Graphic testimony in Jackson trial
SANTA MARIA, Calif., April 8 (UPI) -- Two former employees of Michael Jackson gave graphic testimony of sexual contact between a boy and the pop star at his California ranch.
Ralph Chacon, an ex-security guard, said he saw Jackson perform oral sex on a boy, 9 or 10 at the time, CNN said Friday. The most explicit testimony to date in the child molestation trial, it drew gasps from the court's gallery.
It was the first time jurors heard testimony Jackson had done more than fondle or masturbate a boy.
Jackson shook his head slowly during the lurid testimony.
The next witness, a former Jackson maid, said she saw him kiss the same boy on the mouth and put a hand on his crotch, over his pants, in a bedroom.
The defense tried to counter the testimony of Chacon and Adrianne McManus by rehearsing their history of litigation against the defendant, earnings from tabloids and how a jury later found that the pair had engaged in fraud and malice towards Jackson.
Jackson was indicted last April on 10 felony counts for incidents that allegedly occurred in February and March 2003 with a 13-year-old boy. He has pleaded innocent to all charges.
Actor not a thug, just plays one on TV
NEW YORK, April 8 (UPI) -- Hulking actor Vincent Pastore, who played "Big Pussy" on the "The Sopranos," denies beating up his petite actress girlfriend.
Investigators say Lisa Regina suffered severe injuries in a brawl with Pastore, 58, who told the New York Post she had set him up.
"Thank God -- my mother in heaven -- that I didn't put my hands on that woman. I only removed her from my car," Pastore said in an exclusive interview with The Post.
"I'm the victim. I'm the guy who got beat up. I got scars on my chest, but I didn't go to the hospital and try to get pictures done because I was hoping this was going to go away. I was hoping that she had enough sense not to open up the can of worms," he said.
"I'm not a violent person, despite the characterizations you see on television."
Tom Cruise fights The Beast from within
BUFFALO, N.Y., April 8 (UPI) -- Actor Tom Cruise was not amused at being named one of "The 50 Most Loathsome People in America" and even less amused by being labeled "a cokehead."
The Beast, a biweekly newspaper out of Buffalo, N.Y., put Cruise at No. 39 on its loathsome list and also said the actor is "a carbon copy of the quintessential rich, (expletive) cokehead," "Celebrity Justice" reported.
Cruise's attorney, Bert Fields, fired off a letter to The Beast, demanding a retraction.
"What they did, instead of retracting, was to publish my letter, which I guess they considered a retraction, with this kind of smart-ass comment, 'Well, he sips Coca Cola, therefore he's a cokehead' -- which is nonsense," Field said.
Fields told "CJ" the Cruise camp could put the newspaper "out of business" by filing a lawsuit.
Others on The Beast's loathsome list include Ben Affleck and "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aikin.
Brad Pitt says Jolie reports 'untrue'
LOS ANGELES, April 8 (UPI) -- A spokesman for actor Brad Pitt says a report published Friday linking him romantically with actress Angelina Jolie is "completely untrue."
Under a banner headline saying "It's On," Us Weekly says Pitt and Jolie "frolicked" in a secluded villa during Easter weekend. The magazine also quotes onlookers describing the pair as "an obvious couple."
However, TV's "Access Weekly" says Pitt and his reps dismissed the Us Weekly report as "completely untrue."
"Because these tabloids are making so much money, and yes I consider Us Weekly a tabloid, they go to great lengths to corroborate their stories," said a statement from the Pitt camp. "Whether they are true or not. This particular story is completely untrue."
Pitt is the process of divorcing actress Jennifer Aniston. He has denied tabloid reports that Jolie, his co-star in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," played any role in their breakup.
