You and I are both old enough to know this image also has an androgynous look to it...

dag said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

History lesson.................

Today in 1983 The Thriller album hit number #1 on the album charts where it stayed there for a record 37 weeks...It was the first album to feature 7 billboard top 100 singles. The hits included "Billie Jean","Beat It" & "Wanna Be Startin Somethin". Thriller won a record breaking 8 Grammy's for MJ....

[img:$uid]http://pic80.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2084/9118410/23349317/393404562.jpg[/img:$uid]

[Edited 2/26/13 8:20am]

I am not that crazy about the photoshoots he did with this photographer, but I LOOOOOOOOOVE this picture. TOO HOT!

One of my favorite pics too, as a matter of fact this picture is my cell phone's wallpaper right now!

i knew some "family" member was reaping a tidy profit off of prince when it was first reported. i had assumed that it was katherine.

it is just stomach turning to know how close latoya has gotten to these kids. i actually agree with friedman. no one in that family cared for mj or cares for those kids. you'd think that that so-called guardian, tj, who was witness to his aunt's behavior toward his uncle, would be the one person who would stand up for mj after all he did for him and his brothers. you'd think he would be the one who would tell prince that he is not allowed to be in this business until he has reached 18 and made sure he had a good manager, take him aside and explain who latoya really is.

nope, not even him. then again, he was a part of that "tribute" concert. he can't have the excuse of youth and being too young to know. i'm sure he knows now about the scam perpetrated in his uncle's name, and how latoya was a part of that. but he got paid, and he's gotten the executors to pay him out his $9K/mo., so i suppose in his world, it's all good.

i feel so sorry for mj and so so so sorry for his kids.

Exactly kibbles! I can only hope that Prince knows and is aware enough to see through LaToya's self-serving manipulation and smart enough to play the game. Since he does have an interest in being in the industry as a filmmaker, perhaps he is looking at these TV appearances as more opportunities to further his education of the field and perhaps that's why he goes along with it. When he feels he's gained enough knowledge and resources, then maybe he might kick auntie dearest to the curb. At least, that's what I hope.

NaughtyKitty said:

dag said:

One of my favorite pics too, as a matter of fact this picture is my cell phone's wallpaper right now!

i knew some "family" member was reaping a tidy profit off of prince when it was first reported. i had assumed that it was katherine.

it is just stomach turning to know how close latoya has gotten to these kids. i actually agree with friedman. no one in that family cared for mj or cares for those kids. you'd think that that so-called guardian, tj, who was witness to his aunt's behavior toward his uncle, would be the one person who would stand up for mj after all he did for him and his brothers. you'd think he would be the one who would tell prince that he is not allowed to be in this business until he has reached 18 and made sure he had a good manager, take him aside and explain who latoya really is.

nope, not even him. then again, he was a part of that "tribute" concert. he can't have the excuse of youth and being too young to know. i'm sure he knows now about the scam perpetrated in his uncle's name, and how latoya was a part of that. but he got paid, and he's gotten the executors to pay him out his $9K/mo., so i suppose in his world, it's all good.

i feel so sorry for mj and so so so sorry for his kids.

Exactly kibbles! I can only hope that Prince knows and is aware enough to see through LaToya's self-serving manipulation and smart enough to play the game. Since he does have an interest in being in the industry as a filmmaker, perhaps he is looking at these TV appearances as more opportunities to further his education of the field and perhaps that's why he goes along with it. When he feels he's gained enough knowledge and resources, then maybe he might kick auntie dearest to the curb. At least, that's what I hope.

La Toya (who I have corrsponded with on You Tube), looks so much like MJ. It may comfort his kids to look at her

^ that makes sense, I recall Latoya saying in an interview too that she would think of mj when looking in the mirror and crying, after his death.

That's sad. It use to be a rumor that Michael & Janet was the same person.Mj even addressed it on a award show once. When Janet presented him with an award.But to me its La Toya who looks more like the same person...

Though I know mj addressed it, I almost forgot about that rumor coming up every slow news day in the 90's. The Latoya rumor was there in the 90's too though.

alphastreet said:

^ that makes sense, I recall Latoya saying in an interview too that she would think of mj when looking in the mirror and crying, after his death.

They do look alike, they had similar features all their life really.

Definitely have the same baby hairs

Latoya was sooo beautiful, I still think she is though she did go overboard too.

And I love those mj baby hairs

Prince tried to holla @ La toya before

alphastreet said:

Latoya was sooo beautiful, I still think she is though she did go overboard too.

And I love those mj baby hairs

Agree. Latoya was quite beautiful back in the day.

alphastreet said:

Latoya was sooo beautiful, I still think she is though she did go overboard too.

And I love those mj baby hairs

Both of them were really beautiful In 1980-1984, IMHO

Is that Grace Jones???

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

NaughtyKitty said:

Exactly kibbles! I can only hope that Prince knows and is aware enough to see through LaToya's self-serving manipulation and smart enough to play the game. Since he does have an interest in being in the industry as a filmmaker, perhaps he is looking at these TV appearances as more opportunities to further his education of the field and perhaps that's why he goes along with it. When he feels he's gained enough knowledge and resources, then maybe he might kick auntie dearest to the curb. At least, that's what I hope.

i doubt it, naughty. i really do. as my mother said when mj died, those kids were too young, were too sheltered, and they're basically going to be no better off than their father.

it's pretty known that mj didn't bring his kids around the family too often; i believe that they barely even knew the cousins they're hanging out with now. that speaks volumes, but i doubt that mj went through the trouble of telling the kids the reasons for that. it's just like with my mother. now that i'm waaaay grown, i'm finding out things about some older cousins that i didn't know when i was little, b/c my mother never told me b/c i was too young to know a lot of things. i have to say, finding out about some of their behavior now has been really shocking to me. but back in the day, when i was little, i thought my cousins were great. i had no idea about their true characters, and if i had been my mother, i don't think i would have allowed them to be around me and my brother. (but my mother is far nicer than i am. )

it's worse with w/prince and paris. in my case, my mother just kept her mouth shut about my cousins' business, and their influence over me never came close to eclipsing my mother's. here, you have a known vulture, who's been circling these kids since their father went into his crypt. she has been all on t.v., lying about their dad, lying about their financial circumstances, lying, lying, lying her ass off. i'm not sure that the kids know the extent of what she did in the first few months of their dad's death, and now it's water under the bridge. all they know now is she is their "loving auntie" who's looking out for them. i'm sure that they know that their father wouldn't have wanted them to be doing this now, but they're doing it, anyway. why? b/c they've been influenced *away* from anything their father held dear. after four short years, their father has become a memory and a myth, and everyone else - latoya, tj, katherine, the jackson brothers - have been feeding them a line which is contrary to a lot of facts for their own benefits. for example, do you think if prince knew the real deal behind the victory tour, he would be repping that nonsense by wearing his uncle's sorry-assed t-shirts? i would hope not, but as i say, mj has become a memory and myth to him (imho).

kibbles said:

NaughtyKitty said:

i doubt it, naughty. i really do. as my mother said when mj died, those kids were too young, were too sheltered, and they're basically going to be no better off than their father.

it's pretty known that mj didn't bring his kids around the family too often; i believe that they barely even knew the cousins they're hanging out with now. that speaks volumes, but i doubt that mj went through the trouble of telling the kids the reasons for that. it's just like with my mother. now that i'm waaaay grown, i'm finding out things about some older cousins that i didn't know when i was little, b/c my mother never told me b/c i was too young to know a lot of things. i have to say, finding out about some of their behavior now has been really shocking to me. but back in the day, when i was little, i thought my cousins were great. i had no idea about their true characters, and if i had been my mother, i don't think i would have allowed them to be around me and my brother. (but my mother is far nicer than i am. )

it's worse with w/prince and paris. in my case, my mother just kept her mouth shut about my cousins' business, and their influence over me never came close to eclipsing my mother's. here, you have a known vulture, who's been circling these kids since their father went into his crypt. she has been all on t.v., lying about their dad, lying about their financial circumstances, lying, lying, lying her ass off. i'm not sure that the kids know the extent of what she did in the first few months of their dad's death, and now it's water under the bridge. all they know now is she is their "loving auntie" who's looking out for them. i'm sure that they know that their father wouldn't have wanted them to be doing this now, but they're doing it, anyway. why? b/c they've been influenced *away* from anything their father held dear. after four short years, their father has become a memory and a myth, and everyone else - latoya, tj, katherine, the jackson brothers - have been feeding them a line which is contrary to a lot of facts for their own benefits. for example, do you think if prince knew the real deal behind the victory tour, he would be repping that nonsense by wearing his uncle's sorry-assed t-shirts? i would hope not, but as i say, mj has become a memory and myth to him (imho).

These kids still sound waaay too smart to think what MJ instilled in them isn't still there. Never do the Jackson family sound like these kids in their interviews. And it's not like the kids are knowingly doing crap projects. With Paris's jokey film she thinks she's saving the planet and shit. That doesn't sound like MJ? Or yesterday I was retweeted one of Paris's tweet where she knocks the Harlem shake craze and questioned why aren't people thinking. No way in hell would any Jackson say something like this. And Prince did say on Friday's ET show that he wants to go to USC to study filmmkaking. That sure as hell isn't a Jackson family move, so that's why I say these kids still have what MJ instilled in them.

The problem is they aren't being advised very well. If they just have to get into this showbiz thing they at least should have some respectable people behind them, but this stupid family has allowed Latoya and her slimey comapny to represent Prince.

mookie said:

These kids still sound waaay too smart to think what MJ instilled in them isn't still there. Never do the Jackson family sound like these kids in their interviews. And it's not like the kids are knowingly doing crap projects. With Paris's jokey film she thinks she's saving the planet and shit. That doesn't sound like MJ? Or yesterday I was retweeted one of Paris's tweet where she knocks the Harlem shake craze and questioned why aren't people thinking. No way in hell would any Jackson say something like this. And Prince did say on Friday's ET show that he wants to go to USC to study filmmkaking. That sure as hell isn't a Jackson family move, so that's why I say these kids still have what MJ instilled in them.

The problem is they aren't being advised very well. If they just have to get into this showbiz thing they at least should have some respectable people behind them, but this stupid family has allowed Latoya and her slimey comapny to represent Prince.

Wasn't MJ a Jackson?

mjscarousal said:

kibbles said:

GREAT POST! Agree with every single word. I want to be happy for Prince and Paris but I cant because I know their father would not have approved. The Jacksons have poisoned their minds and there is no going back. I think they loved their father and they know their father loved them but your right. They are doing what THEY want and that is a result in how their AUNTS/UNCLES/GRANDPARENTS have influenced. Any SANE 50 something year old knows that a 16 year old is to young to be a ET correspondent and why would you want them working for the very people that slandered your brother??? :nuts: The Jacksons are just wacky....they have no sense of family, commitment and unity at all. At this point, I dont really care. I am done with them. I am just happy MJ is finally at peace and he does not have to go through any pain anymore

Robert Benson/USA Today Sports

http://www.complex.com/sports/2013/02/toilet-reading-michael-jackson-inspired-the-big-heads-craze-that-has-taken-over-college-basketball-in-recent-years

mookie said:

These kids still sound waaay too smart to think what MJ instilled in them isn't still there. Never do the Jackson family sound like these kids in their interviews. And it's not like the kids are knowingly doing crap projects. With Paris's jokey film she thinks she's saving the planet and shit. That doesn't sound like MJ? Or yesterday I was retweeted one of Paris's tweet where she knocks the Harlem shake craze and questioned why aren't people thinking. No way in hell would any Jackson say something like this. And Prince did say on Friday's ET show that he wants to go to USC to study filmmkaking. That sure as hell isn't a Jackson family move, so that's why I say these kids still have what MJ instilled in them.

The problem is they aren't being advised very well. If they just have to get into this showbiz thing they at least should have some respectable people behind them, but this stupid family has allowed Latoya and her slimey comapny to represent Prince.

it may well be that these kids are smart, but as you admit, they're being poorly guided. by all accounts, mj was smart. he was also sheltered and naive, and easily rolled by people who did not have his best interest at heart. that describes latoya, joe and kat, and apparently this tj who's allowing latoya to exploit his uncle's children, even though he must know how mj would have felt.

as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. tj should be really, really ashamed, considering mj went out of his way to give him, his brothers and mother what they needed when tito bailed on his own family. but as i saw last summer at the guardianship hearing, tj's not really strong enuf to stand up to these characters. he and his counsel allowed kat to get away with not answering a lot of questions about her behavior, never called out his aunt janet or uncles on their roles in that whole thing, and moreover, let kat get away with controlling all of mj3's allowance in spite of the fact that he's the one doing the heavy lifting with them. it's only recent that he "manned up" to ask for his just compensation. as mjcarousal posted, i'm just done with this "family".

kibbles said:

it may well be that these kids are smart, but as you admit, they're being poorly guided. by all accounts, mj was smart. he was also sheltered and naive, and easily rolled by people who did not have his best interest at heart. that describes latoya, joe and kat, and apparently this tj who's allowing latoya to exploit his uncle's children, even though he must know how mj would have felt.

as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. tj should be really, really ashamed, considering mj went out of his way to give him, his brothers and mother what they needed when tito bailed on his own family. but as i saw last summer at the guardianship hearing, tj's not really strong enuf to stand up to these characters. he and his counsel allowed kat to get away with not answering a lot of questions about her behavior, never called out his aunt janet or uncles on their roles in that whole thing, and moreover, let kat get away with controlling all of mj3's allowance in spite of the fact that he's the one doing the heavy lifting with them. it's only recent that he "manned up" to ask for his just compensation. as mjcarousal posted, i'm just done with this "family".

I'm holding out hope that like they did with some of the other relatives, the kids will eventually see through Latoya. And you're right about TJ. Boy is that guy and his brothers such disappointments. Katherine being clueless is expected, but seeing these young guys not having any set of balls for MJ and his kids is just sad to see.

And speaking of TJ, Paris supposedly posted this on her Facebook.

tj: why don't you come socialize with the family ?
me: *sits with family*
me: *gets insulted by entire family*
me: *goes back to bedroom*

Emancipation89 said:

...I look at this whole thing differently. One thing I know for sure is that no matter what these kids do, some fans are always going to be there to criticize the Jackson family for it. Like no matter what they do and you and I both know that's one thing that's never gonna change. I'm not saying I trust TJ or Katherine especially when it comes to MONEY but bottom line is I just don't think 16 is too young. Or Paris being in a movie at that age for that matter. I know I started my first part time job at 14? 15ish. Oh wait actually as far as making $$$ goes I think I started even before that, with baby-sitting and helping with my mom's close friend's online business, etc. I mean, I'm sure you have started making money around that age too, who hasn't, really. Basically my goal was to make as much money as possible so I didn't really mind even flipping burgers I was just grateful there were restaurants hiring a middle school kid. Lol. But boy looking back I think I would've definitely preferred a job that was more career-oriented that would've actually taught me something EVEN at that age. (well then again flipping burgers at a fast food restaurant did teach me why I shouldn't eat that garbage ever so LOL) And that's what I think Prince Michael is doing with this new gig. Like many other teenagers he's making money and starting to explore different opportunities. He just can't work at a local restaurant like a regular kid. I don't think he was pulled from his school to do this right? Michael said himself when he was alive, if, IF the kids want to be in this business at a very young age, if that's what they really want to do, then he will support and respect their decision. We just do NOT know what Prince Michael wants to do right now. Prince Michael might really genuinely want to do this for himself, you know? Soon they'll turn 18, 21 and they'll be able to hire their own financial advisor and until then they're just doing little bit of this little bit of that just like other hollywood kids and I just don't think that's such a bad thing. How long do you even think Prince Michael is going to last in ET, really.
I know Madonna's daughter started doing show-business related crap since she was a little girl and from some interviews I saw it was painfully obvious at least to me she doesn't give a shit about her mommy's clothing line. But then again what do I know. at the end of the day it's almost inevitable for these hollywood kids. If you're daddy is a movie star the chances are you're gonna make cameo appearances in random movies starting at a very young age, whether you really want it or not. and again I don't think that's such a bad thing either.

i don't think mj said if his kids want to be in the business at a very young age, etc. i believe his qualifier was simply that he wouldn't discourage them if the GREW UP and wanted to be involved in it. he would warn them of the pitfalls, however. moreover, as he talked about the kids toward the end of his life, i believe at the occasion of his 50th b-day, he talked about how happy he was just watching his kids play like kids.

yes, many of us had afterschool jobs and such, made our own little pocket money. however, mj's estate makes plenty of money for his kids, so it's really the fact that latoya's making deals to pimp prince out for her own ends which is distateful. if prince wants to learn the filmmaking business, he could be an intern on a film set. i bet if his father were alive, he might assist his son in getting a job like that working for one of his friends like spielberg or spike. something lowkey, and not exploitative. i doubt he'd be working for a tabloid like et. that sort of thing is right in latoya's lane and i don't think it's in prince's long term interests.

Emancipation89 said:

...I look at this whole thing differently. One thing I know for sure is that no matter what these kids do, some fans are always going to be there to criticize the Jackson family for it. Like no matter what they do and you and I both know that's one thing that's never gonna change.

The fans should not question the Jacksons pimping behavior?

Im tired of people depicting Prince and Paris like their grown ass 30 or 40 year olds.

Paris and Prince and MINORS period.

The Jackson family (Katherine, TJ, Latoya, etc) are their primary guardians. So pretty much everything the children do AT THE AGES THEY CURRENTLY ARE, are going to be guided and influence by the family.

And the reason why their actions are constantly questioned is a result of their appauling, ridiculous handling of MJ's children and their overall bizarre behavior since MJs passing.

Sorry hun but the fans are not in the wrong with that. Although it can be over the top sometimes, OVERALL the Jacksons deserve all the bashing and criticism they are getting.

If they dont want that, then they need to stop acting ridiculous and exploiting their family for money. I have been passed tired of it. I have just realized that they never cared about Michael and they obviously dont care about the kids and just want money

Emancipation89 said:

I'm not saying I trust TJ or Katherine especially when it comes to MONEY but bottom line is I just don't think 16 is too young. Or Paris being in a movie at that age for that matter. I know I started my first part time job at 14? 15ish. Oh wait actually as far as making $$$ goes I think I started even before that, with baby-sitting and helping with my mom's close friend's online business, etc. I mean, I'm sure you have started making money around that age too, who hasn't, really. Basically my goal was to make as much money as possible so I didn't really mind even flipping burgers I was just grateful there were restaurants hiring a middle school kid. Lol. But boy looking back I think I would've definitely preferred a job that was more career-oriented that would've actually taught me something EVEN at that age. (well then again flipping burgers at a fast food restaurant did teach me why I shouldn't eat that garbage ever so LOL) And that's what I think Prince Michael is doing with this new gig. Like many other teenagers he's making money and starting to explore different opportunities. He just can't work at a local restaurant like a regular kid. I don't think he was pulled from his school to do this right?

Not a really good example and you can compare the experiences of regular children to the experiences of Michael Jackson's children who have grown up in the spotlight all their life.

The problem with your post is this.....

When Michael was alive he made it clear that he did not want his children to be in the spotlight or go through the same hardships of being a celebrity. He tried his BEST to shun that from his children so they could have a normal life (although of course it still was not normal but he tried his best to make it normal which is the point).

I think its disrespectful how his family KNOWS THAT but still insist on exploiting the children. This is not about what the kids think is best for them because they are minors. They dont know any better. They dont know what their father went through and why he struggled to protect them from the spotlight and its sad the FAMILY HAS OBVIOUSLY NOT BRIEFED THEM ON IT because they know why. The family is taking advantage of Michael not being here to exploit HIM and HIS CHILDREN... SICK

It would be different if they did not know Michaels intentions but THEY KNOW and THEY DONT CARE. I dont blame the kids for that because JUST KIDS and they dont know what Michael really wanted for them. There being corrupted by the Jackson family I dont care what anybody says

16 IS to young to be a gossip correspondent especially for a channel that trashed and threw your father under the bus which I am 100% positive Prince does not even know (BUT THATS NOT HIS FAULT)

Emancipation89 said:

Michael said himself when he was alive, if, IF the kids want to be in this business at a very young age, if that's what they really want to do, then he will support and respect their decision.

Rigggttt but at the appropiate age though. I do not recall Michael referring to them being young in age starting and if he has can you please post the video?

Because the footages I have seen he has always said that BUT never suggesting he would support even at a very young age. Even when MJ was alive PRINCE EXPRESSED HE WAS INTERESTING IN ACTING BUT WAS PRINCE ACTING????

NO

You can not honestly sit here and insist if MJ was alive this would be going on.

Emancipation89 said:

We just do NOT know what Prince Michael wants to do right now. Prince Michael might really genuinely want to do this for himself, you know? Soon they'll turn 18, 21 and they'll be able to hire their own financial advisor and until then they're just doing little bit of this little bit of that just like other hollywood kids and I just don't think that's such a bad thing. How long do you even think Prince Michael is going to last in ET, really.

Like you said Prince is going to be 18 in in 2 years I just dont see what would have been so hard in advising him to wait in 2 years and to just focus on being a kid and enjoying his childhood His very fornate and blessed where he does not need to work and has a lifetime to gain experience in anything he is interested in....ya know? I dont see what the rush is. I dont have a problem in him wanting to be in the entertainment business but its disturbing to see how the family is misguilding him. Knowing that they all lost their childhoods you would think they would not be encouraging this at the age Prince/Paris are now. Even Joe had the audacity AFTER MJ passed to say that he would turn the kids into a group at age 10,11, 13 The Jacksons just care about money not those kids.

I know Madonna's daughter started doing show-business related crap since she was a little girl and from some interviews I saw it was painfully obvious at least to me she doesn't give a shit about her mommy's clothing line. But then again what do I know. at the end of the day it's almost inevitable for these hollywood kids. If you're daddy is a movie star the chances are you're gonna make cameo appearances in random movies starting at a very young age, whether you really want it or not. and again I don't think that's such a bad thing either.

NOT a good example because Madonna and MJ are two DIFFERENT people and obviously are/ were two different PARENTS.

What Michael wanted for his kids differs from Madonna so Madonna might allow her child to do anything and not think it has any affects because she did not have the same childhood as Michael so her child rearing willl obviously be different from Michaels.

[Edited 2/27/13 16:43pm]

mookie said:

kibbles said:

it may well be that these kids are smart, but as you admit, they're being poorly guided. by all accounts, mj was smart. he was also sheltered and naive, and easily rolled by people who did not have his best interest at heart. that describes latoya, joe and kat, and apparently this tj who's allowing latoya to exploit his uncle's children, even though he must know how mj would have felt.

as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. tj should be really, really ashamed, considering mj went out of his way to give him, his brothers and mother what they needed when tito bailed on his own family. but as i saw last summer at the guardianship hearing, tj's not really strong enuf to stand up to these characters. he and his counsel allowed kat to get away with not answering a lot of questions about her behavior, never called out his aunt janet or uncles on their roles in that whole thing, and moreover, let kat get away with controlling all of mj3's allowance in spite of the fact that he's the one doing the heavy lifting with them. it's only recent that he "manned up" to ask for his just compensation. as mjcarousal posted, i'm just done with this "family".

I'm holding out hope that like they did with some of the other relatives, the kids will eventually see through Latoya. And you're right about TJ. Boy is that guy and his brothers such disappointments. Katherine being clueless is expected, but seeing these young guys not having any set of balls for MJ and his kids is just sad to see.

And speaking of TJ, Paris supposedly posted this on her Facebook.

tj: why don't you come socialize with the family ?
me: *sits with family*
me: *gets insulted by entire family*
me: *goes back to bedroom*

i know, right?

i really hope that's fake and that paris didn't post that. i notice that she gave "big ups" in an article to auntie latoya who complemented her on her guitar playing. gee, isn't it interesting that latoya just happens to be there to stroke paris' ego when she needs it? gosh, i'm sure there are no ulterior motives or anything manipulative about that. . . .

[Edited 2/27/13 16:44pm]

kibbles said:

NaughtyKitty said:

i doubt it, naughty. i really do. as my mother said when mj died, those kids were too young, were too sheltered, and they're basically going to be no better off than their father.

it's pretty known that mj didn't bring his kids around the family too often; i believe that they barely even knew the cousins they're hanging out with now. that speaks volumes, but i doubt that mj went through the trouble of telling the kids the reasons for that. it's just like with my mother. now that i'm waaaay grown, i'm finding out things about some older cousins that i didn't know when i was little, b/c my mother never told me b/c i was too young to know a lot of things. i have to say, finding out about some of their behavior now has been really shocking to me. but back in the day, when i was little, i thought my cousins were great. i had no idea about their true characters, and if i had been my mother, i don't think i would have allowed them to be around me and my brother. (but my mother is far nicer than i am. )

it's worse with w/prince and paris. in my case, my mother just kept her mouth shut about my cousins' business, and their influence over me never came close to eclipsing my mother's. here, you have a known vulture, who's been circling these kids since their father went into his crypt. she has been all on t.v., lying about their dad, lying about their financial circumstances, lying, lying, lying her ass off. i'm not sure that the kids know the extent of what she did in the first few months of their dad's death, and now it's water under the bridge. all they know now is she is their "loving auntie" who's looking out for them. i'm sure that they know that their father wouldn't have wanted them to be doing this now, but they're doing it, anyway. why? b/c they've been influenced *away* from anything their father held dear. after four short years, their father has become a memory and a myth, and everyone else - latoya, tj, katherine, the jackson brothers - have been feeding them a line which is contrary to a lot of facts for their own benefits. for example, do you think if prince knew the real deal behind the victory tour, he would be repping that nonsense by wearing his uncle's sorry-assed t-shirts? i would hope not, but as i say, mj has become a memory and myth to him (imho).

I hear ya kibbles. However since the Jackson family's fiasco/epic fail of the summer of 2012 Prince has struck me as someone who is very observant and aware of the family dynamics. I remember that powerful tweet he tweeted in the midst of the madness:

I would first like to start off this tweet by thanking the fans that have always stood by me and my family, my dad really appreciated your support and I still treasure it to this day. As I am sure everyone is well aware of the events that have been going on. I have been holding off on backing up my sister and her tweets avidly because I was waiting for the time to reveal my side. As long as I can remember my dad had repeatedly warned me of certain people and their ways. Although I am happy my grandma was returned, after speaking with her I realized how misguided and how badly she was lied to. I’m really angry and hurt. The following image is of a group chat I had started to several family members. This group text message I had started was replied to but they didn’t know that I could see the responses. For this whole time, they denied us contact to our grandmother. “If you continue with your lies I will continue with the truth”

-Michael Jackson Jr.

He may be a teen but I think he is very observant and has been watching, observing and taking mental notes on his father's family over the past few years. I dont think he is completely naive to the greed, dysfunction and opportunism that goes on in the family. He's not outspoken like his sister, but I think he is very aware of the M.O. of certain people in that family. I wonder which "certain people" he had been warned of by his father? It wouldnt surprise me if LaToya was one of them. Prince is 16 but people have said that he is wise beyond his years, so that's why I'm hoping that he can see Latoya's manipulation and can see past her phoney "supportive aunt" act and see her true motives. And that the reason why he agreed to be repped by her company is because he has a plan of his own. Gee I wonder why we never see auntie Latoya hanging out with Jermaine's or Marlon's or Rebbie's or Tito's, etc. offspring? How come she hasnt reached out to any of her other nieces and nephews and had them signed up to be repped by her company?

Guess she figures Jermajesty wont pull in as much bank as Prince.

Emancipation89 said:

kibbles said:

it may well be that these kids are smart, but as you admit, they're being poorly guided. by all accounts, mj was smart. he was also sheltered and naive, and easily rolled by people who did not have his best interest at heart. that describes latoya, joe and kat, and apparently this tj who's allowing latoya to exploit his uncle's children, even though he must know how mj would have felt.

as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. tj should be really, really ashamed, considering mj went out of his way to give him, his brothers and mother what they needed when tito bailed on his own family. but as i saw last summer at the guardianship hearing, tj's not really strong enuf to stand up to these characters. he and his counsel allowed kat to get away with not answering a lot of questions about her behavior, never called out his aunt janet or uncles on their roles in that whole thing, and moreover, let kat get away with controlling all of mj3's allowance in spite of the fact that he's the one doing the heavy lifting with them. it's only recent that he "manned up" to ask for his just compensation. as mjcarousal posted, i'm just done with this "family".

...I look at this whole thing differently. One thing I know for sure is that no matter what these kids do, some fans are always going to be there to criticize the Jackson family for it. Like no matter what they do and you and I both know that's one thing that's never gonna change. I'm not saying I trust TJ or Katherine especially when it comes to MONEY but bottom line is I just don't think 16 is too young. Or Paris being in a movie at that age for that matter. I know I started my first part time job at 14? 15ish. Oh wait actually as far as making $$$ goes I think I started even before that, with baby-sitting and helping with my mom's close friend's online business, etc. I mean, I'm sure you have started making money around that age too, who hasn't, really. Basically my goal was to make as much money as possible so I didn't really mind even flipping burgers I was just grateful there were restaurants hiring a middle school kid. Lol. But boy looking back I think I would've definitely preferred a job that was more career-oriented that would've actually taught me something EVEN at that age. (well then again flipping burgers at a fast food restaurant did teach me why I shouldn't eat that garbage ever so LOL) And that's what I think Prince Michael is doing with this new gig. Like many other teenagers he's making money and starting to explore different opportunities. He just can't work at a local restaurant like a regular kid. I don't think he was pulled from his school to do this right? Michael said himself when he was alive, if, IF the kids want to be in this business at a very young age, if that's what they really want to do, then he will support and respect their decision. We just do NOT know what Prince Michael wants to do right now. Prince Michael might really genuinely want to do this for himself, you know? Soon they'll turn 18, 21 and they'll be able to hire their own financial advisor and until then they're just doing little bit of this little bit of that just like other hollywood kids and I just don't think that's such a bad thing. How long do you even think Prince Michael is going to last in ET, really.
I know Madonna's daughter started doing show-business related crap since she was a little girl and from some interviews I saw it was painfully obvious at least to me she doesn't give a shit about her mommy's clothing line. But then again what do I know. at the end of the day it's almost inevitable for these hollywood kids. If you're daddy is a movie star the chances are you're gonna make cameo appearances in random movies starting at a very young age, whether you really want it or not. and again I don't think that's such a bad thing either.

I agree with you. I think Prince has shown last summer he has a mind of his own and if he really wants to do that, why not? The family disrespected Michael's wishes once the masks came off right after his death (even though I can't imagine what a scandal it would cause if they sat at his funeral in the masks). Once the masks are off, not working is not going to save them from publicity or allow them to lead a normal life. But Michael said in Geraldo interview that they bugged him to go onstage with him and that he was going to show them to the world soon, and that was 10 years ago, so I think he might have allowed them to do something and if he was here, they would have his guidance. His not here anymore, so they are left with the family? It's a mistery that they still haven't seen through La Toya. Maybe Mike did not warn the kids about her because maybe in the last years of his life she was not bugging him that much and I can't imagine him talking to them about what she did during that first child abuse scandal. I am not sure he spoke of this subject to them at that age. Since his death La Toya was cautiouos to stay the nice aunt as she proved by surprisingly not getting involved in that summer fiasco. But I am sure the kids will see through one day. They are smart. As a reporter, Prince handled it, looked comfortable and was happy to do it, so I can imagine him actually wanting to do it. I don't see any harm this job has done to him yet. On the other hand, if you compare them to LMP for example, who was doing drugs and had no purpose in life at their age, I think they are doing great. He wants to work, he wants to study, so considering all the circumstances, they are handling it great.

[Edited 2/28/13 0:16am]

Just something for fun.

mookie said:

And speaking of TJ, Paris supposedly posted this on her Facebook.

tj: why don't you come socialize with the family ?
me: *sits with family*
me: *gets insulted by entire family*
me: *goes back to bedroom*

I hope that's not true.

That's an interesting observation. Yeah, didn't Genuine (or how you spell her name) do some song? And yeah, actually all of them expressed their interest in showbusiness, but I don't remember La Toya ever supportinga any of these.
(Not that I would follow her though)

kibbles said:

Gee I wonder why we never see auntie Latoya hanging out with Jermaine's or Marlon's or Rebbie's or Tito's, etc. offspring? How come she hasnt reached out to any of her other nieces and nephews and had them signed up to be repped by her company?

Guess she figures Jermajesty wont pull in as much bank as Prince.