He ate buffalo wings. He took a speedboat to a luxury villa on a manmade island. He buzzed around the emirate with a race-car driver and a prince.
In contrast to the frail and somewhat withdrawn Michael Jackson cleared of child abuse charges in June, the king of pop appeared at ease during his visit to the Persian Gulf sheikdom of the United Arab Emirates, said Mohammed Bin Sulayem, the emirates’ champion rally driver who escorted Jackson on sightseeing tours.
The pair was joined by a mutual friend, Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the son of Bahrain’s king.
According to local newspaper accounts, the 47-year-old Jackson was spotted looking over some of the world’s priciest real estate in Dubai, a booming luxury resort and one of the world’s fastest-growing cities.
“He wants to see more of this area. He likes it here,” Bin Sulayem said.
Art Garfunkel faces another pot charge
Singer Art Garfunkel, who pleaded guilty last year to pot possession in upstate New York, was charged again Sunday after a marijuana cigarette was found in the ashtray of his car, state police said.
The 63-year-old Garfunkel, who lives in Manhattan, was charged after being pulled over for running a stop sign, The Daily Freeman of Kingston reported Tuesday.
Upon approaching Garfunkel’s car, a trooper noticed a strong odor of marijuana, and a subsequent search turned up a joint in the ashtray, the newspaper reported. Garfunkel was issued a ticket and is due back in Woodstock Town Court on Sept. 22.
Nominees for bluegrass awards are announced
Alison Krauss &Union Station received 14 Bluegrass Music Awards nominations in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, including entertainer of the year.
Rhonda Vincent and her band The Rage garnered eight nominations, and Doyle Lawson and his group Quicksilver got seven.
The awards show is scheduled for Oct. 27.
From Herald news services
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