Autopsy set on television pitchman Billy Mays

TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- Medical examiners are due to conduct a preliminary autopsy Monday on Billy Mays, the man with the booming voice famous for fronting products such as OxiClean and Orange Glo in TV commercials.

The procedure will take about four hours, the Hillsborough medical examiner's office told CNN.
The pitchman was pronounced dead at his home near Tampa, Florida, Sunday morning, after his wife, Deborah, found him unresponsive, Tampa police said.
He was 50.
He had told a friend before he went to sleep Saturday he was not feeling well.
"He said he was groggy, he wasn't feeling that great. He wanted to get some sleep," Todd Schnitt said. Watch friends remember Billy Mays »
The cause of death is unknown. Police said there were no signs of forced entry to the residence and there is no suspected foul play.
Mays was on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia that had a hard landing Saturday at Tampa International Airport after the front tire of the plane blew out.

Mays was on a US Airways flight from Philadelphia that had a hard landing Saturday at Tampa International Airport after the front tire of the plane blew out.

After the flight, Mays told a Tampa TV station, "All of a sudden as we hit, you know, it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."
Airline spokesman Jim Olson told CNN on Sunday there were no reported passenger injuries from Flight 1241. The airline vowed to "cooperate fully" with authorities in the investigation.
"We were very sad to learn of Billy Mays' passing and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family," Olson said.

Michael Jackson Dies

We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50. Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

Story developing.........

Twins for Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick

"Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, are now parents to twin girls delivered by a surrogate mother, a publicist said Tuesday.

The girls, Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick (5 pounds, 11 ounces) and Tabitha Hodge Broderick (6 pounds), were born Monday afternoon at an Ohio hospital.
The pregnancy wasn't without difficulties. Just last week, two Ohio lawmen burglarized the surrogate mother's home in Martins Ferry in search of photos they could sell to a tabloid publication. An investigation is ongoing.
Fireworks TV rotation
Detroit fans of NBC's Wednesday-night lineup will have to chug some coffee or set those TiVos tonight.
According to WDIV-TV Local 4, "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me out of Here" is scheduled to play at 1:36 a.m. (Yes, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are to reappear!)
"America's Got Talent" will be broadcast at 2:24 a.m. and "The Philanthropist" follows that at 3:32 a.m.
It's a wrap, Motown
"Detroit, you gave birth to Motown. Remember that and keep it in your hearts."
That was the message Duke Fakir, the sole surviving member of the Four Tops, delivered Tuesday night at the Boll Family YMCA in Detroit during a wrap party for the Free Press' Motown at 50 documentary project.
"One thing always stands out in my mind. It's how important Motown music was in bringing people together," Fakir told a crowd of invited guests that included Motown artists and employees. "The great orchestrator upstairs brought it all into people's homes and let us know that all are equal."
The Motown at 50 project, which the Free Press launched in January to mark the 50th anniversary of Motown Records, includes stories, photo galleries and 50 videos chronicling the famed label's history.

Sharapova out at Wimbledon; Federer, Serena win

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - In the final game, a desperate Maria Sharapova lunged to hit one shot left-handed, and twice challenged calls but lost. Then she lost the match as well.

Sharapova won seven consecutive games during one stretch but let a late lead slip away Wednesday and was beaten by Gisela Dulko, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round at Wimbledon.
In a wild, 14-point final game, Sharapova saved four match points. But on the fifth she pushed an easy forehand long, and she was out of the tournament after two rounds for the second year in a row.
The 2004 champion was playing in her fourth event since rejoining the tour last month following shoulder surgery in October. She's ranked 60th but was seeded 24th because of past success at the All England Club.
"This is not an overnight process," Sharapova said. "It's going to take time, as much time as I need on the court, to get everything together. ... Just being here is a wonderful accomplishment."
Serena Williams and Roger Federer advanced with little trouble. Williams, a two-time champion seeded second, committed only six unforced errors and beat Jarmila Groth 6-2, 6-1. Federer, bidding for his sixth Wimbledon championship and a record 15th major title overall, defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
No. 28-seeded Mardy Fish of the United States matched his best showing at Wimbledon by reaching the third round when he beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Fish next play No. 4 Novak Djokovic, who defeated Simon Greul 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.
"I'll throw everything I've got at him," Fish said. "I don't have anything else to do."
American Taylor Dent double-faulted 21 times and lost to Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the completion of a first-round match suspended because of darkness, 7-5, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4.
No. 16 Zheng Jie, a semifinalist as a wild card last year, lost to Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 7-5. No. 8 Victoria Azarenka lost only six points in her six service games and shut out Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-0, 6-0.

No. 10 Nadia Petrova, No. 14 Dominika Cibulkova and No. 26 Virginie Razzano advanced.
Dulko, ranked 45th, matched her best showing at Wimbledon by reaching the third round. She had won a total of only three games in two previous matches against Sharapova, but the Argentine repeatedly took charge of rallies by hitting drop shots, while Sharapova struggled with her serve and forehand.
"I had so many easy balls, and I just made unforced errors from those," Sharapova said. "When I've had those situations before, those balls would be pieces of cake, and today they weren't."
She and Dulko played the afternoon's first match on Centre Court in warm sunshine, and the new roof remained open for a third consecutive day. Dulko was almost flawless at the start, committing only four unforced errors in the first 11 games.
But with a 3-love lead in the second set, she began spraying her shots, and Sharapova pulled even.

American shot dead in West African capital

By AHMED MOHAMED

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania – Gunmen attempting to kidnap an American man in Mauritania on Tuesday shot and killed him when he tried to resist, a police officer in the West African nation said.
Neighbors said the middle-aged man taught at a center specializing in computer science in El Kasr, a lower-class neighborhood in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital.
Two men had initially tried to abduct him, but they shot him when they realized they could not overpower him, said the police officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Witness Bilal Ould Mohamed, a butcher, said he saw at least two young men rush up to the victim and shoot him several times in the head and face. Mohamed said he tried to stop them, but they pointed their gun at him before running off.
An AP correspondent at the scene saw officials from the U.S. Embassy arrive as the body lay on the pavement.
The embassy in Nouakchott could not immediately be reached for comment. The victim's identity was not immediately released.
Extremist violence in Mauritania, a moderate Muslim nation, has increased. In 2007, a group of French picnickers was killed. The gunmen were believed to be linked to al-Qaida's north Africa branch and the incident prompted organizers of the famous Dakar Rally to cancel the trans-Sahara car race.

Chris Brown pleads guilty to assault

By Kelley L. Carter, USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — It was going to be another highly anticipated, media-clogged celebrity courtroom showdown, pitting pop singer Rihanna against her erstwhile boyfriend, R&B star Chris Brown. But it fizzled Monday when Brown accepted a deal in which he pleaded guilty to felony assault but avoided a trial and jail time.
EVERYTHING CHRIS BROWN: Learn more about the singer
The plea agreement, under which Brown, 20, will serve 180 days of community service and undergo domestic-violence counseling, was announced at the start of a preliminary hearing here.
"Do we have a deal?" Judge Patricia Schnegg asked after calling the hearing into session.
Rihanna, 21, had been prepared to take the stand to testify about what happened when the couple drove home from a pre-Grammy party in February.

Brown, dressed in a black-, white- and grey-checkered suit, entered the courtroom flanked by five sheriff's deputies. Nearly a dozen members of his family filled two courtroom rows behind him and his attorney, famed celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos.
"I want Mr. Brown to be treated as any other person of this type of charge," the judge said.
Dozens of media outlets were there to record the courtroom confrontation that didn't happen. Rihanna, wearing a black dress and pearls, appeared in court only after Brown had left.
Rihanna — born in Barbados, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty — listened as Schnegg explained the stay-away order she issued: Brown can't contact Rihanna and she can't contact him at least until Aug. 5, when Brown will be formally sentenced.
Later, Rihanna's attorney, Donald Etra, said Rihanna didn't think the terms of the stay-away order were necessary. Etra would not comment on the current state of Brown's relationship with Rihanna.
Brown's plea deal includes five years of supervised probation, plus Brown must pay court restitution and contribute to a domestic violence fund.
Brown could have been sentenced to up to four years in prison. He will be allowed to do his community service in his home state of Virginia since he doesn't own any property in Los Angeles.
Brown spoke softly as he told the judge he understood the terms and conditions of his plea.
"I think it's commendable that you took responsibility," Schnegg told Brown. "I hope this will have some meaning for you."
Once known for a squeaky-clean image, Brown has already suffered fallout from the case; he was dropped by some sponsors and had to cancel several appearances. Because violence was involved in the case, it may be tougher for the singer to rebound, but not impossible.
"What happened today will have less impact than people thought," says Jason Adams, Entertainment Weekly assistant managing editor. "(It) pretty much sets both of them up to continue with their careers without turning a blind eye to what happened. … When it's all said and done, he's a young man, and this stuff will be over pretty quickly."
Contributing: Steve Jones and Maria Puente

Rihanna Testimony in Chris Brown Case

Rihanna and Chris Brown go to court Monday in Los Angeles, but you won't see tape. TV cameras have been banned from capturing superstar Rihanna's much-anticipated testimony at ex-boyfriend Chris Brown's assault trail. The Barbadian singer is expected to take to the stand during a preliminary hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court. And although reporters will be allowed inside to hear the proceedings, the doors will stay firmly closed to cameras. Los Angeles Criminal Court Judge Patricia Schnegg decided against allowing the showdown to be broadcast to the world. Brown, 20, faces two felony counts of assault and making criminal threats against Rihanna after a pre-Grammy party in February.
***However, if he reaches a plea agreement, the hearing would be unnecessary. Brown's lawyer, Mark Geragos, has previously indicated he hoped to resolve the case without public testimony. If it goes ahead, Rihanna – real name Robyn Fenty – could later be called as a witness in the high-profile trial.