CHICAGO – Michael Jackson’s children and mother said on Monday’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that they’re still learning to cope with his death a year and a half after the pop star overdosed on a powerful anesthetic.

Jackson’s oldest children, Prince, 13, and Paris, 12, said they are adjusting well to private school, although their younger brother, Blanket, 8, is still home-schooled. The children have been living with grandmother Katherine Jackson, who is their guardian, since their father’s death in June 2009.

Additional Photos

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey, left, is seen with Katherine Jackson, second from left, mother of the late pop star Michael Jackson, in a taping of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in Encino, Calif. Looking on are Joe Jackson, standing, and Michael’s three children, from left, Prince, Paris and Blanket. The show aired Monday. The Associated Press

Lindsay Lohan

In the pretaped interview, Katherine Jackson said that Blanket, whose given name is Prince Michael Jackson II, is shy but now wants to attend school next year, when he’ll be in fourth grade.

The children were taped in the Jacksons’ backyard with several cousins and spoke about their memories of their father.

Prince, whose birth name is Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., said when the family lived in Bahrain, he and his father often walked the beach early in the morning drinking Coca-Cola and eating Skittles or Snickers. Paris said he took her to art museums and was “the best cook ever.”

Katherine Jackson said she wants to give the children as normal a childhood as possible, and is more lenient than her son was — including when he made the children wear veils in public.

Paris said the veils weren’t always comfortable but that they wore them “because then when we did go out without our dad, nobody would really recognize us,” and she appreciated that he was trying to protect them.

“I kind of felt like no one understands what a good father he was,” Paris said.

Katherine Jackson also told Winfrey that she believes her son was addicted to plastic surgery, and once even asked his surgeon to pretend that he’d operated on Jackson’s nose if he ever asked for another surgery.

Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, also appeared in a brief interview with his wife and denied to Winfrey that he had beaten his children, as Michael Jackson had told Winfrey in a 1993 interview. But when prodded by his wife, who said “you might as well admit it,” Joe Jackson acknowledged whipping them with a strap to keep them out of trouble.

Lohan’s mother sees change

NEW YORK – Lindsay Lohan’s mother says her daughter’s treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic has been “life-changing.”

Dina Lohan said that the world-renowned addiction center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., has dug into the “Mean Girl” actress’ problems and brought them to the surface.

She said Lindsay, seen shopping on an approved outing over the weekend, is happy and relaxed.

Her mother said on NBC’s “Today” show on Monday: “She’s just a different person.”

The 24-year-old actress was sentenced to stay at Betty Ford until early January.

Quaid’s hearing delayed

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A hearing to evaluate actor Randy Quaid’s request for refugee status in Canada was postponed Monday.

The case was moved to Nov. 23 after Quaid’s lawyer, Catherine Sas, told the immigration adjudicator Monday that she needed more time to review documents.

Quaid and his wife, Evi, were arrested in Vancouver last month on outstanding U.S. warrants related to felony vandalism charges. The Quaids are wanted in Santa Barbara, Calif., where they missed a court hearing last week on the vandalism charges — the third time in two weeks the couple failed to appear for their arraignment.

The Quaids’ failure to appear in court resulted in an arrest warrant being issued for Evi Quaid, who also forfeited $500,000 bail. The judge agreed to hold off on issuing a warrant for Randy Quaid’s arrest until Nov. 16 so he could attend Monday’s immigration proceeding.

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