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JERMAINE JACKSON has dismissed his former sister-in-law DEBBIE ROWE’s bid to gain custody of her two children with MICHAEL JACKSON - insisting it isn’t what the King of Pop wanted.
After a week of silence following Jackson’s sudden death, Rowe spoke out on Thursday (02Jul09), revealing she wanted to fight for Prince Michael and Paris.
Her lawyer later insisted Rowe was still considering her options ahead of a potential custody battle - but Jermaine insists his late brother’s will details his wishes, and that should be respected.
He says, "The will was really written well. And it was executed by the executors. And they did a great job. It’s what it is.
"No, (I don’t think she has a shot at custody) because this is what Michael wanted. If we’re looking at Michael and this is all about Michael, this is what he wanted." Jackson’s will hands over custody of his three kids - including youngest son ‘Blanket’ Prince Michael II - to his mother Katherine. Diana Ross is named as an alternative guardian.

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More than 17,000 fans of MICHAEL JACKSON will get the chance to bid farewell to the late King of Pop at an official memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday (07Jul09).
At a press conference outside the venue, where Jackson was rehearsing for his This Is It comeback shows in the days before his death last week (25Jun09), AEG Live President and CEO Tim Leiweke laid down the rules of next week’s tribute to hundreds of fans and media representatives on Friday morning (03Jul09).
Joined by Los Angeles City Council official Jan Perry and Jackson family publicist Ken Sunshine, Leiweke made it clear fans turning up at the Staples Center would not be able to gain access to the memorial.
The AEG Live boss stated he hoped the event would be a "dignified and very uplifting memorial for the Jackson family", which has made available a "worldwide (TV) pool feed from the services for every network for free".
He said, "The family has also made available 17,500 tickets for Michael’s fans to be part of this service. 11,000 of those tickets will be at Staples Center, 6,500 of those tickets will be at the Nokia Theatre for a simulcast of the funeral on three big screens across the street." Fans will be able to register for tickets on Staples Center’s official website until 6pm on Saturday (04Jul09). Those people selected in a lottery will be alerted on Sunday (05Jul09) and they will be able to pick up tickets and wristbands on Monday (06Jul09).
Leiweke, whose company is planning the memorial, insisted, "There will be no tickets sold for this memorial service… There will be no distribution of tickets at Staples Center… There will be no outside broadcast of the memorial service in or around Staples Center of L.A. Live.
"We request and encourage everyone to join us for the memorial service by following the worldwide pool. There will be no funeral procession." Councilwoman Perry added, "I want to stress to those people who are coming or thinking about coming here to our city for this special event that you might want to consider watching this from the comfort of your own home." Publicist Sunshine stated, "No details are forthcoming about the memorial; it’s still being developed."

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Tuesday’s (07Jul09) MICHAEL JACKSON memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will be one of many taking place around America next week, according to the King of Pop’s brother JERMAINE JACKSON.
Jackson has revealed there will be a private funeral ceremony for family and "special guests" early on Tuesday, before the public memorial, which will feature eulogies, tributes and all-star performances.
Reports suggest the late pop star will be buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood before the memorial.
Jermaine insists there are other memorials planned.
The Mayor of Gary, Indiana, where Jackson was born, has been in talks with the Jacksons about staging a tribute there.

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MICHAEL JACKSON didn’t snub his father by excluding him from his will, according to the superstar’s brother JERMAINE.
A will drawn up by the King of Pop back in 2002 hands over his entire estate to a family trust comprising of his mother Katherine and his three children.
Much has been made about the absence of his dad Joe, who Jackson claimed had physically abused him and his siblings as a child.
But Jermaine insists Joe will benefit from his late son’s estate.
The singer says, "(Joe’s exclusion) doesn’t bother me, because if my mother’s mentioned, my father’s fine. I mean, if my mother’s fine, we’re all fine. But most important, it’s not about money. It’s not about property. We’re a family. We don’t let that get in the way. That’s not important to us. That’s not important." Joe and Katherine Jackson wed in 1949 but have been separated for years; they have never filed for divorce. Joe lives in Las Vegas, while Katherine resides in the family compound in Encino, California.

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The concert promoters behind MICHAEL JACKSON’s comeback tour will receive a multi-million dollar payout from the show’s insurers if reports linking the superstar’s passing to drugs are correct - because their policy covers death by overdose.
AEG Live bosses took out a $17.5 million (£11.7 million) insurance policy from Lloyd’s of London in the event a health crisis would cause Jackson to pull out of his 50-date London residency.
Following his sudden death last week (25Jun09), rumours have swirled about the Thriller hitmaker’s prolonged dependence on prescription drugs, with some reports suggesting his cardiac arrest was triggered by an accidental overdose.
Further tests to determine the singer’s cause of death have been ordered by the Los Angeles coroner’s office and the results are expected within weeks.
If drugs are proved to have played a part in Jackson’s untimely passing, AEG executives will be able to recoup some of their massive losses - but not if he’s ruled to have died of natural causes, according to the company’s chief executive Randy Phillips.

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MICHAEL JACKSON underwent surgery to remove a cancerous lesion from his nose just days before his sudden death, according to new reports.
The pop superstar passed away last week (25Jun09) after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Rumours about his cause of death have been swirling ever since, with reports suggesting a lengthy dependence on prescription drugs contributed to his untimely demise.
Now Jackson biographer Diane Dimond has caused a stir with shocking new claims - alleging the Thriller hitmaker had shown early signs of skin cancer.
She tells Usmagazine.com, "Last week, I had two real sources call me and say he’s getting surgery right now for removal of skin cancer off his nose." Results from Jackson’s autopsy are expected within weeks.

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HARRY POTTER star RUPERT GRINT has been harbouring a crush on co-star EMMA WATSON for years - confessing both he and DANIEL RADCLIFFE battle to win favour with the pretty actress during filming.
The trio met as kids when they were cast as the leading stars of the boy wizard franchise for the first movie in the series, 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
They have all featured in every Potter film since - and Grint admits he couldn’t wait to lock lips with Watson on film for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when their characters share a kiss.
The 20 year old is prepared for rumours of their on-screen relationship crossing over into real life - and Grint will revel every minute of it, even if it’s not entirely true.
Speaking before he filmed the love scene with Watson, Grint told FHM magazine, "A lot of people think there’s something going on (between me and Emma Watson) because I have to kiss her on film soon.
"I’ll be honest with you: it’s not something I’d say I’m dreading. Emma’s a pretty girl. Have Daniel or I ever hit on Emma? Well, she’s quite popular with the cast. As for who has the worst crush on her - me or Radcliffe - I’d rather not say." But Grint’s movie kiss with Watson wasn’t as good as he had hoped. He recently admitted, "We’ve known each other for 10 years so it was a bit like kissing my sister."

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Algerian-born singer CHEB MAMI has been sentenced to five years in jail for attempting to force an ex-girlfriend to abort their unborn child.
Mami was taken into custody by officials at a Paris, France airport as he arrived into the country from Algeria on Monday (29Jun09) to face trial for the 2005 assault against his ex-partner, ending two years on the run.
The star - real name is Mohamed Khelifati - remained in custody after the verdict was read out on Friday (03Jul09).
Prosecutors alleged that in 2005 the unnamed woman was kept in a house in Algiers, which belonged to a friend of the singer, where two doctors attempted to carry out an abortion on her.
The woman returned to France and learned that her foetus was still alive. She went on to have the little girl, now three years old.
Officials in France issued an international warrant for Mami’s arrest last May (08) following his 2006 indictment for "voluntary violence, sequestration and threats". Mami skipped bail and failed to heed an order to appear in court in 2007. Interpol formally asked Algeria to hand over the 42 year old in January (09).
In addition to his sentence, the star’s two aides, Hicham Lazaar and Abdelkader Lallali, were given three and six years in jail respectively.
His former manager Michel Lecorre - also known as Michel Levy - was also sentenced to four years for plotting and organising the assault.

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Former DALLAS star LARRY HAGMAN’s wife is battling Alzheimer’s disease, according to her brother.
Maj Axelsson, the former Dallas star’s wife of 54 years, began displaying symptoms of the degenerative disease last year (08), and they have worsened significantly, reports the National Enquirer.
Her diagnosis with the disease - which robs sufferers of their memory - has been confirmed by 81-year-old Axelsson’s brother Shelley Greenhut.
A source tells the tabloid, "Larry is facing a spouse’s worst nightmare. Maj is slipping away a little more each day. And it’s heartbreaking for Larry because he is so absolutely devoted to her." The insider reveals Hagman, 77, has refused to put his wife in a care home, and is insisting on looking after her himself, adding, "He won’t leave her alone. His attitude is that Maj is a blessing. He says he’s been able to fall in love with her all over again."

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MILEY CYRUS is teaming up with rocker ROB THOMAS for her upcoming film THE LAST SONG - the MATCHBOX TWENTY frontman has agreed on a collaboration for the movie’s soundtrack.
Cyrus, 16, recently praised the 37-year-old rocker, calling him a "genius" in a posting on Twitter.com.
And the Hannah Montana star was finally able to realise her dream of working with her idol after her movie boss approached Thomas with the request.
Thomas tells the New York Daily News, "My buddy Adam Shankman, who just directed Miley’s movie, called me on the phone the other day and was like, ‘You have to write a song for this movie.’ It was so funny."

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Former SOPRANOS star JAMES GANDOLFINI booted an audience member from a recent performance of his Broadway play GOD OF CARNAGE, after the fan sneaked onstage during the intermission.
Gandolfini was stunned when he returned to the stage for the second half of the show and found a man sat in his seat.
The male revealed he was a fan and wanted to meet his idol, but Gandolfini showed no mercy and tossed the man into the wings, where a security guard ejected him from New York’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, reports the National Enquirer.
The star, famous for his role as tough mob boss Tony Soprano, regained his composure before the curtain came up - as his co-stars Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis looked on stunned.

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Actress COBIE SMULDERS has become a first-time mum to a baby girl.
Little Shaelyn Cado Killam was born to Smulders and her actor fiance Taran Killam on 16 May (09), but the couple has been keen to keep the baby news secret until now.
The pregnancy was announced last November (08).

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Troubled singer AMY WINEHOUSE has been banned from a pool at her luxury resort on St. Lucia over fears she will drown during a drunken late-night swim.
The Back to Black hitmaker has been on an extended break in the Caribbean since December (08) as she battles her drink and drug addictions.
Her father Mitch told last month (Jun09) how the singer has kicked her drug habit but is still drinking heavily.
Now staff at the Cotton Bay complex, where the singer is staying, are so worried about her fondness for swimming when she is drunk, they have banned her from the pool.
A source tells British tabloid The Sun, "Staff have found Amy on a number of occasions collapsed on the grass by the pool after going for a swim.
"There are concerns that one night she won’t be able to get out of the water and something tragic will happen. She’s regularly drinking large quantities wine and rum and no one in her condition should be going anywhere near water."

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SANDRA BULLOCK feared her close friendship with Hollywood pal RYAN REYNOLDS would be destroyed - after they stripped naked together for a scene in THE PROPOSAL.
The Speed actress has known Reynolds for nine years and the pair has enjoyed holidays together with Bullock’s husband Jesse James and the Wolverine star’s wife Scarlett Johansson.
Their close partnership was put to the test when they were forced to bare all in a sex scene for their new movie.
Shooting lasted three days - but Bullock insists filming the scene with such a close friend helped her make it more convincing.
She tells WENN, "You know, when I read it, it read hilariously… we knew we had to be true to it, we didn’t pretend to shoot naked because, like, when you see someone get out of a bed with a sheet… you go ‘it’s a sheet!’ So we knew that in order for it to be truly funny we had to do it naked and it was three days of stunts - it was virtually naked stunt work.
"But I did it with a friend and he was very protective over me, and I of him, and thankfully our friendship left stronger and not destroyed… as it could have been."

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MICHAEL JACKSON’s death will put an end to Hollywood’s prescription drug culture - cops are set to root out bogus doctors who provide pills to stars.
The King of Pop suffered a cardiac arrest last Thursday (25Jun09), leading to a series of revelations about his regular use of prescription medicines.
And the high-profile tragedy has sparked calls for a clean-up of the "celebrity doctors" who prescribe medication to rockers and film stars without good reason.
A number of celebrity deaths - including Elvis Presley in 1977, Chris Penn in 2006, Anna Nicole Smith in 2007, and Heath Ledger last year (08) - have been linked to their use of prescription medicine.
And cops are under pressure to put an end to the scandal in the wake of the Jackson tragedy.
A Los Angeles police source tells U.K. tabloid The Sun, "Prescription drugs are ruining America. This case has put these boutique celebrity doctors and their practices under the microscope. Investigators will look at who else these doctors could have provided drugs to."

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MICHAEL JACKSON underwent a gruelling five hour medical test and passed it "with flying colours", according to his comeback concert boss.
AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips has dismissed the suggestion Jackson cheated a screening process he underwent just weeks before his death - revealing tour insurers insisted on a rigorous examination, which the King of Pop breezed through.
Phillips says, "He absolutely, 100 per cent, had a close to five-hour physical. The (insurance) carriers flew in a doctor of their choice from New York and he did an extensive battery of tests. We were obviously never privy to the actual medical reports, because this was confidential medical information between the doctor and the patient. However, we were told that he passed with flying colours." Jackson died from a cardiac arrest on 25 June (09), just weeks before the tour was due to begin.

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Best pals MATT DAMON and BEN AFFLECK faced off at the poker table on Thursday night (02Jul09) as part of a charity event in Las Vegas.
The Oscar winners joined event host Don Cheadle and celebrities including actors Brad Garrett and Danny Masterson, and retired boxing champ Mike Tyson to help raise money for Ante Up for Africa.
The stars joined members of the public and dug deep into their pockets to join in the fun, handing over $5,000 (£3,330) as a buy-in for the gambling tournament, with all proceeds benefitting the ENOUGH project and Refugees International - organisations which aim to raise awareness and provide help to the survivors of war-torn Darfur in Sudan.
The results of the poker game had yet to be released as WENN went to press.

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JENNIFER ANISTON is eyeing an unexpected new role - the actress is reportedly developing plans for her own restaurant.
The actress has reportedly been testing out her culinary skills on pals before she commits to following in the footsteps of famous restaurateurs including Eva Longoria-Parker, Ashton Kutcher and Robert De Niro.
A source tells Limelife.com, "Jennifer is really passionate about cooking. She recently had a new kitchen fitted and she loves it. She can cook anything from Mexican meals to Italian food to cakes. She does use cookbooks but mainly they are her own recipes. Everyone says she should open her own restaurant and she said she would love to."

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