JumpinJack AJ

HEAVY D + ANTHONY HAMILTON - I Can't Love Opus (2011/2006) The album is on iTunes!

Lawyer says Jackson doctor sought CPR machine Updated: Sep 28, 2011 - 13:06PM Text Size ---- Linda Deutsch And Anthony MccartneyAP LOS ANGELES -An attorney for the promoter of Michael Jackson's final concerts says the singer's personal physician requested life-saving equipment just days before the pop superstar's death. Kathy Jorrie, who works for concert giant AEG Live, testified Wednesday at the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray that she questioned some of the doctor's requests, which included the possibility of hiring a second doctor to assist him. Jorrie says Murray told her that Jackson was "perfectly healthy" and in excellent condition in the days before Jackson's death. She says Murray asked for a CPR machine in case one wasn't available at the concert venue at London's O2 arena. Murray has pleaded not guilty. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Two days before he died, Michael Jackson appeared strong during one of the final rehearsals for his highly anticipated comeback concerts, a promoter told jurors Wednesday as the involuntary manslaughter trial of the pop superstar's physician entered its second day. Paul Gongaware, an executive for AEG Live, said Jackson appeared engaged and energetic during the session. Prosecutors called Gongaware to show the importance of Jackson's comeback concerts and in an apparent attempt to show that both the singer and his physician were deeply engaged in preparations for the show before Jackson died on June 25, 2009. Gongaware also testified that he saw Dr. Conrad Murray at one of Jackson's rehearsals after people affiliated with the planned concerts complained that the singer had been missing some of the sessions. Prosecutors wrapped up their direct questioning of Gongaware before defense attorney Ed Chernoff briefly questioned the executive. Under the cross-examination, Gongaware acknowledged the concert giant is being sued by Jackson's mother for negligent supervision of defendant Murray when he worked with Jackson. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with Jackson's death. Prosecutors allege Murray caused Jackson's death by providing him with a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives without the proper lifesaving equipment or skills. Another AEG employee, attorney Kathy Jorrie, testified about drafting a contract for Murray to work as Jackson's personal physician. At one point in negotiations, Murray requested his contract be modified to allow him to hire another physician in case he was tired or unavailable while Jackson was performing in London, she testified. "He wanted to make sure that there was somebody else available to be of assistance," Jarrie said. Prosecutors also planned to call one of Jackson's bodyguards and his personal assistant, who Murray frantically called after he found the singer unconscious. In opening statements Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said Murray delayed summoning emergency crews and lied to doctors and medics when he failed to reveal he had been giving Jackson the medications to try to help the entertainer sleep. Chernoff claimed Jackson gave himself a fatal dose of medication in a desperate attempt to get some sleep. He said Murray had been trying to wean Jackson off propofol, but the entertainer kept requesting it on the day he died. "Michael Jackson started begging," Chernoff said. "When Michael Jackson told Dr. Murray, `I have to sleep. They will cancel my performance,' he meant it." He told jurors that Jackson swallowed enough of the sedative lorazepam to put six people to sleep before ingesting propofol. The combination, which Chernoff called a "perfect storm" of medications, killed Jackson so quickly that he didn't even have chance to close his eyes. Prosecutors rejected Murray's version and told jurors the Houston-based cardiologist also had a tremendous stake in Jackson appearing in the concerts. The doctor had initially asked to be paid $5 million a year for working with Jackson, but Gongaware said he immediately rejected the proposal. Instead, Murray accepted an offer to become Jackson's doctor for $150,000 a month — a sum he was never paid because his contract hadn't been signed before Jackson's death. If convicted, Murray could face up to four years in prison and have to relinquish his medical license.—

I'm simply too busy to get all in to this topic or any other topic at the moment. I think Fat Joe is average best (considering he has some good songs and some really awful songs). But going back to the n-word thing; I don't like how he uses it often...AND HE'S NOT BLACK. Not that I care to hear anyone use it, but let's not overlook the fact that he's someone who isn't black and over uses it. How could people take it if Eminem used the n-word on his next record?

I have that Word Up "Girls..." single. Of course mine isn't in mint condition because it's not framed...lol. Very cool.

Conrad Murray's Attorney Says Michael Jackson Administered Deadly Drug Dose Himself LINDA DEUTSCH and ANTHONY McCARTNEY 09/27/11 09:26 PM ET LOS ANGELES — First, prosecutors showed a photo of Michael Jackson's pale and lifeless body lying on a gurney. Then, they played a recording of his voice, just weeks before his death. Slow and slurred, his words echoed Tuesday through a Los Angeles courtroom at the start of the trial of the doctor accused of killing him. As a worldwide audience watched on TV and Jackson's family looked on from inside the courtroom, a drugged Jackson said: "We have to be phenomenal. When people leave this show, when people leave my show, I want them to say, `I've never seen nothing like this in my life. Go. Go. I've never seen nothing like this. Go. It's amazing. He's the greatest entertainer in the world.'" Prosecutors played the audio for the first time during opening statements as they portrayed Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, as an incompetent physician who used a dangerous anesthetic without adequate safeguards and whose neglect left the superstar abandoned as he lay dying. Defense attorneys countered that Jackson caused his own death by taking a drug dose, including propofol, after Murray left the room. Nothing the cardiologist could have done would have saved the King of Pop, defense attorney Ed Chernoff told jurors, because Jackson was desperate to regain his fame and needed rest to prepare for a series of crucial comeback concerts. A number of Jackson's family members were in the courthouse, including his father Joseph, mother Katherine, sisters LaToya and Janet, and brothers Jermaine, Randy and Tito. LaToya Jackson carried a sunflower, her brother's favorite flower. The family's most emotional moment came when the prosecutor played a video excerpt from Jackson's "This Is It" rehearsal in which he sang "Earth Song," a plea for better treatment of the environment. As Jackson sang the words, "I used to dream. I used to glance beyond the stars," his mother, Katherine, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Prosecutor David Walgren noted it was Jackson's last performance. Murray, who arrived at court holding hands with his mother, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical license. Speaking for more than an hour, Walgren relied on photos and audio recordings to paint Murray as an inept and reckless caretaker. Walgren showed a photo of a lifeless Jackson on a hospital gurney. He juxtaposed the image with those of Jackson performing. Walgren also played the recording of Jackson speaking to Murray while, the prosecutor said, the singer was under the influence of an unknown substance roughly six weeks before his death. The prosecutor said that Murray recorded the conversation with his groggy patient on his cell phone. Jackson trusted Murray as his physician, and "that misplaced trust in Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his life," Walgren said. The recurring theme was Jackson's never-ending quest for sleep and propofol, the potion he called his "milk" and that he believed was the answer. Jurors were told that it was a powerful anesthetic, not a sleep aid, and the prosecutor said Murray severely misused it. The prosecutor said while working for Jackson, the doctor was shipped more than four gallons of the anesthetic, which is normally given in hospital settings. Chernoff, the defense attorney, claimed the singer swallowed several pills of the sedative lorazepam on the morning of his death and that was enough to put six people to sleep. After taking a self-administered dose of propofol, Jackson did not even have a chance to close his eyes, Chernoff said, claiming he died instantly. Chernoff, who had long hinted that the defense would blame Jackson for his own death, added a surprise. He claimed that Jackson died not because his doctor continued to give him the drug but because he stopped it, forcing Jackson to take extreme measures. "What we will hear is that Dr. Murray provided propofol for two months to Michael Jackson for sleep," Chernoff said. "During those two months, Michael Jackson slept. He woke up and he lived his life. "The evidence will not show you that Michael Jackson died because Dr. Murray gave him propofol. The evidence is going to show you Michael Jackson died when Dr. Murray stopped," the attorney said. He said Murray was trying to wean Jackson off of propofol and had been giving him other sleep aids known as benzodiazepines trying to lull him to sleep. On June 25, 2009, the last day of Jackson's life, Chernoff said, he was in the third day of a weaning process and it didn't work. "Michael Jackson started begging. He couldn't understand why he wasn't sleeping.... When Michael Jackson told Dr. Murray `I have to sleep. They will cancel my performance,' he meant it," Chernoff said. Murray, in a recording of his interview with police detectives, acknowledged that he relented and agreed to give Jackson a small dose of propofol. Walgren said Murray's claim that he gave the singer a minuscule dosage, enough to keep him asleep perhaps five minutes, was not true. He also accused Murray of deception when he hid from paramedics and hospital emergency staff that he had given Jackson propofol. He said they were desperately trying to revive him but didn't know about the drug. He returned repeatedly to the fee Murray was to be paid – $150,000 a month – and pointed out that he first had asked for $5 million. "There was no doctor-patient relationship," Walgren said. "... What existed here was an employer-employee relationship. He was not working for the health of Michael Jackson. Dr. Murray was working for a fee of $150,000." Chernoff countered with a description of Murray's history of treating indigent patients for free. At times during the defense attorney's opening statements, Murray appeared to be crying and wiped his eyes with a tissue. Jackson's family members appeared pained as Walgren described the singer as a vulnerable figure, left alone with drugs coursing through his body. "It violates not only the standard of care but the decency of one human being to another," he said. "Dr. Murray abandoned Michael when he needed help." Following opening statements, Jackson's choreographer and friend, Kenny Ortega, testified that Jackson was in bad shape physically and mentally less than a week before his death. He said he sent a message to Randy Phillips, producer of the "This Is It" concert, telling him that Jackson was ill, probably should have a psychological evaluation and was not ready to perform. "It's important for everyone to know he really wants this," he wrote. "It would shatter him, break his heart if we pulled the plug. He's terribly frightened it's all going to go away." In response to the email, Ortega said, a meeting was called at Jackson's house where Ortega clashed with Murray, who told him to stop playing amateur psychiatrist and doctor. "He said Michael was physically and emotionally capable of handling all his responsibilities for the show,'" said Ortega, "I was shocked. Michael didn't seem to be physically or emotionally stable." Within a few days, he said, Jackson had recouped his energy and was full of enthusiasm for the show. During the defense opening statement, Chernoff referred to Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson's dermatologist, who the judge decided will not testify. The attorney tried to blame Klein for some of Jackson's woes, saying Klein gave Jackson the painkiller Demerol and he became addicted to it. He told jurors that Klein would not be testifying but his records would be available and an addiction specialist would testify that one of the side effects of Demerol withdrawal is trouble sleeping. Chernoff said Murray was unaware of a Demerol shot administered to Jackson on June 16 and thus didn't realize there could be a fatal interaction with propofol. Klein's attorney, Garo Ghazarian, later in the day issued a statement calling the allegations preposterous and "merely an attempt to whitewash the facts surrounding the death of ... Michael Jackson while under the management of Dr. Conrad Murray." He noted there were no traces of Demerol in Jackson's autopsy or in his home, indicating he was not addicted. He also said Klein's use of the drug was not excessive. He noted that Klein was cleared by authorities of any wrongdoing in Jackson's death.

BAZ LUHRMANN - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) ? (1997) ...heard this years ago but never knew what it came from. This version is slightly reworked from the original.

Opening statements begin in Jackson doc's trial Updated: Sep 27, 2011 - 13:15PM Anthony MccartneyAP LOS ANGELES -Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of the doctor accused of killing Michael Jackson, with a prosecutor saying the superstar's misplaced trust in the doctor led to his death. Deputy District Attorney David Walgren showed jurors a slide of Jackson on a gurney and said he would detail what happened in the final hours of the singer's life, from the time he left rehearsals to the time that paramedics were summoned to his rented mansion. Jackson died of an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. "What happened during that time frame is that the acts and omissions of Michael Jackson's personal doctor Conrad Murray directly led to his premature death at age 50." He said Jackson trusted Murray as his physician. "That misplaced trust in Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his life," Walgren said. Testimony was expected to begin later in the day. A number of Jackson's family members were in the courthouse, including his father Joseph, mother Katherine, sisters LaToya and Janet, and brothers Jermaine, Randy and Tito. LaToya Jackson carried a sunflower, Michael's favorite flower. Murray arrived holding hands with his mother. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and he and his attorneys have denied he gave Jackson anything that should have killed the pop superstar. The trial opened with a bit of star power and the one thing the King of Pop enjoyed throughout his life — a worldwide audience. Proceedings will be televised and broadcast online. More than a dozen satellite trucks and news vans were parked within a block of the courthouse. Much of the testimony will focus on propofol, which is normally administered in hospital settings. Authorities contend Murray administered a lethal dose of the drug along with other sedatives, and lacked the proper lifesaving equipment to revive Jackson. Defense attorneys will present an alternate theory — that Jackson ingested or somehow gave himself the fatal dose. While much is known about Jackson's June 2009 death, the trial will reveal new information and provide a detailed record of the singer's final hours. Murray's trial is expected to be the first time that the public hears — in the defendant's own words — his account of what happened in the bedroom of Jackson's rented mansion. Prosecutors plan to call the pop superstar's friend and choreographer, Kenny Ortega, as their first witness in the case. Defense attorneys for Murray, who could face four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, hope to poke holes in the prosecution's case and present jurors with their own theory that the singer was culpable for his own death. Ortega testified at a hearing earlier this year that Murray warned him not to try to act as Jackson's physician or psychiatrist after Ortega sent the singer home from rehearsals for his final concerts because he appeared to be sick. He is also likely the best witness to walk jurors through footage of Jackson's final rehearsals that were used for the film "This Is It," which will be played in part for jurors. Ortega served as choreographer for the aborted shows and director of the theatrical film. For most of the jury, it will be their first exposure to the footage. Only two indicated on questionnaires filled out before the trial that they had seen any portion of "This Is It." Prosecutors plan to play a recording of the physician's interview with police conducted two days after Jackson's death, when he revealed that he had been giving the entertainer the anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid. The disclosure led to Murray being charged in February 2010 and nearly 20 months of legal wrangling over how the trial will be conducted. Witnesses' recollections and conclusions about the events will be challenged to a far greater extent than they were during a preliminary hearing earlier this year that resulted in a judge ruling there was enough evidence for Murray to stand trial. Defense attorneys did not present a case or make an opening statement during that hearing, but lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff is expected to lay out Murray's side to jurors on Tuesday. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has limited what Murray's lawyers can say about Jackson's history with drugs and his financial troubles. Prosecutors are similarly prohibited from mentioning some of the messy details of the doctor's personal life, including his sizeable debts and that he had several mistresses.— AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.—

MADONNA - Bad Girl Erotica (1990)

I'm with Chris on this. I have positive and negatives about him. He has a nice voice and flow but his subject matter is often quite limited and predictable. He manages to make some really great songs and many not-so great songs. As a business man, he has made a lot of good decisions to keep himself popular enough but I've never liked anyone from his clique. In many ways, I look at him the way I look at Jay-Z.

Yeah, I like it as well and I posted it on my Facebook.

DEEE-LITE - Say Ahh... Dewdrops In The Garden (1994) This whole album is just dope.

I really like the lyrics and her vocals. The production is okay but it's nothing new. I'd like to hear her singing over a solid, more mature sound. The chorus is tired too. I do like the song though and I'd like to hear other new stuff from her.

I just can't agree....lol. I've seen the videos, I listened to the album when it came out. I used to think he was way above his peers on the radio but after this 3rd album, I just can't stand him for the most part.

How his Kanye's recent album doing? I wasn't feeling it when I listened to it online and never returned to give it another change. I just know I didn't really like what I heard. I haven't heard his songs on the radio or seen his music videos on VH1. In fact, when I was shopping at Borders before they closed, the only CDs they had the last few weeks were all weird, obscure stuff...and a few copies of Kanye's new album...lol. My opinion has completely changed from what I said above; I think his flow and voice have gotten sloppier and more annoying. I now find his lyrics annoying. He doesn't actually rap about relevant stuff like he used to. His strongest point was always his production. His had some of strongest production from 1998 to 2005ish. His production just isn't anywhere the level it used to be at. This is just my opinion but he doesn't interest me at all anymore.

CLIPSE + FAITH - Ma, I Don't Love Her Lord Willin' (2002) It certainly wasn't the 90's, but the early 2000's weren't that bad for Hip-Hop.

Vesta Williams, Hit 80's R&B Singer, Found Dead In Her California Hotel Room First Posted: 9/23/11 09:36 AM ET Updated: 9/23/11 05:41 PM ET [uPDATED AT @2:34 PM] Vesta Williams, the diva known for her powerful voice and 80's hits, was found dead in her California hotel room last night, according to reports. Though news sources have reported the singer was 48 years old, Williams can be seen in a 2010 interview saying she was 53. TMZ is reporting that bottles of prescription pills were found in the hotel room, and that the authorities are treating the singer's death as an accident or suicide. Williams scored a big hit with "Congratulations," a song about a woman who is distraught upon learning that her former lover is getting married. "Congratulations," with its vocal acrobatics and dramatic story, became a talent show staple. Jackeé Harry, the television actress, tweeted her condolences about the singer's passing. "...just received truly devastating news: R&B great, and my friend of many yrs, Vesta Williams (@vesta4u), has passed away. #RIPVesta" In the 1990s, Williams made headlines for her dramatic weight loss. She told Ebony that she started to rapidly gain weight when her singing career began to falter. Williams, who was 5-foot-3, eventually reached a size 26. She said her size was the reason she lost her recording contract. "When I lost my record deal and my phone wasn't ringing, I realized that I had to reassess who Vesta was and figure out what was going wrong," she said. "I knew it wasn't my singing ability. So it had to be that I was expendable because I didn't have the right look." The singer went on to lose 100 lbs, and got down down to a size 6, while finding something of a second career as a songwriter and session singer. In recent years, Williams had become an advocate for the prevention of childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is one of those artists that I've always liked and always INTENDED on getting their music but for the most part, never did. I have two of her albums. She truly was an amazing talent that simply didn't get any shine in the last decade-plus.

Yeah, I'm not sure how many people still have the same opinion of him. I know I don't...LOL!

I was introduced to Vesta by her many appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show back in the early 90's. I didn't follow her incredibly closely but the sad news still hit me hard. She truly is a legend to soul music. Vesta Williams Found Dead at 47 Posted on 23 Sep 2011 at 4:56am By Danny Fein Reportedly, R & B Singer Vesta Williams has been found dead in a L.A. hotel room, we are trying to confirm. The 47 year old singer had a huge hit with Congratulations. According to reports, she was announced dead on September 22nd, 2011. Stay tuned for more information as the story develops. About Vesta: Vesta Williams (born 1963, Coshocton, Ohio) was an American R&B singer. She was sometimes credited by her full name and sometimes simply as Vesta. She was known for her full four-octave voice range. The daughter of a disc jockey, Williams began performing at an early age as a stand up comic and singer in high school. Her family moved from Ohio to Los Angeles in the 1960s. Williams and her sisters once appeared on the television show Jack and Jill as The Williams Sisters. She returned to Ohio in 1977 and sang in her cousin’s band in Dayton, but soon went back to Los Angeles to launch a solo career. Former Fifth Dimension member Ron Townsend put Williams in his band Wild Honey. She eventually became a highly sought after studio singer with stints with Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Stephanie Mills. Williams sang on the original version of Joe Sample’s “The Survivor”, and met producer David Crawford while working with his group Klique. She scored her first record deal in 1986 with A&M records which released her first self entitled album Vesta. The album featured her first Top 10 R&B hit “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”. Her 1988 album, Vesta 4U, produced the quiet storm singles “Congratulations” and “Sweet Sweet Love”. The up-tempo dance track “4 U” also hit the R&B Top 10. In 1991, Williams released the album Special and the title track as a single. Both became her biggest charters. Her next album, Everything-N-More, was not as successful and she soon left A&M. She continued to be a popular session singer, landing regular spots on albums by such artists as Phil Perry, Howard Hewett and George Duke. In 2007 she released an album of R&B classics on the Shanachie label titled Distant Lover. Produced by Chris “Big Dog” Davis, it features songs originally recorded by Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Sade and Deniece Williams.

SPEECH - Spirit Child The Grown Folks Table (2009) Best Hip-Hop album in the last 5 years...I don't think I'm lying when I say this.

FP didn't diss Jay-Z, but even he said Jay-Z needed to open up his subject matter. I thought Jay-Z was good in the mid-90's. By the late 90's I was less into him. I liked Blueprint and some of the stuff off his Unplugged album but I didn't like hardly anything he did from 1999ish and on. Around 2005 when he came out with Kingdom Come, I thought he started to mature a little and make a few nice songs. I don't dislike him but I'm not a big fan or anything. I don't have anything nice to say about Rick Ross or Lil' Wayne. I think everything about them sucks...period.

I honestly don't think this is that bad. I mean, the female vocalist is a bit annoying, but I'd say about 3 quarters of the lyrics are proper for a Summertime joint. That's 1/4th to be a bit common or stupid. Their voices and flows are alright. I'd easily say these guys are better than 99% of the rappers on the radio right now. The only thing about would have been better is if they had their own instrumental since there's no way this would ever stand up to the classic song.

SPEECH -I'ma Fight Back Right Now ? (2011) This is dope!!!! Speech is one of Hip-Hop's most greatest and most consistent emcees EVER. How often can you say that an artist has NEVER made a bad song? U can actually say this about him.

Get it, Ice-T. Preach on! I get kinda disappointed when some of my favorite emcees are play supportive of the idiotic gutter trash that is making rap music. They suck. Let's stop sugar coating it. Disagree if you want, but ask yourself this. If Rick Ross, Lil' Wayne or Jay-Z say they are going to gun you down, would you be scared? NO! If Ice-T said he would...you'd probably be a little worried...lol. Fantasy raps were cool back in the day but there's nothing "fantasy" about being a studio gangsta.

MARKY MARK - Don't Sleep The Big Hit Soundtrack (1998) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsAyKiqS328

I have a feeling we'll see occasional things that show small signs of music activity but that we don't see anything official for awhile. That seems to be the trend he's had with the last few albums. I don't feel that he's rushed to get it completed and out. He usually takes his time. I'm not saying anything that we all don't know...lol.