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

Since canceling several of her tour dates due to a nasty-sounding chronic illness, singer Janet Jackson has been the subject of relentless pregnancy speculation. Now, her boyfriend, music producer Jermaine Dupri, is issuing an emphatic denial regarding the state of his girlfriend’s uterus.

Call off the bump watch: Janet Jackson, 42, is not pregnant.

Reports picked up in the New York Daily News and on PerezHilton.com are not true, Jackson’s boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri, 36, tells Usmagazine.com exclusively.

“Does Perez know that lying destroys the credibility of a blogger?” Dupri quipped to Us on Sunday.

Rumors began to swirl after Jackson canceled a string of tour dates in October due to a mystery illness.

Still, that doesn’t mean Jackson and Dupri aren’t excited about starting a family in the future.

“I’d love to have children,” the singer has told Us. “It’s just up to Jermaine, what he wants to do.”

Jackson also spoke about motherhood in an interview with Sister 2 Sister magazine.

“Everyone tells me that there will never be a good time, that I will always be busy, but I just think when the stars are aligned it will happen,” she revealed.

As for Perez Hilton?

The blogger tells Us, “I didn’t say that Janet was pregnant, but if or when she is, I am sure she will make a great mother.”

[From Us Weekly]

That’s an interesting denial from Perez, considering this entry on his website, entitled “Janet Jackson pregnant?” with a picture of Jackson with one of his trademark drawings of a stick figure fetus over her stomach. It’s hard to know what’s going on with Janet - this is a woman who was secretly married and didn’t tell anyone until she filed for divorce! I suppose that if Jackson and Dupri aren’t telling the truth about her pregnancy, we’ll find out soon enough. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that baby bellies have a hard time keeping secrets.

Jackson is shown performing in Madison Square Garden on 11/2/08. Credit: WENN

Yesterday Jermaine Jackson confirmed the news that the Jackson 5 would be reuniting and touring together and said that his brother Micheal, 50, would even be joining them.

“”This has been a long time coming for the Jackson family to get back together,” [Jermaine] Jackson said.

“It is just the timing, so what we’ve been doing is working on the music and all the logistics.

“It is going to be more like a family affair, Janet’s going to open and, of course, the original Jackson 5 … Michael, Randy and the whole family … we’re in the studio, we’re planning on being out there next year.”

[From News.com.au]

The only problem is that it’s not true. Maybe Michael indicated that he would get involved and that’s why Jermaine thought he would, but now Michael is saying through his rep that he has his own career to attend to and wishes his family well but won’t be adding his talent to the reunion tour:

On Thursday, the pop star’s spokesperson issued a statement from Jackson explaining, “My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we’ve certainly shared many great experiences, but at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them. I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon.”

[From OK! Magazine]

You can’t blame Michael for trying to do his own thing and get back a fraction of the success he had as a younger singer. He is planning a come back tour to take place in 30 cities next year and is recording a new album. His sister Janet isn’t doing as well with her tour and after a hiatus due to chronic migraines she’s barely selling a third of the seats at some of her venues. Maybe people assumed she wouldn’t show. It’s game of her to join her family and open up for their upcoming tour. The rest of the Jackson family hasn’t had as much success as Janet or Michael and could surely use the cash.

Here are photos of Jackson out with his kids in different costumes last night. Credit: Bauergriffinonline

Janet Jackson has released a YouTube video thanking her fans for their love and support during her recent illness. Jackson was diagnosed with vertigo and migraines that forced her to cancel numerous concerts on her tour. But she’s better now and wants the world to know so she posted the video on boyfriend Jermaine Dupri’s Living the Life YouTube channel.

Dispelling rumors that Janet and Jermaine have split up, the pair playfully pretended to put makeup on Dupri since he was sitting in Janet’s chair, showed off Dupri’s new camera and laughed off the notion that Jackson had kicked him to the curb because he puked on her.

Jackson, 42, also showed her silly side: After pretending to put rouge on Dupri’s cheek as he sat in her makeup chair, she dismissed rumors that the two had split.

“Baby, they say you broke up with me because I threw up on you,” a laughing Dupri said as he held the camera.

“How lame is that?” Jackson deadpanned. “Because you threw up on me … Well, there’s no real love there, is it?”

[From People]

Ah, yes, true love will allow ralphing in your lap, anytime, anywhere. If you can lose your lunch, or in this case your one-too-many Bacardi and cokes, on your partner and they still love you just as much as before, you know you’ve got a keeper!

Janet looks gorgeous as usual, backstage at a concert now that she’s back on the road. If you’ve never had migraines, thank your lucky stars! If you have, I know you feel incredible empathy for Jackson. I can’t even imagine having a migraine with stage lights in my face and music at ungodly decibels coming from all directions. I can’t even handle a slit of light through the drapes or the sound of the furnace kicking on when I have them.

Janet Jackson is shown performing in Atlanta on 10/19/08. Credit: WENN

Janet Jackson has had to cancel nine concerts for her “Rock Witchu” world tour due to an undisclosed illness. The “undisclosed” part had people speculating that Janet was pregnant - or she was faking the illness due to slow ticket sales. Turns out neither is true: Janet was diagnosed with a rare form of migraine that causes symptoms similar to vertigo. Not fun.

According to her manager, the veteran pop star will be returning to her Rock Witchu tour Wednesday night at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., after being forced to postpone nine shows while she struggled with a previously undisclosed illness.

“After a thorough medical evaluation, it has been confirmed that Janet’s symptoms are being caused by a rare form of migraine called vestibular migraine or migraine-associated vertigo for which she is currently receiving treatment,” read a statement released by Jackson’s camp and obtained by E! News.

The “Together Again” singer has not performed since falling ill Sept. 29 during a sound check before a show in Montreal.

“Janet wanted very much to resume her tour so as not to disappoint her fans, but she continued to suffer from vertigo and could not perform,” her manager, Kenneth Crear, said.

[From E!Online]

According to the Johns Hopkins Neurology Department web site, symptoms of vestibular migraine include vertigo, imbalance, dizziness, unsteadiness and extreme sensitivity to movement - along with all the other symptoms associated with regular migraines such as pain, ringing in the ears and sensitivity to light. Given that Janet’s entire stage show demands constant movement, loud music and bright lights, it probably wasn’t such a good idea for her to be performing. But the good news is, this form of migraine is treatable with medication, so hopefully Janet will be able to carry out the rest of her tour dates. Get well, Janet!

Janet Jackson is shown at her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri’s birthday party in NYC in September 2008. Photo Credit: WENN.

It’s been over a week since Janet Jackson suddenly canceled several of her concerts, blaming the rapid onset of a still-unexplained mystery illness. Since then she’s supposedly shown up for several of her sound checks but had to cancel every time because she still wasn’t better. Everyone’s got the right to keep their medical issues private, but when thousands of people are repeatedly put out like that, it’s natural to wonder what’s going on. As yet, Jackson hasn’t bothered to give any explanation more specific than the celebrity version of “the dog ate my homework.”

However ABC’s Luchina Fisher has a pretty good theory exactly what malady is plaguing Jackson. “Mid-life career slump” as she puts it.

Is it vertigo, as her brother Randy reportedly said last week, or is Janet suffering from an ailment more common to aging ’90s pop stars: a mid-life career slump? At 42, Jackson is certainly not the only middle-age female pop star rocking the concert circuit. Just look at Madonna, 50, whose “Sticky and Sweet” tour is virtually sold out and getting rave reviews. Or Tina Turner, who is about to embark on another tour at nearly age 69.

Why does Jackson, seemingly the most stable of the Jackson clan, appear to be losing her footing? “Her music hasn’t really evolved as she has aged as a person, said Jonathan Cohen, a senior editor at Billboard magazine. “She’s still doing the sex kitten thing, which, at 42, really isn’t believable.”

[Jackson family friend known only as Phoenix says] “They are pulling out due to bad ticket sales. Janet might have been one of the greatest pop icons in her time. But Janet Jackson, at 42 years old, does not have the same appeal as in ‘89 with ‘Rhythm Nation.’ Other artists took that throne — Ashanti and Beyonce. This is what you call a publicity stunt.”

Janet’s latest album “Discipline” – which was supposed to be her big comeback – hasn’t even sold 500,000 copies.

[From ABC News]

I think Jonathan Cohen hit the nail on the head when he said, “Her music hasn’t really evolved as she has aged as a person.” That is absolutely correct. Even the look of the clothes Jackson is wearing screams 1989. She looks like one of the backup singers from Jem and the Holograms. A stale look combined with a stale sound is a bad combination. It’s such a cliché and I get so tired of hearing it, but it’s correct: Madonna stays relevant because she is constantly reinventing herself. Janet hasn’t done anything new since “janet.” which was in 1993. Everything she did afterward sounded like she was pulling from the discards of various old CDs.

I’m guessing Janet is suffering some anxiety attacks or something of that nature. She might be canceling as a power play but that seems so petty and unprofessional that I’m sure it would do more harm than good. She needs to come out with a fresh look and a killer, unusual show – to remind everyone exactly why they should give her a shot again.

Note by Celebitchy: While I understand the skepticism, I think people should give Jackson the benefit of the doubt. She may indeed be having medical problems and, as often happens, doctors might not know what’s wrong yet and that’s why she hasn’t issued a statement. It’s unfair to speculate that she’s having some sort of psychological problem. Vertigo can happen for a lot of reasons and it’s very disabling. It’s also frustrating to go to doctors when you’re sick like that and it usually takes a while to get a diagnosis. I feel for her and hope she pulls through this. Now is not the time to criticize her career and I doubt she would pull out of so many concerts without a legitimate reason.

Janet Jackson is shown performing in Rosemont, IL on 9/25/08. Credit: Adam Bielawski / PR Photos

Either Janet Jackson wasn’t as ill as everyone thought, or her boyfriend is a jerk. That’s what the tabloids are deducing this morning, anyway. While Jackson was being hospitalized for an undisclosed and sudden illness that prompted her to cancel a show in Montreal and two more dates in the U.S., her boyfriend, producer Jermain Dupri, was reportedly out clubbing with rapper T.I.

First, there was the report that he threw up in longtime girlfriend Janet Jackson’s lap during his birthday party at Tenjune.

And while Janet was in the hospital last night, Jermaine was seen out partying. He was spotted at Patrón’s Music in Motion Tour Finale at Marquee nightclub in NYC.

Not only did he stay for T.I.’s performance at 12:30 a.m., but he stuck around while DJ Berrie spun music late into the night.

“He was definitely having fun with his boys,” says an onlooker. “He was one of the last people to leave the event.”

Maybe he didn’t know she was in the hospital, or had spoken to her and knew she was going to be released. Or maybe it was something else. But just to be safe, we’d recommend flowers or jewelry or a hit song, stat.

[From E!Online]

Montreal is about an hour away by plane, and Jermaine is totally loaded, so if it were a real health emergency, he could have been by Janet’s side fairly quickly - that is, if he had been notified. Janet stayed at the hospital for two hours and was released, which indicates that it couldn’t have been anything too serious. Then again, the singer did cancel two East coast dates to recuperate from whatever is making her sick, so who knows? Either way, I’d give Dupri the benefit of the doubt on this one- I’m going to guess that he didn’t know his girlfriend had fallen ill. Otherwise, I’m sure he would have canceled his boy’s night out.

Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri are shown at the John Paul Gaultier Haute Couture runway show in Paris on 7/2/08 Credit: ANG/Fame Pictures

Janet Jackson had to be rushed to the hospital for an undisclosed reason right before she was scheduled to perform in Montreal last night. She has to cancel her concert, part of her “Rock Witchu” tour. Her next scheduled performance is tomorrow night, October 1, in Boston and from what I can tell it is not yet known if she’ll be able to make it.

A representative for Janet Jackson says the singer has been hospitalized after falling ill shortly before a concert.

According to statement released by W&W Public Relations, the singer canceled her concert in Montreal on Monday after she “got suddenly ill” during her sound check and had to be rushed to the hospital just before show time.

The statement says Jackson is being monitored at the hospital and hopes to reschedule the show. No further information was given about Jackson’s condition.

[From AP via News.Yahoo.com]

Yesterday a story came out in the NY Post that Janet’s longterm boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri, leaned over and got sick right on her skirt when they were partying last week in NY for his 36th birthday party. I would speculate that maybe she caught some kind of stomach flu, but that was last Tuesday and usually you catch a virus like that soon and within a day or two it runs it course. She performed two other dates last week and was fine. It sounds like the puking incident was caused by too much booze within a short period of time.

Janet Jackson is shown performing in Chicago on 9/25/08, credit: WENN

Janet Jackson’s longterm boyfriend and producer, Jermaine Dupri, is said to have been so sauced at this 36th birthday party and he couldn’t even hold in the sick until he got to the bathroom. At his party at NY club Tenjune last Tuesday, he leaned right over and puked on Janet’s lap. Janet left right afterwards, and there’s no word how much longer Jermaine lasted that night. He was said to be downing champagne and tequila before he was no longer able to hold it in:

JERMAINE Dupri had a little too much of a good time celebrating his 36th birthday. The other night, Dupri and his squeeze, Janet Jackson, went to Tenjune, where, spies say, they shared bottles of Jay-Z’s Ace of Spades Champagne and Patrón tequila with Ne-Yo, Busta Rhymes and Ice-T - until Dupri “vomited in Janet’s lap. Ms. Jackson bolted out of the scene and sped off in her chauffeured Maybach.” A rep for Jackson and Dupri didn’t return calls. A rep for Tenjune declined to comment. Meanwhile, we hear Dupri is under some stress at work. The head of urban music for Island/Def Jam put out his lady’s last album, “Discipline,” which flopped. Our insider said, “[IDJ head] L.A. Reid had wanted to make changes to the album, make it fresher with some newer artists added in, but Janet said no - and Jermaine backed her up. He looks silly right now.”

[From The NY Post]

Have you ever been with a friend who got sick on someone like that? I once witnessed a woman upchuck directly on the bar, which seemed pretty remarkable to me at the time. How do you make it up to loved one when you puke all over them at an event? Do you bring flowers, a card saying ‘I’m so sorry I ruined your dress’?

If Dupri did do this, he’s got to be mortified now that the news is out. It also sounds mighty stupid for him to be insisting on creative control over Janet’s next album. He left Virgin records over the fact that Janet’s last album with Virgin, 20 Y.O., didn’t do that well on the charts. Janet’s Discipline, out earlier this year through Island, only peaked at 19. It sounds like Dupri is determined to have his way at Island and will drive this one into the ground too.

Here is Janet performing on the “Rock Witchu Tour 2008″ in Chicago on 9/25/08. Credit: PRPhotos. Janet Jackson and Jermain Dupri are shown in the header at his birthday party on 9/23/08. Credit: WENN

I never thought I’d say this, but Janet Jackson is really upping the ante when it comes to controversy. Janet is currently on her “Rock Witchu” – which I mistakenly thought sounded rather benign. While she does manage to keep her own clothing in place, she’s certainly not shying away from private areas – mostly others.

Forget eye-popping wardrobe malfunctions. Janet Jackson’s kinky side was front and center during her concert last night at L.A.’s Staples Center.

During her performance of her sex-oozin’ S&M-filled song, “Discipline,” Jackson gave a male fan quite an elaborate lap dance after she announced, “I think it’s time I found a new man.” She called the fella to the stage, where he was tied to a wooden frame and hung by a harness. At one point, Jackson lay on the stage and the guy was slowly lowered on top of her.

He could be seen on the concert’s LCD screens mouthing, “I love you, Janet.” And then Jackson went for it, and the two locked lips for a few seconds.

It didn’t stop there. Ms. Jackson also grabbed his crotch! She was surrounded by her dancers, some of whom were wearing oversize silver and black codpieces. The audience went wild.

[From E! News]

So that sounds fairly shocking, but not “gasp, oh my God I can’t believe she just did that” shocking. But if you head on over to TMZ’s website, you can see a picture of the guy in the outfit (sorta NSFW). And when you see his getup and then jog through what you just read, you get quite the mental video.

For the eight people out there who still believed the line about the accidental “wardrobe malfunction” and how it was all such a terrible, horrible, unplanned mistake… I think seeing just a few of Janet’s proclivities so openly displayed should end any lingering questions.

Here’s Janet performing at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Images thanks to WENN.