Jackson Family

Michael Jackson's new album could cause a whole new rift in the Jackson family -- Jermaine told us he was against it ... but brother Jackie says he's so excited about the new cd, it made him cry.

Jackie tells TMZ he's listened to the entire cd and thinks producer L.A. Reid "hit it right on the head," adding, "It brought tears to my eyes to see that they felt Michael was in the room when they made the record."

Jackie says he loves "Xscape" so much, he went out and bought copies for himself and friends.

The lawyer for the latest Michael Jackson sexual molestation accuser is coming out swinging ... telling TMZ the pop star routinely made the young boy skip school so he could be "available" to MJ.

James Safechuck's lawyer, Maryann Marzano, tells TMZ ... MJ publicly flaunted his relationship with the boy, making it appear they were best friends and Safechuck was Michael's protege. The lawyer says in reality MJ was privately molesting the kid.

As TMZ previously reported, James Safechuck (who appeared alongside MJ in a 1987 Pepsi commercial) is accusing Jackson of years of sexual abuse. MJ estate attorney Howard Weitzman has called the allegations "false and scurrilous."

Marzano says a "narcissistic" MJ would prevent Safechuck from going to school as a 10 and 11-year-old so the boy could be available to him when he was on tour.

Marzano tells TMZ, "If there is still any question about the predatory nature of Michael Jackson’s so-called ‘friendships’ with young boys, it should be laid to rest by the indisputable facts of what Michael did to James Safechuck."

10:00 A.M. PDT -- Howard Weitzman -- attorney for Jackson's estate -- tells TMZ Safechuck has denied many times over the past 25 years that Michael ever did anything inappropriate to him ... but is "now demanding money from Michael's Estate by claiming he suddenly recalls life differently." Weitzman says Michael is no longer able to defend himself, but "we believe these false and scurrilous allegations will not prevail."

A new sexual molestation claim has been filed against the estate of Michael Jackson by a man who claims the singer sexually abused him from the time he was 10 until he was around 15 ... this according to a new report.

This latest claim was added on to the lawsuit filed by Wade Robson last year, so says The Daily Beast. The filing is sealed, but the site reports the claims are being made by James Safechuck, who appeared as a child alongside Jackson in a 1987 commercial for Pepsi (see below).

According to the report, Safechuck had long denied being sexually abused by Jackson, but decided to come forward after Robson made his claims public.

There were rumors about Jackson's relationship with Safechuck in the late 80s ... the singer was often seen with the young boy following their commercial together ... including the opening performance of "The Phantom of the Opera" with Liza Minnelli (see above).

The Estate has already objected to Robson's claim because it was both suspicious and filed too late.

Jermaine Jackson does not like the idea of new Michael Jackson music being released, but says it would have been cool if the Jackson 5 had worked on it.

JJ went from guarded to bitter when we asked him about the new MJ music Saturday afternoon in Calabasas. He says he's only heard one of the songs so far ... and thought it was good.

But overall, he's against the idea of MJ's music being released without MJ around ... noting the estate passed over the Jackson 5 to work with producers like Timbaland.

Tito Jackson calmly and coolly defended his brother Jermaine, who told TMZ earlier in the week, "If it wasn't for the Jackson 5, there would be no Michael Jackson."

Tito told our photog in Calabasas Friday ... Jermaine was misunderstood, and he explains why.

Tito also bristled at Debbie Rowe's comment to us ... the Jackson 4 are all bad influences on Michael's kids.

No "Thriller" ... no "Beat It" ... no King of Pop -- Michael Jackson would have missed out on all of that ... and so would the world if the Jackson 5 didn't make MJ such a star.

At least that's Jermaine Jackson's take ... and who's gonna argue with him? Besides everyone.

Jermaine Jackson is reeling over Debbie Rowe's comment that Michael Jackson told her his brothers were talentless .... saying Michael owes his fame to his older siblings.

Jermaine was blunt in Calabasas Monday, telling TMZ, "If it wasn't for the Jackson 5 there would be no Michael Jackson," adding, "That's what gave him the launching pad to become what he became."

You have to watch the whole video. It's shocking.

Jermaine also addresses Debbie's claims he's using MJ's kids to mooch off the estate.

Jermaine suggests he doesn't need the MJ estate's money because he made a fortune with the Jackson 5 -- tell that to the baby mama who's been hunting him down for child support for years.

Michael Jackson's brothers are refusing to allow Debbie Rowe to wrestle guardianship of Prince and Paris from the kids' grandma -- at least if they can help it -- telling TMZ, Debbie abandoned her kids for cash after they were born ... and hasn't cared about them since.

Tito, Randy, Jermaine, and Jackie tell us, "[The children] are well loved and well taken care of. We are quite taken back [sic] that Ms. Rowe has decided now to enter their lives, after she abandoned her children many years ago for money."

The brothers are referring to Debbie agreeing to give MJ full custody of Prince and Paris after giving birth to them ... in exchange for a lump sum of money.

The brothers insist the Jackson family -- Katherine included -- wants only the best for Prince and Paris, adding, "Our only desire is to see our niece and nephews continue to go on with happy, healthy and safe lives. We will do everything and anything with in our power to help make that happen."

Debbie Rowe will wage legal war to get guardianship of the 2 kids she had with Michael Jackson ... and if she could she'd gladly take all 3.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Rowe is deeply concerned about the environment in the Jackson home. She likes Katherine Jackson but believes she has gotten way too old to serve as guardian ... "Katherine's not connected with the kids or involved in their lives" Rowe told a friend.

Rowe is also concerned Michael's brothers are hanging around the Calabasas house a lot and have been a terrible influence. She's complained Prince has developed a filthy mouth and is rebellious because no one is even trying to keep him in line.

Rowe is especially upset with Jermaine, who will appear on "Celebrity Wife Swap." Rowe thinks he's just plain creepy and extremely inappropriate, and wants him as far away from the kids as possible.

She feels Blanket --- the 12-year-old who is not her biological kid -- is actually the most vulnerable and most in danger.

As for Paris ... Rowe fears she's not made the kind of improvement which is necessary after her suicide attempt and wants control so she can take steps to ensure her safety.

TJ Jackson is a co-guardian ... we're told Rowe likes him but is worried that he's been on tour and away from the kids for long stretches.

Rowe will file legal docs asking the judge to appoint her guardian so she can move the children to her ranch in Palmdale CA, where she has a business raising and breeding horses.

Fact is ... Rowe has not asked the Estate for money and our sources say she's not interested in a payday. She wants the kids because she loves them and fears for their well-being.

It looked like a Jackson 5 reunion ... when a Michael Jackson impersonator got together with 4 Jackson brothers Saturday at their concert in Vegas -- but it cost him a pretty penny.

Carlo Riley -- an MJ tribute artist -- tells TMZ he finally got to meet Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Jackie at their Planet Hollywood show ... but he had to pay for the privilege.

Riley says he flew to Vegas from Denver and dropped $400 dollars for a VIP package that included front row seats, an autographed program and a backstage meet-and-greet with the Jacksons.

Carlo tells us the backstage visit was quick ... he shook hands with the brothers who told him they were impressed by how much he looks like their brother. And during the show, he says the Jacksons pointed to him in the front row ... where he was dancing and taking photos with other fans.

Pretty cool ... but it still can't compare to the time he met Michael himself in Japan in 2007.

9:30 AM PT -- Debbie just got out of surgery and we're told the biopsy came back NEGATIVE for cancer.

Debbie Rowe may have Lymphoma ... at least that's what her doctors are saying. She's going in for a biopsy today ... and she's terrified of one thing ... PROPOFOL.

Rowe tells TMZ ... various medical tests over the last few months have shown irregularities with her lymph nodes, and doctors are increasingly convinced it's lymphoma, although she believes she doesn't have it.

Rowe -- Michael Jackson's former wife and mother of Prince and Paris -- says she's at peace with the procedure but is "scared to death" of the anesthesia. She says she has told doctors "Propofol is out of the question."

Rowe remains confident, saying, "I'm too healthy to have cancer" -- and she remained confident early this morning before the biopsy.

Michael Jackson's family must be going ballistic over this ... Conrad Murray had a delightful lunch with Janet Jackson's ex-husband Friday.

The man who killed Michael dined at Crustacean in Bev Hills ... with the guy who was once his neighbor. You see, James DeBarge was jailed in 2011 after being busted on drug and weapons offenses. Michael's former brother-in-law and Murray were in the same cell block at L.A. County Jail.

Just like her beloved chimpanzees ... Jane Goodall is throwing crap at the wall -- at least that's the word from people who witnessed Michael Jackson's relationship with Bubbles.

Several people who were with Bubbles on almost a day-to-day basis tell TMZ ... MJ adored the chimp, and treated him like a member of his family -- and the notion that he or anyone around him brutalized the chimp is garbage.

We're told the Michael Jackson Estate has recognized how much the singer loved Bubbles by contributing money to the sanctuary where the chimp now lives.

Bubbles, we're told, was almost joined at the hip with Michael, mimicking him and various others at Neverland. We were told one story where Bubbles got down on his knees after seeing one of the maids and started dusting the floor. The whole slave labor thing aside, Michael proudly hugged the chimp.

And Michael actually made Bubble's his plus one at his lawyer John Branca's wedding. Bubbles showed up in a tux to cheer on Branca -- who now runs the MJ Estate.

The world's leading chimp expert says Michael Jackson's famous pet monkey Bubbles was brutalized at Neverland and she blames MJ.

Jane Goodall dropped the bombshell leaving an event in Washington, D.C. ... saying Bubbles was BEATEN while in Michael's care.  She doesn't say who beat Bubbles, but she does say she confronted MJ and it "ticked him off."

Our photog was clearly caught off guard and didn't ask the circumstances surrounding the alleged beating.  La Toya's ex-husband, Jack Gordon, claimed the singer did indeed abuse Bubbles, saying, "I saw Michael punch Bubbles, kick him in the stomach.  Michael used to say, 'He doesn't feel it.  He's a chimpanzee.  I have to discipline him.'"

Various people in the MJ camp denied the claims, and there are stories that Bubbles was actually treated like a hairy king, eating at the dining room table with MJ and having free access to the fridge for Haagen-Dazs fixes.

FYI -- Bubbles -- now 30 -- is alive and well  ...  living in a Florida animal sanctuary.

Michael Jackson's newly-proclaimed alleged son will be fending for himself for the rest of his life, because there's NO WAY he can touch the money in MJ's estate.

Brandon Howard says he has no interest in going after the Estate, and that's a good thing, because Michael made sure he and everyone else in the world -- except Prince, Paris and Blanket -- could not lay a hand on MJ's assets.

According to Michael's will ... Michael's 3 kids, along with some charities, ultimately get his money. Michael also made sure that Katherine was supported during her lifetime.

We just dug through Michael's 2002 will -- in which he explicitly wrote, "Except as otherwise provided in this Will or in the Trust ... I have intentionally omitted to provide for my heirs."

Under the law, that's all she wrote, because MJ had every right to disinherit anyone he wanted ... even his own kids. What he did was provide for Paris, Blanket and Prince ... and even if someone else could prove they were sired by the singer ... tough luck.

Bottom line ... Michael beat it, even in death.

A man has come forward claiming he's the real father of 31-year-old Brandon Howard -- NOT Michael Jackson -- telling TMZ, Howard warned him earlier this week the DNA story would be breaking ... and told him it was phony baloney.

65-year-old Augie Johnson tells us, he fathered Brandon during his relationship with Brandon's mom, Miki Howard in the 80s -- and has remained a central figure in Brandon's life.

He tells us, he was in the delivery room when Brandon was born and even brought Brandon to recording studios as a child. We've seen multiple family photos of them together.

Augie says they're so close ... Brandon called him days before TMZ broke the story about the DNA test, telling him, "Don't worry about this stuff. You are my dad."

Augie insists his son had nothing to do with the DNA stunt -- telling us the "greedy people" around Brandon are the masterminds.