The plea last week by Katherine Jackson for money from Michael’s estate has raised a lot of new questions.

Over the years, Katherine’who says she’s totally dependent on Michael’s money other than Social Security payments’had made do very nicely.

In fact, I’m told an open accounting of her finances will show that she’s also been dependent on daughter Janet to maintain her Hayvenhurst household. A couple of years ago, Janet literally saved her mother and the various occupants of Hayvenhurst from foreclosure by getting her mortgage payments up to date. Michael’s cash had run out, he was out of the country, and a group that had bought the mortgage wanted their money.

Katherine could not sing to Janet, “What have you done for me lately?”

Either way, Michael’s executors are sure to set up an allowance for Katherine’s household as it pertains to herself and Michael’s children as early as this coming week. It’s not like they’re going hungry.

More likely, sources say, the big push to get cash out of the estate is probably coming from Joseph Jackson. Jackson Senior has grieved like few other fathers, cavorting all over the U.S., taking publicity bows from Indiana to New Jersey, and more or less living it up in the aftermath of Michael’s death. Almost no one in the history of mourning has signed as many autographs or taken as many fan photos as Joseph Jackson.

The real trick for Michael’s executors, frankly, will be keeping whatever money they do allot for Katherine and the kids out of Jackson Senior’s hands.

All the reports we’ve read and heard about Michael Jackson’s death, so far: untrue.

So says a very high-up source in the Los Angeles Police Department. According to the source, “nearly everything you’ve read so far about how Michael Jackson died or what’s going on now is fiction. You’ll notice we haven’t said one word so far officially.”

Included, they say, in the misinformation out there are the allegations of misappropriation of funds for the Jackson memorial at the Staples Center’the $1.4 million that the whole event may have cost and a charge that thousands of dollars were spent on sandwiches for LAPD cops.

So wait and see’eventually it will come out. Frankly, the importing of sandwiches does sound a little far-fetched. The event was over well before lunchtime!

The price that Sony Pictures will ultimately pay for the Michael Jackson movie?

Originally it was $60 million. But since the Jackson estate has backed off the idea of a televised memorial from London on August 29th, Sony is going to end up paying a higher price.’This may be because with NBC Universal willing at one point to pay $10 million for the TV project, Sony needs to keep that off the air to protect its movie’s market share.

The new price is said to be $75 million. And that’s not final yet. I’m told it could still go a little higher.

Sony declined comment.

“This Is It,” as the film is tentatively called, is still scheduled for an Oct. 30th release. The August 29th shows are dead, however. What may still be on is some kind of tribute Joseph Jackson wants to organize for the same date. He has no venue or production and is relying on’ex-con Leonard Rowe to produce it, so I’d wait on getting out my credit card just yet.

The movie, however, is turning into an event. “Everyone will go see it so they can make up their own minds,” says a source. “Was he sick? How did he look? Did he know this really was ‘it’?”

The feeling at Sony, which is intent on being the Michael Jackson company, is that Europe and Japan will be even bigger than America sales-wise. They’re probably right. Michael never lost his luster abroad.

Meanwhile, the executors of the Jackson estate were in court yesterday getting permission to do some licensing. They’re re-publishing Michael’s autobiography, “Moonwalk,” with Shaye Areheart Books. Areheart was assistant to Jackie Onassis back when she published the book at Doubleday. Other licenses were also approved, although I’m told the estate is playing it safe right now, and not doing too much. Just enough, they say.

As a family court date for the Jackson family looms on August 3rd, here’s something to chew on: the words of Katherine Jackson about her rocky marriage and near divorce.

We know that Katherine Jackson twice filed for divorce from Joseph Jackson, in 1973 and and 1979. Each time she pulled back the papers. He even fathered a daughter, Joh’Vonnie, from an outside relationship.

Katherine published an autobiography called “My Family, the Jacksons,” co-written with Richard Wiseman, in 1990, from St. Martins Press. Here’s an excerpt:

“I didn’t believe it right up until I got a call from a friend in 1974, informing me that Joe was having an affair.

“I knew the girl in question…Originally she had been interested in Jackie…I was devastated…I didn’t think I could forgive him for what he’d done. I remained in this muddled state for longer than I’d care to admit: seven years. During this period, I heard rumors of other affairs. But I still couldn’t bring myself to file for divorce., even though a couple of times I came close…In 1981, I finally did file for divorce. But to my amazement, Joe wouldn’t move out.

“My attorney told me I could get a restraining order against Joe, and if he still refused to leave the house, have the police forcibly remove him.”

Ultimately Katherine Jackson feared bad press’”they would jump all over it”’so she let Joe Jackson stay in the house and decided to try and forgive him. She withdrew these divorce papers as well.

In the book, she did include a quote from eldest daughter, Rebbie, who left home at 18 and married rather than stick around and live through the dysfunction in the Jackson household.

Rebbie says: “What my father did got to me. There were times when I couldn’t stand being in his company, because I’d start thinking about his affair…I encouraged her to leave him. I knew that he was damaging her spirit, that she couldn’t possibly have peace of mind.”