Michael Jackson's estate consultant helps AEG Live's defense
Los Angeles (CNN) -- A lawyer for Michael Jackson's
estate gave an entertainment industry consultant permission to help AEG
Live in its defense of the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the pop
singer's mother, the expert testified.
Prince Jackson testifies against AEG
Paris Jackson's deposition
Celebrity substance abuse confessions
Photos: Controversial celebrity deaths
(EW)
-- Last season of "Homeland" ended with a literal and figurative bang,
and this season kicks off with more than a few pieces to pick up.
And that's exactly what Jennifer Aniston will be doing in her latest film We're the Millers, where she plays a stripper. But has she taken on a lifestyle of rockin' her birthday suit on the daily with fiancé Justin Theroux offscreen, too?
John Shearer/Invision/AP
Chelsea Handler asked her BFF during tonight's Chelsea Lately if the tabloid stories that claim Aniston and Theroux have become nudists are true.
LOOK: Check out Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux's dream home
"No, we don't walk around nude, darlin'. I mean, we do when it's appropriate," the actress said, and later added, "It's absolute B.S."
Speaking of strippers and being naked, the soon-to-be Mrs. Theroux will be celebrating her bachelorette party at some point, so what does she want to do? "I would just like to do a little trip to Cabo, or something fun," the actress said while winking to the camera.
"What about a big, black c--k?" Chelsea suggested.
Yeah, we don't know what to say to that, either.
The revelation was a
surprise to Katherine Jackson, who was sitting in court Tuesday
listening to the expert testify that he believed her son would not have
earned any money even if he had not died of a propofol overdose.
If jurors decide AEG Live
is liable in Jackson's death, testimony by Eric Briggs -- whose company
billed the concert promoter $700,000 to prepare his opinion -- could be
used to determine how much in damages the company would have to pay to
Michael Jackson's mother and three children.
Briggs, however,
previously consulted for the Jackson estate in determining a value of
it's biggest asset -- the Sony-ATV music catalog that includes the
Beatles songs. He testified that before he signed a contract to serve as
an expert in AEG Live's defense he sought and gained permission from
the Jackson estate lawyer Jeryll Cohen to waive any potential conflict
of interest.
"She (Cohen) was well aware of everything that was going on," Briggs testified.
Prince Jackson testifies against AEG
Paris Jackson's deposition
Celebrity substance abuse confessions
Photos: Controversial celebrity deaths
A spokesman for the
Michael Jackson estate was unaware of the circumstances or reasons why
the estate would approve the waiver that could be counter to the
interests of its beneficiaries -- Jackson's mother and three children.
An entertainment industry
analyst hired by Jackson lawyers testified he was "reasonably certain"
Jackson would have earned $1.5 billion from touring before retiring if
he had not died while preparing for his comeback concerts in 2009.
Briggs testified that it
was "speculative" that Jackson would have even completed the 50 "This Is
It" concerts that AEG Live had already sold out in London.
Briggs said that based
on what he'd learned from testimony in the case, he believed that
Jackson would have died before the first show -- even if he had not
suffered the fatal overdose of a surgical anesthetic on June 25, 2009.
He cited the testimony of a doctor who said that Jackson would have been
dead within a week if he remained under the care of Dr. Conrad Murray.
The Jackson lawsuit
contends AEG Live is liable in Jackson's death because it negligently
hired, retained or supervised Murray, who was convicted of involuntary
manslaughter in the pop icon's death.
The Erk opinion included
$300 million that he estimated Jackson would have earned from
endorsements and sponsorships. But Briggs testified that "significantly
negative headlines, drug abuse and other issues" had ruined Jackson's
ability to earn endorsement and sponsorship money.
"Q score" data for
Jackson, which measures his "likability," became dramatically negative
by 2006 -- a year after he was acquitted in a child molestation trial,
he testified. More than seven people said they disliked Jackson for
every one who said they liked him, he said. Companies would be "very
anxious" about putting someone with such a negative "likability" next to
their products, he said.
One issue hurting
Jackson's endorsement deal potential was his financial debt, estimated
to be $400 million at the time of his death, Briggs said.
But Jackson lawyer Brian
Panish asked Briggs if he considered that Jackson's assets -- most
notably the Sony-ATV catalogue -- were greater than his debts.
Briggs stuttered on the
witness stand, saying he was reluctant to discuss Jackson's assets
because of a client confidentiality issue. He eventually acknowledged
that he had worked for the Jackson estate as a consultant analyzing the
value of the music catalog. He signed a confidentiality agreement with
the estate, which he said prevented him from discussing it.
His company did,
however, clear his participation in the wrongful death case with a
Jackson estate lawyer before he agreed to be an expert for AEG Live, he
said.
Briggs also said AEG Live lawyers were aware of the potential conflict before hiring him and had no problem with it.
Wednesday is the 60th
day of testimony in the trial, which began 14 weeks ago in a Los Angeles
County court. The judge told jurors she expects testimony to conclude
in mid-September.
Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi take step toward divorce
London (CNN) -- Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and her multimillionaire art collector husband Charles Saatchi took a step toward divorce Wednesday in London -- weeks after images of him grabbing her by the throat made headlines.
Neither party was at the
High Court to hear the judge grant the "decree nisi," on the grounds of
Saatchi's "unreasonable behavior."
But in a sign of the media interest in the proceedings, more than a dozen journalists were in court for the brief hearing.
After six weeks, the
couple can apply for a "decree absolute," the legal document that will
finalize the divorce, bringing to an end 10 years of marriage.
Court documents show that
it was Lawson who filed for divorce. No details are given of the
financial settlement agreed to between the two, each of whom is wealthy.
Tension between the pair
hit the tabloids after Saatchi was photographed placing his hand around
her neck and twisting her nose as the pair had lunch at a London
restaurant.
Lawson and her children moved out of their family home as the media storm blew up.
Saatchi told the UK's Mail on Sunday newspaper early this month that divorce proceedings were under way.
"I feel that I have
clearly been a disappointment to Nigella during the last year or so, and
I am disappointed that she was advised to make no public comment to
explain that I abhor violence of any kind against women, and have never
abused her physically in any way," Saatchi wrote in the statement.
"This is heartbreaking
for both of us as our love was very deep, but in the last year, we have
become estranged and drifted apart."
Lawson, known as the
"queen of food porn," has written numerous successful cookbooks and
hosted several TV shows in Britain and the United States, including the
ABC show "The Taste."
Saatchi, an art dealer
and former media mogul, denied that he attacked Lawson but told a London
newspaper that he voluntarily went to police a day after the pictures
were published to accept a police warning.
According to a UK government website, a caution is issued for minor crimes and is not a criminal conviction.
Lindsay Lohan's 'doing great' post-rehab
Lohan poses for a mug shot on
Tuesday, March 20, after accepting 90 days in a "locked in" drug rehab
facility for misdemeanor charges. Her six years of legal troubles trace
back to two drunken driving arrests in 2007 and include other incidents
in which she was behind the wheel.
A source close to the actress confirmed to HLN that Lohan, 27, has finished a court-ordered 90-day stay in rehab.
Her next step is to spend
a few days with a sobriety coach to ease her transition -- something
that Lohan decided for herself, the source noted.
The actress was smiling
as she exited a California rehabilitation center, and the source with
knowledge of her situation confirmed that she's doing great.
Lohan's latest rehab stint was taken as an alternative to three months of jail time for two misdemeanor convictions and a shoplifting probation violation finding in March.
The actress told Piers Morgan ahead of her treatment
that she's been mandated by the court to go to rehab six times, with
her previous stay occurring in 2010. "I could write the book on rehab,"
Lohan told Morgan, although she said she approached this round with
optimism.
"I look at it as a good thing," she said in May. "I can come back afterwards and be fully focused on work."
It's true that work is already waiting for Lohan.
The actress has signed up to guest host E!'s "Chelsea Lately" on August
5, and her new movie, "The Canyons," will bow on Friday.
She also signed a deal to sit down with Oprah Winfrey
for an exclusive interview that will tape and air in August, in
addition to allowing OWN's cameras to tape her post-rehab life for an
eight-part docu-series slated to air in 2014.
Homeland' season 3: Scoop on Brody's absence, Carrie's 'bleak' start
On Monday, some of the
cast -- including Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Rupert Friend -- joined
producers Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon at the Television Critics
Association press tour to preview the third season. See below for the
highlights.
On Carrie this season:
"It's pretty bleak in the very beginning because she's gone off her
meds for lots of reasons that she believes really strongly in,"
previewed Danes, adding that Carrie and Saul (Mandy Patinkin) will
remain "very deeply connected because they experienced that trauma in a
way no one else has."
"She does feel a certain
level of betrayal," she said, "and also both Saul and Carrie share an
enormous and profound amount of guilt and responsibility for this loss."
On Damian Lewis' absence:
Viewers will not see Brody in the first two episodes of the season, and
while some viewers might be disappointed, Gansa said it was a necessary
move.
"The decision to not have
Brody in the first two episodes was just a function of storyline," he
said. Lewis added: "Brody is on the lam ... he's the most wanted
criminal in the world, so he has to lay low. I think when you do see
Brody I think you will see — and hopefully it will be of interest to the
audience — what state he will be in .... I hope when you do see Brody
for the first time it will be interesting."
Gansa declined to say when the character will first appear this season.
On this season's theme:
"One of the themes of season 3 is the cost that being an intelligence
officer exacts on people," said Gordon. "As a result of the attack last
year, the CIA itself is on trial."
Saul in particular, he
said, will find himself in a "difficult position" as he is no longer on
the sidelines at the agency. "All of a sudden he finds himself making
decisions and with the actual existence of the CIA in question, he has
to make some very uncharacteristic choices."
On the Brody family this year:
With Nicholas Brody out of the mix — and out of contact with his family
— Gansa said the question did arise whether or not they should show the
Brody family.
Ultimately, said Gansa, "it was a unanimous consensus that there was interest in these people... and we took comfort in that."
"We felt we had to honor
these people we created and what their lives would be like after this
devastating attack," he said. Moreover, events like the Sandy Hook
school shooting and the Boston bombing made them interested in the
people behind the tragedies.
"All these families are
always paraded in front of the cameras, and we thought that would be an
interesting avenue to explore," he said.
'Homeland' season 3 details: Brody becomes 'world's most wanted terrorist'
On how long 'Homeland' will continue: "As long as you'll have us," said Gansa.
On season 2 criticism:
Though "Homeland's" second season was panned for having "credibility
issues," as one critic put it, Gansa said the producers and writers
remained unfazed. "I honestly wish the backlash hadn't happened but it
didn't really influence [the new season]," Gansa said. "And our 11 Emmy
nominations are a nice comeback."
Jeniffer Aniston Talks Being Naked With Justin Theroux and Possible Bachelorette Party Plans
Hey, if you got it, flaunt it.And that's exactly what Jennifer Aniston will be doing in her latest film We're the Millers, where she plays a stripper. But has she taken on a lifestyle of rockin' her birthday suit on the daily with fiancé Justin Theroux offscreen, too?
John Shearer/Invision/AP
LOOK: Check out Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux's dream home
"No, we don't walk around nude, darlin'. I mean, we do when it's appropriate," the actress said, and later added, "It's absolute B.S."
Speaking of strippers and being naked, the soon-to-be Mrs. Theroux will be celebrating her bachelorette party at some point, so what does she want to do? "I would just like to do a little trip to Cabo, or something fun," the actress said while winking to the camera.
"What about a big, black c--k?" Chelsea suggested.
Yeah, we don't know what to say to that, either.
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