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BULLETIN: (11:15am Monday) Rowe's a go. Despite lasty-minute attempts to derail possible witness Debbie Rowe, Judge Henry Melville has just ruled her admissible. The prosecution, however, has decided against calling former Neverland employee Chris Carter to the stand. The fought hard for him Friday. What went wrong?
Jackson ex Debbie Rowe, the mother of Paris and Prince Michael, called Michael “a wonderful man and father” as she handed over custody of the two kids. She’s not expected to be as effusive in pop star praise this week.
Rowe is likely to testify that she was heavily scripted in an interview for a rebuttal film that heaped adoration on Jackson in the wake of the Martin Bashir documentary. Just like the mom of Jackson’s current accuser? Could be serious corroboration.
Bad blood all around. Rowe is seeking custody of Prince Michael and Paris, saying Jackson is unfit to be a parent. That drama is being played out behind closed doors in Los Angeles Family Court. Rowe had been getting a million a year and a Beverly Hills mansion, though Jackson has now reportedly cut off her benefits. Prince Michael is 8, Paris 7. Both are expected to testify on behalf of their dad.
What other beans is this former plastic surgeon’s nurse expected to spill? Rowe signed a confidentiality agreement as part of her 1999 divorce, preventing her from disclosing anything about Jackson’s “mental or physical condition, purported drug use, sexual behavior” or the children's lifestyle, but her subpoena trumps that pact.
A scorned woman is just the start of Jackson’s hell week. A close friend may clinch the conspiracy charges, and lay them squarely on Jackson’s doorstep.
False imprisonment vidence on tape? In writing? Celebrity Justice says Rudy Provencio will also take the stand for the prosecution to back up the mom’s claims she and the kids were nearly banished to Brazil. Provencio is a record producer and a member of Jackson’s inner circle in early 2003. He dutifully kept a journal of his meetings at Neverland and secretly recorded phone conversations that could be powerful evidence of conspiracy.
The mom has adamantly denied defense claims that the South America trip was a three-week vacation. Provencio could provide proof it was to have been a permanent move, and that Michael Jackson was in on the alleged plot.
Also on tap, accused bank robber and kidnapper Chris Carter with accounts drinking by Jackson’s accuser and how the King of Pop allegedly said the hard stuff would make a man of the boy. But the Santa Maria Courthouse is only one venue for Jackson’s legal woes.
The estate of George Harrison is suing Michael Jackson, claiming he and Sony have shortchanged the late Beatle to the tune of $1.8 million dollars. At issue, dozens of songs written by Harrison but controlled by Jackson and Sony, including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The Telegraph has the story from London.
Was Michael Jackson molested as a boy? The New York Post quotes a Harlem woman who babysat for the Jackson kids as saying 10-year-old Michael Jackson bragged to her that a “world-renowned” female celebrity was having sexual relations with him.
“It has bothered me for 35 years,” said Antoinette Holmes, who said the confession by the young Jackson came at the Essex Hotel, where the Jacksons were staying while performing at the Apollo Theater.
Pope Daddy Michael the First? Scary thought, but the Rock and Roll Tarot card depicting MJ as il pappa is for real, and currently on the block at eBay where its seller says, “Tarot card collectors, art collectors, music memorabilia, card collections, cannot do without this card!” Asking price: $3.95
And in sports... The crowd goes wild at Michael Jackson: Beat It Night, a gala thrown by California Double-A baseball team The Lake Elsinore Storm. From OurSports Central:
“Opposing team headshots were all pictures of Michael Jackson throughout his life... In-game entertainment included a baby toss that saw two fans throwing baby dolls and attempting to catch them in strollers on the third base line.”
The Storm beat the High Desert Mavericks, 12-2.
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