Prince Jackson Steps Into the Spotlight - Scene Stealers LOS ANGELES - In some ways, he seems like just another 16-year-old boy. He drives a Ford Raptor pickup. He took his girlfriend bowling. On social media, he talks about movies, video games and junk food. Sample tweet: "Burnt myself on a corn dog." But lately, Michael Jackson's oldest son, Prince, has become a teenager about town. TMZ.com and other tabloid media outlets have shown him leaving Mr. Chow's, taking in the Rolling Stones and having a powwow with police over strobe lights mounted on the grille of that truck. "It's a far cry from the boy Michael Jackson shielded for years," TMZ wrote last month. He opened the door for this, or at least someone has. Prince, who just a few years ago was wearing a feathered face mask in public to protect his identity, turned paparazzi heads in October with an unusual appearance to promote an energy drink. "I have a wide, broad horizon," he told "Extra" while standing next to his aunt, La Toya, and holding a can of Mr. Pink Ginseng Drink just so. In February, he appeared on "Entertainment Tonight" (above), the grande dame of tabloid TV shows, as a special correspondent. With two cameras rolling and La Toya watching from the sidelines, he chatted with James Franco, Zach Braff and Sam Raimi about Disney's "Oz the Great and Powerful." "Do you have any advice for someone who's looking to get into the business?" Then, just last Monday, he made his acting debut: a cameo on "90210" as a trauma victim. "I don't know about you," he said rather convincingly after being injured at a concert, "but I'm freakin" out." What's behind this sudden step into the spotlight? It's tough to get answers when you are dealing with the Jacksons. La Toya and Prince had no comment, according to their media representative, "It" Girl Public Relations. A lawyer for his grandmother, Katherine Jackson, who shares custody of Prince and his siblings (Paris, 15, and Blanket, 11), did not respond to a request for comment. Maybe, as La Toya said in a March statement following a negative New York Post article ("La Toya Jackson Seizes Careers of Jacko's Kids"), Prince's budding show business career is simply part of turning 16. Teenagers get jobs. What was he supposed to do? Steam milk at Starbucks? The statement read in part: "When she asked her nephew what he wanted for his birthday, he replied, "He just wanted to work." It was at that time that she diligently started to assist him. It added, "As a loving aunt, when the children ask for help or advice, she supports them 100 percent." But a lot of people are wincing. Fans worry about what the protective Michael would think; he wanted his kids to have a showbiz-free childhood, the one he longed for but never had. The celebrity-news machine ate the King of Pop alive, and now his son is participating in it? Does Prince really want to start an entertainment career, or is this just a creepy continuation of the Jackson family way? When The Daily Mail, a British publication, ran an article about Prince's "Entertainment Tonight" debut, 239 readers weighed in with comments. Although some feedback was positive ("Like watching a young Michael!"), many questioned whether a TV job was a good idea. "Not sure I am comfortable with this, to be honest," one person wrote. "I hope this isn't the start of this kid being exploited by both the entertainment industry and whoever is said to be in charge of looking after him," another added. One reader wrote of Michael Jackson, "I can't help but think he'll be turning in his grave at this." Randall Sullivan, author of "Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson," sees a more nuanced picture. Yes, the Jackson family has an unsavory history when it comes to children and work. But "there was no way these kids were going to be able to maintain a low profile once they became teenagers," Mr. Sullivan said in an interview. "Prince is smart and older than his age," Mr. Sullivan added. I think the older kids have also recognized their power. The media's interest in them is 10 times the rest of the family. And the tabloids will not go hungry. "The kids rate, it's as simple as that," said a senior producer at a celebrity news organization, referring to Nielsen ratings. Jackson stories in general don't rate anymore: the trial, the weird family stuff, all the molestation accusations. It's mostly just white noise to people at this point. As a result, we've all started hunting the kids. (A new claim of molesting arose on May 1, filed against the Michael Jackson estate by Wade Robson, a dancer and choreographer. A lawyer for the estate called the fresh accusation "outrageous and pathetic.") Brooks Barnes is a staff writer in the Los Angeles bureau of The New York Times.