Just In: Michael Jackson’s Private Funeral

Some of Michael Jackson‘s family members apparently wanted to say their goodbyes under the moonlight.

Less than 12 hours before tomorrow’s funeral service and blow-out memorial at Staples Center, a number of family members made the trip Monday night to Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, possibly for a private viewing of the entertainer’s body.

KCAL-TV footage showed a hearse driving in and backing up toward a building on the grounds.

A massive law-enforcement contingent started sealing off the area late this afternoon, but E! News caught glimpses of brother Randy Jackson and sister La Toya arriving.

In addition to the large LAPD presence, there was a security team checking in vehicles. The head of the team tells us that everyone involved signed a confidentiality agreement.

Jackson family friend Majestik Magnificence tells E! News that what is taking place at the cemetery is not a funeral service, and that he’s expected at the family’s Encino home Tuesday at 6 a.m. to join the caravan to Forest Lawn.

A rep for the Jacksons has yet to comment.

Source: E!

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“Your thoughts? Should they have made Michael Jackson’s memorial private or public and take him to the Staples Center for the world to see?”

Just In: D.A. Wants Felony Evidence on Chris Brown Case

As bad as the last week has been, Chris Brown may not have even seen the half of it.

At the request of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, the R&B star is being investigated for a variety of felonies, including domestic violence, assault resulting in great bodily injury and—based on specific allegations made by Rihanna—even attempted murder, a source close to the L.A. Police Department’s investigation tells E! News.

But as they build their case, the source says, prosecutors fear that making any serious felony charges stick could prove difficult in a case where there are no direct witnesses other than Rihanna and Brown.

Brown is accused of beating his longtime girlfriend in the early morning hours of Feb. 8, causing them both to cancel their scheduled Grammy performances that night.

Rihanna told police that, while the two were fighting in his rented Lamborghini, Brown said to her, “I’m going to kill you,” while his hands were around her neck. The Barbados-born songstress, who is reportedly cooperating with the cops’ investigation, also told authorities that Brown choked her until she lost consciousness.

Brown was booked by police on suspicion of making criminal threats, but the D.A.’s office wanted further investigation into the incident before it decided on pressing charges.

The 19-year-old singer has been free on $50,000 bail and is currently back home with his family in Virginia.

“Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired,” Brown, 19, said over the weekend via his rep in his first public statement since his arrest. “I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person.”

Rihanna, 20, was treated after the incident at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was discharged the following night. After canceling her upcoming public appearances, she spent last week with her family in Babardos before departing for parts unknown.

Source: E! Online

Music News: Is Chris Brown’s Career Over?

Q&A made on E! Online I’m sure everyone is asking themselves the same question, as I know I am.

Check out the Q&A below…

Question: So can Chris Brown be a famous singer after this whole alleged crime? —Marnie, Scottsbluff, Ariz.

Answer: I reached out to dozens of crisis PR experts today—people who have handled everything from food recalls to child sex-abuse scandals. Their only point of disagreement: Whether Chris Brown’s career is finished, over or merely done.

This is no small fall for a guy who, just last year, was named by Forbes magazine as a “celebrity dealmaker to watch.” His biggest sin since the alleged crime? Staying silent.

Of course, what actually happened remains to be sorted out in full view of Lady Justice. But PR people universally agree that Brown should have launched his I’m-an-ass apology tour by now, or at least some sort of self-mutilating statement.

Here’s the long-shot strategy he should be following…

Police investigation notwithstanding, crisis PR pro Dave Cieslak tells me he that somebody in Brown’s position should “admit his unspeakable mistake and genuinely beg forgiveness from Rihanna and his fans, all with tears streaming from his eyes.”

And yet there is a very tiny chance that Brown could crawl and scrape his way back into our collective good graces.

How? Focusing on his fans in the African-American community is a good start, image management consultant Goldie Taylor says. “We have a forgiving heart in the community,” Taylor says. “It’s happened time and time again. We saw it with Al Sharpton and Tawana Brawley, and look at Michael Vick. He isn’t done yet.”

(Indeed, Vick gets out of prison in July, and his lawyers are reportedly seeking to get him reinstated into the NFL.)

That focus may take the form of a sympathetic interview with Cousin Jeff on BET or giving us a very public come-to-Jesus moment by joining an African-American church.

He also needs to curb any news leaks coming out of his camp, as well as put out his own strong message, Taylor says:

“That his love for Rihanna is unfaltering, that he has undying love and respect for black women everywhere, that he has sisters and watched his mother struggle as a single mom, and that he can’t comment on anything directly but that he has great faith in the American justice system.

“But if they keep up with this radio silence,” Taylor says, “he’s a dead brand walking.”

Of course, Brown’s own anti-domestic-violence foundation must follow.

Even after all that, don’t look for a Chris Brown live tour anytime soon.

“If his people are smart,” says Peter Shankman, founder of the PR firm Geek Factory, “they’ll keep him under wraps for at least six months.”