Seriously? OMG! WTF?

The piano on which the late John Lennon composed his famous anti-war song "Imagine" made an odd appearance on Wednesday at the site where President John F. Kennedy was gunned down, competing for attention with conspiracy buffs on the 43rd anniversary of the assassination. The plain-looking brown piano has been brought to America for exhibits by pop star George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss. Michael bought it in 2000 at an auction for 1.45 million pounds. "George and Kenny are very focused on world peace and they wanted to bring the piano here as a message of peace at this iconic site," said Barbara Buzzell, spokeswoman for the Goss Gallery in Dallas, where the piano goes on display next month. The piano spent the morning covered in canvas at the so-called "grassy knoll", where many conspiracy theorists are convinced at least one unknown shooter fired the shots that killed Kennedy as his motorcade swept past. Investigators maintain the act was carried out by Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone and that he fired the shots from the sixth-floor window of what was then the Texas School Book Depository building. Oswald was himself subsequently gunned down while in police custody. The piano briefly stole the show after its canvas was whipped off for a few minutes. "It’s kind of weird. It seems people care more about a musician who wasn’t even from America than they do about JFK," said Danny Steis, a 25-year-old bystander taking in the proceedings with his niece under a cloudless Dallas sky. The ex-Beatle Lennon and Kennedy were both icons of the 1960s who were assassinated but had little else in common. Lennon was murdered outside his New York apartment building in 1980.

Reuters

How symbolic and perfect.

RECLUSIVE former pop icon Michael Jackson will be the star attraction of a Christmas party in Japan where tickets will cost up to $US3400 each, organisers said. Jackson, who has been lying low since his acquittal on child molestation charges last year, is not scheduled to sing but will join fans listening to his recorded music and watching performers including gospel singers. The December 19 party for up to 1600 fans is marketed as a "25th anniversary" bash for Jackson’s Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, which in fact was released 24 years ago in December 1982. "I look forward to visiting Japan again, and greeting my fans and friends," the erstwhile "King of Pop" said in a brief statement. Jackson, 48, is reported to be suffering serious financial problems since his sensational trial. After being acquitted, he fled the United States for seclusion in the Arab kingdom of Bahrain. Jackson visited Tokyo in May in his first public outing since his trial to receive a "Legends Award" at MTV Japan’s Video Music Awards. He also toured an orphanage. A total of 1600 tickets will be on sale for the Christmas party. Buyers of the 200 "platinum tickets," each priced at 400,000 yen ($US3400), will have a "meet and greet" with Jackson before the show, said promoter Misaki Hayashi. The remaining tickets cost 200,000 yen each, said Hayashi, who expected the event to be sold out within days. "He had a good feeling when he came to Japan last May for the music video awards. So I’m sure he wanted to come back to Japan as soon as possible," she said.

Agence France-Presse 

Would you pay 400,000 yen to see Michael Jackson? I sure as heck wouldn’t.

Did Michael Richards attack the Jews? Two Los Angeles residents have come forward and said that’s exactly what happened last Spring at L.A. comedy club, The Improv. Carol Oschin and J.P. Fillet say they were at The Improv on April 22 when Richards took the stage. They say that in the middle of Richards’ skit, a man in the audience said something to the comedian, when Richards allegedly launched into an anti-Semitic rant. According to Oschin, Richards screamed at the audience member, "You f***ing Jew. You people are the cause of Jesus dying." Oschin says the rant continued and Richards stormed off the stage. Oschin and Fillet say that, at first, they thought Richards’ tirade was part of his act, but claim that it quickly became apparent it was not. Richards’ publicist, Howard Rubenstein, confirmed to TMZ that Richards did make derogatory comments about Jews, but says it was part of his act. Rubenstein says Richards told him, "I’m not anti-Semitic. I was playing a role and poking fun at the rednecks."

TMZ 

A few other links on Michael Richards today:

Michael Richards repeatedly called a female comedian a See You Next Tuesday – MoronLife
The hecklers hired Gloria Allred – Access Hollywood
Hollywood is not laughing with Michael Richards – Entertainment Tonight
Richards is trying to kiss Sharpton and Jesse Jackson’s a$$ – TMZ

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