Katherine Jackson’s lawyer went on the CBS Early Show this morning to announce that a custody deal has been worked out. Katherine will receive full custody of all three of Michael’s kids. The lawyer also noted that Michael’s estate is in much better shape than previously reported. As far as I can tell, the only thing that’s been worked out is the kids’ custody, but the financials are still be hashed out. Katherine wants guardianship over Michael’s estate, as well as the kids, but I doubt that will happen:

The 79-year-old mother of Michael Jackson will receive full custody of the pop singer’s three children under the terms of a deal that has just been reached, her lawyer told The Early Show Thursday morning.

“There is no situation better for these children than for them to be raised and reared in the loving care of Mrs. Katherine Jackson,” L. Londell McMillan said.

He added that the issue of Debbie Rowe, who is the mother of two of the children – Prince Michael I, 12, and Paris, 11 – will be detailed in an announcement to come shortly.

As for speculation that the King of Pop left his family with more debt than money, McMillan said there’s no reason for the children or his mother to worry about going broke.

“That estate is worth, in my estimation, a couple of billion dollars,” he said. “You hear $500 million. Don’t buy it.”

[From People]

The two names constantly mentioned for the kids’ custody was Debbie Rowe, biological mother of Paris and Prince Michael, and Janet Jackson, Michael’s little sister. Janet is said to be extremely close to the kids, and might be looking to take an active interest in either helping her mother raise the kids, or taking over guardianship at some point.

According to TMZ, Debbie Rowe isn’t getting much of anything. She will get visitation rights, probably as some kind of limited access to her children, nor will she get any kind of financial settlement. But Debbie was granted one important detail – a psychologist will be visiting and monitoring the kids’ mental health and well-being:

TMZ has learned Debbie Rowe has settled her custody issues over Michael Jackson’s children and it doesn’t involve a single penny … but it does involve a shrink.

Sources tell us, Rowe has agreed that Katherine Jackson will be the guardian of Michael’s children, subject to the judge’s approval.

Rowe will get visitation of the two children she had with Michael.

But here’s what’s interesting — Rowe wants and will get a psychologist who will visit the children and help them adjust to her being in their lives on a meaningful basis.

Rowe will maintain her parental rights. We’re told the agreement does not specify the amount of visitation.

The agreement says Rowe has no parental rights to Blanket, Jackson’s youngest child.

[From TMZ]

I suppose this is one of the better solutions. I’ve heard over and over again that Michael’s wishes for his kids’ custody really would have been his mother first, and Janet second. It bothers me that Katherine seems too interested in getting control of the money as well, but it seems like the estate’s guardians are going to put up a fight on that one. Most likely, it will take years to figure the financials.

Katherine Jackson is shown out with Jermaine on 5/22/09. Credit: BARM/Fame Pictures

A custody hearing for Michael Jackson’s case has been delayed three times, and is now scheduled to take place August 3 at 8:30. It is unknown whether Debbie Rowe, the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children, will challenge grandmother Katherine Jackson for custody. Debbie herself seems undecided and while she once told a radio station “I want my children” and “I’m stepping up,” she may have been motivated to keep grandfather Joe away from the kids and also said she would seek a restraining order against him. Rowe’s lawyer later backtracked on his client’s claims, stating she “has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceeding.” (A series of “leaked e-mails” in which Rowe claims she’ll seek custody in exchange for cash are allegedly fabricated.)

While the press waits to see if Debbie will seek custody next month, The National Enquirer has a new story from a “friend” who claims she’s an unfit mother. According to a guy who hung around her starting in 2002, she’s an alcoholic and starts drinking Coronas around 11am. Debbie can easily polish off a 1/2 a case of beer a day, claims this guy who passed a polygraph, and in no way does she want the responsibility of raising her kids with Michael. Debbie herself seemed to indicate this in a 2008 interview with The Daily Mail, in which she called her animals her “babies.” The friend, Luka Cambio, met Debbie in 2002 while he was working at an aquarium store in North Hollywood. She hired him to come out to her place twice a month and service her four exotic fish tanks, ranging from 12 to 40 gallons. They soon became friends and he would sometimes stay over her house after the hour and a half drive.

“Debbie never spoke ill of her children, but she often said, I ******* hate kids!” revealed Cambio, 32…

Drank a 1/2 case of beer a day and margaritas at dinner
Cambio claims Debbie often started drinking beer before noon and swigged down as many as 12 bottles a day.

“She’d start at 11 in the morning and drink all day,” he said.

“She drank up to a dozen bottles of Corona a day, and she’d have two to three margaritas when we went out to dinner. In my opinion, she’d be a dangerous, irresponsible mother…”

Debbie visited Neverland once a month
Debbie secretly visited Prince Michael and Paris at Jackson’s Neverland ranch, said Cambio.

But she privately slammed the pop superstar – who gave her an $8.5 million divorce settlement – after hose visits.

“Once a month, Debbie would drive to Neverland by herself and spend the day there…

“When she came back, she’d say, ‘He’s stupid. Michael’s such an *******, such a user.’ I knew he’d given her millions, and I was shocked at her ingratitude. But she was bitter as hell about him…

Said Michael was a good dad
“She often said what a good dad Michael was to the children, and she’d add ‘They are better off where they are. Michael knows what he’s doing,’” said Cambio.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 3, 2009, subheaders added]

The Enquirer even has a photo of Debbie posing with the guy, and another in which it looks like she’s trying to get a parrot to drink from a bottle of Corona. If Debbie’s still boozing like that it could explain why she’s such a grumpy person and why she had trouble holding her tongue around photographers harassing her. I wouldn’t say that the paparazzi didn’t deserve her harsh words, just that alcoholics often have hair trigger tempers. In pictures from last week, Debbie was seen holding a tumbler of something while talking to police outside her Palmdale ranch. She called the cops on photographers who were double parked and trying to climb her fence. Radar Online had Debbie’s 911 call and she sounded perfectly reasonable and not drunk at all. You wonder what’s in that glass, though.

Whether Debbie still has a drinking problem or not, most people would agree that the kids are better off with their grandmother and their aunt, Rebbie. We’ll have to wait and see if Debbie tries to assert her rights, either for the kids or the cash that she may think she’s entitled to.

Photo credit: INFPhoto.com. Photo is from 7/13/09

Debbie Rowe is suing the “friend” who leaked damning e-mails that Debbie allegedly wrote, which read, in part “Do I want the kids? Hell no. Does it look good for me to ask for them? Absolutely.” The NY Post published the supposed e-mails, along with a separate story that Rowe worked out a behind-the-scenes deal that she would not challenge Katherine Jackson’s custody claim in exchange for a lump sum payoff of $4 million.

Rowe denied those stories, and said through a spokesperson that she “has not and will not give up her parental rights… and will not accept any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael personally agreed to several years ago.”

Many of you believed that something sneaky was going on though, as it seemed like Rowe must have had a financial motivation to seek custody of the children she once tried to relinquish all rights to and hadn’t seen since birth. Whatever is happening, Rowe denies writing those e-mails and is suing the person who claims she did. Given the background of Rowe’s “friend” who sold the e-mails to Page Six, Rebecca White, I tend to believe Rowe that she didn’t write that at all:

Debbie Rowe has filed suit against Rebecca White, who claimed that Rowe sent her an email saying she did not want custody of her children with Michael Jackson.

White was also interviewed on a syndicated TV show and claimed to be friends with Rowe.

“Do I want the kids? Hell no,” White said Rowe wrote to her in an email. But in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Rowe says she is not friends with White and did not send her that or any other email. “The statements attributed by Ms. White to Ms. Rowe in said emails were fabricated by Ms. White and are false,” the lawsuit states.

RadarOnline.com has learned that this is not the first time Rebecca White has been accused of fabricating stories. She once worked as a personal assistant to Naomi Campbell and then later sold – or attempted to sell – several stories about celebrities to tabloids. Many of those stories were proven false. Story developing….

[From Radar Online]

It seems pretty easy for people to cash in on celebrities by claiming some fake story and then selling it. If this woman has done this multiple times before there’s no reason to trust her.

We don’t know Rowe’s motivation but it does look like she served as a kind of surrogate for Michael Jackson and may have never intended to take a role as mother to their children. In the one interview I saw with her, she struck me as a decent person who was sincere about her friendship with Michael and wanted to have kids for him. She didn’t seem ready or willing to be a mother at all, and it’s understandable that people are questioning why she seems to want to try at this point.

Debbie Rowe is shown at her ranch in Palmdale, CA on 7/13/09. Credit: INFPhoto.com. She called the cops on the paparazzi because they were double parked and climbing her fence.

Yesterday we reported on two stories related to the custody of Michael Jackson’s children. British paper The Mirror claimed that Debbie Rowe, the biological mother of Jackson’s two older children, had reached some kind of secret custody agreement with grandmother Katherine Jackson. Supposedly Debbie and Katherine worked out a deal where the kids could stay with Katherine as long as grandfather Joe Jackson had no access to Michael’s children. This seemed plausible, especially since Debbie told a radio station that she was going to seek a restraining order against Joe to keep him away from the children.

The other story, originating in the NY Post, had Debbie receiving a behind-the-scenes payoff for not challenging custody. She supposedly received a “final payoff” of $4 million in exchange for letting Paris and Prince Michael stay with their grandmother.

According to Debbie’s lawyer, neither story is true and she just wants to continue whatever spousal support she had worked out with Michael before his death. I wonder how much money they’re talking about monthly:

“Bombshell emails” from Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe reveal that she doesn’t want custody of her two kids but was concerned about her public perception as “a woman who gave away her kids and just forgot about them,” according to the New York Post. In a July 5 email to her friend Rebecca White, Rowe wrote, “Do I want the kids? Hell no. Does it look good for me to ask for them? Absolutely.” White told the New York Post, “There’s definitely going to be a settlement that’s going to come out of this.” But her attorney says reports that Rowe gave up her parental rights in exchange for a $4 million payoff are incorrect. “There has been no agreement reached between Ms. Rowe and the Jacksons,” lawyer Eric George said. “Ms. Rowe has not and will not give up her parental rights. … And Ms. Rowe has not accepted and will not accept any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael personally agreed to several years ago.”

[From The Buffalo News]

I don’t really trust the NY Post and let’s assume we don’t have enough evidence that these supposed e-mails from Rowe exist to prove there was a payoff. (Rowe’s lawyer also said that story was completely fabricated.) In the only interview I’ve ever seen with Rowe, a 2003 rebuttal to the Martin Bashir series called “Living with Michael Jackson, Take Two” (link leads to video) she spoke of her children as a gift she gave to Michael and seemed like she never intended to take a role as their mother. Rowe said “I did not leave my children. My children are with their father, where they’re supposed to be,” and that “”It’s not that they’re not my children, but I had them because I wanted him to be a father.”

The next custody hearing is on July 20, next Monday, and according to her lawyer Rowe will be there. Is it true that she’s not out for money at all, or is she using those kids as pawns to try and squeeze money out of the estate? I do believe that she cares about their well being, but it’s doubtful that she wants to take responsibility for two children she hasn’t seen in over ten years. Sadly, I’m kind of on Kaiser’s side that money is a motivation for Rowe, but I’ll still give her the benefit of the doubt that it does matter to her what happens to those kids.

Rowe is shown on her ranch in Palmdale, CA on 7/3/09. Credit: Mike/Fame Pictures

CB already covered one theory behind the on-going custody battle for Michael Jackson’s children. Many of the tabloids and news sources are reporting that Debbie Rowe and Katherine Jackson have either reached an agreeement, or are working on an agreement to limit or ban Joe Jackson’s involvement with the children. Radar has Debbie and Katherine negotiating an “out of court settlement” with some kind of codicil that Joe won’t be allowed near the kids. A source tells Radar: “Debbie is absolutely steadfast that Joe Jackson not be involved whatsoever in the children’s lives. Michael regaled Debbie with what a horrible father Joe was, and Debbie doesn’t want the children exposed to that. Debbie is navigating a minefield right now of emotions, but she will make sure that Joe Jackson isn’t involved in their daily lives. [Debbie] became so upset that she was reduced to tears.”

Except the New York Post has a somewhat different version of the custodial issues. This could be total crap, but you never know. They have Rowe simply wanting more money in exchange for not fighting for custody. According to the Post’s sources, Debbie Rowe got her “final payday” – $4 million:

Michael Jackson’s baby mama Debbie Rowe has sold her kids again — this time squeezing about $4 million from her former mother-in-law in exchange for giving up her parental rights, a family source told The Post yesterday.

“It’s one final payday,” the disgusted Jackson confidant said.

The family isn’t happy about the mega-payout — which was set to be sealed in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon — but they consider it a necessary evil, the source said.

“They felt it was like a ransom-type thing. [Rowe] jumped back into the picture because she wanted money,” the friend said.

[From Page Six]

CB wants to think the best of Rowe, and I’d like to as well, but Rowe doesn’t always give us a lot to work with. I do think Rowe is capable of simply auctioning off those kids for a cash settlement – if the stories are correct, that’s pretty much what happened when she gave Michael custody. It’s my hope that Rowe really is fighting to keep Joe Jackson away from the children, and that Rowe herself doesn’t drag the whole thing out in the courts. We’ll see.

Debbie Rowe is shown yelling at photographers not to touch her on 7/5/09. Credit: Mike/Fame Pictures

It’s hard to tell if this story is true or not, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it is. The Sunday Mirror, which probably has no access to insider information in the Jackson case unless their private investigator is wiretapping some phones, claims that grandmother Katherine Jackson and supposed biological mother Debbie Rowe have worked out a behind-the-scenes custody agreement for Jackson’s two older children that ensures that Katherine retains custody – as long as evil grandfather Joe is completely out of the picture. Rowe has expressed ambivalence about her role as mother, and seems unsure about whether she wants responsibility for her children after they lived with their father for years. According to this report, Rowe will get monthly visits with them as per this new arrangement with Katherine.

Jacko dada Joe won’t be getting his hands on King of Pop’s tots according to secret custody deal that Michael Jackson’s mom Katherine and baby maker ex-wife Debbie Rowe have cut.

According to UK tab Sunday Mirror Rowe agreed to drop her custody claim on Jackson’s children’s – two of which are hers via artificial insemination as long as creepy dad Joe, who announced last week, he’d like to help Prince Michael I, Paris and Blanket pursue a show biz career now that their faces are world-famous.

“The last thing she wanted was for those kids to be looked after by Joe and go through what Michael went through,” a source told the tab.

“Michael (had) poured out his heart about how much he loathed Joe for what he had done.”

In a blockbuster MJ 2003 documentary, Jacko revealed that during his tumultuous childhood his abusive father would lash out with anything he could get his hands on: “Ironing cords, whatever’s around . . . throw you up against the wall, hard as he could.”

Under the tentative deal struck by Katherine and “Miss Debbie” -as she’s known to the kids not Mom – Rowe promised not to pursue a custody battle in exchange for monthly supervised visits, a source told the NY Post.

Although still married, Jacko’s parents, Katherine and Joe, have lived apart for years.

[From The National Enquirer]

Again, fingers crossed that this is the case and that Katherine and Debbie are talking and working together. Their primary concern seems to be the well being of all three children, who seem comfortable and happy with the grandmother they’ve known all their lives. It would be jarring for Paris and Prince Michael to have to live with the mother they’ve never known and be split up from their younger brother, Blanket. If this agreement really happened, they’ll get to live with their grandmother without the threat of their grandfather Joe stepping in to exploit them for cash and worse. You only hope that if something happens to Katherine that Michael’s siblings will step in and ensure that Joe has no role in the children’s lives.

We’ll know soon enough if this story is based in reality. The next custody hearing is scheduled for next Monday, July 20, and Rowe is slated to be there.

Katherine Jackson is shown out in May, 2008. Debbie Rowe is shown on 7/9/09. Credit: Fame Pictures

Both Star and OK! Magazine have cover stories dealing with Michael Jackson’s children this week. Shock of all shocks, it looks like Star’s cover story is a bit more respectful, with the headline, “Michael’s Kids: Inside Their Shattered World”. Star has a source who claims (I believe, correctly) that the kids are simply devastated. Michael was their whole world, “father, mother, playmate. Now that he’s gone, everything is different for them.” They cite little Paris’s heart-wrenching tribute to her father yesterday, and they make it seem like the kids are incredibly confused and emotional right now:

Hearts broke around the world when Michael Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter, Paris, delivered a teary tribute to her late father during his memorial, saying simply: “Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine, and I just want to say, I love you so much,” before breaking down.

As Star reports in our July 20 issue, the King of Pop’s three children are struggling with their devastating loss — and wonder who will raise them now that their doting dad is gone.

Prince, Paris and Blanket “are scared and confused,” says a family insider. “Michael was everything to them — father, mother, playmate. Now that he’s gone, everything is different for them.”

While Prince, 12, has tried to put on a brave face for his younger siblings, he often breaks down and sobs uncontrollably. It’s the same with Paris, who constantly bursts into tears and runs out of the room — her brief but heartfelt tribute to her father at the Staples Center on Tuesday was typical of her behavior. As for little Blanket, 7, he asks, “Who will be my Mommy?” according to the family insider.

“It has hit the kids hard — really hard,” adds the insider. “They were in a state of shock at first… But then it began to sink in, and it’s just heartbreaking to watch.”

[From Star Magazine]

Meanwhile, over at OK!, the cover story is “Debbie Rowe vs. The Jacksons: $100 Million Or The Kids”. OK! claims that Debbie Rowe is fully prepared to go to war for her children, but that the Jackson family might try to pay her off with a lump sum to relinquish her parental rights. A source close to Debbie claims that she’s very wary of the kind of environment the Jackson family might provide for the kids, but a source close to the Jackson family claims they really are looking out for the kids. CB wants me to mention that OK! has gone steadily downhill with its content and reporting, so this is most likely all total bullsh-t:

Behind the black wrought iron gates of the Jackson family mansion in Encino, Calif., Michael Jackson’s three children spend their days playing with their cousins and their pets and watching movies — but no news reports — as they adjust to life without their famous father.

Their grandmother Katherine Jackson tends to their needs and offers a calming presence. “His kids are strong,” says Michael’s brother Jermaine Jackson. “They have a lot of love and care.”

That serene life may soon disappear. The children — 12-year-old Michael Joseph Jr., aka “Prince”; Paris-Michael Katherine, 11; and 7-year-old Prince Michael Jackson II (also called “Blanket”) — are pawns in what could shape up to be an intense custody battle between Katherine and Debbie Rowe, the biological mother of the two oldest children.

“Debbie believes Katherine has a good heart, but the life they would live with the Jacksons is unthinkable,” an insider tells OK!. “They belong away from the media circus. Kids need fresh air and freedom. They can’t get that at the mansion in Encino.”

But Debbie may soon have to decide between her kids or cash. “She’s likely to walk away with a lump sum of money if she agrees not to seek custody,” a friend of Debbie tells OK!. “She will probably end up with $100 million. It would be worth paying out, from the Jackson family’s point of view, to prevent a tug-of-war for the children.”

However others point at the discrepancies regarding how much MJ’s estate is worth, anywhere between $200 million and $500 million, including Attorney Larry Heller, a tax, probate and estate expert, who says that while “Debbie Rowe has some leverage as to the amount” she could receive in a settlement, “I wouldn’t be comfortable saying she could get quite that much. She could get several million dollars.”

On July 2, Debbie came out swinging in her battle for custody, telling KNBC Los Angeles reporter Chuck Henry, “I want my children,” and offering to submit to DNA tests to prove she was their mother. But her attorney, Eric George, later said she hadn’t reached a final decision on what to do in court.

Meanwhile, a court granted temporary custody to Katherine, 79. In Michael’s will, he asked that she be named the guardian — and if she was not able, singer Diana Ross, 65, should gain custody; he left no provision for Debbie to care for the children. “The fact that he left her out says loud and clear that he wanted her to get nothing,” says L.A. attorney Michael G. Dave, who specializes in family law.

A custody hearing is set for July 13, and the potential battle is already turning nasty. Michael’s sister Janet Jackson believes it’s “disgusting to use the kids for money,” a family insider tells OK!.

Janet, 43, has reassured Michael’s children that they won’t be lost in the commotion that has surrounded the family since her brother died. “She told them if they need her for any reason, even just to talk or if they want pizza, to call her immediately.”

This isn’t the first time custody of the kids has come up: In their 1999 divorce agreement, Debbie signed away her parental rights in exchange for an $8.5 million settlement. But when a teenage boy accused Michael of sexual abuse in 2003, she applied for custody again, even though she admitted she had not seen the children in years. In 2006, Debbie allegedly made another deal with Michael to relinquish rights to the children in exchange for cash.

While custody questions continue, the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services is investigating the welfare of the Jackson kids, prompted by reports of Michael’s drug use. It will also assess conditions at Katherine’s home. The report is expected to take a month to complete, but Jermaine says it’s obvious the children belong with Katherine: “The will is what it is,” he says. “This is what Michael wanted.”

[From OK! Magazine]

That’s interesting that Janet is getting more involved. Many of us (myself included) would like to see Janet either take custody, or be a big part of raising the kids. I’m not quite sure what to think of Debbie Rowe – she seems to have the whiff of “grifter”, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she probably does care about the well-being of the children as much as she cares about the money.

Thanks to CoverAwards for these cover photos

Debbie Rowe is clearly at the end of her rope. Michael Jackson’s ex-wife – and probably the mother of his children – is being hounded by the media regarding her plans to fight for custody of the kids. Rowe lost it on a reporter yesterday and threatened to beat him up, and frankly I don’t blame her. She’s not a celebrity and it’s clear being famous didn’t agree with her. She never adapted to this kind of scrutiny and attention, and it’s clearly taking a serious toll on her.

Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe was in a feisty mood on Sunday. While leaving a restaurant in Lancaster, Calif., Rowe snapped back at a photographer who was peppering her with questions about the custody of her kids with the late pop star.

“Are you ready to fight for your children?” one reporter asked repeatedly. After he got a little close, Rowe lashed out: “Are you ready to get your butt kicked? Don’t f—-in’ touch me!”

Rowe, the biological mother of two of the children, told a NBCLA reporter last week that she’ll fight for custody. She’s planning on seeking a restraining order against Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson. “I am stepping up. I have to,” Rowe said.

…Though a nasty court fight for custody of the kids remains a possibility, Rowe and the Jackson will have to keep things civil at least for the first half of this week. Rowe has been confirmed for VIP seats at Jackson’s memorial service on Tuesday in Los Angeles, former Jackson associate Marc Schaffel told ‘Good Morning America.’

[From PopEater]

It’s clear Debbie can’t deal with the press and was never really able to. Several years ago Michael Jackson made a rebuttal video to Martin Bashir’s documentary “Living with Michael Jackson.” Most of the footage was taken at the same time as Bashir’s by a camera Jackson set up. The interview with Debbie was added to MJ’s version so she could tell her side of the story. Debbie comes across as remarkably normal and fairly rational.

She says she finds it amazing that anyone wanted to pay $500,00 for a picture of her pregnant with Michael’s baby. She also says that “Michael and I will always be a family unit… I did not leave my children. My children are with their father, where they’re supposed to be.”

Debbie also says the real reason she and Michael broke up was that she couldn’t handle the attention and living under the microscope of fame. “We split up because I got to a point where I couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t go to the grocery store. I couldn’t get followed. I wasn’t used to it.” She said that Michael was always very generous and helpful and he’d say things like “You don’t have to go to the grocery store, I’ll get someone to go,” but he just wasn’t able to understand that she likes doing things for herself and wanted to keep up regular activities. She even seemed uncomfortable at times during the interview, noting: “Doing this is very uncomfortable for me. Talking about these things is extremely uncomfortable for me.”

That could have a lot to do with why Debbie has been a little wishy washy on her custody plans. She clearly isn’t happy living with the Jackson fame, and would have to do that for several more years – maybe even the rest of her life. Obviously the kids should come first, but they’re not going to be happy if they’re living with someone who’s miserable. From her interview, Debbie sounds like she agreed with most of Michael’s parenting choices and would probably choose to keep the kids living a relatively sequestered existence. But for now, she’s going to have to get used to the spotlight again.

Here’s Debbie at Great Wall restaurant in Lancaster California yesterday. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

Michael Jackson’s second wife Debbie Rowe was photographed working on her horse ranch in Palmdale, California yesterday. Debbie has fresh nail tips and is wearing the most popular shirt on Amazon.com – Three Wolf Moon! JayBird wrote about this shirt in May, and she mentioned that hilarious, tongue-in-cheek reviews have “have pushed one of those cheesy-ass wolf t-shirts to the top of Amazon’s sales charts.” Is Debbie wearing the shirt to be clever or does she just like it? It’s hard to tell, but JayBird doesn’t think it’s possible to wear that shirt ironically and maybe that’s part of its appeal. Debbie also dons a hat on that says “Council Member,” and holds a stethoscope to listen to a pregnant horse. There’s also a photo where she’s taking a horse’s temperature the old fashioned way, but I didn’t include that.

This is one of the first times Rowe has been photographed since Jackson’s trial in 2005. (The Daily Mail did a profile of her last year that included photos, but we haven’t found any paparazzi pictures in the last three years.) There must have been multiple photographers camped outside Rowe’s ranch hoping to get some shots, and several agencies have photos of her out yesterday tending her horses.

Rowe is a prominent figure in the news due to MJ’s death and yesterday’s revelation that she plans to seek custody of her children with Michael, Prince, 12, and Paris Jackson, 11. She stated in a radio interview that she will seek a restraining order against her former father-in-law, Joe Jackson, to keep him away from his grandchildren. Yesterday Rowe’s lawyer backtracked a little and claimed that she’s conflicted about seeking custody, and that it’s likely she’ll move forward in the custody battle of her children but isn’t sure she she wants to care for them. From most accounts Rowe has not seen her children since infancy:

After strong indications of an oncoming custody battle in the Michael Jackson saga, Deborah Rowe’s lawyer gently applied the brakes on Thursday.

Attorney Eric George told reporters during a telephone press conference that Rowe is not yet firm in her decision to to fight for the custody of her two children.

“Debbie Rowe has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceeding,” George said.

The lawyer’s remarks contrasted with Rowe’s own remarks earlier Thursday. “I want my children,” Rowe reportedly said during a 90-minute phone conversation with NBC-LA anchor Chuck Henry.

Rowe is the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children — son Michael Joseph Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11.

George admitted in the press conference that the conversation with Henry “was accurately and ethically reported.” But, he added, “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.”

Rowe’s self-described “best-friend” and former attorney Iris Finsilver told Time.com that she spoke with Rowe earlier Thursday and echoed Rowe’s desire to enter a custody battle. “This is something that’s very important to her, she loves her children,” Finsilver said.

Katherine Jackson, the singer’s mother, has temporary guardianship of her son’s three children. A guardianship hearing has been rescheduled for July 13.

[From Time.com]

In related constantly breaking Michael Jackson news, the details of his will have been revealed. He leaves 40% to his mother, Katherine, 40% to his three children, and 20% to undesignated children’s charities. The will, drawn up in 2002, states that Jackson “intentionally omitted to provide for… former wife, Deborah Rowe Jackson.”

Reports note that Rowe has several tax liens against her horse ranch, one for almost $100,000. She’s in need of money and gaining custody of her children would give her some hefty child support. The question is – does she want to care for the kids? It doesn’t seem like Rowe even knows the answer to that.

Debbie Rowe has definitely stated that Prince, 12, and Paris Jackson, 11, the two children she carried for Michael Jackson, are biologically hers. There had been several reports earlier this week that the children were not Debbie’s and she was essentially a surrogate (she was Jackson’s wife at the time, and most people thought she was their biological mother). However Debbie and her lawyer had been very wishy washy about seeking custody of the children until today, when she told an L.A. NBC affiliate that she is going to try to get guardianship and custody – and says that she is definitely their biological mother.

Debbie also says that while she is currently allowed visitation with them, it’s a “difficult process.” Almost as noteworthy as the custody issue is her statement that she will also be seeking a restraining order against Joe Jackson to keep him away from the children.

Debbie Rowe wants custody of the two children she had with Michael Jackson. “I want my children,” Rowe said during a 90-minute phone conversation Thursday morning with NBCLA’s Chuck Henry. Rowe said she was willing to submit to any testing, including DNA to prove that she is the children’s true biological mother. Rowe also said she would submit to psychological testing.

She also said she would seek a restraining order to keep Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, away from the children.

The agreement does allow for visition [sic], but Rowe said it’s a very difficult process. “I am stepping up,” Rowe said. “I have to.” Rowe said she was still grieving. She said she decided she had to seek custody after Jackson’s death.

Jackson, who died at age 50, left behind three children: son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11; and son Prince Michael II, 7. Rowe was the mother of the two oldest children. The youngest was born to a surrogate mother, who has never been identified. Rowe said she was concerned about splitting up the children. She said she did not expect the court to grant custody of the third child, but added that she would be willing to accept custody.

…[Michael Jackson’s] will also specifically leaves Rowe out of any inheritance. “I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, Deborah Jean Rowe Jackson,” the will states.

[From NBC Los Angeles via TMZ]

Boy nothing will help you get your butt in gear like the thought of Joe Jackson anywhere near your kids. And that whole creepy thing he said about how Michael’s kids “belong” with him – the way he said it, you could tell by “with,” he really meant “to.” To be fair, Debbie also didn’t make a public announcement on seeking custody until Michael’s will revealed that he’d excluded her from it. I did find that sort of surprising, as it seemed like they had an alright relationship and from most accounts he was appreciative of her giving birth to two of his three children. Obviously if she takes care of them Debbie would have access to money she otherwise would not. I’m not saying that is her motivation at all, but it’s a factor people are going to wonder about.

I do think her statement about being in grief and unable to make a decision is valid. We all grieve in our own ways and it’s a hard time to make huge, life-changing decisions. I couldn’t do that after less than a week. Nonetheless, I’m sure it’s been much harder for the kids – as will being split up, since it’s safe to assume that Blanket, 7, will probably stay with Michael’s mother Katherine.

The custody hearing is this Monday.