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 just moved to the neighborhood. And casting underway for her landscape designer husband and their tightly wound son.
Should be interesting…
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 primarily be traffic, but also crowd control. We will also be making sure there is no trespassing on neighboring ranches and stuff like that. We would be stationed on the perimeter of the house. The actual roadway will be the responsibility of the CHP.”
A date and time for the memorial service hasn’t been set yet, and Arnoldi said the agency hasn’t been informed.
Over the weekend, Jackson’s brothers Jackie, Jermaine, and Tito were spotted on the grounds, and earlier today a delivery truck was spotted dropping off boxes at Neverland.
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 of contract? I suppose we’ll find out later…
Us Weekly is reporting that even though Michael Jackson was married to Debbie Rowe (who was a surrogate), he is not the biological father of his children.
Arnold Klein, Jackson’s dermatologist and Rowe’s boss, is the father.
“He is the dad,” says a Jackson insider. “He and Debbie signed an agreement saying they would never reveal the truth.”
Jackson and Rowe never admitted the truth behind their children, but back in 2002, Rowe said, “I said, ‘Let me do this. You need to be a dad. You have been so good to me.’”
It is also being reported that even though Rowe was the surrogate, her eggs weren’t used to conceive the two children she bore, and that they were conceived in vitro. But apparently she was paid very well for her “services” in the births of Prince Michael and Paris.
In the case of Prince Michael II, nicknamed “Blanket,” it is being reported that the surrogate was never told the identity of the revealing parent, who turned out to be Jackson. And just three days after he was born at Grossmont Hospital in San Diego County, Jackson’s lawyer came to the hospital to pick the baby up and deliver him to Michael.
Interesting facts. But does it really come as a surprise to anyone?
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 role as Cheyenne on Reba, is rumored to be heading to the Upper East Side. It’s being reported that she will play Nate’s (Chace Crawford) girlfriend Bree Buckley, a Miss America-type’ from a conservative Southern family. She’ll start appearing in the season premiere.
Kate Hudson is still hung up on Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez. Come on girl, he’s an ass. You’re too cool/good for him!
Shia LaBeouf doesn’t have time to just hang around in between films. Looks like Wall Street 2 is a go!
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 planned on doing.
Thoughts??
Many celebrities have taken to their Twitter accounts to share their thoughts on the passing of Michael Jackson. Many have also released formal statements. Here are just a few:
Britney Spears: “I was so excited to see his show in London. We were going to be on tour in Europe at the same time and I was going to fly in to see him. He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I’m devastated he’s gone!”
Madonna: “I can’t stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless.”
Paris Hilton: (She also included a picture on her Twitter) “I’m still in shock about Michael. My mom grew up with him since they were teenagers and I’ve known him all my life. He was amazing, so sad. Michael and his kids were just at my house a few months ago, I can’t believe I will never see him again. He was such a kind and gentle soul.”
Justin Timberlake: “I can’t find the words right now to express how deeply saddened I am by Michael’s passing,” the pop-R&B hitmaker wrote. “We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.”
Elizabeth Taylor: (Jackson’s best friend) My heart … my mind are broken. I loved Michael with all my soul and I can’t imagine life without him. We had so much in common and we had such loving fun together. I was packing up my clothes to go to London for his opening when I heard the news. I still can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it. It can’t be so. He will live in my heart forever, but it’s not enough. My life feels so empty. I don’t think anyone knew how much we loved each other. The purest, most giving love I’ve ever known. Oh God! I’m going to miss him. I can’t yet imagine life with out him. I guess with God’s help … I’ll learn. I keep looking at the photo he gave me of himself, which says, ‘To my true love Elizabeth, I love you forever.’ And, I will love HIM forever. “
UPDATE #3: A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said that the autopsy that was performed on Michael Jackson was inconclusive, and that the official death will not be determined until the toxicology tests come back in 6-8 weeks.
Spokesperson Craig Harvey did say that there were no signs of foul play or trauma to the body and that Jackson was indeed taking unspecified medication at the time of his death.
This announcement comes after a private meeting between the county officials and the Jackson’s family. Jackson’s body will be released to his family later today.
UPDATE #2: The coroner’s office is tentatively scheduled to announce its findings to the media at 3 p.m. PST, via E!
UPDATE: The official results of the autopsy will not be released. However, an updated report on the autopsy is said to be announced at 1:30 p.m. PST. Autopsy results typically take 6-8 weeks, however, in this case, it will be expedited and the official results may take up to just 1-3 weeks.
While the autopsy is currently underway, it has been reported by numerous sources that the cause of death will not be released for another 6-8 weeks. However, according to E!, he coroner’s office is tentatively scheduled to announce its findings to the media at 1:30 p.m. PST.
There are also unfortunate rumors that Michael may have been administered daily drugs by his private doctor, the doctor tht was with him when he collapsed.
That physician has been ID’d as Conrad Robert Murray M.D., a cardiologist licensed to practice medicine in Texas. He apparently went MIA yesterday after news of Jackson’s death surfaced, but has since returned to Los Angeles and is said to be getting ready to speak with police.
On her official MySpace blog, Lisa Marie Presley, who was once married to Michael Jackson, wrote a touching and sad statement on her blog. Under the title “He Knew,” Presley writes the following:
Years ago Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in general.
I can’t recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me about the circumstances of my Fathers Death.
At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, “I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did.”
I promptly tried to deter him from the idea, at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that.
14 years later I am sitting here watching on the news an ambulance leaves the driveway of his home, the big gates, the crowds outside the gates, the coverage, the crowds outside the hospital, the Cause of death and what may have led up to it and the memory of this conversation hit me, as did the unstoppable tears.
A predicted ending by him, by loved ones and by me, but what I didn’t predict was how much it was going to hurt when it finally happened.
The person I failed to help is being transferred right now to the LA County Coroners office for his Autopsy.
All of my indifference and detachment that I worked so hard to achieve over the years has just gone into the bowels of hell and right now I am gutted.
I am going to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth out there for once.
Our relationship was not “a sham” as is being reported in the press. It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not live or know a “Normal life” found a connection, perhaps with some suspect timing on his part. Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much.
I wanted to “save him” I wanted to save him from the inevitable which is what has just happened.
His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn’t know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome then.
At that time, In trying to save him, I almost lost myself.
He was an incredibly dynamic force and power that was not to be underestimated.
When he used it for something good, It was the best and when he used it for something bad, It was really, REALLY bad.
Mediocrity was not a concept that would even for a second enter Michael Jackson’s being or actions.
I became very ill and emotionally/ spiritually exhausted in my quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him.
I was in over my head while trying.
I had my children to care for, I had to make a decision.
The hardest decision I have ever had to make, which was to walk away and let his fate have him, even though I desperately loved him and tried to stop or reverse it somehow.
After the Divorce, I spent a few years obsessing about him and what I could have done different, in regret.
Then I spent some angry years at the whole situation.
At some point, I truly became Indifferent, until now.
As I sit here overwhelmed with sadness, reflection and confusion at what was my biggest failure to date, watching on the news almost play by play The exact Scenario I saw happen on August 16th, 1977 happening again right now with Michael (A sight I never wanted to see again) just as he predicted, I am truly, truly gutted.
Any ill experience or words I have felt towards him in the past has just died inside of me along with him.
He was an amazing person and I am lucky to have gotten as close to him as I did and to have had the many experiences and years that we had together.
I desperately hope that he can be relieved from his pain, pressure and turmoil now.
He deserves to be free from all of that and I hope he is in a better place or will be.
I also hope that anyone else who feels they have failed to help him can be set free because he hopefully finally is.
The World is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right.
I really needed to say this right now, thanks for listening.
~LMP
Following the news of Michael Jackson’s passing – the news that was literally heard around the world – a frantic call to 911 has been released. Due to the rather lengthy and sometimes confusing audio, I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to transcribe it in case I missed a few things. The tape can be heard HERE.
Ever since he passed, questions of who will get custody of his three children have been asked. Currently, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Blanket, 7 (real name: Prince Michael II) are in the custody of Jackson’s mother Katherine. However, it is rumored that Debbie Rowe, the mother of the two older children, could get custody if she wants.
There are many reports that Rowe waived her parental rights over the two kids after her divorce from Jackson, but the decision was reversed by the judge. Jackson and Rowe came to an agreement on their own, with Rowe retaining parental rights and receiving a check while Jackson had custody.
The fact that she once tried to waive her parental rights will certainly come into play, and could hurt her chances of gaining custody over the two children.
But because Rowe isn’t the mother of Jackon’s third child “Blanket,” the court may not want to separate the siblings (rightfully so!!!)
In my opinion, I believe their grandmother (Jackson’s mother Katherine), should gain custody of all three children in order to prevent the siblings from being separated.
This of course will all be figured out in the near future, but I hope to God that Katherine receives custody so the children can be together and remember their father together, for who he was: a prodigy child, an amazing and incredibly talented performer who will never be matched. No one came before him, and no one will come after him.
June 25, 2009 marked the sudden and shocking loss of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
At the young age of 50, Jackson reportedly suffered from cardiac arrest at his home where CPR was performed. Sadly, he never recovered, and was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PST.
While no official cause of death will be released until after an autopsy is performed, Jackson’s brother Jermaine told the following statement to the media gathered outside the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center just before 6:30 p.m.:
“My brother, the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25, at 2:26 p.m. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy are known.
The personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitate my brother. As did paramedics who transported him” [to the hospital.]
“Upon arriving at the hospital at approximately 1:14 p.m., a team of doctors, including emergency phsyicians and cardiologists, attempted to resuscitate him for a period of one hour and they were unsuccessful.
Our family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time, and may Allah be with you Michael, always.”
For the latest information regarding the passing of Jackson, visit E! Online, for they will be your best source for up to date info.
