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Nurse: Michael Jackson Pleaded for Sedative; King of Pop Charts--Again; What's In MJ's Will
(Wednesday, 1 July 2009) A nurse/nutritionist says Michael Jackson begged her for a drug to help him sleep; Jackson is the king of the pop charts even in death--with 9 of the top 10 Billboard slots; a grand jury investigates ticket-fixing in DeKalb County. The latest on today's KISS News Now!
- In the wake of eight indictments from a ticket-fixing scandal in DeKalb County Recorders' Court, a grand jury is now investigating the court's operations. Employees allegedly solicited payments from those who got tickets in exchange for dismissing or destroying the charges. The county could be out as much as $20 million.
- A registered nurse who worked as a nutritionist for Michael Jackson says he suffered such chronic insomnia, he begged her for the IV drug Diprivan--which is used to knock out surgery patients. Cherilyn Lee says that with a chill in her body, she told Jackson it could kill him.
"I said, 'You don't want to do this,'" Lee says. He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe. As long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up, I'm gonna be okay."
The Jackson family lawyer doubts her story.
"It just seems odd to me that someone that did not have a real relationship with him gets that degree of credibility," said Londell McMillan.
Lee, 56, says Jackson's staff called her in Florida four days before he died: "I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said. She says then she knew that meant someone had given him something affecting his central nervous system. Lee says staffers ignored her advice to take him to the hospital.
Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.
"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest." An interview Lee did with CNN's Campbell Brown is below. Wat do you think of her account? Give us your comments below! - Michael Jackson is posthumously atop the pop charts--beating out the current releases. Nielsen SoundScan says Michael Jackson albums, Jackson-related compilations and a Jackson 5 album hold the top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog chart. The top three: the greatest hits package "Number Ones," is at #1, selling more than 108,000 copies. "Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are at #2 and #3, selling more than 102,000 and 101,000 copies, respectively.
- UPDATE: Michael Jackson's will has been filed in a California court today. Written in 2002, it estimated his estate then at more than $500 million, consisting almost entirely of "non-cash, non-liquid assets, including primarily an interest in a catalogue of music royalty rights which is currently being administered by Sony ATV, and the interests of various entities.'' It gives the entire estate to the Michael Jackson Family Trust abd names his mother as his children's guardian and the beneficiary of the trust. The kids are also named in the will, but ex-wife and mother of his oldest two children Debbie Rowe is not mentioned. The will also names Diana Ross to take on the trustee role if his mother could not.
Meanwhile, construction equipment and crews have been seen on the grounds around Neverland, fueling speculation it will be the site of a funeral or permanent memorial. Jackson relatives met with the police and state patrol yesterday about funeral services for the King of Pop. A California Highway Patrol spokesman says details are still pending. - Clayton County joins Atlanta in raising property taxes. It's an average increase of $200 a year for a $150,000 house. Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell says the money will prevent layoffs and furloughs.
- Today, Atlanta residents start paying 12.5% more for water and sewer services. The City Council in 2008 voted to hike rates every year for four years as part of a plan to pay for much-needed updates to the aging water infrastructure.
- Atlanta Police look for the men who posed as cops to carjack a man in southwest Atlanta. The victim was stopped on Ramsey Circle by men in a Crown Vic with flashing lights--and they took his wallet, watch, cell phone and car. Remember: if you have any questions about being pulled over by an unmarked vehicle, you can call 911 to verify whether it's a real cop making the stop.
- The only apparent survivor of that plane crash off the island of Comoros is a 14-year-old girl who clung to wreckage in the water for 13.5 hours before being rescued. She's in a hospital now with facial bruises, a collarbone fracture and a bandage on her elbow. Bahia Bakari and her mother were flying from Paris to visit relatives on the island. The Yemeni jet crashed into the Indian Ocean in heavy winds as it tried to land.
- South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford describes his Argentian mistress as his soulmate. Sanford says he's strayed before, but not this much: "I've done stupid, I've done lust, I've done infatuation but...it goes to the core of the soul," he tells the Associated Press. He also says he is trying to fall back in love with his wife, and he's still resisting growing calls for his resignation.
- A midtown miracle: No victims have been found in the rubble of that partially collapsed parking deck at 5th and Spring Streets. It could be several days before cranes and crews finish picking all the vehicles, damaged and undamaged, from the Centergy complex deck.
- Usher's wife disputes claims the couple has been separated for a year. Tameka Raymond says they were intimate less than a week before Usher filed for divorce--and she was shocked to get the news.
- About 500 invited guests bid farewell to Farrah at a private funeral in Los Angeles. Actress Farrah Fawcett died on the same day as Michael Jackson, at the age of 62, after a long battle with cancer.
- Mississippi is the heavyweight of the nation; it has the highest rate of both adult and childhood obesity. Georgia ranks third for obese and overweight kids, and 14th overall.
- The Democrats now have a 60-vote supermajority in the US Senate. Nearly eight months after the November elections, comic-turned-politico Al Franken has been declared the winner of the Senate race in Minnesota following a ruling by the state Supreme Court.
- Thanks to the Michael Jackson tribute--the BET Awards pulled in the highest ratings of the show's history. 10.6 million viewers--a full 4 million more than the previous high in 2006.
- One of the best selling hip-hop magazines in the country shut down Tuesday after 16 years in print. Vibe Magazine is dealing with millions in debt, plus declining ad revenue. Pick up the issue on stands now--it's their last.
- Authorities in Michigan didn't have to go far to find the crook who stole a computer from the Kalamazoo County jail. It was an inmate who was already serving time for another crime. The 25-year-old admitted in court--he's not the best criminal. The judge tacked 6 months onto his sentence.
- The KISS 104.1 weather forecast: partly sunny, breezy high of 92; lows 62-70. Thursday, sunny with low humidity and a high of 91. No more than a 10% chance of rain either today or tomorrow.
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