Don’t lie – we’ve all been thinking it. The few pictures I’ve seen of Prince Michael, 12 and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11, they don’t look anything like either Michael Jackson or Debbie Rowe. So is it really so shocking to learn that Debbie Rowe was just the surrogate womb, but not the egg? Well, it’s a little shocking. TMZ is reporting just that – Michael Jackson paid Debbie to carry Prince and Paris, but they are not technically her biological children. TMZ does not know if Michael chose the egg and sperm donors, or if he just… I don’t know, went to an egg and sperm bank and played matchmaker? This will most likely change any custodial claim Debbie might have had to the two older kids, but it’s looking like Jackson’s mother Katherine has the best shot at custody anyway:

We’ve learned Michael Jackson was not the biological father of any of his children. And Debbie Rowe is not the biological mother of the two kids she bore for Michael. All three children were conceived in vitro — outside the womb.

Multiple sources deeply connected to the births tell us Michael was not the sperm donor for any of his kids. Debbie’s eggs were not used. She was merely the surrogate, and paid well for her services in the births of Michael Jr. and Paris.

In the case of Prince Michael II (the youngest), we’re told the surrogate was never told of the identity of the “receiving parent” — Michael Jackson. Three days after Prince was born at Grossmont Hospital in San Diego County, Jackson’s lawyer came to the hospital to pick the baby up and deliver him to Michael.

We do not know if Jackson chose the sperm or egg donors or if he even knew who they were.

Although Rowe is not the biological mother, it’s not a slam dunk that she would lose a custody battle. This type of case has never been litigated in California courts. Since Rowe was married to Jackson when Michael Jr. and Paris were born, there’s a presumption that she’s the biological parent. That presumption can be rebutted by other evidence.

We know there are documents outlining the whole arrangement for the birth of all three kids. Nonetheless, it’s still an open issue with the courts.

[From TMZ]

What hasn’t even come up is who provided the sperm, egg and womb for Prince Michael II, age 7. Not that I really need to know, but I have a feeling the surrogate will be coming forward at some point.

So, does this piece of information really change anything in the long run? Do you think Katherine and Joe Jackson were going to ever give up custody of those kids? The answer is “no” – and they will probably spend millions of Michael’s dollars to ensure they remain not only guardians of Michael’s kids, but his estate.

Michael Jackson and his masked kids are shown on 4/26/09. Credit: Fame Pictures. Paris and Prince areshown with their nanny, Grace Rwarmba, in 2005. Credit: Bauergriffinonline.

Yesterday we reported on the many tributes paid to Michael Jackson at Sunday’s BET awards. We focused on Janet Jackson’s brief, classy and emotional statement on stage at the awards show. Michael’s father Joe did not make an on-stage tribute, but he did speak to several members of the press both on the red carpet and backstage at the event. One interview in particular was noticed by many – this CNN interview 79-year-old Joe did on the red carpet with the young CNN anchor/reporter Don Lemon. To his credit, Lemon seemed to be aiming for a simple, dignified interview with the patriarch of the Jackson family. What he got was a bizarre, halting, unemotional interview with a man who was using a public tribute to his son as a way to cross-promote his record company. Here’s some of the transcript of the interview:

Don Lemon: I know it’s been really tough for you guys.
JJ: And? And? [pause] Yeah, it has. It’s been really tough, remember we just lost the biggest star in the world, the biggest superstar.
DL: Why did you decide to show up here tonight? To pay tribute to your son?
JJ: Yes, to pay tribute to my son, to Michael.

Joe then brings up his publicist or some kind of spokeswoman who reads a statement from Joe while he stands right there. Joe says that he wished Michael had been recognized more in his lifetime, and Joe also says he has “a lot of concerns” about Michael’s doctors, et cetera. Then Joe goes off at the end of the interview:

JJ: But I want to make this statement…this is a real good statement here. Marshall and I… we own a record company called… tell him…
Marshall Thompson: Renz Records… (??) … the technology, Blue Ray, that’s the next step.

[Transcribed from CNN]

To make matters worse, a few hours later, Joe Jackson tried to take it back. He told the Associated Press: “I was asked a question last night about the record company… We have a lot of good artists fixing to come out… I was asked that question and I answered just like it was asked because they wanted to know what else I was doing.” Except Don Lemon didn’t ask about the record company, Joe volunteered that information, apropos of nothing. Jesse Jackson and a ton of other people chimed in, you can read some of those comments here.

I thought Joe Jackson’s comments were gross and insensitive, but I also think the guy’s 79 years old and that grief takes many forms. I think Joe was most likely always a piece of work, most likely an abusive bastard, and that little has changed. But just because he isn’t beating his breast and wailing doesn’t mean he isn’t grieving in his own way.

When it was announced yesterday that Michael’s mother Katherine would be taking temporary custody of Michael’s three children, and that she had filed papers to be the kids’ permanent legal guardian, many commented that they hoped Joe wouldn’t be around those kids. Some theorized that Joe and Katherine were basically living apart – well, our hopes have been dashed. Joe gave a press conference outside of the “Jackson compound” where the kids are staying with Katherine. Joe began to talk about the kids, and he said that they “belong” with he and his wife:

“We’re the parents. This is where they belong,” he said Monday at a press conference with Rev. Al Sharpton outside the Jackson family estate in Encino, Calif. “We’re going to take care of them and give them the education they’re supposed to have.”

Asked about Debbie Rowe (the biological mother of two of Michael’s three children), Joe said, “Debbie Rowe has nothing to do with what we’re doing.”

He said the children — Prince, 12; Paris, 11; Prince Michael II, 7 — are with other young ones in the Jackson family and are “happy with the kids they’re around.”

“We have kids back there, small ones like they are,” he said. “They were never around other kids. They’re happy.”

Asked if nanny Grace Rwaramba will look after the kids, Joe said, “We’re looking at that, too. She’s a good friend of the family and of the kids.”

Joe [also] denied rumors that they will bury Michael at his former Neverland Ranch. “That’s not true,” he said.

[From US Weekly]

I really don’t know who the kids should go to in this situation. I was okay with them going with Katherine when I thought Joe wouldn’t get near them. Debbie Rowe seems… odd. And not in an “eccentric” way, in the “she wouldn’t be able to figure out how to cook dinner” sort of way. What’s the conventional wisdom for the kids going with Janet?

Photo is from BET Awards. Credit: Albert L. Ortega / PRPhotos

Katherine Jackson, mother of Michael Jackson, has officially filed for guardianship of Michael’s three children. The papers were filed in Los Angeles, and a hearing is set for August 3, five weeks from now. Katherine Jackson has also filed to take over “the children’s estate”, which from all evidence is probably all of Michael’s estate. Since Michael’s will hasn’t been made public, my guess is that he left all of his assets or nearly all to his children. Katherine filed for full and permanent guardianship of the kids this morning – and this afternoon she was granted “temporary” guardianship until the August hearing.

The children are with Katherine now, in the “Jackson compound” in the San Fernando Valley. The rationale Katherine (or her lawyers) have given for the filing is that “Minor children are currently residing with paternal grandmother… They have a long established relationship with paternal grandmother and are comfortable in her care.” Of course, for the two oldest children, Prince Michael and Paris, there is the matter of their birth mother Debbie Rowe. Legal experts are coming out of the woodwork to claim that Rowe has the best shot at getting full custody when this thing comes to court:

Michael Jackson’s mother is caring for the singer’s three children and asked the court Monday to declare her their guardian. The guardianship papers were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. A hearing has been set for Aug 3.

Jackson left behind three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7. The youngest son was born to a surrogate mother.

The filings show that Katherine Jackson is also petitioning to take over the children’s estate. Its value is listed as “unknown” in the filing. The filing lists the children as living at the Jacksons’ family compound in the San Fernando Valley, northwest of Los Angeles.

“Minor children are currently residing with paternal grandmother,” the filing states in an explanation of why Katherine Jackson should be appointed guardian. “They have a long established relationship with paternal grandmother and are comfortable in her care.”

The filings provide no other declarations by Katherine Jackson, nor do they state whether Michael Jackson left a will.

The filings note that Deborah Rowe is the mother of the Jackson’s two eldest children, but list her whereabouts as “unknown.” An e-mail message sent to Rowe’s attorney seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned Monday morning. For Michael Jackson’s third child, nicknamed as Blanket, the filing states “None” for the mother.

Londell McMillan, the Jacksons’ attorney, said the family hasn’t heard from Deborah Rowe, the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children, about custody.

“I don’t think there will be anybody who thinks that there is someone better” than Katherine Jackson to have custody, McMillan said Monday on NBC’s “Today” show. “She is a very loving host of other grandchildren.”

There was no word from the family on funeral plans. Many of Jackson’s relatives have gathered at the family’s Encino compound, caring there for Jackson’s three children.

Given the secrecy surrounding Jackson’s children throughout his life, it’s no surprise that there are lingering questions about who will care for them. What is almost certain is this: Their fate will be decided in a courtroom.

Experts say the person who has the strongest legal claim to Jackson’s two oldest children is Rowe. As for the youngest child, Jackson’s wishes will be more influential. It remains unclear who Jackson designated as potential guardians for his children. Those details – likely contained in the 50-year-old singer’s will – have not been released.

Prince Michael II’s mother has never been identified, and while she may surface, it is likely that she signed away her rights, said Stacy Phillips, a Los Angeles divorce attorney who has represented numerous high-profile clients.

Rowe would have to undergo an evaluation by the court to determine if she’s the best person to care for Jackson’s children. So, too, would anyone else who applies to become the children’s guardian – some of whom may have Jackson’s blessing.

“If he did indicate a preference, that will be given great weight, but that will not be determinative,” said Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred. “Children are not property, they cannot be willed to another person.”

Whoever wins custody of Jackson’s children won’t automatically gain control of their inheritance, Phillips said. “For many people, the person or persons who are taking care of their kids are not necessarily taking care of their money,” Phillips said. “There’s a benefit to that _ a sort of a check-and-balance.”

Rowe, or whoever is designated the children’s guardian, will receive payments based on Jackson’s estate, Phillips said.

[From The Associated Press via The Huffington Post]

One of my lesser peeves about the tabloid Michael Jackson coverage has been the repeated claims that Jackson was broke or bankrupt. True, he had millions and millions of dollars in debt, and he probably had horrible business sense the last decade of his life. But he wasn’t anywhere near broke, having made some brilliant financial decisions early in his career. Namely, Jackson owned one of the most profitable music catalogs in the history of music – the Beatles catalog of more than 200 songs. Most professionals estimate that one catalog alone is worth a billion dollars. And I’m not even getting into the other catalog Michael partially owned – his own. So no matter what, Michael’s children will have more than enough money, if some money-grubbing relative doesn’t get their hands on it first. My hope is that the courts step up and really represent the hell out of these kids’ interests. I hope Michael’s assets are placed in a trust that no member of his family can touch, and only monthly child support is paid out to whoever gets custody.

Here’s Katherine Jackson on May 21st, 2008. Images thanks to Fame Pictures .

I’ve only seen some of the clips from the BET Awards that aired Sunday night, but it looked like a total tearjerker evening, even from the opening. Jamie Foxx was the host, and he “made his entrance in a red leather Billie Jean jacket” as “Beat It” played. Jamie then “showed off some of Jackson’s signature moves, including Jackson’s infamous crotch-grabbing routine.” BET’s site has a lot of links and video clips here.

Joe Jackson and Janet Jackson were in attendance – from the coverage, I don’t think Joe appeared on stage, he only talked to the press on the red carpet and backstage, in the pressroom. But Janet came out on stage and spoke, paying tribute to her brother. She showed a lot of grace and class – but I’ve always loved Janet, so I’m biased. She told the audience, “My entire family wanted to be here tonight but it was too painful… To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. He will forever live in all of hearts… On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much.”

Sunday’s BET Awards at Los Angeles’s Shrine Auditorium honored entertainers for their achievements last year and served as a tribute to Michael Jackson – whose father Joe Jackson and sister Janet Jackson were very visible at the event, only three days after the death of their son and brother.

Sporting a black hat, sunglasses and a dark suit, the patriarch of the Jackson family appeared on the red carpet and told CNN about Michael: “I wish the world had recognized him when he was living. Right now, he’s bigger than ever. But I wish he was here to see all this, to hear all this.”

The memory of Michael dominated the gala. Host Jamie Foxx made his entrance in a red leather “Billie Jean” jacket. “No need to be sad. We want to celebrate this black man, he belongs to us – and we shared him with everybody else… It don’t matter what he looked like … what his nose looked like … it was what he sounded like… We gonna go through all of Michael Jackson…Who was the best?” Foxx then asked the audience. The crowd shouted,”Michael!”

The host closed his opening monologue with his rendition of Jackson’s signature Moonwalk. “I hope I can make it,” said Foxx, adding that it was his first attempt at the fancy footwork since 1983.

Throughout the evening, entertainers, including R&B female artist of the year Beyonce, paid tribute to Michael as his father sat in a ringside seat in the auditorium, next to Rev. Al Sharpton. Beyoncé dedicated her award to Michael, whom she called “my teacher and hero.”

Award presenter Marlon Wayans, accompanied by Jeremy Piven, addressed Joe Jackson and said, “The Jacksons had a profound effect on my family. If it wasn’t for the Jacksons there would be no Wayans. Thank you.”

Piven, meanwhile, joked, “If it wasn’t for Michael Jackson, people like Justin Timberlake would probably be selling curly fries in the [San Fernando] Valley.” As some members of the audience groaned, Piven quickly interjected, “Said with love.”

LeBron James, collecting his best male athlete trophy, told the crowd, “My heart and prayers go out to the whole Jackson family. What they did for us … was amazing.”

At the close of the ceremony, Janet Jackson spoke publicly for the first time since Thursday about Michael. “My entire family wanted to be here tonight but it was too painful,” she told the BET audience, including her father who stood and applauded from his seat. “To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. He will forever live in all of hearts.

Tearing up, she added, “On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much.”

In the pressroom, where he made a brief appearance, Joe Jackson was asked if Michel might have a message for his fans at this time. He responded, “I think if Michael was here he would’ve enjoyed the celebration, but … he couldn’t be here. It’s like he was larger than he was ever before. I think Michael gives his love to everybody and we hope his record will never be broken.”

As for how he would like his son to be remembered, the elder Jackson said, “Well as you know, since the tragedy has happened, I would like him to be remembered forever all over the world. We know that all over the world everybody will support him.”

[From People]

Even though I had stopped viewing Michael Jackson as an entertainer or singer many years ago – only seeing him as some tragic, sordid character – I was surprised to find myself crying at some of the tributes to Michael the past few days. While we don’t really know for sure what happened in his personal life, I was moved when I thought back to my childhood, and how big Michael Jackson was, and how he fundamentally changed music, pop culture, and how he influenced so many lives in positive ways. He was an amazingly gifted man, and I think the BET tribute was a nice way to honor his life and his contributions to music and culture.

Shown at the BET Awards are Joe Jackson, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Estelle, Chaka Khan, Taraji P. Henson, Ne-Yo, Wyclef Jean, Soulja Boy, Tyrese Gibson, Kanye West, Ciara, Cassie, Meagan Good, Monica, and MC Lyte. Credit: WENN.com

Crazy ass Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson has decided it’d be a really good idea to the Jackson 5 back together – with the additional drama of sisters LaToya and Janet thrown in. While rumors of a reunion have been floating around for decades, supposedly the family is pretty close to working out a deal with a production company.

They would all move into the Jackson family home in Encino, California. That’s right, not only do we have Jackson family singing, we have Jackson family midnight pillow fights. Or whatever the hell they do. Supposedly Michael has even agreed to be involved, though he’ll be the only one not moving into the house.

The family is hoping that because Michael and Janet are on board it will clinch the deal. “They feel the timing is right – because Michael is becoming professionally active again, and they believe fans are ready to find out what the family is doing,” an insider told the Enquirer.

“The show will follow the lives of the brothers as they move back into the old Jackson family home in the L.A. suburb of Encino and live and perform together again.”

Michael will continue living in his Las Vegas home but will be a big part of the show… The series will center on the at-times dysfunctional family dynamics of the brothers, Michael’s eccentricity, and the flamboyant sisters, Janet and LaToya.

“Although Michael will stop in and oversee some of the recording with The Jacksons, he’ll be doing most of his singing from his private studio in Las Vegas and then have the tapes transferred to where his brothers are laying down tracks in L.A.,” explained the insider. Jermaine will run the show, but Michael has made it very clear that he wants the last say on the music.” According to the insider, Jermaine is convinced the show will be a smash hit.

[From the National Enquirer, July 7th, 2008, print ed.]

What can possibly go wrong? Frankly, I think they should do it. By most accounts the Jackson family is so messed up that it can’t really get any worse. And only Janet has a bit of a career left. Michael’s going to have to rebuild everything from the ground up. So what have they got to lose? Respect? Already gone. Fame? Gone. Money? Gone. Well, mostly. They might as well see how long they can beat this dead horse.