Paris Jackson: My Father Was Incredible

Paris Jackson: My Father Was Incredible - Michael Jackson's daughter has spoken of her "incredible father" and defended her upbringing, insisting that the singer only ever wanted to protect her and her siblings.

In her first ever newspaper interview, 15-year-old Paris said the King of Pop battled to give his children a "normal childhood". 

Paris and her brothers Prince and Blanket, now 16 and 11, were rarely seen in public during Jackson's lifetime. 

When they were, the singer made them wear masks to cover their faces - creating bizarre scenes. 

But Paris, speaking to The Mail on Sunday's Event magazine, said this was only to try and protect them from the public gaze. 

"He didn't want anyone to see what we looked like. That way we could have what he didn't, which was a normal childhood," she said. 

She added: "I have lots of memories of my father. He was an incredible father. We all loved him to death. 

"He'd try to educate us as much as he could and was always looking out for us. He was very protective." 

Paris and her siblings live in Calabasas, California, with their grandmother Katherine following Jackson's sudden death in 2009. 

After years of home schooling, she is now at an ordinary high school. 

"I'm on a tight leash and I feel that if that leash was loosened a little bit I would definitely have a chance of a normal childhood ..., " she said. 

"I have friends who are completely normal ... they don't even think of me as MJ's kid." 

She talked of her love for music and how her father had taught her to dance - but reveals she has ambitions to be a heart surgeon. 

"I want to be an actress, but just throughout high school. Then I want to go to medical school and be a doctor specialising in heart surgery. I want to help people, that's it," she said. 

The 15-year-old also told of her hopes that the family home, Neverland, would be restored for deprived children to enjoy. 

Paris is shortly due to give evidence in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by her grandmother against the concert promoter AEG. 

She has also recently rekindled her relationship with her mother, Debbie Rowe, and spent her last birthday shopping with her in Hollywood. 

"When I'm with her we don't really have security with us which is really nice," she said. ( Sky News )

READ MORE - Paris Jackson: My Father Was Incredible

Jackson doctor refuses to testify at AEG Live trial

Jackson doctor refuses to testify at AEG Live trial - Michael Jackson's jailed former doctor refused to testify at a trial in which the singer's mother is seeking massive damages from tour promoters she blames for hiring the medic.

Commenting as jury selection began for the wrongful death civil trial between Katherine Jackson and AEG Live, Conrad Murray said he is appealing his 2011 involuntary manslaughter conviction and does not want to incriminate himself.

"I've not been subpoenaed. I'm not interested in giving testimony in the trial,' he told CNN. "I will invoke my 5th Amendment right, because ... if there is a future trial I don't want to have any issues of self-incrimination."

AFP/AFP - Television crews report April 2, 2013 outside the Los Angeles Superior Court on the first day of a trial in which Michael Jackson's mother Katherine and Michael?s children are seeking massive damages from concert promoter AEG Live. Michael Jackson's jailed former doctor refused to testify at the trial

The interview, his first since he was jailed, came hours after prospective jurors filed into a Los Angeles courtroom to begin the process of choosing the 12-strong panel that will decide if AEG ends up paying billions of dollars.

Judge Yvette Palazuelos started proceedings by reading out the allegations by Katherine Jackson and the late star's children against AEG Live, promoters of the self-styled King of Pop's doomed "This is It" tour.

Opening statements will only begin once a jury is chosen -- likely to take more than a week. After answering an initial questionnaire, prospective jurors were asked to return to court next Wednesday for further questioning.

Jackson died at his Los Angeles mansion on June 25, 2009, from an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative administered by Murray to help the "Thriller" legend deal with chronic insomnia.

His 82-year-old mother accuses AEG Live of negligently hiring Murray to look after 50-year-old Jackson as he rehearsed in Los Angeles for the London shows scheduled for that summer.

Katherine Jackson argues that AEG Live pushed her son too hard to prepare for 50 or more performances, in what was seen as an attempt to revive his lucrative career four years after emerging from the shadow of child molestation charges.

But AEG says Jackson had a history of drug abuse long before the singer met Murray, who was hired to care for him before and during the shows at London's O2 Arena.

Murray has always maintained his innocence, and did so again Tuesday.

"I am an innocent man ... I maintain that innocence," he told CNN. "I am extremely sorry that Michael has passed. It's a tremendous loss for me."

"He was very close to me ... we were absolutely great friends," he added.

While Murray says he will not testify, Katherine Jackson herself, as well as the late pop star's two elder children, are expected to give evidence in the trial, which could last more than two months.

No Jackson family members were in court for the initial jury proceedings Tuesday. There were also few Jackson fans, such as those who turned out day after day during Murray's trial two years ago.

According to celebrity news website TMZ, Jackson's mother and his three children -- Prince, 16, Paris, 14 and 11-year-old Blanket -- want more than $40 billion from AEG for loss of future earnings and other damages.

But Jackson family attorney Kevin Boyle rejected the report, telling CNN: "No demand has been made by the Jackson family for $40 billion from AEG. That is just not true."

Before jury selection began in the LA Superior Court, the judge heard arguments by both sides over a request by CNN for live television coverage of the proceedings. She did not immediately rule on the issue. ( AFP )

READ MORE - Jackson doctor refuses to testify at AEG Live trial

Jackson Trial: Mum 'Seeks £25bn' From AEG

Jackson Trial: Mum 'Seeks £25bn' From AEG - Michael Jackson's family is taking the promoter of his ill-fated comeback tour to court, reportedly claiming tens of billions of dollars from AEG Live.

The civil proceedings in downtown Los Angeles will focus on the Jacksons' claim the company was guilty of the "negligent hiring" of Dr Conrad Murray, the physician now in prison for killing Jackson.

One of the headlines in the US promises that this will be "The Wildest Jackson Trial Yet" - as the life and death of the King Of Pop is about to get another airing in court.

Jackson's mother Katherine and children are believed to be seeking £25bn, including £5bn loss of future earnings - figures which are staggering even to seasoned US legal analysts.

As the court begins the task of selecting jurors for a trial that could last nine weeks, the media war between the two sides has stepped up a notch.

The Jackson family were already thought to be planning to call the star's 16-year-old son Prince to give evidence. The teenager is expected to testify about witnessing his father's last moments.

Now we hear that another Prince, the pop star of that name, could also be called by the Jacksons to testify about his experiences with AEG.

Already many of the emails the Jacksons will rely on in court - electronic conversations between senior figures at AEG - have been leaked to the media.

It is understood AEG will argue they were not responsible for Murray or what happened to Jackson.

As part of their evidence, the judge has ruled they can bring up details of Jackson's child molestation trial.

It has been reported they will also seek to show that the star had drug issues well before he met Murray.

Murray himself is said to have refused to give evidence in the case while his own appeal against conviction is ongoing.

One of the most significant moments will come before the trial even starts: the judge Yvette Palazuelous will rule on an application for live television cameras to be in court.

She has refused so far but those challenging that ruling say the very principle of justice for the millions who will not have a seat in court means them being able to watch it on TV.

They point to the massive global television interest in the trial of Murray and the importance of the public seeing justice at work.

It is an argument that holds a lot of sway in the US and especially in California, with decades of precedent for televising court proceedings.

Her ruling is eagerly awaited by the media and by Jackson's millions of fans around the world, many of whom have lingering questions about his death. ( Sky News )

READ MORE - Jackson Trial: Mum 'Seeks £25bn' From AEG

Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. may not campaign ahead of election

Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. may not campaign ahead of election - The wife of Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. said on Wednesday the nine-term congressman - who has not made any public appearances since going on medical leave in June - may not appear in public to campaign ahead of the November 6 election, according to the Chicago Tribune.

In late July, after a series of statements from Jackson's office and doctors that raised more questions than they answered, the Mayo Clinic announced it was treating the congressman for bipolar disorder. He was released last month and is now convalescing at home, according to his office.

On Wednesday, Jackson's wife Sandi Jackson, a Chicago alderman, told reporters at City Hall, "I know he's eager to (campaign) ... But he's also under doctor's orders to stay very calm, very quiet, and he's going to do that," the newspaper reported.

She added that Jackson had no plans to step aside and make way for another Democratic candidate.

"He is on the ballot and he's going to stay on the ballot," she said, according to the newspaper. "And I'm looking forward to him coming back to work after his re-election. No last minute switcheroos. He would never do that and I would never want that for him."

Jackson, 47, the son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson Sr., has served in Congress since 1995 and in March won the Democratic primary to seek a 10th term.

But he has not made any public appearances since June, when his office said he had taken a leave from office to treat what was initially described as exhaustion, even though he is running again to represent Illinois's 2nd Congressional District in Washington, D.C.

Jackson has been the subject of a congressional ethics committee probe over an alleged bribe offered to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich by a Jackson supporter in 2008.

The offer was intended to entice Blagojevich into appointing Jackson to President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. Jackson has admitted to lobbying for the seat but has denied knowing about any money offered to Blagojevich, who was convicted of corruption charges and is in prison. ( Reuters )

READ MORE - Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. may not campaign ahead of election

Jesse Jackson Jr. target of criminal probe

Jesse Jackson Jr. target of criminal probe - Jesse Jackson Jr. Is the Target of a Criminal Investigation for Home Decorating - In what's shaping out to be a pretty dreadful year for Jesse Jackson's Jr., the Chicago congressman who has been on medical leave for bipolar disorder is now the subject of a criminal investigation for misusing campaign money to spruce up his house.

RELATED: Congress Doesn't Want to Give Up Its Insider Trading Privileges

The Wall Street Journal's Devlin Barrett and Evan Perez report that a FBI probe of Jackson is in its "final stages ... according to people familiar with the matter," with the possibility of an indictment coming before the November election. The paper reports Jackson's attorneys tried to get assurances that an indictment wouldn't come before Nov. 6, but Justice Department officials refused to make any promises. He's alleged to have "misused campaign money to decorate his house," reports the Journal. Evidence of a probe's existence first appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday, but the paper didn't report why the congressman was being investigated. Sources did tell the paper, however, that it involved Jackson's finances. After the Journal leapfrogged the Sun-Times last night, the paper followed up with details of some unusual activity involving the sale of Jackson's home, which seems to have tipped off investigators:

The Jacksons put their Washington, D.C., home on the market last month at a price of $2.5 million. The listing was public and included the property’s address as well as multiple photos of the inside of the home. A campaign spokesman said at the time that home was put on the market to pay for mounting medical bills... A day after the D.C. listing was made public, the couple subsequently took it back off the market, citing a security issue.

If you're keeping track of Jackson's legal problems at home, this probe has nothing to do with an earlier investigation into Jackson and disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Balgojevich who was accused of scheming to sell off Barack Obama's old Senate seat. (Jackson denied any wrongdoing in that matter.) When it comes to this current investigation, no one knows if it was slowed down by Jackson's surprise disappearance in June which was later attributed to treatment for bipolar disorder and intestinal problems at the Mayo Clinic.

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Whatever the case, Jackson's intestinal problems aren't preventing him from having a drink at DC watering hole Bier Baron, according to Gawker's John Cook.

According to two independent sources, Jackson was spotted drinking at Bier Baron Tavern ... on Tuesday and Wednesday nights last week. Each night, he was accompanied by a different woman. According to both sources, Jackson was drinking. "They were laughing and very focused on each other," one source said of Jackson's demeanor on Wednesday night. "Not sure when they left but I saw them there around 10:30 p.m. They didn't appear intoxicated or loud, but were definitely enjoying themselves."

The establishment formerly known as the Brickskeller, is a basement/restaurant bar famous for its huge selection of international beers. That may win him the respect of craft beer drinkers but not the Chicago Tribune. Last week, the newspaper withheld its endorsement from him, saying it's an "open-ended question" as to whether he'll ever get back to work, listing Republican Brian Woodworth as a "viable alternative." ( The Atlantic Wire )

READ MORE - Jesse Jackson Jr. target of criminal probe

Michael Jackson's nephew TJ to permanently share guardianship of singer's children

Michael Jackson's nephew TJ to permanently share guardianship of singer's children - They were placed under his temporary custody following the disappearance of his grandmother last month.

And now a judge has ruled Michael Jackson's nephew TJ should permanently share guardianship responsibilities for the Prince of Pop's three children.

The decision came despite a last-minute effort by some relatives to delay it.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff named the 34-year-old, who is the son of the pop icon's elder brother Tito, as the children's co-guardian and he will now share responsibilities for raising the siblings.

Guardian: TJ Jackson was given co-guardianship duties for his uncle Michael's children today

It means he will now have a large role in the lives of the star's children Prince, 15, Paris 14 and 10-year-old Blanket.

It came despite some last minute court drama, that saw cousin Debra Jackson and her son Anthony pleading with the adjudicator to delay his ruling, saying they were concerned family matriarch Katherine was being coerced.

The pair said they had been ostracised from the family and that the children may not be as excited about TJ Jackson's appointment as has been presented to the judge.

New arrangement: Blanket, Paris and Prince have all given consent to the setup

The judge made the ruling after considering a letter submitted by singer Diana Ross, who was named in Michael Jackson's will as a potential guardian, and a letter presented by cousins of the singer who sought a delay in the appointment.

But Beckloff noted that all three children have said they consent to the co-guardianship, and that an independent investigation he ordered showed they 'have a very strong, loving relationship with TJ Jackson.'

He urged TJ Jackson to consider allowing the cousins to visit the family, but said there was no reason to delay.

The appointment means that Katherine and TJ Jackson will share responsibilities for raising the children.

Sharing the load: The Prince of Pop's mother Katherine had been sole guardian but now she will another pair of hands

If one of them is no longer able to serve, the other would become the children's sole guardian.

Debra and Anthony Jackson declined to speak with reporters after the hearing, merely confirming their names and relationship to the family.

Letter: Diana Ross also gave testimony as she had been named in the singer's will as another potential guardian

Their letter and one submitted by Diana Ross were not filed with the court and will not be made public, court officials said.

Katherine Jackson's attorney, Sandra Ribera, disputed their claims that her client is being improperly influenced.

She said: 'Mrs. Jackson is well informed. Mrs. Jackson is a strong woman who cannot be influenced by anyone when it comes to decisions about these children.'

TJ was appointed a temporary guardian last month when Katherine Jackson was incommunicado during a stay at an Arizona spa with relatives.

Beckloff has said Katherine Jackson is doing a great job raising Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson, but noted that having a co-guardian will allow for continuity in their lives if she is no longer able to serve.

TJ Jackson was a relative unknown to the public before the recent rift in the family.

He performs in a band called 3T along with his brothers and was close to his uncle, Michael, before the pop star died in June 2009 at age 50.

TJ Jackson is a cousin of the children and has remained close to them in the years since the singer's death.

Wednesday's hearing had been expected to be a legal formality and although Beckloff made time to hear the cousins' grievances, the judge didn't waver in his view that the co-guardianship arrangement was appropriate.

He noted that it is frequently employed in other cases.

The mother of the two eldest children, Deborah Rowe, has indicated she is comfortable with the arrangement. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Michael Jackson's nephew TJ to permanently share guardianship of singer's children

Jacksons say estate executors harming the family

Jacksons say estate executors harming the family — Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson say the executors of Michael Jackson's will are causing harm by damaging "fundamental family relationships" and isolating matriarch Katherine Jackson "from anyone questioning the validity of Michael's will."

The Jackson siblings released a statement late Friday through an attorney amid a fight over their brother's will with the executors of his estate.

On Thursday a judge named TJ Jackson, a cousin to Michael Jackson's three children, as co-guardian with Katherine Jackson, who was named their sole caretaker in the disputed will.

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2011 file photo, from left, Prince Jackson, Prince Michael II "Blanket" Jackson and Paris Jackson arrive on stage at the Michael Forever the Tribute Concert, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. TJ Jackson, one of Michael's favorite nephews, has been designated to work beside Michael's mother, Katherine, to look after the welfare of his three cousins Prince, 15, Paris, 14 and Blanket,10, who will inherit the King of Pop's fortune. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File) *Editorial Use Only*

Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson accuse the executors of a "relentless" negative media campaign and say they have been barred from visiting their 82-year-old mother or Jackson's children.

"The effect of that notice not only is to damage fundamental family relationships, it is also to isolate Katherine Jackson from anyone questioning the validity of Michael's will," reads the statement by Janet Jackson's attorney, Blair G. Brown, released on behalf of Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson.

They say they will continue to contest Michael Jackson's will because "the executors have never explained how Michael could have signed his will in California on a date that irrefutable evidence establishes that he was in New York."

Representatives for the executors of the will did not immediately respond to calls and emails requesting comment. However, representatives for executors John Branca and John McClain released a statement some weeks ago saying, "Any doubts about the validity of Michael's will and his selection of Executors were thoroughly and completely debunked two years ago when a challenge was rejected by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the California Court of Appeals and, finally, the California Supreme Court."

Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson say they will continue to contest Michael Jackson's will, adding, "they stand nothing to gain financially by a finding that the will is invalid."

"The individuals who have the most to lose by a finding that the will is invalid are, of course, the executors and those on the executors' payroll."

The siblings say they will "press forward in their search for the truth in order to carry out the wishes of their brother Michael." ( Associated Press )

READ MORE - Jacksons say estate executors harming the family

Jackson says she was kept from communicating

Jackson says she was kept from communicating — The mystery of Michael Jackson's mother's disappearance was clarified Thursday with the release of court papers that said she was kept from communicating with outsiders while at a resort and was unaware she had been reported missing.

Katherine Jackson declared in the documents that she learned she was the subject of a search when she accidentally heard a TV report.

FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2011 photo, Michael Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson and brother Jermaine Jackson leave after the sentencing of Conrad Murray at the Los Angeles Criminal Justice Center. Attorneys for Michael Jackson’s estate on Monday, July 30, 2012 acknowledged they limited access to the home shared by the late singer’s mother and children in response to a driveway disturbance last week. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

Before that, she said, she was kept virtually incommunicado without access to a phone or her iPad. She said her stay at the Tucson resort was unplanned, and she went there after she was told her doctor had ordered her to rest.

Before that, she had intended to take a cross-country RV trip to see her sons perform in concerts.

"While there was a telephone in my room, the telephone was not functioning and I could not dial out," she said in the documents. "In addition, there was no picture on the television in my room."

She told of asking repeatedly to have the TV fixed.

"One morning I woke up to the sound of the television," she said. "While there was no picture, I heard a broadcast that stated I was missing."

Her declaration was attached to papers filed in a request to be reinstated as guardian of Michael's children, Prince, 15, Paris, 14 and Blanket, 10. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted the request Thursday and temporarily named her nephew, TJ Jackson, as co-guardian.

Beckloff said last week that he didn't believe Katherine Jackson had done anything wrong but suspended her guardianship duties because she had been out of contact with her grandchildren for 10 days.

While at the resort, Jackson said, she was unaware that her grandchildren were worried about her and that her lawyer had flown to Tucson to contact her.

"While I was away, I had no reason to question whether the people with whom I placed trust would inform me that Prince, Paris and Blanket were trying to reach me," she said.

She said she had asked about the children and was told they were fine.

"The day before I was brought home from Tucson, I was finally permitted to use the phone to speak with Prince, Paris, Blanket and TJ," she said.

Some of Katherine Jackson's comments appeared in conflict with a statement she made to ABC News before she left Tucson.

Seated with her children Randy, Janet and Rebbie next to her, she read from a prepared statement saying she had not been held against her will

"My children would never do a thing to me like that, holding me against my will," she said. "It's very stupid for people to think that."

She said then that she was devastated at learning she had lost guardianship of her grandchildren and said the action "was based on a bunch of lies."

In the aftermath of what her attorney Perry Sanders Jr. called "the chaos," Katherine Jackson asked for a meeting with TJ Jackson and the lawyer to find out what was going on.

As a result, she said, she decided that TJ Jackson, who had been an unofficial co-guardian of the children, needed legal authority in case something happened in her absence.

Beckloff said during a hearing after Jackson resurfaced that an investigator who looked into the children's care found the late pop star's 82-year-old mother was an excellent guardian and the children love her.

"I think the kids are in terrific hands," the judge said. "It appears from the report that Katherine Jackson has done a wonderful job and cares about the children very much."

Beckloff noted that the children also have a close relationship with their 34-year-old cousin TJ Jackson, who was named temporary guardian last week after working closely with Katherine Jackson since Michael Jackson died.

TJ is "incredibly respectful" of the family matriarch and she is respectful of him, the judge said.

Beckloff said he will finalize the arrangement later this month but for now will issue letters of co-guardianship allowing both Jacksons to make decisions about the welfare of the children.

TJ Jackson's new co-guardianship status is temporary, but the judge could make it permanent when he convenes the next court hearing on Aug. 22.

The shared guardianship plan is apparently designed to remove pressure from Katherine Jackson who was previously named in her son's will as the children's sole guardian.

Sanders has said the arrangement will allow her to focus on the children's upbringing and not on home or logistics issues.

The changes in guardianship come on the heels of family dissension over Michael Jackson's will, which left nothing to his siblings when he died three years ago. Several of them signed a letter that was leaked to the media alleging the will was a fake and calling on executors of the estate to resign.

On Wednesday, Jermaine Jackson issued a plea for peace in the family and withdrew his support of the letter.

He wrote that the family is still raw from Michael Jackson's death, and his mother has endured incredible stress and pressures since then. ( Associated Press )

READ MORE - Jackson says she was kept from communicating

Who’s Minding Michael’s Kids? Meet TJ Jackson, Their New Guardian

Who’s Minding Michael’s Kids? Meet TJ Jackson, Their New Guardian - Move aside, Joe. There's a new paterfamilias in town, and his name is TJ Jackson — the 34-year-old who's just been appointed by an L.A. judge to be temporary guardian of his uncle Michael's three kids.

His initials stand for Tito Joseph, since this Jackson was named for both his father Tito and grandfather Joe. But they might as well stand for "Tough Job," given the seemingly insurmountable odds that TJ faces in helping restore any peace or sanity to the suddenly deeply riven Jackson clan.


TJ had already emerged as 14-year-old Paris Jackson's most visible family ally. Some have said he was more directly involved in her care than her previous guardian, Katharine, 82, who has suddenly become the human football of the Jackson family. TJ tweeted Paris with his support on July 23, publicly telling her, "I know it's completely unfair for them to do this to you and your brothers (Prince and Blanket). We will keep trying. I love you."

Kim Kardashian and TJ Jackson, as teens

TJ's name may have come out of nowhere for casual Jackson family observers, but he's got an illustrious past of his own. Along with his two brothers, he was part of the trio 3T, who uncle Michael co-produced and signed to his vanity label in the mid-'90s. The trio had modest success in the U.S. but racked up a series of much bigger hits overseas.

He's also renowned as the childhood sweetheart of Kim Kardashian. "We became extra close when my mom passed away," TJ told People magazine in 1995, when he was 17 and Kardashian was 15. "She dropped everything to be with me." Kardashian recently told Oprah in an interview that she lost her virginity to a boy when she was 14, leading many to assume that that boy was TJ Jackson.

Growing up, TJ and his brothers longed to follow in the nimble footsteps of father Tito and their uncles. "My dad has footage of us as little kids singing to the music of the Jackson 5," said brother Taj. "TJ was still in diapers, holding a microphone, trying to dance and sing, and he couldn't even talk yet."

Tragedy struck in 1994, in the midst of recording sessions for 3T's debut album, when the boys' mother, Dee Dee, who'd gotten divorced from Tito two years earlier, drowned in a mysterious swimming pool mishap. "I'd look over at TJ, and his eyes would just tear up. Everything changed for him," said Anthony Schiller, TJ's classmate at Buckley High. Though the death was ruled accidental, the Jackson family filed a wrongful death suit against Dee Dee's debt-riddled boyfriend, Donald Bohana, whom she'd only been dating for a month at the time, and who claimed he'd discovered her lifeless in his pool. The case was eventually reopened by police, leading to Bohana's second-degree murder conviction in 1998.

3T immediately became a buzz act upon the release of their first album, Brotherhood, in 1995. Their first and most successful single, "Anything," reached No. 15 on the Billboard chart in America but fared better overseas, rising to No. 2 in England—a peak also reached by a followup single, "Why," a collaboration with Uncle Michael.

But their momentum slowed, and when a sophomore album recorded without Michael's assistance finally came out nine years later, it didn't even merit a U.S. release. TJ has recently tweeted that he's been back in the studio with brothers Taj and Taryll, working on a third 3T album… perhaps keeping to their every-nine-years schedule. They did reunite at the "Forever Michael Tribute Concert" in Cardiff, Wales last October, singing "Why," of course.

TJ's dad and his brothers have been out on the road with their (irony alert) "Unity Tour." When they played L.A.'s Greek Theatre last week, TJ supportively tweeted, "So happy to see my father and his bros on stage. They are killing it!!!" But family observers have been curious where TJ stood in the brewing battle over Michael's will, with his young protege Paris on one side and his dad seemingly standing with the rest of Michael's brothers on the other… and Katharine being shuttled around in the middle.

This week, it became clear: He's Paris' foremost advocate. And now it looks like his father is standing with him, as Tito has now announced he now "completely retracts (his) signature)" on the will-contesting letter sent by his brothers and sister Janet to the executors of Michael's estate.

As a toddler, TJ wanted to be like Michael; now, he's stepping into his shoes in a role far different than he ever could have imagined.

He has a reputation as a family man, which surely helped with the court. TJ married his wife, Frances, in 2007; they have three children together. Though you hate to judge a man by his tweets, he comes off as stable and down-to-earth in the missives he shares with the public. One recent tweet, before things really got heated up at the San Fernando Valley compound: "It's official! Grandma has me hooked on Scramble With Friends. We've been going back and forth on our iPads for over 2 hours. #familylove" Another hopeful, if not necessarily prophetic, Twitter message from TJ quoted a Chinese proverb: "A family in harmony will prosper in everything."

Regardless of his musical talent or whether a 3T reunion ever amounts to anything, TJ still has a chance to stand out in the extended Jackson family, as… the sensible one. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. ( Stop The Presses! )

READ MORE - Who’s Minding Michael’s Kids? Meet TJ Jackson, Their New Guardian

Michael Jackson's siblings resume attack on will

Michael Jackson's siblings resume attack on will - More than three years after Michael Jackson's death, his youngest brother continues to raise questions about the validity of the pop superstar's will.

On Twitter and cable TV, Randy Jackson has called the five-page document signed in 2002 a fake. The one place he hasn't made the claims is a courtroom, where legal experts say he faces almost insurmountable hurdles to invalidate the will and stiff odds against ousting the men who run the lucrative estate.

In a recent letter, Randy Jackson and three of his siblings called on Jackson's estate executors to resign and renewed charges that their brother's will is a fake.

The letter states Jackson's family — who other than his mother and three children receive no stake in his estate — was too overwhelmed after the singer's death to meaningfully challenge the document. "At that time we couldn't possibly fathom what is so obvious to us now: that the Will, without question, it's Fake, Flawed and Fraudulent," the letter signed by Randy, Jermaine, Janet and Rebbie Jackson states.

The delay, however, likely dooms any effort to invalidate the document, and if it was thrown out, would not alter the stake the King of Pop's three children receive, experts say and an appeals court has noted.

Randy Jackson has since posted on Twitter that he believes the estate is trying to isolate his mother to the detriment of her health. "It is my fear and belief, that they are trying to take my mother's life," Randy Jackson wrote last week.

Jackson's estate has denied the accusations. "We are saddened that false and defamatory accusations grounded in stale Internet conspiracy theories are now being made by certain members of Michael's family whom he chose to leave out of his will," the estate wrote in a statement.

Almost from the moment it was filed, the will has been a topic of controversy for some of Jackson's relatives. The pop superstar's father Joe Jackson attempted to get a stipend from the estate, but like the rest of his children, he was excluded from any share. His mother, Katherine, explored the possibility of challenging the executors and was given permission by a judge, but settled before a full hearing was held.

The estate benefits Katherine Jackson and the singer's three children — Prince, 15; Paris, 14; and Blanket, 10.

The five-page document is straightforward and simple, and many key provisions of how Jackson's estate is constructed are set out in a trust. That document has never been publicly released.

Many of the misgivings stem from the will's final page, which bears the signatures of three witnesses who claim Jackson signed the document on July 7, 2002, in Los Angeles. Jackson's family points out that the singer was in New York on that day, a point the Rev. Al Sharpton recently bolstered by showing video of the "Thriller" singer appearing with him at an event in Harlem that day.

"I don't think that kind of extrinsic fraud would be enough to overturn the order admitting the will to probate," said Marshall Oldman, a Los Angeles probate attorney who represented Peter Falk's wife in a conservatorship proceeding.

He said Jackson's siblings' only valid argument is that they did not receive proper notice that their brother's will had been accepted into probate. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff accepted the will in November 2009. Any challenge would have had to been filed within four months, Oldman said.

The California 2nd District Court of Appeal noted in an October 2010 ruling against the singer's father that the period to challenge the will had already expired. Even if the will were thrown out, the court noted, California law would require the estate to benefit Michael Jackson's children.

"I don't see how you come in three years later, and say, 'oh, by the way, the will's a fraud, a forgery, because he wasn't in LA when he was purported to be,'" said Howard Klein, a probate attorney for nearly 50 years and partner in the Los Angeles firm Feinberg Mindel Brandt Klein & Kline. "It's something that should have been brought up a long time ago."

Randy Jackson — in comments on Twitter and to Sharpton on his MSNBC show last week — has repeatedly accused the estate's executors of criminal conduct. Both Klein and Oldman said even if the executors were charged with wrongdoing, it wouldn't open the door for more of Jackson's relatives to gain access to the estate. Jackson's children are deemed his heirs without the will, and a 1997 version lodged with the court but never publicly released also doesn't name the singer's siblings as beneficiaries of his estate.

Klein said even if Jackson or other siblings try to challenge the document, their bid will likely be rejected because it is too late. The judge could also rule, as he did against family patriarch Joe Jackson, that because he isn't a beneficiary of the will, he isn't entitled to contest it.

"It would be a tough sell," Klein said of any effort by another Jackson relative to challenge the will now.

The executors recently informed a judge that there have been $475 million in gross earnings for the estate since Michael Jackson died in June 2009 from an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. Jackson died with more than $500 million in debts, but the earnings have been used to repay many of the singer's creditors and provide a spacious hilltop home for Katherine Jackson and the children, private schooling, staff, security, vacations and other perks.

Katherine Jackson has requested and the estate is recommending approval of a nearly $35,000 per month increase in Katherine Jackson's stipend so she retain her own attorney, accountant and homes in Indiana and Las Vegas, court filings show. ( Associated Press )

READ MORE - Michael Jackson's siblings resume attack on will