Vanity Fair has put both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson on it’s September 2009 cover.

Farrah’s has the title, “Fallen Angel”, and Michael’s says, “Fallen King”.

Vanity Fair’s editor Graydon Carter says here was no other way to do it. “Two covers seemed like the sensible thing to do, given the passing of two major American icons on the same day.”

“Beautiful People, Ugly Choices,” the Farrah Fawcett story, discusses her sudden rise to stardom, her turbulent love affair with Ryan O’Neal (and drugs), and her painfully sad death.

Of course a lot of the article focuses on O’Neal and his version of things, which, I’m sorry, but coming from a drug addict may be a bit skewed. Don’t forget, it wasn’t only his son Redmond who was caught with methamphetamine, it was also Ryan who was busted with the powerful, dirty drug.

To show just how “out of touch” O’Neal is (whether it be because of the drugs or just simply that he is a natural born simpleton), he willingly admits that he didn’t recognize his own daughter, Tatum O’Neal, at Farrah’s funeral. But wait…not only did he not recognize her, he also practically hit on her!

O’Neal has often said his parental skills were sub-par, and this scenario, as played out at Farrah’s funeral service, pretty much supports that.

He tells Vanity Fair:

“I had just put the casket in the hearse and I was watching it drive away when a beautiful blonde woman comes up and embraces me. I said to her, ‘You have a drink on you? You have a car?’ She said, ‘Daddy, it’s me—Tatum!’ I was just trying to be funny with a strange Swedish woman, and it’s my daughter. It’s so sick.”

Yes, it is sick, but I think it is more sad than anything. Sure, one may be at odds with their daughter, but to not recognize her? Unthinkable. And then for him to hit on a woman while at his lover’s funeral? WTF? He must have been smoking some good sh*t that day.

Then there is Michael Jackson’s story, “The Boy Who Would be King.”

Michael’s Vanity Fair story seems to be comprised mostly of interviews done with the singer in the late 70’s. A time when many of us prefer to remember him. Before the surgeries, before the scandals and before he was the biggest star in the world.

A few excerpts of the Michael Jackson interviews:

L.R.: As for reality, do you still enjoy meeting your fans?
M.J.: I enjoy all that sometimes, seeing people who love me, or buy my records. I think it’s fun, and I enjoy meeting my fans and I think it’s important. But sometimes people think you owe your life to them; they have a bad attitude, like “I made you who you are.” That may be true—but not that one person. Sometimes you have to say to them, If the music wasn’t good, you wouldn’t have bought it. Because some of them think they actually own you.

In another interview in 1984, the singer was asked about his album Thriller. He disclosed that just before it’s release that he thought it had “sounded like crap”.

L.R.: What?
M.J.: Oh, it was terrible. And I cried at the listening party. I said, “I’m sorry—we can’t release this.” I called a meeting with Quincy [Jones], and everybody at the [record] company was screaming that we had to have it out and there was a deadline, and I said, “I’m sorry, I’m not releasing it.” I said, “It’s terrible.” So we re-did a mix a day. Like a mix a day. And we rested two days, then we did a mixing. We were overworked, but it all came out O.K.

Vanity Fair’s latest issue will be available on newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on August 5th,  and nationwide on August 11th.

[VF]

Omer Bhatti is in fact, the love child of Michael Jackson…so says Michael’s father, Joe Jackson, in an interview with News One.

Never before has a Jackson family member confirmed the suspected news, but as it turns out, the 1984 song “Billie Jean” may have had some truth to it.

Omer Bhatti is a 25-year-old Norwegian rapper who was pictured at Michael’s memorial service, sitting in the front row with the Jacksons.

For the first time ever, we are learning that Omer IS indeed, the love child of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Last week brother Jermaine said about Omer: “If Omer’s his son, he’s his son.We won’t deny it. We are going to give him the same love and care that we give Prince and Paris and Blanket. I can’t clearly say if he is Michael’s but I saw this kid around him.”

Nice way of skirting around the issue, but in the above interview Joe Jackson confirms the rumors.

What a trip, eh? The video below is of Omer performing under the name ‘Obee’…do you see the connection? One thing is for sure…kid can dance.
(Fast forward to 1:30)

[No]

Paris Hilton wants the world to know that Michael Jackson named his daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson, after her.

So funny, because, I KNEW this was going to happen someday. Oh Paris, must you always make it about YOU?

Paris bragged,

“My mom and Michael went to high school together and they were best friends since they were 13. So I grew up knowing Michael very well and when he had his daughter, he always loved the name Paris and grew up being an uncle to me. So he asked my mom if it was okay and of course she said yes and I think she’s such a beautiful little girl and I’m proud we have the same name.”

There you have it. Paris’ mother is suddenly Michael Jackson’s BFF. Funny, I can’t seem to find ONE picture of the two of them together. I’m not doubting that they went to school together, but I do doubt they were as tight as they would like you to believe..

[EX / Jackson Photo Photoshopped by my pal, T. Davis]

TMZ is reporting that Michael Jackson’s sister, Rebbie Jackson, 59, will be the one to raise his children.

Rebbie has long been involved in the lives of the children, Paris, Prince Michael and Prince Michael II, and will take over as their new parent. Rebbie is married and lives with her husband in Las Vegas but has been staying with her mother Katherine in Encino, helping to care for the three orphans.

This is actually one thing the family has all agreed upon, and the children are reportedly smitten with her.

I’m sure Michael loved his children but he was a drug addict and those poor kids deserve better – as do ANY children. Rebbie has never struck me as being a fame whore and she isn’t in the spotlight as much as her sister Janet. So I think this is a great choice. Let’s just hope their transition goes smoothly.

[TMZ]

Joe Jackson was on Larry King Live last night and obviously tried to polish up his tarnished reputation.

He denied ever physically harming his son Michael Jackson as a child and insists that he raised him right. Funny though, he didn’t seem to know – or care – where his son’s body is at the moment.

He said, “You’d have to ask somebody that knows. I don’t know.”

Because really, why would the father of the deceased know something like that? Pfft.. Not that Larry King needs to know the answer, but still..

As for if Joe had a master plan of getting Michael’s children into the business as “The Jackson 3″, Joe denies it.
“Not true. That’s a bunch of jive. That’s a bunch of — I wish I could say what I should say. That’s a bunch of bull.”

Larry King kind of pissed me off throughout the interview asking ridiculous questions such as “Is it hard to accept that your son is gone?” and “It’s been 4 weeks, has it gotten any easier?” What the f*ck, Larry, Joe Jackson or not, those are asinine questions to ask any parent who has just lost a child, and I think you should be ashamed for asking them.

Larry continued on, asking about the abuse allegations. “You never physically harmed him?”

Jackson responded, “Never. Never have. And I, and I raised him just like you would raise your kids, you know? But harm Michael, for what? I have no reason. That’s my son. I loved him and I still love him . . . Michael was raised properly. He didn’t run the streets like most of those other kids that was in his neighborhood.”

Then Joe went off on some weird tangent about slavery..

“The media keep hollering about saying that I beat Michael. That’s not true. You know what this beat started — beat started in the slavery days. Where they used to beat the slaves and then they used to torture them. That’s where this beating started. These slave masters, and that’s where that come from. But, hey, there’s a lot of people in America, Larry, a lot of people in America spank their kids, you know? They say they don’t, they’re lying. They’re lying. Now, Michael was never beaten by me, I’ve never beaten at all.”

[CNN]

LISTEN to Michael Jackson’s unreleased song, ‘A Place with No Name’!

The song, which is similar to America’s 1971 song, “A Horse with No Name”, was recorded with the blessings of the original artists. America’s current manager says: “The band was honored that Michael chose to do their song and they hope it becomes available for all Michael’s fans to hear.”

LISTEN TO A SNIPPET OF ‘A PLACE WITH NO NAME’ HERE

Anyone who was alive in 1984 surely remembers the Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial where Michael’s hair caught on fire.

After all this time, a video has been released showing the catastrophe taking place.

The date was January 27th, 1984. The horrible mistake happened on the sixth take, when the pyrotechnics went off earlier than planned.

Michael is seen dancing down the stairs after the explosion with his hair very noticeably on FIRE. Stagehands and security rushed the stage and put the fire out before Michael seemed to know what was happening.

After the fire was extinguished Michael is seen looking shocked and obviously traumatized, clutching his head with his gloved hand.

This video is a bit disturbing and I found it to be very sad! The creepy music adds to the eeriness of it all too.

Us Weekly claims that this dreadful accident was what caused Michael’s pill addiction, but I am just not willing to speculate on that..

Debbie Rowe has dropped her custody fight for the Jackson children…for a hefty price.

Again.

Rowe reportedly stands to gain nearly $4 million dollars, paid by the Jackson family, in order to drop her battle for the children. This happened once before after Michael was accused of molestation in 2001. Back then, she was paid the same amount, almost $4 million, and was given a million dollar home.

Also, after she had Paris and Prince Michael, she agreed to let Jackson raise the children, but only is she was paid $8 million and then $900K annually for the next five years.

So, let’s total this all up.

$8 million to have the babies + 5 years of being paid $900K  + $1 million home  + $4 million this time + $4 million in 2001 = That’s nearly $22 fricking MILLION dollars this woman will have profitted from those children! You’d think she would have enough money by now. What a greedy wench. It’s sad for the children to know that their biological mother only cared about the money. This WILL come back to bite her in the ass..it might take a few years, but it will..

UPDATE: Rowe’s attorney denies that his client has settled for $4 million.. [LINK]

[NYP]

Elizabeth Taylor has been hospitalized with what sources are calling a broken heart.

The New York Post is reporting that Liz, 77, a longtime, devout friend of Michael Jackson’s, hasn’t been dealing very well with the death of her good friend.

Apparently at the time of Jackson’s death Liz was preparing to go to London where she was going to enjoy herself and catch her friend’s first performance. She was in her usual wheelchair, accompanied by her dog(s) and nurses when she heard the devastating news of Michael’s death.

She did not take the news lightly. She screamed out in grief. Poor Liz, she has lost many people in her life, but she and Michael had a bond that lasted many, many years. And like Jackson, she has also struggled with drug problems. I recall the gossip rags of the early 80s constantly targeting her for being drunk or stuffed on pills. Every week it was Liz who was on the cover. My grandma ordered every single gossip rag there was back then. Where do you think my fascination with celebrities began?

We also hearing that the Jackson clan refused to invite Taylor to the private memorial service because she was Jackson’s friend – “not theirs.”

Liz is reportedly fatigued, depressed and has been constantly crying, missing her friend.

Below: Michael Jackson singing “Elizabeth, I Love You” in a rare performance in the early 90s.

[NYP]