Michael Jackson was hooked on painkiller drugs in the months leading up to his death, jurors heard last week. The singer was given regular treatments with wrinkle-filler drugs like Botox and Restylane by a Beverly Hills dermatologist. At the same time he was injected with ‘very high doses’ of Demerol pain medication, addiction expert Dr Robert Waldman told Los Angeles Superior Court. In the three-day period between April 21 and April 23 in 2009, the singer was treated with 775 milligrams of the drug even though Dr Waldman testified there was no reason Jackson needed Demerol while having Botox or other skin treatments. “I believe there is evidence that Michael Jackson was dependent on Demerol and was possibly addicted,” said Dr Waldman. “My opinion is that with what is known about his public behaviour and this course of treatment, Michael Jackson was probably addicted to opioids. Six weeks of very frequent high doses would lead to dependency in any of us,” he added.

The defence expert was basing his testimony on medical records provided to the court by Jackson’s dermatologist Dr Arnold Klein, who has not given evidence at the trial. Jurors saw records detailing 18 visits Jackson — using the alias of Omar Arnold — made to Dr Klein for treatment between April and June in 2009. Dr Klein also treated Jackson to reduce ‘excessive perspiration’ by injecting Botox into his groin and armpits. The last visit was just three days before Jackson died from a deadly dose of the hospital anaesthetic Propofol on June 25, 2009. Jackson’s private doctor Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Murray, 58, has admitted administering the powerful drug to help the star get to sleep. “Insomnia is a very common complaint’ in patients withdrawing from drugs like Demerol,” Dr Waldman told the court. The doses of Demerol administered to Jackson increased through April and May to 300 milligrams a visit and dropped back down to 100 milligrams a time by the middle of June.

— Daily Mail

Showing him what he’s missing?

She announced her split from her long-term love a mere five days ago, but Nicole Scherzinger appears to bounce back quickly from heartbreak. The X Factor USA judge reportedly went out with 25-year-old R&B singer Drake recently at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood. The stars were caught leaving the swanky Italian eatery separately; he left first and she followed in his footsteps. The 33-year-old stunner then reportedly hit the town with a bevy of girlfriends. The former Pussycat Dolls singer looked decidedly glamorous for her outing at the Los Angeles restaurant. She wore the same ensemble of a cream and black tube dress that she had worn earlier on X Factor to devastating effect. However, she appeared to have added a good amount of make-up, including a layer of red lipstick. While she might have enjoyed dinner with Drake last night she has also been linked to X Factor USA host Steve Jones. A source told the Daily Mirror: “Nicole is crushed and has shed so many tears. Steve’s been a shoulder to cry on and a real gent. They have become close and have met up outside the studio. He listens to her and makes her laugh. There is unmistakable chemistry there.”

— Daily Mail

Watch out, Dad!

As far as résumes go, male model Hudson Kroenig’s is very impressive. He has walked the runway for Chanel, starred in a Fendi campaign and calls Karl Lagerfeld ‘uncle’. It’s a little unnerving, then, that Hudson Kroenig is just three years old — and that he was just one when he provoked a thousand coos across the fashion world when modelling at Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week show. With a father like Brad Kroenig, super male model and close friend of Lagerfeld, Hudson’s childhood was perhaps never destined to be dull. In a set of photos that will make some melt and others shake their heads in despondency towards the state of high-end fashion, Hudson’s wardrobe, complete with Chanel boots, Fendi high-tops, designer scarves and vast range of Nike sneakers is paraded for the adult world to see. Not to be outdone, the tiny blonde’s couture Chanel ‘Canadian tuxedo’ — double denim, that is — sits alongside specially made Karl Lagerfeld ‘teddy bears’. Think cuddly toys with white fur, dark glasses, black blazers and signature high collars. Describing the photos at The Coveteur, father Brad, 32, is more than happy to accentuate his son’s premature fashion prowess. “Hudson loves doing pictures with Karl and was so excited to go to Paris for the Fendi shoot. He talked about it for weeks,” narrates the Lagerfeld muse. Brad, who has been the face of campaigns for DKNY, Gap, H&M and Roberto Cavalli, is even the subject of Metamorphoses of an American, a book chronicling the Florida native’s modelling career, by Karl Lagerfeld.

— Daily Mail