Jackson Doctors Defense Case Drawing To A Close

First Published: October 27, 2011 4:40 PM EDT Credit: Getty Images Caption Dr. Conrad Murray In Court: Day 7 - The Jury Hears More Of Michael Jackson At His Worst LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The defense of the doctor charged in Michael Jacksons death will shift away Thursday from personality to the science that his attorneys hope will prevent the physician from being convicted. The final witnesses testifying for Dr. Conrad Murray will be fellow doctors, one an expert in addiction and the other in the powerful anesthetic that the Houston-based cardiologist was giving Jackson as a sleep aid. Their testimony could make the difference in whether Murray is convicted or acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with Jacksons June 2009 death. Authorities contend Murray gave Jackson a fatal dose of propofol and botched resuscitation efforts. Murrays attorneys contend Jackson gave himself the fatal dose of propofol when his doctor left the room, but have not yet shown evidence about how that theory is even possible. Several prosecution experts have said the self-administration defense was improbable and a key expert said he ruled it out completely, arguing the more likely scenario is that Murray gave Jackson a much higher dose than he has admitted. The scientific testimony of Dr. Robert Waldman and Dr. Paul White comes a day after jurors heard from five of Murrays one-time patients, who described the cardiologist as a caring physician who performed procedures for free and spent hours getting to know them. When Ruby Mosley described Murrays work at a clinic he founded in a poor neighborhood in Houston in memory of his father, tears welled up in the eyes of the normally stoic doctor-turned-defendant. Waldman is an addiction expert who may try to bolster the defense theory that Jackson had become dependent on propofol to sleep and was driven to self-administer it when Murray left his bedside. It will be up to White to explain whether that was possible. He sat in court throughout the testimony of prosecution propofol expert Dr. Steven Shafer, at times shaking his head and furiously passing notes to defense attorneys. In the courthouse, he has been seen conferring with Murray in the hallway outside the courtroom where the case is being heard. White and Waldman do not necessarily have to convince jurors that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose, but merely provide them with enough reasonable doubt about the prosecution case against Murray. While prosecutors have portrayed Murray, 58, as a reckless physician who repeatedly broke the rules by giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid, jurors heard a different portrait of the doctor on Wednesday. Several of the character witnesses called described Murray as the best doctor they had ever seen and highlighted his skills at repairing their hearts with stents and other procedures. Im alive today because of that man, said Andrew Guest of Las Vegas, who looked Murray. That man sitting there is the best doctor Ive ever seen. Another former patient, Gerry Causey, stopped to shake Murrays hand in the courtroom and said the physician was his best friend. A prosecutor noted that none of them were being treated for sleep issues, although Causey and others said they didnt believe the allegations against Murray. Defense attorneys have told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor they expect their case to conclude on Thursday. Pastor has said if that happens, closing arguments would occur next week. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Cannes man keeps busy

'The Tree of Life''Moulin Rouge''Moulin Rouge' opened the 2001 Cannes fest, while 'Melancholia' and 'The Tree of Life' were among thies year's selections. Cannes' Thierry Fremanx has done much to restore Hollywood's presence on the Croisette during his decade at the festival.FremauxThierry Fremaux isn't going anywhere. But if the man who has steered the Cannes Film Festival for the past decade were to step down tomorrow, at least two things are certain: He'd be going out on a high note, and he'd have plenty to keep him busy.At 51, the Lyon native continues to head his hometown's Institut Lumiere (alongside helmer Bertrand Tavernier), a film museum located in the birthplace of the cinema. In that capacity, he just wrapped a popular second edition of his Festival Lumiere, a cinephile buffet devoted to classics and retro-spectives -- as well as an implicit retort to those who questioned his decision to stay in Lyon when he took the Cannes reins in 2001.These days, few would dispute Fremaux's ability to multitask. (He shows up for his sit-down with Variety on his Trek bicycle, and admits he often negotiates film deals by phone while riding through the streets of Lyon and Paris.) Similarly, few would dispute his talent for making unpopular choices that pay off down the line.Since his first day as artistic director at the grande dame of international cinema events, Fremaux has been conscious of his place as a leading force in the ongoing evolution of film festivals as a species. He's fulfilled that role by embracing new technologies while remaining an advocate for the bigscreen experience, welcoming genre fare as well as traditional art cinema and generally refusing to settle on any simple definition of a festival film.As he prepares to set the table for Cannes' 65th anniversary in 2012, he's still basking in warm notices for his most recent selection -- a program that seemed emblematic of his largely acclaimed, sometimes controversial tenure, while effectively realizing almost everything he set out to accomplish 10 years ago."In a way, last year was my first real year," Fremaux tells Variety. "Over the last five years I've had more freedom, but last year I had the most, the best freedom I could have had."Largely absent was the tension between old and new that has occasionally dogged his selection: Here was a festival boasting career-highlight work from heavyweight auteurs like Aki Kaurismaki and Nuri Bilge Ceylan, programmed alongside down-and-dirty genre fare like Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive." Here, too, was a festival reasserting its ability to command media attention like no other, serving up its juiciest, ugliest scandale in years courtesy of Lars von Trier.Most crucially, from an industry perspective, the 2011 slate offered an encouraging sign that relations between Cannes and Hollywood remain as strong as ever. Apart from obligatory big-ticket attractions like "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fest reasserted its importance as a Stateside-friendly arthouse platform with warmly received premieres for "Midnight in Paris," "The Artist," "The Tree of Life," "Melancholia" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin," all stirring an appreciable degree of year-end buzz alongside films from the more recent Venice and Toronto fests.To that end, Cannes couldn't have scripted a happier Hollywood ending than the Palme d'Or win for Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life," itself an emblem of the contradictory forces of rarefied auteurism and red-carpet glamour that have long defined the festival."Cannes is a small village in the South of France that becomes a world village for two weeks. It's the place of the auteur film and the place of the red carpet. It's all of that," Fremaux says. "It's a collective property. It's not mine, it's yours. The filmmakers, the producers, the professionals, the press, the market -- they all trust us to keep Cannes safe."Safeguarding Cannes' legacy for the future, particularly with regard to Hollywood, was one of Fremaux's unspoken mandates when he was tapped to replace Gilles Jacob as a.d. (he was upped to delegate general in 2007). He stepped in at a time when the festival and the studios didn't always get along so swimmingly, following a few years of mutual near-neglect during which Berlin and Venice had begun to rival Cannes in terms of Stateside cachet.Since then, Fremaux has restored the balance, making frequent trips to the U.S. and lobbying hard for studio pics; those that have made the trip to the Croisette range from classy critics' darlings ("Mystic River," "No Country for Old Men," "Zodiac," "A History of Violence") to big-budget popcorn fare ("Troy," two "Star Wars" prequels, "The Matrix Reloaded," "Kung Fu Panda").One of his boldest early moves -- virtually a statement of intent -- was to invite Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" to open the 2001 festival. Yet he maintains such decisions are always governed by more than desire for a splashy studio title."I don't select studio films just to have studio films. I do it because David Fincher, for example, is one of the most interesting filmmakers working today," Fremaux says. " 'Moulin Rouge' was an auteur film, a mainstream film and a big-star film. It was exactly what we wanted."Fremaux has long sought to eliminate easy distinctions between high and low, serious and mainstream, art and commerce. "When people ask me, 'What is your genre of film?' I say the genre of good films. I don't want to wait 20 years to recognize that an exploitation film was made by a great director. My job is to get it now."At times, he may have gone too far, turning down more traditional work as part of what struck many as a misguided anti-auteurist statement. Slamming programmers for their high-profile rejections is a time-honored festival sport, and it was under Fremaux's leadership that Cannes turned down Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake" and Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain." But for the most part, Cannes a la Fremaux has tended to operate in a spirit of generous inclusion. Last year, he famously went to bat for Olivier Assayas' 5 1/2-hour epic "Carlos," asking the festival's board of directors to let the film compete even though it was a TV miniseries (they refused). He's proven particularly friendly to animation, giving studio toons ("Shrek," "Shrek 2") and hand-drawn documentaries ("Waltz With Bashir") pride of place in competition. He opened the 2009 festival with Disney-Pixar's "Up," taking the stage before its press screening to snap an impromptu photo of the assembled journos in their 3D glasses. And this year, Takashi Miike's live-action "Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai" became the first 3D pic to screen in competition.At a time when technology is continually reshaping modes of production and exhibition, Fremaux fondly recalls the 2002 fest, when two pics that could hardly be more different -- Alexander Sokurov's "Russian Ark" and George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" -- both seemed to herald the exciting possibilities of a digital filmmaking revolution. Since that year, Fremaux has given filmmakers the option of screening either in 35mm or in digital, and he reckons that in 2011, about 60%-70% of all Cannes films were projected in the DCP format. Fremaux's goal to democratize Cannes in terms of genre and aesthetics hasn't gone uncriticized over the years. But he takes with a grain of salt the sometimes negative coverage his wide-ranging programs have received in French publications. "I know exactly what I have to do to ensure only good reviews from certain newspapers, but it won't make a good film festival," he says. "The journalists here criticize me by saying, 'We don't know his taste.' I think it's a good sign. I'm proud of that."As any fest director knows, learning to separate individual taste from programming decisions is an essential part of the job anyway. For Fremaux, the question of whether he likes what he shows is far less important than the question of whether it's important for the festival to show it."I can refuse a film I love, and I can accept a film I don't like. I don't like to say that Cannes represents me and my taste. No, no, no. Cannes is about a world image of cinema. If you tell me you hated the film yesterday, but you could understand why I put it there, it's a compliment." Contact Justin Chang at justin.chang@variety.com

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas Red Band Trailer Promises the Most F-ed-Up Film of the Holiday Season

If you’ve always wanted to see Santa Claus take a bong rip, two topless nuns kiss, a toddler get high off of second-hand marijuana inhalation and Neil Patrick Harris get an under-the-pants hand job in a night club called Heaven, you’re in luck. The red-band trailer for A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas is here and offers all of those NSFW things — and more! More A Very Harold %26 Kumar 3D Christmas Videos So to reiterate, this is not a film for the whole family this holiday season — just the family members that enjoy R-rated claymation and humor about Santa getting shot in the head. Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris (playing a twisted, R-rated version of himself) star alongside Patton Oswalt, Thomas Lennon, Danny Trejo, Eddie Kaye Thomas and David Krumholtz. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas hits theaters November 4. Verdict: I don’t have words for a trailer that ends with Thomas Lennon declaring, “My baby is f*cked on cocaine.” [via SlashFilm]

Keck's Exclusives: Hot in Cleveland's New Coupling

Hot In Cleveland Hot in Cleveland's latest stunt reunites Wendie Malick with Laura San Giacomo, her costar from NBC's Just Shoot Me! Laura guest stars on the December 14 episode of the TV Land hit, but most of her scenes are with Valerie Bertinelli's Melanie. "I play Valerie's [estranged] sister, Caroline," says Laura. Caroline reveals she's a lesbian involved with a character played by Sandra Bernhard. Turns out ex-soap star Victoria (Wendie) is pretending to be gay after her fake marriage to Joy (Jane Leeves) reignites her celebrity. "They're all at this lesbian event where I am, and therein lies the hilarity," adds Laura. But Wendie says the episode also has a serious message. "Laura has a fabulous scene talking about growing up gay and not being able to tell your family," she says. "It should earn her a GLAAD Award nomination." Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Sean Penn Calls Tea Party the 'Get the N-Word From the Whitened House Party' (Video)

Sean Penn originates out swinging from the Tea Party, accusing the ultra-conservative moment to be motivated mainly with a racist agenda.our editor recommendsSean Penn Performed Role in assisting Free Two American Hostages in IranMorgan Freeman Sparks Outcry After Calling Tea Party RacistMatt Damon Jams Republicans, Tea Party To Handle of Debt Ceiling Crisis (VIDEO) Throughout his appearance Friday on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, the actor accused the Tea Party to be a "distraction" within the approaching presidential elections. PHOTOS: Sean Penn's Humanitarian Operate in Haiti "Yet there's one other issue,Inch he started. "You've things i call the 'Get the N-word from the Whitened House party,' the Tea Party. This type of sensibility, which is a lot more of the distraction." Penn stated he thinks the Tea Party is available simply to get Leader Obama from the Whitened House which its people don't know much concerning the issues themselves. PHOTOS: Box Office Politics: The Films and Stars Dems versus. GOPers Love (And Like to Hate) "I don't think there's question about this: Should you request any associated with the Tea Party, 'OK, Social Security, socialist, eliminate it?'' they're getting very confused. In the finish during the day, there's a large bubble being released of the heads, saying, 'Can we simply lynch him?" PHOTOS: Stars Who've Performed Political figures Penn's remarks echo similar comments produced by Morgan Freeman recently, also on Piers Morgan Tonight. The Dolphin Tale star then stated the Tea Party's "mentioned policy, openly mentioned, would be to do whatever needs doing to ensure that Obama only serves one term. What ... underlines that? Screw the nation. We're likely to do whatever we all do to obtain this black guy ... out of here." THR COVER STORY: Sean Penn in Haiti The Great Wife's Alan Cumming also offers accused the Tea Party to be motivated by "homophobia and racism." Related Subjects Alan Cumming Morgan Freeman Piers Morgan Sean Penn CNN Piers Morgan Tonight Politics

DeAPlaneta leads Shochiku up 'Blind Alley'

SITGES, Spain -- Japan's Shochiku has acquired all Japanese rights to Spanish horror film "Blind Alley," which world preems in Competition Friday at the Sitges Festival.Spain's DeAPlaneta closed the deal. It adds to other pre-sales struck on "Alley" before DeAPlaneta took on sales duties on the title, such as for Mexico (Corazon Films), Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.The feature debut of Spanish screenwriter-turned director Antonio Trashorras, whose credits as a scribe include Guillermo del Toro's 2001 "The Devil's Backbone," "Alley" turns on a young cleaning woman at an off-season hotel in Benidorm who accidentally locks herself up in the laundry with an apparent psycho-killer."'Blind Alley' observes the rules of the horror genre: It takes place over one night, there's a beautiful girl in distress, and a threat in the shadows," said Gorka Bilbao, DeAPlaneta sales exec.Cuban-born Ana de Armas, one of Spain's fastest-rising young film/TV actresses ("Sex, Party and Lies," "7 Days in Havana"), plays the young woman. Chile-born Leonor Varela ("Blade II," "Arrested Development") and Colombian TV and film actor Diego Cadavid ("A Ton of Luck") co-star."Alley" is produced by Miguel Angel Faura's Roxbury, one of Spain's top quality-genre producers, TV-turned-film production house Esa Mano Amiga and Antena 3 Films, co-producer of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's current Spanish chart-topper "Intruders," as well as Dynamo Capital, Colombia's biggest private equity film fund.Dynamo has rights to Latin America, DeAPlaneta to the rest of the world outside Spain, Bilbao said.After Sitges, "Alley" will next be seen at Fanomenon in Leeds in the U.K. Market premiere will be at November's American Film Market.Catalonia's Sitges fest closes Saturday. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Yellow Bird producer flies to Film London market

LONDON -- Marianne Gray, a producer from Sweden's Yellow Bird, can provide the keynote address within the Film London Production Finance Market, which happens March. 19-20 through the London Film Festival. Gray, who started her career in La utilized by various major art galleries, produced Norwegian feature "Headhunters" in addition to produce the U.S. remake with Summit Entertainment. Yellowbird may be the organization behind the first Swedish film adaptations of author Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy of books. The initial, "The Woman While using Dragon Tattoo," remains remade by helmer David Fincher. Starring Difficulties, it opens inside the U.S. on 12 ,. 21. Over 60 producers have registered with this particular year's Production Finance Market, getting development projects to talk about with 57 bankers, including private equity finance traders, sales companies, entrepreneurs, tv producers and tax funds. Among the projects, with total production budgets of $330 million, are John Maybury's "Atomic Blonde," Sally Potter's "Elsewhere" and Gillian Armstrong's "The Fantastic,In . that Mia Wasikowska and Annette Bening are apparently attached. Companies attending include Vital Pictures Intl., Focus Features, Endgame Entertainment, Pinewood Films, Wild Bunch and Entertainment One. Several new areas will probably be represented, including Luxembourg, Macedonia and Belgium. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com