Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has announced she will be stepping down from her post as the state's highest-ranking official on July 26 and will not seek re-election to a second term in 2010.
In a press conference held in her Wasilla, Alaska, hometown Friday, Palin -- who has 18 months left in her first term of office -- said she would be devoting more time to her family, though political insiders also speculate she is shifting her focus onto a 2012 bid for president.
See the day's top celeb news photos.
"I never believed that I nor anyone else needs a title to do this, to make a difference," Palin, flanked by her husband, Todd, told reporters. "I'm determined to take the right path for Alaska, even though it is unconventional and it's not so comfortable."
Palin, 45, announced that the state's Lt. Governor Sean Parnell would assume the role of Alaska's chief executive at the end of the month.
Earlier this spring it was announced Palin -- who served as Arizona Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate in 2008 -- inked a book deal with the HarperCollins imprint to detail her Alaskan childhood through last year's presidential campaign and beyond.
Look back at photos of Palin and McCain on the campaign trail.
The as-yet-untitled tome is expected to cover her political beliefs and her family life, including the pregnancy of her teenage daughter, Bristol Palin, who gave birth in December to a son, Tripp.
"In fairness to my family, this is going be a good opportunity for them, too, because there have been so many misperceptions out there about who we are and what we believe in, and I'm excited to get to put my journalism degree to work and tell my story as it relates to my family," Palin said.
Although financial terms were not disclosed, Palin is expected to get a multimillion-dollar contract.
]]>Fans will get a chance to say goodbye to Michael Jackson at a public memorial service to be held at L.A.'s Staples Center on Tuesday, a spokesman for the singer's family confirmed.
"The memorial has to do with accommodating as many fans as possible," spokesman Ken Sunshine said at a press conference announcing plans for the service in Los Angeles Friday.
Tim Leiweke, the CEO of AEG Live, which owns the Staples Center, announced that 17,500 tickets will be made available to fans via an Internet lottery at the venue's Web site. Online registration -- which does not guarantee a ticket for the memorial service -- concludes Saturday, July 4 at 6 p.m. PST.
Look back at Michael Jackson's life.
Tuesday's service, celebrating the life of The King of Pop, will take place at the same venue (capacity: 20,000) where Jackson rehearsed for his London concert tour just two days before he died on June 25 at age 50.
A simulcast of the memorial service will occur at the Nokia Theater across the street. Randomly selected ticketholders notified on Sunday, July 5 will receive wristbands for one location or the other. The remaining tickets are set aside for the Jackson family to allocate as they see fit.
Revisit Jackson's most unforgettable moments.
No other details of the memorial were made available, though officials confirmed there would be no funeral procession, in an effort to maintain crowd control.
On Thursday, Jackson's brother, Jermaine, told CNN's Larry King the public's safety was paramount when it came to making plans for the memorial.
See photos of the singer and his children.
"The hardest thing is, where do you rest Michael Jackson?" he said in an interview at Neverland Ranch. "Everything [Michael] did was so over the top, and there are people coming from all over the world in groups of 20s and hundreds of thousands.
"We worked with the city authorities and they're trying their best," he continued. "And with the time frame we have, we're hoping that everybody is safe and things are going to be locked down pretty much."
]]>How I Met Your Mother actress Cobie Smulders has given birth to her first child, Usmagazine.com has confirmed.
The actress and her fiance Taran Killam, both 27, welcomed Shaelyn Cado Killam on May 16, a rep for Smulders tells Us. Shaelyn is the couple's first child.
Find out which stars are getting ready to walk down the aisle this year.
Smulders, who announced her pregnancy in November, stars on the CBS series as Robin Scherbatsky, a reporter who has vowed not to have kids. Killam appears as Blauman, a former coworker of Neil Patrick Harris' character Barney.
Baby blabber has been the talk of the HIMYM set this year. The show's cocreator, Craig Thomas, joked to TV Guide about his fertile workplace in November after both Smulders and Hannigan announced they were expecting. Hannigan welcomed a daughter -- her first -- in March on her 35th birthday.
Check out Us' baby bump hall of fame.
"If you're trying to start a family, please come visit the set of How I Met Your Mother," Thomas told the magazine. "Just come by and hang out for a day or two. We can't legally guarantee anything, but by the time you leave, you will almost certainly be pregnant."
]]>Days before his June 25 death, Michael Jackson had a cancerous lesion removed from his nose, biographer Diane Dimond and an unnamed family source tell the new issue of Us Weekly.
"Last week, I had two real sources call me and say he's getting surgery right now for removal of skin cancer off his nose," Dimond told Us in an interview on June 26. "This is not a man who suffers pain well. He likes painkillers. So he got some from here, he got some from there -- who knows how much."
See shocking photos of Michael Jackson's changing face over the years.
Up until his death, Jackson was focused on his tour, for which he was paid a reported $70 million advance.
But those close to the singer worry the 50-year-old King of Pop might have taken on too much too soon.
Jackson suffered persistent insomnia in recent months, sources tell Us.
"For the past 15 years, Michael always slept until 3 or 4 in the afternoon and was up all night," a source tells Us Weekly. "When he started rehearsals for the tour, it totally screwed up his system."
Revisit the King of Pop's most memorable moments.
Jackson, the source adds, began adding stimulants to his daily drug regimen in order to rise earlier. Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, told the Associated Press Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously and induces sleep.
She said she received a strange phone call from a Jackson staff member four days before the singer's death that made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug.
"He called and was very frantic and said, 'Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said.
See photos of the singer through the years.
"I said, 'Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away."
"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."
Jackson did not go to the hospital.
He died after suffering cardiac arrest.
Though an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks, Lee told the AP: "I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug."
See photos of Michael Jackson and his kids.
California officials announced Wednesday the federal Drug Enforcement Agency is assisting the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation into Jackson's death.
]]>Despite reports that Debbie Rowe plans to fight for custody of her two children with Michael Jackson, her lawyer insists she has not made up her mind on the matter.
"Debbie Rowe has not reached a final decision concerning the custody proceedings," attorney Eric M. George told reporters during a press conference Thursday. "As many of you know, my belief is that the pending custody proceedings are the most private and the most sensitive of matters as they impact the lives and the fates of young children. To that end, I've endeavored out of respect for Michael's children and family, especially in this time of grieving, to keep silence on these matters, to deny all interview requests and to share only that information involving upcoming public court proceedings."
See how Michael Jackson’s face has changed over the years
Earlier Thursday, NBCLA's Chuck Henry reported that he has spoken to Rowe - mother of Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 - and she told him, "I want my children."
Although Rowe herself has not spoken publicly about the custody proceedings, George said, "I have no reason to doubt that what was reported from that conversation was accurately and ethically reported, but that said, it would be a distortion of the truth to allow that single snapshot of a single conversation, to stand as the truth on Debbie's position on this sensitive matter."
Revisit Michael Jackson’s most unforgettable moments
"Once again, the truth is that Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings," he concluded. "When Debbie does take a position in the public forum of a court, those positions will, of course, be conveyed to all interested persons. In the meantime, I very much appreciate everybody's continued respect for Debbie’s privacy at this time, and I'm very sorry, but I cannot address any questions at this time."
See photos of Michael Jackson and his kids through the years
In Jackson's will (released Wednesday) the singer –- who died at age 50 after suffering cardiac arrest June 25 -- named his mother Katherine as guardian of his three children – Prince, Paris and 7-year-old Blanket. (If Katherine died before him or couldn't serve as guardian, Jackson nominated Diana Ross, according to Jackson's will.) He "intentionally" omitted Rowe from his will, he said.
Look back at Michael Jackson's life
Last week, Katherine filed a petition in Los Angeles Probate Court seeking legal guardianship of the children. (In her 22-page petition, she claims the children "have no relationship with their biological mother.") A guardianship hearing scheduled for Monday has been postponed until July 13 at the request of attorneys for Rowe and Katherine Jackson.
Rowe wed Jackson in 1996 (he was a patient in the dermatologist's office, where she worked as a nurse). The children were born through artificial insemination. (The new issue of Us Weekly exclusively reports that the children's father is Arnold Klein, Jackson's L.A.-based dermatologist and Rowe's former boss.)
After Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999, she agreed to give up her parental rights, insisting Jackson was a good father.
Since their father's passing, the kids have been with the Jackson family and "are happy," Jackson patriarch Joe said at a press conference Monday. They're with "other young ones in the Jackson family.... They were never around other kids."
A source tells Us the Jacksons have not yet reached out to Rowe.
]]>Even though Michael Jackson "intentionally" omitted her from his will, Debbie Rowe says she plans to fight for custody of her two children -- Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 -- with the late singer.
"I want my children," Rowe said during a 90-minute phone conversation Thursday morning with NBCLA's Chuck Henry. (The interview was not broadcast.)
In his will (released Wednesday) Jackson –- who died at age 50 after suffering cardiac arrest June 25 -- named his mother Katherine as guardian of his three children – Prince, Paris and 7-year-old Blanket. (If Katherine died before him or couldn't serve as guardian, Jackson nominated Diana Ross, according to Jackson's will.)
See how Michael Jackson’s face has changed over the years
Last week, Katherine filed a petition in Los Angeles Probate Court seeking legal guardianship of the children. (In her 22-page petition, she claims the children "have no relationship with their biological mother.") A guardianship hearing scheduled for Monday has been postponed until July 13 at the request of attorneys for Rowe and Katherine Jackson.
Revisit Michael Jackson’s most unforgettable moments
But on Thursday, Rowe told NBC's Henry that she would seek a restraining order to keep Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, away from the children.
Rowe also said she was willing to submit to any testing, including DNA to prove that she is the children's true biological mother. She said she would submit to psychological testing.
See photos of Michael Jackson and his kids through the years
"I am stepping up," Rowe said. "I have to."
Rowe wed Jackson in 1996 (he was a patient in the dermatologist's office, where she worked as a nurse). The children were born through artificial insemination. (The new issue of Us Weekly exclusively reports that the children's father is Arnold Klein, Jackson's L.A.-based dermatologist and Rowe's former boss.)
After Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999, she agreed to give up her parental rights, insisting Jackson was a good father.
Since their father's passing, the kids have been with the Jackson family and "are happy," Jackson patriarch Joe said at a press conference Monday. They're with "other young ones in the Jackson family.... They were never around other kids."
A source tells Us the Jacksons have not yet reached out to Rowe.
]]>A new video shows Jessica Simpson displaying her infamous over-the-top facial expressions while belting out the National Anthem at the AT&T National golf tournament in Bethesda, Md. Wednesday.
See what Jess -- and other stars -- look like without make up.
Simpson -- whose beau Tony Romo participated in the golf event with Tiger Woods -- also showed off her curvy figure in a skintight, sleeveless red and blue striped dress.
See Jessica's weight ups and downs over the years.
Upon arriving in Washington D.C. Tuesday, she was bombarded with questions by photographers, who jokingly asked if she's waiting for Romo to win a Super Bowl before agreeing to marry him.
Simpson (who turns 29 July 10) replied, "He'll win. Tony is playing with Tiger tomorrow. That's all I'm thinking about."
See how Jess' relationships have been covered on the cover of Us Weekly over the years.
Romo recently denied marriage plans.
There are "none that I can think of," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I'm sure you guys can tell me something new here soon enough, though."
]]>Kung Fu actor David Carradine's June death was the result of asphyxiation, not suicide, a medical examiner hired by his family confirmed Thursday.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden was hired by the Carradine family to complete an independent autopsy after the actor, 72, was found dead June 4 in a Bangkok, Thailand, hotel room. Police reported that the actor's body was found nude, with ropes around his neck, wrist and genitals, fueling speculation that he was killed while engaging in a dangerous sex practice called auto-erotic asphyxiation. Those initial reports were confirmed by Baden.
Check out Us' photo tribute to stars gone too soon.
"The cause of death was asphyxiation, an inability to breathe, now why that happened is still what we're working on," the examiner said, according to Reuters.
"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."
See the today's top celeb news photos.
In the days after his brother's death, Keith Carradine expressed gratitude for fans' support as his family searched for answers.
"This is a devastating loss for our family, and we greatly appreciate the compassion pouring in from all over the world," Keith Carradine said.
]]>CNN has exclusive footage of Michael Jackson rehearsing before his sold out London comeback tour on June 23 -- two days before he died.
Look back at Michael Jackson's most unforgettable moments.
The singer, 50, energetically dances and sings on stage at L.A. Staples Center -- the same venue being discussed for his memorial next Tuesday.
See how Michael Jackson's face has changed through the years.
Jackson was set to perform a duet with son Prince, 12, during his upcoming sold-out London concerts, the singer's former publicist reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now).
"He was planning on doing a short duet with his son, Prince," Stuart Backerman tells Us. "He knew his kids would enjoy it."
]]>Michael Jackson was set to perform a duet with son Prince, 12, during his upcoming sold-out London concerts, the singer's former publicist reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now).
"He was planning on doing a short duet with his son, Prince," Stuart Backerman tells Us. "He knew his kids would enjoy it."
See photos of Michael Jackson and his kids.
"He wanted his kids to see him perform at least once to get the vibe of the Michael Jackson mania," says Backerman of Jackson, who hadn't hit the stage since a series of 2001 tribute concerts in NYC.
Look back at Michael Jackson's most unforgettable moments.
Jackson – who died at age 50 after suffering cardiac arrest June 25 -- named his mother Katherine as guardian of his three children – Prince, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, 7 and "intentionally" omitted Debbie Rowe, the children's biological mother, from his will. (The new Us Weekly breaks the news that the children's biological father is Arnold Klein, Jackson's L.A.-based dermatologist and Rowe's former boss.) If Katherine died before him or couldn't serve as guardian, Jackson nominated Diana Ross, according to his will.
See how Michael Jackson's face has changed through the years.
Despite their father's passing, Jackson's kids "are happy," Jackson patriarch Joe said at a press conference Monday, adding that they're with "other young ones in the Jackson family.... They were never around other kids."
For more details into Jackson's bizarre home life, why he made his children wear costumes and never-before-seen family photos, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
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