Michael Jackson’s children, Prince and Paris Jackson, accepted their father’s lifetime achievement award at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. The two were on stage with their cousins, Tarryl, TJ and Taj Jackson, of the band 3T. There may have been a very good reason why Prince and Paris were at the Grammys with their cousins instead of their aunts and uncles. Uncle Tito Jackson tweeted that he and his family were not invited to the Grammys and he sounded pretty bitter about it:

“So proud, my brother being honored tonight with the Lifetime Achievement Award,” Michael’s brother and former bandmate Randy wrote on his Twitter page. “My family would love to be there but, truth is, we weren’t invited.

“Do you want more truth? Let me be clear. When I said ‘my family’ I meant my brothers, sisters and parents.”

Michael’s three children — Paris, 11; Prince Michael I, 12; and seven-year-old Prince Michael II — aka Blanket — were there to honor their father but Randy is convinced the children were only invited as an afterthought.

“Randy was incandescent,” a source told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper. “He believed the Grammys only thought of including Michael’s children at the 11th hour as dad Joe Jackson complained there was no family representation.

“The brothers were hoping to attend and wear their silver gloves and matching suits to honor their brother. They feel insulted and hurt that they have been snubbed in this way. Michael would’ve wanted them there.

“The Jackson 5 was where the magic began. They’re a huge part of his story and felt they had been horribly overlooked.”

The eldest children took to the stage wearing black suits with red armbands to accept Michae’s award — which he was given for his contribution to the music industry, while Blanket remained backstage with his grandmother Katherine Jackson.

“Michael’s children themselves decided just Prince Michael I and Paris would speak on stage and accept the award on behalf of their dad,” the source said.

[From Showbizspy]

While I understand that Tito and his immediate family felt snubbed by the Grammys, it’s so typical of him and his father to make a big deal out of something instead of quietly sucking it up. If Prince and Paris made an appearance it was obviously approved by their guardian and grandmother Katherine Jackson. Plus the band 3T is made up of Tito’s three sons, who were on stage with their cousins! Maybe the Grammy officials wanted to honor Michael without turning the Grammys into a big Jackson family circus. I also doubt that Tito would have been content to sit on the sidelines and he probably would have made a stink out of not being invited to perform in the tribute.

There’s also the whole issue of the Jackson brothers trying to cash in on his brother’s death with shady business dealings, like a huge memorial concert that was promoted for a certain date, only to be postponed and moved to another venue. Jermaine announced in a press conference that certain artists would appear, after which some of those artists issued statements to the contrary. Tito now faces a potential lawsuit for another aborted memorial concert in Michigan. He was allegedly paid $7,500 for a concert that never materialized. I don’t blame the Grammy officials for trying to shut out Tito and his family. They’ve only shown that they’re only interested in self promotion. After all, Michael’s dad Joe plugged his own record company several times during interviews immediately following his son’s death.