Hollywood Beltway

The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department confirmed to E! News that there are plans to hold a memorial service at Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Ranch. "Our guys are meeting as we speak with the California Highway Patrol to discuss the security issues,” says department spokesman Lt. Butch Arnoldi. He added: "Our role will ...

Looks like the people over at Wisteria Lane are Desperate for some ratings. Former Sopranos star Drea de Matteo is joining the cast of Desperate Housewives in hopes of giving the sagging show a boost in the ratings. The actress is said to be playing the matriarch of an Italian family who ...

UPDATE: It is now being said that Jackson never officially legally adopted his children because he thought no one would ever attempt to claim custody of them. So... could his family, then, lose custody? Does that even matter if he didn't legally adopt them? If agreements were signed, isn't that a sort ...

MSNBC is reporting that the highly anticipated "This Is It" tour that Michael Jackson was supposed to perform at London's O2 Arena will continue as a tribute concert. A group of A-listers (including Madonna - which is rumored) are set to perform and replicate what the King of Pop had originally ...

The first picture of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin girls can be seen HERE. Former Dancing With the Stars and Bachelor contestant Melissa Rycroft is engaged to Tye Strickland, a guy she has been on and off with for the past two years. Joanna Garcia, perhaps most remembered for her ...

Readers of this column have known for days that Michael Jackson wrote a will in 2002. Now I can tell you that he assigned guardianship of his three kids to his mother, Katherine Jackson. He gave his 80-year-old mother the responsibility of raising his two sons and daughter but made no mention of his father.

In fact, Jackson’s will does not mention his father, Joseph, at all. It divides his estate among the children and his mother only, sources say. His brothers and sisters are also not included as major beneficiaries.

The will is to be executed by attorney John Branca, as I first reported several days ago.

The news that Mrs. Jackson was named by Michael means that it was entirely unnecessary for her to go to court yesterday to get a judge to make her temporary legal guardian. Doing that, and jumping the gun, may have been a costly mistake (see below item).

Jackson did not name Debbie Rowe, his ex-wife and biological mother of his two eldest children. Nevertheless, Rowe can exercise her parental rights and possibly overturn the will if she makes that decision.

For Jackson’s brothers and father, their omission from his estate—the will was drawn in 2002—may come as something of a blow. None of the brothers ever attained the success of Michael as an adult. But as one observer pointed out to me, “The brothers have the opportunity to make money now, touring in Michael’s memory.” Good point.

The will  should be officially available shortly, but if it stands as I’ve been told, many of Jackson’s friends are left out of it. Waiting to see if there are any bequests would be his long time aide Evvy Tavasci, friends like Miko Brando and Mark Lester, Macaulay Culkin, Elizabeth Taylor, the Dominic Cascio Family of New Jersey, ex and current manager Frank DiLeo, and a handful of loyal employees. Jackson’s trio of handlers from the 80s and 90s—Bob Jones, Bill Bray, and Lee Solters—all pre-deceased him.

Michael Jackson’s beloved 80-year-old mother, Katherine, made what could be a costly legal mistake yesterday in a Los Angeles court.

Katherine Jackson got temporary custody of Michael’s three children (you’ll notice she filed alone and not with her husband of 60 years).

She also filed a claim on Michael’s estate, saying he died intestate, or without a will. But anyone who reads this column knew days ago that Michael had executed a will with attorney John Branca, and that it was waiting to be opened on Monday.

While Mrs. Jackson was in court, Branca was indeed studying the will. I am told it will be presented to the court and filed in the next day or so.

But wait: if Mrs. Jackson gets her way, legal eagles assure me, and the court decides Michael had no will, then Mrs. J gets nothing. Michael’s direct heirs—his three kids—would be the sole beneficiaries.

Whoops!

As it turns out, accepting Michael’s will with Branca is better for Mrs. Jackson. Insiders say that Michael took excellent care of her along with the children. Together they are the primary beneficiaries.

There is no information yet whether Michael left anything to anyone else. But the thinking is that Janet Jackson has her own money, LaToya already received money from Michael and that he’s probably left his brothers to fend for themselves. As for Joseph Jackson, who witnesses say used to lock Michael in a closet as a child when his Jackson 5 rehearsals didn’t go well, you can bet there’s no provision for him.

Indeed, even Mrs. Jackson’s inheritance will be parcelled out, they say, so she gets money “as needed.” Her husband—who brought a Michael Jackson imitator to the BET Awards on Sunday night—will not be  able to share in it particularly.

Meantime, burial arrangements and funeral services remain undecided for Michael, who died four days ago. There are said to be two different factions within the Jackson family, plenty of disagreement, and lots of tension overall. It’s too bad. You’d think the family would come together and resolve this issue quickly with dignity for Michael’s sake. The easiest solution: a mausoleum at Forest Lawn, where other mega-celebrities have found their final rest. Michael would be very much at home with the likes of Lucille Ball, Lou Rawls, and Liberace.

Ode to the Indie [Cliché] - The Rotten Tomatoes Show (via Filmmaker)

Movieline Online: The Director’s Issue - June 2009