http://www.krdo.com/-/417342/14777690/-/14whxw0/-/index.html en-US © 2011 Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. Home Home en-US © 2011 Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Carol-Burnett-to-receive-Mark-Twain-prize-for-humor/-/416446/20254570/-/ivpahpz/-/index.html Being the recipient of the 2013 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor must be the feather in Carol Burnett's legendary comedy cap. The TV hall-of-famer has already starred in the lauded -- we're talking 25 Emmy wins, here -- comedy "The Carol Burnett Show," not to mention her eight Golden Globes and Peabody Award, among other honors. But on Oct. 30, Burnett will have to make more room on the mantle. The beloved star will be presented with the prestigious Twain prize on that day at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Previous recipients of the Twain prize include Ellen DeGeneres, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Richard Pryor. In a statement, Burnett quipped, "I can't believe I'm getting a humor prize from the Kennedy Center. It's almost impossible to be funnier than the people in Washington." Wed, 22 May 2013 16:31:18 GMT 20254570 2013-05-22T16:31:18Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Blake-Shelton-Planning-a-tornado-benefit/-/416446/20254474/-/9894xk/-/index.html Oklahoma native Blake Shelton is the first entertainer to announce a benefit for tornado victims in his home state. After Tuesday night's taping of "The Voice," the country music superstar told CNN, "We are actually putting together a fundraiser right now with NBC. We'll have more details within the next 24 hours, but definitely something with NBC that is going to happen real fast, and hopefully raise a lot of money." The revelation came after he and his wife, Miranda Lambert, sang an especially poignant rendition of their hit "Over You," which the couple wrote as a tribute to Shelton's brother, who died when Shelton was a teenager. "'Over You' was just the perfect song to fit, and maybe help some people heal and mourn and all those things," Shelton said. Shelton revealed he had a personal connection to the community with the most devastation. "(Monday) was a tough day for any Oklahoman," he said. "And you know, Miranda and I are both residents of Oklahoma. I was born and raised in Oklahoma there and Miranda lives there now. It was tough to land here in LA and look at (media coverage) on the phone and go, 'Oh my gosh, we just left there.'" The country singer said he has family very near some of the hardest hit areas. "I spent three Christmases at my sister's house in Moore, Okla., and some of those helicopter views of the destruction, you could see her house a quarter of a mile away from there," Shelton said. "My nieces and nephews would have gone to that school (Plaza Towers Elementary), and when you start putting it in that sort of perspective, and then thinking, 'Oh my God, I am so glad that they recently moved away from that area.' And then you go, 'What about all those people that didn't?' It's hard to put into words, honestly." Shelton's fellow coach on "The Voice," singer Usher, said he hopes to be part of the benefit. "I have family in Oklahoma City," he said. "My little sister, Ashira -- her family is OK. Unfortunately, that is something that you can't -- all you can do is put your best efforts forward, just let those who have been a part of this tragic reality, this natural disaster, know that we are thinking about them and care about them. I think that is 100 percent the effort." Wed, 22 May 2013 16:17:07 GMT 20254474 2013-05-22T16:17:07Z http://www.krdo.com/news/Sean-Penn-angers-Bolivian-politician/-/417220/20254756/-/13f3sxsz/-/index.html Actor Sean Penn, a friend of Bolivian President Evo Morales, nonetheless angered the South American country's government after his call for the release of a U.S. businessman who has been imprisoned since 2011. Penn, known for his chumminess with Latin America's leftist leaders, is also an advocate for Brooklyn flooring contractor Jacob Ostreicher, whose supporters say has spent two years detained in Bolivia without evidence. At a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee meeting Monday, Penn asked U.S. lawmakers to pressure the sponsors of the off-road Dakar Rally to cancel its planned 2014 route through Bolivia if Ostreicher is not freed. "The Dakar Rally, one of the world's most prominent displays of freedom and tenacity of the human spirit, will be parading through Bolivia even as thousands of prisoners like Mr. Ostreicher sit in feces-filled cells, forgotten behind locked walls," Penn said. On Tuesday, Bolivia's minister of culture shot back. "The remarks by Mr. Penn are his worst acting in all of his career," Pablo Groux said, according to the state-run ABI news agency. "The remark is offensive to the Bolivian people, totally out of context and lacking any understanding." The minister said the actor's comments harkened back to a time when the United States exerted heavy influence in Latin America. "Those days are long gone," Groux said. The rebuke from the Bolivian official is notable coming from a government that Penn has been friendly with. During his testimony before the subcommittee, Penn said that he does not blame Morales for Ostreicher's situation, but endemic corruption in the judiciary. Penn said that he met with Morales last year, with evidence supporting Ostreicher's innocence, and that "these findings were received by the president with tremendous personal and human grief." Ostreicher is under house arrest after spending 18 months in a notorious prison while his case crawled in the overburdened Bolivian judicial system. He was arrested in June 2011 on suspicion of money laundering tied to a rice-growing operation, and he languished in prison without formal charges. He maintained that corrupt officials had trumped up the case, and last year, six government officials were arrested for allegedly extorting and stealing from Ostreicher. But the case against him has not been dropped. Wed, 22 May 2013 15:59:48 GMT 20254756 2013-05-22T15:59:48Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Could-Hangover-III-get-a-spinoff/-/416446/20244512/-/14m8g59/-/index.html If Ken Jeong has his way, "The Hangover" wouldn't end with this weekend's third installment. To actor, there's one unsung hero of the franchise whose story has yet to be fully explored: his own diabolical Mr. Chow. "I would love to do a Chow spinoff," the actor told CNN at "Hangover III's" premiere in Westwood, California on Monday. "Chow's my favorite character I've ever played. For me right now, nothing can get beyond the fact that this is the last one we're ever going to do together." While it's sad, Jeong's also feeling grateful, because "not many actors get to work with people like this for one movie, and I got the opportunity to do this for three. I'll look back on this years from now as the best times of my career." If he does somehow manage to get another "Hangover"-related movie out, it doesn't sound like he'd have an easy time roping in the rest of the cast. Bradley Cooper matter-of-factly said of "Hangover's" conclusion that "everything has to end at some point. This is the time to go out on a high note. (Director) Todd Phillips spent the last six years of his life making these movies, so we've been blessed in that sense, but it's over." Phillips himself sounds satisfied with having just a trilogy. "For us, it's a story thing. When you're writing it, and if you're a fan, you know (Zach Galifianakis') Alan character was the one stone left unturned," Phillips said. "And we thought, we have to solve him. And when he's OK, they can finally move on, because he's the one who causes all the trouble." Well, part of it, at least. Jeong's Mr. Chow definitely helps him out -- but could a part four of "The Hangover" be all about Chow? We think so. "Yeah," Phillips said with a laugh. "That's what Ken thinks too." Wed, 22 May 2013 15:45:54 GMT 20244512 2013-05-22T15:45:54Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/The-cult-of-Arrested-Development/-/416446/20252754/-/kob2khz/-/index.html Seven years after its finale, one of the greatest cult hits in television history is making a return. "Arrested Development" lasted three season during its initial run on FOX, with critical acclaim but dismal ratings. Since its final episode aired in February 2006, a little thing called Netflix ushered in a new way of watching television. In doing so, the comedy found a massive following who kicked themselves for missing the dysfunctional antics of the Family Bluth before it received the dreaded "canceled" sentencing from prime-time television. In a rare move, the Emmy-winning comedy is making a return, with 15 new episodes with the original cast and crew in tow. After a reported bidding war among outlets, Netflix won the rights to the fourth season everyone hoped for, but no one saw coming. After numerous false starts and scheduling conflicts, series creator Mitch Hurwitz was finally able to work in time for his entire clan to continue the saga of the least redeemable family in Orange County. CNN recently caught up with the cast to discuss the new episodes, and star Jason Bateman appeared overjoyed at their family reunion. "There really aren't a lot of shows that get to come back together, at least under these circumstances, where it's not a desperate retread and no one's really done much since the show went off the air. This was a celebratory gathering, a lot of good news, and we knew that we were being included in this effort that Netflix is making to change the way television is brought to people. We're just fortunate to be a part of that." "Arrested" is the latest in Netflix's recent foray into producing original content, and marks a new way for people to enjoy television. For those who missed the show during its original run, Netflix made it possible to watch the entire series in one sitting. The increase in popularity for streaming and subscription services has created a culture of television binge-watching. Many fans of "Arrested Development" have never seen the show any other way, and on May 26, these same fans will have 15 new half-hours for their viewing pleasure. Portia de Rossi, aka Lindsay Bluth, admits to being a victim of binge-watching herself. "I find it really frustrating to have to wait a week to watch a show, and I'm just so used to seeing things back to back when I want to see them. I think what Mitch has done with 'Arrested' for Netflix is even more brilliant because he's used that format and created something brand new within it." With the abundance of reality series taking over both prime-time lineups and Nielsen ratings over the last decade, more and more people have begun turning to cable and premium networks to get their scripted television fix. Netflix is hoping to take a bite out of that population tuning away from the "Big Five" broadcast networks. In fact, these original series are even eligible for Primetime Emmy awards thanks to a recent rule change allowing broadband programming to be nominated alongside any broadcast, cable or premium network show. Will the magic that has kept the original 53 episodes as must-see television a decade since the show's debut still be there? The cast believe so and if this upcoming season is a success, don't expect this to be the last you see of Never Nudes, Cornballers, and frozen banana stands. Bateman is quick to point out that Season 4 is the first arc in a new story. "It's a three-act story that was too big to put in a feature, so we put the first act in these episodes and a movie would be acts two and three." That's right, the long-rumored film version of the series is still in the works. The stars of "Arrested Development" may have to keep their characters within arm's reach in the coming future. They said they reveled at the chance to jump back into the shoes of their Bluth personae, and Jessica Walter had no trouble slipping into boozy matriarch Lucille. "How bad does this make me seem? It's not that difficult. I hope I'm not like her! But when you play something for three seasons like we did, it's sort of like bike riding: You never forget. As soon as I saw the script and saw the people the first day we were all together in that dysfunctional crazy family, it all came back." Season 4 features an interesting twist on the show's successful formula. To make the most of the limited time scheduled with the entire cast at once, each episode of the new installment focuses on a different member of the Bluth family. For de Rossi, it was the few scenes the ensemble got to shoot together that made her feel back at home. "Once I was reunited with my cast on the set of Lucille's penthouse, that was that moment where it all just kind of clicked, for all of us. Because it wasn't just me and Lindsay and what she was like; it was how she related to everybody else and her place in the family. That was really awesome and that was when it all came rushing back." With the release just a week away, will fans both old and new turn out to get a new slice of afternoon delight? De Rossi believes everyone will walk away satisfied. "It's going to feel the same as it did. I was surprised how similar it looked and felt, and although we are all older, somehow it all worked." Wed, 22 May 2013 14:26:31 GMT 20252754 2013-05-22T14:26:31Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/-The-End-for-Rogen-It-s-just-the-beginning/-/416446/20238246/-/3x90kj/-/index.html Summer movie season is Seth Rogen's prime time. Over the past eight years, the writer/actor's been a major player in some of the season's biggest comedies, including 2005's "The 40 Year Old Virgin," 2007's "Knocked Up" and "Superbad," and 2008's "Pineapple Express." This year, Rogen is poised to continue his summer streak when "This Is the End" opens June 12. The comedy, which Rogen co-wrote and co-directed with Evan Goldberg, boasts a long list of A-list names, including some of Rogen's regular co-stars like James Franco, Jay Baruchel and Jonah Hill. As the trailer humorously illustrates, the plot is basically this: Rogen brings his old friend Baruchel ("Knocked Up"; "She's Out of My League") along to a "giant party" at Franco's home, where the likes of Mindy Kaling, Jason Segel, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Rihanna and Michael Cera have gathered. Suddenly, in the middle of the revelry, the partygoers step outside to find a world in the midst of an apocalypse. Mayhem ensues, leaving Rogen's team to their own devices in order to make it out alive. (At one point, the terror even includes an ax-wielding Emma Watson.) The conceit is that all of the stars are portraying "themselves" in the flick, either playing up the public's perceptions about them or playing against type. "We wanted ('This Is the End') to feel very real," Rogen said. "We liked the idea of us playing ourselves, because we thought it's cool if the movie really takes place in the same world that the viewers of the movie live in. There's no separation between your world as the audience and our world as the people in the movie." But overall, especially for the main six at the center of the story -- Rogen, Franco, Hill, Baruchel, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride -- "no one's anything like how they are in the movie in real life," Rogen said. "They're all very nice, sweet people. In the movie, they're all idiots." By now an old pro at writing comedies, Rogen feels confident that he and Goldberg have crafted at least an entertaining film. "I don't know if it will be successful or not, but I'm very proud of it. I think it's funny," Rogen said. "I watched it with a lot of movie theaters full of people, and they genuinely seemed to really really get a kick out of it. It played as well as any of our movies, so I'm like out of the woods in my head. Whether or not it makes a ton of money, that's honestly out of my hands completely, so I just focus on what I can control." The actor, writer and now first-time director has come a long way since his high school days, when he dropped out to pursue his career. "I think I was fortunate in that I knew what I wanted to do, and no one has to give you permission," Rogen said. "Like, you can just do comedy. No one has to give you permission to write a movie. If you have a computer, you can just write a movie." He was also lucky to have parents who supported his decision and ambitions, driving him to comedy shows and encouraging him to write. "I worked really hard. It's not like I dropped out of high school and just did nothing," Rogen said. "I dropped out of high school and went and worked on a TV show. We were writing a script all throughout high school. I probably worked harder than most people who were just doing high school stuff, honestly. I did stand-up comedy all throughout high school. I think, honestly, if you have a career in mind that isn't academically oriented, then high school is probably not going to lead you to what you want to be." Wed, 22 May 2013 14:13:36 GMT 20238246 2013-05-22T14:13:36Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Sweet-controversy-at-Jackson-death-trial/-/416446/20249704/-/15dekttz/-/index.html Every issue in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial is so disputed that even giving candy to jurors caused an argument. AEG lawyers gave a bag of peppermint candy to the bailiff to hand out to the jury this week. Even Katherine Jackson -- the pop icon's mother -- enjoyed the treat. But Jackson's lawyer raised an objection Tuesday afternoon, suggesting jurors might be influenced if they realized the source of the sweets. A compromise was reached. Each side can provide snacks for jurors, but they'll be placed at the bailiff's desk before jurors enter court so they have no clue who brought it. While the candy controversy might seem trivial, the stakes are high for AEG Live. The promoter and producer of Michael Jackson's comeback concerts could be found liable for billions of dollars in damages if the jury decides the company is responsible for the star's death. Jackson's mother and three children are suing AEG Live for the negligent hiring, retention or supervision of Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. The candy argument may be the most interesting thing about Tuesday's proceedings, unless you are a student of employment law and budgeting. AEG Live Senior Vice President/General Counsel Shawn Trell was on the stand for a second day hoping to give testimony that would convince the jury that Murray was chosen, hired and supervised by Jackson -- not his company. Murray never had an executed contract with AEG Live, although one had been negotiated. The doctor signed it and returned it to the company on June 24, 2009, but the AEG Live executive decided not to sign it after Jackson died the next day. Jackson lawyers contend Murray was already on the job, working under an oral agreement confirmed by a series of e-mails that promised him $150,000 a month to be Jackson's full-time physician. With Trell on the stand, Jackson lawyer Brian Panish played part of an interview that AEG Live President Randy Phillips gave to Sky News television soon after Jackson's death. "This guy was willing to leave his practice for a very large sum of money, so we hired him," Phillips said. Panish also showed jurors an e-mail between AEG lawyers suggesting that Phillips told other interviewers AEG Live "hired" Murray. Trouble at the Front The Jackson lawyers argue that AEG Live executives ignored a series of "red flags" that should have alerted them that Jackson needed help as he prepared for his comeback concerts. Earlier testimony from Jackson's makeup artist, choreographer and an associate director described his failing health and mental condition in the last two weeks of his life. Panish asked Trell about e-mails titled "trouble at the Front" between AEG executives and people working on the production starting on June 19, 2009 -- a night that show director Kenny Ortega sent Jackson home because of his strange behavior. "He was a basket case and Kenny was concerned he would embarrass himself on stage, or worse yet -- get hurt," production director John "Bugsy" Houghdahl wrote to AEG Live top execs Randy Phillips and Paul Gongaware. "The company is rehearsing right now, but the DOUBT is pervasive." Phillips forwarded the e-mail to his boss -- Tim Leiweke -- at AEG Live's parent company, with the comment: "We have a real problem here." Jackson had missed a number of rehearsals and the "This Is It" tour debut was just three weeks away in London. Ortega, in an e-mail previously reported, told Phillips that same morning -- five days before Jackson died -- that he did not think he would be ready for the shows. "I honestly don't think he is ready for this based on his continued physical weakening and deepening emotional state," he wrote. Ortega described seeing "strong signs of paranoia, anxiety and obsessive-like behavior" with Jackson. "I think the very best thing we can do is get a top psychiatrist to evaluate him ASAP." Even John Branca, a former Jackson advisor and lawyer who had just been rehired, weighed in with advice in an e-mail: "I have the right therapist/spiritual advisor/substance abuse counselor who could help (recently helped mike tyson get sober and paroled) ... do we know whether there this is a substance issued involved (perhaps better discussed on the phone.)" Does Trell consider that exchange a "red flag" that AEG Live should have noticed, Panish asked. "I would take it seriously, as I believe Mr. Phillips did," Trell answered. "I don't know I would use the word 'red flag.'" Phillip called a meeting the next afternoon with Murray at Jackson's home. Afterward, he sent this e-mail to Ortega: "Kenny, it is critical that neither you, me, or anyone around this show become amateur psychologists or physicians. I had a lengthy conversation with Dr. Murray, who I am gaining immense respect for as I get to deal with him more. He said that Michael is not only physically equipped to perform and that discouraging him to, will hasten his decline instead of stopping it. Dr. Murray also reiterated that he is mentally able to and was speaking to me from the house where he had spent the morning with MJ. This doctor is extremely successful (we check everyone out) and does not need this gig so he totally unbiased and ethical." The Jacksons' lawyer called this e-mail "a flat out lie," since AEG Live had not done a background check on Murray before hiring him -- and if they had it would have disclosed that he was in deep debt and not a successful doctor. "We did not do a background or credit check on Dr. Murray," Trell conceded. No due diligence The Jackson lawyers contend that AEG Live is liable for his death because they did not do their "due diligence" by checking Murray's background and credentials. If they had done so, they would have realized that Murray had a major conflict of interest that made him vulnerable to break rules in his treatment if Michael Jackson, they argue. Murray needed the high-paying job because he was more than $1 million in debt, his home was being foreclosed on, he was being sued for unpaid child support and delinquent taxes, and his cardiology clinic in Las Vegas faced eviction. His $150,000 a month job would end if Jackson's shows were canceled or delayed, according to the terms of his contract. AEG Live failed to conduct the background check, which the company's own expert witness said would between cost between $40 and $125. "I am not familiar with the process of doing background checks," Trell said. "No training." Trell is back on the witness stand Wednesday for questioning by AEG Live lawyer Jessica Stebbins Bina. The trial, which is in its fourth week in a Los Angeles courtroom, is expected to last through July. Wed, 22 May 2013 12:08:13 GMT 20249704 2013-05-22T12:08:13Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/okla-celebs-react-to-tornado-devastation/-/416446/20241476/-/1wwduv/-/index.html Reba McEntire has physically been in Cape Town, South Africa, but her heart has been with those suffering in her home state of Oklahoma. On Monday night, "we were watching CNN's coverage of the devastation in Moore, Oklahoma and the surrounding areas," McEntire said in a statement. "My heart, my prayers and my thoughts are going out strong to my fellow Okies who are hurting today. Because when one Okie hurts, we all hurt." Part of the storm hit close to home for McEntire, who learned after "many texts, emails and phone calls" that her family is OK. "My niece, Garett Smith, told me that the first run of tornadoes were three miles away from her home near Castle, OK and they could hear them from their storm cellar," the country star continued in a statement. "So many have lost their lives in this tornado. That so many children have been taken, all we can do is comfort their families and friends and pray to God for a speedy healing for everyone. Okies are strong people. God stay with them." The band Hanson also hails from the state, and Taylor Hanson told CNN at "The Hangover III" premiere in Westwood, California on Monday that they're ready to help. "In general, as dads [and] as Oklahomans, we're grateful to those who have jumped in [to help]," Taylor said. "Our hearts go out to the ones who have lost family members, and we're ready to jump in and do what we can. Hopefully also lots of people will be giving and donating their time - all you can do is pray for the families." Taylor's brother and bandmate Zac noted that Oklahomans aren't strangers to tornadoes and know how to prepare for extreme weather, "but at this level, you know, it was the strongest force of nature period," Zac said. "Wind speeds of almost 300 miles per hour. No matter how much you prepare you still can't prepare for that. It's just tragic and terrible." "Okies are good folks," added Isaac. "They will find a way to get through it." Those who are recovering from the twister, which killed 24 on Monday, have the support of several celebrities, but particularly from other natives like actress Alfre Woodard and country singers Vince Gill and Toby Keith. "My heart is broken seeing and hearing the stories out of Oklahoma," Woodard said. "But, I know firsthand the resilience of the people. They are a community based culture and will reach their hands out to their neighbors. I trust all Americans will catch that spirit and reach out to Oklahoma now." Gill echoed what the Hanson brothers were saying, pointing out that "throughout the history of Oklahoma, there have been more than enough catastrophes to challenge the grit and backbone of the people of Oklahoma. This tragedy will be another opportunity to see first-hand the character of our people. Whether it's a Dust Bowl, a depression, a horrific storm or a bombing, we always endure. To those who have lost family, friends, homes, businesses and, saddest of all, schools, our hearts are with you, and we all stand beside you." For Keith, the storm has ravaged the place where he grew up. "I rode my bike through those neighborhoods. I have family and friends in Moore," he said in a statement. "My heart and prayers go to those that have lost so much. But Moore is strong and we will persevere. God be with you all." Wed, 22 May 2013 11:22:26 GMT 20241476 2013-05-22T11:22:26Z http://www.krdo.com/news/economy-tracker/Army-plans-to-launch-a-reality-TV-show/-/477266/20245318/-/3gfpquz/-/index.html Uncle Sam wants you ... to watch reality television. The Army is planning to launch a new reality TV program, "Starting Strong," on June 2, aimed at recruiting 18- to 24-year-olds to enlist in the military. The Army describes it as a "reality-TV inspired" advertisement, but it will look an awful lot like a standard TV show. There will be 10 episodes. Each is roughly 23 minutes long and is broken up by regular commercial breaks, and they're coming to your local TV station. A Facebook page for the series offers some teaser promotional photos. "While we obviously can't and wouldn't produce entertainment content, this is a branded content series -- a long-form commercial, if you will," Ali Bettencourt, an Army spokeswoman, told CNNMoney. As described in Recruiter Journal, an internal Army recruiting magazine: "'Starting Strong' gives civilians interested in becoming a soldier a chance to live and breathe a military occupational specialty for a week with an Army mentor and actual soldiers to determine if Army life is for them. At the end of each reality-TV inspired episode, the prospect is asked if he or she wants to join the Army." Bettencourt said the Army, which paid for the series' production, is turning to this new recruiting strategy because studies show that young people are avoiding standard advertising channels. "The demographic of 18- to 24-year-olds are rapidly not engaging with traditional commercials," she said. "They're either able to skip them completely on TV, or with online content, are able to click past it 70% of the time." The Army already has its own computer game, America's Army, also intended as a recruiting tool. The Army has hit or surpassed its recruiting targets every year since 2005, when it fell short by 7,000 people. Recruits these days tend to be "higher quality" by the Pentagon's own definition, including more high school graduates and candidates who score higher on the military entrance exams. All branches of the military have recently seen a reduction in their recruitment funding, including their advertising budgets, a Pentagon spokesman said. According to the Army, "Starting Strong" is scheduled to air on Sunday mornings on Fox affiliates in 16 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix, between June 2 and August 4. The videos will also be posted on the Army's YouTube channel. Wed, 22 May 2013 09:06:20 GMT 20245318 2013-05-22T09:06:20Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Kelly-Rowland-Paulina-Rubio-join-X-Factor/-/416446/20237154/-/nxilf6/-/index.html Simon Cowell's "X Factor" is back at full capacity. As reports suggested, Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio are the Fox competition's two new judges. Rubio and Rowland will team up with Cowell and returning judge Demi Lovato when "X Factor" begins its third season this fall. "It's taken more than a decade, but I'm delighted to finally be on a panel with three girls (I think!)," Cowell said in a statement. "Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel. It just feels like the time to do something different." Singer Rowland, who came to fame as part of Destiny's Child and has since broken out into a solo career, has previously judged the U.K. version of "X Factor" and said "it feels great to be able to take this journey here at home in the States!" Mexican singer/actress Rubio, who's previously participated in Mexico's edition of "The Voice," said she's "thrilled" to tackle the U.S. competition on "X Factor." "I love 'The X Factor'!" Rubio said in a statement. "I can't wait to find the next big music star here in America ... Simon, be careful what you wish for, let's see if you are ready to handle me, empieza la fiesta, amigo!" Rowland and Rubio replace prior judges L.A. Reid and Britney Spears, who departed the show after its second season. Tue, 21 May 2013 16:28:20 GMT 20237154 2013-05-21T16:28:20Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/-Gilmore-Girls-reunion-Someday-maybe/-/416446/20234950/-/9atsqw/-/index.html Lauren Graham's favorite "Gilmore Girls" scenes to shoot were the show's famed Friday night dinners. The actress was participating in a Q&A session to promote her debut novel, "Someday, Someday, Maybe" (Ballantine Books). But all anybody really wanted to talk was "Gilmore." "You're all just here for the book, right?" joked Graham. Have your dinner choices ever varied between burgers and chili cheese fries at Luke's or takeout Kung Pao chicken (or, rather, the entire Chinese chicken column) from Al's Pancake World? Have you ever bought meowing oven mitts at Le Chat Club? Is there a shop(pe) in your town devoted solely to twinkle lights? Ever accidentally shop(pe) lift a box of corn starch? Scratching your head right about now? Then you've never lived in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. That's right, a show that's been off the air for nearly as long as it was on (it ran from 2000-2007) remains nestled in the hearts of fans to this day. Although she was eager to talk about her book, Graham graciously satisfied the audience's "Gilmore" cravings, not unlike Lorelai's coffee addiction. Please, Lauren, please, please, please? We need our Gilmore. In a vat. Or we stop doing the standing and the walking and the words putting into sentence doing. Graham recalled that her favorite scenes were the infamous obligation dinners at the Gilmore house (but deep down you just knew the Gilmore girls wanted to be there), particularly the ones in which Lorelai's mother, Emily (played by Kelly Bishop) was angry with her. Graham did recall that those scenes were particularly grueling to shoot because they had to be reshot at multiple camera angles. "And the food was always terrible," she recalled. (Apparently, Liliana kept putting walnuts in the salad. Or Consuela put sugar on the grapefruit.) Graham is also, like many "Gilmore" fans, partial to the Chilton years. "I loved those earlier years," she gushed, "the first couple years!" Graham admitted that in the early days of filming "Gilmore," she was too happy to have been hired for a gig to realize that Stars Hollow was something special. "I was too new to be savvy enough to understand the impact something might have," she recalled. "At that point, I was still so excited to be up for something. I had done some series that had come and gone, I had done a couple of movies; but I wasn't where I wanted to be." Graham, 46, said that when she read the script for the "Gilmore Girls" pilot, she was reminded of a James Lipton "Actor's Studio" interview with Christopher Reeve, in which the actor stated: "I know the part is right for me when I can't stand the thought of somebody else doing it." Graham further reflected on getting the part of Lorelai Gilmore. "This is such a strange career where on the one hand you're terribly, terribly nervous and you don't feel worthy," she said, "and on the other hand you have to believe that this job is yours and no one else's, or why would anyone else give it to you? "It's this very high/low self-esteem, and I did have a very strong connection to it, and I did feel that I knew how it could sound. I knew what the intention was of that character. I've been right and I've been wrong about things like that, but I definitely had a confidence in terms of what I wanted to do with it." Graham talked about how she was so new to the business at the time that when she went to The WB network (which has since merged with UPN to become The CW) upfront, she was devastated to learn that "Gilmore Girls" had the 8 p.m. Thursday time slot. "I was like: Wait! Opposite 'Friends'?" And she was convinced they'd be canceled. Turns out, it was a blessing in disguise. "It was because we were in that insane time slot that they let it just be, you know, and that's as much a part of its success as anything. They didn't expect us to do anything because it was an impossible night." When Graham joined "Gilmore," Alexis Bledel had already been cast as her daughter, Rory Gilmore. "We never met until we started filming," Graham said. "She was brand new -- had never filmed anything." Graham said that critics and audiences alike were onto something in the early "Gilmore" days when they noted the two actresses had amazing chemistry. "There's a thing, especially on that show, where the camera moves," explained Graham, "it's very complicated, you have to be talking; everything has to be exactly right. Then you have to land at a certain mark. She'd never hit a mark before. And so I would put my arm around her and often be arm-in-arm with her." If early Rory and Lorelai seemed particularly clingy, it was more because of Bledel's then-lack of experience. "So we're hanging onto each other. I'm literally pulling her to and fro. But she learned very quickly and is obviously a natural, so it's just one of those things that happened to work." Melissa McCarthy (Sookie St. James, Lorelai's BFF) was a dear friend of Graham's throughout "Gilmore's" duration and remains so. Graham said that she and McCarthy often talked about how much fun it would be to perform on "Saturday Night Live." "We would do the show, and then I would go see her in 'The Groundlings'," Graham said. "And now you see it; and it's so gratifying because the two didn't even make sense -- that this was the same person who is a perfectly wonderful actor, but in terms of what that part was going to use, you were going to see these characters that she created. She was fearless. Fearless! And now, for everyone to see, it's so exciting. That doesn't always happen." Is Graham a fast talker like Lorelai? "To some degree, but I would say by the end of that show... everyone talked that way. So I don't think I talk quite like that, or that articulately, but I have a pretty snappy energy, I guess." Graham stays close to the "Gilmore" cast and crew. "We are all still connected in one way or another for the most part. You can watch the wonderful Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore) on 'Bunheads,' which I think -- in the best possible way -- is kind of a similar show." The fate of "Bunheads" is still unknown, but it can count Graham among its devoted fan base. "I can watch 'Bunheads' in a way that I can't watch 'Gilmore Girls' because I'm not in it," she said, "and I'm like, 'This is really entertaining.'" Graham explained that for a movie or a reunion to happen, going the Kickstarter route would also require collaboration with "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino (who also created "Bunheads.") "The difference with the 'Veronica Mars' movie is you had the star and the creator of the show come together and that's what it needs. So, we need the creator to want to do it." Please, Amy. Please, please please? In a 2006 interview with Michael Ausiello, Sherman-Palladino explained that she had come up with a seven-year plan for the show that included the series' final four words of dialogue. Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino -- an executive producer and writer on "Gilmore" (fans with keen eyes may recall he played a troubadour in the season six finale, singing "A Beaver Ate My Thumb") -- left the series at the end of season six after a contract dispute with the studio. Oh, that we could learn what those last four words would have been. Does Graham have an all-time favorite "Gilmore" scene? "What's so tragic is that I can't even remember. It was a lot of lines, and I don't remember so much of it but, like, if you said it to me, I could probably then recite the entire scene top to bottom." As for life post-Lorelai, Graham's current series, "Parenthood" has been picked up for a fifth season. Graham and actor Peter Krause play brother and sister Adam and Sarah Braverman on the show, but in real life, the couple fell in love on set. Graham and Krause have been together for four years, but they first met in 1995 when they each had guest roles on the sitcom "Caroline in the City." "It only took 15 years," joked Graham. Graham talked about how the family dynamic on the set of "Parenthood" allows the cast to improvise quite a bit. "In those big family scenes it would almost be impossible to script," she said, "and the way we shoot is almost theater proscenium style so that we can make it feel real because that is such a big part of the texture of making a family sound like a family." And Graham knows something about capturing voices, as evidenced in her first novel. An early success, "Someday, Someday, Maybe" landed a spot on the New York Times Best Seller list last week. The story of Franny Banks, an aspiring actress pounding the pavement in New York City in the 1990s, is semi-autobiographical. Graham would love to see it turned into a television series. "To me this is a series," she said, "because the nature of this life is very episodic, and it's up and down and there is a goal that you'd like to have at the end that could take three or five or seven years." She said that even though Franny has Broadway dreams, her story is more "My So-Called Life" than "Smash." "It's not big moments, it's small. It's coming of age, it's struggling. It's a happy, less naked 'Girls,' you know?" There's even talk of a second novel, and Graham owes it all to Diane Keaton. "We were doing this movie (2007's 'Because I Said So') and apropos of nothing she just looked at me and said 'You should write a book.' She wasn't necessarily talking about a memoir... and she just kind of lifted me up for whatever reason, and it just stuck with me. I just thought, 'Diane Keaton said I should write a book. Who else am I waiting for to tell me!?' And it was just so powerful. Who knows why she said it or what she meant, but I did it." Tue, 21 May 2013 15:33:39 GMT 20234950 2013-05-21T15:33:39Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/The-Doors-Ray-Manzarek-dies-at-74/-/416446/20226618/-/gglqie/-/index.html The Doors' founding keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, died in Germany Monday after a long fight with cancer, his publicist said in a statement. He was 74. The artist had been diagnosed with bile duct cancer. The Doors formed in 1965 after Manzarek happened to meet Jim Morrison on California's Venice Beach. The legendary rock group went on to sell 100 million albums worldwide, establishing five multiplatinum discs in the U.S. Morrison died in 1971, but Manzarek carried on The Doors' legacy, continuing to work as a musician and an author. "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," said Doors guitarist Robby Krieger. "I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him." The band famously defied Ed Sullivan's request that they not sing the lyric "higher" when they performed "Light My Fire" on his show in 1969. A show producer approached them in the dressing room shortly before they were to perform, Manzarek recalled in an interview with CNN in 2002. Manzarek remembers the band publicly agreeing like choirboys. " 'Yes, sir,' we told him," he recalls. "'Whatever you say, sir. We'll change.' (The producer) looked at Jim and said, 'You're the poet. Think of something else -- 'wire,' 'flyer.' " Then the Doors went out and did the song exactly as they always did. Sullivan was so furious he didn't even shake their hands. Manzarek went on to produce the Los Angeles punk band X. Bassist John Doe said the band learned a lot from him. "To have someone like Ray -- like rock 'n' roll royalty -- embrace what we do, it was great for our confidence," Doe told CNN in a 2004 interview. "In the studio, he knew what to try to do. He went for performance. He was smart enough to realize that the band had the arrangements all worked out." Manzarek is survived by his brothers Rick and James, his wife Dorothy, his son Pablo, and three grandchildren. Instead of flowers, the family's asked that a donation be made in Manzarek's name at www.standup2cancer.org. Tue, 21 May 2013 14:41:34 GMT 20226618 2013-05-21T14:41:34Z http://www.krdo.com/Beyonce-s-runs-it-on-Grown-Woman-leak/-/417342/20238538/-/156ic0tz/-/index.html Just in time to shake those baby rumors, a new Beyoncé track has leaked. Called "Grown Woman," the song more or less already made its debut in the star's new Pepsi ad, but that was only a snippet. The track has also been making the rounds on Bey's "Mrs. Carter Show" world tour, but now a more complete version of the song has hit the Web. Produced by Timbaland and co-written by The-Dream ("Umbrella," "Single Ladies), "Grown Woman" strikes an eerie resemblance to that not-really-a-single-track, "Bow Down," which was posted online in February. With lines like "I'm a grown woman, I do whatever I want" and "It ain't no fun if a girl can't have none" (which must make Snoop-Dogg Lion smile), Queen Bey is very clearly asserting her authority. Our verdict? Pretty bold, but good. Though the leaked version of "Grown Woman" is definitely unfinished, it's the alleged lead single for Beyoncé's forthcoming 2013 album release. Early reactions have ranged from "aggressive" to "awesome," but "Grown Woman" is sure to be playing on dance floors worldwide. Warning -- the song contains some strong language. Tue, 21 May 2013 10:55:14 GMT 20238538 2013-05-21T10:55:14Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Kicks-hits-highlight-Billboard-Music-Awards/-/416446/20217904/-/xkjt6a/-/index.html At least one performer fell hard for Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards. Not sure what that means? Well, check out the top five moments from Sunday night's 2013 Billboard Music Awards: 1. Miguel lands on a fan The R & B singer accidentally landed on a woman in the mosh pit during a performance of his hit song "Adorn." He was attempting a jump that went wrong. The fan appeared to be fine and the singer kept singing. Miguel later tweeted: "got caught up in the moment, thank goodness Khyati is okay." 2. Taylor Swift wins eight out of the 11 awards she was up for Swift is no stranger to taking to the stage to accept accolades, and on Sunday night she collected a few, including Billboard Artist of the Year. "My album is kind of on the ends of the intense emotional spectrum," Swift said while accepting that award. "You (fans) are the longest and best relationship I have ever had." She also won Top Country Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Female Artist, and Top Digital Songs Artist -- the last one a tie with singer Carly Rae Jepsen. Swift's album "Red" won in the Top Billboard 200 and Country Album categories and her single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" collected the trophy for Top Country Song. 3. Justin Bieber gets booed While accepting the first ever Milestone Award, the Biebs was both cheered and jeered. He appeared to reference the rough times he has had of late in his acceptance speech. "I'm 19 years old, I think I'm doing a pretty good job," Bieber said. "And basically from my heart I really just want to say it should really be about the music ... the craft. ... This is not a gimmick, I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously and all this other bull should not be spoken of." The incident caused the show's host, Tracy Morgan, to quip, "Hey, don't be booing anybody here. This ain't no high school." 4. Nicki Minaj twerks on Lil Wayne Since this is a family website, we won't explain "twerking," but let's just say Minaj has a little something in common with Miley Cyrus when it comes to the seductive dance. During a performance of her song "High School," Minaj gave rapper Lil Wayne (who appears on the track) a lap dance. Taking a break from her "American Idol" judging duties, the rap songstress received the first award of the night, Top Rap Artist. 5. Prince shows them how it is done By far one of the best moments of the night came courtesy of a man who hasn't even been on the charts in a while. Prince took to the stage with a new look and celebrated being presented with the Icon Award with a medley of his hits "Let's Go Crazy" and "FixUrLifeUp." He appeared to be channeling Jimi Hendrix with his Afro and wicked guitar riffs while being backed by an all-female band. The crowd took his advice and did, indeed, go crazy. In addition to Swift, Rihanna and Gotye were also big winners of the evening. Visit Billboard.com for a complete list of winners. Mon, 20 May 2013 22:29:22 GMT 20217904 2013-05-20T22:29:22Z http://www.krdo.com/news/health/Teen-featured-in-viral-video-dies/-/477210/20221198/-/63qv5yz/-/index.html Zach Sobiech, 18, passed away this morning, surrounded by family and friends. In the past few weeks, donations to Zach's cause -- the Children's Cancer Research Fund -- skyrocketed, as did downloads of his song, "Clouds," which has more than 2.9 million page views on YouTube. "We'd like to thank those people who listened with their hearts and helped Zach bring his message and his music to the world," the Sobiech family said in a statement. When he was 14, Zach was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that mostly strikes children. His prognosis wasn't great. Last May, with no more treatment options, he was given a year to live. Zach began writing music after his cancer was diagnosed. His mom, Laura, was cleaning the family room downstairs last year when she found a folded-up piece of paper. She unfolded it to make sure it wasn't a homework assignment. "I read through it and then I realized what I was reading," she said. It was his first song, "Clouds." Zach wrote it for himself and his family. He wrote many more in the following years. "I fell down, down, down into this dark and lonely hole," he sings at the beginning of the song, his voice beautiful, mellow -- kind of reminiscent of Jack Johnson's. When Zach's song was posted to YouTube last year it quickly went viral. Recently dozens of celebrities posted a response -- joining forces to lip sync to Zach's voice singing "Clouds." "And we'll go up, up, up, but I'll climb a little higher," sang Jason Mraz, Anna Faris and Rainn Wilson. "Go up in the clouds because the view's a little nicer up here, my dear," sang Bryan Cranston and Rachel Bilson, Ashley Tisdale and Colbie Caillat. "It won't be long now," sang the Lumineers. "If only," sang Sarah Silverman, "I had a little bit more time." It was a hello to Zach, and a farewell. It was a collective expression of love and gratitude. The motley crew of celebrities on the video was assembled by Wilson, an actor, and director/actor Justin Baldoni, who directed a short documentary about Zach for his compelling online reality series, "My Last Days," which runs on Wilson's SoulPancake YouTube channel. "Going out to see Zach in Minnesota was one of the greatest experiences of my life," said Baldoni. "To make the choice to be happy despite whatever sad or tragic circumstances you may be living through ... he is this old soul who inspires everyone he meets. You leave and you think: 'I want to be a better person.'" Watch Baldoni's film and you can see why. There's Zach, a fresh-faced Minnesotan teenager, in one of the opening frames, saying: "I want everyone to know: You don't have to find out you're dying to start living." He tells us at the beginning of the film: "You know most people live kind of in the middle, in between 'all your dreams come true' and 'you're dying,' and it's a very comfortable place to live. I'm living on the two extreme ends, so you have really, really good days and you have really, really bad days." He lived on those extreme ends for the better part of the past four years. And how gloriously. In his final days, Zach slept a lot. Once in awhile he was able to muster up enough energy to bring out his guitar and play. "It's those times when we remember how it used to be," said his mom. She told me about a trip the family took last year, "a sort of pilgrimage to Europe," with 10 intense days of sightseeing. "We packed a lot into those 10 days," she recalled, "and maybe these past 3½ years have been like that pilgrimage. I haven't had the chance to let it sink in. I don't let myself go to that place of grief. There will be plenty of time to think about what we have lost later." And maybe, she said, that is the lesson here: that no matter where you are in life, look at what you have and be grateful. It's the kind of thing you hear all the time. Putting it into action takes some work sometimes. But there are always things in life to be grateful for, no matter where you are. Being grateful is the doorway to all sorts of other good things, said Laura. "That's what Zach's always been really good at: recognizing what is good and being grateful for it. It's the first thing he seeks out, his starting point. He taught all of us how it's done." Taylor Engel, one of the YouTube commenters on Zach's video, writes: "Well, you got a 6', 220 pound man sobbing his face off here. Prayers and thoughts with you, Zach...I hope someday I can be half the man you've become." So many of us felt the same way as we watched his video for "Clouds" -- grateful for having had him walk among us, albeit for a short time, even as he sang: "And maybe someday I'll see you again. We'll float up in the clouds and we'll never see the end ..." Video: Clouds Mon, 20 May 2013 18:10:27 GMT 20221198 2013-05-20T18:10:27Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Kanye-West-debuts-new-music-on-SNL/-/416446/20220930/-/h9mxfdz/-/index.html Two "Saturday Night Live" sets, an Instagram snapshot and 66 projector images later, we now have a better picture of what's to come on Kanye West's anticipated new album. As promised, the rapper - not to be confused with a celebrity - didn't take part in any of the skits for "SNL's" season finale/swan song for cast member Bill Hader. But he didn't need to - over the course of two songs, West still left a lasting impression. The night's first set from the Chicago rapper/producer featured his new track, "Black Skinhead," a ferocious, Marilyn Manson-sampled piece of audio that kind of comes as West's answer to OutKast's "B.O.B. (Bombs over Baghdad)" 13 years later. Wearing all-black leather and his red Air Yeezy II sneakers, West later jumped into another new single called "New Slaves" while backed by a projection of coupons and the message, "Not For Sale." It was the second time West used the technique to promo his new sounds this weekend. In one of the more creative music marketing campaigns we've seen, he debuted "New Slaves" by literally projecting the music video in 66 locations across the world on Friday night. The new songs trail behind a storm of rumors that West's forthcoming sixth studio album will arrive on June 18, a date he tweeted earlier this month with zero explanation. If the lyrics and tone of his two latest singles are any indication, the record promises to be as bold as ... well, pretty much anything West has done before. Thanks to his girlfriend Kim Kardashian, it looks like we also have inside info on the album's title. Before the "SNL" broadcast, Kim K. dropped a picture of the Air Yeezy II's next to what appears to be the album cover with the words "Yeezus" written on red tape in black marker. The Instagram photo came with the caption: "#Yeezus #RedYeezy's #SNL #Tonight #NewSlaves #YeezySeason #Donda #June18." (It looks like folks reporting that the album would be titled "I Am God" weren't too far off.) Mon, 20 May 2013 16:57:20 GMT 20220930 2013-05-20T16:57:20Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/AEG-execs-face-questions-about-MJ-s-death/-/416446/20214462/-/yq76dkz/-/index.html AEG Live asked Michael Jackson's estate to repay the concert promoter $300,000 for Dr. Conrad Murray's fee three weeks after Jackson's death, court testimony revealed Monday. The revelation contradicts AEG Live's defense that it did not hire or pay the doctor convicted in Jackson's death. "To me, it's a mistake," AEG Live Senor Vice President and General Counsel Shawn Trell said when confronted with a letter sent to Jackson's estate. Trell, testifying Monday in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial, also said his company's chief financial officer made another major error by classifying Dr. Murray's fees as "production costs" and not "advances" in all of the budgets for Jackson's "This It It" tour. "Mistakenly, yes," Trell said. Despite these "mistakes," Trell called the CFO "a very detailed-oriented guy." Jackson's mother and children are suing AEG Live, contending the concert promoter is liable in the singer's death because its executives negligently hired, retained or supervised Dr. Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The promoters ignored a series of red flags that should have warned them Jackson was in danger as he was pressured to get ready for his comeback concerts, the Jackson lawsuit claims. AEG Live lawyers counter that it was Jackson who chose, hired and supervised Murray, and that he was responsible for his own bad decisions. Its executives could not be expected to know Murray was using the surgical anesthetic propofol, the drug the coroner ruled killed Jackson, to treat his insomnia, they argue. Testimony from Trell -- and, earlier, AEG LIve controller Julie Hollander -- showed the company's budgets included $1.5 million to pay Murray $150,000 a month. The budget terminology could be key in the jury's decision on AEG's liability, since production costs were the promoter's responsibility, while advances were basically loans to Jackson. The revelation that the doctor's fees were designated as production contradicts the defense that AEG lead lawyer Marvin Putnam shared with CNN before the trial. AEG Live's role with Murray was only to "forward" money owed to him by Jackson, just as a patient would use his "MasterCard," Putnam said. "If you go to your doctor and you pay with a credit card, obviously, MasterCard in that instance, depending on your credit card, is providing the money to that doctor for services until you pay it back. Now, are you telling them MasterCard in some measure in that instance, did MasterCard hire the doctor or did you? Well, clearly you did. I think the analogy works in this instance." The doctor signed the contract prepared by AEG lawyers and sent it back to the company a day before Jackson's death. The company argues it was not an executed contract because their executives and Michael Jackson never signed it. The Jackson lawyers argue that e-mails, budget documents and the fact that the doctor was already working for two months showed a binding agreement between AEG and Murray. Panish, speaking outside of the courtroom Friday, said he would also ask Trell about AEG's insurance claim, which he said his team recently discovered was filed with Lloyds of London on June 25, 2009, hours after Jackson was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center. That revelation may not relate to the heart of the wrongful death lawsuit against Michael Jackson's last concert promoter, but Jackson lawyers hope it could sway jurors to see AEG Live executives as motivated by money over the pop icon's needs. A Lloyds of London underwriter later sued AEG, claiming the company failed to disclose information about the pop star's health and drug use. AEG dropped its claim for a $17.5 million insurance policy last year. Jackson lawyers played video testimony of one of AEG's own expert witnesses Friday -- 25-year veteran tour manager Marty Hom. The opinion Hom submitted for AEG concluded he saw no red flags that should have alerted the promoter that something was wrong with Murray. He was asked if AEG Live should have realized something was wrong when Murray initially asked for $5 million a year to work as Jackson's personal physician. "That raised a red flag because of the enormous sum of money," Hom testified. Hom acknowledged he had not seen many of the documents and depositions in the case, and AEG was considering him for a job as the Rolling Stones tour manager at the same time he was asked to testify. Mon, 20 May 2013 11:53:48 GMT 20214462 2013-05-20T11:53:48Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/Cooper-jilted-at-the-aisle-in-SNL-wedding/-/416446/20210838/-/s4lghlz/-/index.html CNN anchor Anderson Cooper played the groom in a surreal wedding scene send-off for Bill Hader's Stefon character on the season finale of "Saturday Night Live." Hader announced last week that he was leaving SNL after eight seasons to move to California and get more sleep, which meant his memorable characters were also saying goodbye. Stefon -- Weekend Update's New York City correspondent -- gave one last report Saturday night, rushing off the set after telling anchor Seth Meyers, "You never respect me." "I didn't want to do this here, but I've met someone else, and he's a lot like you, except he likes me for me, and we are getting married," Stefon said. "Bye, Seth Meyers." Stefon has always appeared to have a unrequited gay crush on the straight Meyers, but now Meyers seemed hurt by the rejection. "Hey, go to him," Meyers' "platonic work friend" Amy Poehler said. "It's never too late. Follow your heart." Thus began a bizarre pre-produced segment that parodied the "Wayne's World" parody of Dustin Hoffman's frantic run to interrupt his true love's wedding in "The Graduate." Meyers ran from NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters down 5th Avenue to Marble Collegiate Church, where he found Stefon at the altar. Fetish characters described in Stefon's many SNL reports made up the bridal party, including "human traffic cones" as bridesmaids. The camera panned to reveal his groom -- Anderson Cooper. A brawl ensued when Cooper stopped Meyers in the aisle. "Get ready for Anderson Cooper -- 360!" he said as he went into a slow motion round-about spin. But one punch from Meyers knocked Cooper out. Meyers grabbed Stefon, and the couple dashed away, while DJ Baby Bok Choy -- another character from Stefon's reports -- blocked Cooper from following. Wedding guests -- including smurfs, a gremlin and Alf -- converged to celebrate. Ben Affleck, host of the last episode of SNL's 38th season, made a cameo appearance, yelling to Meyers: "Follow your heart, bro. Follow it!" Meyers and Stefon then reappeared live on the "Weekend Update" set as SNL cast members tossed rice on them. Meyers is taking over NBC's "Late Night" show next year, although he is expected to return to SNL for season 39. Mon, 20 May 2013 06:27:58 GMT 20210838 2013-05-20T06:27:58Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/michael-jackson-managers-emails-found/-/416446/20200116/-/as5dlyz/-/index.html A cache of emails believed lost when Michael Jackson's last manager's laptop disappeared could become key evidence in the wrongful death trial against AEG Live. Lawyers for Michael Jackson's mother and three children don't know what they'll find in Frank DiLeo's e-mails, but they are hoping it will support their contention that DiLeo was beholden to the concert promoter and not to Jackson. Jackson changed managers twice in the last three months of his life. In late March 2009, he hired Leonard Rowe -- one of his father's friends -- to replace Tohme Tohme, the manager who initially negotiated the deal with AEG for his "This Is It" tour. Jackson lawyers argue that AEG Live forced Jackson to take DiLeo, who had worked for him off and on for decades, as his manager in May 2009 because they did not want to work with Rowe. Their contention is part of their larger argument that AEG Live executives were liable for Jackson's death because they hired, retained or supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician convicted of involuntary manslaughter. AEG counters that it was Jackson who chose and hired Murray, not them. AEG lawyers argue that Jackson was responsible for his own death and that drug addiction led to his bad decisions. The coroner ruled his death, which came near the end of preparations for a series of comeback concerts, was caused by an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol that Murray was using to treat Jackson's insomnia. AEG Live contends its executives had no way of knowing the doctor was using propofol in the privacy of Jackson's bedroom. The Jacksons are seeking billions of dollars in damages, equal to what Michael Jackson might have earned if he had not died on June 25, 2009. The Los Angeles trial began three weeks ago and is expected to continue into July. The lawsuit contends AEG Live ignored warning signs about Jackson's health in his last weeks, and instead of getting him help they pressured Jackson and Murray to have him at rehearsals. DiLeo would have been part of that pressure, they contend. "Get him a bucket of chicken," DiLeo said on June 19, 2009, in reply to concerns about Jackson's weight loss, makeup artist Karen Faye testified last week. "It was such a cold response, it broke my heart," Faye said through tears. The next day -- June 20, 2009 -- DiLeo left a voice mail on Murray's cell phone. "I'm sure you're aware he had an episode last night. He's sick. Today's Saturday. Tomorrow, I'm on my way back. I'm not going to continue my trip. I think you need to get a blood test on him. We got to see what he's doing?" DiLeo's e-mails were recovered after what the judge called "a lot of red tape and kind of cloudiness," that included the AEG's lawyers also representing the estate of DiLeo, who died in 2011, in fighting the Jacksons' subpoena for them. "Because (DiLeo's widow) didn't have litigation counsel, we're representing her for the limited purposes of responding to that subpoena," AEG's lead lawyer, Marvin Putnam, told the judge. Soon after an Ohio court ordered DiLeo's estate to give his laptop and e-mails to the Jackson lawyers, the AEG lawyers -- in their other capacity representing the DiLeo estate -- reported that they could not locate the computer or e-mails. Jackson lawyers, however, learned that the DiLeo estate's previous lawyer -- Pennsylvania lawyer David Regoli -- kept a copy of the e-mail files. For the past several weeks, however, the AEG lawyers argued he had no authority to provide them to the Jacksons' lawyers for use in the case against AEG. But in a phone call to the court this week, Regoli said he advised DiLeo's widow, Linda DiLeo, that "in my opinion, it was a conflict" for AEG's lawyers -- from the Los Angeles firm O'Melveny and Myers -- to represent her in the matter. "She said that she never signed anything with O'Melveny and Myers to authorize them to represent her, and as of this moment they are not representing her anymore," Regoli said. Linda DiLeo then rehired Regoli, which allows him to send the e-mails on to the Jacksons -- after removing any that are personal or not relevant to the case. "I think I can give the court my assurances that I'll go through the documents that I have and I'll go through the e-mails, and anything that is related to the subpoena, I would obviously turn over," Regoli said. As for the missing laptop, there was a simple explanation. Linda DiLeo "had told me her daughter had given it to a friend who needed a computer," Regoli said. "It wasn't a very new computer." While the Jackson lawyers wanted to explore how AEG's lawyers came to represent the DiLeo estate in Ohio, the judge declined exploring the matter. "All we know right now they're not representing her, and that's enough for us," Judge Yvette Palazuelos said. The trial's fourth week starts Monday morning with AEG's chief counsel, Shawn Trell, on the witness stand. Jackson lawyers are expected to grill him about the contract negotiations with Michael Jackson and Murray. Mon, 20 May 2013 00:21:36 GMT 20200116 2013-05-20T00:21:36Z http://www.krdo.com/news/entertainment/burk-lindelof-thrilled-to-steer-new-star-trek-film-into-darkness/-/416446/20159150/-/11swqqbz/-/index.html While director J.J. Abrams is considered the captain of the ship when it comes to the new iteration of the "Star Trek" movie franchise, there is no arguing that his first officers -- producer Bryan Burk and producers/co-writers Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci -- are just as pivotal to the success of the new voyages of the Starship Enterprise. What's even more amazing is that this crew of five put their latest adventure, "Star Trek Into Darkness," together while simultaneously working on several other projects. "There's a lot of baton-handing off since it's just difficult for any of us to be in one place at one time, so at any given time, there's two or three of us making 'Trek' their full-time job, and the others are going off and focusing their attention on another of our projects," Lindelof, joined by Burk, told me in a recent call from London. "That process is very exciting and very reminiscent of the way it works in television. That collaboration is what made the first movie work and we wanted to make sure we recaptured the same lightning in a bottle this time around." Opening in IMAX 3D Wednesday and everywhere in 2D and 3D Thursday, "Star Trek Into Darkness" is the hotly anticipated sequel to the 2009 blockbuster reboot of "Star Trek." In this film, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the crew of the Enterprise find a formidable force in John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a deadly new threat hidden within Starfleet. Burk said in addition to the team's work on other projects and the actors' commitments to other projects, "Star Trek Into Darkness" was a long-time coming because the filmmakers wanted to take their time to get things right. "We didn't want to do a sequel just to do a sequel, which happens a lot in our industry, where unfortunately, it just feels like the conveyer belt keeps moving. So we wanted to make sure we wanted to do the movie, and not to do for the sake of doing it," Burk told me. "There were a lot of conversations about, 'How do we raise the bar for people who came to watch the last one?' We really wanted to get it right." Further 'Into Darkness' Following the destruction of Vulcan in the 2009 film, "Star Trek Into Darkness" continues to venture into dark territory, beginning with a deadly terrorist attack on Starfleet's operations in London. "What happened in the first movie in terms of the destruction of an entire planet really changed the shape of Starfleet and the idea that Gene Roddenberry created this organization, whose sole purpose was to really just explore and expand the horizons of mankind," Lindelof observed. "We had to ask ourselves, 'What would happen if an entire planet was destroyed and Earth was attacked and almost destroyed, would that perhaps change the entire bearing of Starfleet? Would they become a little more militaristic? Would that give rise to the hawks within? Could the movie really be about the fight for the soul of Starfleet itself, and what side of that fight would our crew fall?'" Perhaps most affected by the events in "Star Trek Into Darkness" is Kirk, who is devastated by a personal loss and willing to exact revenge on the perpetrator responsible with extreme prejudice. "In order for it to make sense, our crew had to be tempted by the spirit of vengeance," Lindelof said. "Would they have the moral dilemma if someone killed somebody or provoked an action against somebody who had done something horrible to innocents? We had to explore that and what it would take to bring them back to that original vision of hopefulness, peace and camaraderie. But obviously in order to get there, you have to move to this very, very dark place." Like the 2009 film, the great thing about "Star Trek Into Darkness" is the ability by filmmakers to make the franchise their own while maintaining the spirit of the classic TV series from the 1960s. They do it from the get-go with an incredibly staged scene to open the movie where the crew is attempting to save the indigenous people of a primitive planet who are unaware their home is gravely threatened by a volcano. Fans are sure to find everything from the retro look of the inhabitants and their environs, to the action, music and color, are melded together in a way to almost make you feel like you're watching a scene from one of the original TV episodes. "There's this very primary color feel to the original series -- not just in terms of the uniforms that they're wearing with the yellows and blues and reds -- there's this colorful, extraordinary tone and we really leaned into that palette for the opening of the movie," Lindelof explained. "We in this very, very colorful world, but inside this volcano, very intense things are happening to Spock." The setting also serves as a proper transition into the heart of the "Into Darkness" storyline. "Once we pull him out of the volcano, the world shifts into this darker feel as John Harrison begins his machinations in London," Lindelof explained. "Ultimately, though, the goal was to end the movie in the primary-colored world again. That's the gap that the crew is trying to bridge in the movie. The optimistic world doesn't come easy. It's always going to be challenged by these darker forces. That world isn't something you can appreciate unless there's a struggle in maintaining it." Not surprisingly, Burk and Lindelof have plenty on their plates coming up: Burk is producing "Star Wars: Episode VII" with Abrams at the helm, while Lindelof is writing and producing the George Clooney sci-fi film "Tomorrowland," which will be directed by "Ghost Protocol" filmmaker Brad Bird. As for what tomorrow holds for "Star Trek," Burk said fans shouldn't be discouraged by the fact that Abrams is diving into another well-established franchise like "Star Wars." "We are often involved in other things, like when J.J. was off directing 'Super 8' as we were producing 'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol' and 'Star Trek Into Darkness' was being prepped," Burk said. "The fact is, 'Star Trek' is still the baby for all five of us, so 'Star Wars' is by no means a case of one project replacing another." Sun, 19 May 2013 23:47:16 GMT 20159150 2013-05-19T23:47:16Z