kevin Pollak. In addition, plenty of celebs made cameo appearances as themselves, such as since incarcerated gangsta’ rapper T.I., crooner Tony Bennett, golfer Phil Mickelson, actors Mark Wahlberg and Eric Roberts, and film critic Richard Roeper.
Faithful followers of the show will remember that the season opener picked up right where the previous one had left off, with an episode entitled Fantasy Island chronicling the aftermath of Vince’s movie Medellin’s bombing at the Cannes Film Festival. In subsequent installments we find him ironing out relationships issues with his girlfriend (Julia Levy-Boekin), hunting for a job just to pay the bills, and doing a photo shoot with a supermodel (Daniella Van Graas) he has a history with.
Overall, an alternately hilarious and plausible peek at life in L.A.’s fast lane.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated TV-MA
Running time: 325 minutes
Studi HBO Home Entertainment
3-Disc DVD Extras: Behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew, and three audio commentaries by the show’s writers, producers and cast members.
To see a trailer for Entourage- Season 5, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAkXpyMYy4c
To purchase Entourage: The Complete Fifth Season, visit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AQO3V0?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001AQO3V0
EUR MOTIVATIONAL NOTE
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." — Henry B. Adams
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
July 8: Actor Jaden Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness") is 11.
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
If you're an entrepreneur or a would-be entrepreneur, the entrepreneurial Mentoring Institute is what you need: www.billboudreaux.com/.
Submit your favorite Web site to us along with a 15-20 word (or less) description to info@eurweb.com.
BLACK HISTORY
July 8, 2001: Venus Williams wins her second straight Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship. Venus is the first woman to win consecutive Wimbledon Championships since 1995-96 and the first black woman to win Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1958. (Source: www.BlackFacts.com)
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