• Janet Jackson's lawyer slams Vanity Fair article on Michael Jackson's burial

    Handout / Getty Images

    The Jackson family (Janet Jackson at far left) attend Michael Jackson's funeral service in 2009.

    By Us Weekly

    Janet Jackson's attorney sent a scathing letter to Vanity Fair demanding a retraction of an article in the November 2012 issue. 

    The magazine article, which is an excerpt from Randall Sullivan's upcoming book, "Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson," claims Janet, 46, delayed her brother Michael Jackson's funeral until she was reimbursed for her $40,000 deposit to secure his plot.

    Janet's attorney, Blair G. Brown, addressed a legal letter to Vanity Fair's Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter saying the story is "false and defamatory."

    PHOTOS: Michael's most memorable moments

    "Ms. Jackson never delayed the funeral in anyway," Brown wrote in the letter dated Oct. 5, obtained by Us Weekly. "In fact, she paid for the funeral and was reimbursed for some of those expenses by Michael Jackson's estate in the year after the services took place." 

    "In addition, there were other private costs associated with Michael Jackson's passing that Ms. Jackson incurred and for which she has never sought reimbursement," he added. "To falsely accuse Ms. Jackson of holding up her brother's funeral over money is outrageous. This story is particularly hurtful and distressing because of Ms. Jackson's strong desire to serve her brother, whom she loved dearly, and he wish to stand with and support her family."

    PHOTOS: Michael's kids say their final farewell 

    The King of Pop was laid to rest on Sept. 3, 2009 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, more than two months after his death. 


    "I demand that Vanity Fair retract its statement that Ms. Jackson 'refused' to let Michael Jackson's funeral take place until the money she put down as a deposition on his burial plot was repaid," Brown wrote. "To the extend that this statement appears in excerpts of Untouchable published in Vanity Fair’s November 2012 issue, I demand that Vanity Fair publish a retraction explaining that the statement is false."

    PHOTOS: Inside Michael's memorial

    Janet posted the entire letter on her official website. 

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  • Jackson siblings deny that fight over Michael's will is about money

    Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images file

    Jackson siblings Janet and Randy insist the fight over brother Michael's will isn't about money.

    By Jill Serjeant, Reuters

    LOS ANGELES -- Three of Michael Jackson's siblings vowed on Friday to keep up their fight to have the pop star's will thrown out, but denied their efforts were motivated by money.

    Janet, Randy and Rebbie Jackson said in an attorney's statement issued on their behalf that their aim was only to replace the executors of their brother's multimillion-dollar estate, who they accuse of mismanagement.

    The statement followed two weeks of Jackson clan infighting, including a trip by family matriarch Katherine Jackson, 82, to Arizona in which she has said she was cut off from the outside world and was reported missing.

    Jackson, who died in June 2009, appointed his mother guardian of his three children, and made the children beneficiaries of his estate. His father and eight siblings were not included.

    "It is important to stress that Janet, Randy and Rebbie have questioned the validity of the will with no financial motive whatsoever - they stand to gain nothing financially by a finding that the will is invalid," Friday's statement said.

    "What will be gained ... is that the executors will be replaced and the estate and the guardianship will be managed in a manner that is in the best interests of the children," it added.

    Michael Jackson's estate is managed by a music executive and a lawyer. According to recent court documents, the estate has earned $475 million in gross profits since the singer died of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol.

    The executors have said that any doubts about the validity of Jackson's will were debunked two years ago in a legal challenge that went all the way to the California state supreme court.

    But Friday's statement said that "Janet, Randy and Rebbie will continue to press forward in their search for the truth in order to carry out the wishes of their brother Michael."


    The bitter dispute has led to Janet, Randy and Rebbie being barred from visiting their mother and Jackson's children at their home near Los Angeles following an angry altercation there last week.

    Brothers Jermaine and Tito Jackson have backed down from the public campaign to throw out the will, and appealed instead for family unity.

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  • FCC asks Supreme Court to review Janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction' case

    David Phillip / AP file

    Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during the "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII.

    The Federal Communications Commission filed an appeal to the Supreme Court yesterday requesting a review of a decision to throw out the agency's $550,000 fine against CBS over Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" incident at the Super Bowl in 2004, Politico reports.

    According to Multichannel News, the FCC has requested that the court hold the case until it has ruled on the commission's challenge of another indecency filing against Fox for profanity on an awards show. The Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on that case within the next few months.

    FCC Loses Janet Jackson Super Bowl Case


    The FCC is arguing that the Second Circuit court was wrong to deem their fleeting images' indecency policy to be "arbitrary and capricious," and that by misinterpreting their policy, the court "contravened settled principles governing the deference due to an administrative agency's reasonable understanding of its own decisions."

    The Third Circuit denied a rehearing of the case back in January.

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  • El DeBarge arrested again for drug possession

    Getty Images file

    El DeBarge

    By Alexis L. Loinaz, E! Online

    El DeBarge is racking up a bevy of greatest hits -- on his sprawling rap sheet.

    E! News has confirmed that the "Rhythm of the Night" singer (real name: Eldra DeBarge) was arrested in a Los Angeles suburb on Monday for possession for sale of narcotics, adding yet another notch to his long history of run-ins with the law.

    MORE: El DeBarge (remember him?) heads to rehab

    Police confirm that DeBarge was arrested at 2 p.m. in Encino. No other details were available.

    He was booked and released on a $30,000 bail and is due in court on April 9.

    The singer, who was most recently spotted having an emotional reunion with old friend Whitney Houston at a Hollywood club just days before her death, has a troubled history with the law and with drugs.

    Since 2001, he's been popped three times for drug possession, and his rap sheet goes as far back as the mid-'80s including arrests for domestic violence and vandalism. In 2008, he was sentenced to two years in prison for a drug bust.

    Last year, DeBarge checked into rehab just days before a scheduled tour, forcing him to cancel it.

    MORE: El DeBarge headed for de brig

    The singer, together with his four brothers, formed the group DeBarge in 1978 and had a successful run of R&B hits such as "Rhythm of the Night" and "Love Me in a Special Way" before he embarked on a solo career that eventually fizzled.

    The embattled crooner, whose brother James was once married to Janet Jackson, had been trying to stage a comeback recently and seemed to be on the right track.


    PHOTOS: Mugshot mania

    In 2010, he released a well-reviewed album, his first in 16 years. Its title track, "Second Chances," was nominated for two Grammys, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.

    "I want the world to know that everybody deserves a second chance," the singer wrote on his website in 2010 to promote his comeback album. Given his turbulent drug past and, now, this latest bust-up, he's going to need more than that.

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  • Janet Jackson: I saw drugs for the first time at age 10

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    It's no secret that child stars often see much more than they should and at too young of an age. This was certainly true for superstar Janet Jackson.


    The actress and singer revealed to Anderson Cooper on his talk show "Anderson" that she, too, saw something rather confusing for her as a young girl. Jackson told her host that when she was just 10 years old, she went to New York to visit her brother Michael while on a break from filming the TV show "Good Times."

    "I used to go to (Studio) 54 a lot," Jackson said. "I do (remember it well). You know, it was the first time I ever saw drugs. I couldn't figure out why people were putting flour up their noses."

     

    The star also talked about her weight issues on the set of "Good Times."

    "I remember I was getting dressed for the very very first episode ... and the wardrobe lady, while she was dressing me, says I have to put bandages around your chest because your breast are too, I developed at a very young age, and I said, 'OK,'" she revealed.  "I immediately thought, 'I am isn't good enough.' "

    Jackson said the body image problems continued in her second season of the show. "Just before we were to start, the producers called and said I was too heavy and I needed to lose weight," the star said.

    The star also dished on her career, and of course, brother Michael Jackson. See what else she shares when her appearance airs on Monday. Check AndersonCooper.com for local air times.

     

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