Party Party!

Michael Jackson is to be paid $10M, to attend Brunei's Prince Azim's 25th birthday party.

A source is quoted in The Daily Mirror as saying:

"Absolutely no expense has been spared for his party - Michael Jackson is his all-time idol and he said he’d pay whatever it took to get him over.

Even though Michael won't be performing, the very fact that he'll be in this stately home mingling with all of the prince's pals makes it worth every penny to Azim."

The party will take place this weekend.

Should Prince Azim be reading this, I am happy to attend his party for a mere $100K!

Jackson Visits UK

Michael Jackson has made a surprise visit to Britain, he flew in from Los Angeles to Heathrow.

It is believed Jackson will be meeting record company executives in London, and David Gest.

Jackson Drops Suit

Lawyers for Michael Jackson have dropped a law suit that attempted to block an auction of Jackson's personal belongings and other Jackson family items.

Jackson didn't appear in a Las Vegas court on Friday, where his lawyer told a judge that a confidential agreement had been reached with representatives of an auctioneer, the current owner of the materials, and a New Jersey man who claimed a warehouse full of Jackson memorabilia after a failed business venture wound up in bankruptcy court.

Gregory Cross, a lawyer for Jackson, told Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez:

"The matter's been resolved."

Lawyers declined to describe terms of the agreement.

Slaughterhog

Family disputes often bubble to the surface, sometimes decades later. Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson's sister, has just demonstrated this.

Janet claims that Michael used to tease her about her weight.

Quote:

"He called me names. You don't even want to know! They're not very nice - slaughter hog, that's not very nice. There, I told you one, I'm not telling you any more. It gave me a complex. I've got issues."

Get over it!

Jackson Rejected

Another nail has been driven into the coffin of Michael Jackson's moribund music career.

Jackson has had his requests to both Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell to manage his comeback, turned down.

Nona Fights On

The British woman, Nona Paris Lola Jackson, who claims to be the biological mother of Michael Jackson's children; Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II (aka Blanket) has been given more time to produce/find some evidence.

Nona Jackson filed papers last October demanding that she have a say in the custody arrangement between Jackson and Debbie Rowe. last week a Los Angeles judge granted her more time to back the claims with evidence, delaying her case until August 1st.

Michael Jackson previously branded Nona Jackson's case "ludicrous".

Reagan on Jackson

The late President Reagan's diaries are being published. In them he recounts, briefly, a meeting with Michael Jackson in 1984 (who he says "surprised at how shy" he was):

"The sensation of the pop music world"

"He is totally opposed to Drugs & Alcohol & is using his popularity to influence young people against them."

The Jackson Retrofest

It is reported that Michael Jackson and Boy George will perform at Scotland's Retrofest outdoor music festival (1st-2nd September 2007).

They are in talks to appear alongside The Human League, Abc, Jimmy Somerville and Howard Joneson at Ayrshire's Culzean Castle.

Another Trial

Michael Jackson faces another trial, set for June, this time concerning money that he allegedly owes Darien Dash.

Dash claims that Jackson owes his company, Prescient Acquisition Group of Hackensack, $48M for refinancing a $272M bank loan and arranging $537M so that Jackson could buy out Sony's half interest in The Beatles' catalogue of songs in 2004 (during the child molestation trial).

Dash's attorney, Steven Altman, is quoted as saying:

"Many business people were unwilling to risk public association with a man who was then widely viewed as the world's most notorious paedophile."

Jackson's lawyer says:

"Michael is not going to be hijacked by the threat of fraudulent claims."

The trial is set to start on June 18th.

The Big Kid

Mark Ronson, the music producer, has likened Michael Jackson unto an 11 year old child.

Ronson first met Jackson when Ronson was a child guest at a socialite party.

Ronson says:

"I guess he did some bad things but never to me. He was a bit funny, running around and giggling like an 11-year-old boy.

He was never able to have any kind of childhood himself. Because of that he's ended up in a bit of a state."

Good Parent

Jamie Foster Brown, who publishes Sister 2 Sister magazine, travelled with Michael Jackson and Jackson's children to Japan last month.

Following on from the trip Foster Brown has stated that, even though the children were made to cover their faces in public, Jackson seems like a good father.

Quote:

"He just seemed to be a good parent.

More so than most of us!"

Foster Brown then spoke of Jackson's children; Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II:

"They were walking around me, and we were taking pictures without [their veils] they were very loose.

But when they did go outside, they put the scarves around the children's faces.

I just noticed also how nice the kids were. They're not privileged at all.

They have a lot of fun with [Michael].

They're intelligent, extremely well-spoken, and they like to play jokes."

Neverland Not For Sale

Despite mounting financial woes, and reports to the contrary, Michael Jackson has denied reports that he is preparing to sell Neverland at the "bargain" price of $20M (some $30M below his original asking price).

Reports had claimed that Jackson was going to sell Neverland to American debt guru Bill Huff.

However, Jackson's spokesperson Raymone Bain has denied the reports and insisted that Neverland is not even on the market.

So that's clear then.