Dead stars and classic art will surround Michael Jackson

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Seventy days after his sudden death, Michael Jackson will be interred in what may or may not be his final resting place Thursday evening.

Only his family and closest friends will attend the private burial starting at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) inside the ornate Great Mausoleum on the grounds of Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California.

They’ll then drive to an Italian restaurant eight miles away in Pasadena, California for “a time of celebration,” the nine-page engraved invitation said.

The first page inside the invitation holds a quote from “Dancing the Dream,” a book of essays and poems published by Jackson in 1992:
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R&B star Brown ‘still in shock’

R&B star Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting ex-girlfriend and pop star Rihanna, has said he is still in shock over his actions.

In an interview with Larry King, the singer said: “When I look at it now, it’s just like, wow, I can’t believe that actually happened.”

The 20-year-old also told People magazine he still loved the pop star.

Last week Brown was sentenced to five years probation and 180 days community service for the assault in February.
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Fans party on Jackson’s birthday

Fans around the world have marked what would have been Michael Jackson’s 51st birthday with parties and mass dances.

In Mexico City, organisers said they had broken a record for the most people dancing to Thriller at the same time, reporting that 12,937 people turned up.

In New York, film director Spike Lee staged what he described as a “joyous, festive and celebratory” event.

Other gatherings remembered Jackson in cities including London, Paris, Moscow, Delhi, Barcelona and Bucharest.

An all-day street party near Jackson’s childhood home in Gary, Indiana, featured local performers and a candlelight vigil.
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Dylan to release Christmas album

Folk legend Bob Dylan will release his first album of Christmas songs – with royalties going to charity, his record label has confirmed.

Tracks on Christmas in the Heart, due out on 13 October, will include Winter Wonderland and Little Drummer Boy.

Columbia Records said US royalties from the sale of the album would go to the Feeding America charity.

The fund, which provides “food security to people in need”, hopes to feed 1.4 million people with proceeds.
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Microsoft drops price of Xbox 360 Elite, kills Pro

On the heels of Sony reducing the price of its PlayStation 3 and announcing the PlayStation 3 Slim, Microsoft announced Thursday that it too will be dropping the price of its console.

Starting Friday, the Xbox 360 Elite will be priced at $299, $100 cheaper than its current price. The Xbox 360 Pro, which currently retails for $299 will be priced at $249 starting Friday. Once retailers sell through their entire stock of Xbox 360 Pro units, that SKU will no longer be offered by the hardware maker.

Going forward, Microsoft will offer only the $299 Xbox 360 Elite with its 120GB hard drive, and the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade which comes bundled with five games and a 256MB memory unit.

Microsoft’s decision to reduce the price of the Xbox 360 isn’t a surprise. Numerous rumors have been swirling around the Web for weeks. But perhaps the reason for the price drop, at least according to Microsoft, might surprise you.
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Renee Zellweger: ‘I sort of disappear a little bit’

NEW YORK (CNN) — “My One and Only” begins with Renee Zellweger, playing a woman based on George Hamilton’s mother Anne, discovering her husband with another woman.

Despite the initial heartbreak, Anne puts on a happy face, and Zellweger gives life to a character who’s determined to make the rest of her years comfortable and adventurous.

Her husband’s indiscretion is the catalyst that sends Anne on a cross-country quest to find a new husband in 1953 America. She pulls her two sons out of school in New York City and the trio set off on an adventure by car. The tale has its roots in actor George Hamilton’s young life.

The film takes a look at gender roles of the time and how women were perceived. Much of the film gets colored in by the characters and their ever-present emotions (though Zellweger’s fabulous frocks add plenty of color on their own).

Zellweger, who won an Oscar for “Cold Mountain,” spoke with CNN about “My One And Only,” George Hamilton and the way she believes she is perceived.
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Sleepless night preceded Jackson’s death

(CNN) — Michael Jackson couldn’t sleep.

Maybe it was anxiety over his upcoming comeback concert series in London, England. Perhaps his body was trying to process too many different medications.

The reason may never be known, but a sworn affidavit makes clear that the King of Pop couldn’t get rest the night before he died on June 25.

The affidavit, from Detective Orlando Martinez of the Los Angeles Police Department, outlines probable cause for search warrants on the offices of doctors who are thought to have treated Jackson.
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Brown sentenced for Rihanna assault; other incidents surface

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Pop singer Chris Brown was sentenced Tuesday to serve five years probation and to spend more than 1,400 hours in “labor-oriented service” for assaulting his pop star girlfriend, Rihanna.

Also Tuesday, CNN obtained a probation report for Brown that says the pair were involved in at least two other domestic violence incidents before the February attack for which Brown was sentenced.

The probation report, which CNN obtained after Brown’s sentencing, was used to reach his plea agreement.

Brown, 20, was arrested after an early morning argument inside a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street on February 8.
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Rihanna attacker Brown sentenced

US singer Chris Brown has been sentenced to 180 days’ community labour and five years’ probation for assaulting pop star Rihanna.

The 20-year-old R&B star pleaded guilty in June to beating Rihanna, his former girlfriend, before the Grammy awards in Los Angeles in February.

The judge said Brown must do physical labour, not community service, and attend domestic violence counselling.

Brown must also stay at least 100 yards from Rihanna for the next five years.

The judge said violation of the terms would be taken “very, very seriously”.

Brown said nothing at the sentencing other than to acknowledge he understood the terms.
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Jackson ‘had lethal drug levels’

Pop star Michael Jackson had lethal levels of the powerful anaesthetic propofol in his body when he died, coroner’s office documents show.

The findings were contained in a previously sealed search warrant which has been made public in Texas.

The singer died in June from a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles. Police have interviewed his doctor, but he has not been named as a suspect.

There are reports that the coroner has concluded Jackson’s death was homicide.

The reports, carried by the Associated Press news agency quoting unnamed police sources, have not been confirmed.
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