Gossip/Celebrity News

LONDON (AFP) - Madonna will perform a special tribute to Michael Jackson during her London show on Saturday, at the venue where he was due to stage his farewell shows, she said in a newspaper interview.

LOS ANGELES - The powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home, a law enforcement official said Friday as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer's memorial service.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles city officials are planning a massive security operation for Michael Jackson's public memorial service next week, and on Friday urged fans who do not win a ticket in a random drawing to stay away from the basketball arena where the singer will be memorialized.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles city officials are preparing for massive crowds downtown during Tuesday's public memorial for Michael Jackson at Staples Center, even though only 17,500 tickets are being offered to the public.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Fans heading to Los Angeles for Michael Jackson's memorial extravaganza were urged to stay away on Friday as organizers said tickets for the event would be allocated by an online lottery.

NEW YORK (Billboard) - At the time of Michael Jackson's death last week, it was well-known that he was preparing for a 50-show concert series at London's O2 Arena later this month.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Fans preparing to descend on Los Angeles for next week's Michael Jackson memorial service were urged to watch the event via television Friday amid fears of huge crowds of mourners at the event.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Steve Brennan, a 20-year veteran reporter and editor at The Hollywood Reporter, died Thursday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 57.

PARIS (AFP) - Music star Cheb Mami was sentenced Friday to five years in jail for trying to make a former lover undergo a forced abortion, despite pleading for forgiveness at his trial near Paris.

LOS ANGELES - A law enforcement official says the sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson's home.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - The past week has been filled with more Michael Jackson speculation than we even thought possible...and there's no end in sight.

JOHANNESBURG - Hundreds of Michael Jackson fans in South Africa have gathered to moonwalk and pay tribute to the late singer.

PARIS (AFP) - A French court on Friday sentenced Algerian-born music star Cheb Mami to five years in jail for attempting to have his ex-girlfriend undergo a forced abortion.

NEW ORLEANS - The celebration of black music and culture at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans will provide comfort to artists and fans alike after a tough week following Michael Jackson's death.

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles fashion designer convicted of sexually assaulting seven women and teenage girls should not be granted a new trial even though a juror flirted over the phone with the defendant's sister, prosecutors argued Thursday.

LOS ANGELES - The investigation of Michael Jackson's death is widening as questions intensify about the drugs he took, the doctors who provided them and the actions of police.

LOS ANGELES - A 30-second snippet of Michael Jackson rehearsing two days before his death was released Thursday, part of more than 100 hours of footage that could be turned into live albums, a movie and a pay-per-view special, the promoter said.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The medical examiner who oversaw a private autopsy on David Carradine said on Wednesday that the "Kung Fu" star died from asphyxiation and the way the actor's body was bound allowed him to rule out suicide.