The Malaysian Insider

ASPEN (Colorado), Feb 9 – Actor Charlie Sheen was charged on Monday with assaulting and threatening his wife Brooke Mueller in a heated Christmas Day argument.

But the couple left the court in the Colorado ski resort of Aspen hugging each other, hoping the charges will be dropped, and apparently planning to reconcile.

Sheen, 44, was arrested in the ski resort of Aspen, Colorado on Dec 25 after Mueller called police and told them he pulled a knife on her during an argument and threatened to have her killed. Sheen spent the day behind bars before being released on bail.

LOS ANGELES, Feb 9 — Michael Jackson’s doctor  pleaded not guilty yesterday to involuntary manslaughter in the sudden death of the pop star last year from a lethal cocktail of drugs.

Dr Conrad Murray, who has offices in Houston and Las Vegas, entered a Los Angeles courthouse to chants of “murderer” from Jackson fans gathered outside. Inside the courtroom, he faced members of the “Thriller” singer’s family.

Dressed in a gray suit and red tie, Murray stood upright and spoke in a soft voice when addressing the judge.

LOS ANGELES, Feb 9 – Michael Jackson’s personal doctor was charged on Monday with involuntary manslaughter in the singer’s death in June.

Dr Conrad Murray was caring for Jackson at the rented Los Angeles home where he died on June 25 at age 50.

The Los Angeles coroner said in August that Jackson’s death was caused mainly by two sedatives -- propofol and lorazepam. Other prescription medications were also found in his system.

LOS ANGELES, Feb 8 — Ellen DeGeneres makes her much-anticipated debut on “American Idol” tomorrow, shaking up the dynamics on the show’s judging panel and auditioning her own talents for the biggest TV audience in the United States.

The arrival of the popular talk show host and comic is expected to boost viewership on the Fox television network’s ageing singing contest, now in its 9th season and facing challenges to its coveted spot as the No. 1 show on US TV.

The biggest question is, can Ellen get viewers to stay?

LONDON, Feb 8 — Hollywood stars Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, Keira Knightley and Gillian Anderson were nominated today for Laurence Olivier Awards, British theatre's top accolades.

Anderson and Weisz (picture) are contesting the best actress category for their turns in “A Doll's House” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” respectively, and are up against Imelda Staunton (“Entertaining Mr Sloane”), Juliet Stevenson (“Duet For One”) and Lorraine Burroughs (“The Mountaintop”).