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LAPD Sheriff: Two Jackson Family Members in “Minor Scuffle” at Home

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The police were called to Katherine Jackson’s rented home in Calabasas earlier today. Spokesman Steve Whitmore said they had to break up a “minor scuffle” between two Jackson family members around 1:10pm Pacific time. No one was arrested. But the call came on the heels of the missing persons report about Katherine Jackson, and all the weird stuff that’s gone on for the last week concerning Michael Jackson’s kids, his mother, his siblings, his executors and a cast of characters everyone thought had finally settled down.

I’m told by a source that Randy, Jermaine and Janet Jackson tried to enter the house with the idea of taking Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson–three minor children whose guardian is Katherine–out. Where exactly? That part hasn’t been determined yet. But once the police left, security ejected the trio and told them not to return.

My source says, “Randy got into it with a security guard, and even Janet was very aggressive. They all had cameras out and running to record what was happening.” The “scuffle” between two family members may have been between Michael’s brother Randy and Joe Jackson’s nephew, Trent. The latter was hired by Michael Jackson seven or eight years ago to take care of Mrs. Jackson–drive her, run errands, whatever she needed. There was a rumor today that Jermaine and Randy were going to accuse Trent of “elder abuse”–but the rumor was scotched by Whitmore. By all accounts, Trent has taken excellent care of Mrs. Jackson.

The altercation was settled, but bad feelings linger. If I were Jermaine or Randy Jackson, I’d get Mrs. Jackson home to Calabasas and her court-appointed guardianship right away.

Paris Jackson Tweets: “I Wanna Talk Directly to My Grandmother!”

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Paris Jackson has resumed Tweeting. She just posted at 8:42 Eastern time:”8 days and counting . something is really off , this isn’t like her at all .. i wanna talk directly to my grandmother!!<|3″ Paris, 14, and her two brothers have not heard from or seen their grandmother in that time.A few minutes later, TJ Jackson, son of Tito Jackson, Tweeted: “I know it’s completely unfair for them to do this to you and your brothers. We will keep trying. I love you.”

On July 22nd, Paris started a firestorm when she Tweeted: “yes , my grandmother is missing . i haven’t spoken with her in a week i want her home now .”

This is war.

Randy, Jermaine, and Janet Jackson have made a terrible miscalculation by making enemies of Michael’s children. They are the sole heirs to his estate. When Katherine Jackson dies, her inheritance ends and all the money goes to the kids. They’re not likely to forget this episode.

Janet Jackson Tries to Take Michael’s Kids: Has She Lost Her Mind?

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Janet Jackson was always considered the “normal” one of Michael’s performing siblings. But today, according to Celebuzz.com, she showed up at her mother’s $30,000 a month rented home in Calabasas, California and tried to take Michael’s three kids away from their house while Janet’s own mother was involuntarily–perhaps– out of town. Janet was accompanied by brothers Jermaine and Randy.

On top of that, Janet signed a letter to Michael’s executors last week demanding that they resign. And she agreed with a statement that Michael “despised” John Branca and John McClain. This, despite the fact that McClain actually gave Janet her career in 1984 at A&M Records with her “Control” album. A few years later it was McClain, always a friend of the Jacksons, who tried to put together Michael and Janet with their brothers for an album and a tour.

Has Janet Jackson lost her mind? Or is she now just like her brothers– in need of Michael’s money. Janet has not had a hit in many, many years. She currently has no recording contract. Her last album, “Discipline,” in 2008, sold only 450,000 copies–it didn’t even go “gold.” The album before that, “20 Y.O.” sold 650,000 copies. Her last real hit album was “Damita Jo” in 2004– eight years ago. And hit singles? She hasn’t had one since 2001, and “Someone to Call My Lover.” That’s eleven years ago, friends.

Does Janet need money? With declining album sales, and less frequent touring, the answer would be yes. Also, most of her hits were written by Jimmy Jam Harris and Terry Lewis. Many of her later hits were also based on samples from artists who had to be paid–like Carly Simon. While Janet is a name, she’s aged out of her heyday. Rihanna, Beyonce, and others have long since replaced her.

The one place where Janet can still make money: touring. Her “Number Ones” World Tour in 2011 grossed $60 million, and finished 45th out of the year’s top 50 tours according to Pollstar.com.

When all of that is calculated, it may not be so surprising that Janet Jackson’s behavior has changed–and her attitude toward Michael’s estate. For Janet to try and take Michael’s kids once her mother is out of town–it suggests that something has shifted in Janet Jackson’s mind. She’s trying to get Control, while asking What have you done for me lately?

read also:
http://www.celebuzz.com/2012-07-23/cops-called-to-katherine-jackson%E2%80%99s-home-stop-michael-jackson%E2%80%99s-children-being-removed-by-janet-jermaine-and-randy-jackson-exclusive/

 

Jackson Family Member: “Kids Are Lying” About Not Hearing from Grandmother

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A real war has broken out between the members of the Jackson family who want Michael Jackson’s money and his kids. A member of the family just told me that Michael’s kids are “lying” about not hearing from their grandmother. Meanwhile, I can tell you exclusively that Katherine Jackson is NOT visiting with her granddaughter in Arizona. I just got off the phone with someone in Stacy Brown’s house in California. She is right at home, and simply not in Arizona. The Sheriff’s Department in Pima County, Arizona says they saw Katherine Jackson, and the tabloid photo site X17 Online somehow has a picture Katherine and some family members playing Uno at the dinner table last night.

Whoever Katherine is with, it’s NOT her 44 year old granddaughter, the daughter of eldest child Rebbie and her husband Nathaniel Brown. Stacy is married to a music producer and they live in Los Angeles. Katherine Jackson does have cousins in Phoenix, but their numbers don’t answer. A source close to the Jackson saga confirms: “You know the family is going to try and get Katherine to sign papers and they won’t let her leave til she does.” By the way, Rebbie and husband Nathaniel live with Stacee and her husband in Los Angeles–so none of them are in Arizona, thanks.

WE TOLD YOU: Mariah Carey Named American Idol Judge, Randy’s Deal Coming

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Mariah Carey was named a judge on “American Idol” this afternoon. I told you about this ten days ago, before anyone, and on Saturday I told you about Mariah’s new single, “Triumphant.” I also told you that Randy Jackson manages Mariah, and that he’ll be re-signed as a judge imminently. Here’s a press release–confirming the single, too:

also read: http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/07/21/mariah-carey-new-single-may-be-titled-triumphant-to-mark-idol-deal

PLATINUM-SELLING GLOBAL MEGASTAR MARIAH CAREY
JOINS “AMERICAN IDOL” AS NEW JUDGE

Mariah Carey, one of the best-selling female recording artists of all time, has joined AMERICAN IDOL as a new judge. A five-time Grammy Award-winning global superstar with more than 200 million records sold worldwide and more No. 1 songs than any solo artist in history, her 18 Billboard No. 1 singles (17 of which Carey wrote) rival all but The Beatles. Carey joins the judges’ panel when AMERICAN IDOL returns in January 2013 on FOX.

“As a singer, songwriter and producer, it’s going to be fun and rewarding to help find new talent and give back with AMERICAN IDOL,” said Mariah Carey. “I’m currently in the studio working on my new album and its first single, ‘Triumphant,’ which will be out early next month. I can’t wait to channel my creative energy as a part of this show which is a massive global phenomenon.”

“We are proud to have one of the world’s greatest-ever female singers join our show,” said IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “Mariah defines the word ‘Idol’ and will inspire every singer that has the honor of performing in front of her.”

“Mariah Carey is a global icon whose list of musical accomplishments is unprecedented,” said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia. “Having sold more than 200 million records worldwide, she’s a true artist, ideally suited to identify and nurture AMERICAN IDOL’s next great music superstars. We warmly welcome her to the IDOL family.”

“Mariah Carey is the real deal. Not only is she one of the best-selling artists and performers on the planet and one of the world’s most gifted vocalists, she also is a successful songwriter, record producer and actress,” said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “She has a deep knowledge of music and a career insight that will make her a really amazing asset to our judges’ table and to our contestants. It’s the dream of almost everyone who auditions for IDOL to sing like Mariah and we couldn’t be happier to have her be part of the show.”

With a distinct five-octave vocal range, prolific songwriting and producing talent, Carey has defined the modern pop performance. As a singer/songwriter/producer, she has been recognized with five Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, Billboard’s Artist of the Decade Award, the World Music Award for World’s Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium and BMI’s Icon Award, to name a few. She has two consecutive and unparalleled Billboard Song of the Decade titles: “One Sweet Day” (with Boyz II Men); and “We Belong Together,” further marking her massive presence on the charts since her 1990 song debut “Vision of Love.” Mariah became the second artist in history and the first female performer to have a song debut at No. 1 with “Fantasy” (1995), the groundbreaking collaboration with O.D.B. of the innovative rap group Wu-Tang Clan. Carey’s original holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas is You,” redefined its place in pop culture as one of the greatest holiday hits of all time when it reached

No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 2011, 17 years after its debut. Carey’s influential and stellar contribution to the music industry spans multiple genres and is showcased through a multifaceted hit catalogue as well as a long list of diverse collaborations.

Carey’s ongoing impact transcends the music industry and has left an indelible imprint upon the world at large. She recently made a substantial mark in film with her critically acclaimed role as a social worker in “Precious,” the 2009 film based on the novel “Push,” by Sapphire. A Congressional Award recipient, Carey has generously donated her time and energy to a range of domestic and international philanthropic causes near to her heart, including The Fresh Air Fund/Camp Mariah (a retreat where inner-city children explore career development), Save the Music Foundation and Make-a-Wish Foundation, among several others.

Carey is currently in the studio, writing, recording and executive-producing her next album for Island Def Jam Music Group, with the lead single “Triumphant.”

Paris Jackson Only Went to Uncles’ Show Last Night Hoping to See Grandmother–Still Missing

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Paris Jackson went to the Greek Theater last night in L.A. not to support her uncles–but to see her grandmother. She and her adult cousins–who are watching Paris, Prince, and Michael–were told grandmother Katherine Jackson would be at the show. She was not. As far as anyone knows, KAtherine Jackson is still in Phoenix with her daughter Rebbie and cousins. She has not had any communication with her custodial grandchildren. My sources say her cell phone and laptop have been removed.

“The children are very worried,” says a source– and rightly so. Mrs. Jackson went to Phoenix with the intention of seeing her four sons appear in three shows–in Phoenix and Las Vegas. She never appeared at any of them and has not been heard from since. And now the brothers have played in Los Angeles, and still Mrs. Jackson is missing. She is not “fine” by any means if she’s being prevented from contacting her grandchildren and her attorneys. As of this afternoon, no one has heard from her. This is a serious situation.

For one thing, she is the legal guardian of three minor children. Second, she is the heir to a large estate–her son Michael’s. The feeling is that she won’t re-surface until she agrees to the demands that five of her children laid out in a letter to Michael Jackson’s executors last week. This is unbelievable. Certainly Rebbie Jackson Brown can be made to produce her mother in a court if pressed by the guardian ad litem for the children. More to come…

PS Paris Jackson has been pulled off of Twitter. There have been no new messages since yesterday.

And TMZ is wrong–Katherine was not taken to Phoenix to a spa…

 

“The Dark Knight Rises” Box Office: Biggest non – 3D Opening Weekend

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Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” set a record this weekend–biggest opening for a non 3D movie. Got that? Warner Bros. is not releasing box office figures in deference to the Aurora, Colorado victims and survivors. But the news is out that “TDKR” will end up between $160 and $162 million including the $30.6 million Thursday overnights. More on the box office tonight when all the numbers are in.

Katherine Jackson MIA: Michael Jackson’s Kids’ Guardian Separated from Grand Kids

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Since the middle of the night, Paris Jackson, whip-smart 14 year old, has been Tweeting that her grandmother and guardian, Katherine Jackson, is not home. Paris says she has not spoken to her grandmother in a week. Mrs, Jackson is the legal guardian of three minor children including Paris–her brothers Prince, 15, and Blanket, 10. If she has not been home for a week in Calabasas, California, then who is taking care of these children?

Jermaine Jackson has Tweeted that his mother is getting rest in Arizona, and nothing is wrong. But something is very very wrong if a 14 year old girl has to resort to Twitter to alert the world that her beloved grandmother and guardian is AwoL. The Jackson kids have lawyers and a court appointed guardian, as well. Plus, the Jackson estate should be concerned that one of their heirs is unaccounted for.

What makes all of this so suspicious is that it comes at the end of several days of infighting among the Jacksons. For years Michael Jackson used to give his mother chunks of money which she disbursed to his siblings who needed it. But since Michael died, the money is controlled by the executors of his estate. The executors must account for this money to the probate court. The gravy train for the Jackson family ended on June 25m 2009 when Michael died. Now they scramble to earn a living. There is grave concern that the siblings are pressuring Mrs. Jackson to turn against the executors, or gain conservatorship over her.

Michael’s children are not stupid. They can read the internet. By now they know that uncles Jermaine and Randy are not so interested in them. They are interested in their own futures. But I doubt scaring Paris Jackson and mobilizing her to this point will ingratiate the brothers with Michael’s kids. Let’s hope Katherine Jackson is returned to her home pronto, and that the lawyers and others representing the kids can prevent this from happening again.

Mariah Carey: New Single May Be Titled “Triumphant” to Mark “Idol” Deal

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Exclusive: Well, I wrote this more than a week ago, but I’ll tell you again. Randy Jackson, the original “American Idol” judge, manages Mariah Carey. He’s also producing her new album. On Tuesday this past week, Randy flew out to the Hamptons by helicopter from New York to see Mariah for a couple of hours. He was in the city promoting his new line of watches for HSN, which debuted last night.

Randy is bringing Mariah to “Idol” to join him as a judge. It’s the perfect situation. They can finish their album, and Mariah can settle in for a couple of years, hopefully, as her twins are in their formative years. “Idol” will keep her close to home. Plus, when said allbum is released, it will give her an automatic platform from which to  launch and promote it.

Now here’s the newest news: The first single from the album, I am told, is a song called “Triumphant.” When all the “Idol” contracts are signed, and the deal is finalized, both Randy and Mariah will be exactly that–Triumphant. And “American Idol” will be a fun show to watch again. Unlike Jennifer Lopez, Mariah can sing, sing, sing. No doubt we’ll hear a lot of warbling from the judges’ table.

Now we’ll have two members of the same family on competing reality-singing shows because Nick Cannon, Mariah’s hubby, host “America’s Got Talent.” The Carey-Cannons have talent, too!

http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/07/13/american-idol-update-randy-jackson-will-bring-mariah-carey-jlo-out

Sinead O’Connor Comes to NYC, And We Learn She’s Actually A Cutie Pie

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Sinead O’Connor–yes, we also think of her ripping up the Pope’s picture on TV, causing a lot of trouble, getting married for a week in Las Vegas. So we were a little apprehensive about meeting her last night at Lincoln Center for the memorial tribute to Curtis Mayfield on what would have been his 70th birthday. But here’s what has been learned: Sinead O’Connor is a cutie pie. She’s also got a great knack for gospel. She’s funny and very pleasant. She’s also tiny. She still has the shaved head, wears a priest’s collar and a large cross.

She sang Mayfield’s song, “Jesus” with such impressive force and rhythm that all the soul singers on the Mayfield tribute, including Stax great William Bell, were wowed. O’Connor flew in from Ireland just for the occasion and is headed right home this morning. What made her do it? “I fell in love with Curtis Mayfield,” she said. Someone gave her one of Mayfield’s albums a couple of years ago, and Sinead just flipped. She literally “begged” to be in the Lincoln Center show, an insider told me. She got her wish, won over the audience, and had a ball. She was total fun all night. Go figure.

The Mayfield tribute also featured Fred Cash and Sam Gooden– the original members of his group, the Impressions, sans Jerry Butler, as well as William Bell, Mavis Staples, Meshell Ndegeocello, and TV on the Radio. There were some unknowns, too: Ryan Montbleau (a star in Boston), two singers I didn’t know–Bilal and Aloe Blacc, and a knockout newcomer named Inyang Bassey. The latter was a sensation on “Darker than Blue.” It turns out she’s been working with Moby, is unsigned, and a potential star. Record companies, listen up. This girl can sing but she’s also got style, swagger, and she’s a sweetheart. Here are a couple of links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvH3X7vs6jQ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWQc1eKnHXA. She may also be related to Shirley Bassey, but that’s another story.

Meantime, it was great to catch up with William Bell, who had the first hit at Stax Records in 1961 with “You Don’t Miss Your Water.” He must have been six because he doesn’t look very old now. William told great stories at dinner after the show about Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. He’s going to do a show soon down in the Atlanta area with the Allman Brothers Band. If you’re down there, don’t miss it.

By the way, Avery Fisher Hall was sold out completely for this show. It was quite a tribute to Curtis Mayfield, who died in 1999 at age 57.  He left behind a beautiful, smart widow, Altheida, who’s worked diligently to preserve his legacy for her seven kids with him, and the children from his earlier relationships. Mayfield left behind such a large catalog of hits not all of them could be fit into the show last night. Indeed, at the last minute they dropped “Superfly” as an encore because time had run out. But all the artists joined in on “Move on Up” as a rousing encore.

Now, if only the producers of “Sparkle,” the Whitney Houston movie, would contact Altheida Mayfield and invite her to the Los Angeles premiere. Strangely, she still has heard nothing from Sony Tri-Star or anyone. The original “Sparkle” had five songs written by Mayfield. Four of them have been re-recorded for the new movie, including the hit “Something He Can Feel.”

read also this very good piece from the Village Voice:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/07/the_impressions_fred_cash_interview.php