Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Jackson Memorial Open To Ticket-Holders Only; John Branca Named Administrator;
Nationwide Television Coverage Planned;
Debbie Rowe Won't Show
Jermaine Jackson, the velvet-voiced brother of Michael Jackson, may perform at the end of tomorrow’s Staples Center tribute to the fallen King of Pop.
Sources say that Jermaine will represent the Jackson family, singing Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.” If this comes off as planned and hoped, Jermaine will steal the spotlight from many superstars including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Usher, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Hudson.
Michael Jackson reportedly will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in a private family ceremony, only hours before thousands will descend on Staples Center [for the public memorial].
The Los Angeles Police Department is urging people who aren't attending Tuesday's Michael Jackson memorial service to stay away from the Staples Center area in downtown Los Angeles.
Roads in the immediate area of the Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre already are closed to vehicles and non-ticket holders, according to LAPD Officer Tenesha Dobine.
All of the major networks and cable channels will be offering live coverage of the Jackson memorial service starting at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Staples center in Los Angeles.
[...]
Expect nonstop coverage on MSNBC, Fox and CNN throughout the day -- unless there is a huge breaking story elsewhere. The 24/7 cable channels were among the first to announce plans to cover the memorial service live.
Longtime attorney for Michael Jackson, John Branca, has been named special administrator of the late singer's estate. WSJ.com:
In a hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court Monday morning, Judge Mitchell Beckloff said: "Somebody does need to be at the helm of this ship" to address ongoing business issues. He named John Branca, a longtime attorney for Mr. Jackson, and John McClain, a music-industry executive, as special administrators of the late singer's estate. That decision appears to be in keeping with a 2002 will the singer made out, which names the two as executors.
But it also highlights some tensions within the Jackson family. Burt Levitch, a lawyer representing the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, said: "Mrs. Jackson just has concerns about handing over the keys to the kingdom" to the two men before their relationship to the singer could be clarified. "The named executors are not the proper people to represent the estate," Mr. Levitch said in the courtroom.
Mrs. Jackson had petitioned to be named as the special administrator of her son's estate, but was denied by Judge Beckloff.
Some representatives of the Jackson family had previously indicated that the 2002 will might not be valid. However, in court Monday, Mr. Jackson's family didn't move to challenge the will. The judge said he will make a ruling on the validity of the will on Aug. 3, and that until then Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain will manage the late singer's affairs.
Mr. Jackson's brother Jermaine on Thursday sharply criticized attempts to contest the will. "If Michael makes a will, no one should contest it," he told CNN's Larry King in a televised interview. "No one."
The will calls for Mrs. Jackson, 79 years old, to serve as guardian for the late pop singer's three children. It places his assets in a trust that benefits Mrs. Jackson and the children, along with charities.
FOX News reports that Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, is not licensed to administer certain levels of controlled medications in California:
...if he gave Demerol or Oxycontin to Jackson, as has been reported, it would have been illegal.
In a change of plans, Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of Michael Jackson's children, now says she won't attend his memorial on Tuesday.
"The onslaught of media attention has made it clear her attendance would be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy," her attorney, Marta Almli, says.
"For the last year and a half, I was the closest person to Michael Jackson," said Tohme, who added that he was inspired to help because he saw that Jackson was a "wonderful human being" and a fine father to his three children.
[...]
Though he apparently uses the title "Dr." and has a medical degree, there is no record of Tohme practicing medicine in the U.S. He said he thought the singer was in perfect health the last time he saw Jackson, two days before his death, and that as far as he could tell, Jackson didn't use drugs and kept himself on a strict, healthy diet that included no red meat or alcohol.
The King of Pop, laid to rest on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - a date, no doubt, that many will remember as solidly as they remember the dates JFK, Elvis, Princess Di or John Lennon died.
Labels: Michael Jackson
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