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Janet Jackson is cutting short her Australian tour so she can join her family at the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who’s been charged with the involuntary manslaughter of her brother Michael.

The performer told the Associated Press, “When I planned these shows, the schedule in California was completely different,” adding, “After talking with my family last night, I decided we must be together right now… This saddens me in so many ways.”

Jackson’s “Number Ones” tour was slated to hit Melbourne on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

She’s rescheduled a one-night only show for November 3 at the city’s Rod Laver Arena.

The tour’s promoter, Paul Dainty, understood Jackson’s decision.

He said, “It is important that Janet is with her family at this critical point in the hearing. While Janet and our company apologize for any inconvenience for the reschedule of the Melbourne shows, we thank Janet for the great and successful concerts in Perth and Adelaide and eagerly await her return. … Our thoughts and prayers are with Janet and the entire Jackson family.”

The prosecution in the Dr. Murray trial is scheduled to wrap its case as early as Monday, and then the defense will present its side.

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So far Gossip Cop hasn’t heard of any controversy involving her latest concert in Melbourne, where Britney Spears just finished performing, but before the singing star hit the stage again Down Under a few hours ago, she hit back at critics who tore into her for lip-synching.

Acknowledging the bad publicity she’s received since she arrived in Australia, Spears said, “I hear there is a lot of controversy in the media about my show… Some reporters have said they love it and some don’t.” But she dismissed the press in favor of those who she cares most about. Spears said, “I came to Australia for my fans!”

A few days ago, promoter Paul Dainty told the media that Spears was “extremely upset” by reports that concertgoers had bolted from her first performance in Perth last Friday. And while he said that talk of people walking out was “an absolute fabrication,” Gossip Cop investigated and determined that, while the scope of the exodus was exaggerated by the media, there were certainly some who left. Still, the vast, vast majority majority of those who attended her concert on Friday were pleased with her performance.

The media “Circus” over Spear’s lip-synching began even before the pop singer landed in Australia when an Australian minister, Virginia Judge – referencing Spears’ professional beginnings – told a local paper that people would not tolerate a “Mickey Mouse performance.” Judge added, “Let’s be clear — live means live,” and “If you are spending up to 200 dollars [$182 U.S.] I think you deserve better than a film clip.” The minister further suggested that tickets should include a disclaimer noting that parts of the concert are pre-recorded.

Gossip Cop will keep you up-to-date on all the twists, turns and tunes during the final leg of Spears’ “Circus” tour.

 For the most accurate celebrity reporting, visit GossipCop.com and follow us on Twitter – @GossipCop.

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Oops, the press has done it again with Britney Spears.

It has turned into a media “Circus” Down Under, where several reports have claimed that numerous fans walked out of Spears’ first concert on Friday – after just a few tunes – because of her lip-synching.

Paul Dainty, the tour’s promoter told the newspaper The Australian, “Britney is aware of all this and she’s extremely upset by it;“ however, he added, it was “totally inaccurate reporting.” He even went so far as to call it “an absolute fabrication.”

You’ll recall last week Gossip Cop reported about the lip-synching controversy after an Australian minister, Virginia Judge – referencing Spears’ professional beginnings – told a local paper that people would not tolerate a “Mickey Mouse performance.” She said, “Let’s be clear — live means live,” and “If you are spending up to 200 dollars [$182 U.S.] I think you deserve better than a film clip.” Judge further suggested that tickets include a disclaimer noting that parts of the concert are pre-recorded.

A spokesperson for Burswood Dome, the Perth venue from where concertgoers allegedly stormed out on Friday, claims no one complained about the performance.

Regardless of that assertion and the tour promoter’s denial, the local newspapers and television shows produced a number of individuals who were annoyed by the lip-synching, some of whom even publicly asked for their money back.

That said, Gossip Cop looked into these stories and concluded that the scope of the exodus has been greatly exaggerated.

While it is true some left upset because of the lip-synching, they were a tiny minority. The vast, vast majority of fans loved Spears’ first performance.

Spears is slated to hit the stage again in Melbourne on Wednesday.

For the most accurate celebrity reporting, visit GossipCop.com and follow us on Twitter – @GossipCop.