We never did a follow-up on that story about Colin Farrell’s girlfriend giving birth to a son. Well, it ended up being confirmed weeks after Alicja Bachleda gave birth, on October 7. They named the little boy Henry Tadeusz Farrell. Henry is Colin’s second son – he also is father to 6-year-old James Padraig Farrell, with model Kim Bordenave.
Since the confirmation at the beginning of the month, Colin hasn’t been saying or doing anything. He hasn’t indicated whether he and Alicija will marry, he hasn’t given some glowing interview to People Magazine. He’s been so quiet, I almost forgot about him. But then Entertainment Tonight put this up yesterday… and it’s weird. Colin and Janet Jackson? Seriously?
An unlikely celebrity couple may be emerging! ET’s special source spotted Janet Jackson warming up to actor and ladies’ man Colin Farrell.
The two were seen last week sitting side by side in a booth at the renowned Polo Lounge located in the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Jackson performed a medley of her hits on Sunday night’s “2009 American Music Awards.” Meanwhile, Farrell has several movies in the works.
If it was the old Colin, I would say “he hit it… multiple times… Miss Jackson if you’re nasty and/or Irish”. And maybe he did hit it back in the day. But I don’t think there’s anything sexual between Janet and Colin right now. I mean, Colin might have a vein of womanizing bastard in him still, but he’s got a newborn at home! He’s not that bad. Still, Alicja needs to keep an eye on that.
Colin Farrell arriving at LAX on November 8, 2009. Credit: WENN. Janet Jackson at the AMAs Sunday, November 22. Credit: PicApp/Getty.
Janet Jackson is echoing what many of her family members have said: Dr. Conrad Murray should be held accountable for brother Michael’s death. With the exception of Jack Kevorkian and a few whack jobs, I haven’t really heard anyone say otherwise. It’s shocking to think that a doctor acted with such reckless irresponsibility as Murray did. Janet thinks that Murray shouldn’t be practicing medicine (if nothing else).
Janet Jackson said Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s live-in doctor at the time of his death, is responsible for the demise of her brother, and should no longer be permitted to practice medicine.
“He was the one who was administering,” the Control singer said. “I think he should be responsible.”
Janet said of this past June 25 — the day Michael Jackson died — that she was at her New York home, when an assistant watching CNN informed her that her brother had been hospitalized. She said she then dialed a series of relatives, including mother Katherine, brother Tito, nephew Austin and sister LaToya to confirm the news. “I told them to call me back 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 he was no longer… I couldn’t believe it.
“It just didn’t ring true to me,” she said. “It felt like a dream… its still difficult for me to believe. Its, you know, you have to accept what it is.” She said of Michael that “a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about him.”
Though he has not been charged, Murray has been in the spotlight since Jackson’s June 25 death, which has been ruled a homicide by authorities. Much of the ensuing controversy has been centered around Propofol, a strong anesthetic Jackson was taking. Murray, through his attorney, has said he didn’t give the Thriller singer anything that “should have” killed him.
What ridiculousness. Murray didn’t give Michael anything that “should have” killed him? Except that it’s easy to fatally overdose on Propofol, which is why it’s illegal to administer it outside a hospital setting.
LaToya Jackson has been Murray’s most vocal adversary. And while she generally comes across as being totally nutburgers, it’s good someone is saying what everyone else is thinking. It seemed likely that Murray would face manslaughter charges in Jackson’s death, however it’s been several months since the coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide, and not much has happened. Hopefully that’s because they’re being exhaustive in their investigation of Murray, and not because he’s going to get off the hook. The guy should lose a lot more than his license to practice medicine – he should lose his freedom.
Here’s Janet making an appearance at The Grove to see 100 dancers practice a routine for her next music video, ‘Nasty Girl’ in Los Angeles on Saturday. Images thanks to WENN.com .
I love me some Janet Jackson, and I can’t even describe why. She just seems like a really cool customer to me – in interviews, she seems shy, composed and intelligent, and yet when she’s singing or performing, she’s so hardcore. I love that dichotomy. So, as you can imagine, I’m all over Janet’s new interview in Harper’s Bazaar. She opens up a lot about her brother Michael’s death, but she doesn’t really talk about her split with Jermaine Dupri, only confirming that it happened. She does say that she doesn‘t know if she‘ll ever get married again (she‘s already been divorced twice), but she does say that when it comes to being a mother, “I’d adopt.” Read the full Bazaar interview here, but this is Us Weekly’s excerpt from the interview:
In her first interview since her brother Michael’s June 25 death, Janet Jackson says she been unable to watch television.
“It will drive you crazy,” she tells October’s Harper’s Bazaar. “People can have rhinoceros skin, but there’s a point when something’s going to hurt you. Not everyone is stone, stone. I haven’t watched the news in weeks. I had to ask my chef, ‘How’s Obama doing?’ I haven’t read a newspaper. On top of that, [we've lost] a family member.”
At times during the interview, Janet – who will perform a tribute to her late brother at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards – was at a loss for words.
“My brother is, I mean was…” she stammers when talking about Michael’s style. Shifting on the couch and staring at the floor, she adds, “You have to forgive me, because it’s really hard to believe he’s passed.”
Michael was laid to rest last week in a mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif. His death, caused by “acute propofol intoxication,” has been ruled a homicide; several doctors are under investigation. Though she did not discuss her brother’s prescription drug history, Janet says he seemed in good spirits the last time she saw him: May 14 at a family gathering two days before her 43rd birthday.
“We had so much fun that day,” she says, noting that ate Thai food and tormented each other. “We kept calling each other after and saying how great it was.”
So how is she coping? Recently spending three days on a beach helped, she says.
“It was the first time I had to myself since Michael passed, the first time I could get away since all of that,” says the singer.
She also has been throwing herself into work (she was on set in Atlanta shooting a Tyler Perry movie when she got the call that Michael had died).
“I’ve been doing okay,” she says. “Work helps focus all of that energy on something that is of value to you.”
Looking back at his death, she says she has learned a lot. She says she was touched after Michael’s daughter Paris, 11, spoke at her father’s public memorial. Fighting back tears, Paris told the crowd, “Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine.”
Says Janet, “I was really proud. People said to me that Michael’s daughter speaking really gave them a sense of how he was as a father, in her words. Paris is incredibly smart; they are all so smart. She’s a sweet girl. The kids are doing well. They’re with all their cousins; that family love will keep them going.”
She’s also learned she has her mother Katherine’s “strength.”
“Now at least I know that I can step up to the plate and not crumble when I’m needed,” says Janet. “When it comes to something like this that is so, so serious, so painful, so traumatic, I can handle it.”
Janet also confirms Us Weekly’s exclusive report that she’s split from beau of seven years, music producer Jermaine Dupri. The singer – who’s been married twice (as a teen to James DeBarge and to choreographer Rene Elizondo) – tells the magazine, “I don’t know if I’ll get married again. I’ll put it like this: If God wants me to, then I will.”
As for kids, “I’d adopt,” Janet says. “And I think that if I’m really supposed to have kids, it will happen, if that’s God’s plan for me.”
Sigh. I love Janet. Us Weekly missed a couple of excerpts that I thought were interesting, though. Janet says Michael nicknamed her “Dunk” and that he had a “corny, sometimes dry” sense of humor. Janet also talks about how protective they were of one another: “He was always very protective of me…When I was 14 years old, I would shop for him, washed his clothes, cleaned his room. When Mother would go out of town, she’d say ‘I’m leaving you in charge, take care of Mike.’ I would head home from school, see what he needed, then go straight to the stores.” Janet also reveals a big wardrobe secret – the iconic black sequined jacket Michael wore was their mother’s – “He grabbed that from her closet!”
Janet Jackson has one of the worst summers of her life, or anyone else’s life. Not only did Janet’s beloved brother Michael die in June, but shortly after, she and her boyfriend of seven years Jermaine Dupri split up. Janet also turned 43 years old this year – and In Touch is reporting that Janet seemed to think Jermaine was her best chance at becoming a mother. According to their source, Janet had her eggs frozen when she and Jermaine were together, and she’s heartbroken at the realization that Jermaine has already moved on with another woman:
The summer of 2009 has been particularly rough on Janet Jackson. First, there was the shocking death of her brother Michael in june. Now, her longtime, on-again/off-again boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, has been seen with another woman.
On August 14, the 36-year-old music executive was spotted getting cozy with Deal or No Deal model Claudia Jordan, 36, at the airport in his hometown of Atlanta.
“They looked like a couple,” a fellow passenger on their flight to LA tells In Touch. “During the flight, they were flirty and he seemed very into her. He was making her laugh and smile. There was never a moment when they didn’t talk.”
An insider says that Jermaine “has moved on pretty easily” and that Janet’s hopes of having a baby with him are now dashed. Janet, 43, had hoped to raise a family with Jermaine and recently revealed that her that her doctor encouraged her to freeze her eggs for a future pregnancy.
“I’d love to have children,” she’s said. “It’s just up to Jermaine, what he wants to do.”
Yet as recently as February, Jermaine was dropping honts that his relationship was in trouble. At a party in Beverly Hills, he brushed off a question about marriage and babies saying “That is future thinking.”
According to the insider, even after dating for seven years, Jermaine still wasn’t ready to commit to Janet and wanted to keep playing the field: “He isn’t ready for a family or to settle down.”
[From In Touch Weekly, print edition, September 14 2009]
I do think Janet really loved Jermaine, and I kind of think In Touch is giving him a raw deal. I always got the sense that Jermaine treated Janet like a queen, but that they had problems before Michael’s death. I’m not so sure if Janet even fancied getting married and settling down – she’s so intensely private, so no one really knows. My guess is that she was as gun-shy with the idea of settling down as Jermaine was.
In Touch also reports that Janet is sticking by Michael’s kids, and that she spends a lot of time with them and her mother, Katherine Jackson. Janet wants to give the kids “a sense of normalcy” – and I think Janet is probably the best person for that task.
Yesterday, Page Six reported Janet Jackson will be giving an exclusive, tell-all interview in a cover story for Harper’s Bazaar at some point this fall or winter. It will be Janet’s first interview since Michael’s death. I’m very interested in what Janet has to say.
Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri are shown in the header on 6/30/08. They are also shown below at LaGuardia airport in NY on 3/24/09. Credit: Fame Pictures
Janet Jackson’s long planned book about her struggles with weight has been expanded into a “tell-all” about her family, obviously with special attention paid to brother Michael. It sounds like the book is mainly staying the course in terms of talking about her fluctuating weight and dramatic diets, along with talking about her self-esteem issues and most of the things you’d expect in a weight loss memoir. But she’s also going to talk about how Michael’s death has impacted her entire family – including his three children.
Janet Jackson is penning an explosive tell-all about her life and family, including her late brother Michael, an insider tells “In Touch.” The book, which will be published early in 2010, is set to coincide with the release of the star’s new album.
“She is going to talk about Michael’s death and how it’s affected her and his children and the rest of the family,” says the insider. “But a lot of it will also focus on her battle with self-esteem and weight.”
According to the insider, Janet, who is filming Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married Too,” has long suffered with her yo-yoing weight and self-imagine problems. “She’s a huge success,” says the friend. “But that’s not what she has always seen when she looks in the mirror, so the book will talk about how she has coped, and about her family relationships. She wants to help other young women out there.”
[From In Touch, Aug. 31, 2009, print ed.]
Janet’s book is one of the few celebrity-authored ones that I think I’d actually sit down and read the whole way through. She’s notoriously private, and I’d be interested to read what she has to say about Michael’s passing. And frankly her weight loss issues are pretty fascinating. It’s rare to have someone who’s famous gain and lose so much so quickly and so often. Whenever she’s heavier, Janet tends to stay out of the public eye, but every so often pictures will pop up in the Enquirer or Star of a much, much heavier Janet going to the grocery store or something. And then six months later she’s got washboard abs again! It’s mind boggling.
In other Jackson family news, they’re also taking issue with AEG’s planned Michael Jackson memorabilia tour – they want more than the 50% profits the administrators of the estate negotiated.
Michael Jackson’s younger brother Randy is on the witness list and could possibly testify Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court against a proposal by concert promoter AEG Live for a 3-city memorabilia tour that would begin this October, according to the Associated Press. The tour will coincidence with the release of a feature film using footage from Jackson’s final rehearsals.
Like Randy, the Bad singer’s mother, Katherine, also disapproves of the proposal, which was ironed out by John Branca and John McClain, who are serving, for now, as special administrators of Jackson’s estate. As it stands now, the deal would give half of the profits from the exhibition to the Jackson estate and the other half to AEG Live.
Lawyers for the Jackson family argued during a hearing last Monday that the 50-50 split of profits for the exhibition was too generous to AEG Live, but estate lawyers said they negotiated the best terms possible. Katherine wants the deal renegotiated. Other industry experts will also likely take the stand during Friday’s hearing. Upon completion of the proceeding, Judge Mitchell Beckloff is expected to make a ruling on Katherine’s objection to the agreement. AEG Live lawyer Kathy Jorrie has previously said any further delay in approval would cause the company to abandon the deal and the company would not renegotiate.
I don’t know why, but my gut instinct is that the memorabilia tour won’t end up happening. It sounds like AEG is sick and tired of dealing with the Jacksons, and I doubt they’ll budge. So far AEG’s been claiming that they’ve only lost money on Michael Jackson since he died before he performed any concerts. They’re a business and they’re obviously trying to recoup some of their costs more than honor Michael’s memory. That said, it’s hard to argue the Jackson family is only focused on keeping his memory alive either. It seems like all the parties are focused solely on money, which will probably leave them all with nothing.
Here’s Janet Jackson landing in Nice Airport with brother Jermaine Jackson and his wife Halima Rashid on May 26th. Images thanks to BauerGriffinOnline.
Last Friday it was reported thatJanet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri had split after seven years of dating. The timing seemed weird, considering Janet seems to be deep in mourning for her brother, as well as being one of the candidates to take over guardianship of Michael’s children. In US Weekly piece, a source claimed Jermaine Dupri hadn’t attended Michael’s public memorial for two reasons: he and Janet were already pretty much over, and because Jermaine “doesn’t attend funerals”. That struck me as cold on Jermaine’s part, but some disagreed, so whatever. Now Fox News (Pop Tarts) is putting a better spin on the whole split story by making it sound like they’re just “cooling off”. The cause for the “cooling off” was that Janet was bugging Jermaine about having kids. Pop Tarts also has a bunch of quotes from insiders basically saying that it’s not over, and that they still really love each other, and they’ll probably get back together soon:
In the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, why on earth has Janet Jackson’s longtime lover Jermaine Dupri been? Last week reports surfaced that the music masterminds had broken up, however Pop Tarts has learned that there is still a chance for reconciliation between the two.
“Jermaine has decided to take a step back and cool things off but they aren’t totally broken up,” said an insider, adding that keeping his distance from the press and Jackson family is his way of dealing with death and tragedy.
We’re told Jackson and Dupri’s romance turned rocky last September when Janet’s album “Discipline” (produced by her beau) flopped and she was then released from her contract with label Island Def Jam per her request. To make matters worse, at the time Dupri was President of the label’s Urban Music division, although he stepped down in January of this year.
But despite the hiccups, the music moguls worked through it and just a few weeks prior to Michael’s death they even enjoyed a getaway together in Monaco along with Jermaine Jackson and his partner Halima Rashid.
“They will be back together in full force very soon,” said a source.
Janet told Pop Tarts last year that although Dupri was “the one” she had no intention of tying-the-knot.
“In this day and age, I feel we don’t need that piece of paper. For myself I don’t need that to validate what I have with someone,” she said. “It’s about a spiritual commitment and finding your soul mate and not really exchanging vows with one another, that’s enough for me at least.”
Another source close to Dupri said that about a month before MJ died he made the decision to “take a break” as they wanted different things.
“Janet wanted to start a family but that’s not what Jermaine wanted,” said the pal. “But everyone is confident they will work it out.”
I tend to believe that Janet and Jermaine are cooling off, and that they may get back together, but I’m not sure if I buy that Janet was all about having kids. That being said, I do think Janet would be a great mom, and I hope she takes over guardianship of Michael’s kids. It’s starting to look like that’s what Janet wants too, according to a new report from CBS (story via the National Enquirer):
Reportedly, Janet Jackson has offered to raise the Jacko kids. According to CBS News, the superstar, recently split from Jermaine Dupri, has offered to lift the burden of brother Michael Jackson’s family, Prince Michael I, Paris and Blanket.
‘I’ll step forward and I will raise them if this is what they want,” Janet told a media outlet.
The children are currently staying with MJ’s mom Katherine in the Jackson family home in Encino as dictated by the will.
This weekend the children attended a Jehovah’s Witness services with the family and are adjusting to life in the public eye sans masks.
“They believe that they’re going to see Dad again when he’s awakened from his sleep, that is, when he is resurrected from the dead,” Firpo Carr, Michael’s friend, told CBS.
I like that Janet said “if this is what they want” – putting the emphasis on the kids’ wants and needs, letting them have a say in who raises them. Can you imagine having a cool aunt like Janet Jackson? I would want to live with her too. So… in a perfect world, would Janet take over custody of the kids, then she and Jermaine would get back together and they would raise the kids like that? That might work.
Janet and Jermaine are shown on 5/5/08 and 2/14/08. Credit: PRPhotos
What is with all of the splits of supposedly strong couples lately? It’s getting weird in here. The latest long-standing couple to call it quits is Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri. They’ve been together for seven years! Is that right? That would mean they got together sometime in 2002. I guess they have been together for a while… and I just didn’t realize it because Janet always keeps her private business private. Sidenote: This is also why she’d be a great guardian for Michael Jackson’s kids. Anyway, the only reason we know about Janet and Jermaine’s split is because his friends are talking. Thankfully those friends aren’t talking trash – they say that Janet and Jermaine simply split because they’ve been “moving in different directions for a while.”
On July 7, Michael Jackson’s family gathered to celebrate him at his much-watched memorial service.
Noticeably absent? Janet Jackson’s longtime music-exec boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri. (A pal says Dupri skipped the memorial because he “doesn’t attend funerals.”)
And for good reason. “His friends are telling people it’s over,” a source tells Us Weekly.
Echoes another: “They have been moving in different directions for a while.”
So what drove Jackson, 43, and Dupri, 36, apart after nearly seven years? “You shouldn’t mix business with pleasure,” a mutual pal explains. (Dupri produced several tracks on her last two CDs.) “Janet felt their lives were too crossed and they should have kept things separate.”
Plus, the polar opposites were never too compatible. “Jermaine likes to be out there, mingling with everybody, and Janet’s more shy.” (And secretive: She kept her nine-year marriage to Rene Elizondo hidden until their 2000 divorce.)
Meanwhile, Jackson is still deeply mourning the death of her big brother.
“She’s devastated,” an insider says. “She’s busy caring for Michael’s kids. Janet’s the family’s backbone.”
I get that maybe Janet and Jermaine were having problems before Michael died, but it still seems rough to deal with a relationship ending, while you’re in the process of grieving your brother. I could be totally off-base on that though – it’s perfectly possible, even likely, that Janet did the dumping. If my boyfriend wouldn’t attend my brother’s funeral just because “he doesn’t attend funerals”, I might see that as one of those big, blaring signals that the guy’s not in it for the long haul. That being said, seven years is a long time in Hollywood, so I give them credit for that. Maybe they broke up and really will remain friends. Maybe Janet’s priorities shifted radically in a very short time now that she might be a contender to be Michael’s kids’ guardian.
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
I think most of us are a little tired with the epic coverage of everything vaguely related to Michael Jackson. The weird thing is that I don’t think I’m alone in believing many of the most scandalous stories, especially if it’s about Debbie Rowe, Joe Jackson, or the money. Since Michael died, and especially since last week’s memorial service attended by MJ’s kids, I have been thinking too much about what is going to happen to those poor children. I find myself saying quick little prayers for Prince, Paris and Blanket whenever I’m reading about the latest hourly scandal. Since Michael died, I’ve written several times about my hope that Janet Jackson is the one to step up and really fight for the kids’ best interests, and fight for custody.
Someone at OK! might have been listening, because this week’s cover story is tailor-made for me. OK! claims that Prince, Paris and Blanket all really want to live with Janet. I guess the assumption is that the kids never spent that much time with Aunt Janet before now, but they’ve grown very connected and “bonded” in the past few weeks. OK! points out that Katherine Jackson (the temporary caregiver, and MJ’s choice for custody) is 79 years old, and that caring for three young children would most likely leave her exhausted after a short time. Team Janet:
While Michael Jackson’s mom, Katherine Jackson continues to fend off Debbie Rowe over the issue of custody for the late King of Pop’s kids, it’s Michael’s sister Janet Jackson who has emerged in the eyes of many as the favored caregiver for the three children. And, sources tell OK!, that appears to be just what Prince, Paris and Blanket want most.
“All three want Janet to read to them at night,” a Jackson family friend says. “They just melt into her arms when she walks into the house.”
The feeling is mutual, adds the insider.
“Janet has completely bonded with those children in the last two weeks,” the friend continues. “She has been their rock. It’s clear to everyone that they are looking to her for comfort and guidance.”
Michael’s will names his mother, Katherine as the children’s guardian, but Debbie, the biological mother of the eldest kids, has expressed interest in raising them. All three currently live at Katherine’s Encino, Calif. home.
“[They] are doing great. Mom and Janet are taking care of them,” Michael’s brother Jackie tells OK!.
One concern raised is that at 79, caring for three kids might be too much for Katherine, a problem eased by Janet’s presence.
“Janet is not only willing to raise those children, she is also the only relative who knows how to protect them,” the insider tells OK!. “Janet knows the value of a private life and knows how to keep her personal life out of the news. She is determined to do that for Michael’s children. She is saying that he would want no less for them, pointing out how far he went to shelter them.”
That last paragraph is why I’ve always thought Janet should get custody – it’s not that Janet isn’t as screwed up as the other Jacksons, it’s just that she seems the most well-adjusted to the insanity. And she is intensely private – people didn’t know she was married for years until she got a divorce. Janet would totally be capable – financially, emotionally, structurally – of taking care of those kids and keeping them away from prying eyes. Even though I’m not sure if this is true, I’m really hoping it is.
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.”
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.”
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
