Katherine Jackson Is 'Fine,' Confirms Custody Change

After going missing, Katherine says she has temporarily lost custody of Michael's children.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>After a mysterious disappearance that set off a wild war of words (and fists) and splashed her family's business all over the media, Katherine Jackson broke her silence on Wednesday night in an attempt to set the record straight.</P><P>"I am here today to let everybody know that I am fine and I am here with my children, and my children would never do a thing to me like that, holding me against my will," she told ABC News in a statement that denied rumors she'd been kidnapped or held against her will by a group of her children. Surrounded by children Janet, Jermaine and Rebbie, as well as Rebbie's daughter, Stacy, Katherine spoke to ABC, but would not allow the network to ask her any questions. "It's very stupid for people to think that. But anyway, I am devastated that while I've been away, that my children, my grandchildren, have been taken away from me, and I'm coming home to see about that, also."</P><P>On Wednesday, a judge temporarily stripped the Jackson family matriarch of her guardianship duties for late King of Pop Michael's three children, Prince, Paris and Prince Michael II ("Blanket") handing responsibility over to their cousin, TJ Jackson. In appointing TJ, 34, son of Tito Jackson, as the new guardian for the children, the judge the judge may have further stirred the pot in what appears to be a tug-of-war between Michael's adult siblings over the late pop icon's estate. During an emergency guardianship hearing, the judge said he was not suspending Katherine for any wrongdoing, but said that she was being blocked from carrying out her guardianship by unnamed third parties, which TMZ speculated were siblings Randy, Janet, Jermaine and Rebbie.</P><P>Katherine said she had spoken to TJ (as well as Prince and Paris) and that she had left him in charge of the children when she left town more than a week ago to get some rest at a ranch in Tucson, Arizona. "I never leave home without leaving instructions of who to stay there with them," she said, noting that during her leave taking "someone" had fired the cook, the nanny and the housekeepers at the family's Encino, California, estate without her knowledge.</P><P>"I told him it wasn't necessary for him to go down and sign for guardianship," she said of TJ. "I don't know who instructed him to do that ... but he wanted me to come home before that happened, but the ruling in court today was about the guardianship and I think it was based on a bunch of lies, but I have a good idea who's doing that and who's behind that."</P><P>Katherine, 82, did not specify who she thought was behind the decision to temporarily rescind her guardianship, but she thanked her children for realizing that she needed a "short vacation." She also explained that the reason she didn't call for more than a week was that, "I just gave up my phone and I didn't want to have any phone calls while I was here." She also noted that her assistant had been in touch with TJ and that she "put everything in order" before she left Los Angeles on July 15.</P><P>"Because there's a lot of lies that have been put out there and I am going home to straighten them out and this kind of stuff doesn't make sense," she concluded. "So I want to say goodbye and I am on my way home."</P><P>One of Katherine's lawyers, Perry Sanders, said in court that he vigorously opposed a permanent move to strip Katherine of her guardianship and that when she returns to Los Angeles he will file a motion to reinstate her as guardian. The judge also ordered that the children not be removed from California without a court order and that backup guardian Diana Ross and Debbie Rowe, biological mother of the two oldest children, also be informed of the order to keep the kids in the state.</P><P>The temporary guardianship will be reviewed at a hearing scheduled for next month, where it's possible that Wednesday's action could be reversed.</P><P>While Michael's will gave Katherine custody of his children and a 20 percent stake in his massive estate, her husband, Joe Jackson, and the eight surviving Jackson siblings were completely cut out. Some of the siblings have reportedly been exploring a move to have the will invalidated by arguing that Michael was in New York on the day that the document was notarized in Los Angeles.</P><P>In a video that surfaced earlier this week, Janet Jackson is seen trying to take a cell phone away from Paris, 14, and berating her niece for using her phone to tweet about family business. That video leaked after Janet, Jermaine and Randy Jackson reportedly attempted to persuade Paris and Prince, 15, to leave Katherine's home on Monday. Both resisted and a short time later, sheriff's deputies arrived to break up a scuffle between Randy, Jermaine Jackson and TJ.</P><P>MTV News reported that police were called to the scene but did not make any arrests.</P>

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'Skyfall' Featurette Goes Behind The Opening Sequence

Anyone familiar with Bond movies know that the pre-credit action sequence is one of the most important elements of the 007 formula. The opener can be short, sweet, and even self-contained, but it has to make an impression. So after four years away from the big screen, Bond, Daniel Craig, and director Sam Mendes have [...]

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Britney Spears Has Tearful Reunion With Former Duet Partner On 'X Factor'

Britney sang 'I Will Still Love You' with Don Philip on her debut album.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>Months before the revamped "X Factor"&#8232; hits the air, we've already come to expect some serious drama from new judge Britney Spears. But in one of those only-in-reality-TV moments, Spears shed some genuine tears on Sunday during audition rounds in San Francisco when she was confronted with a voice and face from her distant past.</P><P>People magazine reported that Spears got emotional when a male contestant hit the stage at Oracle Arena, telling fellow panelists Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and fellow newbie Demi Lovato, "I know him ... We did a duet together 10 years ago." A source told the magazine that when the man stepped on the stage, "You could see that Britney recognized him straight away ... She got this huge smile on her face and her eyes lit up. It was so sweet."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Britney Spears Explains Why She Wanted To Be A Part Of 'X Factor'" id="vid:769620" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>While <I>People</I> did not reveal the man's identity, Spears superfan Jordan Miller of fan site Breathe Heavy confirmed that the auditioner was none other than Don Philip. The one-time aspiring new pop revolution singer performed a duet with Britney on the treacly ballad "I Will Still Love You," from her 1999 debut album, <I>...Baby One More Time</I>.</P><P>A spokesperson for the show declined to comment on the singer's identity when asked for comment.</P><P>The blast from her past got more emotional when Phillip revealed to the judges and audience, "I'm gay." He continued, "At the time I didn't think I was worth ... I didn't think you thought it was OK that I am gay." Spears was reportedly quick to voice her support for Phillip, saying, "I think it is fine you are gay."</P><P>The unnamed source told <I>People</I> that when Phillip started crying and said, "he thought he'd never see her again and that he'd had a lot to deal with, Britney was comforting him to calm him." Though she was compassionate and warm with Phillip, the source said that the singer was clearly a bit shaken by the unexpected run-in.</P><P>"She's been through a lot in those 10 years, too, so it must have been a shock for her to see him," the source said. "You could tell she was emotional and she really felt for him especially when he was crying, but she also stayed calm." Even with the drama, Spears reportedly gave a very straightforward critique, though it is unknown if Phillip made the cut.</P><P>Philip, a Miami, Florida, native who tried to ride the same late-'90s teen pop wave that made superstars out of Spears, Christina Aguilera, 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, has spent the time since the duet grinding away at a music career that never reached the heights of his former singing partner. The one-time Jive Records star-in-the-making has sung back-up for Gloria Estefan and toured with Spears early in her career, and like "The Voice" singer Tony Lucca&#8232; and Aguilera, maybe he was hoping that a reunion with his former pop pal would provide the boost he's been looking for.</P><P>Apparently, though, the "Factor" audition didn't go as Philip planned. According to a series of Facebook posts, Don was disappointed with how things went and wrote, "Tonight i might have sealed my music career fate according to a certain music mogul. I tryed to just be real and instead it totally got turned around on me," he said. "Perhaps this was not the place for me to reveal my very soul and obstacles of my past. Certainly not the place for a reunion ... I promise I only had good intentions in mind."</P><P>He said his voice "froze" when he began to sing and was never able to recover from what he felt was a "really hardcore interrogation" from what he anonymously described as "two pompous arrogant men."</P><P>He continued, "I guess I am not as tough skinned as I thought ... Wait it gets worse ... when I looked into the very eyes of my old label mate and saw she too was sad. I knew the whole situation was spinning out of control.. my heart broke."</P><P>On Monday, Philip posted another note, wondering if Cowell might give him another shot, explaining that he was "so exhausted and could not sleep [the] night before," because he was so scared to face Spears. He also referred to the "heavy burden" he was carrying, seemingly referring to his coming out, and following four hours of interviews he said his voice was just spent.</P><P></P>

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Tom Brokaw Hospitalized After Accidentally Taking Ambien

Legendary news anchor Tom Brokaw, 72, was rushed to the hospital on Thursday morning after complaining about feeling lightheaded. Fortunately, the health scare was a false alarm, caused by a medication that Brokaw forgot he took. Phew!

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Usher Brings 2012 BET Awards To A 'Climax'

R&B crooner let his vocals do the dancing with a simple, stripped-down performance.
By Kelley L. Carter

<P>With two spotlights shining down on him, a sleeveless <MTVNLINK type="artist" id="1270">Usher</MTVNLINK> belted out the first notes of his summer hit, "Climax," at Sunday's 2012 BET Awards.</P><P>The R&B crooner stood center stage, wearing all black, save for a pair of hot-colored shoes, and sang the ballad with the electro-beat from his seventh studio album, <i>Looking 4 Myself,</i> in front of a live band. Some wicked, black-and-white animation danced behind him on a large screen that backlit the auditorium.</P><P>This was the first time Usher has performed at the awards show since 2010, where he also sang another ballad, "There Goes My Baby," from his <i>Raymond v. Raymond</i> album.</P><P> </P><P>The Sunday night (July 1) performance came in the first half-hour of the show and was apropos, considering that Usher's latest studio album is topping <i>Billboard</i>'s charts for the second week in a row (and his fourth #1-debuting album in a row). The dance-friendly album was just released last month. "Climax" hit #17 on the singles chart, while second track "Scream" has peaked at #13.</P><P>For his BET Awards performance, the multiplatinum, multi-Grammy-winning R&B singer kept it fairly muted. Save for a few quick microphone movements, he let his vocals dance during the performance. Even his attire was muted compared to what we've seen Usher turn out at awards shows in years past; a lone, shiny timepiece decorated his wrist.</P><P>Usher concluded his performance with a quick wave of his hand to the fans down in front.</P><P><b>Stick with MTV News as we bring you all the scoop from the 2012 BET Awards, including winners and must-see performances!</b></P>

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Ke$ha Out For Vengeance In Musical March Madness

'I'm getting ready as we speak,' she tells MTV News of this year's tournament, tipping off Monday.
By James Montgomery

<P>Last year, based mainly on her attitude, the fact that she plays an AK-47 shaped guitar and the presence of photos like this, Ke$ha was given an 11 seed in MTV's Musical March Madness tournament &#8212; and promptly lost by a huge margin to U2 in the opening round.</P><P><CENTER></CENTER></P><P>Of course, she's spent the past 12 months fuming over that early exit, and now, she's going to get her shot at redemption. Not only is Ke$ha <i>back</i> in the 2012 MMM tournament &#8212; which kicks off Monday &#8212; but she's beefed up her rock credentials: working with the likes of Alice Cooper, channeling the "sexiness" of '70s rock on her new album, recording a (genuinely pretty great) cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and spending time snorting Tums with Wayne Coyne.</P><P>So, yeah, this year, she's ready to knock off the field of 63 other acts gunning for the MMM trophy &#8212; a brimming bracket that includes defending champions Green Day, upstarts Fun. and good pals the Black Keys, to name just a few &#8212; and reign supreme. But just in case all that rock-and-roll prep work isn't enough to put her over the top, well, Ke$ha has another secret weapon at the ready: an incredibly toned pelvic floor.</P><P>"I'm getting ready as we speak. I'm doing Kegels," she told MTV News, while throwing phantom punches at an unsuspecting cameraman. "Vote for me!"</P><P><b>MTV's 2012 Musical March Madness tournament begins Monday, March 12, when we'll unveil the full field of 64 bands that will battle for this year's championship. Winners are determined by fan votes, so if your favorite act made the cut, it will be up to you to guide them to glory. You can rally the troops on Twitter using the hashtag #MMM &#8212; but get ready, it's gonna be a war.</b></P><P><CENTER></CENTER></P>

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Reader Reviews

The movie tie-in edition of "20 Times a Lady"—now called "What's Your Number?"—is now available wherever fine books are sold!

To celebrate its publication, a few of my favorite readers came up with these great reviews...

"What's Your Number? is like Harry Potter minus the wizards, wands, and Lord Voldemort." —Michelle Bell

 

"‎What's Your Number? is like Gone With the Wind except with less hoop skirts and poverty and more beaus..." —Karen Meyer

 

‎"What's Your Number? is like To Kill a Mockingbird without all the racism and children." —Julie Stone

Thanks ladies!

Please add your review in the comments!

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