Janet Jackson

Needless to say, it's been a difficult month for Janet Jackson.

At the memorial service for her late brother, there were rumblings about the absence of longtime boyfriend Jermaine Dupri and we can now confirm why: the couple has broken up.

"His friends are telling people it's over," a source told Us Weekly, while another chimed in: "They have been moving in different directions for a while."

So, what was the cause of the break-up? Conflict over the fact that Dupri produced several of Jackson's recent singles, reportedly.

"You shouldn't mix business with pleasure," said a friend. "Janet felt their lives were too crossed and they should have kept things sepa­rate."

As for Janet's reaction to brother Michael's death? Things haven't gotten any easier for her, said a source close to the situation.

"She's devastated. She's busy caring for Michael's kids. Janet's the family's backbone."

Just when you think OK! Magazine cannot lower the celebrity gossip bar any further, then come out with a new cover that proves you wrong. Kudos, guys.

While Michael Jackson’s mom, Katherine Jackson, was named guardian of the three children of the late singer in his will, it’s Michael’s sister Janet Jackson who has emerged in the eyes of many as their favored caregiver.

“All three want Janet Jackson to read to them at night,” a Jackson family friend says. “They just melt into her arms when she walks into the house.”

So much so, the magazine reports, that adorable Prince and Paris Jackson, 12 and 11, plus little Blanket, 7, have reached out to Janet and said ...

“Janet has completely bonded with those children in the last two weeks,” the friend continues. “She has been the rock for [Paris, Prince and Blanket]."

"It’s clear to everyone that they are looking to her for comfort and guidance.”

It's clear to everyone? Really? No one's doubting Janet Jackson is probably an awesome aunt, but do the kids even know her? Do they love Katherine less?

We also enjoy the trumping up of Debbie Rowe and her role in all this, as if she is trying to break up the family. While that would be good drama, it's untrue.

One semi-legitimate point raised is that at 79, caring for three kids might be too much for Katherine Jackson, a problem eased by Janet Jackson’s presence.

“Janet is not only willing to raise those children, she is also the only relative of Michael's who really knows how to protect them,” an insider tells OK!.

“Janet knows the value of a private life and knows how to keep her personal life out of the news. She is determined to do that for Michael’s children. She says that he would want no less for them, pointing out how far he went to shelter them.”

It does sound nice. But just in case you forgot the publication that is reporting this, here's a look back at their previous two Michael Jackson covers ...

The Jamie Foxx moonwalk stole the show at the BET Awards Sunday night, but Janet Jackson's poignant tribute to her brother Michael Jackson was a close second.

"My entire family wanted to be here tonight, but it was just too painful so they elected me to speak with you," she told the crowd at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A.

"I would just like to say that to you, Michael is an icon," said Janet, who wore all white. "To us, Michael is family, and he will forever live in all of our hearts."

Janet Jackson, 43, is the youngest of the nine Jackson children.

"On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all your love; thank you for all your support," she went on, tearing up near the end. "We miss him so much."

As she exited the stage, Jamie Foxx, Stevie Wonder and Ne-Yo performed a cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" as Michael Jackson photos played on screen.

Here's the video of Janet's tribute, followed by Foxx & Co.'s performance:

Janet Jackson: BET Awards

At halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl, Janet Jackson had her nipple exposed by Justin Timberlake. The indecent exposure cost CBS a hefty fine, until that amount was overturned on appeal this week.

Below, these two singers recreate the infamous wardrobe malfunction.

OR DO THEY?

Is this actually a shot of the nipple in question and the artist that has brought sexy back, or merely fake figures of Jackson and Timberlake?

You decide in this edition of Real or Wax...

Follow the article's jump right now to learn the answer...

Continue Reading...

Move over, Ricki Lake. There's a new thin celebrity in town.

And it's an old thin celebrity: just how has Janet Jackson remained so thin? She recently shed some light on the endeavor with Us Weekly:

 On keeping the weight off:
"I have a great support system to keep me on track… But I still don't like working out. It's hard for me. I have to push myself to want to do it."

On the fear of packing on the pounds again:
"I have moments - I crave chocolate, or just want to eat. One thing that helps is getting my clothes altered to fit so I can tell when I gain or lose. I used to wear overalls all the time, and my mom said, ‘Baby, don't do that or you won't know how much you lose.'"

* The Hollywood Gossip note: Nicole Richie has a similar problem - when she turns sideways and disappears, she can't tell... anything about herself.

On how you can look like her:
"If I can do it, anybody can do it. Eating light and clean helps, but you really shouldn't think of it as a diet, otherwise you feel like you're depriving yourself. If you crave something, you should have a little bit of it, then let it go and move on. Do a little exercise so you're back on track."

* The Hollywood Gossip note: It also helps to read about the fake love between Andy Baldwin and Tessa Horst. This will cause you to vomit.

On eating right:
"It's about control and it's a balanced diet. Of course I have cheat days! Especially with my dancers, who love to eat. And after a hard day of work, they want to unwind and grab a drink, and alcohol is not good for my diet with all the extra calories. I try to have a glass of wine, but then somebody comes with a lemon drop and it's so good.

You feel like you're drinking cough syrup or candy, and before you know it, the next day comes and you feel it. I make up for it with a few more reps when I lift weights."

Is Kevin Federline a good luck charm?

We would assume anything but, but evidently, Janet Jackson and boyfriend Jermaine Dupri believe he is. Mr. Britney Spears rolled up to the couple during his jaunt to Vegas this week and did something he's not known for -- he made money!

It all went down after the one-year anniversary party for TAO nightclub in Las Vegas. Federline ventured down to play some craps at 3:30 in the a.m., but there was a problem -- the high roller table he approached was packed and marked as 'reserved' for Janet and Jermaine.

Unfortunately, it seemed all K-Fed could do was watch. Luckily, Federline is tight with a member of Jermaine's entourage, who invited the aspiring, inspirational rapper to join the group.

As soon as Sutton Pierce's daddy bought in for $1,000, Janet picked up the dice. Dupri then announced to everyone that his woman had never played craps before and this would be her first roll.

We are not sure if Janet rolled a 7 or 11, but a short time later, the table erupted with cheers and everyone won money.

The fun reportedly lasted roughly 15 minutes, because the famous couple had to return to their private blackjack table. K-Fed proceeded to play all by his lonesome... but according to recent reports, he's got an ace in the hole -- an eight-figure one.

The New York Post reports that Federline's walk-away package, in the event that he and Britney Spears ever split up, is $10 million -- far more than has ever been reported.

"Britney was leaving Kevin but then got pregnant again," according to a family friend.

He would have gotten his $10 million, but has apparently stuck around at least to reap the professional fringe benefits of his rather more famous wife, like cameo appearances on a TV show and a rap album. Go, K-Fed.

Madonna may have lost out to Jesus in a recent comparison, but she appears to have the number of Britney Spears - about 50 million of them.

According to the 2007 edition of the Guinness Book of Records Madonna is the highest paid female singer on the planet, taking that title away from Spears, who had held it since 2001 after earning around $38 million the year before.

In other recordable news ...

• Janet Jackson also replaced Spears in Web rankings for the world's most searched-for female and most-searched-for news item.
• Leading men in the category of most-searched-for is an actor you may have heard of: Brad Pitt.
• Elsewhere, Nicole Kidman set the record for the highest salary per minute for an actor (a reported $3.71 million for a four-minute commercial for Chanel No. 5)
• Oprah Winfrey is named the highest-paid person on TV ($225 million, according to the last Forbes power ranking).

Also, American Idol star Simon Cowell is the highest paid TV talent-show judge (about $34 million), while Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has the highest annual earnings for a children's author, with an estimated $64 million.

Did you really think the quarter of a second shot of Janet Jackson's boobs would simply go away? It's only been two and a half years, folks.

For the first time, Janet is speaking out about the incident. No way she's using it for publicity, right? The discussion took place with Oprah Winfrey on the latter's talk show - and will appear on the September 25 edition.

During the episode, Jackson said she regretted saying sorry because it made her look guilty for something that was an accident. Naturally. It's an accident that your eyes are drawn to the chest in this Jessica Simpson picture, too.

Meanwhile, Janet also hinted at dissension between her and Justin Timberlake over the "wardrobe malfunction. She said had not spoken with JT since their performance on February 1, 2004.

When Oprah asked if she felt betrayed, Jackson would not answer directly, but said cryptically, "Loyalty comes first to me."

Ummm, Ms. Jackson? You do NOT wanna get Timberlake angry.

Good news for all those that didn't have TiVo during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII: Janet Jackson's boobs are coming back.

The singer, who caused a furor when she flashed a breast at the big game in 2004, appears bare-chested in her new video for the single "So Excited." Although nipples are never clearly visible, Jackson's clothes disappear in a number of shots and she quickly reaches up to cover her bare breasts.

This seems to be the opposite tact taken by Elizabeth Hurley these days.

"You'd think she'd have learned from that whole [Super Bowl] debacle," said a fan. "The girl just can't help herself."

And this is a problem because?

Meanwhile, Janet is saying that she's never seen herself as sexy, while blaming older brother Michael Jackson for her issues with her body.

"My brother Michael used to tease me," Jackson tells the new issue of Giant. "We're very close, but he was very adamant about the way I looked, the way I should look. He thought my butt was too big. Maybe he wasn't completely happy with himself, so he put it on me?

I'm just guessing here, but looking back now, I know that in adolescence your body changes, and he would always tease people left and right about something. When his own body started to change … he became a lot more introverted."

And insane.

Meanwhile, yes folks, Giant is a real magazine. It was started by Kate Bosworth in regard to how much of an anorexic she is.

In case you haven't heard, Kate Bosworth really needs to eat.

For a long time, however, this Janet Jackson had the opposite problem. Michael's sister gained approximately 60 pounds awhile back, an amount that still shocks the singer.

"I could not believe how big I was, how heavy I really was," Jackson, 40, told Extra. "I would see myself in the mirror, but I wouldn't look too often. I didn't want to get used to that image."

Jackson lost the weight through healthy eating and tough workouts â€" and she's offended by speculation that she went all Ashlee Simpson on her fans; i.e. had plastic surgery.

"It does drive me crazy," she says, "because I've worked real hard … and I think it's really easy for (the tabloids) to write it off as (surgery)."

She jokes, "It isn't hurtful â€" it just pisses me off. … I want to kick some ass."

Based on how she looks now - check out this Janet Jackson picture - we're pretty sure she could do just that to anyone out there.

Jackson does admits she had some cosmetic work done when she was a teen.

"It's no secret," she reveals. "When I was 16 I changed my nose. Would I do it again? I don't know. … I've seen a lot of women that have been pulled and snatched, and it's not too cute."

Ok, but let's get to the important stuff: Will Janet now follow in the rumored footsteps of Beyonce and get married? She's been dating producer Jermaine Dupri for years.

"I don't know," she says. "If that's God's will, then it will happen."

She'd have children with Dupri, she says: "I would love to … with him. Never thought I would. God willing, it will happen."