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Neverland was never a plan for memorial

Source close to the Jacksons says it was difficult to keep family on message

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By Courtney Hazlett
The Scoop
msnbc.com
updated 9:39 p.m. ET July 2, 2009

Courtney Hazlett
The Scoop
For the most part there are no surprises when it comes to the Jackson family, but the circuitous and confusing stream of information regarding the funeral might qualify.

If one were to trace the flood of misinformation to a starting point, you’d likely land at Neverland. “There never was a (plan to hold a memorial at) Neverland,” one source close to the funeral planning explained. “It was something that was just discussed. A lot of things were discussed though. That doesn’t mean they were reportable pieces of information.”

Another part of the problem was that the Jackson family was so difficult to get on message. One person who worked with the family during the early part of the funeral planning process blamed infighting for the conflicting messages.

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“There really isn’t a lot of communication in that family, and that’s because, honestly, (the) siblings just aren’t that close. It’s something they don’t really want people to know, but it becomes obvious after so many leaks start to come out.”

Jackson dermatologist a ‘normal’ guy
Michael Jackson’s dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein has been named in some reports as the possible father of Jackson’s first two children, Prince and Paris.

This bit of unsubstantiated rumor, plus the mere fact that the doctor is associated in any way with Jackson, has lead many to believe that Dr. Klein must be one of the more eccentric, Hollywood-type physicians. This is actually not true.

“I’ve been seeing him for years, since Debbie (Rowe) was there even,” said one patient who did not want to be identified. “I’m so not Hollywood, I’m a regular guy, and so was every other patient I knew of. That said, it’s a practice in Los Angeles. There are always going to be some A-listers to any established doctor, but (Dr. Klein) really is a normal guy.”

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter: @ courtneyatmsnbc.

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