Michael Jackson Will be Buried on His 51st Birthday

Took them fucking long enough..

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Michael Jackson will be buried Saturday, August 29, on what would have been the singer's 51st birthday, according to a statement from publicist Ken Sunshine.

The private ceremony will take place at Holly Terrace in The Great Mausoleum at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, and "will be limited to family and close friends," the statement said.

Jackson died June 25 of cardiac arrest. The famed entertainer was 50.

Other Jackson plans have moved sluggishly. Monday, a judge delayed his approval of the exhibition agreement between concert promoter AEG Live and the Jackson estate until Friday, when he will hear testimony about why Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, thinks it should be renegotiated.

The three-city exhibition of Jackson memorabilia could be derailed, as relations between Jackson's mother, the men Jackson named as executors of his will and the promoter of his planned comeback concerts have been challenging.

Questions surrounding Michael Jackson's death and AEG Live's role in his last days are an "obvious source of tension" as Katherine Jackson objects to the agreement, Jackson attorney Burt Levitch said.

Michael Jackson's family has "floated" the possibility of filing a wrongful-death lawsuit against AEG Live because of its "very, very active role in Michael's life during the last six months," Levitch said Monday.

Levitch said AEG Live "apparently paid for the services of Dr. Conrad Murray, who we're told is under criminal investigation in connection with the decedent's death."

Warrants used to search Murray's home and clinics indicated police were investigating his role in Jackson's June 25 death. A source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that Murray gave the anesthetic propofol to Jackson in the 24 hours before he died.

"There's an obvious link between AEG and concerns that we have about the decedent's demise," Levitch said. "So, that's one obvious source of tension right now."

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff set a November trial date to hear Katherine Jackson's potential challenge of John Branca and John McClain, who were named as executors in Michael Jackson's 2002 will. Katherine Jackson has proposed that she or one of her children be added as an executor.

"We think it's important for the family to have a seat at the table," Levitch said. "It's not just a matter of making a quick buck here." A Jackson family member would be in the best position to guide Michael Jackson's legacy, he said.

Beckloff delayed a decision until Friday on Katherine Jackson's objection to the agreement made by Branca and McClain, who are serving for now as special administrators of the estate, to allow AEG Live to produce a Michael Jackson exhibition.

Jackson lawyers argued in Monday's hearing that the 50-50 split of profits for the exhibition was too generous to AEG Live, but estate lawyers said they negotiated the best terms possible.

AEG Live lawyer Kathy Jorrie said any further delay in approval would cause the company to abandon the deal and the company would not renegotiate.

AEG Live would hold the exhibition just as a documentary about Jackson's last months hits theaters at the end of October.

"It's important to the world that we present them with the memorabilia at the time the movie is released," Jorrie said.

The judge has approved a merchandising agreement and the movie deal, both of which were adjustments to the contract Jackson signed with AEG Live earlier this year for a string of 50 comeback concerts that were to start last month in London, England.

Estate lawyer Howard Weitzman said canceling the exhibition deal could cost the Jackson estate $5 million.

Jackson's Mother Awarded Guardianship of His Children

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A Los Angeles judge granted temporary guardianship of Michael Jackson's three children to Jackson's mother, a court official said.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued the order Monday morning, soon after Katherine Jackson filed a petition in Los Angeles Probate Court seeking legal guardianship of the children.

The family also filed a petition asking that Katherine Jackson be named administrator of Michael Jackson's estate and that the children be named his sole beneficiaries.

The filing did not estimate Jackson's estate.
See the court papers (PDF file)

"Given the nature and extent of the descendent's assets, it would be difficult if not impossible to quantify their value at this time, so the calculation of bond would be speculative at best," the petition said.

The guardianship petition said the grandmother should be named guardian because "the minors have no relationship with their biological mother" and they are "currently residing with paternal grandmother."

"They have a long established relationship with paternal grandmother and are comfortable in their care," the petition said.

The two oldest children -- Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson, 11 -- were born to Debbie Rowe, who was briefly married to the singer.

Rowe gave up parental rights to Jackson in 2001, but she changed her mind more than two years later and sought temporary custody of the children. A California appeals court later ruled her rights were improperly terminated, opening the door to a possible custody battle.

There has been no public indication that Rowe is planning to challenge the grandparents for custody of the two children.

The mother of the third child, 7-year-old Prince Michael Jackson II, was never publicly identified. The guardianship petition listed the mother as "none."

Jackson died Thursday afternoon. An autopsy was performed on the entertainer Friday.

Toxicology reports from his body will disprove rumors that the singer's personal physician injected him with powerful painkillers, the attorney for Dr. Conrad Murray said Monday.

"Dr. Murray never prescribed Demerol, never administered Demerol, never saw him -- Michael Jackson -- take Demerol," attorney Edward Chernoff told CNN's "American Morning."

"And that goes as well for OxyContin. I think those are just rumors. When toxicology comes back ... that's going to be all cleared up," Chernoff said.

Murray met voluntarily for several hours with detectives over the weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department said late Saturday.

"We've let them know we're available to them any time they need us, any questions they have," Chernoff said. "We have told them that the medical examiner is free to call us. We'll be available to them. If they have any questions once toxicology comes out. I expect they will have some questions, and we'll be ready to answer them."

Murray found Jackson not breathing in bed when he entered the 50-year-old singer's estate on Thursday, Chernoff said. Jackson did have a slight pulse when Murray found him and tried to resuscitate the singer as he awaited paramedics, a representative with Chernoff's Houston, Texas, law firm said Sunday.

Jackson was rushed to a Los Angeles medical center, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy performed by a county medical examiner was inconclusive, although officials said there were no indications of external trauma or foul play. The Los Angeles County coroner's office has said toxicology results are needed before a cause of death can be determined. That could take four to six weeks.

Detectives impounded Murray's car, which was parked at the singer's rented home. Authorities said the vehicle may contain evidence related to Jackson's death, possibly prescription medications. Police have released no information on what they may have found.

Chernoff said there was nothing in Jackson's medical history that Murray was aware of "that would lead him to believe he would go into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure."

"There was no red flag available to Dr. Murray, which led him to believe he would have died the way he did," Chernoff said. "It's still a mystery how he died to Dr. Murray.

"It was Dr. Murray ... as you know, that requested that the family ask for an autopsy, because he needed to know as well as his physician what caused Michael Jackson to stop breathing."



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