Ryan O’Neal gave a long interview to Radar Online in which he made it very clear how he felt about the Academy’s seemingly deliberate decision to exclude his deceased partner, Farrah Fawcett, from the in memoriam clip at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. Fawcett and several other high profile celebrities who passed away last year were omitted, most notably Bea Arthur, (star of Golden Girls and Mame, I loved that movie!) and I’ve since heard about journalist Dominick Dunne and Tonight Show Host Ed McMahon also being forgotten. The Academy has issued several statements that amount to “we can’t fit everyone in, that’s the way it is,” and it sounds like an arrogant response from an organization that expects the public to sit through over three hours of industry back-slapping year after year. (Sadly, the ratings are up this year despite the relative lack of entertainment value in this year’s ceremony, especially compared to last year when Hugh Jackman hosted. You just know that they’re going to use that as a mandate to continue the boring, overlong status quo.)

O’Neal calls Farrah’s omission “a terrible decision” and “very hurtful,” noting that Farrah was a longterm member of the Academy. He says that he’s trying to get some sort of response from the Academy as to why the decision was made:

a“It was a terrible decision and very hurtful,” O’Neal said. “Farrah was a member of the Academy for over 40 years and we could not believe she did not get a mention.” Patrick Swayze, Michael Jackson and Brittany Murphy were included in the segment.

O’Neal also revealed that he and daughter Tatum O’Neal- who watched the ceremony together- intend to write a letter of protest.

“Both Tatum and I were very upset and we intend to write a letter to the Academy to try and get an explanation for this oversight on their behalf.”

RadarOnline.com spoke to Lesle Unger, a rep for the Academy, shortly after the awards ended. She explained that “there are many angles that are looked at as to who to include and unfortunately we don’t include everyone.”

Bruce Davis, the executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said days before that the segment was the most difficult to produce since they had to whittle over a hundred names down to around thirty.

O’Neal scoffed at the notion that Fawcett would not make that final cut: “They gave mentions to sound guys and other writers and without being disrespectful, Farrah Fawcett was an icon and a household name.

“Quite frankly, we were stunned at the decision not to include her in the tribute and I feel that the Academy should be scolded for that, everyone was shocked.”

[From Radar Online]

O’Neal was more reserved in his official statement. His rep told People that “There is no comment other than we were disappointed that she was not included.” Other celebrities tweeted that Farrah’s omission was a shame, including legendary critic Roger Ebert, who wrote “No Farrah Fawcett in the memorial tribute? Major fail,” and Jane Fonda, who tweeted “And where was Farrah Fawcett? She should have been included #oscars #FAIL.” As E! Online reports, The Academy is not likely to ever apologize. Farrah’s friend Craig Nevius says that the Academy is just going to wait and let this die down. “I think it would be very big of them to own up to the mistake, but I also think it might set a dangerous precedent for them, which is why they probably won’t do it.” Personally I would rather see a couple more minutes of memorial clips than sit through any of the technical awards, like sound editing and mixing, but as I said yesterday they’re not going to cut any of that. The Academy is way out of of touch.

James Taylor played the Beatles hit “In My Life” to the in memoriam clip at the Oscars last night. It included several directors, producers, actors, cinematographers and executives I’d never heard of who no doubt made an impact in the industry. There was even a public relations guy, writers, and a sound editor. Michael Jackson was included, as were other famous losses like Natasha Richardson, Brittany Murphy, and David Carradine. Two actresses we lost last year were notably absent, though: Bea Arthur and Farrah Fawcett. I don’t understand how they could include Michael Jackson but “forget” Farrah Fawcett, who died on the same day. Both Farrah and Bea were involved in films, as Michael K at D-Listed points out. Plus they included Michael Jackson and it’s not like he was known for much more than his music. The people responsible for the Oscars admit that they have to cut people due to time and that their choices aren’t necessarily popular.

RadarOnline.com caught up with Academy Awards rep Leslie Unger after the show who said, “It is highly unlikely that we forgot about Farrah Fawcett but we unfortunately don’t include everyone each year.” She added: “There are many angles that are looked at as to who to include and unfortunately we don’t include everyone.”…

Bruce Davis, the executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said days before the show that producing the segment is the toughest to do and his committee always has to make some tough cuts.

“It is the single most troubling element of the Oscar show every year,” he said. “Because more people die each year than can possibly be included in that segment.” His office keeps a running list of those who have passed away since last year’s segments which he and a small committee whittle down from more than 100 names to about 30. “You are dropping people who the public knows. It’s just not comfortable.”

[From Radar Online]

Well now that we’ve seen the overlong Oscars and heard their explanation for cutting people from the memorial segment we know that their priority is not the audience. They have their own agenda and will honor the people they see fit. I would much rather have seen a few more moments of memorial clips than all of the industry specific awards like costume design, makeup, sound editing and sound mixing. They’re never going to cut those, but they’ll easily cut beloved actors and actresses from the memorial clip in order to save time. Next year there will be even less people willing to sit through that bloated ceremony.

Oh, and another thing, I’m having trouble finding videos of the Oscars because they’re being pulled due to copyright claims. And Oscar.com only offers a highlight video, backstage “thank you” cam, and red carpet footage.

Friday evening, Marie Osmond’s son Michael Blosil committed suicide in Los Angeles. There’s a lot of information coming out about this, and some of it is slightly contradictory, but the facts seem to be as these: 18-year-old Michael had a history of depression and had been in rehab once, when he was 16 years old; he was adopted, and one of Marie’s eight children with her ex-husband Brian Blosil; Michael left a suicide note; he threw himself off an eight-story building; he was a student at the Fashion Institute in Los Angeles. On Saturday, Michael’s uncle Donny Osmond confirmed Michael’s suicide and simply said: “Please pray for my sister and her family.” Marie Osmond released this statement Sunday: “My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time.” Here’s more from People Magazine:

Marie Osmond’s teenaged son, Michael Blosil, has killed himself by leaping to his death around 9 p.m. Friday in Los Angeles, reports Entertainment Tonight, which quotes Marie’s brother, Donny Osmond, as saying, “Please pray for my sister and her family.”

Through her rep, Marie Osmond released a statement Saturday. It says, “My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time.”

According to ET, Michael left a note explaining he intended to end his life after a lengthy battle with severe depression that left him, he said, feeling as if he had no friends and could never fit in.

In 2007, Michael, then 16, entered a rehab facility. His mother said at the time, “My son Michael is an amazing young man, shown through his courage in facing his issues. As his mother, I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

The reason for the visit to rehab was never disclosed. Michael is one of eight children Osmond has raised with ex-husband Brian Blosil.

By March 2009, Marie told PEOPLE that Michael seemed to be turning his life around. He was finishing up his last year of high school while living with his mom in Las Vegas, where she and Donny headline a show.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Marie said at the time. “He’s got a 3.9 GPA in high school. He’s looking at scholarships to some wonderful colleges.”

A rep for Donny and Marie Osmond confirmed to PEOPLE that the show at the Flamingo Hotel was canceled Saturday night. It is being determined how long the hiatus will remain in effect.

Marie Osmond, one of nine Utah-bred Osmond siblings, began performing with her brothers at age 3. She has been outspoken about the trials of her own life in the spotlight.

In her 2001 memoir Behind the Smile, she detailed her battle with postpartum depression following the birth of her son Matthew. She also revealed that she had been sexually abused as a child.

She did not identify her abusers but said they were not family members.

In 2006, Marie’s rep denied that the singer had tried to commit suicide, attributing reports about Osmond to the postpartum she suffered.

[From People]

I can’t even imagine how difficult it is for Marie and for the whole Osmond-Blosil family, and obviously, my thoughts and prayers are with them. Marie seems like she’s a really great mom, and last year she even came out publicly in support of her gay daughter, and gay rights and gay marriage in general – which was a contradiction of the Mormon church’s teachings. So, basically, Marie is the kind of mom who puts her kids before any prejudice.

With that in mind, I do have one minor question about this situation, and it’s really only about my own curiosity, and not in any way to disrespect the Osmond family at all. If Michael had been severely depressed for so long – which I believe – the only minor question I have is about any potential prescription medication he may have been on? It seems strange to me that a kid who is so depressed wouldn’t have been on something to help ease his depression chemically. Now, it’s perfectly possible he was on something for his depression, and it simply didn’t work, or it made the depression worse, which happens in some patients. But still, don’t you wonder? Wasn’t this kid taking anything?

Marie Osmond in Las Vegas on December 12, 2009. Credit: WENN.

Alexander McQueen is dead at the age of 40. Most news agencies are reporting that the cause of death was suicide by hanging, although McQueen’s office only confirmed his death, not suicide: “It is a tragic loss. We are not making a comment at this time out of respect for the McQueen family.” The Daily Mail was one of the first to break the news, and they have a decent summary of his life:

British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead after taking his own life. The 40-year-old committed suicide just three years after his close friend, Isabella Blow – who plucked him from obscurity and helped him become a star – killed herself.

A source at McQueen’s office this afternoon confirmed his death, saying: ‘It is a tragic loss. We are not making a comment at this time out of respect for the McQueen family.’

His death comes just days before the start of London Fashion Week and weeks before he was due to unveil his new collection at Paris Fashion Week on March 9. Born in the East End and the son of a taxi driver, McQueen got his training in tailoring in Savile Row, eventually making suits for Prince Charles, and won the distinction of being named British designer of the year four times between 1996 and 2003.

He went on to be awarded the CBE, as well as being named International Designer of the Year at the Council of Fashion Designer Awards. McQueen became the ‘enfant terrible’ of the fashion world after he was famously discovered by Isabella Blow, who was fashion director of Tatler. She bought all the clothes he made for his graduate show for £5,000 and they were delivered to her in black binliners.

Miss Blow killed herself in May 2007 after taking an overdose of weed killer after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She had attempted suicide several times by then.

McQueen was forced to deny rumours of a rift between the pair at the time of her death, saying: ‘It’s so much b******s. These people just don’t know what they’re talking about. They don’t know me. They don’t know my relationship with Isabella. It’s complete bull****. People can talk; you can ask her sisters.… That part of the industry, they should stay away from my life, or mine and Isabella’s life. What I had with Isabella was completely disassociated from fashion, beyond fashion.’

McQueen was so distraught by Isabella’s death that he dedicated his spring summer 2008 show at Paris fashion week to his late friend. The invites to the show were poster-size illustrations Richard Gray. It depicts a triumphant Blow, in a McQueen dress and a Philip Treacy headdress, in a horse-drawn carriage ascending to heaven.

Miss Blow had said: ‘My relationship with McQueen began in 1994, when I went to a Saint Martins graduate show. I couldn’t get a seat, so I sat on the stairs and I was just watching, when I suddenly thought: I really like those clothes, they are amazing. It was his first collection.’

‘It was the tailoring and the movement which initially drew me to them. I tried to get hold of him and I kept calling his mother, but he was on holiday.’

She kept saying: ‘He’s not here, he’s not here.’ She told him: ‘This crazy person is trying to get hold of you.’ I eventually got to meet him and I decided to buy the collection: I bought one thing a month and paid him £100 a week. He’d bring an outfit in a bin liner, I’d look at it and then he’d come to the cashpoint with me.’

Born Lee Alexander McQueen, the designer was the youngest of six children.

Openly gay, McQueen – who once described himself as the ‘pink sheep of the family’ – left school at 16 and went to work at Savile Row’s Anderson & Sheppard, whose clients included Prince Charles and Mikhail Gorbachev, after he saw a television program about the apprentice shortage in traditional tailoring.

He went on to work for Gieves & Hawkes, theatre’s famous Angels & Bermans costumiers, and then worked in Japan and Italy. He returned to London in 1994, hoping to work as a pattern cutter tutor at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins fashion school. Thanks to the strength of his portfolio he was persuaded to enroll in the course himself.

After graduating McQueen set up his own label based in the East End of London. With the launch of his ‘bumsters’ trousers with a waistband so low that the buttocks are revealed, McQueen made his label famous through tabloid headlines.

He went on to be named head designer at Givenchy in 1996, succeeding John Galliano, before joining forces with Gucci, who bought 51 per cent of his company

[From The Daily Mail]

Damn, this is sad. McQueen’s fashion were favored by everyone from Madonna to Kate Blanchett. He was a designer in the vein of Gianni Versace, in my opinion, where his own eccentricities and lifestyle became part of his fame and part of his popularity. If it was suicide by hanging, it makes me think that he truly, genuinely wanted to die, rather than make some kind of cry for help. So sad.

Michael Jackson may have passed away over seven months ago, but there’s still a criminal case and surely dozens of lawsuits involving his estate pending. Jackson’s live-in doctor, Conrad Murray, plead innocent to charges, leveled in court yesterday, of involuntary manslaughter. His bail was set at $75,000, which he met. Along with being officially charged in his famous patient’s death, Murray’s license was restricted and he is no longer able to prescribe or administer anesthetics. Jackson’s family, including his parents and brothers and sisters, attended the hearing.

Jackson died from an overdose of Propofol, a powerful anesthetic that is only intended for use in hospital settings. He was being given the drug at home without the use of monitoring devices, like an EKG, that could have saved his life.

The official coroner’s report on Jackson’s death was released yesterday. His death was ruled a homicide caused by Propofol. The reports also contained details of the scene at Jackson’s home, and it’s a sad reminder of all the stories we heard at the time about how the King of Pop lived out his last days.

There are a lot of sordid details, but the one that stuck out for me was that there wasn’t even basic safety equipment in place, like dosage monitoring and resuscitation equipment. I don’t want to recount everything else, and if you’d like to read it you can. (There’s more information, including the report, on TMZ.) It just makes me sad to think about how this world renowned entertainer died. His doctor should definitely be held culpable in his death.

TMZ has the official cause of death for actress Brittany Murphy, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 32 on December 20th. It’s hard to tell in the initial report what the root cause of Brittany’s death was, but they say she had pneumonia, iron deficiency anemia and “multiple drug intoxication.” In a follow-up report, TMZ has clarification from a source at the coroner’s office. It was the pneumonia and anemia that led to Murphy’s death and the medication, a legitimate prescription and some cough syrup, that “pushed her over the line”:

Sources involved in Brittany Murphy’s autopsy tell TMZ her death was “preventable.”

Sources say the primary causes of Murphy’s death were pneumonia and severe anemia. L.A. County Coroner officials believe Brittany’s condition was “treatable” but no one took her to the hospital in time.

As for the multiple drugs found in her system, we’re told they were both prescription, including medicine for cramps, and over-the-counter medications, including cough syrup. Our sources say the drugs “pushed her over the line” but the underlying problems were the pneumonia and anemia.

In other words, Brittany was really sick, didn’t get treatment and by self-medicating it pushed her over the line.

[From TMZ]

These findings are consistent with what we’ve heard from Brittany’s mother and widower, who both insisted in interviews that she was on only drugs for her menstrual cramps and that she wasn’t taking multiple prescriptions. They also said that she had what seemed like a slight flu before she died. Coupled with her weakened system, it was enough to cause Brittany’s death. I hope her family can find a small amount of peace in this news.

Hopefully, this is the last, sad addendum to the tragic life and death of Casey Johnson. E! News is reporting that the LA coroner’s office has ruled Casey’s death the result of diabetic ketoacidosis (Check Wikipedia’s entry here) which is basically death by lack of insulin. The cause of death, then, is “natural” and not because of some drug overdose or something like that. Although – if she was using drugs (which I think she most likely was), I’m sure the drug use contributed, but the Coroner’s report doesn’t specify.

Casey Johnson struggled all her life with diabetes, and in the end, the disease claimed her life.

The Los Angeles County coroner just announced that the heiress’s death was caused by diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition caused when a diabetic does not have enough insulin in her system.

Her death was deemed natural, and not due to drugs or even suicide, as some speculated.
Officials say a detailed report on her death will be released within the next two weeks.

Johnson, 30, was found dead in her rental home in L.A. on Jan. 4; she was laid to rest in her native New Jersey eight days later.

[From E! News]

From what I understand of Casey’s final months, she wasn’t taking care of herself in any way, shape or form. That’s probably the only way Tila Tequila ever got her wh-rey grifter claws in her in the first place. So, now that we have an “official” cause of death, can we let this woman rest in peace? Probably not. Tila wouldn’t let us.

Yesterday we heard Brittany Murphy’s widower, Simon Monjack, mouthing off to The Daily Beast about how he was going to sue Warner Brothers for her death. Brittany passed away just two weeks after she was let go from the Happy Feet sequel, according to Monjack, who blames Warner Brothers for her death. There’s still no official cause of death from the coroner. Brittany suffered from a heart condition, mitral valve prolapse and she was also hypoglycemic. She appeared underweight at the time of her death and was rumored to have been on drugs due to her behavior. Monjack denies that his wife was on any illegal drug, and claims that she only took prescription medication for extreme period cramps. He said that other prescription medication found at her bedside was his. Sadly, we’ll see if that’s true when the toxicology reports come back.

Meanwhile Warner Brothers has issued a blunt statement denying any wrongdoing. They state that Brittany didn’t even have a contract with them for Happy Feet 2.

Warner Bros. is none too pleased with Simon Monjack’s extraordinarily damning accusation that the studio’s decision to pink-slip Brittany Murphy pretty much directly caused her death.
Go figure.

“Any claim that Warner Bros. Pictures was somehow responsible for Brittany Murphy’s tragic death is demonstrably false, reprehensible and defamatory,” they hit back in a statement.

“Despite press reports to the contrary, Warner Bros. Pictures and Ms. Murphy never entered into any deal for Happy Feet 2, and thus, there was no contract to cancel.”

Well, Monjack warned that a lawsuit was on its way. He may have been more right than he knew.

[From E! Online]

Warner Brothers is going to put the hurt on this guy if he even says another word about how they’re the cause of Brittany’s death. It’s understandable that he would be upset and want to blame someone, but obviously this is some sort of money grab. Maybe he was hoping for a settlement, but Warner Brothers is not going to play that game. Given Monjack’s long history of bad debts, lawsuits and questionable business practices, he’s not doing his already poor reputation any favors by threatening to sue.

I was going to save this one for the links, but I actually want to talk about J.D. Salinger. Salinger died yesterday in his home in New Hampshire. He was 91 years old, and he was arguably one of the most famous American writers ever to have lived. In his lifetime, he only published four books, amongst them Catcher in the Rye, considered one of the seminal pieces of literature of the 20th century.

Decades ago, J.D. Salinger left life in Manhattan for a simpler life, away from the endless hustle and bustle of life in the fast lane. It’s said that every major producer of the ’50s, 60s and 70s wanted to make Catcher into a film, but Salinger would never sign away the film rights. It’s become something of legend, that Salinger left New York for the country because he didn’t like the culture of celebrity, and he wanted to get away from all of that nonsense – and that was so many years ago. One could only imagine what he must of thought of what passes for “celebrity” today. The irony is that the legend of Salinger, the myth of the recluse made Salinger even more famous.

J.D. Salinger, whose iconic novel Catcher in the Rye is considered a cultural high point of the middle 20th century, died Wednesday. He was 91.

The reclusive author died of natural causes at his home in Cornish, N.H., his son said in a statement released by Salinger’s literary representative. The Manhattan-born and raised Salinger had lived for more than 50 years in self-imposed isolation in New England.

Jerome David Salinger earned his lofty reputation with his 1951 novel about iconoclastic teenager Holden Caulfield. The writer also became something of a legend for, among many things, turning down decades’ worth of requests from Hollywood to turn his most famous work into a movie.

Besides Catcher, Salinger also wrote the collection Nine Stories and two compilations, each with two long stories about the fictional Glass family. They were Franny and Zooey and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction.

[From People Magazine]

It is unknown if Salinger has spent his time in the country writing, or if we will ever see any of his later writings released posthumously. I hope so.

I must have read Franny and Zooey literally about a thousand times during my teenage years, but I haven’t picked it up in so long. I think that’s my weekend plan.

Rest in peace, J.D. Salinger.

Images and photos from Google Images.

I’m not really sure how I feel about Brittany Murphy’s widower, Simon Monjack. He’s accused of all sorts of wrongdoings and has been sued multiple times for bad debts and business deals gone wrong. It’s obvious that the guy loved Brittany, and I truly doubt that he had anything to do with her tragic death late last year at the age of 32. Still, the more Monjack talks the guiltier he looks. Monjack seems to have an excuse for everything and in this recent interview with The Daily Beast he makes a lot of suspicious, over-the-top statements about how he bought Brittany a lot of luxury goods and how he was paying for everything. The guy was unemployed, he has only 2 credits on IMDB, and was being sued for not paying a credit card and for nonpayment of rent (among other things). He said he made millions from his “photography… a wonderful hobby that I hope to take up as a career.” So he made all that money from photography and still considers it a hobby? He never says outright that he was supporting Brittany, but he insinuates it, and that’s sketchy. Again, I really don’t believe he had a hand in Brittany’s demise, but I do get a whiff of con man from him.

Plus, Monjack is suing Warner Brothers for the wrongful death of his wife. Brittany was fired from a voice role in the Happy Feet sequel just two weeks before she died. As far as I can find out, there’s no official cause of death yet so isn’t it premature to sue for wrongful death? Brittany had a heart condition, mitral valve prolapse, and hypoglycemia. (Not diabetes as has been reported.) She suffered from either the flu or a bad cold before she died. The way this guy is defending himself, sharing sexy pictures of Brittany he took, and suing Warner Brothers definitely makes it seem like he’s not on the up and up. Here are some highlights from The Daily Beast, where you can read more at the source:

Monjack is suing Warner Brothers for canning Brittany from Happy Feet 2
The Daily Beast has learned that Simon Monjack, the much-maligned husband of Brittany Murphy, is only days away from filing a wrongful-death action against Warner Brothers, claiming that the studio is responsible for the unexpected death of the 32-year-old actress last December. “They killed her,” he told me. Although the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office hasn’t released a final cause of death, Monjack and Brittany’s mother, Sharon, who also spoke to me, are convinced that the once-promising star died of a heart attack from the stress caused by Warner Brother’s canceling of a contract just two weeks before she died. Murphy was excited to have begun production on the sequel to the animated hit Happy Feet, but when she was fired by Warner Brothers, Monjack says, “She was devastated.”

On the rumors that he was drunk on set
“Every story needs a villain, and everyone has decided it is me,” Monjack says. “The reports about the Puerto Rican set are fantasy. I was never, ever drunk there. What I did do was demand they follow union rules and after she had worked 12-hour days, six days a week, that she get the breaks she was entitled to. I was ‘difficult’ because I was the enforcer to protect Brittany. She was far too nice to stand up to directors and producers who wanted her to work to exhaustion.”

On his bad debts
He says he had earned a doctorate from UCLA in philosophical aesthetics, specializing in deconstructionism and post-expressionism. He also boasts that he made a small fortune in trading currencies and having the good luck of buying over 100 paintings from a group of then-unknown British artists, including Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, and Michael Yandy, among others. Although Monjack was described invariably in the press after Brittany’s death as a writer, producer, and director of tiny films, he says that was never how he earned his money. “My photography, it’s a wonderful hobby that I hope to take up as a career.”

What about the charges about him? Litigious? “I am tough. I litigate when somebody does something wrong to me. That’s one of the reasons I make enemies.”

Did he owe a bank half a million? “Yes, I had guaranteed a person’s overdraft, and they ran up $500,000, and I paid it.”

What of actress Jaime Pressly, who says that after Brittany married, the two actresses stopped speaking? “She was never even a friend of Brittany, and she had never met me. Not once.”

On his airplane illness
The rumors that his November 29 hospital admission, right after he stepped off a plane, was drug-related? “It was a mild heart attack. Nothing to do with drugs. But why should facts get in the way of a good story?”

On the charges that he sued his way to a Factory Girl credit: That guy is jealous!
And the strong charges by Factory Girl director George Hickenlooper, who said that Monjack was “a con man and a bad guy” who had “sued his way onto the project for a title.” “Hickenlooper is a liar. I sued my way into credit over plagiarism. He’s a hack who’s never grossed over a few million on a movie. He lives in some awful flat in Hollywood, and I drive three cars and had a gorgeous wife. Failure breeds jealously.”

On how he bought Brittany millions in designer goods
“I spent over a million on her engagement rings,” he told me. “And probably $3 million on clothes.”
“$3.5 million,” interrupts Sharon, standing nearby and listening to the conversation.

“When Brittany died, she had 60 pieces of unworn Louis Vuitton. The dog had Louis Vuitton. This was all me. We kept our money separate. When I took Brittany out shopping, I paid for everything.” Their sprawling, multimillion dollar home, where they lived together with Sharon, was his.

On how Brittany was suffering when he met her
“Brittany’s films had grossed $100 million before she met me,” he says. “But her career had ended before then.” Her acclaimed roles in Clueless (1995) and Girl, Interrupted (1999) were years before Monjack arrived. A performance that many insiders thought might revive her career, Don’t Say a Word, had the bad luck of being released the week of the 9/11 attacks. “She had gone through four or five agents by the time we met,” Monjack says, “and she had made a lot of indies that went straight to video. She hadn’t earned millions in years, and when we met she was struggling financially, from a series of bad investments. She trusted some people who she shouldn’t have. There are people in Hollywood living off of young successful boys and girls and getting them to invest in things they shouldn’t.”

[From The Daily Beast]

So if the sprawling Beverly Hills home was his, why were pretty reliable outlets like TMZ reporting that it was in Brittany’s name and that she left everything to her mom? There were also stories that Brittany was broke when she died and owed more than her home was worth.

Something doesn’t add up here. I was ready to give the guy the benefit of the doubt until he added all that crap about how he spent millions on designer clothes for Brittany and how the guy who called him a con man was just jealous. He talks just like a con man.

Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack are shown in 2007 and 2008. Credit: WENN.com