Jermaine Jackson Changes Last Name to Jacksun

Jermaine Jackson performs at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

The third-oldest member of the Jackson 5 has officially changed his name to Jermaine Jacksun, Reuters reports.

The 58-tear-old singer and brother of Michael and Janet Jackson first filed a petition for the name change in Los Angeles Superior Court in November 2012. The new name was approved on Wednesday after a hearing. Jacksun, who unofficially took the name Mohammad Abdul Aziz upon his 1989 conversion to Islam, said in November that he was making the new change for "artistic reasons."

The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments: The Jackson 5

"If Prince and P Diddy can do it, why can't and shouldn't Jermaine?" Jacksun's attorney, Bret D. Lewis, said at the time the petition was filed. Jacksun is currently on tour in Europe with Jackie, Marlon and Tito Jackson, and did not attend the hearing. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

'American Idol' Contestant Jermaine Jones Booted Over Criminal Charges

Jermaine Jones has been kicked off 'American Idol.'

American Idol contestant Jermaine Jones will be kicked off the show tonight after producers learned that the singer lied about his criminal history. The singer confirmed his exit last night in a Twitter post, though his account was deleted within a few hours.

According to TMZ, Jones was arrested twice last year and has outstanding warrants, and one of the incidents involved violence, which was especially troubling to Idol producers. Jones apparently used fake names both times he was arrested.

It also appears that Jones lied about his relationship with his father. Though he told producers that his father abandoned him 10 years ago, his father has told TMZ that they see each other regularly. Suspicions about this issue led Idol producers to more closely investigate Jones' background, which led to the discovery of his arrests last year.

This isn't the first time an Idol contestant was dismissed over past criminal charges. In season two, the show dismissed semifinalist Jared Andrews on assault charges and finalist Corey Clark over pending battery charges. Another contestant, Frenchie Davis, was kicked off the show when sexual photos of the singer turned up online.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

'American Idol' Contestant Jermaine Jones Booted Over Criminal Charges

Jermaine Jones has been kicked off 'American Idol.'

American Idol contestant Jermaine Jones will be kicked off the show tonight after producers learned that the singer lied about his criminal history. The singer confirmed his exit last night in a Twitter post, though his account was deleted within a few hours.

According to TMZ, Jones was arrested twice last year and has outstanding warrants, and one of the incidents involved violence, which was especially troubling to Idol producers. Jones apparently used fake names both times he was arrested.

It also appears that Jones lied about his relationship with his father. Though he told producers that his father abandoned him 10 years ago, his father has told TMZ that they see each other regularly. Suspicions about this issue led Idol producers to more closely investigate Jones' background, which led to the discovery of his arrests last year.

This isn't the first time an Idol contestant was dismissed over past criminal charges. In season two, the show dismissed semifinalist Jared Andrews on assault charges and finalist Corey Clark over pending battery charges. Another contestant, Frenchie Davis, was kicked off the show when sexual photos of the singer turned up online.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »