Controversy Arises over MSNBC's Upcoming MICHAEL JACKSON AND THE DOCTOR

According to the Associated Press, the executors of Michael Jackson's estate are extremely upset over a planned documentary on MSNBC entitled Michael Jackson AND THE DOCTOR: A Fatal Friendship, scheduled to air this Friday night.  The show documents Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who was just convicted in the case of the singer's death.  Conrad chose not to take the stand during the trial. In the documentary, he breaks his silence to reveal personal details of his relationship with Michael Jackson, Murray's role within the star's family life, the intense pressures that Jackson felt leading up to his tour and the events of the fateful day that led to Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.

October Films spent two years gaining exclusive access to Dr. Conrad Murray and his defense team, led by Ed Chernoff, a Houston-based defense lawyer, and J. Michael Flanagan, a Los Angeles-based defense lawyer. In a series of very personal interviews, Murray discusses in detail Jackson's fragile health and mental state, yet unstoppable dedication to creating a successful world tour. The documentary gained access into the closed-door meetings with Dr. Murray's defense team both before and during the trial, giving a look into their strategy and how they pieced the case together.

In a letter to executives at NBC, lawyers for the Jackson estate expressed anger over the upcoming show which gives Murray the opportunity to blame Jackson for his own death.  They have demanded that the network refrain from airing the program which is scheduled to  premiere on MSNBC on Friday, November 11 at 10 PM ET and again on Sunday, November 13 at 9 PM ET. An exclusive preview of the documentary will air tomorrow on NBC's "Today."

NBC has not issued a statement at this time. 

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