Dr. Arnold Klein

Despite being quoted personally and seemingly professing to be the biological father of Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson, former child star Mark Lester isn't trying to cash in his ticket for the paternity lotto ... not just yet anyway.

"I'm sure, as far as I know, [the children] were all his," Mark Lester, who starred as the title character in the Oscar-winning Oliver, told E! News.

"I expected lots of things to come out, but this is extraordinary."

Not that the celebrity gossip tabloids who reported this completely made it up out of thin air. Mark Lester, 51, is the godfather of Paris, Prince Michael and Blanket and considered Michael Jackson a close friend for nearly 30 years.

Moreover, he admits that he once complied with Jackson's request to donate sperm to the pop star: "It's been a secret for so long," the osteopathic doctor admits. "In 1996 Michael asked me if I would give him my sperm and I said yes."

Lester also said it's possible his "gift" to Jackson could have been put to use ... one would have to imagine so, as it's kind of an unusual gift.

Why does Klein want a say in how the kids are raised? Klein is also rumored to be the father of Paris - and Prince Michael - and also donated sperm.

In an unrelated note, a woman named Claire Elisabeth Fields Cruise just filed three guardianship papers alleging that she's the mother of all three.

Another alleged Jackson baby mama, Billie Jean Jackson, appeared in court this morning for the estate hearing in the King of Pop's case, as well.

Who is Paris Jackson's biological father?

Now why would the late Michael Jackson's dermatologist want a say in how the King of Pop's three children - Paris, Prince and Blanket - are raised?

If you know what's already been rumored about Dr. Arnold Klein, it's not too hard to connect the dots here. A man's gotta look after his own offspring!

That hasn't been confirmed, of course. But acting on behalf of Dr. Arnold Klein, lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan made a surprise appearance in court Tuesday to express his client's concerns at the Michael Jackson custody hearing.

Kaplan said he was there to represent Klein's interest in the "education, health care and welfare" of Jackson's two eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who awarded Katherine Jackson custody of the three children and agreed to visitation rights for Paris and Prince's biological mother Debbie Rowe, said that Klein had no standing to object.

Klein is said to be the biological father of the children. He has never denied this, saying only that he is not the father "to the best of my knowledge" and even admitting that he was a sperm donor "at some point" if not to Michael directly.

These Us photos show how close Dr. Arnold Klein was to Michael Jackson and his kids ... but was it more than a friendship? His court maneuver yesterday suggests so.

Arnold Klein had objected to Katherine being awarded custody as per Michael Jackson's last will. But later, the doctor said in a statement via his attorney that he does not have any problem with Katherine Jackson taking care of them.

According to Mark Vincent Kaplan and co-counsel Bradley P. Boyer:

"Arnold Klein is merely acting on promises he made to Michael with respect to ensuring the long-term health and stability of the children and their ability to enjoy as normal of a life out of the spotlight as could be reasonably possible."

"Dr. Klein has always had a special relationship with Paris and Prince, loves and cares deeply for these children and is looking out for their best interest."

"Dr. Klein has been involved with the children in sharing holidays and other special events and wishes to have the ability to continue his involvement as a very close associate of their father and offers his guidance and protection forever."

The judge said Klein can file court papers pertaining to his guardianship concerns, and his legal team says it plans to do just that on September 1.

So Kaplan essentially explained why Dr. Arnold Klein wants to stay in the mix without actually explaining anything. For about $500 per hour, too.

Do you think Arnold Klein is the children's biological father?

Katherine Jackson, 79, was awarded full, permanent guardianship of Michael Jackson's three children during a custody hearing in Los Angeles this morning.

Here's the hearing blow-by-blow from TMZ, which was on hand for the proceedings this morning. As you can see, everything went down more or less as expected, although there were some odd twists (and a Mark Vincent Kaplan sighting) in there ...

11:56 a.m.: Katherine, Randy and La Toya Jackson arrived and were escorted upstairs to the courtroom. Rebbie Jackson, Michael's older sister, also showed up. Reports suggest that, day to day, she will be the one taking care of Michael's kids.

12:14 p.m.: The judge took the bench, and said that he will be dealing with the guardianship settlement between Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe first.

12:17 p.m.: In a strange development, Mark Vincent Kaplan (K-Fed's lawyer) just showed up on behalf of Dr. Arnold Klein. Kaplan says Klein has a "long-standing commitment" to Michael Jackson and has concerns about Joe Jackson being involved.

There are reports Arnold Klein is their biological father, but he hasn't confirmed or denied that, only saying "to the best of his knowledge" he is not.

12:18 p.m.: The judge wanted to know what legal standing Dr. Arnold Klein has, but he ultimately ruled that Klein has no legal standing to lodge an objection, and that Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe are the parents of the children.

12:55 p.m.: The judge decided on the lesser amount because of concerns about duplicate expenses for the monthly allowance approved for Katherine Jackson.

2:58 p.m.: The judge has ruled that AEG, Michael Jackson's would-be concert promoter, has to provide a copy of their contract with him to Katherine Jackson.

3:00 p.m.: The judge just admitted Michael Jackson's 2002 will into probate. The will names John Branca and John McClain as co-executors. Katherine has an unspecified objection to this. Will she ask that she be named as a third executor?

4:55 p.m.: Katherine Jackson just withdrew her petition asking that she be put in charge of the estate. This petition was filed before she knew a will existed.

5:05 p.m.: Judge Mitchell Beckloff ruled that Jackson's longtime attorney Branca and McClain will continue to administer the star's estate until at least October.

Los Angeles Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter personally went to Dr. Arnold Klein's office to get Michael Jackson's medical records this afternoon, TMZ reports.

He went to the office because Dr. Klein was not fully cooperating with the L.A. Coroner's office request for documents pertaining to Klein's treatment of Jackson.

On July 2, Winter's office contacted the office of Dr. Klein and subpoenaed the medical records of Michael Jackson. At that time, Klein's lawyer sent partial records and then promised he would send the rest later, but never did.

Winter's office then called Dr. Arnold Klein's rep to say they still hadn't received the documents but Klein never responded. Thus the personal trip today.

According to Winter, a lawyer for Klein was in the office while another was on the telephone. The lawyers promised to hand over the files in 24 hours.

Law enforcement is investigating Dr. Klein's prescription practices as they relate to Michael Jackson - including prescribing him medication using aliases.

If he is found to have withheld, altered or destroyed medical records of the singer, it could lead to additional scrutiny of the well-known dermatologist.

There have also been reports that Klein is the biological father of Michael's kids Paris and Prince. He denies that he is ... to the best of his knowledge.

A doctor who treated the late Michael Jackson claimed that the singer self-injected Demerol into his system, according to the file from his 2005 molestation trial.

In the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's notes, a member of Jackson's security detail - a retired L.A. County Sheriff's deputy named Michael Laperruque - said at least several doctors were trying to get Michael Jackson off of Demerol at the time.

One of the doctors "was upset with Jackson because he had been self-injecting."

A Demerol overdose has been suggested as a possible cause of death for the music icon, who passed away suddenly on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest.

Laperruque told detectives he had picked up Jackson's prescriptions for the star, usually under the name Chris Carter. Carter was one of Jackson's bodyguards.

Also, Laperruque said that one time when he was at Neverland Ranch, his job was to keep Jackson's family out because they were planning an intervention.

Michael Jackson, center, with Drs. Arnold Klein, left, and Conrad Murray.

Meanwhile, sources say that a pair of doctors at the center of the inquiry into Jackson's death - Dr. Arnold Klein and Dr. Conrad Murray - have not turned over the medical records the L.A. County Coroner's office has requested.

According to TMZ, both doctors have turned over some records, but the coroner's office has not gotten complete Jackson medical records from either doctor.

And there's this:

A driver for Michael Jackson told the coroner's officials shortly after Jackson's death that the singer was going to see Dr. Arnold Klein multiple times a week in the months preceding his death and sometimes would spend 3-4 hours inside.

The lingering debate over who is the biological father of Michael Jackson's kids did not exactly get answered yesterday by Dr. Arnold "Arnie" Klein.

On Good Morning America, he offered the cryptic non-answer that he is not the father ... to the best of his knowledge. That was a head-scratcher.

Last night, Arnold Klein took a similar route on Larry King Live, though he did elaborate a little bit, admitting that he donated sperm at one point - to a sperm bank, and not to Michael Jackson directly, he maintains adamantly.

As far as he knows, he is not the father of Jackson's children. End of story. The dermatologist said he's willing to submit to a DNA test to establish paternity.

Us Weekly has stated as fact that Klein is the biological father of Prince and Paris Jackson. No other celebrity news publication has confirmed this.

Meanwhile, Dr. Arnold Klein thinks Jackson and ex-wife Debbie Rowe (Klein's former assistant) did consummate their marriage. TMI there, Arnie.

As for the King of Pop's drug use, Klein insists he is not one of the five doctors currently under investigation for supplying Michael Jackson with dangerous prescription drugs that many believe led to his demise in some form.

But Dr. Arnie Klein, Michael Jackson's longtime friend, does now admit to giving him Demerol - one of the strong painkillers Jackson sought out.

Klein says it was only "on occasion" to sedate the pop legend.

Asked about Diprivan, the brand name for Propofol, the hospital-only anesthesia found in Jackson's house when he died, Klein said he was aware Michael was using it, but did not prescribe it, and wouldn't even know how to use it.

He also says he warned Michael Jackson of its dangers.

Here's Arnie Klein on Larry King Live ...

Arnold Klein on Larry King

The identity of the biological father of Michael Jackson's three children has recently been questioned by tabloids suggesting that Dr. Arnold Klein, an openly gay man and a well-known dermatologist for the wealthy, is their actual dad.

Today, Dr. Arnold Klein made his first (non) comment on the subject when he appeared on Good Morning America and cryptically deflected the question of paternity.

"I can't say anything about it, but ... to the best of my knowledge, I am not the father of these children," he told Diane Sawyer. "I can't answer it in any other way. I don't want to feed any of this insanity that is going around."

"I will tell you one thing: These are brilliant children and I want them in no way to be harmed. These are wonderful, fabulous children who he loved deeply."

To the best of his knowledge, he is not the father?

If he's not, how would there be any doubt, and if he were, why not just say so? Sure, it would be scandalous, but it would be honest and no one would really be that shocked. Besides, people would stop talking about it sooner, right?

Klein was first reported to be the Jackson kids' biological father last week by Us Weekly. He also denied (more convincingly) providing Jackson with sedation drugs.

"I've not been examined by anyone. I've not been contacted by police in Los Angeles," he said. "I've given him medication, yes, but you could take all the medication I gave him in a year right now, and nothing would happen to you."

"I don't want to discuss the way I treated him. I did not give him this crap that they are talking about. I've never prescribed OxyContin in my life. How am I going to prescribe Diprivan when I don't even know how to use it?"

As he told reporters when he was tracked down last week, Dr. Arnold Klein recommends harsh punishments for doctors who enabled the late icon:

"I can and will say that anyone who makes someone into an addict, or gives a person potentially dangerous substances directly to them to use is a criminal. It becomes nothing more than a manslaughter or something worse than that."

However, when the physician saw Michael Jackson just three days before his death, Jackson showed no warning signs of drug-related trouble.

"He was having no trouble sleeping in my office, OK?" Klein said.

"He was not in terrible pain when I saw him. He danced in the office and he danced for my patients. He was very, very happy and dancing."

Michael Jackson celebrated his final Christmas with his three children - and Prince Michael Jackson I, 12, Paris Jackson, 11, and Blanket, 7, Us Weekly reports.

That was assumed even before they unearthed the photo below - but one new and interesting fact is that, apparently, Dr. Arnold Klein, was there as well.

Klein also brought Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, a close friend, as a surprise guest for the kids to Jackson's $100,000-a-month Holmby Hills, Calif. home.

Fellow guest Stephen Price, another close friend of Arnold Klein, says that Jackson told Klein that Paris, Prince and Prince Michael II were fans of Star Wars.

Arnold Klein, bottom left, with Michael Jackson and kids in December 2009.

Around 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, "Michael brought the kids down in their pajamas and said, 'This is Princess Leia,'" Price recalls. "They were so excited! She did her famous speech for them - the 'Help me, Obi-Wan' speech."

Price says of Jackson's kids, "They are the greatest kids you'll ever meet."

Dr. Arnold Klein employed Paris and Prince's mother, Debbie Rowe, for 23 years at his dermatology office. He is rumored to be their biological father. Us Weekly has even stated this has fact. However, neither he nor other sources have confirmed it.

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.

Michael Jackson used to be married to Debbie Rowe, but neither were the biological parents of the singer's first two children, Michael Jr., 12, and Paris, 11.

Their father is Arnold Klein, Jackson's L.A.-based dermatologist and Rowe's former boss, multiple sources confirm to celebrity gossip magazine Us Weekly.

"He is the dad," says an insider of Arnold Klein, who has not commented. "He and Debbie signed an agreement saying they would never reveal the truth."

While Debbie Rowe and Michael Jackson never confessed to their kids' true lineage, she did admit in 2002 that she carried his children as a "personal favor."

Neither has confirmed that the marriage was ever consummated.

"I said, 'Let me do this. You need to be a dad. You have been so good to me,'" Rowe - who met Jackson when she was a nurse's assistant in the 1980s - has said.

News that Michael Jackson is not the biological father of any of his kids surfaced earlier today. Now we've learned he never legally adopted them either.

Neither Jackson nor Debbie Rowe are the biological parents of Michael Jr. and Paris. Nor is Michael the biological parent of Prince Michael Jackson II.

Jackson never filed legal papers to adopt any of his children. Legal experts say Jackson would be presumed the father but it's not conclusive by any means.

As for why Jackson didn't formally adopt them - some speculate at the time they were born, there was no third party he though would try to claim custody.

Jackson apparently never thought Rowe would mount a custody battle, which wasn't totally absurd, as she actually tried to give up all rights to them once.

However, the music icon's death at the age of 50 last Thursday, along with today's developments, has everyone guessing where the children will end up.

Michael Jackson Jr., Paris Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson (Blanket).