Michael Jackson is in reunion talks with film-maker John Landis to direct his comeback video. The 48-year-old famously worked with THE BLUES BROTHERS director Landis on the famous promos for his hits THRILLER and BLACK OR WHITE.

Jackson, who was acquitted of child molestation charges last year (05), is hoping Landis’ magic touch will make his return from the wilderness a success. Landis says, “I talked to him last month. He was in Bahrain or some bizarre place. It was a business thing we had to talk about. “Michael is a genius. He’s obviously an eccentric but he really has a great talent.”

CC

Report by Katy Lewis;

The man who had plastic surgery on the road to being a leading Michael Jackson impersonator, will be seen by clubbers in Luton this month! He told us all about his work, and meeting the man himself!

Liquid Envy
25 August 2006

NAVI at Liquid Envy
20-44 Gordon Street
Luton
Beds
LU1 1QP

Liquid Envy is designed to cater for two distinct age groups.

At the weekends Liquid will be open for the over 18s and Envy will be strictly 23s and over.

Clubbers in Luton will be able to witness the man described as the world’s no. 1 Michael Jackson impersonator this month, when Navi does his act at the Liquid Envy club in Gordon Street.

But this is no ordinary tribute act, for Navi has gone to extremes to make sure that he gives the most accurate representation possible of the King of Pop by having plastic surgery to make his features look as close to the real thing as possible!

In 17 years as an impersonator, Navi, who is originally from Trinidad and Tobago, has performed on five continents, in over 33 countries and at least 80 major cities worldwide.

His work has also led him to be employed by companies such as MTV, Sony Music, Coca Cola, Vodafone, and Virgin Mega-stores and he has made adverts, appeared in films and done stints in pop videos. He has also worked as a decoy to protect Michael from his hoards of fans.

As well as his numerous club appearances, one of his latest ventures will be to appear in “Thriller: The Musical” at London’s Dominion Theatre for one night only at the end of August.

But in Navi’s list of achievements nothing ranks higher than working for Michael Jackson himself, which he has also done on several occasions. One of these was as the opening act at Michael’s birthday party during August 2003 in Los Angeles, where his performance received a standing ovation from Jackson himself. The following day Navi was invited to visit Michael’s home ‘Neverland Ranch’, which he says is one of his most memorable experiences to date.

He told us what clubbers can expect to see when he performs at Liquid, how he became an impersonator and all about meeting the man himself.

You have been described as the world’s No. 1 Michael Jackson impersonator. How do you become that?
Navi: I think I’m described as that because I’ve performed in 39 different countries on five continents and done over 200 international shows. I now do around 125-150 shows a year. As a Jackson impersonator, it is such a brand, that you are sometimes bigger than other big artists!

What can people expect from your “act”?
Navi: It’s the visual impact of the Michael Jackson “magic”, the energy, and the visual strength of the Jackson show. I do songs like Thriller, Billie Jean, Black or White and dance to them, sometimes with other dancers, and the costumes are replicas of those that he’s worn.

I will be doing my club style at Liquid which will be up tempo and visually very strong, but I also do a cabaret type show, which is more intimate. Different places require different shows and I think that’s why I am so busy because I can adapt.

Do you sing as well?
Navi: Well, we sing a long with it. We have mikes and it looks and sounds live but I have to be honest, it’s not 100 per cent live because it’s difficult to sing and do a performance at the same time.

It’s a Michael Jackson experience, the Michael Jackson effect - the strength and vision - it’s the closest thing to him but not as good!

That’s very modest of you! How did you become a Michael Jackson impersonator?
Navi: When I first came over from Trinidad in the late 70s / early 80s it was Jackson mania everywhere. It was around the time of the Thriller album etc. and it really gripped me but I was just a fan who didn’t know anything about the tribute world. Then I did the make up one day and started working as a lookalike.

Then I had an injury and broke my nose and had reconstructive surgery for that. After I had that done, I realised that plastic surgery would be no different so I went down that route to look more like Michael.

So, how many operations have you had?
Navi: I will say I’ve had a “few” operations since then, more than one, but they have taken my work and my strength as an impersonator to different levels.

Do you book in for an op whenever Michael changes then?
Navi: No - but I wouldn’t mind it being like that though! Basically your face is a canvas and I’ve got my own look. I am very much darker than him but I’ve got the features so the look only comes out when I’ve got the make-up on. But basically I keep a look of Michael around the mid-1990s.

So if he changes radically will you too?
Navi: There has been talk of him doing weights and stuff, I don’t want to change but if he changes very radically I might have to in order to get the work.

You say that as well as doing shows, you’ve worked as a decoy for him, what have you done?
Navi: I’ve done some promotion of his albums and I’ve come out of hotels and stuff. Basically if he’s in a hotel I can be called in to take the crowd somewhere else, or if he’s not there I come along to take the crowd there. All sorts of things really.

Is that frightening sometimes?
Navi: Yes - it can be very scary. When I was in Thailand once I had 12 bodyguards and 36 police escorts and was chased by 2,000 people who didn’t speak English so it was hard to try and tell them to get back and off me.

In the end I had to stoop down and the police made a dome over me and called more police. I was extremely frightened.

What would you have done if he had been convicted at his trial?
Navi: At the trial I was inside the courthouse and I was also pictured outside with a banner saying “Smooth but not a Criminal”. Every morning there was a raffle and you queued for tickets. They only let about 40 people in and I think I was actually in the court room for about seven days. It was surreal, watching this man I had been impersonating for 17 years and thinking I have studied you and I believe in you.

I didn’t want to impersonate somebody who had been convicted with evidence but I knew he was innocent from being inside the courtroom because from 115 search warrants they couldn’t find one piece of evidence, they couldn’t even get a drink charge to stick.

But during that 18 months he was on trial I think I had one of the busiest years ever workwise.

So, if he’d been convicted with evidence would you have thrown in the towel?
Navi: Totally. I wouldn’t have impersonated him anymore if he’d been convicted with evidence.

You’ve performed in front of him haven’t you?
Navi: Yes - I performed at his birthday party and I can tell you I was a bag of nerves. You’re in front of this person that created your product, it was very nerve wracking.

And you met him as well?
Navi: Yes - he said “you’re a great dancer, do you practise every day?” And I thought “is he SERIOUS?”
But he is very humble, and when I said “you’re a great dancer too” he said “really?!”

He really makes you feel like he is overwhelmed to meet you, that you’re the talented one and that he’s learning from you. He’s either taking the mickey or he’s very humble. I really couldn’t tell but he’s like that with everyone so I think it’s genuine. I think that he’s around so many big names all the time that he just loves Joe public and seeing what they can do. It makes him feel good that you are not surrounded by showbiz and are back in reality so to speak.

You were also invited to his home, Neverland, what was that like?
Navi: It was amazing. It was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Disney World meets Peter Pan. You go through these big gates and there’s all this land cultivated, about 2700 acres I think. There’s a theme park, a zoo and a cinema - it has it all.

The main thing I noticed was that there were a lot of underprivileged and disabled children there and he employs some 60 staff to look after them and feed them, all free of charge.

I spoke to one girl from the Virgin Islands with cerebral palsy and Michael had flown her and her mother and two companions over and paid for everything - flights, hotels and spending money. And nobody ever hears about this.

Why doesn’t he tell people what he’s doing do you think?
Navi: I think he’s just a very private man. When a court case came up ten years ago he was advised to let it go by his record company. But he understands that there is a private and public domain and opinion is important whatever the situation which is why he went through the trial. It cost him a lot of money but he had to put it right once and for all.

Source: BBC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2006

CONSPIRACY TO FORCE MICHAEL JACKSON INTO BANKRUPTCY REVEALED

In what could be one of the biggest conspiracies in entertainment history, documents have been sent to Michael Jackson, and his representatives, which reveal a deliberate plan by some former attorneys as well as associates and advisors, to force Mr.
Jackson into involuntary bankruptcy.

The documents reveal that former attorneys actively solicited other attorneys, vendors and creditors to “join in a petition to place the client in involuntary bankruptcy.”

Mr. Jackson who, on June 27, 2006, announced sweeping organizational changes, has instructed his legal team to investigate and file claims against those responsible for conspiracy, bad faith, and self dealing. These efforts may also result in civil and/or criminal charges, where appropriate.

In addition, there is a strong possibility that these documents will be forwarded to the U.S. Attorney General for review and possible involvement.

“Mr. Jackson is neither shocked or surprised by these revelations,” says Raymone K. Bain, Michael Jackson’s General Manager. “Based on the timing of events that have impacted his personal and professional life in recent years, he has long been suspicious that some of those whom he entrusted to act on his behalf, and to advise him with respect to his personal and business affairs, may not have always acted in his best interests.”

Source: Raymone K Bain

Michael Jackson’s seemingly endless legal woes continue to mount, as a Los Angeles law firm has filed a lawsuit against Jackson, alleging that the erstwhile King of Pop owes them over $200,000 in legal fees for services rendered during 2005.

In the lawsuit, filed July 25 in L.A. County Superior Court and obtained by TMZ, the firm of Ayscough & Marar (and, more specifically, attorney Brent Ayscough) says that it was hired in February 2005 by the performer to provide legal services during his child molestation trial, amongst them obtaining “orders sealing civil cases from the press” and “orders staying discovery” in those civil cases while the criminal trial for molestation was still going on. One of those cases, was the suit brought against Jackson by former business associate F. Marc Schaffel, the trial for which ended recently with a split decision. By the summer of 2005, says Ayscough in the lawsuit, “Nearly all my time was spent on Michael Jackson cases.”

Up until mid-2005, according to the lawsuit, Jackson — whose legal bills were being administered by business adviser Ron Burkle — paid his bills on time. However, once the legal fees were being handled by Mesereau & Yu, the firm whose partner Thomas Mesereau was Jackson’s lead counsel in the criminal trial, the payments dried up. Ayscough & Marar allege in the lawsuit that Mesereau & Yu were paid $2.6 million, which they claim was to be spread around several law firms doing work for Jackson. But Ayscough & Marar say they haven’t seen any of that money. (Mesereau & Yu are not named as defendants in the case.)

Besides detailing the payments that Ayscough & Marar claims it is owed, the lawsuit also describes significant debts owed by Jackson, including over $300 million to Fortress Investment Group, over $1.6 million to his brother Randy, and several million dollars to various lawyers.

Source: TMZ

A Santa Monica jury had a resounding answer for the question posed in Michael Jackson’s charity record “What More Can I Give?”, which was at the center of a contentious lawsuit brought against the entertainer by a former associate — about $1 million. Following two days of deliberations, a Santa Monica jury comprised of six men and six women on Friday awarded F. Marc Schaffel $900,000 in his breach of contract suit brought against the entertainer. Schaffel — who originally sought $3.8 million as reimbursement for a series of cash advances, royalties from the record and TV deals, and other miscellaneous services — had reduced his claims to $1.4 million by the trial’s conclusion on Thursday.

“I thought this was a fair verdict from the jury,” Schaffel said outside the courtroom afterwards. “I’m pleased … this has been going on for two years.”

The jury also awarded Jackson, who appeared at the trial solely through a videotaped deposition, a sum of $200,000 stemming from a disputed music deal, as part of a cross complaint filed by the entertainer against Schaffel. On Thursday, Jackson’s attorney, Thomas Mundell, asked the jury to award Schaffel nothing, reasoning that he actually owed Jackson in upwards of $660,000.

Howard King, the attorney who represented Schaffel in LA Superior Court during the two-week trial, said the decision will net his client more than $1 million when all is said and done. Interest and costs will more than offset the subtracted $200,000 awarded Jackson, said King, who added that his client stands to reap even more if Judge Jacqueline Connor decides to rule on a separate accounting claim. However, King didn’t expect Judge Connor to undertake the claim, feeling the contracts between Jackson and Schaffel were typically oral agreements and somewhat unorthodox.

“We are delighted. It’s a victory for the system,” said a beaming King, outside the courtroom. “It was a great jury, in that they were able to cut through what was irrelevant. “It’s a fair number.We’re very pleased.” Friday afternoon’s verdict capped a trial that began with jury selection on June 28 and featured a string of accusations and intimate revelations, including Schaffel’s claim last week that he was sent to Brazil on Jackson’s behalf to buy boys for the singer to adopt, and the Jackson camp’s contention that Schaffel manipulated the singer by parlaying their friendship into a means of supporting his lavish lifestyle.

Separating the facts of the case from the outrageous personalities involved proved a test for the jury, which rendered their decision with some of the jurists abstaining. Earlier in the day on Friday the jury had some testimony read back to them and asked if each of the members of the panel had to be accounted for, with Judge Connor informing them they did not.

“We saw character flaws on both sides,” said Cathleen Yancey, 20, the youngest member of the jury. “There were some (jurists) talking that he (plaintiff and defendant) was a sleazeball. We said we just need to look at the facts here, not our opinions. “I mean, I have issues with adult entertainment, and I have issues with child molestation.”

Schaffel, as was mentioned numerous times in the trial by Mundell, has produced an array of gay adult films, while Jackson was acquitted last year on child molestation charges.

Attempts to reach Mundell at his office on Friday for comment were unsuccessful. At least two jurors wanted to award more money to Jackson, according to Yancey, a Brigham Young University student who listens to Jackson’s music. Following the verdict, a recording of the ill-fated song “What More Can I Give?” was played for jurists, reporters, counsel and Judge Connor in the Santa Monica Courthouse via a laptop computer. The 2001 recording — featuring Jackson and more than 20 other recording artists, such as Mariah Carey, N*SYNC, Celine Dion, Beyonce and Usher — was a point of contention in the case, and has never been released as a result of the legal wranglings between Jackson, Schaffel and others regarding copyrights and production deals.

“I think it’s great, amazing,” Yancey said. “After tons of back and forth and hearing about it throughout the case, it’s nice to hear it now. It should be out there.” Following the verdict, most of the jurists claimed Jackson’s absence in the case didn’t weigh in their decision, feeling the trial would have become a media circus, making their task of separating the facts of the case from the swirling outside distractions all the more difficult. “Some of the things mentioned in the case bothered us, but they had nothing to do with the case,” remarked Irma Beard, a jurist who lives in Palms. “Mr. Schaffel has his life. Mr. Jackson has his life. We just had to go with the dealings we were presented.”

The jury foreman, identifying himself only as an information technology worker from Calabasas, didn’t come away with a very favorable opinion of the pop superstar. In his videotaped deposition, Jackson repeatedly denied any memory of his business dealings with Schaffel, who claims he was empowered by the singer to negotiate contracts on his behalf. Indeed, it was a recurrent theme of Mundell’s in his defense of the entertainer that Jackson was a childlike musical genius without an ounce of business acumen, a gentle artist unable to recall even the financial transactions that might have bolstered his case.

“I think Jackson is very aware of the business aspects of his music, whether or not he has advisors dealing with marketing,” the foreman said on Friday afternoon, standing in the courtyard just outside the courtroom. “Jackson is an incredibly savvy person.” Another juror, Roy Shimogaki of Marina del Rey, just shook his head outside the courtroom, seemingly exhausted from the ordeal.

“It’s a different world,” he said.

Source: Daily Press

Thanks to Splash you can now listen to the private telephone messages made by Michael Jackson. Released by the judge in the recent Michael Jackson Trial.

Click to Listen

Source: Splash

Spokesperson Confirms Jackson/Dylan Appearance

Michael Jackson flew into Cork airport yesterday and was last night holidaying in the county with his three children as he prepared to attend Bob Dylan concerts in Kilkenny and Cork over the weekend.

Jackson was accompanied by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, along with a number of personal assistants on a scheduled Aer Lingus flight from Charles de Gaul airport in Paris to Cork yesterday afternoon.

They arrived at Cork airport at about 4.10pm and were collected by a chauffeur-driven mini-bus. It was widely speculated last night that they were staying at the historic Blackwater Castle in Castletownroche, north Cork.

The castle was built by the Roche family in 1291 when they established a Norman settlement in the area. It was recently refurbished and offers high-quality accommodation overlooking the Awbeg river.

However, the owner of Blackwater Castle, Patrick Nordstrom, said last night he had received several media queries about Jackson and, while there appeared to be “a VIP hunt” for the pop star, he wasn’t staying at the castle. “I think I would know if he was staying here - I would be flattered if he was but there isn’t anyone here at the moment except my dog,” said Mr Nordstrom, who admitted he was considering taking the phone off the hook because of all the media queries.

A spokeswoman for Aiken Promotions confirmed to The Irish Times that Jackson would be attending the Bob Dylan concert at Nowlan Park in Kilkenny today and the Live in the Marquee concert in Cork tomorrow night.

Source: The Irish Times

Michael Jackson arrived in Ireland yesterday, amid speculation that he was set to join his long-time idol Bob Dylan on stage tonight in Kilkenny.

The controversial star arrived at Cork Airport yesterday afternoon on board an Aer Lingus flight from Paris.

Face covered with a scarf, he and his three children, along with two adults, were whisked away in a blacked-out van.

It is understood he booked into the exclusive €1,500-a-night Blackwater Castle hotel in Castletownroche, Co Cork.

Management at the castle, formerly occupied by one of Oliver Cromwell’s lieutenants in the 17th century, denied they had a superstar, albeit a fading one, in their midst.

“We would be honoured if such a guest would choose to stay here, but it isn’t the case,” said a spokesman.

The castle is just five miles away from the home of Riverdance star Michael Flatley, who was at home last night, but it isn’t clear if the two met up. However, Jackson is due to give a cameo performance at tonight’s Bob Dylan concert in Kilkenny before an expected audience of 20,000, according to sources close to the concert.

The modern day ‘Peter Pan’ is a long-term Dylan fan and a year after he was acquitted of child molestation charges, Jackson, 47, is trying hard to re-establish his flagging career.

However, as with all things surrounding ‘MJ’, little was clear.

But, in a sign of the times, Michael Jackson, accustomed to private jets in financially better times, flew into Cork on a regular Aer Lingus flight.

Source: IE

The controversial pop star Michael Jackson jetted into Cork this afternoon on a scheduled Aer Lingus flight from Paris.

There’s intense speculation that the 47 year old who was accompanied by at least two other adults and three children will be staying with Lord of the Dance and Celtic Tiger performer, Michael Flatley.

Jackson who’s been living with the Prince of Bahrain since his acquittal on charges of child molestation concealed his face and those of the children.

Michael Jackson’s flight touched down shortly after four o’clock, and he, along with his three children, Prince Michael, Prince Michael II and Paris were taken into the airport’s VIP area after and brought through immigration.

The children had their faces covered with hats and masks. And Jackson, who was dressed in black, shielded his face with a mask.

A Garda escort and airport security rushed the superstar and his entourage to a waiting silver Volkswagen mini-van with tinted windows.

Jackson made sure he was well equipped for his trip to Cork, as he jetted in with 27 pieces of designer luggage.

It’s not known what his plans were for the duration of his stay in the city, but it’s believed he will be here for at least a week.

Speculation is high that he could be staying with Michael Flatley at his Castlehide home.

Source: I.R.

A new Michael Jackson Fansite has been set up MJ Junkies to promote a new fan party which has been organised!

The event, ‘Is It Scary?’ willt ake place on October 29th, at London’s CC Club where the recent MJNO Visionary event was held. The Halloween themed party has been organised for fans, by fans, and encourages the gathering of all fans from all every corner of the globe to celebrate Halloween together~ Michael Jackson Style!

There are a host of top performers already lined up for the event (including favorites; Earnest Valentino and Danny Oliver) to entertain. There will be merchandise on sale, and also some disco time so fans can dance the night away.

Tickets are on sale now for £15.00.

More information can be found on the MJ Junkies website, which incidently has been designed by the webmaster of Exclusive MJ! (Phil Thornton). Visit MJJunkies.com