Janet Jackson blames doctor for Michael's death

Pop star Janet Jackson holds Michael Jackson's personal doctor responsible for her brother's sudden death and has told ABC News that a day does not go by when she doesn't think about her late sibling.

"He was the one that was administering," Janet Jackson said about Houston-based physician Dr. Conrad Murray. "I think he is responsible."

Murray, who was hired to treat Michael Jackson in the months before Jackson died on June 25 of a drug overdose, is currently a target in the manslaughter investigation of the "Thriller" singer's death.

Since June, Los Angeles County coroner officials have said the powerful anesthetic propofol, which is used in surgery, and the sedative lorazepam, were the primary drugs responsible for Jackson's death. Police have referred the case to prosecutors to determine if criminal charges should be filed.

Janet Jackson has remained mostly quiet about her brother's death, but she spoke with ABC television journalist Robin Roberts in an interview set to air Wednesday night on the network's show "In the Spotlight."

"It's been a tough year," Jackson told Roberts, in excerpts posted on ABC News' website on Monday. "You have your days where it's just really -- it's hard to believe. And a day doesn't go by that I don't think about him."

(Reporting and writing by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Steve Gorman)

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5AF4DW20091116

More court review for 2004 Janet Jackson flash

The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a lower court on Monday to reconsider a ruling that struck down a $550,000 fine against CBS Corp television stations for airing a glimpse of pop singer Janet Jackson's breast during the 2004 Super Bowl.

The order sends the case back to a federal appeals court in Philadelphia for further review in light of the Supreme Court's ruling that upheld a U.S. government policy that subjects broadcasters to fines for airing a single expletive blurted out on a live television show.

The appeals court ruled in favor of CBS, saying that the Federal Communications Commission acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in issuing the fine for a fleeting image of nudity.

Jackson's right breast was exposed to almost 90 million TV viewers for a fraction of a second during the live 2004 Super Bowl football halftime show in what fellow pop singer Justin Timberlake later called a "wardrobe malfunction."

Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson's bustier exposing Jackson's breast during the show. Despite the brevity, lawmakers and regulators were outraged and vowed a crackdown on broadcast indecency.

CBS and cable music network MTV, which produced the Super Bowl halftime show, insisted they did not know in advance about the wardrobe stunt. CBS apologized and paid the fine, $27,500 for each of its 20 owned-and-operated stations, and later instituted a five-second delay on most of its live events.

The appeals court said CBS could not be held liable for the acts of Jackson and Timberlake. That ruling will be reviewed in view of the Supreme Court's order in the case.

The U.S. government appealed to the Supreme Court, urging it either to hear its appeal in the CBS case or to order further lower-court consideration in view of the high court ruling last week in a separate case on the FCC's crackdown on dirty words aired on television.

CBS said the Supreme Court's procedural decision was expected in view of last week's ruling, despite differences in the two cases.

"We are confident that in reviewing the case" the appeals court "will again recognize that the Super Bowl incident, while inappropriate and regrettable, was not and could not have been anticipated by CBS," it said in a statement.

"This remains an important issue for the entire broadcasting industry because it recognizes that there are rare instances, particularly during live programing, when despite best efforts it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material," CBS said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5433DE20090504

Janet Jackson postpones Japan tour

Janet Jackson has postponed her "Rock Witchu" Japan tour next month because of the global financial crisis.

Japan concert organizer Kyodo Yokohama said Monday she would postpone five concerts in Japan scheduled between Feb. 14 and Feb. 22 "due to the impact of economic crisis."

The Grammy-winning singer had planned to perform in Saitama, near Tokyo, as well as in other major cities, including Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. The events are part of the world tour that started in 2008 — her first in nearly seven years.

The tour will be rescheduled for later this year. New dates are expected to be announced in late March, Yokohama said.

The 42-year-old singer canceled seven performances in the U.S. in the fall because of a bout of vertigo. - AP