Sunday, February 14, 2010
Uddhav Thackeray blames Ashok Chavan for Pune blast
MUMBAI: Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray Sunday squarely blamed Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan's immature politics as
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"responsible for the Pune terror attack".
"It is because of the sins of the CM that nine innocent persons have lost their lives in the attack," Uddhav said in a brief statement from Badlapur in Thane.
Uddhav alleged that in order to protect (Shah Rukh) Khan, a massive security force had been withdrawn from sensitive locations and deployed on the roads last week.
"Instead, if that security had been appropriately deployed at the requisite places, then the terror attack could have been prevented," Uddhav said.
A bomb ripped through the German Bakery in Pune's posh Koregaon Park area Saturday evening, killing nine and injuring 57, including foreign nationals.
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"responsible for the Pune terror attack".
"It is because of the sins of the CM that nine innocent persons have lost their lives in the attack," Uddhav said in a brief statement from Badlapur in Thane.
Uddhav alleged that in order to protect (Shah Rukh) Khan, a massive security force had been withdrawn from sensitive locations and deployed on the roads last week.
"Instead, if that security had been appropriately deployed at the requisite places, then the terror attack could have been prevented," Uddhav said.
A bomb ripped through the German Bakery in Pune's posh Koregaon Park area Saturday evening, killing nine and injuring 57, including foreign nationals.
Pune blast: Chidambaram denies intelligence failure, Maharashtra ATS takes over probe
PUNE: Dismissing "intelligence failure" in the Pune blast, Union home minister P Chidambaram on Sunday said the terrorists have hit a "soft target"
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like the German Bakery which is frequented by foreigners and Indians alike.
He maintained that the "hard targets" like the Osho Ashram and the Jewish Chabad House located near the bakery had been surveyed by US Lashker-e-Taiba suspect David Headley during his visit to India and the area was "in the radar" of terrorists for some time.
"But apart from hard targets, there are soft targets... All these (the German Bakery where the blast took place yesterday and an Italian restaurant nearby) are soft targets where foreigners and Indians congregate especially during the peak hours," he told reporters here after visiting local hospitals to meet the injured in the terror attack.
The home minister said the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has taken over the case and constituted teams to investigate the blast.
He announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those killed in the attack.
Terror struck Pune on Saturday night as a powerful bomb ripped apart a popular bakery near the Chabad House, killing nine people and injuring 45 in the first major attack since 26/11 carnage.
None of the nine persons killed in the Pune blast is a foreigner, Union home secretary Gopal K Pillai said on Sunday.
"None of the bodies of the nine killed has been identified yet as that of a foreigner. Out of the nine, three bodies have been identified which are of Indians and others' identification process is still going on," he told reporters.
After the blast took place at a German Bakery in Pune last night, it was reported that one among the dead is a foreigner.
Pillai said among the injured, four are Iranians, two Sudanese, one Taiwanese, one German and two Nepalese.
The improvised explosive device, kept in a packet outside the kitchen of the German Bakery, exploded at around 7.30 pm when a waiter attempted to open it.
The Union home minister said it appears that a "person or more persons pretending as customers seem to have come to the German Bakery and one of them might have left a backpack under a table" in the bakery.
Denying any "intelligence failure" with regard to the incident, he said police had been sensitised about Osho Ashram and Chabad House which are located in the area.
"So, this area is on the radar of terrorists. There is no intelligence failure, but please remember this is not an overt attack by gunmen. This an insidious bomb that had been planted in what appears to be a backpack."
He said the Pune Police had in the past "sensitised all the establishments in the area, especially in North Main Road... that they should take measures in order to keep away or at least identify potential trouble-makers.
"In some bigger establishments some mock-drills were conducted. But it is not that they were sensitised every day. They were sensitised as this is the area which is on the radar of terrorists, being the location of Chabad House in the general neighbourhood... this area was vulnerable," he said.
Asked if anyone has been detained in this connection, he replied, "We will not give you hourly reports on detention or interrogation, that is very wrong. The police should not do that and they have been advised not to do that."
He said the media will be given information periodically whenever necessary and asked it not to "speculate".
Chidamabaram said the forensic scientists, including those from Delhi, have gathered samples and "we would shortly have a report on what kind of explosives were used.
"Let the analysis report come, then we will be able to identify what explosives were used and what trigger was used and then we can draw some conclusions."
Asked whether any particular terrorist outfit was involved, including the Indian Mujahideen, Chidambaram said "We are not ruling out anything and ruling in anything."
On links of Headley's recce and yesterday's blast, he said it will be "premature" to draw any conclusion.
"David Headley had surveyed the Chabad House, that is a fact. At the moment, it is a stand-alone fact. Whether this particular incident is related to that, it is premature to answer that. We have to wait for the investigation to find out who perhaps is behind this incident."
To a question whether the blast would affect the proposed foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan, the minister said, "I have not come here to answer questions on the diplomatic or external affairs side. Those are matters we will consider in Delhi...that we will discuss when I get back to Delhi."
Asked if the state government did not take intelligence inputs seriously, he said, "No, it is not correct. The state government had taken the advice seriously and the police put in place security measures in the hard targets... what has happened is an insidious planting of the bomb."
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like the German Bakery which is frequented by foreigners and Indians alike.
He maintained that the "hard targets" like the Osho Ashram and the Jewish Chabad House located near the bakery had been surveyed by US Lashker-e-Taiba suspect David Headley during his visit to India and the area was "in the radar" of terrorists for some time.
"But apart from hard targets, there are soft targets... All these (the German Bakery where the blast took place yesterday and an Italian restaurant nearby) are soft targets where foreigners and Indians congregate especially during the peak hours," he told reporters here after visiting local hospitals to meet the injured in the terror attack.
The home minister said the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad has taken over the case and constituted teams to investigate the blast.
He announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those killed in the attack.
Terror struck Pune on Saturday night as a powerful bomb ripped apart a popular bakery near the Chabad House, killing nine people and injuring 45 in the first major attack since 26/11 carnage.
None of the nine persons killed in the Pune blast is a foreigner, Union home secretary Gopal K Pillai said on Sunday.
"None of the bodies of the nine killed has been identified yet as that of a foreigner. Out of the nine, three bodies have been identified which are of Indians and others' identification process is still going on," he told reporters.
After the blast took place at a German Bakery in Pune last night, it was reported that one among the dead is a foreigner.
Pillai said among the injured, four are Iranians, two Sudanese, one Taiwanese, one German and two Nepalese.
The improvised explosive device, kept in a packet outside the kitchen of the German Bakery, exploded at around 7.30 pm when a waiter attempted to open it.
The Union home minister said it appears that a "person or more persons pretending as customers seem to have come to the German Bakery and one of them might have left a backpack under a table" in the bakery.
Denying any "intelligence failure" with regard to the incident, he said police had been sensitised about Osho Ashram and Chabad House which are located in the area.
"So, this area is on the radar of terrorists. There is no intelligence failure, but please remember this is not an overt attack by gunmen. This an insidious bomb that had been planted in what appears to be a backpack."
He said the Pune Police had in the past "sensitised all the establishments in the area, especially in North Main Road... that they should take measures in order to keep away or at least identify potential trouble-makers.
"In some bigger establishments some mock-drills were conducted. But it is not that they were sensitised every day. They were sensitised as this is the area which is on the radar of terrorists, being the location of Chabad House in the general neighbourhood... this area was vulnerable," he said.
Asked if anyone has been detained in this connection, he replied, "We will not give you hourly reports on detention or interrogation, that is very wrong. The police should not do that and they have been advised not to do that."
He said the media will be given information periodically whenever necessary and asked it not to "speculate".
Chidamabaram said the forensic scientists, including those from Delhi, have gathered samples and "we would shortly have a report on what kind of explosives were used.
"Let the analysis report come, then we will be able to identify what explosives were used and what trigger was used and then we can draw some conclusions."
Asked whether any particular terrorist outfit was involved, including the Indian Mujahideen, Chidambaram said "We are not ruling out anything and ruling in anything."
On links of Headley's recce and yesterday's blast, he said it will be "premature" to draw any conclusion.
"David Headley had surveyed the Chabad House, that is a fact. At the moment, it is a stand-alone fact. Whether this particular incident is related to that, it is premature to answer that. We have to wait for the investigation to find out who perhaps is behind this incident."
To a question whether the blast would affect the proposed foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan, the minister said, "I have not come here to answer questions on the diplomatic or external affairs side. Those are matters we will consider in Delhi...that we will discuss when I get back to Delhi."
Asked if the state government did not take intelligence inputs seriously, he said, "No, it is not correct. The state government had taken the advice seriously and the police put in place security measures in the hard targets... what has happened is an insidious planting of the bomb."
Friday, September 4, 2009
Outpouring of grief as YSR's body reaches his hometown
HYDERABAD: There was an outpouring of grief across Andhra Pradesh on Friday with much of the state shutting down to mourn the late chief minister Y An Indian Army carriage transports the coffin of deceased Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as supporters pay their last tributes.
S Rajasekhara Reddy, whose funeral cortege snaked its way through surging crowds from his home here to the stadium where national leaders and people lined up to pay homage.
The body was then flown on Friday afternoon to Pulivendula, his native town in Kadapa district, for burial. The body was flown in an army helicopter from Begumpet airport here after thousands of people paid their last respects at the L S Stadium in Hyderbad.
YSR, who died in a chopper crash Wednesday, will be laid to rest at the family estate Edupulapaya in Pulivendula town by the side of his parents.
Earlier, several people were injured in a stampede at the Lal Bahadur Stadium, forcing authorities to move the body of the late Andhra Pradesh CM an hour before schedule.
Police failed to control the surging mourners, who broke barricades at several points to rush towards the body kept on a pedestal in the middle of the ground.
Several people were injured, some of them seriously, as police used force to control the crowds. As the situation was going out of control, the late leader's son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had a word with military and police officers to shift the body to Begumpet airport, from where it would be flown to his native Pulivendula town for the funeral.
Though the body was scheduled to be kept at the stadium till 2 pm to enable people to pay their last respects, the situation forced the authorities to move it out at 1 pm.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi were among the many leaders who flew in from New Delhi to condole the death of the chief minister, whose body was found in the forests of Nallamala on Thursday, a day after his helicopter had crashed.
That YSR, as the chief minister was popularly known, was one of the Congress' most powerful leaders was underscored by reports that 67 people had died in the state - either out of shock or by committing suicide - after hearing about the death.
Accompanied by several central ministers, Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi laid wreaths on the body placed in his residence and camp office in Begumpet. They met the late leader's wife Vijayalakshmi, son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who issued an appeal asking people not to commit suicide, and daughter Sharmila.
From the camp office, the body of YSR was taken to the Congress headquarters Gandhi Bhavan to enable party leaders to pay respect and from there to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, six kilometres away, where he had been sworn in for a second term in office only four months ago.
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had taken oath as chief minister for a second term on May 20 in this stadium where his body was now brought to enable people to pay their last respects.
Standing in an open top jeep and accompanied by his wife, son and other family members, the 60-year-old had entered the stadium four months ago waving to thousands of his supporters when he took oath.
Though the gathering was huge on Friday too, this time they came to bid a tearful farewell to him. All the way to the stadium were teeming mourners, lined up along the road, on rooftops and packed into the stadium to bid adieu to the man, who had steered the Congress to victory for a second term and died a sudden, tragic death they were still coming to terms with.
Thousands of others accompanied the funeral procession as it slowly made its way to the stadium where leaders from across the political spectrum, including Bharatiya Janata Party's L K Advani, paid tribute.
Hundreds of vehicles followed the flower-bedecked truck in which the body, draped in the national flag, was kept.
Standing by the side of his father's body was his MP son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who was appealing to people to allow the vehicle to move. Holding national flags, some ran towards the truck to have a closer look at the casket and console YSR’s son.
In the rest of state, a silence fell with normal life coming to a crippling halt. Schools, colleges, offices, shops and businesses closed as a mark of respect to the leader, whose last rites will be performed in his native town Pulivendula in Kadapa district later on Friday.
The usual morning bustle was missing as the government declared a two-day holiday -- Thursday and Friday. The state government has declared a seven-day mourning period. Cable TV operators took all entertainment channels off air.
Guntur, Ongole, Kurnool, Nizamabad, Nellore, Warangal... the situation was similar everywhere.
As the people and his family prepared for the funeral at Pulivendula, where YSR's body will be taken by air, the Congress began to grapple with who would fill the void.
Though finance minister K. Rosaiah has been acting chief minister, YSR's loyalists want his 36-year-old son to be made chief minister. Nearly half the 34-member cabinet backs the demand, saying this would be best tribute to YSR.
YSR's iron-like grip over the party ensured that he completed five years without any dissension. Within hours of his death, however, infighting had broken out over who would inherit his legacy
S Rajasekhara Reddy, whose funeral cortege snaked its way through surging crowds from his home here to the stadium where national leaders and people lined up to pay homage.
The body was then flown on Friday afternoon to Pulivendula, his native town in Kadapa district, for burial. The body was flown in an army helicopter from Begumpet airport here after thousands of people paid their last respects at the L S Stadium in Hyderbad.
YSR, who died in a chopper crash Wednesday, will be laid to rest at the family estate Edupulapaya in Pulivendula town by the side of his parents.
Earlier, several people were injured in a stampede at the Lal Bahadur Stadium, forcing authorities to move the body of the late Andhra Pradesh CM an hour before schedule.
Police failed to control the surging mourners, who broke barricades at several points to rush towards the body kept on a pedestal in the middle of the ground.
Several people were injured, some of them seriously, as police used force to control the crowds. As the situation was going out of control, the late leader's son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy had a word with military and police officers to shift the body to Begumpet airport, from where it would be flown to his native Pulivendula town for the funeral.
Though the body was scheduled to be kept at the stadium till 2 pm to enable people to pay their last respects, the situation forced the authorities to move it out at 1 pm.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi were among the many leaders who flew in from New Delhi to condole the death of the chief minister, whose body was found in the forests of Nallamala on Thursday, a day after his helicopter had crashed.
That YSR, as the chief minister was popularly known, was one of the Congress' most powerful leaders was underscored by reports that 67 people had died in the state - either out of shock or by committing suicide - after hearing about the death.
Accompanied by several central ministers, Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi laid wreaths on the body placed in his residence and camp office in Begumpet. They met the late leader's wife Vijayalakshmi, son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who issued an appeal asking people not to commit suicide, and daughter Sharmila.
From the camp office, the body of YSR was taken to the Congress headquarters Gandhi Bhavan to enable party leaders to pay respect and from there to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, six kilometres away, where he had been sworn in for a second term in office only four months ago.
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had taken oath as chief minister for a second term on May 20 in this stadium where his body was now brought to enable people to pay their last respects.
Standing in an open top jeep and accompanied by his wife, son and other family members, the 60-year-old had entered the stadium four months ago waving to thousands of his supporters when he took oath.
Though the gathering was huge on Friday too, this time they came to bid a tearful farewell to him. All the way to the stadium were teeming mourners, lined up along the road, on rooftops and packed into the stadium to bid adieu to the man, who had steered the Congress to victory for a second term and died a sudden, tragic death they were still coming to terms with.
Thousands of others accompanied the funeral procession as it slowly made its way to the stadium where leaders from across the political spectrum, including Bharatiya Janata Party's L K Advani, paid tribute.
Hundreds of vehicles followed the flower-bedecked truck in which the body, draped in the national flag, was kept.
Standing by the side of his father's body was his MP son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who was appealing to people to allow the vehicle to move. Holding national flags, some ran towards the truck to have a closer look at the casket and console YSR’s son.
In the rest of state, a silence fell with normal life coming to a crippling halt. Schools, colleges, offices, shops and businesses closed as a mark of respect to the leader, whose last rites will be performed in his native town Pulivendula in Kadapa district later on Friday.
The usual morning bustle was missing as the government declared a two-day holiday -- Thursday and Friday. The state government has declared a seven-day mourning period. Cable TV operators took all entertainment channels off air.
Guntur, Ongole, Kurnool, Nizamabad, Nellore, Warangal... the situation was similar everywhere.
As the people and his family prepared for the funeral at Pulivendula, where YSR's body will be taken by air, the Congress began to grapple with who would fill the void.
Though finance minister K. Rosaiah has been acting chief minister, YSR's loyalists want his 36-year-old son to be made chief minister. Nearly half the 34-member cabinet backs the demand, saying this would be best tribute to YSR.
YSR's iron-like grip over the party ensured that he completed five years without any dissension. Within hours of his death, however, infighting had broken out over who would inherit his legacy
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Madonna Biography
Madonna's father, Silvio Ciccone was an Italian-American. He worked as a design engineer for Chrysler/General Motors. Her mother, Madonna Louise, was of French-Canadian heritage. The third of six children, Madonna was raised as a Catholic, in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township.
When Madonna was five, her mother died of breast cancer and father went on to marry their housekeeper, with whom he fathered another two children.
At high school, Madonna was a straight-A student as well as a member of the school cheerleading squad. She took dance classes from a young age and eventually earned a dance scholarship for the University of Michigan
Madonna: Music and Film Career
Madonna moved to New York to pursue a dancing career in 1977. She formed her first band, The Breakfast Club, with then-boyfriend Dan Gilroy. She sang and played guitar and drums in the band. Her second band, Emmy, with another boyfriend, Stephen Bray, brought her attention in New York's dance clubs. One local DJ was so impressed with her dance recording demo tapes that he passed them on to Seymour Stein, the infamous founder of Sire Records.
Stein signed Madonna to a singles deal. Her first release, in 1982, was 'Everybody'. The track reached number three in the Billboard Hot Dance/Club chart, as did its follow-up 'Burning Up', the next year. The success of the singles convinced Stein to finance a full-length album. Madonna, released in 1983, was also a success, peaking at number eight on the US album chart.
The follow-up album, Like A Virgin, became Madonna's first US number one album. Her popularity drew a massive wave of look-alikes, with girls bleaching their hair and wearing fishnet tights, to copy Madonna's style. The title track from the album was also a number one success, this time on the mainstream Billboard Hot 100 chart. Madonna performed the song 'Like A Virgin' at the first ever MTV Video Awards. She performed the song on top of a giant wedding cake.
Madonna's second number one single and first Grammy Award nomination came with 1985's 'Crazy For You'. The song was from the Vision Quest soundtrack. The film featured Madonna in a small role, playing a club singer. Later that year, she starred in Desperately Seeking Susan. 'Into The Groove', from the film's soundtrack, became Madonna's first UK number one. Later that year, Madonna undertook her first US concert tour, with rap group The Beastie Boys.
In 1986, Madonna released True Blue. The album spawned five hit singles, including 'Live To Tell', 'Papa Don't Preach' and 'Open Your Heart', which all reached number one in the US. The next year. Madonna contributed four songs to the soundtrack to Who's That Girl?, another film featuring the singer in a lead role. At the time, Madonna's 'Who's That Girl?' World Tour was the highest-grossing tour in music history. Pope John Paul II encouraged fans to boycott her Italian performances.
Like a Prayer, Madonna's fourth studio album, was released in 1989 and featured Prince playing guitar on two songs. The album reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
The next year, Madonna starred in Dick Tracy and again, was featured on the soundtrack, which reflected the 1930's setting of the film. The album, I'm Breathless, sold over seven million copies worldwide. Later on in 1990, Madonna embarked on the 'Blond Ambition World Tour', which found her critcised for her dance routine during 'Like A Virgin', in which she simulated masturbation. In November of the same year, her first greatest hits collection was released: The Immaculate Collection. 'Rescue Me', one of two new songs on the compilation, became the highest-debuting single by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for the other new track, 'Justify My Love', was banned from MTV for its explicitly sexual overtones. The single became her ninth number one.
Continuing her chart domination, Madonna's next single, in 1992, was her tenth number one. 'This Used To Be My Playground' was taken from the soundtrack to her latest venture, A League Of Their Own. That same year, Madonna set up Maverick Records and released the book SEX, a publication of explicit photographs of Madonna by Steven Meisel. The accompanying album was entitled Erotica. The single of the same name became the highest-debuting single in US history. Madonna's next two films were not brilliantly received, either publicly or by critics. Body of Evidence contained a number of S&M scenes and Dangerous Game was denied a theatrical release. Her overtly sexual image continued and Orthodox Jews protested against her first Israel concert. Her critics were not appeased when she removed her underwear on the Late Show with David Letterman in 1994.
Madonna's sixth studio album was entitled Bedtime Stories, produced by Dallas Austin and nominated for a Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Album. The title track was co-written by Icelandic pop star Björk and 'Take A Bow' stayed at number one for seven weeks.
In 1996, Madonna returned to acting and starred in Evita, playing the role of Eva Perón. The soundtrack became her 12th platinum album. 'You Must Love Me', from the film, won both and Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture. She also won a Best Actress Golden Globe for her performance.
The next year, Madonna's album Ray of Light was released. Produced by William Orbit, the album won three Grammy Awards. She also released 'Beautiful Stranger', again with Orbit at the helm, for the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. In 2000, Madonna covered Don McLean's 'American Pie' for the soundtrack to her film The Next Best Thing. The follow up to Ray of Light saw Madonna continuing the electronic sound she had developed with William Orbit. Music went to number one in both the UK and US album charts. Her international success began to falter in 2002 when she starred in Swept Away, directed by her husband Guy Ritchie. The film was a failure and failed to obtain a theatre release in Europe. Her song 'Die Another Day', for the 20th James Bond theme earned her both a 'Best Original Song' nomination at the Grammys and a 'Worst Song' Golden Raspberry nomination.
American Life was the title of Madonna's ninth studio album, released in 2003. It was the lowest-selling album of her career, despite selling over four million copies. At that year's MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna courted more controversy by sharing a kiss with both Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears during their onstage performance. Her 'Re-Invention World Tour was the largest-grossing tour of 2004, and earned $125 million.
Confessions on a Dancefloor, released in 2005, sold over 8 million copies. Madonna opened the 2006 Grammy awards with a performance of 'Hung Up.' It's follow-up, 'Sorry', made her the female artist with the highest number of number one singles in the UK. The 'Confessions' tour was the highest-grossing tour ever for a female artist.
2007 saw Madonna leaving Warner Bros. and signing a new 10-year contract with Live Nation. The contract is reported to be worth $120 million and covers merchandise, albums and promotion. Her Warner Bros. obligations were completed with the 2008 release of Hard Candy, which features contributions from Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake. In December 2007, Timberlake inducted Madonna to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Madonna: Personal Life
Madonna has had a number of high-profile relationships with men in the entertainment industry. Most notably, she has dated artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, musician Jellybean Benitez, actor Warren Beatty, rapper Vanilla Ice and basketball player Dennis Rodman.
In 1985, Madonna married Sean Penn, whom she had met on the set for the 'Material Girl' video. The couple was officially divorced in 1989.
Madonna met Carlos Leon whilst walking in Central Park. They began dating and Madonna gave birth to their daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon on 14.10.1996. The relationship ended in 1997. Two years later, she met Guy Ritchie and gave birth to their son, Rocco John Ritchie. The pair married in Scotland in 2000.
In 2006, Madonna adopted a Malawian child, David Banda. The adoption caused outrage in some quarters as the adoption was not deemed to be legal and it was thought that Madonna had received special treatment due to her international profile.
Maddona crying for a death Jaco
Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor are very surprised to hear news of their death, Michael Jackson. Madonna can not even claim to stop crying because the king of pop is.
I can not cry is heard the news. I always adore Michael Jackson. The world lost one of the best," says Madonna
Elizabeth Taylor is familiar with the famous father to three children are at this time can not issue a statement. Representative Elizabeth says her client is not able to sorrow giving response.
Michael Jackson is close to many famous celebrities of the world. Singer Cher is also the first time respected for Jacko met when young. According to Cher, the man born 29 August 1958 it always looks amazing and optimistic.
As has been made, the man who hits song with the 'Black or White' to die at the age of 50. Jacko expire after the last breath was to the Los Angeles hospital due to heart attack.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Michael Jackson's uncanny pre-death premonition
With all the newfound speculation about the role prescription drugs may have played in the tragic death of pop legend Michael Jackson and the similarities between his death and the death of king of rock Elvis, or more recently of Heath Ledger, coupled with the Jackson family’s new request to have a second, private autopsy performed on the singer’s body, intrigue is running high. To add fuel to the fire, Lisa Marie Presley, former wife of the musician, has reportedly blogged on Myspace (as confirmed by E! News) about an eerie conversation she had with her ex-husband several years ago, in which he spoke to her about his death. She describes that during a conversation about her own father’s death, “At some point [Michael] paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, 'I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did.'" It seems as though, somehow, Jackson knew that this was the end in store for him. This unusual story only seems to add to the portrait of the tragic figure Michal Jackson is quickly becoming in American pop culture. Presley later remarks, in reference to her own much speculated relationship with Jackson, "I wanted to save him from the inevitable, which is what has just happened." It seems in a slew of praise and appreciation for the singer’s professional career and vision, his private life has become a source for great sorrow, confusion, and unanswered questions
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Katrina Kaif News : I'm the first Indian to be the face of Barbie: Katrina Kaif
British-born actress Katrina Kaif, whose face will now adorn Barbie dolls, says contrary to what people believe her Barbie is not an Indian counterpart of the international brand. She also feels that in many ways it's an endorsement of how kids connect with her.
'I'd call it a fun honour. To have your face on dolls that you've played with from childhood is quite flattering. We've been in negotiation for nearly six months. It finally came together for the 50-year celebration of Barbie,' Katrina told IANS.
'Contrary to what people believe my Barbie is not an Indian counterpart of the international brand. It's an honour because I'm the first Indian to be the face of Barbie. I'll be dressed the way the Barbie is all over the world.
'And I think in many ways it's an endorsement of how kids connect with me. You can't be the face of an international doll unless kids like you. I like that. The thought that kids like me enough to make me a part of their doll collection is very gratifying,' the 24-year-old said.
The actress walked the ramp as the showstopper at a special show dedicated to Barbie at the Lakme Fashion Week here. She sported a small pink dress that the 'Katrina Barbie' will be wearing from September.
With the Barbie image coming to the surface, Katrina is a little worried about the bubbly-girl image that she'd like to change.
'So much for my attempts to move to more mature level as an actor,' laughed the actress. 'I guess Prakash Jha's 'Rajneeti' will take care of that. But I'm very happy being the clean healthy Barbie-girl next door.'
The doll's look and dress were planned in collaboration with Katrina.
'It is quite something, if you think about it. But I'd rather not. I don't want my head to get swollen. For me, it's enough that I was chosen because I reflect a certain bubbly wholesome personality, quite contrary to the 'sexy' tag that I get in net polls and which I'm not very comfortable with,' she said.
Apart from 'Rajneeti', Katrina's other releases this year are debutant director Anthony D'Souza's underwater thriller 'Blue' and Yash Raj Films' 'New York'
Singer was prepping comeback
Jackson died Thursday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center after being stricken at his rented home in the posh Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him for three-quarters of an hour there before rushing him to the hospital.
His brother Jermaine said Jackson apparently suffered cardiac arrest. The heart can stop for many reasons, from a heart attack to an erratic rhythm that disrupts the heart’s electrical currents.
Jackson was preparing for a monster comeback bid — a series of 50 concerts that was to begin next month in London.
A handful of bleary-eyed fans camped out throughout the night with media outside the Jackson family house in the San Fernando Valley and near his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. People heading to work in New York stopped to pay respects outside Harlem’s Apollo Theater, where Jackson performed as a child.
A producer said Sunday’s BET Awards would be dedicated to Jackson because of his influence on music and pop culture.
“This is going to be the first gathering of people who really cared for and were influenced by him since his death,” said Stephen Hill, an executive producer for the awards. “It’s a tall order for us but we have every intention of paying respect to Michael Jackson.”
Hill said he expects acceptance speeches to be dedicated to Jackson’s memory and the influence he had on the artists.
A screening of Universal Pictures’ “Bruno” in Los Angeles on Thursday night cut a scene involving Jackson’s sister La Toya.
NBC News contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribute
Jackson’s cause of death undetermined
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County coroner’s spokesman Craig Harvey says determining the cause of Michael Jackson’s death will require further tests that will take four to six weeks.
Harvey says there were no signs of foul play or trauma to the body. He also says Jackson was taking some unspecified prescription medications.
The spokesman says Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter is with Jackson’s family
Police investigating Jackson’s death Friday were seeking to interview one of the pop king’s doctors and seized a car that they said may contain drugs or other evidence.
As the three-hour autopsy began Friday morning, police towed a BMW from Jackson’s rented home “because it may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death,” police spokeswoman Karen Rayner said.
She said the car belongs to one of Jackson’s doctors whom police wanted to interview. Rayner stressed the doctor was not under criminal investigation.
Authorities said they spoke with the doctor briefly Thursday and Friday and expected to meet with him again soon.
The Los Angeles Times has identified the physician as Dr. Conrad Murray, 51, a Las Vegas cardiologist, and reports that Murray was administering CPR to Jackson when paramedics arrived.
A woman who answered the phone Friday at Murray's clinic in Houston confirmed to The Associated Press that Murray was Jackson's cardiologist. The woman, who refused to give her name, would not confirm the Los Angeles Times report that Murray performed CPR on Jackson.
The Los Angeles Times cites other published reports saying Jackson had received a shot of Demerol before going into cardiac arrest.
The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners Web site shows no complaints filed against Murray in the four years he's been a licensed cardiologist in Texas
Jackson's doctor practices in three states
In a 911 call released by fire officials, a caller reports Jackson was on a bed and not breathing or responding to CPR. The unidentified caller said Jackson only was with his personal doctor at the time. The pop star died later Thursday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center.
As stores reported they were inundated with orders for Jackson’s music, a chorus of grief for the megastar spread around the world, from statesmen to icons of music to legions of heartbroken fans.
“I can’t stop crying. This is too sudden and shocking,” said Diana Ross, who helped launch Jackson’s career. “I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting.”
Lisa Marie Presley, briefly married to the pop icon in the mid-1990s, said he had confided to her 14 years ago that he worried about facing the same tragic fate as her father, Elvis Presley, who died of a drug overdose at age 42.
“The world is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right,” she wrote in a long, emotional statement on her MySpace page online.
The White House also weighed in for the first time, with a spokesman saying President Barack Obama saw Jackson as a spectacular performer and music icon whose life nonetheless had sad and tragic aspects. The House of Representatives observed a moment of silence.
Painkillers a concern
Brian Oxman, a former Jackson attorney and a family friend, said Friday he had been concerned about Jackson’s use of painkillers and had warned the singer’s family about possible abuse
Painkillers a concern
Brian Oxman, a former Jackson attorney and a family friend, said Friday he had been concerned about Jackson’s use of painkillers and had warned the singer’s family about possible abuse
I said one day, we’re going to have this experience. And when Anna Nicole Smith passed away, I said we cannot have this kind of thing with Michael Jackson,” Oxman said on NBC’s TODAY show. “The result was, I warned everyone, and lo and behold, here we are. I don’t know what caused his death. But I feared this day, and here we are.”
Oxman claimed Jackson had prescription drugs at his disposal to help with pain suffered when he broke his leg after he fell off a stage and for broken vertebrae in his back.
After Jackson was acquitted on child molestation charges in 2005, prosecutors argued against returning to Jackson items including syringes, the drug Demerol and prescriptions for various drugs, mainly antibiotics, in different people’s names.
Harvey says there were no signs of foul play or trauma to the body. He also says Jackson was taking some unspecified prescription medications.
The spokesman says Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter is with Jackson’s family
Police investigating Jackson’s death Friday were seeking to interview one of the pop king’s doctors and seized a car that they said may contain drugs or other evidence.
As the three-hour autopsy began Friday morning, police towed a BMW from Jackson’s rented home “because it may contain medications or other evidence that may assist the coroner in determining the cause of death,” police spokeswoman Karen Rayner said.
She said the car belongs to one of Jackson’s doctors whom police wanted to interview. Rayner stressed the doctor was not under criminal investigation.
Authorities said they spoke with the doctor briefly Thursday and Friday and expected to meet with him again soon.
The Los Angeles Times has identified the physician as Dr. Conrad Murray, 51, a Las Vegas cardiologist, and reports that Murray was administering CPR to Jackson when paramedics arrived.
A woman who answered the phone Friday at Murray's clinic in Houston confirmed to The Associated Press that Murray was Jackson's cardiologist. The woman, who refused to give her name, would not confirm the Los Angeles Times report that Murray performed CPR on Jackson.
The Los Angeles Times cites other published reports saying Jackson had received a shot of Demerol before going into cardiac arrest.
The Texas State Board of Medical Examiners Web site shows no complaints filed against Murray in the four years he's been a licensed cardiologist in Texas
Jackson's doctor practices in three states
In a 911 call released by fire officials, a caller reports Jackson was on a bed and not breathing or responding to CPR. The unidentified caller said Jackson only was with his personal doctor at the time. The pop star died later Thursday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center.
As stores reported they were inundated with orders for Jackson’s music, a chorus of grief for the megastar spread around the world, from statesmen to icons of music to legions of heartbroken fans.
“I can’t stop crying. This is too sudden and shocking,” said Diana Ross, who helped launch Jackson’s career. “I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting.”
Lisa Marie Presley, briefly married to the pop icon in the mid-1990s, said he had confided to her 14 years ago that he worried about facing the same tragic fate as her father, Elvis Presley, who died of a drug overdose at age 42.
“The world is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right,” she wrote in a long, emotional statement on her MySpace page online.
The White House also weighed in for the first time, with a spokesman saying President Barack Obama saw Jackson as a spectacular performer and music icon whose life nonetheless had sad and tragic aspects. The House of Representatives observed a moment of silence.
Painkillers a concern
Brian Oxman, a former Jackson attorney and a family friend, said Friday he had been concerned about Jackson’s use of painkillers and had warned the singer’s family about possible abuse
Painkillers a concern
Brian Oxman, a former Jackson attorney and a family friend, said Friday he had been concerned about Jackson’s use of painkillers and had warned the singer’s family about possible abuse
I said one day, we’re going to have this experience. And when Anna Nicole Smith passed away, I said we cannot have this kind of thing with Michael Jackson,” Oxman said on NBC’s TODAY show. “The result was, I warned everyone, and lo and behold, here we are. I don’t know what caused his death. But I feared this day, and here we are.”
Oxman claimed Jackson had prescription drugs at his disposal to help with pain suffered when he broke his leg after he fell off a stage and for broken vertebrae in his back.
After Jackson was acquitted on child molestation charges in 2005, prosecutors argued against returning to Jackson items including syringes, the drug Demerol and prescriptions for various drugs, mainly antibiotics, in different people’s names.
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