It’s no surprise to some insiders that Michael Jackson’s kids are being investigated by the Los Angeles Department of Family Services.
Remember the YouTube video I showed you a couple months ago? It showed the Jackson kids romping around a luxurious suite at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving.
For so many reasons, Michael Jackson must have been spinning in his million-dollar mausoleum last night.
His kids, Prince and Paris, whom he draped in bee keeper’s hats and masks to keep them out of the public, took center stage and accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards.
Yes, they were poised and articulate. That certainly shows that Jackson’s parenting was better than anyone could have guessed.
But their remarks were scripted. And when Prince Michael, Jackson’s 12-year-old son with Debbie Rowe, spoke, it was worth examining what he said. He acknowledged both his “grandma” — Katherine Jackson, his legal guardian — and his “grandpa,” Joe Jackson, whom Michael hated. Joe Jackson is currently suing Michael’s estate to get a $20,000-per-month allowance. Read the rest of this entry »
I can tell you something now that I knew a couple of weeks ago: Michael Jackson’s three kids didn’t spend the holidays with the Jackson family at their Hayvenhurst Rd home in Encino, California.
Even though Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, has custody of Prince, Paris and “Blanket,” the three kids weren’t with her on Christmas or New Year’s.
Instead, nanny Grace Rwaramba arranged to take the kids for an extended visit with family friends. This is contrary to reported stories that the three were with their aunt, Janet Jackson, in New York. That was a decoy story. It’s amazing how every blog from Perez Hilton to the most insignificant picked up that story on Christmas Eve and ran it without checking a single fact. Imagine what that means for other celeb blog “exclusives.”
“They were extremely happy and they had a great time,” says a source of the no-Jackson holiday. “It wasn’t a big deal Christmas with elaborate gifts. It was very humble.”
The reason? Katherine Jackson, a Jehovah’s Witness, doesn’t celebrate holidays. If the kids had remained with her in Encino, they would have been deprived, a source says, of their annual Christmas celebration. Katherine, they say, was wise enough to sign off on the visit, and allowed Rwaramba to make the arrangements.
And the word on the kids? “They seemed fine, well adjusted, they’re doing their school work. They don’t talk about Michael’s death but they do mention him.”
The executors for Michael Jackson’s estate won a crucial victory today in Los Angeles Probate Court. Judge Mitchell Beckloff has approved a deal with AEG Live to send Michael’s memorabilia on a tour to New York, London, and Tokyo. The exhibition should add $6 million to the estate’s coffers.
The day was a victory for Michael’s estate and yet another failure added to Katherine Jackson’s legal wranglings. But it’s not Katherine herself who’s incurred these losses, but the lawyers representing the Jackson family. They’ve been spurred on by Joseph Jackson, who’s tried to stop the estate at every turn from moving forward.
Interestingly, the judge refused to let Michael’s brother, Randy, testify. The family’s lawyers argued that Randy was an expert. The judge was incredulous, and said no. If Randy had taken the stand, it would have been a disaster. His short run as Michael’s manager produced nothing but lawsuits and anger. He was eventually fired.
Also not testifying today was Leonard Rowe, the ex-con shady concert promoter who was touted by the Jacksons as their financial adviser.
Even the attorney guardian for Michael’s children approved the AEG deal.
John Branca, executor for Michael and his long time attorney, testified in closed court over the phone from a family vacation. His testimony was said to be most persuasive.
That leaves little more room for Katherine Jackson’s side to keep objecting to the estate’s deals. Sources at the Hayvenhurst house say Mrs. Jackson is barely aware of all this, and that she is still grieving for her son. But someone had better tell her that legal bills are now running into the millions, and that she hasn’t had one victory in court yet. And in the end, despite the court agitations having been brought by other family members, the bill is going to wind up being paid from Katherine’s inheritance. Ouch!
UPDATE: Read Michael Jackson’s will.
Michael Jackson’s last will and testament — the existence of which this column exclusively first reported last week — will be entered into Los Angeles Surrogate Court this morning at 8:30am.
As this column also reported first, the will names Katherine Jackson as the legal guardian of Michael’s three children. There are no bequests for anyone aside from the children and Mrs. Jackson. According to sources, it’s a “simple document” and not very long.
More detailed outlining of the childrens’ trusts will not be made public.
The Los Angeles Sherriff’s Department will be applying extra security to make sure the will is delivered and recorded properly.
