Developing Stories

Michael Jackson's publishing catalog will not be sold to pump up the assets in the estate, according to sources familiar with the probate.

We're told several family members are questioning why the estate appears, as one put it, "in the red." Sources knowledgeable with the estate acknowledge a "huge amount of debt" as creditors claims continue to come in.

But, we're told, in the end, if all the assets were sold the estate would definitely be flush with cash. HOWEVER, sources say the publishing catalog -- notably the Beatles' songs -- will not go on the auction block. Sources say it's an asset that is worth way more to Jackson's kids in the long run than the cash it would generate now.

The honchos in the estate, we're told, are confident it will be fueled by an influx of cash over the next year or two -- the amount of time it will take to wrap probate up.

Until probate ends, family members will have to make due with their allowances.

TMZ has obtained more court documents filed Thursday in L.A. County Superior Court -- in which Audrina explains why she believes an overzealous fan named Zachary Loring is a threat to her life.

In the docs, Audrina says 24-year-old Loring first came to her Los Angeles home on August 26 and said he was there to deliver wine. But when Audrina went to the door, Loring tried to hand her "a stack of photos, cards, drawings and poems he had written." Audrina claims one of the photos depicted a woman being strangled.

But it gets weirder -- Audrina claims the postcards were postdated Sept. 15 -- almost 3 weeks into the future. Patridge says "she is concerned about whether she will be injured or harmed in any way on such date."

Patridge also claims Loring brought her a beer and told her it was "from his family's brewery in Napa Valley" -- and he "wanted to see her drink it."

Audrina claims her neighbors saw Loring on her front porch 3 days later -- August 29. Patridge says she has surveillance tape showing he had been there for 7 hours and was "seen talking to himself."

In the docs, Audrina says Loring came to her home again on August 30 -- wearing a black suit and a red tie. This time, Audrina called 911.

When cops arrived, Audrina claims Loring wasn't phased and tried to approach her -- but cops stopped him in his tracks and arrested him on site for trespassing and outstanding warrants.

Loring was released from custody the very next day on $15,000 bail. Audrina told authorities she's in "great fear" of returning to her home because she believes she's being "stalked." She has since requested a restraining order against Loring.

The LAPD's threat management unit is now investigating the case.

UPDATE: Loring was arrested back in July on a knife charge -- and for defacing an electrical box in L.A.

Story developing...

We've learned Paul Fuhrman -- the senior vice president of Colony Capital -- filed paperwork on Wednesday asking the U.S. Patent Office to forget about the Neverland trademark applications his company filed last month. The request was granted that day.

Colony had filed the trademark applications in case Neverland was turned into a Graceland-esque tourist attraction for Jackson fans.

Doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon.

Michael Jackson's family is upset over the charities that are supposed to get 20% of Michael's estate -- that's what family sources tell TMZ.

Here's the deal -- the family's concern is premature. No charities have been picked yet and no money will be donated for somewhere between 1 and 2 years.

Under the terms of the trust, Michael gave charities 20% of the value of his estate. Problem is -- no one knows how much the estate is worth and until it's determined, no money will go to any charity.

The creditor's claims are still being filed and we're told it will take between 1 and 2 years for the state and the probate judge to settle the creditor's claims and determine the net value of the estate.

As for who decides which charities get the 20% -- we've learned the trust provides for a committee of three people who will make that decision -- Katherine Jackson and co-executors John Branca and John McClain.

The trust doesn't specify how decisions are made if the committee is divided. It could be majority rule, it could be that each committee member gets to pick a certain number of charities or they could set other ground rules.

Go figure -- Michael Jackson didn't account for the possibility that people in his world might disagree.

Richmond City Councilman Doug Conner -- who works with the city's hard labor program -- tells us Brown will begin his 8-hour work day at 8:00 AM when a Department of Corrections bus picks him up, along with 30-40 other offenders.

Conner says Brown will wear a reflective orange vest and pick up trash and litter along highways and roads. He'll also have to trim brush along medians, remove gang graffiti from the VCU campus, and wash the inside and outside of law enforcement vehicles.

Conner says Brown will be kept "under the watchful eye of a supervisor" to make sure he doesn't cut any corners.

Tila Tequila's lawyer is firing back at Shawne Merriman -- claiming the NFL star's version of what happened the night he was arrested is nothing but pure "spin."

Merriman claimed that Tila was drunk and he was trying to keep her safe by keeping her off the road -- Tequila's lawyer, Alan Gutman, says Shawne's story will be "completely discredited."

Gutman just released the following statement to TMZ:

Shawne Merriman and his advisors have decided that the best defense is a good offense, attacking Tila Tequila in the press with a lot of calculated spin to cover up his illegal and indefensible actions.

Fortunately, we as a society will not tolerate a 6'4", 270 pound all-pro NFL linebacker physically assaulting a young lady who is 4'11" and 93 pounds. It is never justifiable to brutally assault, choke, strike and imprison a woman.

Once the truth is fully revealed, Mr. Merriman's fantastic story of how he was trying to keep Ms. Tequila safe will be completely discredited.

No one, especially a woman, should ever have to endure what Mr. Merriman did to Tila Tequila.

Katherine Jackson and other members of her family are angry at Jermaine over the Michael Jackson tribute concert in Vienna -- this according to various sources.

Members of the Jackson family along with others connected with the event claim Katherine was badgered into announcing her support of the September 26 event. The sources say Jermaine was complaining to his mom about all the bad press he was receiving and repeatedly asked her to support the Vienna event.

Our sources say other than Jermaine none of the other family members will be going to Vienna for the concert.

The sources say the family thinks it makes no sense to hold the first tribute event in a country that has no special connection to Michael Jackson.

One family member says it's another example of Jermaine doing what's best for Jermaine, regardless of what the rest of the family wants. The family member scoffed at the event, calling it "The Jermaine Jackson show."

Clark Gable III -- the grandson of Hollywood's most famous actor ever -- was stabbed in the rib cage at a house party near Los Angeles.

It all went down in Calabasas last month -- we're told CG3 got into it with some guests after he allegedly called somebody a very bad name. A fight broke out and someone plunged a knife into Gable -- who looks remarkably like his granddad.

We're told Gable suffered lung damage and spent a week in the hospital. Judging by the "thumbs up" from the picture, he's doing just fine.

One person has been arrested and authorities are looking for another suspect.

Michael Jackson's body is already causing a market shift in the cemetery world -- the price of graves near his tomb are already sky-rocketing.

TMZ spoke with a sales rep at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale who told us plots surrounding Jackson have already gone up $2,000-$3,000 each since MJ joined the neighborhood.

FLM was selling pre-Jacko units in the mausoleum for $7,000 a pop -- now they're up to $9,900.

The cemetery rep tells us, "When a high-profile person comes in, it can affect the prices of the surrounding plots."

Some people who own private units near MJ's crypt are looking for a bigger payday -- one person is asking $34,000 for a double unit inside Jackson's mausoleum.

We spoke with owner of the double unit who told us, "We've had a tremendous response ... we're weighing all of our options."

Janet Jackson has been busting her butt rehearsing for a Michael Jackson tribute at the MTV Video Awards this weekend -- and it promises to be a nipple-free affair. We think.

Ms. Jackson is set to put on a huge MJ-honoring performance featuring 20 backup dancers -- which is being put together by some of the best choreographers in the world, including Frank Gatson and Travis Payne.

According to one of the dancers involved, some rehearsals have lasted 15 hours a day.

Once Janet is finished honoring her brother, we're told, "there won't be a dry eye in the house."

San Diego Sheriff's deputies responded to a call this morning at 3:45 AM. Tila claims she was "choked and physically restrained" by Merriman after she tried to leave his residence.

Merriman is accused of battery and false imprisonment.

Tila was transported to a local hospital while Merriman was taken into custody. His bail was set at $58,000.

UPDATE -- Tila Tequila has been released from the hospital.

UPDATE -- A lawyer for Merriman denied all charges and says Tila was "extremely inebriated" and that Merriman tried to stop her from leaving the home because he didn't feel it was safe for her to do so.

Ryan Jenkins was sued by BMW for over $12,000 -- and the lawsuit was filed only days before he hanged himself in a Canadian hotel.

According to docs filed in Edmonton, Alberta on August 20, Jenkins was leasing a 2007 BMW 335xi -- but stopped making payments on it in March 2009.

BMW says the vehicle was returned to them -- but Jenkins still needed to fork over $12,750.76 for the lease, plus interest.

The BMW he was getting sued over is not the same one used to flee to Canada.

The man in the photos is Michael Cardosi --Jasmine's ex-husband -- a man who had been locked up in prison for the last three years.

The photos were taken on the day he was released from the slammer -- Tuesday, August 11.

In the pics, the two can be seen hugging, smiling, touching and even sharing a kiss. In the photo below, you can see she's not wearing her wedding ring.

Cardosi's mother, Winnie Humphreys, tells us the two were ecstatic to see each other during the two-day reunion -- adding Jasmine had kept in touch with Michael throughout his stint in prison.

Cops believe Jasmine was murdered by her husband, Ryan Jenkins, in the early hours on Friday, August 14. Cardosi was sent back to the slammer on Sunday, August 16 for violating the terms of his probation.

Buena Park police told us they don't know if Jenkins ever found out about Jasmine's time on the beach with her ex -- but cops tell us "jealousy was the most obvious motive for this murder."

TMZ has learned the city of New York officially cracked down on the tattoo parlor where Rihanna illegally inked a few people back in July.

The day after Rihanna made her mark, East Side Ink was issued a citation by the the NYC Department of Health for "operating with an unlicensed tattoo artist on site."

It's unclear how much the tat shop had to pay in fines, but we're told it could run anywhere between $200-$2000.

TMZ has obtained a text message from Joe to Abbey Wilson -- his ex-girlfriend who triggered the melee -- sent just hours after the incident.

The text was sent August 28 at 1:11 PM -- the incident happened in the early hours of that same day. Joe wrote:

"Your statement is the truth. That jade threw a drink on me when I was talking to you and I reached around to tap on her shoulder to see who it was. Brody then grabed [sic] my shirt and ripped it partialy [sic] off. I curled up in a ball and covered my face. Joe never touched anyone!!!!!!! Most important!!!!!"

Yesterday, Katherine Jackson filed documents in L.A. County Superior Court, which contained the bill from Forest Lawn. The bill requests payment for security charges, barricade rentals and "temporary invaultment" of Michael's body from the beginning of July.

The exact cost of the bill has been redacted, but a lawyer for the special administrators of Michael's estate said yesterday in court that the final number for everything would be "extraordinary."

Katherine's request to have MJ's estate foot the bill was approved yesterday. In the docs, it says "Payment must be made as soon as possible if the family is to avoid the public embarrassment and added grief, in addition to the inconvenience, inefficiency and unhappiness, of having to make new arrangements for the funeral."

The docs also show the Glendale Police Department "indicated that they will not provide their services without receiving payment prior to rendering those services."