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Jackson custody, estate cases in court
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The handlers of Michael Jackson’s probate and guardianship cases have a full slate at a hearing today meant to tackle a number of estate and family issues.
At least one major hurdle was cleared last week with a custody agreement between Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, and Deborah Rowe, the biological mother of the singer’s two oldest children.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff has deferred hearing arguments or making rulings on several motions brought by attorneys for Katherine Jackson and the two men who have temporary control of the pop icon’s financial matters: attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain.
Jackson’s estate has been described in court documents as having an estimated value of more than $500 million, but its actual current worth is about $100 million, and could increase in value to $200 million or more with some financial restructuring, according to a person briefed on the matter. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
Branca and McClain could leave today’s hearing with a firmer rein on the estate. Similarly, Katherine Jackson could emerge with guardianship of her three grandchildren, since her agreement with Rowe, which grants the singer’s ex-wife visitation rights, means no one is expected to challenge the current arrangement.
The to-do list for today’s hearing has grown in recent weeks, with Beckloff deferring decisions on several issues, most of which have to do with Jackson’s finances.
‘Funny People’ taken seriously at box office
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adam Sandler’s serious side has caught on with audiences.
Universal Pictures’ “Funny People,” with Sandler trading adolescent humor for an adult story about a terminally ill comedy star, debuted as the top weekend movie with $23.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Overall summer revenues, which had been running ahead of last year’s since early May, dipped below those of 2008, when “The Dark Knight” packed theaters for weeks.
Since the summer season opened the first week of May, Hollywood’s domestic receipts total $3.34 billion, off 0.8 percent through the same weekend last summer, according to figures compiled by Hollywood.com. Factoring in this year’s higher ticket prices, movie attendance this season is down 4.4 percent compared with summer 2008.
Paramount’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” set to open Friday, could help get Hollywood back on track.