Brittney Murphy death cause report delayed "5-6 weeks"

Now it's reported that the cause of Britney Murphy's death may not be known for some time. RadarOnline.com explains that the autopsy was finished Monday afternoon but an unidentified source within the LA County Coroner's Office told the online publication that it "will be 5-6 weeks for test results to come through."

Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy was a popular and talented actress, writer, and producer who passed away of a heart attack Sunday morning at her Hollywood Hills home. She was found in her bathroom by her mother. Murphy's husband Simon Monjack then called 911. According to TMZ.com, Simon Monjack had asked that an autopsy not be performed, but the LA County Coroner's office ignored the request.

Foul play has been ruled out as a possible cause.

John Russo on Oakland, Oakland A's, Oakland City Attorney's office

John Russo: Part One:



John Russo: Part Two:



On Friday December 18th 2009 I sat down to talk with Oakland City Attorney John Russo and produce a vlog (video-blog) of our conversation. The result is a wide-rannging, 32-minute interview that essentially divides into three parts: the Oakland City Attorney's Office in the Economy, the Oakland A's, and the Oakland Mayor's race and Oakland politics. Here are some highlights from the videos:

Oakland City Attorney John Russo

The Oakland City Attorney's Office

Russo says that he has to cut a total 11 of a staff of 40 attorneys, or about 25 percent of his staff. He's already lost seven attorney positions this year, will lose another four, and is expected to cut another million from his budget during the next fiscal cycle. "Everybody works a little harder," Russo said. But he offered that when you lose that much of your core staff you're just not going to get as much done. As Russo pointed out, no one's yelling "save the lawyers."

"The City has to respond to lawsuits," he said. That means outsourcing, which is more expensive than having staff because the work needs to get done. "We're going to do the best we can," Russo said.

The Oakland A's

This conversation was covered extensively in my blog posting of Friday, December 18th. I wrote this:

Our conversation on the Oakland Athletics started because I asked John what he thought of San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera's letter to Major League Baseball. The letter, released on Thursday and I have (and will post for review) a copy of, states at length that the City of San Francisco is concerned with the potential negative financial impacts on that San Francisco if the Oakland A's are allowed to move into the San Francisco Giants 'territorial rights' area as established by the current Major League Agreement...


On the matter of the letter, Russo said "I think its an interesting letter. I spoke to Dennis today. I told him I think its an interesting theory. I can see where his concerns are; I understand it." Russo says that he can see where San Francisco taxpayers are a third-party beneficiary of those territorial rights given to the SF Giants...


"I do know that over the years, the Giants relied upon that territory in creating their ballpark, Russo said. "I also know that here in Oakland we relied on certain representations by the A's in signing a very flexible and advantageous lease with them. And I'm looking into whether or not their clear, and very clear attempt to move to San Jose - and San Jose's attempts to lure the A's - whether or not those are interfering with our rights under the lease."

In other words the City of Oakland's considering suing both the Oakland Athletics and the City of San Jose.

The City of Oakland

Russo explained why the City settled for $1.75 millionin the legal tussle with the Oakland Policewhere 500 officers successfully claimed they went without pay for pre-shift and post-shift activities. "As a matter of law, the City miscalculated over time...Once the court held as a matter of law we violated federal labor law standards in the calculation of overtime, that meant the party plaintiffs were guaranteed to get their attorney's fees for the case." Russo said that the City of Oakland has had 10 years of personnel problems in this area.

Russo didn't like the case but the city was legally bound. Russo said it was important to get the case "off the table" because the City of Oakland has a great relationship with the current new leadership of the Oakland Police Officer's Association. The lawsuit was filed under the OPOAs old regime.

The Race for Mayor Of Oakland

Russo said that there are really only two well-known mayoral candidates as of this writing: Oakland City Councilwoman Jean Quan and Former California State Senator Don Perata. John made an interesting observation in saying that the the executive power had leaked out and away from the Mayor's Office and to the City Council, and both can and need to spend time getting it back. That's a way of saying the Mayor's Office has not taken the lead in running the city, an observation that's become standard among Oakland insiders.

Follow-up coming

I decided to, as they say, eek this out in a series of posts rather than just one. This one introduces the videos but there's a lot Russo said that I will focus more on in blog posts leading up to Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Tiger Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren not divorcing - confirmed

Two days ago I wrote that Tiger Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren was not divorcing Woods before Christmas, if at all in the future. My assertion was based on pure lack of evidence. That's confirmed by TMZ.com today, Monday.

TMZ reports that Elin Nordegren is upset with Woods to be sure, but can't figure out what to do. The sheer number of alleged affairs has her questioning if she can ever trust Tiger Woods again.

But as of this writing just four days before Christmas, they're still together.

I have to mention that HLN's Nancy Grace's show last night reported wrongly that Elin Nordegren was seeking a divorce. Nancy Grace did not hedge her words. She had Elin in Sweden - not true. The result was one of the most awful shows I've seen from someone who's work effort I like.

Reporting an opinion is one thing, but facts are something else. Hey, I get things wrong but I take steps to make it right. Nancy Grace should do the same.

Brittany Murphy death predicted by Perez Hilton on radio show

Not only is Brittany Murphy's death not a hoax, as some are blogging for some reason, it was predicted by Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira) this month. The death hoax claims are cruel and unnecessary, just to get that out of the way.

Perez Hilton

Some may find Perez Hilton infuriating - and he bills himself as having Hollywood's most hated website - but Perez Hilton does know Hollywood and the players within it. Including Brittany Murphy.

According to NBC San Diego, Perez Hilton appeared on the morning radio show AJ in the Morning earlier in December. Hilton was asked if there would be another celebrity death "headed in the same path" as Michael Jackson.

His response was "Brittany Murphy, maybe."

According to the same NBC source, Murphy was said to have an eating disorder earlier in he career and that some believed it was tied to an alleged cocaine habit. Murphy denied these allegations in 2005.

On his blog, Hilton hinted at this with his first post on Murphy:

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton wrote:

Absolutely devastating. Especially because this comes as no surprise! We, and those who knew Brittany personally, saw this coming. That does not make this any less horrible.

Stay tuned.

Brittany Murphy dead from heart attack - scenes from her movies

Actress Brittany Murphy's no longer gracing our culture with her charm, after passing away of a heart attack. But thanks to videos on YouTube we can gain a sense of who she is.

Brittany Murphy

Brittany was a frequent guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. Here's an appearance on October 9, 2008 where she was introducing an album by Paul Oakenfold:



But Brittany Murphy is known for her interesting roles in some of the tentpole movies of American Culture. Here's the official trailer for 8-Mile, which she starred as Eminem's love interest and rose to stardom:



In the movie based on a true story, Girl, Interrupted, Brittany played Daisy Randone, a sexually and mentally abused young girl, who's life tragically ends both in the movie and in reality. This, in my view, was Brittany Murphy's most intense performance and the interplay between her, Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie is something to see. Here are scenes with Brittany Murphy as Daisy Randone in Girl, Interrupted:

Brittany Murphy dead - LA County Coroner says death was 'natural'

Actress Brittany Murphy's death today, Sunday, has stunned many, and while speculation on why the talented thespian passed is rampant, one authoritative voice has spoken: Los Angeles County Chief Coroner Ed Winter.

Ed Winter

In a video interview just posted as of 7:02 PM PST at RadarOnline.com, Winter said:

“We will be conducting an autopsy either tomorrow or Tuesday...The final results will be pending the toxicology...The cause of death at this time appears to be natural. We do understand that she had a bit of a medical history and we’re looking into all aspects of that. There are some other issues….which I can’t get into at this time.”

As to "medical issues" that is related to Murphy's mother's explanation that her daughter was a diabetic, according to TMZ.com.

Stay tuned.

Brittany Murphy dead, 32; husband refuses autopsy

Actress Brittany Murphy, who I first saw in the Eminem movie 8-mile, is dead at just 32 years old. Reportedly, drugs caused a heart attack; she passed away at 10:04 PM PST, upon arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center today, Sunday.

UPDATE: L.A. County Chief Coroner Ed Winter says Murphy's death was 'natural.

UPDATE: TMZ.com reports L.A. County Chief Coroner Ed Winter said foul play was not suspected. Murphy's mother told paramedics that she had a history of diabetes but TMZ has not confirmed that information.

UPDATE: A number of blogs and news websites have focused on Murphy's rumored drug use as the reason for her heart attack. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton wrote:

Absolutely devastating. Especially because this comes as no surprise! We, and those who knew Brittany personally, saw this coming. That does not make this any less horrible.

UPDATE: According to TMZ.com, the LA County Cornoner's Office is going ahead with an autopsy, regardless of the wishes of her husband, Simon Montjack. Reportedly, he did not want an autopsy to be done.

Brittany Murphy

This is shocking and I don't know about you but it seems in 2009 we've dealt with a lot of death news, from Michael Jackson, Walter Cronkite and Farrah Faucett, to Chris Henry last Thursday and Brittany Murphy today. Why this is, is a question for a chaplain to answer, but for the present, I just plain can't believe she's gone.

According to TMZ.com (which does its usual great job of being first with news like this within its "Thirty Mile Zone") a 911 call was made by Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, after Brittany Murphy's Mom discovered her unconscious in the shower. When the medics arrived, they quickly determined she was in "full cardiac arrest."

As a momentary, but related aside, I lost a good friend Michael McGuire in the same way in May of this year, 2009. He came to his parents Berkeley home that Saturday night and just collapsed of a heart attack at 48 years old.  Michael's problem was that he was really, really overweight and didn't see the doctor to know that his condition was in the red zone. I can't believe he's gone either. 26 for Chris Henry. 48 for Michael McGuire. 32 for Brittany Murphy.

The updates on Brittany Murphy are coming fast. Here's TMZ's list to start:

UPDATE 4:00 PM ET -- We're also told the LAPD has launched a death investigation.

UPDATE 4:07 PM ET -- A rep for Murphy tells TMZ, "In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."

UPDATE 5:21 PM ET -- Two LAPD officers were just spotted going into Murphy's home.

UPDATE 5:34 PM ET -- A neighbor of Brittany's tells TMZ she saw Brittany getting taken out on a stretcher with paramedics performing CPR. The neighbor said Brittany "looked dead."

Allegedly, Brittany Murphy suffered from anorexia and drug use which the hypothesis goes may have caused her heart attack. What's really weird is that her husband does not want an autopsy done. If that's the case, Why the hell would one's husband refuse an autopsy to determine why his (I would hope) beloved wife died?

Ashton Kutcher, who dated Murphy, paid tribute to her from his Twitter account:

1. see you on the other side kid. about 5 hours ago from Brizzly
2. 2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon. about 5 hours ago from Brizzly

This is strange.

Stay tuned.

Also, I really have to get after "The Superficial" for its really nasty and totally immature comments about Murphy in light of her death. I hope there's someone over at The Superficial who's got a good heart and isn't afraid to show it.

I present Brittany Murphy's partial filmography from IMDb below. The full list is very long and shows her range of performance and acting, writing, and production talent:

1. Poor Things (2010) (in production) (rumored)
2. Shrinking Charlotte (2010) (pre-production) .... Charlotte
3. The Expendables (2010) (post-production) .... Amy
4. Something Wicked (2010) (post-production) .... Susan
5. Abandoned (2009) (post-production) .... Mary

6. Across the Hall (2009) .... June
7. Deadline (2009/I) .... Alice Evans
8. The Ramen Girl (2008) .... Abby
... aka Râmen gâru (Japan)
9. Happy Feet (2006) (voice) .... Gloria
... aka Happy Feet: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version)
10. The Dead Girl (2006) .... Krista
11. Love and Other Disasters (2006) .... Emily Jackson-Jacks
... aka Love (and Other Disasters) (Australia: DVD box title)
... aka Love (et ses petits désastres) (France)
12. The Groomsmen (2006) .... Sue
13. Neverwas (2005) .... Maggie Blake
14. Sin City (2005) .... Shellie
... aka Frank Miller's Sin City (USA: complete title)
15. Little Black Book (2004) .... Stacy
16. Good Boy! (2003) (voice) .... Nelly
17. Uptown Girls (2003) .... Molly Gunn
18. Just Married (2003) .... Sarah
... aka Voll verheiratet (Germany)
19. 8 Mile (2002) .... Alex
... aka 8 Mile (Germany)
... aka 8 Mile - Jeder Augenblick ist eine neue Chance (Germany: DVD box title)
20. Something in Between (2002) .... Sky
21. Spun (2002) .... Nikki
22. Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) .... Fay Forrester
23. Don't Say a Word (2001) .... Elisabeth Burrows
24. Summer Catch (2001) .... Dede Mulligan
25. Sidewalks of New York (2001) .... Ashley
26. The Audition (2000) .... Daniella
27. Cherry Falls (2000) .... Jody Marken
28. Angels! (2000) .... Nurse Bellows
29. Trixie (2000) .... Ruby Pearli

30. Girl, Interrupted (1999) .... Daisy Randone
... aka Durchgeknallt (Germany)
... aka Durchgeknallt - Girl, interrupted (Germany: TV title)
31. Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) .... Lisa Swenson
... aka Gnadenlos schön (Germany)
32. Zack and Reba (1998) .... Reba Simpson
33. Phoenix (1998) .... Veronica
34. Falling Sky (1998) .... Emily Nicholson
35. Drive (1997) .... Deliverance Bodine
36. Bongwater (1997) .... Mary
... aka Bong Water (USA: DVD box title)
37. Freeway (1996) .... Rhonda
38. Clueless (1995) .... Tai
39. Family Prayers (1993) .... Elise
... aka A Family Divided

Actress - TV:

* 2000s
* 1990s

1. MegaFault (2009) (TV) .... Dr. Amy Lane
2. "King of the Hill" .... Luanne Platter / ... (231 episodes, 1997-2009)
- The Boy Can't Help It (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Luanne Platter
- To Sirloin with Love (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Luanne Platter
- Uh-Oh Canada (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Luanne Platter
- Manger Baby Einstein (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Luanne Platter
- Bad News Bill (2009) TV episode (voice) .... Luanne Platter
(226 more)
3. Tribute (2009) (TV) .... Cilla McGowan
... aka Nora Roberts' Tribute (USA: complete title)
4. "Pepper Ann" .... Tank the 8th grader (3 episodes, 1999-2000)
... aka Disney's Pepper Ann
- The Finale (2000) TV episode (voice) .... Tank the 8th grader
- Unhappy Campers/The Search for Pepper Ann Pearson (2000) TV episode (voice) .... Tank the 8th grader
- Beyond Good and Evel/One of the Guys (1999) TV episode (voice) .... Tank the 8th grader
5. Common Ground (2000) (TV) .... Dorothy Nelson

6. The Devil's Arithmetic (1999) (TV) .... Rivkah
7. David and Lisa (1998) (TV) .... Lisa
... aka Oprah Winfrey Presents: David and Lisa (USA: complete title)
8. "Clueless" .... Jasmine (1 episode, 1996)
- Driving Me Crazy (1996) TV episode .... Jasmine
9. "Nash Bridges" .... Carrie (1 episode, 1996)
... aka Bridges
- Night Train (1996) TV episode .... Carrie
10. Double Jeopardy (1996) (TV) .... Julia
... aka Victim of the Night (USA: cable TV title)
11. "Murder One" .... Diane 'Dee-Dee' Carson (1 episode, 1995)
- Chapter Nine (1995) TV episode .... Diane 'Dee-Dee' Carson
12. "SeaQuest DSV" .... Christine VanCamp (1 episode, 1995)
... aka SeaQuest 2032 (USA: new title)
- Second Chance (1995) TV episode .... Christine VanCamp
13. "The Marshal" .... Lizzie Roth (1 episode, 1995)
- These Foolish Things (1995) TV episode .... Lizzie Roth
14. "Boy Meets World" .... Trini (2 episodes, 1995)
- The Last Temptation of Cory (1995) TV episode .... Trini
- My Best Friend's Girl (1995) TV episode .... Trini
15. "Sister, Sister" .... Sarah (6 episodes, 1994-1995)
- Smoking in the Girls' Room (1995) TV episode .... Sarah
- The Concert (1994) TV episode .... Sarah
- The Birthday (1994) TV episode .... Sarah
- Cheater, Cheater (1994) TV episode .... Sarah
- Slumber Party (1994) TV episode .... Sarah
(1 more)
16. "Party of Five" .... Abby (2 episodes, 1994)
- Good Sports (1994) TV episode .... Abby
- Homework (1994) TV episode .... Abby
17. "Frasier" .... Olsen (1 episode, 1994)
- Give Him the Chair! (1994) TV episode .... Olsen
18. "Blossom" .... Wendy (4 episodes, 1993)
- Blossom in Paris: Part 1 (1993) TV episode .... Wendy
- Blossom in Paris: Part 2 (1993) TV episode .... Wendy
- Blossom in Paris: Part 3 (1993) TV episode .... Wendy
- Blossom in Paris: Part 4 (1993) TV episode .... Wendy
19. "Almost Home" .... Molly Morgan (13 episodes, 1993)
... aka The Torkelsons: Almost Home
- Bowling for Daddies (1993) TV episode .... Molly Morgan
- Hot Ticket (1993) TV episode .... Molly Morgan
- You Ought to Be in Pictures (1993) TV episode .... Molly Morgan
- The Dance (1993) TV episode .... Molly Morgan
- To Date or Not to Date? (1993) TV episode .... Molly Morgan
(8 more)
20. "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" .... Angie (1 episode, 1992)
... aka Parker Lewis (USA: new title)
- The Kiss (1992) TV episode .... Angie
21. "Drexell's Class" .... Brenda Drexell (18 episodes, 1991-1992)
- The Resentments (1992) TV episode .... Brenda Drexell
- Cruisin' (1992) TV episode .... Brenda Drexell
- Til Death Do You Part (1992) TV episode .... Brenda Drexell
- Ashes to Ashes (1992) TV episode .... Brenda Drexell
- Beauty & the Beast (1992) TV episode .... Brenda Drexell
(13 more)
22. "Kids Incorporated" .... Celeste (1 episode, 1992)
... aka Kids Inc. (USA: short title)
- Lay Off (1992) TV episode .... Celeste
23. "Murphy Brown" .... Frank's Sister (1 episode, 1991)
- On Another Plane: Part 1 (1991) TV episode .... Frank's Sister

Actress - video:

* 2000s
* 1990s

1. Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) (V) (voice) .... Colleen O'Hallahan
... aka The Beast with a Billion Backs (Australia)

2. The Prophecy II (1998) (V) .... Izzy
... aka God's Army II (Europe: English title)

Actress - video game:

1. Happy Feet (2006) (VG) (voice) .... Gloria
2. Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure (2005) (VG) (voice) .... Karen Light
... aka Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure (USA: complete title)