THE ENDGAME BEGINS

The Lingering Question: What Will Happen To The "Jackson Three?"

By Vegas

MUCH LIKE HIS LIFE, MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH HAS IGNITED RUMORS AND SPECULATION ABOUT money, lifestyle and his children.

As authorities and family members searched for a will and hashed out matters of the singer's estate, online news and gossip sites reported earlier today that neither Michael nor Debbie Rowe were the biological parents of his two oldest children, Prince Michael and Paris.

An unnamed "inside source" confirmed at least part of this to Us Weekly today, telling the tabloid that Arnold Klein, Jackson's dermatologist and Rowe's former employer is actually the two oldest children's father.

Jackson's will has only recently been recovered and will be filed in court tomorrow. His mother, Katherine, has been granted temporary custody of all three kids. According to John Branca, Jackson's lawyer, the will states that the singer wanted his mother to be their guardian.

Yet despite earlier reports, Debbie's parental rights were never terminated and, based on law, she is likely to gain custody if she challenges the will. Her attorney told the Los Angeles Times that she is considering seeking custody.

Exacerbating the issue is reports that Michael had never bothered to legally adopt any of the children, leaving the surviving Jackson family wide open for a custody battle.

As the media pursues the story, birth certificates for all three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and the youngest, Prince Michael II, 7 (aka Blanket), have surfaced. All of them list Michael Jackson as the father. Prince Michael II does not have a mother listed on his certificate; he was carried by a surrogate who never knew who the father was, and both of the older children have Michael and Debbie identified as their parents.

This suggests that Michael really IS their father. But if TMZ’s information is correct and the King of Pop was worth $236 million (net) he might have been able to get his name on those birth certificates no matter what the circumstances. That much money buys a lot of power. MJ's own bizarre life of excess testifies to that.

Late yesterday, E! News refuted the earlier reports questioning the children’s biological origins with this statement from Debbie's lawyer on the website:

"We refuse to be drawn into addressing the various rumors and speculation swirling in the media, the vast majority of what is out there is untrue. Particularly hurtful and insidious is the most recent rumor -- which is entirely false -- concerning the maternity of the children. Ms. Rowe is the biological mother of the two oldest children."

She made no statement about the children's paternity.

Arnold Klein has been unreachable since the Us Weekly story hit the internet and, through his own lawyer released a statement saying that due to doctor-patient confidentiality he would not be making a statement or addressing any allegations.

In a press conference yesterday Joe Jackson stated that all three children were doing fine and enjoying the time they were spending with their cousins.

Vegas is a gambler who always loses money on craps. She spends her time in Chicago with her husband, two cats and various artistic endeavors which are beginning to take up way too much space in her house and hard drive. Visit her blog at jensaysanything.blogspot.com.