Michael Jackson’s veins weren’t IV friendly

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

Michael Jackson was using propofol, an anesthetic administered by IV, so frequently that he came to depend on it as “sort of an alarm clock,” according to Associated Press reports.

A toxicology report will be necessary to confirm Jackson’s use of the drug, but his personal nurse and nutritionist Cherilyn Lee weighed in and said that although Jackson asked her for the drug, too, she never witnessed him accept it or any other IV drugs.

However, she did say that actually getting the IV started for Jackson would be difficult because it was hard to find a vein. “What I knew for a fact was he had very small veins. When I met him and did his blood work he said, ‘Don’t feel bad because I have tiny squiggly veins, sometimes it takes 30 minutes to an hour to find my veins,’ ” Lee said.

It didn’t take Lee that long to get blood drawn from Jackson, but she said she did have trouble. “It did take multiple sticks. He was good about it, though.”

Keeping tabs: People gets ‘Saved’
“Saved by the Bell” held zero appeal for me when it was on. The only lasting impact the show had on me was to serve as a reference point for mocking one of my closest friends for having an antiquated cell phone. “Zach Morris called, he’s looking for his phone,” I’d say of her bricklike communication device.

Slideshow   Celebrity sightings Natalie Portman attends the “Brothers” premiere, Susan Boyle performs on the TODAY show, Katie Holmes and Suri go shopping in New York and more. more photos

So it seems like a risk to me that People would orchestrate a cast reunion and put it on the cover. The show ran from 1989 to 1993, which means the show’s core fan base is now in their 30s, which skews a little young for the average People customer.

People also teases stories about “Bachelorette,” Jillian Harris and Michael Jackson, so there’s probably something for everyone.

And there’s this: The other magazines aren’t offering much of value: Kim Kardashian’s heartbreak on Life & Style; In Touch’s “exclusive” breakdown of the dream weddings of Penelope Cruz, Rachel Bilson and Anne Hathaway (who isn’t even engaged); a sad, dejected Jessica Simpson on Us; and in Star, Jon Gosselin’s Hampton’s weekend with former Star reporter Kate Major. It’s a slow week, but it’s probably People’s to win on the newsstand.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter: @ courtneyatmsnbc.

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