Joe Jackson still hasn't given up the fight. And I'm not talking about for social justice. For his son's money. Aw, how heartwarming. From RadarOnline:
Joe Jackson has come one step closer to cashing in on his late son, Michael Jackson's estate. In court Thursday Judge Mitchell Beckloff set an evidenciary hearing for May 26th for Joe Jackson's request for a family allowance.
But it won't be plain sailing for Joe, Margaret Lodise, the guardian ad litem for Michael Jackson's children told the judge, "I have concerns about the request because Joe Jackson isn't a beneficiary of the estate."
Brian Oxman appeared on behalf of Joe Jackson who wasn't in court in person. Katherine Jackson's legal ace attorney Adam Streisand told RadarOnline.com, "Katherine supports Joe receiving some type of allowance, we just don't how much is appropriate."
Is anyone surprised Joe Jackson is asking for an allowance from his late son's estate? The guy has less-self respect than a stripper with an abusive father.* If Joe is really desperate for money, he shouldn't be airing his grievances in such a public forum. He should know by now that Michael's attorneys usually like to keep cash payouts quiet and under the table. Seriously Macaulay, that underwear thing never happened. Got it?
*please note, in place of "a stripper with an abusive father," the judges would have also accepted "a Perez Hilton reader," "a contestant on Biggest Loser," and "Jessica Simpson"
Given Michael Jackson’s final concerts had been scheduled for London and were instant sellouts, Papa Joe has moved to make some serious moolah tied to the release of "This Is It," the upcoming film of Michael’s final rehearsals for that tour.
I’ve learned that when the film opens in England, Joe will introduce screenings during the first week at selected venues. Word has it, he will be paid about $250,000 for his, uh, efforts — which reportedly will include sharing a few stories about the King of Pop with audiences before the screenings.
"He stands to make more from these London shows than from his Vegas deal," said a source privy to the London project, referring to the VIP packages Jackson is promoting for "This Is It" openings Oct. 26 and 27 in Las Vegas, with prices ranging up to $3,000 per ticket.
This might actually be a newsworthy story if Joe wasn't trying to make money off his son. Hell, this guy would charge people to watch his son's body decompose in its coffin if he could. Oh, and if anyone's wondering what "stories" Joe will tell about Michael, I can pretty much guarantee they'll be moving, heartfelt, and revolve around a new recording artist Joe just signed.
Joe Jackson and Taina at the Video Music Awards in New York (9/13)
It's official. Nothing Joe Jackson does anymore surprises me. Joe's selling autographed pictures of Michael's casket on eBay? OK sure, sounds reasonable. From the New York Post:
Joe Jackson raised eyebrows by bringing a curvy new recording artist he manages as his date to the VMAs on the night honoring his son, Michael. Jackson arrived at Radio City Music Hall with a singer known as Taina. But Jennifer Lopez was not amused when Jackson introduced her to his date, who was wearing an eye-popping dress. As they took their seats, J.Lo was spotted giving Marc Anthony a look as if to say: "What is Joe doing?"
Other guests at the awards said they were surprised Jackson chose to bring the busty singer rather than wife Catherine to see Janet's tribute performance to his son. One said: "It was a night to honor Michael. Some people thought it was strange he brought a singer as his date. There's a time to work the media, and there's a time to stay quiet and respectful."
Does Joe Jackson ever stop trying to make money off of his children? Clearly the next step is to get a sponsor for Michael's tombstone. "Michael Jackson's grave, brought to you by the new Ford F150 -- Built Ford Tough." The bottom line is that when honoring the life of your recently deceased son, it's probably not such a good idea to bring a painted-up hussy as your date. Try bringing someone who won't draw as much unwarranted attention when in the spotlight -- like Kanye West or Rep. Joe Wilson.
Michael Jackson performing at Madison Square Garden in 1985
There were rumors floating around earlier this week that Michael Jackson was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood. Nope. After all, it's only been what, a month and a half since he died? Geesh, give the family some time to grieve. From E! Online:
Shooting down published reports, father Joe Jackson tells E! News exclusively that his son has not already been laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Joe declined to specify any burial plans or confirm whether his son's body has been placed in Motown maven Berry Gordy's crypt as some outlets have speculated.
The Jackson patriarch, who resides primarily in Las Vegas, also tells E! News he supports a proposal to move Neverland to Vegas.
"I think Vegas would be great," says Joe. And while he doesn't think the family would visit such a shrine to his son, Joe does believe "the fans would come."
Of course Joe hasn't buried Michael yet. The court order mandates that he stay 50 yards away from the body, or more specifically, "50 yards away from Michael's mouth full of gold fillings."
Joe Jackson (with Jesse Jackson) outside his house in Encino (6/26)
Cut out of his son Michael's will earlier this week, Joe Jackson is doing exactly the dignified thing you'd expect: he's going down swinging. From the Chicago Sun Times:
It's hard to believe, but a source close to Joe Jackson -- who is working with him on several new business projects -- says the outspoken patriarch of the Jackson clan may find himself further alienating his estranged wife, Katherine Jackson, and a number of his children.
The reason? Joe Jackson reportedly made several comments Tuesday -- after learning details about Michael Jackson's will -- that he might consider challenging the document that reportedly doesn't mention him at all. Though it's well-known that Joe Jackson had had a difficult and often strained relationship with his son, my source tells me he was "still pretty pissed that there was no mention of him in the will whatsoever."
Dude, I really think this guy is Satan. Look at that picture of him above -- taken mere hours after his son's death. He looks like he's at a fucking carnival. I've seen kids at Disneyland holding cotton candy in one hand and a balloon in the other who looked less happy than that.
You force your lawyer to issue a statement that your son loved you. Wow.
Three stories about Joe Jackson I pulled off the Internet not told at the Jackson Family reunion.
1. Michael said that his father beat him and that "just a look would scare you." Michael said that he would get physically sick — as a child and as an adult — just at the sight of his father. He also spoke of emotional abuse. "I was so shy I would wash my face in the dark," Michael said, referring to an acne outbreak. "I wouldn't look in the mirror and my father teased me. I just hated it. I would cry every day. He would tell me I'm ugly."
2. Michael had a pet guinea pig "sparky" that Joe absolutely hated. One day Michael came home to find the cage empty. Joe explained that sparky had run away. That night, Michael was surprised when his father served him dinner (beef stroganoff), as Katherine usually did the serving. After dinner, Joe asked Michael if enjoyed dinner and Michael replied that he had. Joe then dropped the bombshell that he had killed sparky and mixed him into the beef stroganoff. Michael was horrified.
3. One night while Michael was asleep, Joseph climbed into his room through the bedroom window. Wearing a fright mask, he entered the room screaming and shouting. Joseph said he wanted to teach his children not to leave the window open when they went to sleep. For years afterward, Michael suffered nightmares about being kidnapped from his bedroom.
Though Michael Jackson died with debts of $500 million, it's believed his assets outweigh the debt by $200 million. Which is good news for those mentioned in his will, which surfaced yesterday. Good news for his mom Katherine, his three kids, and "one or more" charities. Wait, I didn't see his dad Joe mentioned. There must be some mistake. Maybe the Wall Street Journal can help clear up the matter:
One or two other earlier wills have emerged since Mr. Jackson's death last Thursday, according to people familiar with the situation. The Associated Press reported that Mr. Jackson's parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson, said in a Monday court filing that they believed the singer had died without a valid will. Joseph Jackson isn't believed to be included in the most recent will.
It would have been nice to be mentioned in Michael's will, but the fact of the matter is that he really doesn't need the money. If you watch the clip I posted earlier of him at the press conference yesterday, you'll notice that Joe uses phrases like "we have fans all over the world" and "we're loved all the world." With fans all over the world, Joe must have a cajillion dollars in the bank. Hell, he probably told Michael to leave him out of the will, so the charities could get more. It just seems like the sort of selfless thing he would do.
Joe Jackson is still heartbroken by his son's death
Following his gut-wrenching interview Sunday at the BET Awards in which he could *barely* promote his new record label, Michael Jackson's father Joe held a news conference in Encino yesterday. Before hitting the play button, try and guess what he spends the opening 40 seconds talking about:
1. How heartbroken he is over the death of his son. 2. How his son's children are doing in the wake of their father's death. 3. Marantz Records distributed by BlueStar and Blu-ray.
Go ahead, guess. I bet you'll never get it, not even in 100 years.
Michael Jackson's dad gave his first public interview Sunday at the BET Awards in Los Angeles. Just a warning, this is really hard to watch -- especially at the 3:13 mark when Joe barely musters the strength to promote his new record label. Heartbreaking stuff.
Would You Rather...? Spend one night with: