Michael Jackson, who has in recent weeks decided to come out of the hole he was hiding in for the past few years to enjoy the limelight of the paparazzi flashbulbs, was snapped doing a bit of shopping over the weekend at an establishment called Off the Wall which, as their sign says, specializes in selling “weird stuff” …

… clearly, Michael Jackson is this store’s target audience. It should also be noted that Michael Jackson’s first album was also titled Off the Wall so … I mean, have you ever seen anything more perfect in all your life? Yeah … he’s weird.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Here are a few more photos of Michael Jackson and his children — Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II — lookin’ their Halloween best with new masks as they made their way en masse to Borders bookstore in Westwood, CA last night:

You may recall that yesterday we saw that Jacko and the kiddies got a jump-start on their Halloween celebrations this year by doing a bit of trick-or-treating early. Personally, I like these masks much better than their previous masks. I mean, it’s all still very much WTF? but I guess the semi-daily sightings are making them seem more normal? It is Halloween, after all, so … what the hell.

Oh and about that reported Jackson 5 reunion that Jermaine Jackson promised would come in 2009? Yeah, Michael Jackson says that ain’t happening:

Jermaine Jackson made headlines earlier this week, when he hinted that the original members of the Jackson 5 were ready for a comeback album and tour. Alas, Michael Jackson quickly debunked the reunion talk. “My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we’ve certainly shared many great experiences,” the King of Pop said in a statement released by his rep, identified as “Dr. Tohme.” “But at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them. I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon,” he continued. Jackson has been “in L.A. working … and meeting with people like will.i.am,” confirmed one music source, adding, “From what I hear, it’s going really well.”

Of course, none of this surprises me in the least. It seems absolutely impossible for this group of unstable (to say the least) family members to coordinate in any real way that would make a reunion possible. Michael Jackson seems happily ensconced in his own little dream world, flitting about from book store to book store with his costumed children to care at all about working with his family again. We’ve been hearing about these “new projects” for months … years. I’d be shocked if any of the work he’s been reportedly doing with Will.i.am will actually get released. We’ve also heard that Las Vegas big wigs are trying to woo Jacko into undertaking his own Vegas show … I highly doubt that will ever come to be either. I’m sorry, I just have a real hard time believing that Michael Jackson is functionally capable of becoming a performer again. Nothing that I’ve seen or heard from him in the past 10+ years leads me to believe that he is able to reclaim his pretend title as the King of Pop. Altho a bit sad, IMHO, at least he seems happy in his new life with his children. At long last he has a group of kids who he can play with and no outside force can come in and ruin that relationship. Of course, his kids are growing up fast … he better enjoy the playtime while he still can.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Halloween isn’t until tomorrow (Happy Devils’ Night Day, BTW) but it looks like Michael Jackson’s kids Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II have already begun their Halloween celebrations. Jacko took his kiddies out on the streets of Hollywood, CA last night to do some early trick-or-treating … unfortch, no one was available to hand out any candy — so they just looked freaky for nothing. Here are pics of Jackson and his three children last night:

I know it’s de rigueur for the Jackson clan to venture out in public wearing interesting masks to cover their faces but the kiddies have been allowed to actually show their faces in recent months so it’s a bit odd to see them all covered up again. It don’t even matter that we’re so close to Halloween … anything these poor kids do in association with their father is strange. It’s so sad how creepy they all seem. I really do feel sorry for these kids.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

Everyone’s favorite self-proclaimed King of Pop Michael Jackson surfaced here in LA yesterday afternoon where he was snapped enjoying a pretty full day of shopping around town. Jacko left the kiddies at home this time so that they wouldn’t get in the way of his retail jaunts in pursuit of cosmetics, antiques and toys … natch. Here are a few pics from Jackson’s day yesterday:

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, stopped at a Robertson Boulevard boutique to shop, but for what? And if you want to know where else Jacko spent his day, read on … He was at Off the Wall, the West Hollywood antique store that bears the same name as his 1979 album. An inside source tells E! News that the rarely seen star bought a Pan Am aluminum cast model airplane. The source says Michael was looking around at other items but only purchased the plane. “It was a little difficult because people were pounding on doors and windows…so he was in and out pretty quick,” an eyewitness tells E! News. “The paparazzi were in hot pursuit of him.” Despite the chaos going on outside, the source said Michael didn’t seem worried. “He was great,” says the source.

Jacko may be an odd bird but I have no doubt that he relishes the attention that he is still able to garner from the media. I understand that he even took the time to crack the window of his car so that he could shake fingers with fans that pressed up against his vehicle. I dunno why anyone would want to do that but … there you have it. In other Jackson news, it was reported earlier this week that he has angered some folks in Las Vegas, NV by buying a new home directly across the street from an elementary school. Is he just interested in making sure that his own kids won’t have to walk for to attend school or is there really cause for concern?

The star, 50, reportedly lives just metres from the school which takes pupils aged four to 13. Jackson was cleared of child abuse in 2005 but, despite this, parents of the 600 children at the school have complained about his choice of residence. One parent told The Sun newspaper: “Some parents say they don’t want their children near Jacko. They say he can see the kids getting on the school bus from his house.” Jackson moved back to Las Vegas last year with his children Prince Michael, 11, Paris, 10, and Prince Michael II, 6. According to the newspaper, Jackson is being put up by casino owner Steve Wynn who is trying to persuade the shy star to appear in a comeback show. Those who live in the area say that the superstar has not been to the school and keeps a low profile, surrounded by a team of bodyguards. Since the star moved, fans have been congregating outside the gates of his Spanish-style villa. A school spokesman refused to comment.

I mean … Jacko is kinda supercreepy but I really don’t know that there is any cause for concern. I dunno … I guess I can see how some parents might be worried. What do y’all think? Would you have a problem with Michael Jackson living in a home directly across the street from a school where your children attended?

[Photo credit: X17; Source, Source]

Michael Jackson and his three children, Prince Michael, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, have surfaced this week here in the SoCal area and were spotted at The Golden Apple comic book store in LA. Even tho Halloween is still a couple of weeks away, Jackson and his kids still decided to don their masks of choice for the shopping excursion … much to the bewilderment of the other patrons of the store:

Not for the first time, Michael Jackson sent jaws dropping during a outing in Los Angeles. The singer took his three children - Prince Michael, 11, Paris, ten, and Prince Michael II, six - shopping this week dressed as masked Halloween characters. And never one to be left out, Jackson looked scarier than ever in a surgical mask, giant black sunglasses and a hooded jumper. The family, who are rarely seen in public, browsed a comic book store together after slipping in through a back door. When Jackson turned 50 in August he said he likes nothing more than spending time with his children. “I’m raising my children and enjoying it and teaching them to ride bicycles and how to read. I love it.” The former child star also said his kids are enjoying freedom he never had at their age. I let them go to the arcade and go to the movies and do things. I want them to get to do the kind of things I didn’t get to do,” he added. The children removed their masked once inside the store, giving onlookers a rare glimpse at their faces. Prince Michael wore cream shorts, white trainers and a black hooded jacket on the outing while sister Paris wore a red jumper, shirt and black trousers … Jackson’s third child Prince Michael II [wore] long black hair, green pyjamas and a dark coat.

I’m sorry but this entire family is creepy, y’all. I mean … they just seem really out there. The last time we saw Jacko and his kids out in public was back in July when they surfaced at a bookstore in Las Vegas, NV (you may recall that Michael Jackson was in a wheelchair at the time, good to see he’s able to walk on his own two feet these days). I’m constantly flummoxed by everything I see from Michael Jackson and his kids … it’s hard to remember the man at the height of his glory. He is so incredibly odd now. I cannot imagine what life must be like for these children. I just hope they are happy. I mean … yeah. Wow.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

There have been rumors going around that Michael Jackson relocated his family to Las Vegas, NV in the hopes of staging a huge comeback with his very own Vegas show (a la Céline Dion at Caesar’s Palace) but thus far there has been no movement and not a single sign that this Vegas show thing is ever going to happen … especially notsomuch after new photos of the so-called King of Pop have surfaced of the man, covered head to toe, was seen being wheeled around in a wheelchair to and from a Barnes and Noble bookstore (with his three kids in tow) in LV recently:

Pictured on a visit to a toy and book shop near his current home in Las Vegas, the singer was slumped in a wheelchair wearing pyjamas, a dreadlocked wig, a surgeon’s mask, a baseball cap and sunglasses. Such theatre was presumably designed to prevent shoppers from discovering his true identity. The irony is of course that Jackson is now better known for wearing such ludicrous disguises than not. Indeed he would have stood a much better chance of not being noticed had he strode into the shop without any disguise - and had not pulled up in four cars filled with his eight-strong security team. It remained unclear last night whether Jackson, who is most famous for his footwork and in particular his moonwalk, actually needs the wheelchair to get around or whether he was just using it as a prop … He has been spotted both with and without the chair in recent weeks. He has battled numerous health problems over the years, having being diagnosed with lupus and vitiligo and the amount of surgery he has had has rendered him unrecognizable from his former self … The last time he was in the chair was to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas in May at the MGM Grand hotel. On that occasion, he also draped a coat around his face to try to disguise himself. But as always, the peculiar appearance only drew more attention to himself. On this occasion, Jackson arrived with his three children, who were unusually unmasked, and headed straight for the children’s book section, where he remained alone for some time. An eyewitness said: “They arrived at the Barnes and Nobel shop in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon. First Michael was in the childrens’ section on his own in the wheelchair reading books. The three children were at another table with the bodyguards. He was in the children’s section for about half an hour. He then went to the music section and was sitting in the chair looking through various books. But this time the children were in the children’s section. Then he pushed himself around in the wheelchair for a while and ended up in the magazine section. He was in the shop for about two hours in total. There was no special treatment. The shop was not closed to the public at any point. There were quite a few members of the public in the shop who knew he was there but no one approached him. To be honest, he looked a bit weird wheeling himself around covered up in a surgeon’s mask and that is probably what freaked people out to not want to approach him. When they left the shop, the children came out first and he was wheeled out behind them. He never left the wheelchair at any point in the shop.” A Jackson family friend indicated last night that the wheelchair was indeed needed for a recurring back problem that Jackson has had ever since his performing days. “He has a problem with his back which surfaces from time to time,” the friend said. Jackson is currently living in Las Vegas trying to land a residency at one of the big venues in the city to clear massive debts he has accrued.

This man’s entire life is just so strange, so utterly bizarre. I am not at all surprised that no one tried to approach him … I mean, what does one even have to say to Michael Jackson anymore? I like your face mask? It is such a shame that he and Madonna are practically the same age — she is about to embark on her most recent world tour, full of entertaining pomp and circumstance and he has been reduced to being pushed around in wheelchairs at local bookstores. I contend that this “Vegas comeback” will never come to fruition. The insurance alone to cover any sort of crazed carnival that he might want to bring to the stage would be enough to turn off investors (oh, but can you just imagine what a Jackson Vegas Show might look like?). The man appears to have lost all connection with rationality, it’s really very sad. After the jump, check out a photo of Jackson’s three children — Prince Michael Jackson, Paris Michael Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson, II (better known to the world as Blanket) … (more…)