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

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 estate earns stellar $310million

Michael Jackson's estate earns stellar $310million - Even after his death, Michael Jackson's legacy as a pop star hasn't yet waned, as evidenced by the $310million generated for his estate in revenues from album sales, a film, merchandising and other products.

When the Thriller singer died in 2009, he had debts amounting to more than $400million, but court papers filed in the U.S. on Thursday show that his estate's administrators have used $159 million to pay down some of his debt.

When Michael Jackson died he had debts amounting to more than $400m, but his estate has since earned $310m from sales of albums and other merchandising

'Although there remain unresolved creditor claims, pending litigation and additional challenging business, tax and legal issues, and the estate is not yet in a condition to be closed, the executors have made substantial progress in reducing the estate's debt,' the documents state.

The records, which were made public as part of the estate's probate proceedings, are the most detailed accounting yet of the finances of Jackson's estate from his death until December 31, 2010.

Jackson's daughter, Paris, and his two sons, Prince Michael and Blanket, attended a memorial service for their father

Jackson's children, Prince Michael, 14, Paris, 12, and eight-year-old Blanket, are among the beneficiaries of the estate, along with his mother, Katherine, and various charities.

Attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain were named administrators in a Will the Thriller singer signed before he died in June 2009 from an overdose of drugs, including the anaesthetic Propofol.

Michael Jackson's physician Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter following Jackson's death and has pleaded not guilty

The singer's doctor at the time, Dr Conrad Murray, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death and has pleaded not guilty.

Jackson's 1982 release Thriller remains the best selling album of all time.

Industry players think his estate can generate cash for years to come, just as dead stars like Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Elvis Presley continue to rake in millions.

Among the projects making money for Jackson's estate are the new album Michael, which contains previously unreleased songs.

Jackson's recordings are released by Epic Records, a subsidiary of Sony Corp.

In addition, the concert movie This Is It, which compiled videotaped rehearsals for a series of comeback concerts in London, and various merchandising and licensing deals have also swelled the coffers.

The papers filed with the court showed that administrators paid $27.2 million in taxes, as well as $5.3 million for Jackson family members and properties he owned, and $4 million in mortgage payments on his properties.

Noteworthy costs included a $900,000 payment to Forest Lawn Memorial cemetery where Jackson's body is interred, and $35,000 in expenses listed as "costume for memorial."

Michael Jackson was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park during a private ceremony attended by family

The 17,500 people attended the memorial at Staples Center in Los Angeles, which as clips of Jackson's life and music were played on big screens.

Messages were read from absent guests including former South African President Nelson Mandela, poet Maya Angelou and singer Diana Ross.

Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey paid tribute before the family joined a sombre finale on stage.

Jackson's siblings, children and parents took part in a chorus of We Are The World and Heal the World.

The singer's coffin was placed in front of the stage during the arena event after an earlier private funeral. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Michael Jackson's estate earns stellar $310million

Jackson trapped in Africa

Jackson trapped in Africa - Jermaine Jackson's child support battle with ex-wife Alejandra has left him stranded in Africa - his passport expired during a trip abroad and reportedly won't be renewed until he's up to date with payments.

The Jackson 5 legend filed papers back in September alleging he can no longer afford to pay £2,000-a-month in child support for sons Jaafar and Jermajesty.

Jackson trapped in Africa

He asked a judge to cut the costs down to just £143-per-month, and insisted his ex-wife earns more money than him and lives for free at his mother Katherine's estate.

The previous year Alejandra filed legal papers claiming the star was £23,200 behind on installments.

Officials recently confiscated Jackson's driving licence in a bid to make him pay up, and his financial woes have now left him trapped in Burkina Faso, west Africa after his passport expired during the trip, according to TMZ.com.

The website reports America's State Department of Child Support Services automatically passes on information to law officials, who can prevent a person renewing their travel documents until they are up to date with their agreed payment plan.

Jackson allegedly now owes a huge £61,274 as of December.

This is the latest blow to the relationship between Jermaine and his former wife - on Thursday the executors of his late brother Michael's estate launched legal action to have Alejandra and her two kids evicted from the family's estate in Encino, California. ( WENN )

READ MORE - Jackson trapped in Africa

Voice on Michael Jackson album far from finished

Voice on Michael Jackson album far from finished – Recordings of Michael Jackson's voice on a new album being released this week were far from the finished article and required considerable digital enhancement, according to one of its main producers.

But Teddy Riley, who worked with the King of Pop on several records before his death, believed that "Michael" would go down as a classic, albeit short of the heights of Jackson's heyday in the late 70s and early 80s.

In this March 5, 2009 file photo, US singer Michael Jackson is shown at a press conference in London.

"I had to do more processing to the voice, which is why people were asking about the authenticity of his voice," Riley told Reuters of the first album of new Jackson material since the singer's sudden death 18 months ago.

The project has been mired in controversy since members of Jackson's family were quoted questioning the authenticity of the voice on some tracks and his father's lawyer said the perfectionist would never have wanted the music released.

"We had to do what we had to do to make ... his voice work with the actual music," Riley added in an interview.

"He (Jackson) would never consider it being a final vocal. But because he's not with us he cannot give us new vocals. What we did was utilize the Melodyne (technology) to get him in key.

"With the Melodyne we actually move the stuff up which is the reason why some of the vibrato sounds a little off or processed, over-processed. We truly apologize for that happening, but you are still hearing the true Michael Jackson."

Riley worked on three of the 10 songs on the album -- "Hollywood Tonight," "Monster" and "Breaking News."

The last two were recorded at the New Jersey home of the Cascio family in 2007, along with a third Cascio track "Keep Your Head Up."

It was these recordings that led some to cast doubt over the authenticity of the songs, although Riley, and record label Sony, have been at pains to show they were genuine.

PRICE OF FAME

Riley said much of the negative publicity surrounding the album came from people within Jackson's entourage who did not approve of the project.

"That don't just happen like that, that has to come from somewhere and where it came from was not a great place. It was from a family member, and some family members ... didn't totally get the last say so they kind of hate the project.

"So there you have it, a chain reaction, a domino effect that makes the credibility of Michael go down," he said.

"I am here to protect that, because I know it's him, I know it's great material, I know that it needs to be out, I know that the legacy needs to continue because he's such a great person, and there's more to come."

"Michael" is the first album of new Jackson material since "Invincible" in 2001, and the first in a reported $250 million deal between Sony and the executors of Jackson's estate to release 10 albums through 2017.

Author J. Randy Taraborrelli, who wrote a 1991 best-selling biography of Jackson, said on Monday that Jackson's estate had another 60 songs but did not plan on releasing all of them

"They've got 60 incomplete songs but they've only got about 20 left with vocals that they feel, that the estate feels, are worthwhile," Taraborrelli said in a U.S. interview on the CBS TV network's "The Early Show".

"They're not releasing everything. They're releasing the things that they believe Michael would want released, and that's about 17 to 20 more songs," Taraborrelli said.

Asked if he would agree to produce future posthumous Jackson material, Riley replied:

"If it was my decision, yes, I would be involved in anything that Michael was involved with. If they will have me I will definitely be a part of it. I'm here, I came out here to be a servant to my friend."

Among the topics Jackson tackles on the new album is people's thirst for fame and the high price of becoming a star.

In "Hollywood Tonight" he describes the real-life experiences of an unnamed friend who heads to Los Angeles aged 15 to make it in the movies, and in "Monster" he sings about the paparazzi.

"The Monsters are the ones who, when you're up they come to get you and they beat you down and when they get you down they go to the next artist," Riley said of "Monster."

"That's their job, to hit you while you're up and step on you while you're down, and that's what he always said."

Reviews of "Michael," which hits British stores on Monday and U.S. stores on Tuesday, have been generally positive. ( Reuters )

READ MORE - Voice on Michael Jackson album far from finished

Lisa Marie Presley "Didn't Understand" Michael Jackson Relationship

Lisa Marie Presley "Didn't Understand" Michael Jackson Relationship - Sixteen months after Michael Jackson's death, his ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley finally opened up about their much-scrutinized marriage.

"I didn't understand my relationship with him," Presley, 42, confessed on The Oprah Winfrey Show Thursday.

Though skeptics have labeled their 18-month marriage a sham, Presley insisted it was the real deal -- though she understands why Jackson's behavior might cause people to question its validity.

Eric Ryan/WireImage.comUs Magazine

"To some degree, he was a master at manipulating the media," she said. "I understand that nobody really knew who I was. They just assumed I was going along with something he would be doing....I understand it better now. The manipulation was a survival tactic for him."

After Jackson's death in June 2009, Presley said she's "come to have all this love again and understanding for him. I don't know why it had to take all that to have this happen. That upsets me a bit."

But Jackson's ex-wife admitted she didn't always have such warm feelings for the King of Pop, whom she divorced in 1996.

"I was very angry. I was so angry," she revealed. "I felt that we were so united, and then at some point he pushed me out."

According to Presley, part of the reason she felt distant from Jackson was due to his increased drug use, which he attempted to keep a secret.

"I didn't really suspect and catch on until just before I filed for divorce. There was just an occasion, an incident where he had collapsed and he was in the hospital," she recalled.

Though doctors blamed it on a viral infection, Presley said that "every day there was a different report. And I couldn't tell what was happening. I couldn't really get a straight answer about what was happening with him, and I think we were all a little bit in the dark."

Looking back, Presley wondered if she could have potentially saved her estranged ex-husband's life.

"I know it's naive to think that I could have, but I wanted to," she admitted. "Had I made a call, had I stopped being so shut off from him, had I just said 'How are you?' I really regret that I didn't." ( omg.yahoo.com )

READ MORE - Lisa Marie Presley "Didn't Understand" Michael Jackson Relationship

Reading the Fine Print on Jackson's Life

Fact or Fiction? Reading the Fine Print on Jackson's Life. The first posthumous Michael Jackson bio/tell-all has arrived.

Ian Halperin's "Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson" was already in the works when Jackson died on June 25, but sensing the smell of money to be made, Halperin's publishers rushed the book -- updated to include details about Jackson's final days -- into production and launched it yesterday. Already, the book is ranked No. 2 on Amazon.com's Bestseller List, behind a Glenn Beck-penned anti-Government manifesto and just ahead of Dan Brown's newest thriller.

But why spend your hard-earned ducats on an MJ bio when you can get the most explosive allegations right here?

(Image courtesy Simon & Shuster)

Halperin claims Jackson's greedy circle of employees and so-called friends are responsible for the one-time King of Pop's death.

Halperin writes that Jackson was gay and would wear elaborate disguises when meeting one of his eight gay lovers, who he forced to sign non-disclosure agreements. "He was always dressed as a woman, and very convincingly, to the point no one else would recognize Michael," said Halperin in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

Jackson, a source told Halperin, would meet his lovers in run-down motels because it was all he could afford.

Halperin says Jackson was high on painkillers when he announced his 50-day London concert series.

Jackson considered a move to Canada when polls indicated that most Americans believed he was guilty of sexual child abuse.

Jackson's insurance company forced him to pay a $20 million settlement to his first child molestation accuser.

The author says though he initially set out to "nail" Jackson on child molestation charges, he was unable to uncover any evidence to support the allegations.

Another book -- the updated "Jacko: His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson" -- set for release later this month, claims:

Diana Ross once found Jackson "dressed in her stiletto heels and red toreador pants" and that Jackson insisted servants address him as "Miss Ross."

Jackson was warned by Buckingham Palace to stop sending unsolicited gifts to Prince William.

Two additional Jackson titles are due in book stores Friday: The photo heavy "Michael Jackson: Life of a Legend and Michael Jackson" and "Legend, Hero, Icon: A Tribute to the King of Pop." ( washingtonpost.com )

READ MORE - Reading the Fine Print on Jackson's Life

A Transcendent Last Act

A Transcendent Last Act. In Death, as in Life, Jackson's Public Persona Reflects an Outsize Influence on Pop Culture. The final, posthumous performance of Michael Jackson was in the transcendent tradition of his previous shows: part musical feast, part religious experience, part examination of a man who seemed not a man, but something else his public was always trying to figure out. Boy? Demigod? Alien? It was, at times and fittingly, odd. There was deep, heartfelt, intimate emotion at the public memorial, but it was mixed with the fantasy and the sequins and the Mariah Carey and the Al Sharpton.

It was very sad. It was very long. "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone," Jackson's brother Marlon said into a microphone at the end of the nearly three-hour remembrance and farewell. Maybe not. News reports have warned us there are impending legal battles and estate divisions and custody arrangements. The world will be breathing Michael Jackson gossip for a long time. But in a society obsessed with closure, this occasion at least signified the official end of the country's 12-day period of frenzied mourning, and the completion of Michael Jackson's 12-day transformation from ostracized to beloved.

The nationally televised and endlessly Twittered memorial took place yesterday morning at Los Angeles's Staples Center, where as recently as the night before his June 25 death the singer had rehearsed for a planned London comeback tour.

The scene from the Michael Jackson memorial service in Los Angeles.

The public event immediately followed a private family service at Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills, and a long, slow funeral procession through the streets of L.A., which was commented on by swarms of news crews hovering in helicopters. The cavernous Staples Center was filled with the estimated 17,000 fans who won a ticket lottery entered by 1.6 million people for the privilege of being there. They were given wristbands.

"I couldn't believe when he died," said John Castanon, 60, a mechanic from San Dimas whose wife had won two passes to the memorial. He fought back tears as he described seeing Jackson perform in 1969. Castanon said he was honored, 40 years later, to be at Jackson's final appearance.

Everyone, it seemed, wanted to Be There. In a sharp break from a culture convinced that timeliness is obsolete, that one can always catch the replay on TiVo or YouTube, everyone wanted to see this show live. Some seemed to already be looking back from the future, planning on how they would tell their grandchildren that they were there. Celebrities turned out en masse, for a starry program that included everyone from Motown record producer legend Berry Gordy to Queen Latifah to Kobe Bryant to Martin Luther King III and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela couldn't make it, so they sent words of sympathy through an emissary, Smokey Robinson, the first speaker on the program.

Jackson's wall of brothers, seated in the front row next to his parents, sisters and three children, all wore matching yellow ties, and single sequined gloves, some on right hands, some on left, as if they had thriftily split pairs of them.

Jesse Jackson was there, just to be in the audience, as were Dionne Warwick and Spike Lee and Barbara Walters.

Once all of the guests, famous and non-famous, were there and seated and hushed, Michael Jackson himself arrived, in an ornate gold casket draped in flowers and brought to a position of prominence in the center of the stage.

And thus Jackson became a part of his own memorial, a showman even in death.

What a spectacular show it was, performed against a backdrop of simulated stained-glass windows and drifting clouds.

Carey, wearing a long gown with a plunging mesh neckline -- demure, for her -- performed her version of the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There," and looked meaningfully toward Jackson's casket.

The musician Usher also looked toward Jackson's casket during his song, then walked toward it and placed his hands on it.

Jennifer Hudson did not interact with the casket but sang a from-the-gut version of "Will You Be There," accompanied by a troop of backup dancers. Somber, funereal backup dancers, yes, but backup dancers nonetheless. No one tried to moonwalk. It would have seemed disrespectful.

Was this a concert or a memorial? An arena or a church? The mood of the fans swung between celebratory and morose, interrupting moments of silence to scream, "We love you, Michael!" and gasping, "Oh my God, it's him!" when the casket appeared. These fans, the true believers who stuck by Jackson through the trial, through scandals, through failed marriages, seemed desperate for reassurance that their adoration had not been misplaced, that Jackson was as brilliant as they knew him to be.

They cheered loudly when Gordy decided that the title King of Pop was simply not grand enough for Jackson. "I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived," Gordy said. Similar calls of approval came after Queen Latifah asserted confidently: "Michael was the biggest star on Earth."

The biggest cheers and sighs did not come after the platitudes, or the superlatives, or even the Jesus-like comparisons to the divine ("As long as we remember him, he will be there forever to comfort us," said Pastor Lucious Smith). The biggest cheers came after the assertions that he was just like us, that he was not weird at all. He liked Kentucky Fried Chicken, Magic Johnson revealed. The audience liked hearing that. "There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy," Sharpton said, thunderously addressing Jackson's children. "It was strange what he had to deal with." The arena erupted with a standing ovation.

But Michael Jackson was strange. His mystery is as much a part of his legacy as his music; fans will forever be picking away at him, trying to understand him. How desperately they wanted to understand him, to understand whatever physical ideal he felt he was moving toward, even as his pursuit of it took him further from normalcy.

His transformation of his own face took more than 20 years, as did his journey from beloved, giggling child-star to bizarre, fragile child-man.

The public's transformation of Michael Jackson, from mutant to messiah, took less than two weeks. "Michael . . . made us love each other," Sharpton called out. "It was Michael that made us . . . feed the hungry."

It was an orgy of praise, an exercise of excess and quantity, much like Jackson's life.

And then, at the end of the memorial, another kind of moment.

It happened after all of the Grammy winners had performed, and all the famous guests had ascended to the stage for a big group-sing of "We Are the World."

Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris -- heretofore mostly hidden from the public eye -- was shepherded to the microphone by a phalanx of Jackson's siblings.

"Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, her voice breaking. "And I just want to say I love him so much."

The moment felt pure and private, the truest thing in the whole show. ( washingtonpost.com )

READ MORE - A Transcendent Last Act

Jackson's Public Persona Reflects

Jackson's Public Persona Reflects - A Transcendent Last Act - In Death, as in Life, Jackson's Public Persona Reflects an Outsize Influence on Pop Culture

The final, posthumous performance of Michael Jackson was in the transcendent tradition of his previous shows: part musical feast, part religious experience, part examination of a man who seemed not a man, but something else his public was always trying to figure out. Boy? Demigod? Alien? It was, at times and fittingly, odd. There was deep, heartfelt, intimate emotion at the public memorial, but it was mixed with the fantasy and the sequins and the Mariah Carey and the Al Sharpton.

It was very sad. It was very long. "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone," Jackson's brother Marlon said into a microphone at the end of the nearly three-hour remembrance and farewell. Maybe not. News reports have warned us there are impending legal battles and estate divisions and custody arrangements. The world will be breathing Michael Jackson gossip for a long time. But in a society obsessed with closure, this occasion at least signified the official end of the country's 12-day period of frenzied mourning, and the completion of Michael Jackson's 12-day transformation from ostracized to beloved.

The nationally televised and endlessly Twittered memorial took place yesterday morning at Los Angeles's Staples Center, where as recently as the night before his June 25 death the singer had rehearsed for a planned London comeback tour.

The public event immediately followed a private family service at Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills, and a long, slow funeral procession through the streets of L.A., which was commented on by swarms of news crews hovering in helicopters. The cavernous Staples Center was filled with the estimated 17,000 fans who won a ticket lottery entered by 1.6 million people for the privilege of being there. They were given wristbands.

The scene from the Michael Jackson memorial service in Los Angeles.

"I couldn't believe when he died," said John Castanon, 60, a mechanic from San Dimas whose wife had won two passes to the memorial. He fought back tears as he described seeing Jackson perform in 1969. Castanon said he was honored, 40 years later, to be at Jackson's final appearance.

Everyone, it seemed, wanted to Be There. In a sharp break from a culture convinced that timeliness is obsolete, that one can always catch the replay on TiVo or YouTube, everyone wanted to see this show live. Some seemed to already be looking back from the future, planning on how they would tell their grandchildren that they were there. Celebrities turned out en masse, for a starry program that included everyone from Motown record producer legend Berry Gordy to Queen Latifah to Kobe Bryant to Martin Luther King III and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela couldn't make it, so they sent words of sympathy through an emissary, Smokey Robinson, the first speaker on the program.

Jackson's wall of brothers, seated in the front row next to his parents, sisters and three children, all wore matching yellow ties, and single sequined gloves, some on right hands, some on left, as if they had thriftily split pairs of them.

Jesse Jackson was there, just to be in the audience, as were Dionne Warwick and Spike Lee and Barbara Walters.

Once all of the guests, famous and non-famous, were there and seated and hushed, Michael Jackson himself arrived, in an ornate gold casket draped in flowers and brought to a position of prominence in the center of the stage.

And thus Jackson became a part of his own memorial, a showman even in death.

What a spectacular show it was, performed against a backdrop of simulated stained-glass windows and drifting clouds.

Carey, wearing a long gown with a plunging mesh neckline -- demure, for her -- performed her version of the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There," and looked meaningfully toward Jackson's casket.

The musician Usher also looked toward Jackson's casket during his song, then walked toward it and placed his hands on it.

Jennifer Hudson did not interact with the casket but sang a from-the-gut version of "Will You Be There," accompanied by a troop of backup dancers. Somber, funereal backup dancers, yes, but backup dancers nonetheless. No one tried to moonwalk. It would have seemed disrespectful.

Was this a concert or a memorial? An arena or a church? The mood of the fans swung between celebratory and morose, interrupting moments of silence to scream, "We love you, Michael!" and gasping, "Oh my God, it's him!" when the casket appeared. These fans, the true believers who stuck by Jackson through the trial, through scandals, through failed marriages, seemed desperate for reassurance that their adoration had not been misplaced, that Jackson was as brilliant as they knew him to be.

They cheered loudly when Gordy decided that the title King of Pop was simply not grand enough for Jackson. "I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived," Gordy said. Similar calls of approval came after Queen Latifah asserted confidently: "Michael was the biggest star on Earth."

The biggest cheers and sighs did not come after the platitudes, or the superlatives, or even the Jesus-like comparisons to the divine ("As long as we remember him, he will be there forever to comfort us," said Pastor Lucious Smith). The biggest cheers came after the assertions that he was just like us, that he was not weird at all. He liked Kentucky Fried Chicken, Magic Johnson revealed. The audience liked hearing that. "There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy," Sharpton said, thunderously addressing Jackson's children. "It was strange what he had to deal with." The arena erupted with a standing ovation.

But Michael Jackson was strange. His mystery is as much a part of his legacy as his music; fans will forever be picking away at him, trying to understand him. How desperately they wanted to understand him, to understand whatever physical ideal he felt he was moving toward, even as his pursuit of it took him further from normalcy.

His transformation of his own face took more than 20 years, as did his journey from beloved, giggling child-star to bizarre, fragile child-man.

The public's transformation of Michael Jackson, from mutant to messiah, took less than two weeks. "Michael . . . made us love each other," Sharpton called out. "It was Michael that made us . . . feed the hungry."

It was an orgy of praise, an exercise of excess and quantity, much like Jackson's life.

And then, at the end of the memorial, another kind of moment.

It happened after all of the Grammy winners had performed, and all the famous guests had ascended to the stage for a big group-sing of "We Are the World."

Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris -- heretofore mostly hidden from the public eye -- was shepherded to the microphone by a phalanx of Jackson's siblings.

"Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, her voice breaking. "And I just want to say I love him so much."

The moment felt pure and private, the truest thing in the whole show.

Staff writers Lisa de Moraes and Hank Stuever in Washington, and Ashley Surdin in Los Angeles contributed to this report. ( washingtonpost.com )

READ MORE - Jackson's Public Persona Reflects

Permanent Custody Goes to Katherine Jackson, Visitation to Debbie Rowe

Custody Agreement Gives Michael Jackson Children to Grandmother Katherine ABC News Source: Permanent Custody Goes to Katherine Jackson, Visitation to Debbie Rowe

After weeks of negotiations, Michael Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe have reached an out-of-court agreement that gives Katherine Jackson full, permanent custody of the pop icon's three children, while Rowe will be granted "meaningful visitation rights," ABC News has learned.A source with direct knowledge of the agreement told ABC News that under the agreement, Katherine Jackson maintains sole custody of Prince Michael I, 12, Paris-Michael Katherine, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, also known as Blanket, while Rowe will have meaningful visitation rights and retain her legal parental rights.

A custody agreement has been reached between Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe over Michael Jackson's kids. (AP Photos/Getty Images)

Rowe and Katherine Jackson will split the cost of a child psychologist for the children, who have been living with their grandmother and their extended family at the Jackson family home in Encino, Calif., since Michael Jackson's June 25 death.

"The discussions were amicable and cooperative, rather than a give and take negotiation," the source told ABC News. "Both sides cooperated to reach agreement based solely on the best interest of the children."

Though it had been rumored that eldest Jackson sibling Rebbie Jackson, 59, may care for the children while Katherine Jackson retained custody, there was no mention of any siblings in the agreement.

Rumors that Rowe was seeking money in return for the the children's custody were false, the source said.

"No money was sought or agreed to," the source said, "except that Debbie Rowe will continue to receive the spousal support that she and Michael agreed to when Michael was alive."

The source also told ABC News that Rowe is the biological mother of Jackson's two eldest children, Prince Michael I and Paris. It had been reported that Rowe may not have been the older children's biological mother, something the source said is untrue.

Blanket, Michael Jackson's youngest child, was born to an unnamed surrogate after Jackson and Rowe divorced.

Lawyers for Katherine Jackson and Rowe plan to bring the agreement to Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday with the expectation that probate judge Mitchell Beckloff will approve it.

Question About Fourth Jackson Child Remains

Katherine Jackson was awarded temporary custody of the children in the days after her son's sudden death. Hearings to determine permanent custody were delayed twice while she and Rowe attempted to settle the matter out of court.

The question about a possible fourth child of Michael Jackson's still lingers.

Omer Bhatti, 25, who was a fixture at Jackson's Neverland Ranch and sat in the front row with the family at his memorial service, has denied being Jackson's child. But in a Wednesday interview on TV One, Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson claimed otherwise.

"Yes I knew he had another son," Joe Jackson said, referring to Bhatti. "He looks like a Jackson, he can dance like a Jackson."

Katherine Jackson is also hoping to be named co-executor of her son's estate. While Jackson's 2002 will gives 40 percent to his mother, 40 percent to his children and 20 percent to charity, control of his estate has been given to former Jackson lawyer John Branca and music executive John McLain.

Katherine Jackson is said to be questioning what her lawyer called a "suspicious circle of relationships" and how they will go about protecting Jackson's business affairs and the family legacy. ( abcnews.go.com )

READ MORE - Permanent Custody Goes to Katherine Jackson, Visitation to Debbie Rowe

La Toya Jackson Opens Up on Family's Grief, Future

La Toya Jackson Opens Up on Family's Grief, Future. La Toya Tells Barbara Walters: Michael Laid to Rest in 'Full Makeup,' With Iconic White Glove in Casket. In her first in-depth interview since the death of her brother Michael Jackson, La Toya Jackson opened up exclusively to Barbara Walters about the family's grief.

Share

"I don't think we'll find a person as talented, a person who thought the way he thought. A person with the heart that Michael had," La Toya, 53, told Walters. "People aren't that way anymore. He was special. He wasn't God, but he was certainly God-like. He was the closest thing to a god that I knew."

La Toya, one of Michael's closest siblings, was one of the first one to appear at her brother's bedside the day he died. Since then, the solo artist and model signed her brother's death certificate, became the legal guardian of his body and with the entire Jackson family, planned the funeral and memorial service in Los Angeles.

Michael was laid to rest in a private ceremony last week, nearly two months after his death, at the iconic Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, Calif. La Toya told Walters that her brother looked "absolutely fabulous."

"He was dressed in all white pearl beads going across, draped across. A beautiful big gold belt. Like ... Like a belt that you win being a boxer," she said. "Full makeup. ... His hair was done beautifully, his makeup was done beautifully."

According to La Toya, in addition to the stones Paris placed on his chest, the family put sunglasses, an iconic white glove and a few other items in the casket with him.

La Toya: Dr. Conrad Murray Summoned Michael's Oldest Son to Death Bed

According to the autopsy, the late King of Pop died of a fatal combination of drugs, including the powerful anesthetic propofol. Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal physician has admitted administering propofol, but has denied giving Michael anything that "should have killed him."

Murray told investigators that he had been trying to wean the singer off propofol by administering a series of other prescription sedatives. When asked by Walters if Murray murdered her brother, La Toya said, "Something went wrong. Something went wrong."

La Toya also addressed reports that Michael's oldest son, Prince, was summoned by Murray the night of his father's death to help resuscitate his father.

"He called Prince ... Prince ... watched him do this, Barbara. And you don't do that to a child. You don't do that to a child, especially when you knew prior to asking that child to come up, that Michael was no longer alive," she said.

La Toya stressed that she believes Michael was dead long before Murray even called for Prince -- but called the 13-year-old in, to "show that [he] had nothing to do with this."

In an exclusive interview, La Toya Jackson told Barbara Walters that brother Michael "was the closest thing to a god that I knew." (Donna Svennevik/ABC)

Since Michael's death, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled the manner of death a homicide. The Los Angeles Police Department is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. Murray, as well as other doctors known to have prescribed narcotics to Michael, have been questioned.

"I blame any and everybody who was instrumental in Michael's life providing him with drugs because it was wrong. It was terribly wrong," said La Toya. "They're doctors! This is going against their license, Barbara. You don't do things like that."

La Toya: Blanket 'Looks Hispanic'

From the day each of Michael Jackson's three children was born, the identity of their biological father has been questioned.

"It doesn't really matter, those are Michael's kids. He raised those kids," La Toya said. "They were in his arms when they were born; the minute that they were they were right there with him. They only know Michael as their father."

Michael married the mother of his two oldest children, Debbie Rowe, but she has had almost no contact with the children for nearly a decade.

"They know who Debbie Rowe is. Whether or not they know she's their mother, I'm not so sure," La Toya said. "They haven't seen her since he's passed. But they're more than welcome."

Blanket, Michael's youngest child, was born to an unnamed surrogate after Jackson and Rowe divorced. La Toya said that Michael had told her that Blanket is Hispanic.

"I said to Michael, I said, 'He looks Hispanic.' And Michael said, 'He is,'" La Toya told Walters.

Future for the Jackson Children

In his will, Michael named his mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, as their sole guardian, and in July 2009, she was granted full, permanent custody of the three children. La Toya said that they will continue to be home-schooled, "just the way they were with their dad."

La Toya also talked to Walters about how the kids are coping with the grief.

Silencing rumors that Michael did not want the children around his father, Joe Jackson, La Toya said Michael had made amends with his father and that the kids had a good relationship with their grandfather.

"They love their grandfather," she said. "They ... like the fact that he's very outspoken. And they say that, 'Grandpa, he tells you like it is.'"

La Toya Jackson discusses her brother's death in a revealing interview with Barbara Walters for ABC News' "20/20." (Donna Svennevik/ABC)

Despite the past, she believes Michael would have wanted Joe to be involved in their lives.

Will Diana Ross Raise Michael's Children?

Michael never revealed why, but his will states that if his 79-year-old mother ever becomes unable to care for the children, he wants them to be raised by Diana Ross, 65.

"I know of course that Diana Ross is second in line for the children of course, and mother has spoken to her about things of that nature, but I don't wish to go into detail," La Toya told Walters.

La Toya said that the children don't have a relationship with Ross, or know that she might possibly be the woman raising them. When asked if Ross wants to raise Michael's three children, La Toya responded: "I think my mother knows the answer to that."

Why Michael preferred Diana Ross over his own eight siblings to care for his children was not explained in the will; sister Reebie, who has three children of her own, and has been married for 41 years, could be a candidate to raise the children in the event that their mother is incapacitated.

"There's a possibility. There's a possibility," La Toya said, "She's done a wonderful job with her children."

La Toya asked ABC News to make it known that she was not paid for this interview. ( abcnews.go.com )

READ MORE - La Toya Jackson Opens Up on Family's Grief, Future

Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Conrad Murray for Michael's Death

Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Conrad Murray for Michael's Death. Speaking out five months after Michael Jackson's death, Janet Jackson placed blame on Dr. Conrad Murray, saying the doctor should no longer be allowed to practice medicine.

"He was the one that was administering," she told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I think he is responsible."

Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, remains the focus of a manslaughter investigation into the pop star's death. Murray has admitted to administering the anesthetic propofol, but has denied giving Michael anything that should have killed him.

Speaking out five months after Michael Jackson's death, Janet Jackson placed blame on Dr. Conrad Murray, saying the doctor should no longer be allowed to practice medicine.

(AP Photos)

Jackson, who has walled herself in silence, fiercely guarding her private thoughts about the death of her beloved brother, Michael.

"It's been a tough year," she said. "You have your days where it's just really -- it's hard to believe. And a day doesn't go by that I don't think about him."

Jackson recounted the details of the morning of June 25, before she learned that Michael had collapsed, and her world turned upside down.

"I was at my house in New York. You know, another day. Another morning. And I get a call ... [my assistant] said, 'Your brother's been taken to the hospital. It's on CNN right now,'" she told Roberts. "I called everyone's. There's a line busy or -- someone wasn't picking up. I spoke to mother. I spoke to Tito. I spoke to my nephew Austin. I spoke to my sister La Toya."

"I told them to call me when they got to the hospital. And I remember thinking nobody's calling me back, so I tried calling again, and that's how I found out that he was no longer ... I couldn't believe it," she said.

Jackson said the she and the entire family were in a state of disbelief.

"It just didn't ring true to me. It felt like a dream," she said. "It's still so difficult for me to believe. It's, you know, you have to accept what is. But it's hard. You have to move on with your life. You have to accept what is and I understand that."

For Jackson, Michael's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the late King of Pop was surrounded by love ones, helped her come to terms with her brother's death.

"My brother's favorite song is 'Smile.' And I thought Jermaine sang it beautifully, beautifully. And that's his favorite song as well. ...There being some sort of a closure, I suppose, at that time," she said, getting emotional.

Growing Up Jackson

Janet, who has sold 100 million records and became a five-time Grammy award-winning artist, was the youngest of nine children in the brood. Growing up, she said that she was always closest to Michael.

"We were incredibly close," she said, "A lot of similarities, his love for children and me being a baby. …We would practically do everything together from morning to night every day. Everyday."

She recalled how the two would play after school, feeding the animals together at the family's Hayvenhurst compound in Encino, Calif.

"We'd feed all the animals, took care of the babies. All the animals -- giraffes, mouflon sheep, deer, they had fawned. All kinds of animals, all kinds of birds. And I remember I would come home from school with the hay like I'm going to a ranch," she said.

In later years, she famously wore the key to the animal cages in all her music videos -- a memento from her youth.

But Jackson does not look back on all of her childhood memories as fondly.

Living in the shadow of the Jackson 5, then the most famous family act in America, her father Joe Jackson took the reins when it came to her career.

Jackson, who once had dreams of going to college to study business law and pursuing an acting career, said her father changed her career path.

"My father said, 'I think you'll make more money singing than as an actress... And that was it," she said. "Obviously, he saw something. And it's sad that it takes away your childhood. If I had to do it all over again, would I go about it the same way? I would really have to think about that."

Joe Jackson, the patriarch and the driving force behind his children's success, has been accused by Michael and others of being an abusive stage father.

When asked by Roberts if her father was "abusive" or "old school," she said: "You have to keep in mind that I'm the baby...I think it's old school. And that may extrapolate into -- a -- being a little abusive. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

In a July 2009 interview with Chris Connelly, Joe Jackson addressed accusations that his children sacrificed a normal childhood for life on the stage. Joe Jackson denied allegations of beating Michael, but admitted to spanking as a form of physical discipline. He said he did not regret any part of Michael's upbringing.

"I was very young, very young. I can't remember the exact age, but very young, younger than ten, younger than nine. ...I remember when I had called him daddy, and he said, 'No, you call me Joseph, I'm Joseph to you.' Never said it again," she told Roberts. "...We called mother -- everybody called mother, mother. So I don't know, I don't know why. And I've never asked. I've never questioned it. It is what it is, and I just let it go. Joseph."

Jackson Childhood: No Birthdays, Cartoons

The Jackson children had a unique childhood. As devout Jehovah's witnesses, they did not celebrate birthdays or Christmas because of their beliefs.

"I would love to have experienced what it would be like to celebrate Christmas and birthdays. ...I had my first birthday party when I was 23 years old. And I'd never celebrated my birthday before then," she said. "You kind of feel like you missed something. But then again, you have to, to say to yourself, it's like a catch-22 -- well, how can you miss what you didn't have? You know? I -- we grew up pretty quickly."

Two days before her 43rd birthday was the last time Jackson saw Michael.

"We had a lot of fun, laughing. ...I was being silly, acting silly. And he was sitting in front of me and just cracking up, laughing at me," she said. "I was being loud. And he thought it was so funny. I was just being stupid, acting silly." ( abcnews.go.com)

READ MORE - Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Conrad Murray for Michael's Death

Michael Jackson and Kim Jong-II

Michael Jackson and Kim Jong-II. W here am I? Who are you? What am I doing here?. You’re in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. I’m Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and Dear Leader Kim Jong-il. As to what you’re doing here, that’s kind of a long story.

The last thing I remember is rehearsing for my comeback tour. I had five thousand sold out shows scheduled at the O2 Arena in London.

Right. My agents drugged you, kidnapped you, and left behind a body surgically altered to resemble you right down to the finest details to throw everyone off the scent. I do that sort of thing. It’s kind of an elaborate prank. I once kidnapped a South Korean movie director and his wife to make a Godzilla movie I had written the screenplay for.

Yes, but why?

I need to name my successor. I’ve got the Big C. Life’s so unfair! But there’s some things even a brutal dictator can’t dictate. I should know—I’ve tortured some of our finest doctors searching for a cure.

But what does that have to do with me?

Michael, do you have any children?

Yes, three of them—Prince Michael, Paris Michael, and the other one who’s also called Prince Michael.

Can any of them sing and dance like you could at their age?

No.

Precisely. Genetics are unreliable. Fortunately, I took after my father, Eternal President of the Republic and Great Leader Kim Il-Sung. But my sons lack the proper dictatorial temperament. One of them likes to play with dolls…

Action figures.

One of them tried to visit Disneyworld in Japan using a forged passport…

I can understand that. Disneyworld is great! I tried to recreate it at Neverland, but ran out of money.

That’s what I mean! He should have built his own Disneyworld right here in North Korea! Call it Stalinworld. We could have had the most amazing rides—the Purge, the Gulag, the Forced Collectivization of the Kulaks…Instead he shamed me by failing to think big.

But didn’t you already name your youngest son, Kim Jong-un, the Cute Leader, as your successor?

Too liberal. He actually used the word “reform” in a sentence. I blame myself for secretly sending him to a private school in Switzerland—the Swiss have funny ideas about Socialism. He has been sentenced to a reeducation camp until he learns the errors of his ways...in about twenty years. Sometimes you gotta show tough love.

My father Joseph would agree with you. But what does this have to do with me?

I’m a big fan of the early 1980s. World culture was at its peak then. It’s been all down hill ever since the Soviet Union collapsed. I was watching some of your old videos—screened for me by the originals MTV VJs—when it suddenly hit me: Those sunglasses! That hair! Those gaudy military uniforms! Those thousands of goose-stepping extras! I was looking at a younger version of myself, give or take a couple of pounds. Even our philosophies match—”juche” roughly translates as “beat it.” I had found my true successor.

But I’m not Korean!

You’re not exactly black, either.

Point taken. But nobody is going to believe I’m your son.

You underestimate the power of ignorance. That’s the great thing about running a country with almost no access to the outside world—Iran envies our isolation. Most North Koreans have never even heard of Michael Jackson, let alone know what you look like. We announce you’re my fourth son—King of Pop and Bad Leader Kim Jacko-il. Believe me, nobody will be the wiser.

But I don’t know anything about running a country!

Neither do I. North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world. Most of the people are starving to death. Chad and Tobago laugh at our GNP. Meanwhile, me and my cronies live in the lap of luxury. The main thing is to think big militarily—big armies, big parades, big spectacles. Imagine one million soldiers in full dress uniform moon walking simultaneously to “Billie Jean.” It would be fantastic!

I dunno. What about my legions of fans?

They’ll be delighted to learn of your resurrection. They already think you’re divine. They’ll love you even more once they see you’re the absolute ruler of your own country. Even Elvis and the Beatles never did that! We’ll have a giant solid gold statue erected in your honor, just like on the cover of HIStory.

What about my performance commitments? Those shows at the O2 Arena—I’ve got bills to pay. I can’t live off the Beatles’ back catalog forever—Paul McCartney is threatening to b-word slap me the next time he sees my face.

Bills, schmills. You’ll have nukes. If Russia, China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea can’t make us honor our agreements, you won’t have to worry about creditors, lawsuits, and paparazzi. Just fire a missile every now and then in the general direction of Hawaii—it keeps folks guessing.

Well, young Korean boys are cute…

The cutest! Especially those big, sad eyes. And so compliant! You can buy them off with a bowl of rice! Well, what do you say?

What can I say? I’ll be there.

( nymag.com )

READ MORE - Michael Jackson and Kim Jong-II

Joe Jackson: Son's Advisers were Frauds

Joe Jackson: Son's Advisers were Frauds. Michael Jackson's Father Files Motion Before Estate Hearing Claiming Advisers Bilked Singer. On the eve of a hearing in the Michael Jackson estate, a lawyer for the singer's father filed a 60-page motion Monday that intensifies a bid to get money from his son's estate by making accusations of fraud against the administrators of his will.

Joseph Jackson's attorney, Brian Oxman, filed a blizzard of documents in court late Monday claiming that the singer believed his old friends John Branca and John McClain had defrauded him. He also accused both of conflicts of interest and said they should be removed from administering the will.

Michael Jackson's 2002 will omitted any mention of his father, Joseph, seen above. The two had an often-strained relationship. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Joseph Jackson was omitted from his son's will with all of Michael Jackson's assets going to his mother, his children and children's charities.

Howard Weitzman, one of the attorneys representing Branca and McClain, issued a statement Monday night in response to the motion. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

"These claims filed by Joe Jackson are so outrageous that they don't deserve any response," said Weitzman.

It was unclear whether Joseph Jackson has the legal standing to challenge its provisions.

Oxman said in a phone interview that the father is allowed to challenge the executors as "an interested party who has the right to be an executor or personal representative."

Most of Oxman's accusations were aimed at Branca, the attorney who represented Jackson for more than 20 years and is seen as the architect of his financial empire. Branca parted ways with Jackson in 2006 and then returned to work with him shortly before the singer died.

Photo Essay Key Players: Jackson Case

Oxman claimed that Jackson believed Branca had committed "crimes" against him including embezzlement and funneling money into offshore accounts. But Oxman acknowledged in the interview Monday night that may not be true.

"It's not the truth or falsity of the accusation," he said. "It's that Michael believed it and that's why he terminated him."

Branca has said he was not terminated; he resigned because he felt Jackson was being influenced by people who did not have his best interests at heart.

Among the items attached to the motion filed Monday is an undated report from a New York private investigation firm, known as Interfor, allegedly hired by Jackson to investigate Branca and his connections to Tommy Mottola, a music executive with whom Jackson was feuding.

The one page report refers to "rumors of irregularities involved in the accounting of legal fees" but cites no evidence.

Instead, it related finding a former employee who described Branca as "brilliant" and quoted a paralegal as saying "Branca is very quiet, intelligent, shy but lovely with a funny sense of humor."

Michael Jackson's 2002 will omitted any mention of his father. The two had an often-strained relationship.

Oxman claimed father and son had reconciled and "Michael loved his father." [ cbsnews.com ]

READ MORE - Joe Jackson: Son's Advisers were Frauds

Private funeral for Michael Jackson

Private funeral for Michael Jackson . About 200 invited guests Thursday night gathered at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in a Los Angeles suburb for the funeral of Michael Jackson, more than two months after the pop star`s death from an overdose of a powerful sedative.

Members of the Jackson family arrived at the cemetery shortly after 8 p.m. for the burial ceremony, which was earlier scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

The self-proclaimed King of Pop, who died June 25 at 50 after being rushed to the hospital in deep coma, was to be buried at the cemetery that is the final resting place of such late Hollywood celebrities as Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Walt Disney and Nat King Cole.

Among the guests in attendance included former wife Lisa Marie Presley and longtime Jackson friends Elizabeth Taylor and Macaulay Culkin.

Authorities took extra measures to ensure that the service remained private as the cemetery was closed to the media and public. Security officers patrolled the grounds in search of trespassers, and police in helicopters kept a close watch from the air.

Meanwhile, flight restrictions over the cemetery were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to keep news media helicopters at bay.

Los Angeles County coroner`s office, which conducted an autopsy on Jackson`s body after his death, has ruled his death a homicide,and his death certificate lists "injection by another" as the cause.

However, no charges have been filed regarding to the death of Jackson as prosecutors are still investigating the case.

Conrad Murray, Jackson`s personal physician at the time when hedied, told investigators he gave the pop star a series of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol to help him sleep. [ antara.com ]

READ MORE - Private funeral for Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson Memorial

Michael Jackson memorial. A public memorial for pop star Michael Jackson took shape Thursday when a concert backer and family spokesman said the event would take place next week, even as doubt lingered over the guardianship of the singer's children.



The pop star's former wife Debbie Rowe told a Los Angeles TV station she wanted to care for her two children with Jackson, but her attorney said her words were distorted and a court hearing over custody was delayed by one week.



A public memorial for Jackson, who died suddenly last week, will be held Tuesday in Los Angeles, and about 11,000 tickets will be given away free of charge for the 20,000-seat Staples Center arena, said concert promoter AEG Live and family representative, Sunshine Sachs & Associates.



The pair said in a statement issued late Thursday the memorial was set for 10 a.m. PDT at the rock concert and sporting venue in downtown Los Angeles, and that further details would be unveiled Friday morning.



AEG Live is part of a group of companies that controls events at the Staples Center.



Jackson's death on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles mansion has provoked worldwide tributes from fans and musicians and sent many of his records back into the top of music charts.



Meanwhile Rowe -- the mother of Jackson's two eldest children, Prince Michael Jackson Jr. 12, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11 -- appeared to set the stage for a legal tussle with Jackson's parents over their future.



"I want my children," Rowe was quoted as telling NBC4 television in Los Angeles.



But her lawyer, Eric George, told reporters Thursday that Rowe was still considering her position.



"I am representing to you now, Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings," George said.



"DISTORTION OF THE TRUTH"



"I have no reason to doubt that what was reported from that conversation was accurately and ethically recorded, but that said, it would be a distortion of the truth to allow that single snapshot of a single conversation to stand as the truth of Debbie's position," he said. A court hearing on guardianship originally set for July 6, has been changed to July 13.



Temporary guardianship was granted earlier this week to Jackson's 79-year-old mother, Katherine Jackson. A 2002 will signed by Jackson specifically cut Rowe out of his estate and asked that his mother take care of the children.



Jackson did not mention his funeral wishes in that will.



The Staples Center is the site of the singer's last rehearsals for a planned 50-concert comeback tour in London that was due to start on July 13 and was backed by AEG Live.



Video clips of a rehearsal two nights before he died, that showed Jackson looking thin but performing more like his old superstar self, were released to CNN Thursday.



An official autopsy has been performed but toxicology tests won't be ready for weeks. Results of a private autopsy by a Jackson family doctor have not been released.



Law enforcement sources said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had been asked to help Los Angeles police in their investigation. Several bags of medicines have already been removed from Jackson's house by coroner's officials.



Speculation has swirled in the media that the 50-year-old pop star was abusing prescription drugs and perhaps intravenous drugs before comeback concerts this month in London.



His brother Jermaine Jackson said Thursday that reports of Michael Jackson's possible drug use had hurt his family.



"Michael has always been a person who was against anything like that. ... But in this business the pressures and things that you go through, you never know what one turn(s) to," Jermaine said on NBC's "Today" show. [ Jill Serjeant,Bob Tourtellotte, Doina Chiacu)

READ MORE - Michael Jackson Memorial