Montreal publisher starts printing updated Michael Jackson biography
MONTREAL - A Montreal publishing house has started printing an updated biography of Michael Jackson, a week after abruptly stopping the presses following the sudden death of the King of Pop.
Transit Publishing president Pierre Turgeon says author Ian Halperin's book, "Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson," went to press Thursday.
The biography, originally titled "Michael Jackson: Return from Exile," is scheduled to hit Canadian shelves next week.
"I stopped the presses and the author added some material to put the book up to speed," Turgeon said Thursday.
"Obviously, we had to change the ending."
The book initially ended with Jackson's expected return to the stage for 50 shows at London's O2 Arena, a much-anticipated series that had been scheduled to begin this month.
Turgeon said the final chapter now includes details of Jackson's death. It also features material Halperin got from a meeting with the pop star, which had been protected by a non-disclosure agreement.
That deal expired after Jackson's death, the publisher added.
In December, Halperin, who recently released a controversial, unauthorized biography of Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, publicly predicted that Jackson had six months to live.
Turgeon said the printer, Transcontinental, sent the Montreal writer's book to press around the same time officials confirmed Jackson's death.
"I was very stressed because everybody from the office at Transcontinental had left for the evening," said Turgeon, who eventually tracked down the plant's night foreman.
The book will be released in the United States and the United Kingdom on July 14 and in France on July 17.
Around 300,000 copies will hit stores in the U.S., 100,000 in England, 100,000 in France and 40,000 in Canada.
David Carradine's death: asphyxiation, but not suicide
David Carradine's sudden and mysterious death in June finally has some answers ... but not all of them.
A private autopsy has determined that the "Kung Fu" star died from asphyxiation, but the medical examiner is ruling out suicide, reports Reuters.
Carradine's family hired forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden to do a second autopsy following up on the Thai investigation after he was found dead with a rope around his neck in a Bangkok hotel room on June 4.
"He didn't die of natural causes, and he didn't die of suicidal causes from the nature of the ligatures around the body, so that leaves some kind of accidental death," says Baden, who also hosts HBO's "Autopsy" series.
The doctor also says that Carradine's hands were tied above his head, not behind his back as had been previously reported. Baden estimates that maybe a week more is needed to get to the bottom of how the actor accidentally died.
Neil Patrick Harris closes in on Emmys gig
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – CBS is close to signing "How I Met Your Mother" co-star Neil Patrick Harris to host this year's Emmys.
The two-time Emmy nominee is fresh off a well-received stint as host of the Tonys, telecast by CBS in June.
The 61st annual Emmys will be broadcast September 20.
The event is under pressure to stage a turnaround this year. Ratings for the Academy Awards, MTV Awards, Tonys, Grammys and Country Music Awards have increased during their most recent airings, while the perpetually sinking Emmys last year hit an all-time viewership low.