Michael Jackson
Gossip

A doctor tied to Michael Jackson, Dr. Allan Metzger, was reprimanded by a Medical Board in September 2000 for "fraudulent medical practice based on prescriptions written for an international entertainer, using a false/fictitious name."

Dr. Metzger confirmed to TMZ that this entertainer is Janet Jackson.

The doctor has also treated Michael Jackson, gone on tour with the star on his HIStory tour in the 1990s and videotaped his wedding to Debbie Rowe.

He is a lupus specialist - Michael Jackson reportedly had the disease.

In the late 90s, Metzger wrote prescriptions for Janet Jackson using the name of her chef, Ricardo Macchi, he admits, saying the prescriptions were for diuretics.

Macchi sued Dr. Metzger over the matter but the suit was dropped.

He also wrote a prescription for a hepatitis B injection - he says he wrote it because Janet was going on tour and wanted to guard against the disease.

"I had done this for Janet for her anonymity," he said.

Michael Jackson with Dr. Arnold Metzger. [Photo: TMZ]

As for Michael Jackson, Metzger claimed, "I have not treated Michael Jackson for many years." He says he has talked to Jackson on the phone over the years, even giving him medical advice. As for whether he prescribed meds for Jackson?

"I am not at liberty to discuss Michael's medical care," he said.

Doctors associated with Jackson are coming under intense scrutiny due to the singer's death June 25 from what is looking more and more like a drug overdose.

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Michael Jackson fans will get a chance to say goodbye to the King of Pop at a public memorial service to be held at L.A.'s Staples Center on Tuesday.

Tickets will be available to the general public and will be free of charge.

Fans from around the world are expected to fly to Los Angeles to say farewell to Jackson, who died at 50 after suffering cardiac arrest on June 25.

Jackson's final rehearsal took place at Staples, where he was prepping for his London tour, sponsored by AEG Live (which owns Staples Center).

Preliminary details of the funeral service are as follows:

• The main event will be at the Staples Center and will be simulcast at the adjacent Nokia Theatre in the same complex throughout.
• There is a lottery set up to obtain tickets. You can sign up on the Staples Center website, if it's not crashed by the time you do.
• 17,500 tickets are available for the event - 11,000 for Staples and 6,500 for Nokia - a maximum of two per person is allowed.
• If you are one of the 8,750 people selected, you will be given further instructions Sunday. Sounds Mission: Impossible-like.
• Only U.S. citizens can apply for tickets to Jackson's funeral.
• Still unclear is whether Jackson's body will be there.

The late Michael Jackson (1958-2009).

Dr. Arnold Klein, Michael Jackson's longtime dermatologist and friend, spoke briefly to celebrity news photographers outside his home this morning.

Klein has been the subject of some rumors about Jackson - namely that he may have administered medical treatment to the star in the recent past.

There is also a report that Arnold Klein is the biological father of MJ's kids Prince, 12, and Paris, 11. Us Weekly made that claim earlier this week.

Debbie Rowe, the mother (also disputed), was his former nurse.

The LAPD wants to speak with him about drugs and Michael. Asked about the allegations, he said, "There are no allegations about me. I guarantee it."

Arnold Klein says he tries to be "the best doctor I can be."

The biggest problem in this case, and the world, Klein says, is that whether the treating rich or poor, "sometimes, doctors do things they shouldn't do."

Hard to argue with that.

In a mostly polite, only slightly pointed two-minute interaction, he reiterated that there are allegations about "doctors," but not about him personally.

For a time, Dr. Arnold Klein also held up a small red pillow in front of his face, which reads "Botox saved my marriage." Take from that what you will.

Debbie Rowe plans to fight for custody of her two children - Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 - with the late Michael Jackson, according to the star's ex-wife herself.

"I want my children," Rowe told NBCLA's Chuck Henry.

While the interview was not broadcast, Rowe allegedly told Henry that she will seek a restraining order to keep Jackson's dad, Joseph, away from the kids.

"I am stepping up," Rowe said. "I have to."

Rowe also said she was willing to submit to any testing, including DNA to prove that she is the children's biological mother in the looming custody fight.

She also said she would submit to psychological testing.

Rowe wed Jackson in 1996. He was a patient of dermatologist Arnold Klein, for whom she worked as a nurse. The children were born via artificial insemination.

Us Weekly reports that Arnold Klein is the children's biological father. Separate reports on TMZ suggest Debbie Rowe is not the real mother of the kids, either.

In his last will, Michael Jackson named his mother Katherine as guardian of his three children – Prince, Paris and Blanket, 7. If Katherine died before him or couldn't serve, Jackson nominated Diana Ross as their guardian.

Katherine has temporary legal guardianship of the children at the moment.

Rowe's lawyer sought to downplay her client's statements in the interview, but did reiterate that Rowe is indeed the biological mother of Paris and Prince, and also confirmed that she will at least be at next week's custody hearing.

Click to enlarge Debbie Rowe pictures from this week at her horse farm ...

[Photos: Fame Pictures]

The last video of Michael Jackson - filmed just two days before he died - in preparation for his This Is It! tour has surfaced, and shows what might have been.

Here's MJ tearing into "They Don't Care About Us" ...

Last Michael Jackson Rehearsal

While tour organizer AEG Live has started refunding the roughly $85 million worth of tickets for Jackson's 50-night London run, but is also offering buyers the option of claiming the one-of-a-kind, Jackson-designed tickets as souvenirs.

"It is one of the hottest items on the memorabilia market right now," says an E! source working on the AEG-sanctioned refunding process. "People realize they can get more money selling them to collectors than getting a refund."

Tickets to the O2 arena shows are still selling for as much as $400.

Meanwhile, AEG is said to be planning to release Jackson's rehearsal footage on CD and DVD, packaged as "live concert" recordings. A movie is also being considered.

The entertainment conglomerate, which also owns L.A.'s Staples Center, where a funeral for Michael Jackson is set to take place Tuesday, is contemplating the idea of turning its planned MJ extravaganza into some sort of tribute event.

Assuming the plans don't change again, Michael Jackson's private family memorial service will take place at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday at Forest Lawn in L.A.

Immediately after, a motorcade will then go to the Staples Center complex in downtown Los Angeles where the public memorial for him will be held.

The family still hasn't decided whether the public memorial service for Michael Jackson will be at the Staples Center or the smaller Nokia Theatre.

A decision on that is expected shortly. There has also been no decision yet on the allocation of tickets to the service, which should be in high demand.

As we reported earlier, the original venue, Neverland, was scratched.

Lots of crazy rumors are going around regarding Michael Jackson's funeral, and the family itself has issued contradictory statements, but we believe this to be the plan, based on the latest reports. More details to come soon, hopefully.

She may have been left out of his will, but Debbie Rowe is not going away quietly when it comes to the two children she had with Michael Jackson.

Rowe's lawyer will attend next Monday's custody hearing to make sure her voice is heard regarding the fate of Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11.

Per Michael Jackson's wishes, the two kids have been in the care of his mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, since his untimely death last Thursday.

Contrary to celebrity gossip reports that Prince and Paris were conceived via donor egg and sperm outside of the womb, Debbie Rowe's attorney, Marta Almli, adamantly insists she is the biological mother of both Prince and Paris.

Reports that Michael Jackson's kids are not his - or Rowe's - surfaced this week, and were certainly some of the more shocking revelations since his death.

Dermatologist Arnold Klein - who was Rowe's boss, she worked as a nurse in his office - is said to be the biological father of Prince Michael and Paris.

He has not confirmed this.

In any case, Rowe was intentionally excluded from Jackson's estate, with the will stipulating that Katherine raise Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket, 7.

Jackson's last will listed Rowe only in expressly stating she would not be getting any money or property from his estate. She was reportedly paid - handsomely - for her services as a surrogate mother and in her divorce settlement, however.

Rowe relinquished all rights to the kids upon divorcing Jackson, then sought to reinstate visitation after he was charged with child molestation in 2003.

She and Jackson reached an amicable resolution in 2006, though details of the arrangement remain murky. Equally unclear is whether Debbie Rowe will seek guardianship or visitation rights, or whether a court would grant this to her.

Monday's family court session will attempt to sort these issues out. Until then, Katherine Jackson maintains temporary custody of all three children.

Michael Jackson's body had dozens of injection sites on his body, according to reports.

As we reported yesterday, Propofol, a powerful anesthesia, was found in his house after he died. Medical experts say there no medical justification for Jackson having this drug at home - it is used to knock people out before surgery via IV.

It is increasingly looking like Propofol (also known as its brand name, Diprivan) may have caused Jackson to go into cardiac arrest and die. The first Michael Jackson autopsy concluded no definitive cause of death, but evidence is piling up.

Experts say it's reckless for any doctor to supply Michael Jackson with Propofol period, let alone administer it at the singer's home. This raises concerns.

That Michael Jackson had dozens of injection sites on his body, if it turns out he did, should have made it clear to any doctor that he had a drug problem.

Criminal manslaughter is defined as the reckless disregard for human life. Do not be surprised to see charges brought against one or more doctors who gave drugs to Jackson, as we saw in the eerily similar Anna Nicole Smith case.

As for who gave Michael Jackson what drugs, when and how?

The LAPD has reportedly asked the DEA to assist them in its investigation into multiple doctors who treated and prescribed medications for Michael Jackson.

The DEA will help the LAPD hunt down the source of medications.

Jackson used a slew of aliases to get prescription meds, including the names Omar Arnold and Jack London. Those aliases were used by MJ to obtain Demerol.

The King of Pop also used the name of one of his bodyguards, as well as the name of the office manager for one of his doctors, to secure prescription drugs.

Sources say his prescription abuse was so egregious, one doctor would call a pharmacy and say Jackson was coming down to get Demerol. The pharmacy would then fill the prescription, leaving the patient's name completely blank.

While Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is not charged with any crime, suspicion of him is likely to increase if Jackson's abuse was this bad.

The DEA will be hunting down these aliases and others in an attempt to find out who allowed the likely addicted star to obtain the medications that may have ultimately resulted in his tragic death. More details as the story develops ...

A photo of a dying Michael Jackson lying on a stretcher is the cover image on the latest edition of OK! Magazine, and is certain to elicit strong, mixed reactions.

The race is on to break the latest news on what may be the biggest celebrity gossip story ever, but do we really need to see "the last photos" of the pop icon?

OK! allegedly paid $500,000 for the cover picture you see below.

While covering Jackson's tragic death is unavoidable, would a tribute such as the commemorative covers released by Entertainment Weekly be more appropriate?

On the flip side, do you want to see all the details because you are interested in the story, even if the images of the dying Jackson happen to be upsetting?

What do you think of the picture on OK's "tribute" issue below? Is it disrespectful to Michael Jackson or are they just reporting the news? Tell us in our poll:

Did the magazine go too far with this Michael Jackson cover?

Michael Jackson's family has released a statement regarding the rumors about potential services for the star at his Neverland Ranch, near Santa Barbara, Calif.

The family rep says:

“Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private memorial at Neverland. Plans are underway regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly.”

Clearly, there's plenty of confusion and mixed signals surrounding this. As for what is known about Michael Jackson's funeral, here's what we have gathered:

• It won't be until next week
• It will not be at Neverland
• It will be in the Los Angeles area, and the Staples Center (where the L.A. Lakers play) is being rumored as option but this has not been decided.

As for Michael Jackson's will (written in 2002) and what it contains, no specific instructions regarding the singer's burial were given to our knowledge.