Cummins blow for Australia

Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins is expected to be out of action until at least mid-January after his heel injury was more serious than first thought.

The 18-year-old suffered the problem during the second Test against South Africa - but Cummins still managed figures of 6-79 and hit the winning runs.

Cummins was initially expected back in time for the second Test against New Zealand, which starts on Friday.

However, team doctors have now discovered a bone stress problem which will keep Cummins sidelined until the new year and mean he will miss the start of the series against India.

Source http://www1.skysports.com/cricket/news/12175/7356896/Cummins-blow-for-Australia

Leonardo DiCaprio splits from Blake Lively while in Sydney

THE whirlwind, transcontinental romance between Leonardo DiCaprio and Blake Lively has ended.

And Lively is reportedly already on the rebound.

Sources say the sexy blonde is picking up with her Green Lantern costar Ryan Reynolds, after the pair spent the weekend together in Boston where Reynolds is filming his next project, according to the Boston Herald.

Lively, 24, and Reynolds, 34, dined together last Friday and the actress was spotted going grocery shopping Saturday, apparently to stock up the fridge for her new love.

The pair met in 2010, filming the superhero flick, while Reynolds was still married to actress Scarlett Johansson.

Reynolds and Johansson, 26, officially divorced this July.

Representatives for Lively and DiCaprio, who is in Sydney filming The Great Gatsby, told US Weekly the pair would "remain friends" despite their relationship coming apart.

The pair at first tried to keep their affair under wraps but they were spotted getting cosy at the Cannes Film Festival in May, shortly after the Titanic star split from his supermodel girlfriend Bar Refaeli.

After the star-studded movie fest, DiCaprio, 36, and Lively, 24, travelled along the French Riviera before stopping in Italy.

The Gossip Girl star then returned to her home base of New York, where she was photographed bike riding with DiCaprio.

Lively then came for a visit to Australia to celebrate her 24th birthday while DiCaprio worked on his title role of Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of the great American novel.

Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/leonardo-dicaprio-splits-from-blake-lively-while-in-sydney/story-e6frf96o-1226159202896

Russians love Raymond. Da?

Just ask Phil Rosenthal. Having struck comic gold with Everybody Loves Raymond in the US, this writer-director assumed his hit sitcom about a dysfunctional US family had global appeal.

"I had to assume that," he says, on the line from New York. "Our show was about families and we all have families. It's a universal subject. But when I got to Russia, that wasn't necessarily true."

Exporting Raymond - a laugh-out-loud highlight at the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival - is about Rosenthal's attempt to make a Russian version of Raymond.

Cameras follow him to Moscow's decidedly insalubrious TV studios and from his first meeting there is a gaping cultural divide.

A scriptwriter wonders why Ray (renamed Kostya) is bossed around by women. A costume designer imagines a wardrobe big on bling. And when Rosenthal asks for a live studio audience, he is told there are no chairs.

"I was very shocked at how hard it was going to be," Rosenthal admits.

Even when he visits the famous Moscow Art Theatre in the hope of "borrowing" one of its best actors, he is stonewalled by the company's tsar-like chief.

"Nothing was manipulated," he insists.

But Rosenthal can take comfort knowing new versions of Raymond are taking root in India, Egypt, Israel and Poland.

Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/russians-love-raymond-da/story-fn7euh6j-1226099671206

Jolie tops list of Hollywood's richest women

Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker have topped the list of Hollywood's highest paid actresses, with each earning an estimated $US30 million ($28 million) this year, according to Forbes magazine.

Forbes's blogger Dorothy Pomerantz, said Jolie's success stemmed from her ability to handle action, drama and directing, and her fortunes were boosted by earnings from In the Land of Blood and Honey, Salt and The Tourist.

Parker's fortune, on the other hand, was almost exclusively tied to the success of Sex and the City, said Pomerantz.

Trailing behind Jolie and Parker were Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who each earned $US28 million. Julia Roberts came fifth on the list with $US20 million in annual earnings.

"Aniston has had more than her share of flops, like 2009's Management, which earned less than $US1 million at the US box office. But lately, even films that looked like they were going to flop [The Bounty Hunter and Just Go With It] have turned out to be hits," said Pomerantz.

Less fortunate was Witherspoon with How Do You Know earning only $US50 million on a budget of $US120 million.

The annual list is made up of earnings estimates suppled by agents, lawyers, producers and other industry insiders.

Overall, the top 10 female earners made a total $US218 million between May 2010 and May 2011, said Forbes.

Source http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/luxury/jolie-tops-list-of-hollywoods-richest-women-20110706-1h21h.html?from=smh_sb

Mad Bastards actor jailed for stabbing death

An Aboriginal woman who starred in the newly released Mad Bastards film has been jailed for three years for stabbing to death her drunk and abusive partner in a case of life imitating art.

Roxanne Maree Williams was pregnant with her second child when she took a large butcher's knife and thrust it once into the chest of her partner Joseph Anthony Johnston in their Wyndham home on May 15 last year.

Williams tried resuscitating Mr Johnston and immediately called police and paramedics, who rushed him to the local hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The pair already had a seven-year-old daughter together and in November last year she gave birth to their second child while being held in custody at Bandyup Prison over his death.

Williams pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter and yesterday Supreme Court Justice Michael Murray sentenced her to three years jail to be backdated to when she was first incarcerated in May.

He has granted her the opportunity to apply for parole which means she could be released as early as her child's first birthday, which is when the baby would be expected to be taken from her to be raised outside the prison.

In sentencing Justice Murray acknowledged the rave review Mad Bastards director Brendan Fletcher gave Williams, saying: "He speaks highly of Ms Williams and her qualities in a way which gives the court some confidence for her future, that she may be able to complete successfully the process of rehabilitation upon which she has embarked."

In an act of life imitating art Mr Johnston was stabbed during one of his rages, which was fuelled at the time by nine beers and 10 tequila shots. The film depicts the violent and alcohol-fuelled dysfunction in Kimberley communities.

Justice Murray said in considering the seriousness of the case he could not put a value on the life that was taken but did acknowledge Williams had been subjected to years of abuse by her partner, who "under the influence of alcohol and other illicit substances, he was a man whose frustrations with life and the raw deal that he had received bubbled to the surface, and it expressed itself in quite savage violence at times".

"If he commenced the violence, it was often without reason, and he would persist in it, and she was afraid. I think her fear was fear with some real cause," Justice Murray said.

He said whatever the cause of the argument that night, her fear for further reprisals that may also jeopardise her unborn child made her fearful that she could not escape.

"She did not threaten him defensively with the knife, she went to him and she stabbed him. The stab wound was a single stab wound," he said.

"The deceased was immediately disabled and dropped to the ground.

"I think on all the evidence it is clear that Ms Williams' remorse was instant. She endeavoured to resuscitate him.

"She knew that she would have to deal with the police in relation to the matter and she did not run but she sought to have the police engaged. That is all very much to her credit."

Source http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/imad-bastardsi-actor-jailed-for-stabbing-death-20110506-1ebqx.html?from=watoday_sb

Kate Middleton and Princess Diana - worlds apart

From the moment Prince William put his mother's sapphire and diamond ring on Kate Middleton's finger, comparisons between his wife-to-be and the late princess Diana became inevitable.

More than a decade after Diana's death, the "People's Princess" remains adored and the new royal bride will be measured against the young, shy blonde who captivated the world at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981.

The royals are understandably wary of comparisons between the two women, and William himself insisted soon after the engagement that "no one is trying to fill my mother's shoes".

Diana's marriage was a famously unhappy union which broke down amid infidelity on both sides, ending in a bitter divorce and then tragedy, when the princess died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

It is not a tale to comfort a nervous bride, but fortunately, commentators see more differences than similarities between the two women.

Despite her lack of aristocratic blood, Kate will be far better prepared than Diana ever was for royal life when she walks down the aisle of Westminster Abbey on April 29.

"Kate's been very carefully groomed, it's been a long process over a period of time and she's got people around her who understand the modern media.

"She knows exactly what she's getting," said Max Clifford, a top British PR man who has represented many celebrities.

Kate and William have been together for eight years, whereas Diana was courted for just six months. In fact, Kate has been waiting so long for her boyfriend to pop the question that the press dubbed her "Waity Katy".

But Clifford says the length of time puts their relationship on a strong footing, saying "William seems to be totally in love with her and vice versa".

The young couple have had a very modern courtship.

They lived together while at St Andrews University in Scotland, where they met, and in recent months Kate has stayed with William on the island of Anglesey in Wales, where he works as a helicopter search and rescue pilot.

At the age of 29, Kate also has considerable life experience compared to Diana, who was only 20 on her wedding day, 12 years younger than Charles. Just five months separate Kate and William, who is 28.

Diana had left school before finishing her studies and her work experience was limited to a stint at a nursery.

By contrast, Kate graduated with a degree in art history from a top university, although her jobs as an accessories buyer for a clothing brand and then for her family's party goods firm have been criticised as lightweight.

Kate also had a happier and more stable childhood than Diana, whose parents divorced when she was young. Kate is close to her mother Carole and sister Pippa, her maid of honour, and says her family is a major source of support.

Up to now, William's bride has also had a better relationship with the press, which hounded the late princess right up to the moment of her death.

Despite a rocky start following Kate's move to London after graduation, when photographers mobbed her every time she left the house, warning letters from lawyers and the palace have caused the media to back off.

Kate "is an intelligent girl. She has a good head on her shoulders and is so much older than Diana was and she knows William," said royal historian Hugo Vickers.

The royal family "must be delighted. She's cautious. She's very measured -- confidence is not quite the right word, but she is assured," he added.

Diana was beautiful, charismatic and almost universally loved, but she was also unstable and the explosive fallout of her split with Charles cast a pall over the royal family that is only now starting to lift.

She also overshadowed the other royals, staying firmly in the limelight even after the divorce through her charitable causes.

"Diana became far more popular worldwide than the royal family, and in this country -- she was the one everyone wanted to see, wanted to hear, wanted to be around," said Clifford.

The royals "would have learned from that", he said.

Kate has shown no sign of Diana's love of publicity, although only time will tell how far her careful plans survive the pressure of being a fully paid-up member of the royal family.

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iqEXHrt9ra9O_CkIsoPIBEVlkJXA?docId=CNG.77e54f793e67c67ebcf11ff9cd03e517.1d1

Dix climbs into Crawlspace

Production is underway on Crawlspace, a sci-fi thriller which marks the directorial debut of Justin Dix, head of Australian make up studio Wicked of Oz.

The story sees a group of elite soldiers break into a secret science research facility where they discover a woman who has had her memory wiped. It stars by Ditch Davey (TV's Underbelly Files) and Amber Clayton (TV's Three Rivers and Rush).

Production through Wicked of Oz, Maker Films and Wolf Creek Pictures sees Greg Mclean (Red Hill, Rogue, Wolf Creek), James Hoppe (Shadow Play, Blind Company, Summer Coda), Craig McMahon (Red Hill), Pete Ford (Storm Warning), Silvio Salom and Stephen Wools as executive producers and John Finemore (Shadow Play) and Nicholas Sherry as producers, with Steve Topic as co-producer.

Dix has various design, creature effects, make-up credits on Star Wars episodes 2 and 3, Red Hill and Rogue.

Filming of Crawlspace will take place at the Docklands Studios Melbourne (pictured) until the end of May.

Source http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/dix-climbs-into-crawlspace

1.3m watch Tassie Tiger eliminated

More than 1 million people tuned in to watch a contestant nicknamed the Tassie Tiger eliminated from reality cooking show My Kitchen Rules.

A panel of celebrity chefs voted Melanie and James Maddock, from Hobart, off the show on Wednesday night after their three-course meal was deemed inferior to that of fellow contestants Kane Lillywhite and Lee-Ying Chan, from Melbourne.

Viewers had dubbed Melanie Maddock the Tassie Tiger because of her catty critiques of other competitors' food.

The Seven show attracted an audience of 1.333 million viewers, making it the most-watched program on Wednesday night.

Seven had the four most-watched shows on Wednesday and had five of the top 10.

Seven News was in second place (1.190 million), Criminal Minds third (1.170 million) and Today Tonight fourth (1.144 million).

Long-running Seven soap Home and Away had 940,000 viewers and was in eighth place.

Nine had three shows in the top 10. Its news was the sixth most-watched show with 974,000 viewers.

A Current Affair was in ninth spot with 921,000 and matchmaking reality show The Farmer Wants a Wife just scraped into 10th with 919,000.

Ten and the ABC had one show each in the top 10.

Reality weight loss program The Biggest Loser attracted an audience of 978,000 putting it in fifth place and ABC News was in seventh spot with 945,000.

Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/24/3172723.htm?section=entertainment

Aussie starlet joins Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

Rising Australian star Adelaide Clemens has been cast in the lead role of Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, the sequel to the 2006 video game adaptation.

Clemens will star as a young woman on the eve of her 18th birthday who is plagued by the nightmares of her father's disappearance and is slowly beginning to realise that she may not be who she thought she was.

The film, which also stars American newcomer Kit Harington, began shooting in Toronto on Monday.

Fellow Australian Radha Mitchell starred alongside Sean Bean in the original film, which was based on the bestselling Konami video game franchise.

Clemens' profile has been on the rise in the US since she appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

She recently appeared in local indie flick Wasted On The Young by first-time director Ben C Lucas, and is slated to star in the upcoming George Miller movie Mad Max: Fury Road.

"Adelaide is breaking out of the indie world with commercial features such as X-Men and the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road," producer Don Carmody said in a statement.

"She and Kit are emerging young talent and their chemistry and dynamics make them a brilliant addition to the Silent Hill team."

Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/09/3159342.htm?section=entertainment

The truth about Hamish and Andy's TV deal

Reports that Hamish Blake and Andy Lee will earn a "fee" of between $15 million and $17 million for their rumoured television series for Nine are somewhat misleading.

The full details of the still-unconfirmed deal are unlikely ever to be made public. But whatever the amount they are to be paid, it will cover the cost of making the show as well as the fee the pair can expect to earn directly for their involvement.

Their personal cut ultimately will depend on the type of show they produce, and the number of episodes they make.

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Although Nine is rumoured to have signed the comedy duo to a two-year deal, for what is variously said to be 15 episodes or two batches of 10 hours, the network has refused to offer any details or even confirmation of a deal. Any news about what viewers can expect is likely to come via the pair’s Facebook page, which has nearly 1.24 million fans, or on their radio show, which is next on air on Friday.

Assuming there really is a deal, the boys could still do very handsomely out of it despite not earning anything like the "fee" that has been quoted.

Typically, a comedy show that is made using a mix of studio and location settings could be expected to cost between $400,000 and $500,000 an hour to produce.

Based on those figures, the costs of making the show would range from $6 million (for 15 episodes at $400,000 each) to $10 million (for two lots of 10 episodes at $500,000 each).

That would leave Blake and Lee with a fee somewhere between a low of $5 million and a high of $11 million.

At the higher end of the scale, the total cost per episode (based on 15 episodes at $17 million) would be slightly more than $1.13 million.

That is high by Australian standards, but not without precedent: Channel Seven is rumoured to have paid in the region of $1.3 million an episode to lure the Working Dog crew's show Thank God You're Here away from Ten.

As one industry figure points out, given the show rated around the 1.5 million viewer mark in its 2009 season on Seven, that equated to almost a dollar per viewer.

At the lower end of the scale, 20 episodes at $15 million would equate to $750,000 per episode, which is high for a comedy show but about the same as an hour of short-run quality drama.

These are, however, no more than very rough estimates. Depending on the number, nature and location of the shows, the cost per episode could be much higher or slightly lower.

And depending on the deal struck between the pair and Nine Lee and Blake will be smiling quite broadly or extremely broadly. Either way, they’re highly likely to be happy little campers.

Blake and Lee had parlayed their incredibly successful Austereo radio program into a burgeoning television career, with one-off specials and appearances on Ten’s Rove variety program, before last year announcing they would cut back their daily radio commitment to a single weekly show in order to further explore film and TV opportunities.

Blake is currently filming the low-budget comedy Two Little Boys on the south island of New Zealand, with Flight of the Conchords star Bret McKenzie.

In response to queries about his well-being in the wake of yesterday’s earthquake, which has devastated Christchurch, Lee posted the following comment on Facebook last night: "Thanks for concerns, Ham is much further south than where the earthquake is. Our thoughts are with those in effected areas. I’m also fine."

Source http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/the-truth-about-hamish-and-andys-tv-deal-20110223-1b4sn.html

Grammy awards watched by more than 26 million in US

This year's Grammy awards were watched by 26.66 million TV viewers in the US, its biggest audience for 11 years.

Viewing figures were up around 3% from last year's audience of 25.87m, broadcaster CBS said.

The show saw Lady Gaga emerging from a giant egg and an all-star tribute to soul queen Aretha Franklin.

Reviews for Sunday's show have been mixed, with the Hollywood Reporter's critic calling it "lousy" and "badly paced".

"The 53rd annual Grammy awards went on longer than a Bruce Springsteen concert," wrote Tim Goodman. "And not in a good way."

Yet the Los Angeles Times was more positive, saying "the line-up's generational range was impressive".

"In the end the spirit belonged to the future, as unpredictable and fragmented as it may be," wrote Ann Powers.

Country trio Lady Antebellum won five prizes, including song of the year and record of the year for their hit Need You Now.

Lady Gaga went home with three awards, as did rapper Jay-Z and soul star John Legend.

Source http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12462960

Two badly beaten in Cronulla gang attack

THE violent attack on two teens by a gang armed with baseball bats and metal pipes at Cronulla beach last night was a pre-planned fight over a girl, police say.

The 18-year-old man and 17-year-old boy were at South Cronulla beach about 8.30pm on Monday when they were approached by a group of up to 12 armed teenagers.

An argument broke out, with members of the gang producing baseball bats and metal pipes.

The man was struck a number of times, suffering suspected fractured eye sockets and a broken jaw.

He was taken to St George Hospital in a stable condition.

Miranda Local Area Commander Detective Superintendent Jenny Hayes said inquiries have revealed the pre-planned fight was over a girl.

“The 18-year-old discharged himself from hospital and has told us he plans to seek treatment from his family doctor,” Detective Superintendent Hayes said.

The 17-year-old was severely bruised in the attack but didn't require hospital treatment.

The gang ran from the area immediately after the attack.

Police are hoping to speak with a number of witnesses who were in the area at the time.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source http://www.news.com.au/national/two-badly-beaten-in-cronulla-gang-attack/story-e6frfkvr-1226002212408

Jamie Oliver offers free meals in Ipswich

CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver has sped up his arrival in the flood-ravaged city of Ipswich, offering free meals to 250 people a day.

Oliver's Ministry of Food kitchen in Ipswich, his first such centre in Australia, was due to open around March.

"Construction for the new Ministry of Food Ipswich was due to commence this week. However given the devastation to the local area, we've put those plans on hold for now to help get the community back on its feet," said program manager for the Ministry of Food Australia, Alicia Peardon.

The centre will be open for two weeks as a drop-in centre for the Ipswich community.

Jamie's Ministry of Food Flood Relief Program, funded by electrical goods retailer The Good Guys, will provide free meals to 250 people per day from Wednesday at the Ministry of Food Centre Ipswich in d'Arcy Doyle Place.

"I've been as shocked as anyone by the scenes of devastation in Queensland and the tragic stories to go with them," Oliver said in a statement.

"It's only right that the Ministry of Food Centre in Ipswich plays its part in helping the community, so I hope that providing free freshly cooked meals for those who need them most will go some way to helping the local community and relief workers in the coming days and weeks.

"The people of Queensland are always in my thoughts at the moment," the British chef said.

Residents and volunteers have been invited to drop in throughout the day for tea and coffee and to collect a meal voucher for a nutritious dinner served between 6pm and 7.30pm (AEST) daily.

Boystown Counselling service will move into the venue in the Ipswich CBD as it becomes a community hub where people can come and get information, support services and a meal for no cost.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said he was delighted to hear of the support being offered by the service.

Source http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/jamie-oliver-offers-free-meals-in-ipswich/story-e6frfmqi-1225991171970

After years of questions over her face, Nicole Kidman admits: I HAVE used Botox

Botox? Not me! That, at least, used to be Nicole Kidman’s response to questions about how she kept her complexion so porcelain perfect.

Now, however, she has performed something of an about-face.

The Oscar-winning actress, 43, has finally admitted to having Botox injections.

But she insisted she no longer uses it, because she did not like the results.

She wasn’t the only one.

In 2008, one cosmetic surgery expert told a medical conference that Miss Kidman was so ‘over-Botoxed’ she was giving the industry a bad name.

Miss Kidman, 43, made her confession to a German magazine interviewer who asked her about keeping wrinkles at bay.

‘I’ve tried a lot of things but apart from working out and a good diet most things don’t help,’ she replied.

‘I even tried Botox but I didn’t like how my face looked afterwards. Now I don’t use it anymore - and I can move my forehead again.’

Her previous declarations on the subject included: ‘I am completely natural. I have nothing in my face or anything.’

Source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1346309/Nicole-Kidman-admits-having-used-Botox-years-questions.html

Jackson's kids watched father slip away

MICHAEL Jackson's head of security testified that two of the singer's children watched as his physician Conrad Murray tried to revive the star when he stopped breathing in the bedroom of his Los Angeles mansion.

Bodyguard Faheem Muhammad was summoned to the witness stand at Tuesday's (local time) preliminary hearing at the Los Angeles County Superior Court to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to try Murray for involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death.

Muhammad said Jackson's children Prince and Paris were near the entrance of the bedroom of the rented Holmby Hills house as their father's life began to slip away after taking a powerful cocktail of sedatives, including Propofol.

The singer's daughter, Paris, was on "the ground on her hands and knees and she was crying," Muhammad recalled.

He said he and another guard looked at each other in disbelief when Murray asked if anyone in the room knew CPR.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren also told the court how Murray tried to conceal the fact he had administered Propofol to Jackson by waiting up to 21 minutes before calling 911 and hiding evidence of his medical treatment.

Walgren said based on phone records and witness accounts Murray left a frantic message on the cellphone of Jackson's personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams, before calling paramedics.

Williams testified that the physician told him that Jackson "had a bad reaction" and that he should "get someone" to the house immediately.

Williams sent Muhammad to the bedroom where the guard said he saw the singer sprawled out on the floor next to his bed with his eyes and mouth open as Murray knelt over him.

The personal assistant said that Murray then tried to hide evidence the star had taken the sedatives by asking another security guard, Alberto Alvarez, to help him collect pill bottles and medical paraphernalia in a bag.

Walgren said when paramedics arrived Murrary did not mention Jackson had taken Propofol and instead told them that the performer was "exhausted from rehearsals."

Murray again failed to mention he had administered the anesthetic when doctors at the emergency room of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center questioned him, Walgren said.

Muhammad said after Jackson had been pronounced dead at the center, Murray told him he was hungry and left to get something to eat.

Renowned choreographer Kenny Ortega, producer and director of the Jackson concert film "This Is It," also testified at the hearing.

He said the singer showed up for a rehearsal at Staples Center six days before his death looking too weak to perform for his planned comeback concerts.

Ortega said the next day he met at Jackson's mansion with the singer, his manager, the concert promoter and Murray who insisted the star was emotionally and physically strong enough to perform.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled in August 2009 that Jackson died on June 25, 2009 of acute Propofol intoxication.

Propofol is used in hospitals to sedate and anesthetize patients. It is not approved for home use or to treat sleep disorders.

California authorities ruled Jackson's death a homicide by the mixture of drugs in his body and Murray was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Murray, who faces up to four years in prison if convicted, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Murray has admitted he gave Jackson sedatives. However the doctor's attorney claimed in court documents that when Murray was out of the room Jackson woke up and gave himself more, TMZ reported.

His attorney, Ed Chernoff, declined to make an opening statement at Tuesday's preliminary hearing which is expected to last up to eight days as prosecutors plan to call as many as 30 witnesses.

Some court experts say the evidence against Murray could be so overwhelming he may agree to a plea bargain and some prison time less than five years.

Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/jacksons-kids-watched-father-slip-away/story-e6frf7jx-1225982562297