Mets Searching for 'Strategic Partners' With Madoff Lawsuit Ongoing

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Fred WilponThe New York Mets announced that they are looking for "strategic partners" as they continue to feel the financial pressure of a lawsuit brought against Sterling Equities -- Fred Wilpon's real estate investment firm, which also owns and operates the Mets -- by the trustee of victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

In a conference call with the media, Fred and son Jeff said they are looking to sell up to 25 percent of the team, perhaps to multiple stakeholders. Citi Field and SNY, which are also owned by Sterling, will not be part of any deal, however.

"At the outset I want to emphasize what we are discussing today has not or will not affect the Mets day-to-day operations and control," Fred Wilpon told reporters. "Let me stress, at the end of the day we may or may not do anything."

We have known for quite some time that the Wilpon family was connected to Madoff, who defrauded investors of billions of dollars before he was arrested in 2008. We have also known since late 2010 that the Wilpons were being sued by that trustee, Irving Picard, a sign that the family actually profited as a byproduct of Madoff's scheme.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2011/01/28/mets-searching-for-strategic-partners-with-madoff-lawsuit-ongo/

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Anthony Hopkins On 'The Rite': 'I Know How To Scare People'

In new film, Oscar-winner plays unorthodox exorcist Father Lucas.
By Kara Warner


Anthony Hopkins
Photo: MTV News

If Anthony Hopkins fans know anything, it's the fact that the Oscar-winner knows how to scare the pants off of moviegoers. The obvious, most-famous example is his award-winning turn as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs" and the subsequent sequels. It's been awhile since we've seen Sir Hopkins play dark and devious, but with the release of exorcism thriller "The Rite" on Friday (January 28), fans can reacquaint themselves with a bit of Hopkins' tricks and treats.

In the film, which is based on real-life events, Hopkins plays unorthodox exorcist Father Lucas. Without delving into spoiler territory — no more than what the creepy promotional posters give away — when MTV News caught up with the actor recently, we asked him to take us through his process of playing possessed.

Hopkins explained that most of his performances come from extensive preparation. For "The Rite," he learned Latin and Italian for certain scenes, and spent a lot of time alone in his hotel room going over the script.

"I would be there in my den, my man's cave, going over and over [the] script," Hopkins said. "Gradually, as you go through it over and over, all these voices and interpretations come to you," he explained, adding that by the time he was ready to film the key possession sequences, he knew the material so well he was open to improvisation.

"I put all kinds of very suggestive sexual stuff into it which they cut out, but stuff that would provoke people. I knew that the response was good because [director] Mikael Håfström's said, 'You're crazy.' "

Hopkins went on to say, with a smile, that he just knows how to "get people."

"I know how to do those parts," he said. "Not because I'm scary, but because I know how to scare people. ... It's a question of being quiet and not overplaying it," he explained. "You let the script and the audiences do the work for you. You don't have to play evil."

Check out everything we've got on "The Rite."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656871/the-rite-anthony-hopkins.jhtml

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Shane O'Brien Cools Jets in Nashville

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VANCOUVER -- Shane O'Brien can still be counted on for a good quote, but not necessarily a good time.

"It's a different Shane O'Brien," he said. "I'm waiting for the offseason to explore Nashville a little bit more."

He made the comments as the Predators visited Vancouver for his first game against the Canucks since they traded him at the start of this season. You could say the affable 27-year-old Port Hope, Ont., native, who developed a reputation for partying during two seasons as a Canuck, is trying to be a stay-at-home defenseman off the ice as well as on.

 

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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/01/27/shane-obrien-cools-jets-in-nashville/

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Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Gets His Day In Court

Jackson's choreographer Kenny Ortega is expected to testify at the preliminary hearing in Los Angeles.
By Gil Kaufman


Dr. Conrad Murray (file)
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

More than a year and a half after the shocking death of Michael Jackson, the only person charged in the singer's death, his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, will finally get his day in court.

Murray, who has been charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, will be in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday (January 4) for the first day of a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence to hold a full trial. The hearing, in front of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, is expected to last two weeks and feature testimony from more than two dozen witnesses, most of whom are medical experts.

Prosecutors will attempt to show that Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge, was responsible for the singer's death from an overdose of prescription drugs on June 25, 2009. Murray's lawyers have said the doctor did inject the 50-year-old pop icon with the powerful surgical anesthetic propofol in an attempt to combat Jackson's chronic insomnia, but that the dose "should have" not been enough to kill him.

TMZ reported on Tuesday that one of the star witnesses during the preliminary hearing will be Jackson's "This is It" choreographer Kenny Ortega. Citing an unnamed source, TMZ said that Ortega is expected to testify that the week before Jackson died, the singer complained that he felt cold, had the shakes and could not perform, which resulted in a canceled rehearsal.

On the next day, June 20, 2009, an emergency meeting was reportedly called at Jackson's rented Los Angeles mansion between the pop star, Ortega, several executives from concert promotion giant AEG Live and Murray. The meeting was described as "intense, loud and argumentative" and Ortega is said to have laid into Jackson, imploring the singer to take better care of himself in the lead-up to what was intended to be his live swan song.

According to TMZ, Ortega is expected to testify that Murray said some "terrible things" during the meeting and displayed a lack of concern and respect for his patient, comments that could be "damaging" to Murray.

Last week, one of the prosecutors in the case claimed that Murray's lawyers were planning to claim that Jackson killed himself when he self-administered a lethal dose of propofol after waking up in a panic from a bout of fitful sleep.

Ortega is also reportedly set to testify that in the two days before his death, Jackson was a changed man, impressing his backup dancers with his upbeat singing and dancing. The testimony could be key to the prosecutors' case, since it could paint a portrait of Jackson as being healthy and energetic before Murray administered the cocktail of sedatives and propofol that allegedly resulted in the singer's death.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655231/michael-jackson-doctor-conrad-murray-gets-his-day-court.jhtml

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Tiger Woods Falls to No. 3 in Rankings

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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Tiger Woods is not even No. 2 in the golf rankings.

He has dropped to No. 3 after Martin Kaymer won in Abu Dhabi and overtook him for the No. 2 spot. Lee Westwood is No. 1.

Kaymer has been No. 3 but advanced by winning the European Tour event by eight strokes in his first tournament this year. Woods begins his 2011 season Thursday at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

Kaymer said "we'll see how long it takes him to overtake me again."

Master champion Phil Mickelson dropped to a No. 5 ranking. He had been sharing fourth with U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell, who tied for third in Abu Dhabi.

Mickelson finished 37th Sunday. He says he doesn't dwell on the rankings and is concentrating on the upcoming majors.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2011/01/23/tiger-woods-falls-to-no-3-in-rankings/

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Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Hid Evidence, Guard Testifies

Testimony has Conrad Murray removing IV stand and two bags of medication.
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Kara Warner


Alberto Alvarez, Michael Jackson's bodyguard, leaves court after testifying at the preliminary hearing for Dr. Conrad Murray on January 5
Photo: Toby Canham/Getty Images

The second day of testimony in the preliminary hearing of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, featured damning testimony from one of the late King of Pop's bodyguards about Murray's actions in the critical minutes after the singer was found unresponsive.

After a former Jackson staffer testified Tuesday that Murray appeared to not know how to perform CPR properly, security guard Alberto Alvarez said on Wednesday (January 5) that the cardiologist frantically grabbed medical evidence from the star's bedroom before instructing Alvarez to call 911.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Alvarez said he was the first person to walk into Jackson's bedroom after Murray realized his patient was not breathing, where he found the cardiologist administering chest compressions with one hand while Jackson lay on his bed, which goes against the recommended procedure for the life-saving method.

"I said, 'Dr. Murray, what happened?' " Alvarez told the court. " 'He had a bad reaction, he had a bad reaction,' that's all he said." Alvarez choked up as he described how Jackson's daughter, Paris, followed him into the room and screamed when she saw her father sprawled out and unresponsive on the bed.

He said Murray then instructed him to get the children out of the room, noticing as he left that Jackson's penis was out of his underwear and that medical tubing was attached to it. When Deputy District Attorney David Walgren asked Alvarez if he knew what a condom catheter was, the security guard said he did not.

Alvarez said he then witnessed Murray grabbing a handful of bottles, which he instructed the security guard to put in a bag. He told the court that he held open the bag as the doctor dropped the bottles of medicine inside and then put it in a brown canvas bag on the floor, per Murray's instructions. Murray also allegedly told Alvarez to grab one of the two bags hanging on an IV stand next to Jackson's bed and put it in another bag. Alvarez said he noticed a "milk-like substance" in the bottom of the IV bag.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office determined that Jackson died of an acute intoxication of propofol, a powerful surgical anesthetic sometimes referred to as "milk of amnesia" thanks to its milky white appearance. Only after the medical materials had been put away did Murray tell Alvarez to call 911.

"After you had collected the bottles per Dr. Murray's instructions, and after you had collected the bags per Dr. Murray's instructions, did Dr. Murray instruct you to call 911?" Walgren asked. "Yes, sir," Alvarez responded.

TMZ reported that during cross-examination, defense attorney Ed Chernoff got Alvarez to admit that he never told police about Murray ordering him to remove the bottles and Alvarez later admitted that he may try to sell his story.

Later in the day, EMT Richard Senniff testified that he arrived at the Jackson home, just four minutes after the 911 call was placed. According to TMZ, Senniff said that, based on the condition of Jackson's body, it appeared that Murray waited at least 20 minutes to call 911. Senniff also stated that when he asked Murray what meds Jackson had been administered, he only listed lorazepam (Ativan).

Jackson cook Kai Chase also testified, revealing the food she prepared for Jackson prior to his death (seared ahi tuna and salad, white bean Tuscan soup) and that she knew something was wrong when Murray came downstairs in a panic and summoned Jackson's son, Prince.

The preliminary hearing is aimed at determining whether there is enough evidence to try Murray on a felony count of involuntary manslaughter in the June 2009 death of the King of Pop. It is expected to last two to three weeks.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1655367/michael-jackson-doctor-conrad-murray-hid-evidence-guard-testifies.jhtml

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