There are reports from a local newspaper in Argentina as well as the Washington Post that Bill Clinton, after a fundraiser, had a little “private” party at a strip club. Just because his wife is Secretary of State, that doesn’t mean Bill Clinton can’t visit an Argentine stripper and pay off bouncers at the strip club so he can have a completely private strip show before dining with the country’s president.

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the “King of Pop” in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums are among the world’s best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as “Black or White” and “Scream” made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.

One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time”—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sales of over 750 million albums worldwide. Cited as one of the world’s most famous men, Jackson’s highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.

Michael Jackson with his signature move

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the “King of Pop” and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday. He was 50. Jackson died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County, confirmed his office had been notified of the death and would handle the investigation.

The circumstances of Jackson’s death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.

Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

His 1982 album “Thriller” — which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” — remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million copies worldwide.

The public first knew him in the late 1960s, when as a boy he was the precocious, spinning lead singer of the Jackson 5, the music group he formed with his four older brothers. Among their No. 1 hits were “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” and “I’ll Be There.”

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” said Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller.” “He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Jackson ranked alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles as the biggest pop sensations of all time. In fact, he united two of music’s biggest names when he was briefly married to Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie.

But as years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

Singer Dionne Warwick said: “Michael was a friend and undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest entertainers that I fortunately had the pleasure of working with……..we have lost an icon in our industry.”

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson’s rented home, was roped off with police tape.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died,” a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was announced. Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.

In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. “It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”

]]> http://yahookid.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/michael-jackson-dies-at-50/feed/ 0 yahookid Michael Jackson http://yahookid.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/edison-chen-after-the-sex-scandal/ http://yahookid.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/edison-chen-after-the-sex-scandal/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:12:33 +0000 yahookid http://yahookid.wordpress.com/?p=249 ]]> Disappointed with the negative reception of his interview with CNN, Edison Chen still plans to return to showbiz and expressed hope intentions to leave his manager.

According to Taiwanese media reports, Chen took on an exclusive interview by CNN last month as arranged by his manager. In the interview, he spoke about the sex photos scandal and apologized to the female celebrities involved for the first time. Though both Cecilia Cheung and Gillian Chung, the two female celebrities most affected by the scandal, had accepted his apology, the public reacted negatively to the interview and Chen was slammed once again, affecting his plans to return to showbiz.

Apparently, Chen was also unhappy that the talent management company for divulging his return to Hong Kong to the media.

As a result, before leaving Hong Kong, Chen complained to his boss about his assigned manager’s inappropriate handling regarding his return to Hong Kong, and expressed his wish to leave the company.

According to various media reports, the doting and supportive boss has acceded to Chen request and the latter’s own company will handle his future showbiz assignments.

Besides his return plans being dampened, Chen’s fashion business is also not doing well.

Conservatives and religious Malaysians have expressed their repugnance over Chen’s new fashion retail store in Kuala Lumpur, as soon as news of its opening got out last week, hoping to impede the opening through public opinion.

//

Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas on April 11, 2009 in West Hollywood CA

Miley Cyrus — who split from beau Justin Gaston earlier this week — says it’s nice to be back on friendly terms with ex Nick Jonas.

“He’s my best friend, and we still hang out all the time,” she said Friday on 107.5 The River‘s Woody and Jim morning show in Nashville. “We’ve definitely reconnected. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but right now we’re just kind of kicking it and hanging out as much as we can.”

See photos of stars who make up and break up

Cyrus split with Jonas at the end of 2007. She told Seventeen last year that she “bawled for a month straight” and dyed her hair black after calling it quits.

The two — who sing a duet on the Jonas Brothers’ new song, “Before The Storm — have since patched things up.

“We both just kind of saw each other and kind of decided this whole thing is kind of stupid,” Cyrus said. “We were all over the separation.”

“I’m really happy to be back in their lives,” she went on. “And our families are super happy we’re hanging out again.”

Look back at Miley’s most scandalous moments

Jonas even took a trip to Georgia to visit Cyrus, who is now shooting the drama The Last Song. On Wednesday, they went jet-skiing near Tybee Island.

“No comment,” she said when asked about the outing, though she did admit, “I am a jet ski demon!”

See what the Jonas Bros looked like as babies

As for her new nose piercing, she said she is not ready to get “slammed” for the body art.

“I’ll let people think what they will,” she said. “I hope no one is upset at me for doing it. I think it’s lame for it to be such a big deal because … it’s just temporary. You can take it out.”

See weird celeb body art

What prompted the piercing?

“I am a huge Kelly Clarkson fan,” she said. “And I loved when she had her nose pierced.”

Meteor hits Virginia

A 14-year old German boy was hit in the hand by a pea-sized meteorite that scared the bejeezus out of him and left a scar.

“When it hit me it knocked me flying and then was still going fast enough to bury itself into the road,” Gerrit Blank said in a newspaper account. Astronomers have analyzed the object and conclude it was indeed a natural object from space, The Telegraph reports.

Most meteors vaporize in the atmosphere, creating “shooting stars,” and never reach the ground. The few that do are typically made mostly of metals. Stony space rocks, even if they are big as a car, will usually break apart or explode as they crash through the atmosphere.

There are a handful of reports of homes and cars being struck by meteorites, and many cases of space rocks streaking to the surface and being found later.

But human strikes are rare. There are no known instances of humans being killed by space rocks.

According to a SPACE.com article on the topic a few years, back:

* On November 30, 1954, Alabama housewife Ann Hodges was taking a nap on her couch when she was awakened by a 3-pound (1.4-kilogram) meteor that crashed through the roof of her house, bounced off a piece of furniture and struck her in the hip, causing a large bruise. * On October 9, 1992, a large fireball was seen streaking over the eastern United States, finally exploding into many pieces. In Peekskill, New York, one of the pieces struck a Chevrolet automobile owned by Michelle Knapp. Knapp was not in the car at the time. * On June 21, 1994, Jose Martin of Spain was driving with his wife near Madrid when a 3-pound (1.4-kilogram) meteor crashed through his windshield, bent the steering wheel and ended up in the back seat.

In 2004, a 2,000-pound space rock bigger than a refrigerator exploded in the late-night sky over Chicago, producing a large flash and a sound resembling a detonation that woke people up. Fragments rained down on that wild Chicago night, and many were collected by residents in a northern suburb.

* Top 10 Greatest Explosions Ever * Natural Disasters: Top 10 U.S. Threats * Photo Galleries: Shooting Stars

* Original Story: Boy Hit by Meteorite

Stephenie Meyer and Kristen Stewart

Stephenie Meyer won’t be using MySpace to clear up Twilight rumors any time soon.

The author of the best-selling, four-part vampire love series announced on her official website that she is kicking her social networking page to the curb.

“It was a lot of fun while it lasted, and I really miss the early days when I could hang out with people online,” Meyer wrote. “Many of you are hilarious and insightful, and I wish it was easier for me to talk to everyone the way I used to.”

Meyer warned against being duped by impostors…

“With MySpace no longer in existence, I can now clearly state that…there is no other outlet where I communicate with people online,” Meyer continued. “I do not have a Facebook page, and I have never had one. I don’t do Twitter. So if you’re communicating with someone online that you think is me, it’s not.”

Meanwhile, Meyer gave a shout-out to Rick Riordan’s best-selling tween book series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

“If you’re looking for some beach reading, you may want to try [the series] if you haven’t already,” she wrote. “My son finally finished book five yesterday so I could read it today. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic series. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Riordan!”