Michael Jackson, who has been holed up in a studio in Burbank, CA for the last few weeks working on rehearsals for his upcoming 50-date residency at the O2 Arena in London, England later on this year, stepped out for a bit of shopping with his masked children — Prince Michael Joseph, Paris Michael Katherine and Prince Michael Joseph, II — in Beverly Hills, CA yesterday unmasked … perhaps in an attempt to prove to the world that he is not suffering from skin cancer as one British report alleges. Additionally, according to TMZ, MJ spent part of his afternoon yesterday dealing with a little matter of a new lawsuit that may hinder his upcoming UK concert stint … just another Friday for the so-called King of Pop:

We’ve learned there was a secret meeting yesterday at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Michael Jackson made it clear — he will not perform with Janet and the Jackson 5; and the dude who organized the concert tour tells us he will sue them. As we first reported, Jacko’s manager signed a deal on behalf of M.J. to perform with his sis and bros at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas in 2010. Part of the deal — that he not sign any other concert deal for 18 months. But then Jacko went and signed up for his London concerts which are scheduled to begin in July. The company that organized the family concert — AllGood Entertainment — got Michael, daddy Joe Jackson and several others in a room yesterday at the Bev Hills Hotel. Joe tried to convince Michael that the family tour should go on, but Michael wouldn’t budge because it would have aired on pay-per-view and M.J. said he doesn’t like pay-per-view! The meeting was heated and no one agreed to anything. Patrick Alloco of AllGood tells us he’s going to sue Jackson and his family next week.

It’s a shame that MJ is vehemently fighting his contractual commitment to perform with his brothers and sister in concert cuz THAT would be a kickass show. But, I’m fairly certain, this impending lawsuit will do nothing to halt his 50-date stint at the O2 Arena. There is no way the promoters of the O2 shows are gonna let anything keep him from getting on that stage when the stint kicks off in July. Michael Jackson sold 1 million tickets in just 4 days … that’s a lot of money. I’m pretty sure that if this lawsuit becomes a real problem, there will be a paid settlement to make it go away. Additionally, I think it’s a very good idea that Jacko keep being seen in public without wearing a mask. The time is drawing very nigh when he’s gonna have to be on stage performing in front of thousands of people on almost a nightly basis. It’s almost time for him to show what he’s got. I can’t wait to see for myself if he is still all that.

[Photo credit: X17; Source]

Now that everyone is worried about contracting the swine flu from going out in public it’s not too surprising to see folks wearing surgical masks these days … so mebbe Michael Jackson thought it would be the perfect opportunity to don is fave mask and take his children — Prince Michael Jackson, Paris Michael Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson, II a.k.a. Blanket — out for a shopping excursion on Melrose Ave. yesterday. Perhaps he thought he might be able to avoid detection by blending it with the other masked shoppers … and he almost got away with it if it weren’t for those fancy red pants he was wearing. Here are a few pics:

Michael Jackson caused a stir in West Hollywood yesterday as he took his three children on a shopping spree. The eccentric pop star enjoyed a chaotic visit to the Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier store with seven-year-old Prince Michael II (known as Blanket), 11-year-old Paris and 12-year-old Prince Michael in tow. The 50-year-old’s children donned school uniforms for the trip and kept their faces covered up with flamboyant carnival masks as they shopped inside. Jackson also opted for the school look and sported a green blazer and red baggy trousers with his trademark surgical mask. After spending over an hour inside the store, the group left the premises while an aide carried their numerous purchases. It was a rare public family outing for the Jackson clan. The star has gone to great lengths to ensure that his children are protected from the media glare and the youngsters’ faces have only been pictured once. Jackson has been locked away in recent months as he rehearses for his 50-night comeback tour at London’s O2 arena this summer.

I always thought it was counterproductive for Jacko to insist that his children wear masks when they go out in public. As I understand it, Jacko wants his kids to wear disguises so that they won’t be targeted by kidnappers. It seems to me that if someone wanted to kidnap his children, they’d know exactly which kids to target … the only kids wearing brightly feathered masks. If you look closely at the insignias on the uniform jackets the kids are wearing, it appears that the logo is an MJ crest of some sort. Clearly, these children are getting the best education possible at the Michael Jackson School of Scholastics. It is so hard not to feel bad for these kids … I cannot even imagine how odd their lives must be.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Michael Jackson, who earlier this week announced a string of concert dates that will take place at London’s O2 Arena this Summer, ventured out in London this weekend to take his kids to a West End performance of Oliver!. Opting to leave his surgical mask and trademark pajamas at home for the outing, Jacko managed to attract a crowd of folks who were anxious to get as close to the self-proclaimed King of Pop as they could, behold:

It was just a trip to the theatre, until Michael Jackson turned up. The pop star, who is in London to launch his series of summer concerts, was mobbed by screaming fans as he took his two youngest children to see Oliver! at Drury Lane. The hysterical scenes began when he left his luxury hotel, The Lanesborough in Knightsbridge. Jackson appeared pleased by the warm reception, smiling and waving at fans. He signed autographs and shook hands before departing in a minibus. And when the flamboyantly dressed star arrived in the West End, the hysteria continued, with bemused audience members filming the crowd on their mobile phones. The youngest two of Jackson’s three children – seven-year-old Prince Michael II (known as Blanket) and 11-year-old Paris, hid their faces as they were escorted through the crowd. Paris wore an embroidered face mask, clutching the hand of her younger brother, who covered his head with a blanket. At the show, the three were joined by Jackson’s friend Mark Lester, who played Oliver in the original 1968 film. Jackson is expected to return to the U.S. this week. But he will be back in Britain in July for a series of ten performances at the O2 Arena. He has promised these dates will be his last ever in the UK, telling fans: ‘This is it.’

And the spectacle didn’t end there. After the show, the Jacksons returned to their hotel where MJ showed off his youngest son Prince Michael Jackson II a.k.a. Blanket from out his hotel window. After the jump, check out the new photo and watch video of that dangerous baby-dangling incident from 7 years ago …

Michael Jackson, fully wrapped from head-to-toe, was spotted out with his youngest child Prince Michael Jackson, II (whom he affectionately refers to as Blanket) on a visit to a medical center in Beverly Hills, CA this week. It’s unclear what exactly the nature of the pair’s visit to the medical center was but both seemed to be in fine spirits as they loaded themselves into their vehicle (well, at least from what we can see thru the veil covering Blanket‘s face and the mask covering Jacko‘s):

As you may or may not know, Blanket got his nickname because MJ had an affinity to cover the child’s head with a blanket at all times of the day, particularly when he was dangling the child over balconies. In recent years, Blanket has graduated from being hidden behind blankets to being hidden behind sheer veils … mebbe it’s time for a new nickname? Also, you can see that an avid fan asked Jackson to sign one of his old record albums which featured artwork that showed Michael Jackson with much darker skin pigmentation — you can understand why that may have been confusing for Jacko. In any event, I hope this trip to the medical center was merely a routine visit and neither one of them is in failing health. When last we saw MJ out and about he was bizzy shopping for his own cds. I cannot wait to see where Jacko and co. will pop up next!

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Here are a few more photos of Michael Jackson and his children — Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II — lookin’ their Halloween best with new masks as they made their way en masse to Borders bookstore in Westwood, CA last night:

You may recall that yesterday we saw that Jacko and the kiddies got a jump-start on their Halloween celebrations this year by doing a bit of trick-or-treating early. Personally, I like these masks much better than their previous masks. I mean, it’s all still very much WTF? but I guess the semi-daily sightings are making them seem more normal? It is Halloween, after all, so … what the hell.

Oh and about that reported Jackson 5 reunion that Jermaine Jackson promised would come in 2009? Yeah, Michael Jackson says that ain’t happening:

Jermaine Jackson made headlines earlier this week, when he hinted that the original members of the Jackson 5 were ready for a comeback album and tour. Alas, Michael Jackson quickly debunked the reunion talk. “My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we’ve certainly shared many great experiences,” the King of Pop said in a statement released by his rep, identified as “Dr. Tohme.” “But at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them. I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon,” he continued. Jackson has been “in L.A. working … and meeting with people like will.i.am,” confirmed one music source, adding, “From what I hear, it’s going really well.”

Of course, none of this surprises me in the least. It seems absolutely impossible for this group of unstable (to say the least) family members to coordinate in any real way that would make a reunion possible. Michael Jackson seems happily ensconced in his own little dream world, flitting about from book store to book store with his costumed children to care at all about working with his family again. We’ve been hearing about these “new projects” for months … years. I’d be shocked if any of the work he’s been reportedly doing with Will.i.am will actually get released. We’ve also heard that Las Vegas big wigs are trying to woo Jacko into undertaking his own Vegas show … I highly doubt that will ever come to be either. I’m sorry, I just have a real hard time believing that Michael Jackson is functionally capable of becoming a performer again. Nothing that I’ve seen or heard from him in the past 10+ years leads me to believe that he is able to reclaim his pretend title as the King of Pop. Altho a bit sad, IMHO, at least he seems happy in his new life with his children. At long last he has a group of kids who he can play with and no outside force can come in and ruin that relationship. Of course, his kids are growing up fast … he better enjoy the playtime while he still can.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Halloween isn’t until tomorrow (Happy Devils’ Night Day, BTW) but it looks like Michael Jackson‘s kids Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II have already begun their Halloween celebrations. Jacko took his kiddies out on the streets of Hollywood, CA last night to do some early trick-or-treating … unfortch, no one was available to hand out any candy — so they just looked freaky for nothing. Here are pics of Jackson and his three children last night:

I know it’s de rigueur for the Jackson clan to venture out in public wearing interesting masks to cover their faces but the kiddies have been allowed to actually show their faces in recent months so it’s a bit odd to see them all covered up again. It don’t even matter that we’re so close to Halloween … anything these poor kids do in association with their father is strange. It’s so sad how creepy they all seem. I really do feel sorry for these kids.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Michael Jackson and his three children, Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, have surfaced this week here in the SoCal area and were spotted at The Golden Apple comic book store in LA. Even tho Halloween is still a couple of weeks away, Jackson and his kids still decided to don their masks of choice for the shopping excursion … much to the bewilderment of the other patrons of the store:

Not for the first time, Michael Jackson sent jaws dropping during a outing in Los Angeles. The singer took his three children – Prince Michael, 11, Paris, ten, and Prince Michael II, six – shopping this week dressed as masked Halloween characters. And never one to be left out, Jackson looked scarier than ever in a surgical mask, giant black sunglasses and a hooded jumper. The family, who are rarely seen in public, browsed a comic book store together after slipping in through a back door. When Jackson turned 50 in August he said he likes nothing more than spending time with his children. “I’m raising my children and enjoying it and teaching them to ride bicycles and how to read. I love it.” The former child star also said his kids are enjoying freedom he never had at their age. I let them go to the arcade and go to the movies and do things. I want them to get to do the kind of things I didn’t get to do,” he added. The children removed their masked once inside the store, giving onlookers a rare glimpse at their faces. Prince Michael wore cream shorts, white trainers and a black hooded jacket on the outing while sister Paris wore a red jumper, shirt and black trousers … Jackson’s third child Prince Michael II [wore] long black hair, green pyjamas and a dark coat.

I’m sorry but this entire family is creepy, y’all. I mean … they just seem really out there. The last time we saw Jacko and his kids out in public was back in July when they surfaced at a bookstore in Las Vegas, NV (you may recall that Michael Jackson was in a wheelchair at the time, good to see he’s able to walk on his own two feet these days). I’m constantly flummoxed by everything I see from Michael Jackson and his kids … it’s hard to remember the man at the height of his glory. He is so incredibly odd now. I cannot imagine what life must be like for these children. I just hope they are happy. I mean … yeah. Wow.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

There have been rumors going around that Michael Jackson relocated his family to Las Vegas, NV in the hopes of staging a huge comeback with his very own Vegas show (a la Céline Dion at Caesar’s Palace) but thus far there has been no movement and not a single sign that this Vegas show thing is ever going to happen … especially notsomuch after new photos of the so-called King of Pop have surfaced of the man, covered head to toe, was seen being wheeled around in a wheelchair to and from a Barnes and Noble bookstore (with his three kids in tow) in LV recently:

Pictured on a visit to a toy and book shop near his current home in Las Vegas, the singer was slumped in a wheelchair wearing pyjamas, a dreadlocked wig, a surgeon’s mask, a baseball cap and sunglasses. Such theatre was presumably designed to prevent shoppers from discovering his true identity. The irony is of course that Jackson is now better known for wearing such ludicrous disguises than not. Indeed he would have stood a much better chance of not being noticed had he strode into the shop without any disguise – and had not pulled up in four cars filled with his eight-strong security team. It remained unclear last night whether Jackson, who is most famous for his footwork and in particular his moonwalk, actually needs the wheelchair to get around or whether he was just using it as a prop … He has been spotted both with and without the chair in recent weeks. He has battled numerous health problems over the years, having being diagnosed with lupus and vitiligo and the amount of surgery he has had has rendered him unrecognizable from his former self … The last time he was in the chair was to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas in May at the MGM Grand hotel. On that occasion, he also draped a coat around his face to try to disguise himself. But as always, the peculiar appearance only drew more attention to himself. On this occasion, Jackson arrived with his three children, who were unusually unmasked, and headed straight for the children’s book section, where he remained alone for some time. An eyewitness said: “They arrived at the Barnes and Nobel shop in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon. First Michael was in the childrens’ section on his own in the wheelchair reading books. The three children were at another table with the bodyguards. He was in the children’s section for about half an hour. He then went to the music section and was sitting in the chair looking through various books. But this time the children were in the children’s section. Then he pushed himself around in the wheelchair for a while and ended up in the magazine section. He was in the shop for about two hours in total. There was no special treatment. The shop was not closed to the public at any point. There were quite a few members of the public in the shop who knew he was there but no one approached him. To be honest, he looked a bit weird wheeling himself around covered up in a surgeon’s mask and that is probably what freaked people out to not want to approach him. When they left the shop, the children came out first and he was wheeled out behind them. He never left the wheelchair at any point in the shop.” A Jackson family friend indicated last night that the wheelchair was indeed needed for a recurring back problem that Jackson has had ever since his performing days. “He has a problem with his back which surfaces from time to time,” the friend said. Jackson is currently living in Las Vegas trying to land a residency at one of the big venues in the city to clear massive debts he has accrued.

This man’s entire life is just so strange, so utterly bizarre. I am not at all surprised that no one tried to approach him … I mean, what does one even have to say to Michael Jackson anymore? I like your face mask? It is such a shame that he and Madonna are practically the same age — she is about to embark on her most recent world tour, full of entertaining pomp and circumstance and he has been reduced to being pushed around in wheelchairs at local bookstores. I contend that this “Vegas comeback” will never come to fruition. The insurance alone to cover any sort of crazed carnival that he might want to bring to the stage would be enough to turn off investors (oh, but can you just imagine what a Jackson Vegas Show might look like?). The man appears to have lost all connection with rationality, it’s really very sad. After the jump, check out a photo of Jackson’s three children — Prince Michael Jackson, Paris Michael Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson, II (better known to the world as Blanket) …