628tigerlily

Exclusive: La Toya Jackson: “I’m Not Crazy” http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/ne...ot-crazy-201118 I admit it: La Toya has always been one of my favorite Jacksons ever since we first met at a mutual friend's wedding many years ago (and I've known her entire family). So it makes me mad when people don't get how fantastically warm, witty and hilarious she is. But finally fans are now getting a big taste of all of that though by reading her new tell-all autobiography, Starting Over, and listening to her new album (of the same name). I just caught up with Toya in NYC to discuss her new projects, some longheld misconceptions about her and how her legendary bro Michael's kids are doing. UsMagazine.com: Why did you want to write the book? La Toya Jackson: This book was written for people who have endured abuse. Women cannot allow men to rob their self-esteem and self-worth. I want them to know that they can use their voice to make a change. When women saw my 20/20 episode they wanted to hear the rest of my story. That is when I put pen to paper and just said, 'I need to do something about this.' Us: How long did it take you to write the book? LJ: I started writing the book in February 2008 and finished 2 months ago. I put it on the back burner because I didn’t want people to think, 'oh she is putting the book out because people are talking about Janet's Super Bowl incident and Michael's court appearance.' Unfortunately Michael passed so I waited until everything was straightened out. The company wanted me to incorporate Michael and I realized he is a part of my life and he just passed so people are going to think I was selfish if I didn't include him. Us: What do you think is the biggest misconception that you hope the book clears up? LJ: People think I am crazy. I tell myself, 'I know who I am and as long as God knows who I am, that is all that matters. God knows that I am a good person. I don't care what other people think. That is what kept me sane because if I thought about what others think about me, I would crush, cry, and die. Us: Are you jealous of Michael and Janet's success? LJ: Absolutely not. I am proud of my siblings for making a tremendous mark in history and weaving their way to the top. I never wanted a musical career, it was my father who said, 'no you are going to do this.' I studied business law in school and he kicked me out and said, 'no you are going to be like everybody else.' Us: Do you feel bad when lies get printed about the family? LJ: I do but that is the way the business works and you have to brush it off. It is like water moving on a ducks back, you just keep moving forward. Us: What do you think are the most powerful messages in your album? LJ: The album is about the pain I endured while with Gordon. My family would wonder, 'who is making her do Playboy?' Who is making her say these things? He would threaten to kill Michael and I if I didn't say the things he wanted. I was submissive because he would beat me and control me and lock me in closets. I had the opportunity to start over again but my brother did not have that opportunity and that is what hurts more than anything else. The angel came out after I was free. Us: Have you ever thought of finding a boyfriend? LJ: Growing up as a Jehovah Witness, I was taught that you don't date unless you have marriage in mind. I still have the values but I am not associated with any organized religion. I have my faith with God and I am spiritual. I have a best friend by the name of Jeffre Phillips who I simply adore. He is a wonderful person. We click very well and we are best friends. We think alike which is great. Us: Do you feel like you were burned from marriage after Jack? LJ: When I left him, I thought I don't ever want to see another man for the rest of my life. In my mind it wasn't my fault but if it happens again it's my fault because I could've learned from my mistakes. There has never been a real interest to remarry because of the pain I endured. I overlook that and try not to care about things of that nature. Us: Was that the same case for Michael? LJ: It wasn't that he was hurt but he had no interest. His career came first. Us: What do you think is going to end up happening with Michael's estate? LJ: My brother told me he did not want Sony and John Branca involved in his life. These people came into my brother's life a week prior to his death. If you follow the money trail and the people handling everything, you will know what happened to my brother. Our family has nothing to do with this estate. Us: How has the mourning process been? LJ: It is difficult because I want justice for my brother and I want his children to have everything he left them. It is unfair that the people he had eradicated from his life are the people who came back and are controlling his estate. Us: How have the children reconnected with the family? LJ: Before they were traveling so we would see them when we visited Neverland. They are resilient. They lost their father and they really didn't have a mother that they knew. It is nice to be with them. I speak to them all the time and we text back and forth. I want them to be wherever Michael wanted them to be. I want them to be the best at whatever they chose to be. Us: What are the children like? LJ: Prince is exceptionally smart and loves excelling. He is at the age where he listens to all types of music. Paris is brilliant too. She is taller than I am and boy they grow fast. Blanket is simply adorable. Us: How are Paris and Prince adjusting to school? LJ: Blanket wants whatever his father wanted for him and dad wanted him to be home schooled so he is going to keep it that way. I see a major difference in Paris and Prince since they've been going to school. They are open to conversation. They are learning about the world, and they know a lot more than I do. When you keep kids secluded and confined and they are smart but at the end of the day, it is the real world you have to deal with. Us: How are the children enjoying their freedom? LJ: Michael did not want them to be exposed to the world because he felt that the world was corrupted. When they speak to me I just listen and go, 'oh really what makes you think that?' I never bring a subject up that is too personal because I want them to feel comfortable. They are going to the movies and doing all the things their dad restricted them from doing. Before they could only watch the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon when it was allotted to them once or twice a week for an hour. He spent time telling them, 'what book did you read today? Read another book.' Us: What happens when they hear something about their dad? LJ: They love listening to his music. I would cry and beg them to turn it off, because the memory is there. When working on songs he would ask me, 'LaToya, how should I sing this?' I would go, 'change it to falsetto or sing it this way or you should wear a suit with white socks and pull your pants up.' People didn't know and if I told them they would never believe it. The songs touch me now more than ever. Us: Have you ever wanted kids yourself? LJ: When I was 16-years-old I used to tell people, 'I am going to adopt because there are kids in the world that need help and I can provide for them.' Then I got trapped in this silly relationship that I couldn't get out of and who would want children during that? I would still love to adopt children. There are kids out there who need love and I can give them that nurture and care. Us: Do you have any future plans? LJ: I have to complete the last full album. I want music out of my system and I want to focus on business. I love to sing behind the scenes. I have perfume coming out called Simply La Toya in addition to a purse line. We have this product called ASAP (Auto Spa Amazing Products), which allows you to wash your car seven times without using water. Your car looks like you just drove it out of the car wash. I named my Celebrity Apprentice team after the product.

He is cute

OMG that video is everything!

Yes paps take pics of other celebrity kids all the time.

Michael Jackson's family plans tribute concert Los Angeles (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's mother and four of her of children called a news conference in Beverly Hills on Monday to announce a concert "in honor of one of the greatest and most loved entertainers of our time." While a news release avoided using Michael Jackson's name, the website of the company that issued it promoted a "Michael Forever The Tribute Concert." Executors for the late pop singer's estate were unaware of the planned tribute and have not been approached to authorize the use of his name, estate spokesman Jim Bates told CNN on Monday. The show, which is to be produced in London by a British company, will "feature the world's most amazing music performers," the release said. Some of them will presumably be revealed at the news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Monday. Along with matriarch Katherine Jackson, brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie, and sister La Toya Jackson were scheduled to attend the announcement, the release said. The brothers recently began planning for a possible Jackson reunion show, Jermaine Jackson told CNN last month. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebr...ribute.concert/

ADORABLE!!! i love valentina's curly hair

she is so stunning, it's crazy!

Janet Jackson personally yours Janet Jackson will get intimate with her Australian fans in an upcoming theatre tour. NUI TE KOHA reveals how the star is continuing to evolve TWENTY-five years have passed since Janet Jackson first asserted she was in command. "It's all about control," she said on her breakthrough album, Control. "And I've got lots of it." It certainly seemed that way. By then, Jackson had eloped with, married and split from singer James De Barge. She had also severed management ties with her father, Joseph. But Control, with hits including Nasty, What Have You Done For Me Lately, The Pleasure Principle, and When I Think of You, confirmed Jackson, the youngest child in the famous musical dynasty, had taken charge. Jackson, a superstar for four decades, now 45, reflects on those times. "I was a young adult coming into my own and wanted to carve my own niche in the world," she says. "I wanted to be in control of my life, my loves, my song, my dance. "But I have so much that I still want to accomplish," Jackson says. "I am continuing to evolve." We are at London's Royal Albert Hall, where Jackson's latest tour, Number Ones: Up Close and Personal, perfectly showcases her superstar evolution. The show is exactly what it says - a greatest hits set at close range, in intimate venues Jackson has never played before. "It's been so much fun to perform for the fans in this way. "I can see everyone's faces during the show and I get so much energy from them." The set list runs the full gamut of No.1 hits including Miss You Much, Alright, That's the Way Love Goes, Rhythm Nation and All for You. Jackson, a troupe of dancers and unrelenting visuals keep the show at full pace. Indeed, at times, Jackson's new show is so inclusive, and the stage ramps dip so low, the crowd almost becomes part of the act. Yet, Jackson has always confided in her audience and this is no different. Her albums, particularly after The Velvet Rope, have often addressed Jackson's issues with low self-esteem. She has also written a self-help book, True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself. "There are a few issues I thought I grew past, but when writing the book I learned that there was still some work that I needed to do," she says. "Most of us struggle with something. The most important thing is to recognise when I'm dealing with it so I can accept where I am and move on." Jackson said her low self-esteem and body issues date back to the popular sitcom Good Times, which ran from 1974 to 1979. Producers asked then child actor Jackson to lose weight for her role on the show. She was 10 years old. "On my first day of work, I went to wardrobe and they bound my chest," she says. "I was developing early and all I remember is that I was not acceptable the way I was." Jackson is troubled by recent trends in which Hollywood stars are eating paper tissues to stay thin. "I know of people who do this," she says. "It's very disturbing and sad that society puts unrealistic demands on how we should look. "It has taken me a good while, but I am happy with who I am now." Jackson is also comfortable to be single. She was married to De Barge, Rene Elizondo and dated Jermaine Dupri for seven years. "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Jackson says, laughing. "No, really, I've learned that I love to be in a relationship, but I have to be happy with myself." Jackson is now reportedly in a love match with Qatari billionaire Wissim Al Mana. She does not discount having children in the future. "I'm very romantic," Jackson says. "As far as being a mum, if it is in God's plan, I would love to be a mum one day." THERE is another message of destiny in Jackson's show, too - that, one day, she will be reunited with her late brother, Michael, who died two years ago. It comes in an uplifting yet emotional version of Together Again. "What I'd give just to hold you close, as on Earth, in heaven we'll be together," she sings as family album photographs of Michael and Janet shine above her. "Everywhere I go, every smile I see, I know you are there, smiling back at me." Janet politely deflects detailed questions about Michael in this interview, but explains the reasons behind a virtual duet with her brother, of their hit Scream, in the show. "I wanted to give something to the fans, who, like our family, are grieving," she says. "Performing with Mike is therapeutic and makes me smile inside. The energy is fierce, but it makes me smile when I hear him." Backstage, in the cold labyrinth of the Royal Albert Hall, Jackson holds court with confidence and ease. Is it still about control - and lots of it? "Now that I'm older, I've come to see that God is the one who is really in control of things," she says. "And that's fine by me." http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/sunday-he...f-1226095715042

Mark at the Harry Potter premiere in NYC

Jackson doctor's LA court hearing postponed By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent – 3 days ago LOS ANGELES (AP) — A hearing in the criminal case of Michael Jackson's doctor has been postponed because lawyers are bogged down viewing hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage from the singer's "This Is It" concert. In a conference with attorneys on Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor accepted the requests to delay a July 12 hearing to July 20. He said he wants to know then when the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray can go forward. It is now set for Sept. 8. Prosecutors want to show jurors clips from the posthumous feature film "This Is It" to prove Jackson was healthy in the days before his death. The defense wants to show he was ill. Murray, a Houston cardiologist with an office in Las Vegas, is accused of giving the superstar an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives when he could not sleep. Jackson died on June 15, 2009, in his rented Beverly Hills mansion where Murray had been attending him. Murray has pleaded not guilty. The transcript of the conference with the judge and attorneys was released on Thursday. Attorneys indicated it will take weeks for them to view all of the relevant video recordings of Jackson. They said they have been working every day since June 28 and have gotten through only one of 21 boxes of materials. "So far, we have found a lot of important stuff," said defense attorney Nareg Gourjian. Attorneys have been barred from discussing publicly any evidence they find in the videos. Prosecutor Deborah Brazil said she has been working along with Gourjian, defense attorney Ed Chernoff, Sony lawyer Kevin Vick and a technician going through material on computer hard drives. Gourjian, who originally estimated there were 100 hours of footage from rehearsals, said he now believes there is much more. "There are about eight to ten different cameras that were recording the rehearsals and each one has different views and different footage," he said. "So it is critical that we review the footage from each camera." http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...42b9b541e8e2c5b

I love Lucy!

i love this look

those are different, i like!

Review of Janet Jackson at The Grand Canal Theatre on July 5th 2011 Janet Jackson brought her Number 1s: Up Close & Personal tour to the Grand Canal Theatre on Tuesday night. Prior to the show she dedicated ‘Lets Wait Awhile’ to ‘the beautiful people of Dublin’, who incidentally have been waiting awhile for Ms Jackson to perform on these shores. The band all in white, took their places as excitable fans shrieked at the thought of their icon being merely minutes away. As Janet appeared on stage, looking more like 25 than 45 in a simple black vest and skinny jeans, the crowd took to their feet as she launched in to hits including ‘Principle of Pleasure’, ‘Control’, ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately’, ‘Feedback’ and ‘Nasty’. The choreography definitely a highlight of the show, with each dancer in perfect time, all the while interacting with her adoring fans in the front row. When she left the stage for a well deserved breather, clips from her various TV and film appearances were played to the bemused crowd. Possibly shown to display Janet’s vast career yet I feel it just left a lot of the crowd scratching their heads. The next set was a complete contrast to the first, as Janet slowed the pace down with her sugary candle-lit ballad section including ’Nothing’, ‘Let’s Wait A While’ and ‘Again’. We were treated to another video montage, this time of various scantily clad pics of Janet. Picking up the pace with the likes of ‘Doesn’t Really Matter’ and ‘All For You’ Janet proves it’s not just intimate venues that this tour is called Up Close & Personal for, as she has a cheeky grope here and there of her male dancers. ‘Scream’ gets the crowd going wild as it is accompanied with the video starring Michael, followed by the infamous ‘Rhythm Nation’. As Together Again begins there isn’t a bum left on a seat, it has a tinge of bitter sweetness as family photos of Michael and Janet are shown on the screen. Thanking the audience for their support and acknowledging that Ireland was one of MJ’s favourite places, she seems genuinely touched by the audiences reaction. Although there was a lack of pyrotechnics, costume changes or outrageous staging, I don’t think anyone was left unimpressed with the show. http://www.goldenplec.com/2011/07/08/revie...-canal-theatre/

Happy Belated Birthday Sean, can't believe he's already 22!

the best she has looked in a while!

Janet Jackson revives brother's memories with virtual duet Janet Jackson is opening up for the first time about a duet with her brother that she's reviving two years after his death. Jackson took to the stage in London on Thursday and performed their 1995 song Scream as video of Michael Jackson played and his voice filled Royal Albert Hall. The reworked duet follows in the footsteps of jazz pianist and singer Nat King Cole and his daughter, Natalie Cole. In 1991 she turned her father's famous 1961 recording "Unforgettable" into a father-daughter duet. Janet Jackson said she did the original duet at the request of her brother years ago. "I was on the Rhythm Nation tour and Mike actually asked me to do a song with him and I told him no. I didn't want to do it. I felt I hadn't come into my own and I hadn't fully made a name for myself ... and I didn't want to ride anyone's coattails," she said. "And I remember being in the Janet Tour a few good years later and he asked me again if I would do a song with him. And I felt, at that point, I'd carved my own little niche in this world of music and I felt okay, I can do this now and that's how it came about." Jackson said that performing the song alongside her brother again isn't difficult. "It feels great -- just listening to and hearing his voice," she said, adding that on stage she finds herself, "remembering the experience of recording it." Jackson decline to comment to the press on the two-year mark of her brother's death, instead taking to social media this week with a simple message on Twitter on the June 25 anniversary: "I miss you, I love you." Jackson wraps up the European leg of her tour this week then heads to North America, Australia and Africa. http://hottorhottmess.blogspot.com/2011/07...s-memories.html

Latoya with her niece Paris and Kathy Hilton

happy birthday to the beautiful princess Di

i love his voice, it' deeper than i expected.

another reason to love brazil