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Wednesday, July 01, 2009 04:05 PM

• In his will, Michael Jackson asks that his mother Katherine Jackson be guardian of his three children; if she dies or for some reason cannot fulfill that role, he requests Diana Ross take the kids.

• And the deaths just keep on coming. Oscar-winning actor Karl Malden (Streetcar Named Desire) died today of natural causes at home in Brentwood. He was 97. And Broadway and Hollywood actor Harve Presnell (Fargo) died yesterday of pancreatic cancer at St John's Medical Center in Santa Monica. He was 75.

• Gossip Girl is getting crowded with new actresses in limited arcs, with Joanna Garcia of the canceled Privileged jumping in as Nate's girlfriend and now Hilary Duff will be dropping by as Vanessa's NYU roommate. Maybe we'll finally stop watching this season.

• Despite what you might have heard, there will be no public or private service for Michael Jackson at the Neverland Ranch this weekend, so no need to gas up for the long drive.

• Last Saturday, Lindsay Lohan got $70,000 to host a "pre-celebration" birthday party for herself around the pool at the MGM Grand's Wet Republic in Las Vegas. None of her good friends attended. Her 23rd birthday's tomorrow.

• Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't really care for the US. She left the states for London after Bush took office and now is singing the praises of Spain, her "second home."

• Tameka Raymond really thought her marriage to Usher was solid. They were getting busy one week and Usher was filing for divorce the next. As far as she's concerned now, the game is ON.

• That last photo of Michael Jackson, dead on a stretcher, that appeared on the cover of OK! and offended everyone cost the magazine $500,000.