Category: News

LA Police Chief Bill Bratton has not ruled out homicide in the death of Michael Jackson.

In an interview Thursday the chief said, “Are we dealing with homicide? Are we dealing with an accidental overdose?  What are we dealing with?  So as we are standing here speaking, I can tell you, I don’t have that information.”

At this late date, the fact that they haven’t ruled out homicide may be quite telling. At this point, anything can happen. If toxicology reports are contradictory to the rumors and speculation about why Jackson died, the police would be stupid to rule anything out at this point.

Dr. Arnold Klein, the dermatologist treating Michael Jackson,  has confirmed that Jackson not only had vitiligo but he also had a difficult disorder called Lupus.

Klein appeared on ABC and later Larry King Live to discuss a number of issues. He flat-out slapped down the rumor that Jackson was bleaching his skin and even laid a bombshell about former Jackson “friend” Uri Geller’s connection to Martin Bashir. More on that one in the days to come.

The doctor’s revelations come after he became the target of tabloids (glorified tabloids and otherwise)  looking for reasons (real or not) to fuel speculation about Jackson’s death.

Among other things, Klein told King he diagnosed Jackson with Lupus after a friend of Jackson’s recommended him.

“I said ‘you have Lupus erythematosus’, ” Klein said. “Lupus yet. He had a butterfly rash and he also had severe crusting on the anterior portion of his scalp.”

Sometimes you wish the figurative ‘foot in mouth’ expression was literal. If his foot were in his mouth maybe Congressman Peter King wouldn’t have committed such an embarrassing act of slander against the late Michael Jackson.

King said Jackson engaged in “deviant” behavior, called him a “pervert” and “child molester”.  He apparently has no respect for the rule of law or the democratic legal process in this country.

One can ask why King is being so vocal about this now. Often times in politics the loudest mouths are hiding situations of their own. Just ask John Ensign and Mark Sanford about that.

In the midst or retrospectives and tributes, I find myself still a bit too bitter to cry over some of these public Michael Jackson tributes.

Maybe it’s just me but my concern is two-fold. Stars and regular folk alike are publicly expressing their love for Michael Jackson’s music now.  Media are also paying a modicum of attention to things of which they so thoroughly ignored for at least the past 15 years.

What is drawing my ire is the larger scale of what’s going on now after Michael Jackson’s death with the increased interest in his music and skyrocketing music sales.

As fans, observers and/or social commentators, he knew we existed before he died. He knew we loved, adored, cared, and/or supported him BEFORE he left this world.

Apparently people are beginning to remember how brilliant Michael Jackson’s music is after he has passed on. Just in the nick of time, huh? Excuse the snark.

Retailers can’t keep Jackson’s albums on the shelves and continue to report sellouts of everything Michael Jackson related. Many report it’s not Jackson’s generation that’s driving sales, but rather, the younger crowd are snatching up Jackson merchandise left and right.

Breaking records even now, at Billboard Jackson has the top 3 best selling albums in the country with “Thriller” being #1, “The Essential Michael Jackson” at #2, and “Number Ones” coming in at #3 this week.

It is the first time in history, according to Billboard, an older album outsold the number one new album in the country.

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s passing, there is talk about Debbie Rowe possibly seeking custody of Prince and Paris Jackson. But damaging words out of her own mouth may put a wrench in her plans.

No matter what she says now, Rowe has already repeatedly gone on record talking about what a wonderful father Michael Jackson was and how she didn’t want to be a mother.

On Oct 17 2001, Rowe and her lawyer Iris Finsilver appeared at a hearing to officially terminate her parental rights. This following is taken from a motion initiated by Rowe through her attorney.  Because of a procedural problem — a technicality, really — the termination of her parental rights was overturned.