The Skinny for June 26th, 2009
Michael Jackson died yesterday (Thursday) afternoon from cardiac arrest at U-C-L-A Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 50.
From the details disclosed thus far, Jackson went into cardiac arrest at the home he was renting with his three children in Los Angeles at about 1:00 p-m. In a statement made by his brother Jermaine last night, his personal physician was apparently with him at the time. Paramedics responded and rushed Jackson to U-C-L-A Medical Center. At about 2:30 p-m, Jackson was pronounced dead at the hospital. His body was flown in the early evening from the medical center -- which was engulfed by throngs of fans who'd spontaneously gathered around the facility -- to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office. An autopsy is expected to be conducted today.
FARRAH REMEMBERED
Friends, family and co-workers are remembering Farrah Fawcett, who died yesterday (Thursday).
Her longtime companion Ryan O'Neal said, "After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away. Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."
EDDIE VAN HALEN: I Do Again
Eddie Van Halen is scheduled to walk down the aisle for the second time when he marries his publicist, Janie Liszewski, this weekend at his Los Angeles-area home. His brother, Alex Van Halen, an ordained minister, will marry them, and Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son with his first wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, will be the best man. Earlier reports said it will be a "small, intimate wedding" with a "string quartet for part of it and a DJ afterwards."
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE of the FALLEN-- "EXPECT THE SAME BOX OFFICE BONANZA AS THE ORIGINAL INSTALLMENT. DESPITE POOR REVIEWS, IT COULD EARN MORE THAN $180 MILLION BEFORE MONDAY. THIS VERSION IS LONGER, LOUDER, AND PERHAPS MORE-THAN-YOUR-EYE-CAN-MEET IN ONE SITTING. THE TRUE STARS ARE THE TRANSFORMERS. THE SHEER AMOUNT OF RIPPING STEEL, EXPLODING MECHANICAL PARTS AND MUTATING VEHICLES IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD." Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro and Rainn Wilson. 2 Hours and 29 Minutes. Rated PG-13.
• CHERI-- (Limited) FOR THE FANS OF ARTHOUSE FILMS. MICHELLE PFEIFFER WILL DRAW AN AUDIENCE, BUT IT'S NOT PREDICTED TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE BOX OFFICE DERBY. Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Friend, Kathy Bates and Felicity Jones. 1 Hour and 32 Minutes. Rated R.
• MY SISTER'S KEEPER-- "COULD BE A SLEEPER, ESPECIALLY AS A FEMALE-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE TO 'TRANSFORMERS'. THIS TAKE-NO-PRISONERS CANCER TEAR-JERKER BECOMES A FULL-SCALE ASSAULT ON YOUR HEART-STRINGS. THE CHARACTERS CRY AND VOMIT. DEPENDING UPON YOUR VIEWPOINT, YOU MAY HAVE AN URGE TO DO THE SAME." Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva, Emily Deschanel and Joan Cusack. 1 Hour and 48 Minutes. PG-13.
LiveMetallica.com has seven new METALLICA shows on offer from the band's 2009 European tour. Click the links below for details, set lists, and to download:
June 14th: Hartwall Arena - Helsinki, Finland
June 15th: Hartwall Arena - Helsinki, Finland
June 17th: Spektrum - Oslo, Norway
June 19th: Novarock Festival - Nickelsdorf, Austria
June 20th: Sonisphere Festival - Nijmegen, Holland
June 22nd: Datch Forum - Milan, Italy
June 24th: Palalottomatica - Rome, Italy
A 10-minute trailer for "Randy Rhoads: Last Train Home" (working title), the long-awaited documentary film on the life of celebrated rock guitarist Randy Rhoads (OZZY OSBOURNE , QUIET RIOT), can be viewed
Ex-SOUNDGARDEN bassist Ben Shepherd allegedly commented on recent rumors that the band was planning to reunite through a text sent to a reader of music industry news site The Daily Swarm. Speculation about a reunion got kicked up a notch last week thanks to an interview in England with SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith, who said that "someone specifically in (SOUNDGARDEN's) organization" had told him that the reunion was on. Why Smith was the beneficiary of this information was left unexplained, but when asked by text whether he knew SHINEDOWN or had anything to say about a reunion, Shepherd reportedly wrote, "No to knowing about whatever band and that guy should go fuck himself for cashing in on our name as well as saying things he doesnt know."
There's been no confirmation, however, that the author of the text message was actually Shepherd.
