Useless Place Blog

Gary Coleman’s ex wife Shannon Price says she intends to scatter his ashes on train tracks because “trains were his hobby”.

Shannon, speaking to US television show Entertainment Tonight, also said: “Gary didn’t want a funeral or a viewing.

“He didn’t want people to see him that way.”

Talking about what she intends to do with his ashes, she added: “I want to spread some of them around some train tracks.

“Trains were his hobby and he loved them very much.

“I think he would appreciate I did that.”

Shannon, who was divorced from the Diff’rent Strokes actor when he died, was asked whether she possessed his will.

She said: “Yes I do. He wanted me to have everything.”

She also said: “His financial problems have always been bad.

“People were always stealing from him. No-one taught him to handle his finances. We survived.”

Source: Splash News

Diff’rent Strokes star Gary Coleman died today (Friday) after his wife made the agonizing decision to switch off his life support machine. He was 42.

The diminutive actor had been rushed to hospital in Provo, Utah, on Wednesday after suffering what his family called "a serious medical problem" following a fall at home.

He later fell into a coma and his wife Shannon Price had to make the heart-breaking decision to pull him off life support. Coleman died at 12.05pm at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.

"Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated," says a hospital statement.

"Family members express their appreciation and gratitude for the support and prayers that have been expressed for Gary and for them."

A hospital spokesperson said Coleman had initially been "conscious and lucid" when taken in "but by early afternoon that same day, Mr Coleman was slipping in and out of consciousness and his condition worsened".

The distinctive actor, who found fame as Arnold Jackson, the Harlem boy adopted into a wealthy white household on TV show Diff’rent Strokes from 1978-86, lived in Santaquin, about 55 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah. He was known for his catchphrase "What’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?"

He had suffered a long string of health problems, including kidney disease, heart surgery and twice trying to overdose on sleeping pills.

Source: Splash News

Here is tragic Corey Haim as a corrupt cop in dramatic scenes from his last completed movie.

The former child star shot Decisions in LA last year.

Executive producer Zenon Kesik says Haim, who died on Wednesday of a suspected accidental drug overdose, was a “complete professional on set”.

Haim’s character partners up with a female cop played by Karina Noelle in the movie and gets involved in the lives of six troubled kids.

He shot his scenes in November and the film is set to be released in April.

Kesik says Haim “really did a fine job” and “didn’t appear to be on any substance whatsoever”.

Source: Splash News

Actor Matt Damon cleared up an internet hoax he had died with an appearance on a US chat show – and admitted playing his own prank to convince a journalist pal that George Clooney is planning a gay marriage.

The Bourne Identity star told of his surprise at reading he had supposedly been killed in a fall in mountains.

But he confessed to fuelling a false rumour started as a joke by Brad Pitt that Clooney is gay and planning to marry his boyfriend.

Damon told chat show host David Letterman: “I feel pretty good… I don’t even know where I bit the dust. The cause was unknown.

“I’m actually really glad I’m on this show because I would hate to think one of my friends actually saw that and read it.

“It was a little upsetting when I heard about this because I thought it was a pretty careless and reckless kind of thing to do.”

But he admitted his own “harmless little joke” on Clooney may have led to a man stripping off in front of the star at the Venice Film Festival this week.

He told Letterman how Brad Pitt set the ball rolling by jokingly telling an Italian journalist he will marry Angelina Jolie “when George Clooney marries his boyfriend”.

Damon said: “Now if you’re in America and you say that the journalists laugh, but if you’re overseas, something gets lost in the translation.

“So it’s eight in the morning and his Italian journalist comes in and says, ‘Matt, is it true what Brad say?’I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I go, ‘Yes, of course, it’s true.’

“And he says, ‘You mean George Clooney have a boyfriend?’

“Now I’m trying to keep a straight face and I go, ‘Yes, of course, he has a boyfriend.’”

Source: Splash News

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson says his wife desperately wants him to compete in Dancing With The Stars.

The ex-boxer, who stars in warts-and-all movie bio-documentary Mike Tyson, says Lakiha Spicer keeps urging him to give the reality TV show a whirl.

He is reportedly the celebrity who viewers of the prime-time show would most like to see compete.

But Tyson, who is grieving the death of his four-year-old daughter Exodus in a freak accident in May, says he’s “no a great dancer”.

The 43-year-old told late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien: “We were watching Dancing With The Stars, she (my wife) had persuaded me to watch it. She was like ‘Do it! Do it!’ and turned into this dramatic cheerleader.”

Though his footwork in the boxing ring may come in handy on the dance floor, Tyson says he’s not likely to sign up any time soon.

“I’m not a great a dancer but I will dance,” Tyson said. “Not now, though, and neither will I do Dancing With The Stars.”

A close friend of Michael Jackson said he was aware the family attempted an

intervention at the singer’s home just months before his death.

Janet Jackson is said to have been shocked at her brother’s state after visiting his Las Vegas mansion at the beginning of the year.

According to reports she thought he was looking emaciated and found the barely-furnished home ‘creepy’.

She is said to have called on two of the Jackson brothers to come and convince him to get help for a drug problem.

However, Jackson is said to have ordered his security to turn them away at the gates and the intervention never happened.

Now Jackson’s close friend Miko Brando seems to have confirmed the story, telling CNN: “I heard about it. But I wasn’t there.”

But Miko, the son of screen legend Marlon Brando, said Jackson was not unusually thin, adding: “Michael has always been thin. He has never been overweight. He always looked the same.”

Miko then rejected rumours he may be the real father of Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket.

“Absolutely not,” he said.

Asked if he believed Michael Jackson was the real father, he nodded before hitting out at speculations over Jackson’s drug abuse and death.

“It hurts me. It’s ridiculous,” Brando said.

“He is not here to defend himself. Once the coroner’s report comes out it will answer all these questions, for now we are just speculating.

“Michael was just a wonderful, honest, nice friend, always there when you needed it.”

Bubbles the chimp has not been ‘told’ that his one-time best friend, Michael Jackson, is dead.

Bubbles, who is now 26, was once a regular companion for Jackson and lived at the singer’s Neverland home.

The chimp was even reportedly taught how to moonwalk and use a toilet by the superstar.

But as he grew and became too big for domestic life, Bubbles was retired, and has spent the past four years at a private chimp sanctuary in Florida.

Now Bubbles lives in a group of 42 chimpanzees and orangutans, but was never visited there by the late King of Pop.

An anonymous caller even called recently to offer to pay for Bubbles to fly to the Jackson memorial service, but sanctuary bosses declined.

“We have not discussed it [Jackson's death] with him [Bubbles] because Michael has not been here to see Bubbles,” said sanctuary director Patti Ragan.

“it has been many years since he saw him, and Bubbles is very connected and happy in his chimpanzee family right now.”

Bubbles, who could live to the age of 60, was born in Texas at a facility that breeds chimps for medical testing, before he was adopted by Jacko.
Source: Splash News

Friend of Michael Jackson and Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno has claimed Michael Jackson’s $400 million debt killed him.

Ferrigno, 50, said: “He was under tremendous stress, so much I think it killed him. He was $400 million in debt.

“In the past, he had backed out of doing live shows but this time he was under the gun. The debts put a huge strain on him.”

Ferrigno, who had recently been training with Jackson, 50, and known him personally since 1995, said: “Our friend had a bunch of guests over. Michael was there and I was introduced to him.

“The friend had a gym and I walked over to it and Michael kept staring at me. He was acting really shy. Eventually we got talking. Michael needed to get ready for his HIStory world tour, so I told him to train with me.

“He came to my house in Santa Monica and that’s how I became a close friend. He was great, a nice guy, really sweet. He was self-conscious about people staring at him, people touching him, wanting a piece of him

“But he let his guard down when he was with me. There was no show.”

The Hulk would make a trip three times a week to Jackson’s home to train with him ahead of the singer’s gruelling 50-date O2 Arena tour booking in the UK.

Ferrigno said Jackson had undergone a five-hour medical four months before his sudden death on June 25 and ‘had passed with flying colours, but he wanted to be fitter’.

Source: Splash News

Michael Jackson’s death has reportedly led to a number of fans committing suicide.

There is estimated to have been at least a dozen suicides worldwide following the pop superstar’s sudden death last Thursday in California.

In Australia, callers seeking help from a suicide prevention line were citing Jackson.

Callers to Lifeline Australia, which speaks to about 50 people per day, were telling counsellors that Jackson’s death has left them distressed.

Briton Gary Taylor, owner of the biggest online Jackson fan club, said he was aware of 12 suicides.

He said: “It is a serious situation that these people are going through, but Michael Jackson would never want this.”

Source: Splash News

Michael Jackson’s pal David Gest believes the stress of Michael’s 50 London shows killed the star.

Michael recently passed away aged 50 after reportedly suffering a heart attack, but the cause of death has not been confirmed.

He said: “Michael told me he was excited about getting back on stage. I told him I was proud of him. But I really believe in my heart of hearts that the pressure of those concerts killed Michael.

“He thought there were going to be ten dates as announced. But then all of a sudden Tohme, along with Randy Phillips, president of organisers AEG, had arranged 20, 30 then 50 dates.

“Michael was being told: ‘You are going to set the world record for concerts at the O2, you are going to beat Prince’s record.’ They knew how to feed into his ego.

“But when Michael realised his schedule, he began to panic. It was one show after another, with hardly any days off. He should never have been tied to so many, especially a guy who dances through more than half of his set.”

David also expressed his concern at the people that Michael hung around with, and in particular his doctor Tohme R Tohme who he met four years ago.

David said: “We all have weaknesses and Michael’s was that he trusted the wrong people most of the time. He thought all people were good, which they were not.”
Source: Splash News

Randy Phillips from AEG Live, which was organising his London tour dates, expressed his sadness at the star’s death.

Michael died suddenly in LA aged 50 after suffering a reported heart attack.

Randy said, in a statement: “Yesterday was a day I will never forget, or want to remember. Michael was both weak and strong, clever and kind, talented beyond belief and equally insecure.

“He was a doting father, respectful son, loving brother, and caring uncle. He was my friend. I take great solace in the pride and confidence he exhibited during production rehearsals on Wednesday night.

“That is the memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

Source: Splash News

Boxer Mike Tyson’s four-year-old daughter has died in hospital after a freak accident at his home, police have confirmed.

Tragic Exodus Tyson had been on life support since being found hanging from a treadmill by its power cable on Monday morning.

A police statement said was pronounced dead shortly before noon local time on Tuesday at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

A spokesman for Phoenix Police Department said: “I was just advised by investigators that Exodus Tyson was pronounced deceased at 11:45am today at the hospital.

“Our sympathies go out to the family.”

Exodus was found hanging from the power cable by her seven-year-old brother.

Her mother, Tyson’s girlfriend, took her off the cable and tried to resuscitate her.

Tyson was in Las Vegas at the time but rushed back to be with his daughter.

Police have said they believe the incident was a “tragic accident”.

Tyson’s representatives had no immediate comment.