Search Results for: Michael Jackson

Pop legend Michael Jackson on Monday slammed a new bill that seeks prison time for file-swappers, arguing that music fans are the ones who drive the success of the music industry. “I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. It is wrong to illegally download, but the answer cannot be jail,” Jackson said in response to legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday by John Conyers (D.-Mich.) and Howard Berman (D.-Calif.) that would make illegal file swapping a felony. The Authors, Consumer and Computer Owners Protection and Security Act of 2003… Read more »

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop who amassed a half-billion-dollar fortune over the past 20 years, is saddled with debt and teetering near bankruptcy, his former financial advisers say in a lawsuit. The lawsuit, set for trial June 18, claims Jackson’s extravagant spending has created “a ticking financial time bomb waiting to explode at any moment.” Union Finance and Investment Corp. of South Korea filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming Jackson owes the firm $12 million in fees and expenses, plus interest. Jackson previously paid the firm $3 million, the firm said. The lawsuit also seeks… Read more »

The face of pop singer Michael Jackson will be the subject of a special edition of NBC’s news magazine “Dateline” next month. “Michael Jackson Unmasked,” set to air at 10 p.m. EST Feb. 17, will be “the inside story as told by some of the people who knew him best,” according to a network statement. Further details about the program weren’t given. For years, Jackson’s appearance – particularly his increasingly smaller nose and lighter skin tone – has been the subject of intense scrutiny and speculation. In announcing the program to television critics last week, NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker… Read more »

Reclusive pop star Michael Jackson took the witness stand Wednesday in a $21 million lawsuit by his longtime promoter that accuses the singer of backing out of two millennium concerts. Jackson spoke softly while testifying, saying yes or no or asking for questions to be repeated. He paused frequently when asked about his business relationship with the plaintiff, concert promoter Marcel Avram. The German-based promoter alleges he was left with hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses after Jackson dropped out of the performances, which were to take place Dec. 31, 1999, on both sides of the international date line… Read more »

A year after Michael Jackson gathered Britney Spears, ‘NSYNC, Destiny’s Child and dozens of other superstars to record “What More Can I Give,” the September 11 benefit single is finally being heard. New York radio station WKTU-FM debuted the song on Friday at 6 p.m. and has been playing it about six times a day since, albeit without permission. Program Director Frankie Blue, a longtime friend of Jackson’s, won’t say how he got the song, but he insists the King of Pop had nothing to do with it. Marc Schaffel, the executive producer of the single, said at least 200… Read more »

Mariah Carey is defending ex-husband Tommy Mottola against accusations hurled by Michael Jackson, according to MSNBC. Mottola’s current wife, Thalia Motolla, claims that Carey called the Sony music chief and told him that she’s on his side, not on Jackson’s, and also said that Motolla’s “anything but a racist,” the network reported. Jackson has called Mottola a racist and “a devil” for allegedly under-promoting his current album Invincible. He also said Carey cried in his arms over Mottola’s treatment of her. Carey’s spokeswoman, Cindi Berger, refutes the claim. “To the best of my knowledge, Mariah has not spoken to Mr.… Read more »

Michael Jackson’s advisors were the ones who asked Sony Music to abandon the singer’s charity single, “What More Can I Give,” after it was discovered that the song’s executive producer, F. Marc Schaffel, had ties to the gay-pornography industry, reports the Los Angeles Times. In his highly publicized dispute with Sony, Jackson claimed that the label refused to release the single. He has also accused Sony of inadequately promoting his latest album, Invincible; alleged that Sony CEO Tommy Mottola is a racist; and charged that the label has conspired to steal from African-American artists. “What More Can I Give” was… Read more »

Michael Jackson took on Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola this past weekend, accusing the head of his record company of being a racist and part of a racist conspiracy against black artists. Though it was anticipated that Jackson would challenge standard practices of the music industry and champion artists’ rights when he spoke at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in New York’s Harlem neighborhood on Saturday, his personal attacks against the Sony executive came as a surprise, not least of all to Sharpton himself. Most of Jackson’s comments were constrained to the overall treatment of black artists, the… Read more »

More details are emerging on just what Michael Jackson said to fans about Sony Records and its head Tommy Mottola at a concert in the singer’s honor in London. In addition to calling Mottola “the devil,” several Jackson fansites say the “King of Pop” also claimed that Mottola attempted to spy on his former wife, Mariah Carey. Speaking to 2,200 fans at London’s Equinox nightclub on June 15, Jackson said, ” Mariah Carey, after divorcing Tommy, came to me crying. Crying. She was crying so badly I had to hold her. She said to me, ‘This is an evil man,… Read more »

Michael Jackson addressed his rumored dispute with Sony Music for the first time Wednesday when he aligned himself with a new artist-rights initiative and released a statement condemning the music industry and his label. At a New York press conference Jackson was named the first member of a coalition formed by the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Johnnie Cochran to investigate whether record companies are financially exploiting artists. “Record companies have to start treating their artists with respect, honor, and financial justice,” Jackson said in a statement. “Therefore, I am proud to join this coalition which represents all artists.” The… Read more »