MICHAEL JACKSON SNUBS FAMILY

     Reclusive pop weirdo Michael Jackson snubbed his family at a top awards ceremony.
     The Jacksons were crowned music icons at the prestigious BMI Urban Awards dinner in Los Angeles but the fallen self-proclaimed King of Pop failed to turn up to be with his family.
     The Thriller singer was nowhere to be seen as his sister Janet Jackson presented her music-making brothers Tito, Jackie, Marlon and Randy with the lifetime achievement BMI Icon award following a musical tribute at the award show celebrating R&B and hip-hop's top hitmakers.
     While four of the brothers and their parents and sisters attended the ceremony at the Wilshire Theatre neither Michael, who turned 50 last week, nor Jermaine were on hand to see the Jacksons reunite to accept the award.
     The organisers had hoped the dinner would draw out reclusive Michael but to no avail.
     No one seemed to be bothered that Jermaine was absent but the big question of the night was where was the Moonwalker star?
     "I don't know," Marlon said. "I think he's in Egypt riding a camel or something."
     "Getting older hasn't made Jacko nicer or more loyal," said showbusiness insider Roger Friedman.
     The Fox TV network commentator added: "He let Janet, Tito, Randy, Marlon and Jackie as well as his sisters LaToya and Rebbie and his parents Katherine and Joe show up and make fake excuses for him while Michael presumably watched cartoons at home in his pajamas surrounded by children."
     Most of the family has not seen or heard from Michael since his June 2005 acquittal on charges of child molestation and conspiracy.
     Since then he has lived in Bahrain, Ireland, Northern Virginia and Las Vegas.
     In that time he has also narrowly escaped personal bankruptcy, lost or settled various lawsuits and nearly had his Neverland Ranch hideaway home taken away from him.
     The BMI dinner once and for all quelled the rumours that Jacko will reunite or tour with his brothers, especially Randy, with whom Michael has financial "issues."
     Friedman added: "In some ways, it's a fitting ending for papa Joe Jackson, who didn't do himself any favours when he acted as Michael's taskmaster and over-dominating manager during the former pop star's formative years. Locking him in closets when he failed to perform properly."
     According to Friedman the treatment has "left the 50-year-old mentally scarred and uninterested in any future relationships."
     But Michael is notoriously disloyal, something his obsessed fans have chosen to ignore.
     "He left his surrogate dad and protector, Bill Bray, to die an agonising death in relative poverty with little other than a volunteer caretaker and a hospital bed," Friedman said. "Even when told that Bray was dying and needed help, Jackson ignored him."
     The Jackson Five which included Michael along with Marlon, Jackie, Tito and Jermaine was a groundbreaking, best-selling act that debuted on the 1969 album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5.
     The group simply became the Jacksons after leaving Motown in 1976, replacing Jermaine with Randy. They continued their multiplatinum success with such hits as ABC and I Want You Back.
     Tito said: "It's a great honour to know your music influenced a generation. We're very proud of this moment."
     Before presenting her brothers with the award, Janet said her family was her greatest commodity and that she was proud to salute her siblings for their accomplishments in the music industry.
     Following the acceptance of the icon award, the Jackson brothers posed on stage for photos with their father Joseph, mother Katherine and sisters Janet, LaToya and Rebbie.
     Other BMI Urban Award winners included Soulja Boy, Polow Da Don, Rodney Jerkins and DJ Montay.
     Song of the year was awarded to Ne-Yo, Espen Lind and Amund Bjorklund for Irreplaceable. Jonathan "J.R." Rotem, Kanye West and T-Pain were honoured as producers of the year. T-Pain was also selected as songwriter of the year.
     Universal Music Publishing Group was given the publisher of the year award.
     The tribute kicked off with dance troupe Jabbawockeez performing a funky Dancing Machine routine.
     Music group ONE sang I Want You Back. JoJo and Lloyd partnered on I'll Be There before Mario unleashed a high-energy rendition of Heartbreak Hotel and Keri Hilson crooned Who's Loving You.
     As the Jackson parents smiled and applauded all during the show, Janet introduced her four brothers and, at one point, became overcome with emotion, having to pause to regain her composure.
     "Family is the most important commodity that all of us have," she said after taking the stage as Ray J, Bobby Valentino, Mario, and Lloyd sang the finale Never Can Say Goodbye.
     The Jacksons did not perform at the show on Thursday night.
     BMI Broadcast Music Inc. is a performing rights organisation that collects license fees on behalf of its songwriters, composers and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed.