Jacko Summit Draws A Crowd
Michael Jackson was nowhere to be seen as his closest advisers gathered at the posh Beverly Hills Hotel to discuss his finances, but those in attendance said the pop superstar remains fully in control of his business affairs.
The meeting Monday — held days before Jackson's arraignment on child molestation charges — was attended by his attorneys, managers and accountants.
CBS News Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman reports that members of the Nation of Islam took a high-profile role at the session. Nation of Islam leader Leonard Muhammad was at the head of the table where Jackson's lieutenants gathered.
Muhammad said his role was to " make sure everybody knows Michael is innocent and his career is going to continue as usual."
Members of the Nation of Islam also flanked Charles Koppelman, Jackson's senior adviser.
"It so happened we were all in the same place and thought it would be a great idea to sit down together," Koppelman said.
Nevertheless, Jackson's advisers disputed reports that the religious group had assumed control of the entertainers financial matters.
"Michael is in charge," John Branca, one of the singer's business attorneys, told reporters.
In a related development, Debbie Rowe, the mother of two of Jackson's children, Prince Michael and Paris, made a public show of lunching in Beverly Hills at a celebrity hot spot, with the media tipped off in advance.
Sources told CBS News she's concerned about the Nation of Islam's influence on her children.
Jackson is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on child molestation charges in the Santa Barbara County city of Santa Maria. On Monday, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville ruled that cameras would not be permitted in the courtroom during the arraignment.
Monday's meeting of Jackson's brain trust was held behind closed doors, but Jackson attorney Mark Geragos briefly allowed an Associated Press reporter and photographer into the room to ask a few questions.
Jackson, 45, was nowhere to be seen, but an NBC reporter allowed in later in the day told The Associated Press the entertainer had been on a conference call with his advisers at that time.
Jackson spokesman Kevin McLin, who spent two hours in the meeting during the afternoon, said the entertainer was clearly in charge.
"It was just a sign of unity," he said of the gathering's purpose. "It was just everybody coming together. Michael is in control of everything."
Security at the hotel was high and other guests were unaware of the meeting until they reached the end of the driveway where fans and camera crews were assembled.
Earlier in the day, Jackson's brother Jermaine and a handful of fans held a news conference to describe plans to support Jackson at the arraignment.
"My brother is innocent, he is 1,000 percent innocent," Jermaine Jackson said. "My mother, father, sisters and brothers are overwhelmed at the outpouring of the fans in the USA and all around the world."
Diana D'Alo, a fan from Italy, said fans were planning a "huge gathering" in Santa Maria that would include people from Spain, France, England, Canada, Mexico and Japan, as well as from around the United States.
Jackson's fan clubs plan to have groups of cars and buses travel to the courthouse in northern Santa Barbara County from areas including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orange County, Long Beach, Santa Monica, San Diego, Pasadena, Carson, Costa Mesa and Riverside, organizers said.
Jackson is charged with seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, reportedly wine. He is free on $3 million bail pending his arraignment. Jackson has maintained his innocence.