Scoop: Jon Gosselin Hanging Around With Paparazzi

Elsewhere in the Scoop: Jermaine Jackson's book and Dictrict 9's box office coup

Jon Gosselin continues to do the opposite of what's right while navigating his way through his new life in New York City.

The "Jon & Kate Plus 8" star's most recent blunder took place at a private party thrown by a student at Parsons School of Design.

Though he only stayed for 30 minutes, according to several in attendance, Gosselin arrived with a paparazzo in tow and left with two female students.

Gosselin’s choice of a plus-one is almost more shocking than the company he picked up along the way. If the troubled dad of eight is trying to keep his personal life off-camera, keeping company with the very people who will sell photos to media is not the way to do it.

Jermaine Jackson's book harshes on Michael
Portions of the proposal for "Legacy," the book that was to be written by Jermaine Jackson as told to longtime family friend Stacy Brown, have leaked out, and Jackson family members have been blaming Brown.

The main point of contention isn't simply the leak, but that “Legacy” clearly addressed Michael Jackson’s faults and alleged addictions.

According to Brown, not only was he not responsible for the proposal's leak, but the book's harsh stance toward Michael was Jermaine's idea. Moreover, Brown says he was not trying to benefit in any way from Jermaine’s fame, as some have alleged.

“The truth is that this whole ‘Legacy’ thing was Jermaine and his girlfriend's idea, not mine,” Brown said. “I worked on other projects with Jermaine, including a television show proposal called ‘Chicago Times.’ I also worked on a book with (sister) Rebbie Jackson in 1998, which we didn't publish because she felt the offers were too low and she had a lot to offer. I've only wanted to be a good friend and to help them, and help I did.”

In an excerpt of the book proposal, Jermaine Jackson wrote: "My brother is not what the world thinks he is; he’s not what we’ve always told you he was either. My brother is a superstar, yes. My brother is wealthy. He owns shares in Sony music. He drinks, he does drugs, he lies, he cheats, he changed his skin color and mostly, he’s human.”

Currently there are no plans to complete or publish the book. 

Weekend box office
Even if "District 9" isn't your kind of movie, any fan of films in general should be pleased that it was the number-one film at the box office.

This relatively low-budget film didn't get a tremendous amount of studio-backed publicity — most buzz was generated at Comic-Con — yet made $35 million its opening weekend. Sure, it had "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson behind it, so it wasn't stripped of all big names, but it is gratifying to see a smaller film yield big returns.

"The Time Traveler's Wife" pulled in $20 million, which isn't too bad given its tepid reviews. The big disappointment is Disney's "Ponyo." Many had high hopes for this anime-derived film, but it only made $3.8 million.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter: @ courtneyatmsnbc.

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