You know how Lindsay Lohan was too coked up in Hawaii to bother coming back to LA on time to make a scheduled stop on the Ellen DeGeneres show? (Which would have been her only tv interview promoting her Playboy cover.) Well Ellen found a much more gracious guest in the late Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, 13. Radar Online has a video preview of Paris’ interview, which will air on Thursday. Paris was a little nervous on Ellen, but I was so impressed by how genuine and down to earth she seemed. She’s a normal kid, and she didn’t come across like she was entitled or spoiled at all, like so many other children of celebrities I won’t name who names start with “Will,” “Jada” and “Kris.” (And it’s not those kids’ faults at all.) Paris recently landed a role in a live action animation film called Lundon’s Bridge and the Three Keys based on a book series. She explained to Ellen that she’s wanted to act since she was a child and that she used to do improv with her dad. After some of the very sad and heartbreaking things we’ve heard about Paris and her brothers during the trial of Dr. Murray, it was so nice to see her happy and well. Here’s some of what she said:

Paris told Ellen that she’s enjoying school and feels like she’s having a normal childhood. Despite her famous family, Paris said she wasn’t recognized by her classmates, which gives her “a chance to be normal.”

PHOTOS: Lindsay Lohan’s Mugshot Hall Of Fame

“They didn’t know who you were because you used to wear masks all the time,” Ellen remarked. “When you would wear the masks do you remember thinking, because obviously your dad did that to protect you so nobody would know who you are and you could go out and have a regular life.

“Do you remember wearing a mask and going this is kind of weird?” Ellen asked Paris, who said, “Yeah, I’m like, ‘This is stupid, why am I wearing a mask?’ But, I, kind of realized the older I got, like he only tried to protect us and he’d explain that to us too.”

In another candid moment, Paris shared with Ellen the most memorable thing her late father told her.

“He said, ‘If I die tomorrow, always remember what I told you,” Paris recalled. “I took his advice and I remembered everything he told me.’”

[From Radar Online]

For all you can say about Micheal Jackson, and you can say a hell of a lot about him, he seems to have raised some great kids, particularly his daughter. I hope Paris does well in her career, and I also hope she’s able to keep that sense of normalcy she values so much. You know that if Michael was still alive we probably would still have no idea what his kids look like. It seemed strange to cover their faces, as Paris admitted here, but he seems to have known what he was doing. I found this interview kind of touching. Ellen was probably ultimately happy that Lindsay didn’t show. She avoided a ton of drama with that one.

Paris Jackson is shown on 12/3/11 at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson’s ‘The Immortal World Tour’ in Las Vegas. Photo Credit: Judy Eddy/WENN.com

Jackson’s kids at his tribute concert.

Yesterday we heard that a photo of Michael Jackson nude after he was deceased and was laid out was shown on live television during the trial of Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray. The Daily Mail, TMZ and The Mirror have published the photo of Jackson and none gave a warning about it or obscured the photo other than covering his private parts, which was already a part of the image before it was shown in the courtroom. (I’m not going to post the links here, you can find them easily enough if you’re interested.) I was really shocked and saddened to see the photo right on TMZ’s website and on the front page without a lead-in. Even though this is my job, I probably wouldn’t have clicked on it if they would have given me a choice. I don’t like to see dead people, and there’s something so really heart-wrenching to me about the fact that we’re able to see this. I know that sounds melodramatic: Jackson was a public figure, he had a reputation as a pedophile, and he was a drug addict. Still, he was somebody’s father, brother and son and he was so private he covered his kids’ faces when they went out. He wouldn’t have wanted anyone to see him like that, and his kids don’t need to be confronted with that image whenever they want to do a google search on it.

I was also upset to hear that the details of Michael’s kids’ reactions to his death were made public a couple of weeks ago as part of the trial. Of course they were distraught and crying and screaming. That’s how people react when a family member dies! There was also more revealed yesterday about what Paris said in the wake of her dad’s death. We don’t need to know that!

We’re not covering the Jackson trial much here because it’s just not our usual fare. This is sad, it’s depressing and apart from some colorful witnesses there hasn’t been much to report. What do you even say about it though? None of this trial should have been open to the media and the details just don’t seem that interesting to me. Once a verdict is reached, we’ll probably cover it though. RIP Michael.

Jackson’s kids are shown at his tribute concert on 10/18/11. Credit: WENN.com

Everyone thought Michael Jackson was broke and in debt when he died two years ago. He was signed up to do those thirty concerts in order to earn some much-needed money, having already squandered hundreds of millions on his insane lifestyle. His estate was in foreclosure, his amusement park was left empty and in desrepair like a setting for a horror movie. There wasn’t even enough money to pay for the upkeep of the exotic animals in his zoo. I remember when his nanny, Grace Rwaramba, was interviewed after his death and revealed that they’d been sponging off the King of Bahrain until 2007 and later lived with friends. She said that they stayed for weeks in a small home of a friend of Jackson’s in New Jersey, with all three of the kids staying in one room with her.

Grace also revealed that Jackson remained foolish with his money even when they were homeless. She said that he’d received some money and instead of using it to buy a home Jackson told her to spend it on antiques. “Suddenly… he received some money. Instead of buying a small house, so that we won’t go from one hotel to another or stay with friends, he told me, ‘Grace, you have to go immediately to Florence to buy antiques.’ He wanted me to spend £1m. [$1.6m USD]… We didn’t even have a home to live in so we had to put the antiques in some storage.”

So Jackson had no clue how not to spend money, but apparently he bought some worthwhile art in his spending sprees. Star Magazine is reporting [via Radar] that art valued at nearly a billion dollars has been uncovered as potentially belonging to his estate. Only Jackson supposedly gave it all away to some friend of his and now his estate is trying to recover it.

Michael Jackson secretly left behind an almost billion-dollar secret art fortune that is now at the centre of an international tug of war, Star has exclusively learned.

The never-before-seen collection would have insured the King of Pop’s surviving children were looked after for life. But in a startling twist, the secret vault has been sold out from underneath them, at a ‘bargain basement’ price, relatively speaking.

Lawyers running the late Thriller singer are moving to block the $87.7 million sale to an undisclosed international businessman, in a desperate attempt to return the incredible treasure to Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and Blanket, 8, and their guardian, Jackson’s mother Katherine.

In an astonishing appraisal of the 182-pieces, obtained exclusively by Star, the “rare intact major collection” was valued at a whopping $902.52 million, with “an invaluable pedigree for future sales in the international art market.”

“Michael’s mystique in life combined with this exposure of his wonderful fine art creations following his tragic death will escalate the value of these works and the popularity of his artistic vision worldwide,” appraiser Eric Finzi, a certified member of the International Society of Appraisers, wrote in a document obtained by the magazine.

“I do not think we have begun to see the true value of this fine art yet.”

The loot is so valuable that it’s worth almost more than Jackson’s other assets combined, including copyrights to his pop hits and the Beatles’ catalog, which he purchased in 1998 for $47.5 million.

[From Radar]

It gets more complicated than just a bunch of previously unaccounted-for art and antiques that Jackson owned. Apparently Jackson gave it all away to a friend of his, Australian artist Brett-Livingston Strong, and Strong is the one trying to sell it. Only the document in which Jackson’s business manager told Strong he was entitled to the art wasn’t signed by Jackson and his family is questioning whether the transfer of the goods was legal and if Jackson was aware of it. So it’s a big mess at this point, just like everything else in this guy’s life.

These are actual photos taken from inside Neverland in December, 2003 during a police investigation. They show Michael Jackson’s bedroom, dressing room and bathroom. The place was filled with trash. Some rooms were surely habitable, but no one was cleaning up after Jackson’s clutter at that time. This is some hoarders-level chaos. (Update: as commenter Bagladey notes, these photos were taken after the house was searched. It still looks like there was a ton of junk in there.) No wonder Jackson and/or his people just gave it away. Check out the weird mannequin of the kid doing a handstand. I wonder how much that painting of Jackson as Jesus at a table full of luminaries recreating The Last Supper is worth.

Here’s the question, even if Jackson had access to all this additional money (which was tied up in the crap he bought), would he have been able to buy another home and live within his still enormous means? He’d already wasted probably a billion dollars. He could have easily blown through hundreds of millions more, and it probably wouldn’t have taken him long. I mean that’s how he ended up with all that stuff in the first place.

Interior photos are from December, 2003. credit: Bauergriffinonline.com. Header image from March, 2009. Credit: WENN.com

Lisa Marie Presley’s interview with Oprah aired yesterday. The 42 year-old singer spoke for the first time since the death of her ex husband, Michael Jackson. Presley explained that she wanted to process the King of Pop’s death before granting an interview about it. On the day after MJ died, Presley posted a heartfelt entry on her blog explaining that she was “gutted” and defending their marriage. To Oprah, Presley repeated the claim that her marriage with Michael was a real one in every sense, and went on to say that she was very hurt by the end of their one and a half year marriage in 1996. I found her sincere and it was obvious that she was still upset about Michael’s death. He had a lot of people who cared about him and apart from his children he seems to have pushed so many people out of his life.

Popeater has a good overview of the interview, which I’m partially excerpting below. You can also watch the interview on YouTube. Part 1 is below, and here are links to Part 2 and Part 3.

On why she’s talking now
“Every time I’ve ever had an interview in the past, I tend to get very defensive because I was usually promoting something and it would always cross into my personal life.”

“I wanted to sit and really have a conversation about things that are more on a personal level, before I do have an album coming out,” she said.

On how their marriage was real
“I honestly can tell you, it was every sense a normal marriage.”

“One of the very highest points of my life was when things were going really well and he and I were united together and he and I had an understanding about some of the people and things that could go on around him and he was with me on those things and we were a unit and I could take care of him,” she told Oprah.

“For some reason, I don’t know what happens when someone passes away and this is what’s come of it. But I’ve come to have all this love again and understanding for him. I don’t know why it had to take all that to have this happen. That upsets me a bit,” Presley opined.

“Were you angry with him before?” Oprah questioned.

“I was very angry. I was so angry. I felt that we were so united and then at some point he pushed me out.”

On not figuring out that MJ was addicted to drugs until the end of their marriage
“I didn’t really suspect and catch on until just before I filed for divorce. There was just an occasion, an incident where he had collapsed and he was in the hospital,” she described of the scene in 1995 when Jackson collapsed while rehearsing for an HBO concert and doctors blamed it on a viral infection.

“It was very confusing what was wrong. Every day there was a different report. And I couldn’t tell what was happening,” she added. “I couldn’t really get a straight answer about what was happening with him and I think we were all a little bit in the dark. At that point, I think I got from various indications that that was going on then.”

“There were times that I would pick him up from certain doctors’ offices and he would not be coherent,” Presley remembered.

On why her marriage with MJ ended
“There was a very profound point in the marriage when he had to make a decision — was it the drugs and the sort of vampires or me? And he pushed me away.”

[From Popeater, subheaders added]

One thing that Lisa mentioned that is not in Popeater’s recap is that she was crying all day before she even heard that Michael had passed. She said it in a very matter-of-fact way, as if it was factual and she wasn’t attributing anything supernatural to it. It’s clear that her experience with Michael really affected her and that she’s still dealing with it 15 years later. There are very strong parallels between Presley’s father Elvis’ life and Michael’s life and she realizes that. She said “[The comparison] really blows me away to be honest with you. I still try to figure out, what is it that I had to go through it twice where these two incredible people… who had the same fate. What is it about me? I went through it once, that was painful, and I went through it again. I don’t quite understand it, you know?” She’s much more well spoken and self aware than I would have assumed. I believe her, and I think she helps clarify that Michael was in throes of addiction for well over a decade before it ultimately took his life.

Lisa Marie Presley on Oprah Part 1

Yesterday we previewed Lady Gaga’s new, ass-tastic Rolling Stone cover. Today RS has put up some excerpts from their profile, and let’s just that my question yesterday – “Is she trying too hard?” – still stands. But as I mentioned yesterday, I like Gaga. And I appreciate that she gives a good interview, and anyone who thinks that she’s just another air-head pop star is wrong. She is actually thinking about the crazy sh-t she does and says (and wears). And she’s about to bring some politics up in this bitch:

Lady Gaga bares her heart — and much more — on the cover of Rolling Stone’s new issue, on sale at newsstands Wednesday, June 23rd. In the most extensive interview the pop star has ever given about the breakup that inspired her transformation from Germanotta to Gaga, her complex relationship with her beloved father and the music on her next album, Lady Gaga tells contributing editor Neil Strauss art is life and not being fierce isn’t an option: “When I wake up in the morning, I feel just like any other insecure 24-year-old girl,” she says. “Then I say, ‘Bitch, you’re Lady Gaga, you get up and walk the walk today.’ ”

In a backstage interview before and after one of her mammoth Monster Ball shows in England, Gaga admits she wouldn’t have been as successful if she hadn’t had her heart broken by her East Village boyfriend five years ago, and that “sex is certainly not, like, a priority at the moment.”

Her priority is, and has been, the relationship she’s built with her fans. “If I were to ever, God forbid, get hurt onstage and my fans were screaming outside of the hospital, waiting for me to come out, I’d come out as Gaga,” she says, adding that she models her celebrity on Michael Jackson. “Michael got burned, and he lifted that glittered glove so damn high so his fans could see him, because he was in the art of show business. That’s what we do. I don’t even drink water onstage in front of anybody, because I want them to focus on the fantasy of the music.”

Gaga also reveals some deeply personal details for the first time, including her recurring nightmare involving a phantom and a blond girl who’s tied up with ropes. “She’s got my shoes on from the Grammys,” Gaga says. “Go figure — psycho.” When presented with the idea that her behavior indicates she’s a survivor of a traumatic experience, Gaga says there are limits to what she’ll discuss in public. “You have to be careful about how much you reveal to people that look up to you so much.”

Despite a health scare (she currently doesn’t have Lupus, but the disease runs in her family) and nonstop touring, Gaga hasn’t lost her creative inspiration — she’s currently finishing up her new record and designing the stage production for her next tour. Gaga plans to announce the title of her new album — due out early next year — at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

“I think I’m gonna get the album title tattooed on me and put out the photo,” she says. “I’ve been working on it for months now, and I feel very strongly that it’s finished right now. It came so quickly. Some artists take years; I don’t. I write music every day.”

As for the subject matter of the music, Gaga says she’s moved on with writing songs about her quest for fame to crafting tunes with an angry, perhaps political bent.

“Why are we still talking about ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’?” she says. “It’s like, what f-cking year is it? It makes me crazy! And I have been for three years baking cakes — and now I’m going to bake a cake that has a bitter jelly. The message of the new music is now more bitter than it was before. Because the sweeter the cake, the more bitter the jelly can be.”

[From Rolling Stone]

My least favorite part is the stuff about Michael Jackson. Yes, I get it, Gaga uses Michael as a cautionary-tale/comparison-iconography, and Michael himself liked Gaga enough to ask her to open for him on his never-started tour, but I still think she’s full of sh-t for speaking about him in this way when she’s only been doing her act for three years. They’ve been three good years, three years where she’s been so influential that even the people she’s paid homage to are now considered “Gaga-esque”. But Michael lived for decades with the crushing fame and the spotlight of the world. So, give it a decade, Gaga.

Two other Gaga-related points – did anyone else know that Bill O’Reilly is a Gaga fan? Apparently he’s been begging her to come on his show. Weird/funny. Also – did everyone enjoy that crazy/hilarious Vogue article about Oprah and Gaga at the Met Gala? It’s not online yet, but I read in the July issue. I might have to transcribe the best parts at some point, it’s so worth it.

Photos courtesy of Rolling Stone.

Jackson matriarch Katherine granted a bizarre interview to a British tabloid in which she revealed personal information about her grandchildren and seemed to portray Michael’s three children as sad little waifs pining for their departed dad. Some outlets are reporting this as her first interview since Michael’s death last year, but it’s technically not. She was on the Geraldo Rivera show last August, and expressed her gratitude in October for a So You Think You Can Dance tribute show for Michael. Still, Katherine has said very little about her son up until now and it’s disappointing to hear her sounding like her evil husband, Joe. She’s shilling a new coffee table book that retails for $59.95 called Never Can Say Good Bye: The Katherine Jackson Story. Here’s what she said.

On how Michael’s children are coping
His daughter Paris, 12, has turned her bedroom into a shrine to her “Daddy”, where she is surrounded by his photographs.

And his boys Prince, 13, and eightyear-old Blanket bravely talk about wanting to make him proud – and then lapse into silent moments, when they are missing him. All three spend hours listening to their father’s hits.

Katherine says: “They don’t have any friends. They don’t go to school, they have private lessons at home – but that will change in September, when they are due to enrol at private college. But they have their cousins and aunts and uncles around them constantly, and that’s helped them immensely.

“To them, it’s normal, it’s the life they have known. They have a certain time to go to bed, then they get up and get dressed for lessons. They practise karate and swim, which they love.

On Paris’ love for her dad
“I wanted to hang pictures of flowers or ballerinas in Paris’s room, the sort of things I expected a girl would like,” Katherine says.

“But she went into a closet and she brought out seven or eight pictures of Michael, and she told me, ‘No, I want daddy hanging in my room’. So she goes to bed looking at him and wakes up looking at him. She said, ‘I always want to be able to see him’.

“Paris has that lovely way, just like him, and I see his talent in her. Whatever she does, she is very good at it. She’s a good artist, she plays the piano and she wants to be an actress.

On the molestation charges against Michael
“Many doubt that [Michael was a loving person], because of the child molestation accusation falsely laid on him, but in truth it was just greedy people after money. The first child, Jordan Chandler, whose father accused Michael, ended up saying he regretted not getting a chance to say sorry to Michael. Then the father committed suicide – I think his conscience was bothering him.”

Questions Michael’s death
“He was too young [to have died of natural causes]. I heard from people that he was taking prescription drugs but I never saw my son in any way drugged… he was always himself. If I could see him again, I would want to know one thing, ‘Who did this to you?’”

[From The Mirror, subheaders added]

What’s going on with Katherine and why is she suddenly selling a book and selling out her grandkids? TMZ reports that Joe, who recently blamed Katherine for Michael’s death and then tried to backtrack, is still manipulating her. They quote a source who says she put out this book to make money for her husband and that “Joe has always controlled her and always will.” That’s a shame because I thought that Joe had essentially screwed himself out of access to Michael’s estate, which Katherine controls, by calling her responsible for Michael’s death. If Joe is able to get Katherine to do his bidding, how long will it be before Michael’s kids are performing at Joe’s insistence? They’ll try to make it sound like it’s all the kids’ idea while Joe is cackling and collecting all the money.

Here are MJ’s kids Paris, Blanket, and Prince Michael I out after karate. They are shown with their cousins Jermajesty and Jaffar. They may not have “friends,” but they live with their cousins and seem to have enough other children around. They may not be the best influence, though, judging by the stun gun incident. Credit: Fame Pictures

Over the weekend, British rag News of The World posted an interview with a barely coherent Joe Jackson in which Jackson claims he basically said “I told you so” to Katherine after their son Michael died. In the video, Jackson mumbles and speaks in half sentences as he claims he told Katherine to look in on Michael in the months before he died. Joe, 80, says he saw signs that Michael was frail and thin and told Katherine to go see him, but that Katherine refused, citing Michael’s privacy. After Michael died, Joe basically blamed Katherine. He said to News of The World, “I told her, this would never have happened if you would have went and been with him.” Yes, it’s all Katherine’s fault for not heeding Joe’s advice. What’s possibly worse is that Joe admits he never cried after Michael died, and says he was mad at Katherine for crying, since she could have saved Michael if she would have just followed his advice.

Here’s a segment from News of The World’s coverage. They take Joe’s halting statements and turn them into fully formed thoughts. If you watch the video on their site you can tell that he didn’t speak with even a tenth of the eloquence they’re attributing to him.

The shattering accusation emerged when the couple came face-to-face as Michael lay on a mortuary table.

“Katherine was weeping uncontrollably and highly upset. But I didn’t give her a hug because I was MAD at her crying,” snaps Joe, 80, who says he had spent months urging her to get the singer into rehab for his prescription drugs addiction.

“I said, ‘If you had listened to me Michael would be living now!’ I kept thinking about the times I had stood in front of her saying something was wrong.

“I couldn’t bottle up my feelings. Katherine didn’t say a word – I had to get away from her. If she’d done what I asked, Michael would be here today. I am incensed with her. She could have made a difference.”

“I didn’t shed any tears, but maybe I should have. I just felt furious that my son was gone.”

And he focused that fury on Katherine. “In Michael’s final months alive I said to her many times that I couldn’t get through to him – and that she needed to help her son,” storms Joe.

“I had begged her to go over and stay with him, but she insisted he needed his privacy and gave him the slack she thought he needed. A child will listen to his mother more than his father – and Michael was a mummy’s boy. He listened to her.

“I still haven’t been able to talk about it to her as she doesn’t want to hear what I have to say.”

[From News of The World]

There’s more, including the fact that Debbie Rowe visited her biological kids and that they’re doing well, but you can read it at the source if you’re interested. Joe manages to make even good news sound ominous. That guy is such a creep and a user and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s blaming his poor wife and showing no sympathy for her, but I am. It’s still mean and completely uncalled for. The good news is that Katherine’s lawyer has stepped up. Katherine issued a statement affirming her love for Michael and calling Joe on his evilness. TMZ points out in their coverage that Joe could be firing back at her for blocking his attempts to use his son’s memory for cash:

Katherine’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, tells TMZ, “The world knows that Mrs. Jackson has always been a loving mother and grandmother, and that she and Michael had a very special relationship.” Streisand then drives it home: “The world also knows who Joe Jackson is and he seems bent on never letting us forget.”

Howard Weitzman, lawyer for the Michael Jackson estate, tells TMZ, “The inference by Joe Jackson that Mrs. Jackson was in any way responsible for Michael’s death is preposterous. Katherine Jackson was a supportive and loving mother throughout Michael’s life. His love and respect for her is reflected in his estate plan.”

Now here’s how Joe may have screwed himself. He’s not included in Michael’s will and no matter how hard he tries to invalidate the will, he’s going to end up with nothing in that department. The chances of Joe getting a court-approved allowance from the estate are slim to none. And Joe is trying to exploit Michael’s name to make money, but his unauthorized attempts have pretty much been shut down by the estate. Ouch … and true.

So the only thing Joe has been able to rely on … Katherine’s generosity in the money department. Looks like that gravy train may have finally left the station.

[From TMZ]

I would love to hear more about how Joe has “been shut down by the estate” while he’s been trying to capitalize on Michael’s death. We’ve heard that he’s been working on a Michael Jackson museum and casino in Gary, Indiana, and maybe the estate put the kibosh on that. Joe may be attempting to malign his long suffering wife, but she has the control now and by making ridiculous statements like this he’s only showing how desperate and cruel he really is.

On Friday we reported on a story about Jackson patriarch Joe planning a $300 million Michael Jackson “museum” in the family’s hometown of Gary, Indiana. There were also plans for an eventual hotel and casino that would use MJ’s memory as an excuse for Joe to keep the money flowing in endless construction projects and shady business deals.

Now that almost a year has passed since Michael’s untimely death, the Jackson family is going to celebrate the anniversary the only way they know how – by trying to make money off it. For tickets that start at just $250, fans can gain entrance into a musical celebration featuring as-of-yet unnamed acts that surely consist of Jackson family members and musicians represented by Joe’s record company. (The one he plugged in his first remarks following Michael’s death.)

Michael Jackson’s legacy continues to live on.

On the one-year anniversary of the King of Pop’s death, the Jackson Family Foundation will be presenting “Forever Michael,” a red carpet celebration event featuring performances honoring the late singer.

“The vision is to bring together Michael Jackson family members, celebrities, fans, supporters and the community to celebrate and honor his legacy,” says VoicePlate Productions, the company producing the June 26 event at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The party will be open to the public – $500 for VIP tickets and $250 for general admission can be purchased on VoicePlate.com.

[From People]

That’s precious that they formed a charity to make it look like the super steep ticket price was somehow a donation. The website for the event notes that “A portion of the proceeds for this event will benefit the Jackson Family Foundation.” I wonder what portion that will be, and what portion of the money in the “Jackson Family Foundation” goes toward paying the Jacksons’ steep salaries.

As we mentioned Friday, we still haven’t heard a word about that postponed multi-million dollar tribute concert that Jermaine announced and sold tickets to in Vienna. It was originally scheduled for last September but was then delayed until June. The website for the event is still blank. So now we have yet another concert planned by the Jacksons with artists that aren’t even announced and a ticket cost of $250-$500. How much do you want to bet that this one will be a colossal failure too?

It seems like Michael Jackson’s death was the best thing to happen to his greedy dad, Joe. Joe once said Michael was “worth more dead than when he was alive,” but then added “I’d rather have him alive” as if that would distract us from the fact that he was dancing on his son’s grave. Joe reportedly made a quarter of a million to introduce the This is It documentary at venues throughout England, along with cashing in with various and concerts after Michaels’ death. Now old granddad Joe is at it again, with plans for a $300 million Michael Jackson museum to be erected in the family’s hometown of Gary, Indiana – the place he once charged $5,000 just to attend a memorial for his late son.

Michael Jackson’s father is opening a $300 million museum dedicated to his son.

Joe Jackson- is moving ahead with proposals to build a museum, performing arts centre, concert hall and possibly a hotel and casino in Gary, Indiana, the hometown of the late singer, who died of acute Propofol intoxication last June.

Speaking as it was announced a study is to be undertaken into the feasibility of the scheme, Joe said: “This is a happy day for me because this is something that my family and Michael have always wanted.

“We’re bringing something back.”

Gary Mayor Rudy Clay explained the city would donate 300 acres of land to the project – which he added could create “thousands” of jobs – while the rest of the funding for the complex will come from investors and donations from the general public.

IT is hoped the project would attract 750,000 visitors each year – and as much as $150m in annual revenue.

[From Contact Music]

I hope this museum goes the same way as that multi-million dollar tribute concert Jermaine planned that got postponed for eight months. It was supposed to happen this month but we never heard anything about it. Jermaine pre-sold a bunch of tickets and claimed that big acts were going to perform that never committed. Joe just wants a payday and this museum, hotel, casino and never-ending Michael Jackson destination site is his way of working some shady business deals and making that happen.

In related Michael Jackson news, his three children are going to receive at least $33 million each as per the terms of his will. That money will be meted out gradually and they won’t receive the full amount until they reach 40. Michael wanted to protect his kids from the vultures who might descend on their fortunes, like the father who pushed him into showbusiness and kept him from having a childhood.

There are several videos on YouTube featuring two of Michael Jackson’s children: his youngest son, Blanket, 8, and his daughter Paris, 12. Blanket is in most of the videos. He jokes around with his cousin, Donte, while re-enacting movie scenes from Star Wars and Monsters, Inc. In other videos, he talks about a comic book villain and painter Von Gogh. It’s all kind of random and just looks like kids messing around with a new video editing program. (You can see some of the videos in this post, through the links above, and on this account for “King of Pop Kids” on the right side.)

In one video, Paris lipsyncs to a rap by Omer Bhatti, the 26 year-old Norwegian rapper known as Michael Jackson’s “secret son.” The song is actually pretty good and my first impression was that it was Bhatti who leaked these videos in an attempt for publicity. Popeater spoke to one of the YouTube account holders who posted most of the videos, and that guy claims that the videos were leaked by fans who had access to private accounts owned by the Jacksons. There’s an inevitable debate as to whether this is good for the kids or not. Their dad would have surely been against it. The late King of Pop wanted to make sure his children weren’t recognizable to the public or paparazzi and routinely used masks and scarves to cover them while they were out.

With his cousin, Donte Jackson, in the room, Blanket is shown acting out movie scenes and telling imaginative tales, while showing off his animated side. The bulk of the videos star Blanket, but two feature his sister Paris. One is of her simply saying, “Monkey, please help,” while the other shows Paris lip synching over an Omer Bhatti rap song.

Many message board users suggest the two children released the videos themselves, but according to the account owner of the KingOfPopKids YouTube channel, which posted many of the clips of Paris and Blanket, Jackson fans were responsible for the video leak.

“Some ‘fans’ got into one family member account (Facebook and Photobucket) and posted them on the Web,” the user told PopEater in an email interview. “I have been told the account was public and then made private.”

After living their life in seclusion, Paris and Blanket have suddenly interacted with tens of thousands of people through their personal videos. Could this virtual connection be beneficial to the isolated tweens? The owner of KingOfPopKids’ YouTube channel is unsure.

“No, it is not a good exposure because we do not know if they are aware of this,” the user says. “But at the same time, as a fan, I like to see that they are happy, smiling and having fun with their family. That’s a good feeling for us fans, because we feel so empty since Michael’s death. I just think some people need to be careful with the Internet.”

[From Popeater]

It seems like family members could just as easily have “leaked” these videos on purpose. Joe Jackson has said that Paris and Blanket have a future in showbusiness, not that he would have the wherewithal to upload videos to YouTube in order to make that happen.

The last we heard from the Jackson family they were under investigation by Child Protective Services when it came out that 13 year-old Jaafar Jackson, Jermaine’s son, had purchased a stun gun online and was teasing his cousins with it. Thankfully, no one was hurt. We did hear at that time that no less than 14 people lived in the Jackson mansion, including Omer Bhatti, Donte (whose “parentage is unknown”), four cousins, their mother Alejandra Oaziaza, grandmother Katherine, late Michael’s three children, nanny Grace Rwamba, and various help. TMZ reports that the stun gun was to be “part of a movie plot” for these home movies that Blanket and his cousin were making. At 3,000 volts, it’s a good thing they never used the gun on each other and that having their privacy compromised was the worst thing that’s happened so far.