Celebrity Mound

California’s attorney general said on Wednesday his office has run dozens of doctors’ names, some of them thought to be aliases, through its prescription drug database to aid police investigating the death of Michael Jackson.

Attorney General Jerry Brown said his office was not the lead agency in probing Jackson’s sudden death — a role it took in the fatal overdose of Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith in 2007 — but was assisting other agencies as they try to track down prescription drugs that may have killed the King of Pop.

“We’ve found some things, but this is early on” to provide details, Brown told Reuters.

Brown’s office monitors all over-the-counter prescription transactions in California, using a database that contains the name of each doctor, patient, medication and quantity.

He said his investigators were given “dozens” of doctors’ names to run through its system by police probing Jackson’s sudden death, although some are considered to be aliases.

The findings could be used to show that “there were drugs in quantities and character that are lethal in combination,” which in conjunction with the official autopsy could lead investigators to determine exactly what killed the 50-year-old singer and dancer.

Brown declined to say if he thought murder or manslaughter charges could be brought in the case, but said those kinds of crimes could not be ruled out “any time you’ve got a dead body and you’ve got chemicals in large quantities.”

Jackson died at his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest. Official autopsy results are pending toxicology tests, but rampant speculation has centered on Jackson’s use of prescription drugs.

On Tuesday, an official from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office visited the office of Dr. Arnold Klein, the singer’s longtime dermatologist, to obtain Jackson’s medical records as part of its investigation.

Brown, a former California governor who is said to be considering a run for that job again in 2010, said his office took the lead in investigating prescription drug use in Anna Nicole Smith’s death because no other agency had done so.

In the Jackson case, he said, Los Angeles Police and coroners investigators were involved.

Michael Jackson’s baby mama Debbie Rowe has sold her kids again — this time squeezing about $4 million from her former mother-in-law in exchange for giving up her parental rights, a family source told The Post yesterday.

“It’s one final payday,” the disgusted Jackson confidant said.

The family isn’t happy about the mega-payout — which was set to be sealed in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon — but they consider it a necessary evil, the source said.

“They felt it was like a ransom-type thing. [Rowe] jumped back into the picture because she wanted money,” the friend said.

Rowe — a former dental assistant who bore a boy and girl for Jacko — had forfeited her parental rights once before in exchange for big bucks.

After the birth of son Prince Michael, now 12, and daughter Paris, 11, she agreed to allow Jackson to raise them in exchange for a lump sum of $8 million, plus $900,000 annually for five years, the source said.

When Jacko was accused of child molestation in 2001, Rowe resurfaced to reclaim her rights. But she wound up giving her ex-husband full custody of the kids anyway — in exchange for another $4 million plus a $900,000 home.

This time around, she is forfeiting her restored parental rights to Jackson’s mom, Katherine, in exchange for yet another roughly $4 million, the family source said.

“This would be it. This takes away any rights she has to challenge custody at any given time,” the source said.

“If something happens to Katherine, [Rowe] can’t challenge the next [guardian], whether that be Diana Ross or someone in the family.”

Neither lawyers for Rowe nor Katherine Jackson returned phone calls or e-mails.

While it had been thought that Rowe was demanding that Jacko’s abusive father, Joe, have nothing to do with the kids, the source said there is no such language in the agreement.

Still, the family will keep him in check, the source said.

Joe Jackson is reportedly pushing his dead son’s children — also including Prince Michael II, a k a “Blanket,” born to an unidentified surrogate using donor sperm — to form a new group, The Jackson 3.

But “that’s something the family would absolutely not tolerate,” the source said.

The King of Pop’s siblings are themselves involved in a venture that has become much more lucrative since his death.

Jacko’s five remaining brothers were filming an A&E pilot for what they hoped would be a reality series about them launching a reunion tour.

While the five initially agreed to be paid a total of between $200,000 and $300,000 for the pilot, they now want to add footage of Michael’s funeral into the mix — and boost their take to “between $10 million and $20 million,” the family source said.

Jacko’s body — still undergoing testing as part of a police probe — was abruptly moved from its temporary resting place in a crypt at the famed Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills last week.

It now rests in a refrigerated unit in the basement of the cemetery’s main building for security reasons, according to the site RadarOnline.com.

(source)

Despite being the ultimate king of pop after having sold over 61 million albums in the U.S. alone, Michael Jackson died with a debt estimated at around $400 million. Aside from forking over funds to support his lavish lifestyle with private planes, zoo animals, fantasy rides, antiques, hotels and personal staff, court papers from his 2000 divorce with Debbie Rowe also reveal that MJ had a “thing” for cars.

The papers list 75 automobiles registered under Jackson’s name in California, ranging from several Rolls Royce’s to fire trucks to motorcycles to convertibles to Chevys to Mercedes to pick-up trucks. In addition, Rowe was permitted to keep just one car — a 1998 Ford Explorer. The settlement also states that Jackson was to be the sole owner of “all trains” in his possession.

When it came to residences, Rowe was also awarded a house in Beverly Hills, but Jackson not only owned Neverland but three other sprawling properties in California alone. And it seems his trustees now have their work cut out piecing together all his funds — at the time MJ had 16 checking accounts and 5 savings accounts with numerous different Californian banks.

But let’s not forget Michael Jackson, in spite of being such a big spender, was also listed in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records for breaking the world record for the “Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star.” Jackson reportedly supported 39 charity organizations either with monetary donations through sponsorships of their projects or by participating in their fundraising efforts.

(source)

One week after Los Angeles police confirmed that investigators had not ruled out homicide in the death of Michael Jackson, the late singer’s older sister, La Toya Jackson, reveals that she suspects he was murdered, the U.K.’s Mail On Sunday reports.

“I believe Michael was murdered,” she said. “I felt that from the start. Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people. He was surrounded by a bad circle. Michael was a very meek, quiet, loving person. People took advantage of that. People fought to be close to him, people who weren’t always on his side.”

She blamed this “shadowy entourage” for supplying him with prescription drugs.

“They got him hooked on drugs,” she said. “He was pure and clean and then drugs came back into his system. I think it shocked his system so much it killed him.”

Although results from toxicology tests will take a few more weeks to reveal a definitive cause of death, La Toya — who signed Michael’s death certificate on June 25 after he suffered a cardiac arrest at the age of 50 — is certain the investigation will reveal her worst fears.

“He had needle marks on his neck and on his arms and more about those will emerge in the next few weeks,” she said. ” I cannot discuss that any further as I may jeopardise the investigation. I can, however, say that I have not changed my mind about my feeling that Michael was murdered.”

She added: “It will all come out. You will be shocked.”

La Toya, 53, also asserts that Michael — whom she said “was the loneliest man in the world” — was forced into doing 50 concerts in London and was kept away from his family as he went to rehearsals, costume fittings and vocal lessons at all hours.

“It’s impossible even for a healthy person to do that many shows,” she said. “Michael was fragile. He always wanted to believe the best of people. But he was meek. In the last few months, he became isolated. I believe the staff were given strict instructions that if any of the family called, not to tell him. And if any of the family came by, not to let them in.”

She said that throughout her and her family’s mourning, they plan to file a civil lawsuit against anyone — which could potentially include Michael’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, whom La Toya said “disappeared” after she sought answers from him — they believe responsible, as well as pushing for police to serve criminal charges.

“I am going to get down to the bottom of this,” she said. “I am not going to stop until I find out who is responsible. Why did they keep the family away? It’s not about money. I want justice for Michael. I won’t rest until I find out what — and who — killed my brother.”

La Toya is equally determined to resolve the custody battle between Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe over Michael’s two eldest children, Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 (La Toya confirms that Blanket, 7, was conceived with a donor egg and donated sperm and that his biological parents are unknown).

“These are not Debbie’s kids,” she said. “They don’t even know she’s their mother. Like everyone else in his life, she was motivated by money. She has always said she’s not their mother. My understanding is that she will now go after the kids. I know a few things about Debbie, and I will prevent that from happening.”

In the end, La Toya — the sibling her family said had “a special bond” with the star — said she won’t rest until she finds out the truth about the King of Pop’s death.

“I’m doing what I can to find out how he died. If he died of a drug overdose, then I want to find who supplied him the drugs and who first introduced him to them,” she said. “We’ve still not had a chance to speak to Dr. Murray about Michael’s final days. I need to know what he may have seen or heard.”

She added: “Michael didn’t have to die. We are all mourning his loss, more than anyone can ever know. But we are also determined to get to the bottom of what happened to him.”

(source)

Michael Jackson’s glimmering casket took center stage at the Staples Center, sitting for more than two hours as celebrities memorialized the King of Pop under the watchful eyes of millions. And when the ceremony was over, it was gone.

By law, the golden casket that presumably held Jackson’s body should be exactly where his death certificate says it is: back at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery, the site of a private family memorial service held before the Staples ceremony. Los Angeles County records show the cemetery as the temporary location, where it must stay until those records are officially updated.

But where Jackson’s body will eventually be laid to rest remained a mystery, fed by the same level of rumor and speculation that surrounded much of his life. Will he be interred at Forest Lawn? Is Neverland Ranch still a possibility?

What if he’s not buried at all, but cremated? The family isn’t talking – and may not even have decided yet.

The casket was first seen leaving the mortuary at Forest Lawn, where it got into a hearse for the 10-mile trip to the Staples Center. But before the service even started, the hearse was seen leaving the facility – empty – and wasn’t spotted again.

But to keep in good standing with the law, the casket would have needed to return to Forest Lawn at some point, presumably after the crowds went home and the television cameras were long gone.

Robert J. Biggins, a former president of the National Funeral Directors Association, said Jackson’s body is likely in his casket which he identified it as a custom-made, top-of-the-line coffin made by the Indiana-based Batesville Casket Company that is called a “Promethean.” The casket is probably in a temporary holding area – perhaps a mausoleum – pending a final location, he said.

“This happened so quickly that it’s something that has to have an awful lot of thoughtful consideration,” said Biggins, who is the owner of Magoun-Biggins Funeral home in Rockland, Mass. “This is bigger than your average burial.”

Conjecture about Jackson’s final resting place has been as fraught as the rumors about where his memorial service would be held in the days before the Staples Center was announced. His 5-page will, signed in 2002, does not include final wishes for his body.

Forest Lawn is one likely possibility. If Jackson is buried there, he would join other celebrities such as Liberace, Gene Autry, Bette Davis and Andy Gibb. Recently deceased actor David Carradine and “Tonight Show” sidekick Ed McMahon also are buried there.

The Jackson family seems divided over whether the body should go to Neverland, which would surely turn the Santa Barbara County ranch into a West-coast Graceland. But Jackson abandoned the 2,500-acre estate after going into seclusion following his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005, and many of the things that made it unique – the merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and zoo – are gone.

Billionaire Thomas Barrack, who owns Neverland in a joint venture with Jackson, has expressed an openness to the idea of having the singer’s body buried at the ranch. The family would need to get permission from local land-use officials to bury Jackson on private property, then submit an application and paperwork with the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

The state application would then need to be approved by the funeral board, a process that could take anywhere from seven to 30 days.

Beyond that, accessibility remains an issue at Neverland. A single two-lane highway leads to the property about 130 miles north of Los Angeles, and infrastructure changes would likely be necessary to accommodate the additional traffic.

Another possibility is cremation. State law requires that the person who has control of the cremated remains obtain written permission of the property owner or governing agency to scatter on the property.

Funeral experts said the delay in Jackson’s funeral may be due to the fact that such celebrity deaths create logistical, security and legal headaches.

“One of the issues you’re going to run into with any high-profile name, whether it be a former president of the United States or somebody of Michael Jackson’s stature, is what does the cemetery – if it’s to be a burial – do to establish security, to protect the remains, to protect the privacy of the family during the service, to protect remains afterward and what kind of built-in overhead comes with it,” said Paul Elvig, former president of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.

Experts said even a two-week delay between death and funeral is not unusual. The body of singer James Brown was kept in a sealed gold casket inside his South Carolina home for more than two months before being interred in 2007 at the home of one of his daughters.

“You’re probably talking more about an impatient public and an impatient press wanting to know what’s going to happen and that impatience needs to be understood,” Elvig said. “If a body’s been properly prepared by an embalmer, it can be held for a considerable period of time with minor touchups to it.”

Biggins said he is even encouraged by the delay.

“I think the fact that there’s this pause is a wonderful thing because it’s being given thoughtful consideration,” he said, “to make sure this is done right and this is done in a way that honors his legacy.”