A defense attorney for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death told jurors Thursday that the singer caused his own death with an overdose of an anesthetic and his physician shouldn't be convicted of killing the King of Pop. "If it was anybody else, would this doctor be here today?" defense attorney Ed Chernoff asked during his closing argument at the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. Chernoff said prosecutors hadn't proven that Murray committed a crime by giving Jackson doses of propofol as a sleep aid. "They want you to convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson," he said. But Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said that even if Jackson injected himself with the anesthetic that killed him, his physician was just as guilty of causing the star's death. He repeatedly called Murray's treatment of Jackson bizarre and said there was no precedent for the cardiologist -- who was untrained in anesthesiology -- giving the singer a powerful anesthetic as a sleep aid. He portrayed Murray as a greedy opportunist who was more concerned with earning $150,000 a month as Jackson's physician than with the welfare of his patient. The jury is set to begin deliberations Friday.
Keith Urban to have throat surgeryA spokesman for Keith Urban says the country star will undergo throat surgery this month to remove a polyp on his vocal chords. Paul Freundlich said the surgery is an outpatient procedure and it will require complete vocal rest. Until his surgery, Urban will honor his commitments that require only a one-song performance. He is to perform Wednesday at the Country Music Association Awards, where he is nominated for entertainer and male vocalist of the year.
IT WAS INTUITION: Kim Kardashian said "intuition" led her to end her 72-day-old marriage. The hosts of Australia's "Sunrise" TV program asked her how hard she worked to save her marriage to basketball player Kris Humphries, asking whether she had sought counseling before filing for divorce on Monday. "I think when you know so deep in your heart that you just have to listen to your intuition, and follow your heart," said Kardashian, 31, who is in Australia with her sister Khloe to promote a line of handbags. Kardashian rose to fame after a sex tape went public. She parlayed her notoriety into modeling gigs, a reality TV empire and fashion and beauty lines.
DECIDING: Singing an Aretha Franklin song is a formidable task for anyone -- even for Chaka Khan. Khan says she's struggling to find the right song to pay tribute to Franklin at a Saturday concert at the Rock Hall in Cleveland. The concert, also featuring Lauryn Hill and Ronald Isley, will cap a week of festivities honoring Franklin as part of the museum's American Music Masters series.
