City of Gary, Ind. Paid $5,000 in Airfare for Joe Jackson, Seven Others to Attend Tribute for the Late Michael Jackson

Gary, Indiana Mayor Rudy Clay presents Joe Jackson, with a plaque during a memorial service for Michael July 10, 2009.
(Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images / July 10, 2009)

Once again, Joe Jackson, the father of the late Michael Jackson, has shown that he has no class. Rudy Clay, the mayor of Gary, Indiana, said his cash-strapped city paid $5,000 to fly Joe Jackson and seven other people out from Los Angeles to attend a memorial for his son in July. It seems like Joe Jackson, Latoya Jackson and Jermaine Jackson just won't go away and grieve in private like the rest of the family.

While city money helped pay to fly Jackson, the musical group the Chi-Lites and security from Los Angeles to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Clay said donations already made or promised to the city will cover all of the memorial's expenses.

He said Gary is currently about $2,000 short of breaking even on the memorial's costs, though he could not provide the total cost for the tribute held at a minor league baseball park.

Clay said Joe Jackson never asked for help to pay for the trip to the city he moved his family away from in 1969 after the Jackson 5 recorded their first album.

Instead, Clay said he offered to pay airfare for Jackson as well as the Chi-Lites so that the group, whose lead singer Marshall Thompson is launching a new record label with Jackson, could accompany the Jackson family patriarch. Source: Breitbart

The last thing this city needed to spend its scarce resources on was a trip for Joe Jackson and his "posse" to visit Gary. I am appalled at the mayor for making such an offer, but not surprised that Joe Jackson, who shamelessly plugged a new record label on the red carpet at the BET Awards days after his son's death, would even accept such an offer. Sorry, but that $5,000 could have been used to service some of the needs of the city.

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Katherine Jackson Loses Temporary Control over Michael Jackson's Estate, Judge Rules Will Valid, Leaves John Branca, John McClain in Control

Pool Photographer/Getty Images

The keys to the estate of Michael Jackson has just been taken away from his mother, Katherine Jackson. Over her objections, a Probate Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff today ruled that Michael Jackson's 2002 will is indeed valid and that, per the late entertainer's wishes, attorney John Branca and veteran music executive John McClain are the executors of his estate. Ouch. Joe Jackson just came up empty, for all the obvious reasons.

Lawyers for Jackson's mother wanted Judge Mitchell Beckloff to delay the decision. One of her lawyers, John Schreiber, argued that "there is concern over handing over the keys to the kingdom so quickly." Her attorneys also suggested that because McClain suffers from a disability, he is unfit to make decisions on Michael's estate, which is estimated to be worth more than $500 million. But Beckloff wasn't having any of those shenanigans. He refused, telling Schreiber, "Someone needs to be at the helm of the ship."

Katherine Jackson had been appointed temporary executor last week, when the family still believed the star had died without a will. That didn't last long because Branca surfaced with a five-page document written several years ago, that established him and McClain as executors.

Court spokesman Alan Paranchini confirmed that another will, dated from 1997, was filed with the court, also listing Branca as executor. But Katherine Jackson's co-counsels, Londell McMillan and Burt Levitch, said they didn't expect the judge's ruling to be affected, because the 2002 document would trump any older document.

Beckloff said he believed Branca and McClain would act in the best interest of the estate and be best equipped to sort through various complicated legal and financial problems, ranging from lingering IOUs and lawsuits to the fate of Jackson's biggest asset, his 50 percent stake in the Beatles' song catalog. There is no reason why Joe Jackson should be able to get his hands on the estate of Michael Jackson in a roundabout way.

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RadarOnline: $25 Charge To Attend Michael Jackson Memorial at Staples Center July 7th

It is being reported by RadarOnline.com that fans who wish to attend Michael Jackson's star-studded memorial service at Staples Center will have to shell out $25 to sit in the stands. Family, friends and VIPS will have seats at no charge on the main floor for The Tuesday, July 7th Staples service, while the general public will be plucking down cash to sit in the stands, where they won't be able to see much of anything without giant television screens.

Michael Jackson's close friend Elizabeth Taylor is expected to attend, along with Diana Ross. T-shirts that were going to be sold on Michael's upcoming "This Is It" tour will not go to waste. They will be sold outside Staples to people entering the service.

The service will be held between 10am PST and noon PST. Personally, thousands of fans will be only too happy to pony up the $25. I would only hope this tackiness isn't attributable to Joe Jackson. I know that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived, but this is fast becoming a circus with no end in sight.

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Joe Jackson Reportedly Left Out of Michael Jackson Will in Longtime Lawyer John Branca's Possession

nationalphotogroup.com; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The question of whether Michael Jackson had a valid will at the time of his death may have been answered and probably complicated the situation a little more. Yesterday, his parents Joe and Katherine Jackson sought control of his estate, claiming in court documents that he died without a will. Um, not so fast. One drafted in 2002 has surfaced. According to the Wall Street Journal, the document, which will no doubt lead to a lengthy and ferocious legal battle in the months to come, divides the superstar's estate among his mother, his three children (Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II) and at least one charity. This is a major slap to Joe Jackson, who wasn't named as an heir in this will.

It's unclear what custody arrangements, if any, Jackson made for his three children. But a court ruling yesterday gave temporary guardianship to Katherine. The will, drafted by Jackson's longtime attorney John Branca, may be filed in probate court as early as Thursday. So far, the family has not made any comments about this latest turn of events.

Branca reportedly represented the singer from 1980 to 2006, and was rehired by Jackson just one week before his sudden death. Branca and music exec John McClain, a longtime friend of Jackson, are named as executors.

According to the Wall Street Journal, while the pop icon died with roughly $500 million in debt, his assets are believed to dwarf that staggering figure by $200 million. Don't cry for Jackson because among his more prized assets are a 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and Mijac, a publishing catalog that includes both Jackson's and the Beatles' canons.

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