UPDATE: Janet Jackson finally gets candid in the October issue of Harper’s Bazaar. She is featured on both the newsstand cover and subscriber’s cover. Inside, she speaks for the first time since her brother Michael’s death. Read the excerpts below:
On avoiding the media coverage following Michael’s death: “It will drive you crazy. People can have rhinoceros skin, but there’s a point when something’s going to hurt you. Not everyone is stone, stone. I haven’t watched the news in weeks. I had to ask my chef, ‘How’s Obama doing?’ I haven’t read a newspaper. On top of that, [we've lost] a family member.”
On the last time she saw him: The last time Janet saw Michael was on May 14, two days before her 43rd birthday. It was a family celebration, the Jackson kids were running around, and she and her big brother hung out, ate Thai food, and tormented each other. “We had so much fun that day. We kept calling each other after and saying how great it was.”‘
On how she is coping: “I’ve been doing okay. Work helps focus all of that energy on something that is of value to you.” She’s just back from vacation, a princely three days on a beach. “It was the first time I had to myself since Michael passed, the first time I could get away since all of that.”
On Michael’s daughter Paris speaking at his memorial service: “I was really proud. People said to me that Michael’s daughter speaking really gave them a sense of how he was as a father, in her words. Paris is incredibly smart; they are all so smart. She’s a sweet girl. The kids are doing well. They’re with all their cousins; that family love will keep them going.”
On what she’d like the world to know about Michael: “He loved to laugh. The last time we were together, he’d laugh so hard, he would just start crying. Sometimes his humor would be corny, sometimes dry. He loved the Three Stooges, he loved slapstick, he loved Eddie Murphy in his silly comedies. He loved to have fun. He loved to play….People have told me, ‘I am an American citizen because of your brother.’ He wrote them a letter or something. He was just that giving, loving person. And the greatest entertainer there ever was. And is. I hope people get a glimpse of him now, some sort of picture.”
On her brother’s unique style: “If it was shiny, if it had any kind of bling, he loved it. It was that drummer-boy look. Do you remember that black jacket he wore for Motown’s 25th anniversary? That’s our mother’s! He grabbed that from her closet! He loved anything that sparkled. [That last day Janet saw Michael] he had a Balmain jacket on. He had a few of them–all black, jeweled, studded, with rhinestones.”
On the origins of the famous white glove: “That was actually my brother Jackie’s idea at home one day. He just said, ‘You should wear one glove. A white glove.’ And then Mike studded it all. That was it.”
On if she’d ever wear the King of Pop’s costumes?: “No. They should go to the children, if anything.”
On how she’d like to be remembered: “I would hope my legacy would be bringing smiles to faces. Happiness with my music. Also, to make babies. I’ve had so many people come up to me and say, ‘My child was conceived by listening to your music.’”
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“RUMOR: Will Janet Jackson Break Her Silence?”
Rumor has it that Janet Jackson will do an interview with Harper’s Bazaar and speak on her brother’s death. She’s the only sibling who hasn’t spoken up since the tragic death of Michael Jackson. Here’s what is being reported:
JANET JACKSON is preparing to open up for the first time since the tragic death of her brother MICHAEL – in a tell-all interview with U.S. magazine Harper’s Bazaar.
The King of Pop passed away in June (09) after suffering a cardiac arrest, and on Friday (28Aug09), the Los Angeles County Coroner ruled the star was killed by a cocktail of strong prescription drugs.
The All For You hitmaker has remained out of the spotlight throughout the probe surrounding his death, but has now agreed to a revealing interview with the magazine, reports the New York Post. A source says, “She is giving them the world exclusive and is going to be on the cover.”
Michael Jackson will finally be laid to rest on Thursday (03Sep09) at California’s Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
She’s already tweeted a special message to Mike:
Michael Jackson’s back up singer speaks out!
Here’s photos of Michael Jackson’s top trendsetting looks:
