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The report confirms Michael Jackson had a rare skin condition which resulted in the loss of his pigmentation - making him look increasingly white London Times Reports Far from being the sickly, underweight shell of man portrayed by the global media, Michael Jackson was in fact relatively healthy before his fatal drug overdose, it was revealed tonight. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s report, the 50-year-old singer was just under 10 stone when he died, within the normal range for a man who stood at only 1.75 metres tall. Meanwhile, his heart was strong with no sign of plaque buildup, and his kidneys and most other major organs were in good condition. The autopsy also finally confirmed Jackson’s claim that he suffered from skin condition that resulted in the loss of skin pigmentation: his efforts to disguise it were probably the reason he appeared to turn from black to white in the late eighties. The coroner said the depigmentation affected the skin on his chest, abdomen, face, and arms. The autopsy also revealed just how much plastic surgery Jackson had undergone during his lifetime: he had 1.9 cm scar behind his left ear, and another scar behind his right ear. He also had scars beside each nostril, on his right shoulder, at the base of his neck, and additional, smaller scars on his arms, wrist, navel, and abdomen. Jackson also had several tattoos, all them cosmetic, including one that covered a bald spot. He had other tattoos around both eyebrows and under his eyes, and a pink tattoo around his lips. The coroner also found that Jackson was actively producing sperm. “His overall health was fine,” said Dr Zeev Kain, chairman of the anesthesiology department at the University of California, Irvine, who reviewed a copy of the autopsy report. “The results are within normal limits.” But Jackson did have some health problems, including arthritis in his lower spine and some of his fingers, and a mild plaque buildup in his leg arteries. His most serious condition affected his lungs: they were chronically inflamed and probably causing some shortness of breath. Puncture wounds were also found on both the singer’s arms and on one of his knees and ankles. Jackson died at his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 after his personal $150,000-per-month doctor, Conrad Murray, administered propofol—a hospital-grade anesthetic—and two other sedatives to get the singer to sleep, according to court documents. Propofol, normally used in operating rooms, can stop a patient from breathing and requires constant monitoring, The coroner's office announced last month that Jackson's death was a homicide caused by "acute propofol intoxication” with the other sedatives listed as a contributing factor. It added that, in Jackson’s case, the ‘standard of care’ for administering propofol was not met, and that the recommended equipment for patient monitoring, precision dosing, and resuscitation was not being used. Dr Murray is expected to be indicted on charges related to his patient’s death. Aside from propofol and the sedatives, the only other substances found in Jackson’s system were a local anesthetic, Lidocaine (used to numb injection sites), and ephedrine, a commonly used resuscitation stimulant. No other drugs — legal or otherwise —were detected, nor was any alcohol. Dr Kain, the specialist who analysed the coroner’s report, said he was surprised that three other sedatives, known as benzodiazepines, were present with propofol. He said that while anesthesiologists sometimes mix one ‘benzo’ with propofol to help put a patient under, using three of them at the same time was dangerous. “People don't mix the benzodiazepines together because they interact with each other and increase the risk of respiratory arrest,” he said, adding that it was likely that Jackson stopped breathing before he suffered a heart attack.
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XXL Reports Former Cash Money rapper B.G. is back in business. The one-time Hot Boy is ready to deliver 'Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood' next month, his first solo album in over three years. And it seems like the B. Gizzle is feeling nostalgic. The New Orleans rapper has reunited with his ex-group mates Lil Wayne, Juvenile and producer Mannie Fresh for the LP. T.I., Young Jeezy, Lil Boosie, Trey Songz and Yo Gotti are also among the artists B.G. has drafted for the disc. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Scott Storch and Cool and Dre all put in work behind the boards. 'Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood' will be released on November 24 through E1, Chopper City and Atlantic Records. His first single “Back to the Money” will hit the airwaves shortly.
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News-Press.com Reports It was Sunday night, Sept. 6, and revelers fresh from rapper Plies’ concert at Harborside Event Center streamed into bars and clubs near downtown Fort Myers’ riverfront. Outside Club Venu on First Street a few hours later, as open doors and shining white lights signaled closing time, a bouncer got into an argument while escorting a group of patrons outside. It escalated. When the bouncer felt a pain in his abdomen, he lifted his shirt and discovered he’d been stabbed. It’s incidents such as this that Fort Myers Councilman Warren Wright is hoping to avoid. At Monday’s council meeting, he wants to discuss the possibility of banning events featuring hip-hop from Harborside Event Center and other downtown venues because, Wright said, the concerts attract violence and disruption. “We know the surrounding nightclubs will cater to these events, and as the evening progresses, it becomes becomes more and more aggressive,” Wright said. Banning hip-hop concerts doesn’t seem likely, said city attorney Grant Alley, because artistic expression is protected by state and federal constitutions. “One person’s music is another person’s noise,” Alley said. Last month, the city adopted a downtown development plan that aims to bring high-end restaurants and shops as well as conventions to the riverfront. The council hopes these ideas will blend with art galleries and events the city hosts. What doesn’t fit are knife-toting clubgoers and performers screaming obscenities, council members say. Newly elected Mayor Randy Henderson said he is offended by rap lyrics, which to him emphasize violence and vulgarity. He supports limiting this type of music and concerts. “If there’s a legal way to do that, it’s a worthy idea,” Henderson said. Fort Myers Police Department spokeswoman Maureen Buice said it’s difficult to distinguish if hip-hop themed events bring more violence downtown. But Lashawnda Henderson, a local rap promoter, is concerned about the effect a ban would have on a thriving local rap industry. “There’s so much emphasis put on rap music,” Henderson said. “It’s not rap music itself that causes it. Crime is just out of hand.” Instead, the city should pay for increased security at clubs, or consider blocking off streets on concert nights, she said. Downtown bar owners say they wouldn’t be forced to stage hip-hop concerts and similar events if business were better. Raimond Aulen, owner of the Indigo Room on Main Street, said business is hurting because patrons who are younger than 21 aren’t allowed in bars. Plus, the city’s streetscape and utilities projects shut down portions of the roads for months. “Clubs are scraping the bottom of the barrel,” Aulen said. “These are desperate times, and they call for desperate measures.” Hip-hop concerts and themed nights are what bring Holli Hall to downtown. Hall, a 32-year-old Fort Myers resident, attended the Plies concert and said she never felt unsafe. And she has never felt uneasy while grooving at local clubs. “If they ban hip-hop music,” Hall said, “where will they stop?”
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A booking mug shows Robert Higgins. Cops say he was naked and covered in feces when he broke into a backyard and jumped in the pool. NY Daily News Reports STUART, Fla. — A Florida man is facing charges after authorities say he was naked and covered in feces when he broke into a resident's backyard and jumped into the pool. A Martin County Sheriff's Office report shows 21-year-old Robert Stark Higgins was charged with burglary to an occupied dwelling, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor theft. The resident told deputies he heard Higgins crash through the screen of his pool and take a splash Saturday night. Authorities say Higgins took a towel and fled. Deputies used a K-9 to track Higgins to a home. Higgins told deputies he had been drinking. He was being held at the Martin County Jail on $10,500 bail. Jail officials said he did not immediately have an attorney.
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Video After The Jump Spin.com Reports From Karen O's star-studded Wild Things soundtrack to Thom Yorke's new band with Flea, it's an awesome year for supergroups and dream collabos. One of the best yet: Blakroc, a new project from blues-rock duo Black Keys, featuring rappers Jim Jones, Q-Tip, Wu-Tang's Raekwon and RZA, Ludacris, and Mos Def! Sessions for their self-titled debut album, due Nov. 27, kicked off this summer in Brooklyn with Mos Def, and the smarty-pants boys of Black Keys brought along a video camera -- check out behind-the-scenes-footage from the studio below! The nearly eight-minute clip -- the second in a series of webisodes to be unveiled at blakroc.com -- shows how one track was recorded. When Mos Def arrives at the studio, the Black Keys (yes, that's guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach; he shaved his beard) present the rapper with a hard-hitting blues track with rumbling bass -- and Def gets right to work. "Your pure heart / Is super cool / You're are elemental / You're sweet and you're true," he ad-libs in a soft croon (Def never writes down lyrics). After a little mixing in the control room, the guys play the track back. Hip-hop magnate Damon Dash, who, according to Billboard, is releasing the album on BlakRoc records, his new venture with the Black Keys, approves of the song, dancing in circles and flinging his chain. It's a weird scene as he spins alongside a few quaint hipsters girls and the grizzly Keys. But the music is undeniable: "It's got a good beat, you can dance to it -- It's got that right feel!" Def shouts. Below, watch footage of Mos Def and the Black Keys rocking out in the studio, and working on a second song with Def spitting a poetic rhymes about life and learning over sinister bass and screeching guitar.
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