LOS ANGELES - Gospel music rocked the rafters Sunday as the mayor and police chief of Los Angeles joined hundreds of members of a black church to honor Michael Jackson’s lawyer, Thomas Mesereau Jr., as “a champion of justice.”

Mesereau, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief Bill Bratton swayed and clapped as a band played and a choir of young people sang religious songs in a rock tempo. They also presented a medley of upbeat numbers in praise of America.

“We are here to honor a man who is setting an example for all of us,” the mayor told the packed chapel at Brookins Community African Methodist Church. He noted that Mesereau is “a white man who has for many years now marched with the mothers of Watts against gang violence. He co-founded a legal clinic for the indigent.”

He noted that Mesereau also travels to Alabama every year to defend a death penalty case free of charge.

“Anytime I get the opportunity to acknowledge those among us willing to reach out as Tom has, I’m truly honored,” said the mayor, who presented Mesereau with a city proclamation.

The pastor of Brookins, Rev. Dr. Frederick O. Murph, said, “When I look at Tom I see a rainbow. I think of Tom as a brother.”

The Rev. Cecil “Chip” Murray, recently retired pastor of the First AME Church of Los Angeles and an icon of the black community, remembered separate occasions when Mesereau brought Jackson and former client Robert Blake to church with him.

With Sunday’s service focusing on a reading from Daniel, Murray described Mesereau as “an attorney not intimidated in the lion’s den.”

“You saw him with Michael Jackson doing the impossible,” said Murray. The remark brought sustained applause.

Also attending the service was Carl Douglas, a member of the O.J. Simpson defense team, and Susan Yu, one of the lawyers who helped Mesereau defend Jackson.

Bratton said outside the church that he and his wife, attorney and TV personality Ricki Kleiman, met Mesereau several years ago and became familiar with his work.

“This is a city of many neighborhoods,” said Bratton. “It’s important to have people like Tom who reach out beyond their own neighborhood.”

Mesereau told the group: “I am so touched, so honored and so privileged. I thank all of you very much.”

Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in June after a five-month trial in Santa Maria, Calif. The singer has been living in Bahrain since then.

LINDA DEUTSCH

Associated Press

Source: AP / MJJsource

Michael Jackson’s Thriller Video is now top of the itunes video charts claiming the number one spot in the U.S. and the U.K.

Source: Itunes

It was wildly popular in 1982, and it’s wildly popular again, hovering around No. 2 on the iTunes Most Popular list.

“Thriller” works well on the small screen for three reasons: it’s loaded with compelling close-ups, you can’t take your eyes off the dancing, and there’s actual plot, dialogue and characters. At nearly 14 minutes long, “Thriller” may be the closest thing to a full-length movie you’ll find for sale on iTunes. You certainly get your money’s worth.

Source: NY Times

While The Jackson family is known for being devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, they apparently leaned on “The First Lady of Gospel” Shirley Caesar’s Christian music to help them cope while brother Michael was on trial for child molestation.

Jackson’s younger sibling Janet Jackson was moved to tears upon meeting Caesar at the women’s luncheon at the Santa Barbara, Calif. estate of Oprah Winfrey during her Legends Weekend.

“She walked over and she stood by me and she was crying and she said to me, ‘I grew up Jehovah’s Witness, and we were not allowed to listen to your gospel music. But when I got out of the nest, I was able to listen to not only your gospel music but other gospel singers.’ She said, ‘It’s your songs that have been carrying us through this storm with my brother,’” Caesar shared about Janet during a luncheon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to kick off her new record label Shu-Bel Records.

Following her meeting with Janet, the veteran gospel singer says she immediately began to solicit prayers for the Jackson family during concert dates up until the trial. Caesar was in the studio recording when she got the news of M.J.’s acquittal.

“Honey, I left the mic, and I walked into the room and began to give God glory! I gave God praise! You’ve got to understand that there are a lot of people who want to become instant millionaires at anybody else’s expense,” she concluded.

Source: Black Voices

Michael Jackson has spent the past two nights at Los Angeles’ Conway Studios overseeing recording of a single to benefit victims of the recent hurricanes, Billboard.com has learned. Although the song was originally titled “From the Bottom of My Heart,” Jackson spokesperson Raymone Bain says the artist will unveil a new name for the track in the coming days.

Bain says that since early this month, Jackson “was in London tweaking the music as well as putting the finishing touches on it before sending it out to various artists” who he wanted to contribute. However, Jackson wound up rewriting the song, and as such, “he didn’t need as many artists as he originally had planned for” when it came time to record.

Source: Billboard

Jackson is indeed in Los Angeles recording his charity single, “From the Bottom of My Heart.” For the last two nights, Jackson has had pop and R&B artists come over to Conway Studios on Melrose Avenue to add vocals to the project. A person who answered the phone at Conway confirmed the story today.

I’m told that Jackson managed to get just a smattering of acts to come over to Conway, including The O’Jays, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Shirley Caesar and James Ingram. The word is that Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and R. Kelly are producing the track.

Kelly is an interesting choice, since he’s currently awaiting trial in Chicago on 14 counts of child pornography relating to a video that showed him having sex with an allegedly underage girl.

The fact that Jackson is in Los Angeles is a surprise to many.

By the way, “From the Bottom of My Heart” — was written by the prince of Bahrain.

Source: Roger Friedman / Fox

At least six Neverland employees have quit in the last couple of months, my insiders say.

“Everyone is pissed,” says a staffer. “It was one thing when this happened during the trial, but now is a different story.”

In May and June, Jackson missed payroll several times, and staffers conducted a work stoppage.

More importantly, Violet Silva, head of security at Neverland and a Jackson loyalist for more than 15 years, quit her job last week. She is now working for former Jackson attorney Robert Sanger.

Jackson has been away from Neverland since his acquittal last June on charges of child molestation and conspiracy. In the meantime, Jackson has set up what seems to be a permanent residence in Bahrain, making occasional trips to London.

Recently, Jackson was summoned to jury duty in Santa Barbara County. But he’s certainly not going to be doing that anytime soon. His defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., told the court that Jackson was seeking permanent residence in Bahrain.

One source tells me, “Michael thinks they’re using the jury summons to lure him home. He thinks the prosecutors are still trying to get him.”

They may be, but certainly Jackson has other legal problems facing him in the United States, including a $48 million breach of contract suit, a pending action involving mediation in a past suit, another civil suit involving child molestation and Marc Schaffel’s $4 million suit over money he says Jackson owes him.

Selling Neverland will be complicated by liens on the property. Fortress Investments inherited an $18 million lien that is attached to the $70 million loan against Jackson’s Mijac Music Publishing.

That’s separate from the $200 million loan Fortress holds on Michael’s interest in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, aka the Beatles catalog.

Neverland could possibly sell for $40 million, which — after the lien is satisfied and taxes are paid — could leave him with enough cash to buy some new valueless tchotchkes.

Insiders tell me that Fortress may be extending the December deadline for the loans, but Jackson’s sale of Neverland would seem tied to that date. Jackson had been hoping that the prince of Bahrain would be backing him in a new record label, with distribution by Island/DefJam Records.

But that deal hasn’t happened. Jackson may actually feel like his back is against the wall financially.

Source: Roger Friedman / Fox

A former associate who is suing Michael Jackson for more than $3 million US has been accused by the entertainer of concealing and misappropriating funds.

Jackson filed the cross-complaint against Marc Schaffel in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Oct. 18, his lawyer Brent Ayscough said Wednesday. The original lawsuit was filed in November and claimed that Jackson owes Schaffel $800,000 US for producing two 2003 television specials and $2.3 million US for payments and loans made to the entertainer over the past three years.

In the latest filing, Jackson said Schaffel failed to pay costs related to the production of the Jackson song, What More Can I Give?

He also continued to represent himself as affiliated with Jackson after their business arrangement ended, according to the complaint.

Jackson also alleged Schaffel kept $250,000 US in sculptures and paintings belonging to the singer.

Ayscough said Schaffel has tried to get a lien placed on Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, Calif.

Schaffel’s lawyer Howard King dismissed the accusation, calling it “another ridiculous claim.”

Source: Associated Press

At long last, it seems as though Michael Jackson is conceding defeat. Sources tell me that his 2,700 acre ranch, Neverland, in Los Olivos, Calif., is going up for sale. As in now, and not six months ago as falsely reported in tabloids.

And it’s not a minute too soon. Sources tell me that Jackson missed the most recent payroll, which was due two weeks ago today. Jackson finally paid his staff on the following Monday. But the remaining staff will likely not be paid today.

Source: Roger Friedman / Fox News

MICHAEL Jackson has asked some superstar singers to report tonight at 11:30 p.m. at a studio in L.A. to record “From the Bottom of My Heart,” his song to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.

But turnout might be sparse, partly because the celebs were notified so late and partly because the travel agent assigned to make arrangements is on vacation in Italy. Oh, and Jackson himself is staying in London. “The whole thing is a cluster[bleep],” said the manager for one singer who plans to skip the event.

Source: NYPost