APNewsBreak: Janet Jackson won’t attend tribute

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Janet Jackson said Monday she won’t attend a

planned tribute concert for her older brother Michael in Wales

because the show coincides with the trial of a doctor charged in

the King of Pop’s death.

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The singer’s one-sentence statement to The Associated Press does

not criticize the show, as her brothers Jermaine and Randy have

done, but cites the court case as her reason for not

attending.

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“Because of the trial, the timing of this tribute to our brother

would be too difficult for me,” her statement reads.

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Her statement was released on what would have been her brother’s

53rd birthday.

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Organizers of “Michael Forever – The Tribute Concert” have

struggled to line up top-name acts and have been criticized by fans

and the late singer’s estate for multiple reasons, including its

costly tickets, timing and remote location.

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The show is scheduled for Oct. 8 in Cardiff, Wales, and the

singer’s mother, Katherine, and some of her children are scheduled

to attend.

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Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson, and Cee Lo Green are the

top-names listed as performers so far. Organizers had to rescind an

offer to the band Kiss after fans and Michael Jackson’s estate

noted that singer-bassist Gene Simmons had harshly criticized the

pop singer over the years.

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Opening statements in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr.

Conrad Murray are scheduled to begin on Sept. 27. Murray, who has

pleaded not guilty, could face up to four years in prison if

convicted.

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Authorities allege he gave Michael Jackson a lethal dose of the

anesthetic propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom of his

rented mansion on June 25, 2009.

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