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Jackson's ex undecided on seeking custody
Deborah Rowe, the ex-wife of Michael Jackson and the mother of two of his children, has not reached a final decision on whether to seek custody of the children, a lawyer said Thursday.
Attorney Eric George made the disclosure but declined to take questions.
Earlier in the day, Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff rescheduled a guardianship hearing for July 13 at the request of attorneys for Rowe and for Katherine Jackson, the singer's 79-year-old mother, who has temporary guardianship of her son's three children.
Rowe is the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, son Michael Joseph Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11. The mother of the singer's youngest child, son Prince Michael II, 7, has never been revealed.
Another hearing will proceed as planned Monday on who will take temporary control of Jackson's estate.
Jackson's memorial service, meanwhile, will be Tuesday at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles – provided his mother agrees.
Randy Phillips, chief executive for AEG Live, which owns Staples and was Jackson's promoter, said he met Thursday with Jackson's brother Randy.
A Jackson memorial would attract tens of thousands. AEG planned to issue tickets to Staples and provide a simulcast on big screens outside the arena, Phillips said.
Entry to Staples would be free, but Phillips was not sure yet how tickets would be distributed.
The discussions were held as the federal Drug Enforcement Administration joined the investigation into Jackson's death, and Jermaine Jackson said he would be hurt if toxicology reports showed his younger brother had abused prescription drugs.
“In this business, the pressures and things that you go through, you never know what one turns to,” Jermaine Jackson said in an interview on NBC's “Today” show.
Asked if he would be shocked or surprised if drug use is proven, Jermaine Jackson said, “I would be hurt.” He said he had heard about prescription drug use in the 1980s when his brother was hurt in an accident filming a commercial but did not know whether drug use was a possibility more recently.
On the legal front, a person familiar with the details of the Michael Jackson Family Trust said it would be shared between his mother, who gets 40 percent; his three children, who get 40 percent; and charities for children, which would receive 20 percent. The charities will be determined later by the trust.
The person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity, said there were no competing wills. Associated Press
Kevin Jonas is engaged
The eldest Jonas brother, Kevin, and has popped the question to his girlfriend of two years, Danielle Deleasa. The 21-year-old Jonas, one-third of the popular Jonas Brothers, along with Joe and Nick Jonas, proposed Wednesday, a spokeswoman said. People magazine quoted Kevin Jonas as describing 22-year-old Deleasa's reaction as “yes, yes, yes like 500 times super fast in a row.” Associated Press
Birthdays
Director Ken Russell, 82. Jazz musician Pete Fountain, 79. Playwright Tom Stoppard, 72. Singer Fontella Bass, 69. Actor Michael Cole (“The Mod Squad”), 64. Writer Dave Barry, 62. Actress Betty Buckley, 62. Talk show host Montel Williams, 53. Country singer Aaron Tippin, 51. Rock musician Vince Clarke (Erasure), 49. Actor Tom Cruise, 47. Actor Thomas Gibson, 47. Actress Hunter Tylo, 47. Actress Connie Nielsen, 45. Actress Yeardley Smith, 45. Rock musician Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies), 40. Actress-singer Audra McDonald, 39. Actor Patrick Wilson, 36. Actress Kelsey Batelaan, 14.
This day in history July 3
1863: The three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.
