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Statement from Stuart Backerman MJ'S spokesman
To all fans:
Friday, October 03, 2003
Billboard Magazine has reported that in the near future CBS will conduct an
interview with MJ to coincide with a live performance of "One More Chance."
The reality is slightly different, as follows:
Michael has a longstanding contractual obligation to the CBS Television
Network to do a performance on air.In order to fulfill this contractual
obligation MJ and CBS have agreed, in principal, that at a date TBA(probably
by Christmas season) CBS will air a one hour special using old footage from
previous concerts etc., and to shoot MJ doing a TAPED performance of a new
song, possibly " One More Chance"However, there will NOT be an interview
segment.
As information regarding this T.V. Special becomes available I will keep you
informed.
With Much Love,
Stuart Backerman,Official Spokesman for MJ
MTV reports on speculated MJ-RKelly song
Despite all of his travails with Sony Music, Michael Jackson still owes the label one more album, which he plans to deliver this fall as a greatest-hits disc. There will be one new song on it, though, and it looks like it'll be an R. Kelly track.
A premature press release, sent out by Sony Music U.K. and then retracted, revealed that a song written by Kelly called "One More Chance" was under consideration for the Jackson compilation, currently called Number Ones. According to a source close to the project, "One More Chance" was produced by both Kelly and Jackson, but it's still a matter of discussion whether it'll make the album.
Though the press release was retracted, the source said the information included in it was "close," save for the final track listing, since that has yet to be determined. Eighteen tracks were said to be featured, including "Thriller," "Beat It," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean," "Dirty Diana" and "Smooth Criminal."
Once the songs for the greatest-hits album are finalized, accompanying videos would also be compiled simultaneously in a DVD format, which may include "The Making of Thriller."
The U.K. press release gave a November 17 release date for Number Ones, but the source said it might not be released until next year.
Michael Jackson Hosts Fund-Raiser
Associated Press
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson hosted a fund-raiser at his Neverland Ranch with a celebrity invitation list that included boxer Mike Tyson and musicians Patti LaBelle and Boyz II Men.
About 700 people were invited Saturday and paid $5,000 to attend. The proceeds were to go to Make-A-Wish Foundation, Oneness, and E Ai Como E Que Fica, a Rio de Janeiro organization that provide food, clothing and medical care for poor children.
Fans outside the ranch gates traveled as far away as Denmark and Croatia to catch a glimpse of Jackson and other celebrities.
"I'm here to show love and support for Michael," said Tea Kos, 23, president of the Michael Jackson fan club for Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia.
"I'm a fan, but not a fanatic," said Jay-Kid, a 13-year-old Michael Jackson look-and-sound alike. "Michael has always been a big part of my life. My own songs will come later."
Mike to pay $200,000 tax a year
SANTA BARBARA, California -
Michael Jacksons agricultural property tax break may soon be history.
Five months after an inspection of Jacksons Neverland Ranch revealed he was getting an undeserved property tax break, county officials apparently are ready to accept the pop stars offer to remove his house, amusement park and zoo from the agricultural preserve program. With the encouragement of the state, county officials also are considering punitive action.
Our goal has been to try to retain as much of that property in agriculture as possible, but there are also some unpermitted uses, so we need to look at that very closely, supervisor Naomi Schwartz said.
In closed session on Tuesday, the board of supervisors was expected to accept Jacksons request to get out of his Williamson Act contract. That means his tax exemption will diminish gradually over the next nine years on the developed portions of his 1,040-hectare ranch. The assessed value of Neverland was about $12 million under the 2002-03 agricultural preserve contract, according to county records. Jackson will owe the county about $123,000 in taxes this year, or 1 percent of the propertys assessed value.
Without the agricultural contract, the assessed value of Neverland would be about $5 million to $6 million more, and Jacksons taxes would be about $200,000 annually, said Chris Lyon, division manager of the County Clerk-Recorder-Assessors Office. The Williamson Act, which tries to preserve open space by giving ranchers and farmers a tax break on undeveloped land, allows only the property owner to cancel a contract. Jacksons business manager wouldnt discuss the issue: All of my business is confidential, Allen Whitman said.
http://mjnews.co.uk/index/modules/news/art...e.php?storyid=9
JACKSON'S BIRTHDAY ACTION: Michael Jackson attends downtown LA birthday bash.
(Sep. 2, 2003) *Over the weekend, Michael Jackson celebrated his 45th birthday (dang, Michael is 45?!) by attending a birthday event thrown for him at the old Orpheum Theater in downtown LA. The fan-organized affair drew several hundred fans who paid 30 bucks or more to get in, but many got in for free. The program chiefly consisted of young people singing, lip-synching or dancing to Jackson's many hits.
The tilt of heads in the crowd was clearly up and away from the stage and toward the balcony box occupied by Jackson, and frantic cheers went up every time the singer stood, raised a glittering palm or even glanced toward the audience. Except for R&B singer Brian McKnight, the performers were amateurs or obscure. The affair was MC'd by radio morning man/comedian/talk show host Steve Harvey. He reportedly summed up the talent by saying 'Here's somebody else y'all don't know'
"My birthday wish is that you all join me in some new undertakings so we can all travel into a bright future together ... I would love to see you more often," Jackson said.
Michael Jackson's Celebration Of Love
The Celebration of Love birthday party, thrown by the fans for Michael Jackson's 45th birthday (August 29), was held August 30,2003. What an incredible night it was! Those of us where were not blessed enough to be in attendance was lucky enough to have updates through MJJF's ground team who were in attendence. There was a slight snag at the MJJF forum because of the enormous interest in the event. At one point there were almost 150 people viewing and downloading information from the single update topic alone. As a result, many people came to MJEOL to see what was going on. I tried as best I could to keep members, who couldn't get into MJJF, apprised of the situation. But we all have Trish and the MJJF team to thank for all the updates. As more updates came, it turned into a big party for all the MJ fans who couldn't be at the main party! We laughed, we talked, we argued, we cried and we screamed--albeit through our keyboards and mice--just as if we were in the audience at the Orpheum Theatre.
Here is a list of some of the highlights of the show:
Michael Jackson took the stage and playfully stripped for the crowd by taking off one of his shirts. He turned his back toward the audience and showed a little skin. The crowd went wild! He expressed how deeply moved and impressed he was by his fans. He says that our presence, faith and loyalty has given him strength through difficult times
He makes the following announcements:
He's in the studio working on new music
He's going to have an official website
New clothing line
New hotel and resort
New fan communication system so he can hear ALL feedback and be closer to the fans
Opening up Neverland to fans and making it more available
New short film (video)
New feature film
Michael thanks the fans for their assistance in bringing Mottola down because he's a loves to destroy people's careers
Reveals that Sony fired Mottola
Calls his fans an 'Army of Love'
Calls Martin Bashir a rat and says the obvious: that Bashir used him and all of us
Reveals info about a new non-profit mentoring project called 'Go For Your Dreams'
Playfully threw a little cake into the crowd and yelled 'Food Fight!' Signature Confirmation - Remove Innapropriate Scene From Scary Movie 3
As many of you may know Scary Movie has a dreadful scene of Michael Jackson, making him seem like a child molester. In the movie there is a small scene with a MJ impersonator making Michael seem like a complete idiot. If you want this part to be cut out of the upcoming movie, you have to sign a petition that MJ fans all over the world are signing to help defend Michael in this horrific display of him.
I suggest everyone should sign this and help Michael not be humiliated. It is a horrible scene, and no one deservesthis type of humilation. It is gross, and idoitic. Please sign, and help Michael out.
The Joke's on Jackson
August 20, 2003
POP star Michael Jackson is suing the makers of spoof film Scary Movie 3 about a child sex joke related to Jackson. Lawyers want both the trailer and the ending of the film cut to remove all reference to kids, Jackson, or both. But media law specialists think Jackson will struggle because of the protections the US constitution provides to parodies and comedies.
MTV UK Reaches out to Justin and Michael
Friday, August 01, 2003
New show idea sees Timberlake interviewing King of Pop
According to the Wall Street Journal, MTV UK is currently developing a new show titled Heroes, in which pop stars interview their idols. The show's pilot features Kelly Osbourne interviewing Deborah Harry, the lead singer of the 1980s act Blondie. MTV told the paper that it has approached teen heartthrob Justin Timberlake about interviewing Michael Jackson.
Japan: Michael Jackson To Launch Men's Clothing Line
July 28, 2003
Pop star Michael Jackson is all set to launch his own men's clothing linke for Wakita in Japan. A spokesman for Wakita company explains, "There is a growing popularity among young men in Japna for dark suits. Jackson, who has a huge following there, fits that rising fashion image." Jackson is not the first pop star to launch his own clothing range. US rap star P. Diddy, who is well-known for his impeccable dress sense, has already made a rather sucessful entry into the fashion world.
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