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Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris fends off greedy relatives and plots movie stardom

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POP’S KID: Wise and worldly beyond her 14 years, the striking Paris Jackson shields her brothers from disputes over her late dad’s will, prepares for her first film role and still enjoys teen stuff like shopping at the mall and Twitter. (
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She’s heir to a $1 billion fortune, keeper of the legacy of pop’s biggest star. She grew up with a father who spent money with abandon, popped pills, wasted away into emaciation — all while living in perpetual childhood.

So the most surprising thing about Paris Katherine Jackson, age 14, is how normal she is.

That’s all thanks, ironically, to her damaged, brilliant father, Michael Jackson.

Until his death in 2009, the King of Pop kept his children in near-hiding from the media and especially from his family, the siblings who wanted his money and the father who Michael said abused him as a child star.

Perhaps most important, Jackson, infamous for his money troubles, tried to protect his kids from the temptations of too much wealth. They’re certainly comfortable, getting six-figure stipends annually. But for now that money is controlled by their guardian, Michael’s mother, Katherine, and the three children won’t have access to their full inheritance until age 40.

The result, friends of the family say, is that Prince Michael, 15, Paris and Blanket, 10, seem more grounded than you might expect from kids who grew up in a place called Neverland (or who are named “Blanket”).

Of the three, it’s Paris — with her mesmerizing blue eyes and prolific Twitter account — who has become the family’s most fascinating figure.

She’s already stood up to her aunts and uncles who, furious that they were largely left out of Michael’s will, tried to get more money out it by pressuring Katherine. It didn’t work; the will remained unchanged. And Paris, much to the Jackson family’s annoyance, tweeted the whole thing, in a moment that would have made her father proud — using his enemy, the media, to help her own cause.

“I am who I am,” Paris says on Twitter. “I’m weird, I’m lame, I run into things, I spill food, I trip, I scream about random stupid stuff but I’m me and I like it.”

So, what’s it like being the daughter of the King of Pop?

Paris Jackson eats trail mix for snacks, loves going to the mall and getting reactions from those who stare because of the “weird and long socks she’s wearing” — although the stares are likely because people are stunned when they see the daughter of the late and famously reclusive Jacko in public.

And like her father, family members say, she’s a perfectionist. She joined her middle-school flag-football team, but only after she knew she could match the fastest kids in the prestigious Buckley School north of Beverly Hills.

Its $29,000-a-year tuition is up slightly from when alumni such as Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Matthew Perry, Alyssa Milano and Laura Dern attended.

Paris and her siblings reside with Grandma Katherine in the tony Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. Cousin T.J. Jackson, Tito’s son, whom the court appointed co-guardian last year, is a constant presence at the home, but it’s mostly Paris, her brothers, Katherine and Katherine’s assistant who are there around the clock.

Five maids and two chefs work shifts while a hired security firm keeps at least two beefy guards on duty at all times.

Paris’ room is a second-floor suite in the 12,700-square-foot, seven-bedroom mansion, for which Jacko’s estate has been shelling out $26,000 a month.

While her brothers mostly hang out in a downstairs game room, Paris finds solace in the home’s state-of-the-art movie theater with beige leather reclining stadium seats, a reminder and near replica of her late dad’s home theater at Neverland Ranch.

A seldom-used wine cellar, an oval-shaped swimming pool and a golf course is also part of the stately compound. Britney Spears, Mel Gibson, Justin Bieber, Tommy Lee and Stevie Wonder are neighbors.

At school, Paris has her share of friends, but she has developed a close bond with her cousins Randy Jackson Jr., Donte Jackson and Genevieve Jackson.

The group often hangs out in a nearby mall, goes to the movies and, last month, spent all day at Disneyland with T.J.

Mostly because of her father’s tireless parenting, Paris is very respectful and couches each request with “Please,” “Thank you,” “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”

“Paris is going to be unreal as she continues to navigate the life Michael left for her,” said a family source. “I’m surprised at how easily she has adapted” despite the way Paris and her siblings lived prior to Jacko’s death.

The three offspring rarely had contact with others, including their now very close cousins. When they would go out in public, they were often masked. Most of their interaction was with their dad, nanny Grace Rwaramba and security personnel. They were also close to Jacko’s dermatologist Arnold Klein, who briefly claimed after Jacko’s death that he fathered Prince and Paris. Paris’ biological mother, Debbie Rowe, has had almost no contact.

Like Jacko, Paris can have ice water in her veins when crossed, as some of the Jacksons found out last year with Paris’ very public spat with superstar aunt Janet that security video captured.

Family members, including Janet, Rebbie, Jermaine and Randy, have publicly stated their belief that Michael’s will is a fake. They had challenged executors John Branca and John McClain in an attempt to wrest control over the lucrative estate.

Jacko’s estate is currently valued at more than $1 billion, and he left 20 percent to charity, 40 percent to be split among Paris and her two siblings and 40 percent to his mother.

Upon Katherine’s death, her 40 percent goes to Jacko’s children, as well.

When the children reach 30, they each receive a one-third outright share and another half of their share outright when they turn 35. And by the time they’re 40, the kids will finally have full access to the entire inheritance. Already, Jacko has earned more since his death than any living artist. Will Paris and her siblings share the wealth with their famous uncles and aunts?

“Not likely, but you never know. They have big hearts,” a family member said.

Jacko didn’t leave anything to his siblings or Papa Joe Jackson, who recently suffered a mild stroke in Las Vegas. Jacko’s lessons to his children included being smart about their associates, especially his family.

Though she shares her father’s love of music, Paris says she plans to go into acting.

Last year she signed on for the lead role in a soon-to-be-made live-action/animated film called “Lundon’s Bridge and the Three Keys,” based on a book by Dennis H. Christen.

“I Wanna Leave My Footprints On The Sands Of Time. When I Leave This World I’ll Leave No Regrets. I’ll Leave Something For Them Not To Forget,” Paris tweeted of her role.

Always hidden behind masks and veils when her dad was alive, Paris came out of the shadows at Jacko’s memorial, speaking publicly for the first time.

“Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine . . . I just wanted to say I love him so much,” she said.

Later, she accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her dad at the Grammys.

“Listen, she’s going to get what she wants and, mostly, nothing she gets or wants is too big for her or can be considered ridiculous,” a family insider said. “She doesn’t ask for Lamborghinis or Ferraris, just a Benz,” the family member kidded.

Paris has also shown her political side; though too young to vote, she exhorted her friends, family and more than 1 million Twitter followers to vote for Barack Obama.

“k i hate politics, but at least i care about this country . . . if Obama wasn’t president , America would be flushed down the toilet#voteobama” Paris wrote.

Paris has already proven shrewd in her business dealings, emphatically saying no last month to a $3 million offer to do a reality-television show.

“I don’t think many who come through this house would have thought twice about taking that offer, with the possible exception of Randy,” another family insider said.

“To her, it’s all about having a real acting career and, like her dad, she’s not going to do anything small,” the family member told The Post.For those who may have thought she’d want to follow her dad’s musical ways, Paris insists she is, in fact, following his path.

The “Thriller” singer always wanted to be a movie star and famously referred to his music videos as short films.

Jacko, who appeared in “Men in Black II” in a minor role as an alien, had approached directors about replacing movie star Will Smith in the lead role. He also claimed to have come up with the idea for DreamWorks, owned by nemeses David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg.

Jacko was notoriously careful about what he wore in public, and Paris is said to be picky about what brothers Prince Michael and Blanket wear. “You’ve got to represent. That’s what she always tells them,” another insider said.

It’s been more than three years since Jacko’s death, and while his sons remain nearly as reclusive as their father, Paris makes statements all of the time.

When it was suggested that she and her brothers not watch the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor eventually convicted of causing Michael’s death, Paris told family members she was going to, anyway.

“She would have testified if the district attorney would have called her,” the family member said. “She was adamant that Murray should be punished. She wanted to look Murray dead in the eye and let him know what he did to this family.”

Recently, Paris has covered her bedroom walls with posters of her dad. She loves listening to his music and other favorites, including Bieber, AC/DC, Miley Cyrus and the Bee Gees.

She’ll also dig deeper in her music collection for “that fantastic moment when “Bohemian Rhapsody” comes on the radio and you just blast it and rock out so hard you just forget all you problems,” she tweeted.

“She versatile in her tastes. She has the thing we around here like to call the ‘it’ thing,” the insider said. “That means ‘Watch out, world,’ because she’s gonna be Liz Taylor, Greta Garbo, Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis and her dad all rolled into one. She’s that talented and she has that attitude required of greatness.”

Stacy Brown is a reporter and longtime friend of the Jackson family.