There’s a lot of money to be made in selling the rights to any music but I guess when it’s the Beatles catalogue we’re talking about, there’s more to be made by keeping it. Sources close to the executors of Michael Jackson’s estate reveal that they intend to keep the 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, which holds the rights to more than 250 songs by the iconic rock band. It’s considered the most valuable asset in the King of Pop’s estate. Since his death last year, people thought the share will be sold off to deal with the debt that Michael left behind. Business wise, it’s a smart move as the share certainly has a lot of long term value.
It seems that the diva wants to get more stuff to enrich her feeling of self-importance so she has ordered her interior designer to place some bids on bits of furniture that belonged to Michael Jackson. The problem is that such an auction might not take place according to the late pop legend’s brother, Randy Jackson: “My bro stopped this auction before… I will do my best with Julien Auction House but I can only do so much. Ultimately my mom has the power to stop this, not me. This frustrates me. I know my brother wouldn’t want this.” Yes… Michael Jackson must have foreseen the rise of the great diva Mariah Carey and he knew it would be disastrous for her to get her hands on his ancient artifacts.
I was hoping that a year after his death, the onslaught of Michael Jackson memorabilia would have lost its appeal. However, fans of the King of Pop will get to live out their fantasies this Christmas as a new video game, currently untitled but approved by the family, will allow players to sing some of the late singer’s most memorable music and flex out to some of his most famous moves. The game will be compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3 and the hand-held controllers on Nintendo’s Wii system. Is the new MJ video game going to be on your wish list?
Here’s a side to the late pop singer’s father you’re not going to see too often. It seems that Joe Jackson has decided to do something good or at least something seemingly good and decided to open up a Michael Jackson Memorial Museum that will apparently be grinding 300 million dollars out some pockets or others. This is what the famous entrepreneur had to say about his idea: “This is a happy day for me because this is something that my family and Michael have always wanted. We’re bringing something back.” The new museum dedicated to Michael Jackson is apparently going to be located in Gary, Indiana and might even flourish into a hotel with a casino, a concert hall and so forth… after all, Joe Jackson can dream, can’t he?
The famous pop singer’s songs will now become part of the amazing acrobatic act. Apparently Michael Jackson was a fan of Cirque du Soleil himself so it is only fitting that his music accompanies the acrobats during their dazzling feats. Plus, Michael Jackson’s estate apparently managed to make a deal for a permanent show in Las Vegas from 2012 on. John Branca, a co-executor of the estate said this about the new enterprise: “Having attended Cirque du Soleil performances with Michael, I know he was a huge fan. We are excited to be partners with Cirque du Soleil to give Michael’s fans a truly unique way to hear, see and feel Michael’s music.” Now there’s a unique way to give back for Michael Jackson… and Joe Jackson is probably going to find his own unique way of taking back.
Michael Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray is ‘hanging by a thread’ according to new court papers.
Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death of the King of Pop and faces a maximum four-year prison sentence if convicted.
Now just days before he is due in court, his lawyer has filed legal papers pleading with the judge in his criminal case not to suspend his medical licence.
The lawyer claims he needs to keep his licence and keep treating patients because he needs to keep working to pay for his defence.
Murray’s lawyers are responding to the State Attorney General’s motion, asking the judge to suspend his medical licence in California as a condition to bail.
Lawyer Ed Chernoff says his client was in financial hot water before Michael Jackson’s death and is now: “Without fear of overstatement, hanging on by a thread.”
Murray believes if the judge suspends his licence, Texas and Nevada will follow suit and he won’t be able to make the money required to mount a defence.
According to TMZ.com, Chernoff won’t be making any money from the trial but Murray is still responsible for expert witness fees and other trial-related expenses.
Conrad Murray’s lawyer lashed out at fresh claims that Murray was medically negligent and covered up evidence at the scene of Michael Jackson’s death last year.
Ed Chernoff called the statements of Alberto Alvarez, a former security guard to the Jacksons who reportedly still works for the family, that surfaced after Jackson’s death inconsistent with those he gave earlier.
The AP got hold of leaked witness statements made to prosecutors in the criminal case against Murray, who stands charged with Jackson’s involuntary manslaughter. Chernoff said on his firm’s website: “This statement was given more than two months after Michael Jackson’s death and is inconsistent with a statement he [Alvarez] gave the police the day after Mr Jackson was taken to the hospital. Further, his statement does not match up with much of the physical evidence found at the scene.”
Alvarez claimed Murray interrupted CPR he was giving to the pop star to bag drug vials and asked him to take over. In a separate development, a paramedics report that surfaced in the News Of The World failed to document the doses of Propofol that killed Jackson after Murray allegedly failed to inform paramedics he gave the drug.
Chernoff appealed for the public to reserve judgment on Murray, saying: “We would ask the public to reserve judgement until after the people’s witnesses are placed under oath and subjected to the rigours of cross-examination. We are confident that a fair trial will ferret out the truth.
Michael Jackson is coming to Broadway whether his estate likes it or not – at least that’s what the most famous Broadway family says. Nederlander Presentations has filed a creditor’s claim, but it’s not asking for money. The company wants the probate judge to tell the executors that they have no choice but to honor a contract that the King of Pop signed back in 2008 for a musical stage play featuring music from ‘Thriller’ and ‘Off the Wall’. The production hit a major road bump last year when John Landis, the director for ‘Thriller’, sued the late singer claiming that Michael couldn’t make a deal for the musical without his sign off. That lawsuit is still pending. Howard Weitzman, the legal guru for Michael’s estate says “I’ve seen their creditor’s claim. I don’t agree with their request.”
Since there’s hasn’t been anything of novelty about the late king of pop for quite some time, his bodyguards decided to rile things up a bit and related to the world about how much a ladies’ man Michael Jackson was. This is what one of the protectors of the late singer related: “He had desires of women like we do. He had lovers. In the cars that we had, we had a curtain that covered the back seat. You couldn’t see in the back seat. They talked back there; they didn’t do nothing out of bounds. You could hear the kissing.” Strange, that actually makes Michael Jackson sound more… human. It cannot be true! It is a lie! He was a God and his former bodyguards should be burnt on the stake for failing to protect him against death!
Armed cops swarmed around the Jackson family estate in Los Angeles following an emergency burglary call.
At least five officers with guns entered through the front gate of the LA compound while a police helicopter circled overheard.
According to a report on TMZ.com, cops were responding to a burglary in progress call from inside the house. But it turned out the call was false. And cops left a short time later.
There was no word on which Jacksons were inside the house in Encino at the time.
But it was the end of a crazy week at the home after the Jackson family were visited several time by LA County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigators.
DCFS officials have been interviewing family members all week over reports that Jermaine Jackson’s son Jafaar bought a stun gun online and allegedly tried to stun his cousin and Michael Jackson’s son Blanket with it.
Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe has reportedly won $27,000 in damages – after claiming a woman spread lies about her in the media.
According to reports, Rowe filed a lawsuit against Rebecca White after the latter gave interviews following the King of Pop’s death, claiming that Rowe had no interest in gaining custody of her children with Jackson.
White, who described herself as a “friend and confidante” of Jacko’s ex, also claimed that Rowe only cared about getting money from the Jackson family.
Rowe’s defamation lawsuit was filed in July last year, after White, from Key West, Florida, gave an interview to a US entertainment show.
Her “friend” never responded to the lawsuit and today a Los Angeles County judge entered a default judgment in the case.
Rowe, 51, was awarded $27,000 – which included $10,000 in damages for the emotional distress she allegedly suffered after White’s interview was televised.
At one point, it was reported that she was seeking almost $500,000, but she later lowered the amount.
Conrad Murray may be out on bail and still able to practise medicine but the California medical board is seeking his suspension.
The board filed court papers seeking Murray’s ban from the practise of medicine as a condition of his bail – and pending the outcome of his criminal trial.
Murray, meanwhile, walked out on bail with his ability to practise intact but was banned by a judge today from inducing anaesthesia. Judge Keith L. Schwartz, in setting a $75,000 bail, told Murray: “I don’t want you sedating people.”
Murray has pled not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter in the officially declared homicide of Michael Jackson, a patient in his care. Jackson died on June 25 from a lethal dose of the anaesthetic Propofol and other medications administered by Murray.
The board meanwhile cited Murray as a “danger to the public” and stated in its papers obtained by TMZ that the presumption of innocence did not apply to the conditions of bail in this case. It stated that Murray displayed “utter disregard for the care and well-being of the persons entrusted to his care” and elsewhere, that Murray used his medical licence to “perpetrate his crime”.
His attorney, Ed Chernoff told the courts: “He’ll be back in Vegas this week, he’ll open his medical practice.”
The California courts will hear the medical board’s request for suspension in coming weeks, according to TMZ.
It seems that the passing of her brother Michael Jackson has made Janet Jackson realize that she needs to make some changes in her life… and this led her to share with us her wonderful movie ambitions. This is what Janet Jackson said about acting: “There was a time when I met with the Wachowski brothers to do ‘The Matrix,’ a long time ago but there were scheduling conflicts. I want to kick somebody’s ass. Anybody’s, as long as I get to kick somebody’s ass. Kick a new hole in their butt. Rip ‘em a new butthole, I’d love to do that.” Looks like somebody has a bit of misplaced rage to go around… woe unto the poor action hero who gets to star with Janet Jackson in her first ass-kicking scene.
Two giraffes left behind by Michael Jackson at his Neverland zoo have mysteriously died at their new home in the Arizona desert.
The current owners of giraffes JJ and Rambo are claiming their deaths were the result of “foul play”.
But animal rights campaigners PETA are accusing the Banjoko Wildlife Preserve in Page, Arizona, of being responsible for the deaths.
PETA is blaming the Preserve – where four giraffes from Neverland have been living since 2006 – for “improper feeding and/or exposure to cold temperatures”.
Banjoko Preserve founder Freddie Hancock insists the giraffes were healthy when they died.
She told celebrity website TMZ.com: “We suspect foul play with the giraffes. There is no other explanation for their deaths. There is currently a police investigation going on.”
She added: “There is no sign of infection, abuse or neglect.”
The giraffes had been at the centre of a legal battle between Banjoko and the local city council over a $100,000 bond to cover the animals in case of emergency, TMZ reports.
Late music icon Jackson left the giraffes behind when he abandoned Neverland after being cleared of child abuse allegations.
Law enforcement sources say that the guy who threatened to kill Michael Jackson was obsessed with the King of Pop’s sister Janet Jackson and even believed himself to be married to the singer. A source even said that the same guy also made threats to kill Janet and even showed up at the Jackson family home in Encino. In his rambling letters, the man, Frank Paul Jones, said “The situation … is centered around her confused sexuality.” He goes on to say that if she does not overcome her issue over sexuality, “I’m gonna try to kill every homosexual on the face of the earth. If I can’t save my wife, they can’t be saved.”
It looks like Michael Jackson’s sister still has her regrets about the family not being able to intervene with the late pop star’s substance abuse. This is what Janet Jackson said on the matter: “Those are the things you do when you love someone. You can’t just let them continue on that way. And we did a few times but we weren’t very successful.” Well, given the fact that the head of the family is Joe Jackson, there really isn’t any surprise there. How come none of the others too better initiative? But of course there is nothing to do now but live with the regret… and soak up all of the publicity!
After two weeks in theaters, Michael Jackson’s film ‘This is It’, which documented the King of Pop’s final tour rehearsal, has taken in over $200 million internationally! Wow! That takes the cake for the highest grossing concert movie of all time! Although the late singer’s film brought in just $61 million in North America, it has made over $140 million overseas. Japan leads the pack in numbers with $27.2 million, followed by the UK with $14.3 million. It just goes to show how much Michael will be missed. Unfortunately for us, with this type of information, Joe Jackson is likely to be plotting his next move to cash in on his son’s fortune.
As time passes, more and more people are trying to cash in on Michael Jackson’s death. You can add another one to that list. The original marriage certificate which was issued to the King of Pop and Lisa Marie Presley, from when they were married in the Dominican Republic in 1994, is going up for auction in January. Phillip Weiss, who is auctioning off the paper, says “when you have an item that combines his name and legend with the Presley name and legend, their marriage certificate no less, with both of their signatures on it, you’ve got something that’s almost impossible to predict what it will bring at auction.” He’s got a valid point.
The American Music Awards announced via their official Twitter and a TV spot that Janet Jackson will be opening the whole she-bang with an 8-minute medley. The singer has her new greatest hits CD ‘Number Ones’ coming out this coming Tuesday and the AMAs will be airing on November 22 at 8PM on ABC. I cannot wait to see her performance. The last performance that we all saw her in was her tribute to her late brother, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. I wonder if there’s going to be an element in her AMAs performance dedicated to Michael.
