MichaelJackson.hu conducted an exclusive interview with the most respectable lawyer in the music business. But John Branca is more then that. On a personal note: he is a kind person.

Do You consider Yourself as a Michael Jackson fan in any ways? Have You been impressed by his music and arts? When and how did You meet with him?

I’ve always been a Michael Jackson fan. I began working with Michael in January of 1980 just after the release of “Off The Wall”. I’m not sure there’s been anybody in the history of popular music who can combine Michael’s supreme talents as a singer, performer, songwriter and producer.

Have You ever been on a Michael Jackson concert?

I have been to many dozens of Michael Jackson concerts, perhaps as many as 100. While I was working with Michael, I often traveled with him. I was at the “Triumph” tour in 1980, the “Victory” tour in 1984, the “Bad” tour in 1988 and the European tour in 1993.

You were the one who helped Michael to create the most sucsessful music video ever. What do You feel when You see the “Thriller” video?

I was integrally involved in helping Michael do the “Thriller” video, not on a creative level but in putting the financial arrangements together that helped make it possible. Michael had a unique vision and was a real pioneer in music videos as an art form. I think “Thriller” to this day is the best music video, or as Michael would say, “short film” ever. It was simple and yet fantastic, complex and yet direct.

If you look back, what do You consider as the greatest thing in Your career?

Working with Michael not only on the “Thriller” album but in helping him acquire the Beatles catalog and the merger with Sony, as well as getting Michael the ownership of his masters, are among the accomplishments I am most proud of from my work with Michael. I also helped Michael make the two Pepsi deals which pioneered modern commercial tie-ins for artists.

As it’s been widely reported in the media, You are no longer working with Michael. How could this happen?

Although I am not currently working with Michael, I wish him well and would certainly help him in any way I could if he asked. I believe Michael has a lot of great music and performances in him.

What’s next for You? Where can we hear about you in the future?

I’ve been fortunate my practice is thriving. I’ve represented 29 members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thus far. I’m also representing a number of very important current artists in the industry. But I always felt I had a very special connection with Michael and I look forward to seeing him again soon.
In some ways I look upon him as a brother.

Visit Mr. Branca’s Official Site

Source: MichaelJackson.hu

Michael Jackson fans who had their view blocked at his 30th anniversary Madison Square Garden gig in 2001 will be allowed a reduction on the price of future tickets as compensation.

According to the New York Daily News, thousands of concert-goers paid $98.50 each, without being told their views would be obstructed. Fan Dana Gross, who filed a lawsuit against ticket merchant Ticketmaster, argued she spent the entire show having to watch giant monitors because she couldn’t see Jackson at all.

According to a legal statement issued today, each dissatisfied concert-goer will receive $28 (GBP14) off their next ticket for any event at the venue organised by promoter LiveNation Worldwide Inc.

Fans have 120 days to claim their refund.

Source: Contact Music

Sony Corporation of America announced today that Martin Bandier has been named Chairman and CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. As part of the agreement, Mr. Bandier will also make an investment in Sony/ATV, which is co-owned by Sony and trusts formed by Michael Jackson.

Mr. Bandier’s move to Sony/ATV Music Publishing matches the most renowned music-publishing executive in the industry with the company that not only controls some of its most valuable catalogue assets, but also boasts a stellar roster of the most active and popular current artists and writers. The catalogues include a generation-spanning mix of some of the biggest names in music, from the Beatles, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, Willie Nelson, Steven Stills and Hank Williams to Babyface and John Mellencamp. Sony’s growing current roster of chart-toppers includes Beck, Destiny’s Child, Fall Out Boy, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Rascal Flatts, KT Tunstall and Gretchen Wilson. Mr. Bandier will oversee Sony/ATV’s global music publishing activities — including talent and copyright acquisitions — and will develop and implement broad new strategic initiatives.

Mr. Bandier will report to Rob Wiesenthal, Chief Financial Officer, Sony Corporation of America, and Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Sony Entertainment Inc., and also to Sir Howard Stringer in his role as Chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation of America. Mr. Bandier will join Sony/ATV effective April 1, 2007.

“Sony/ATV Music Publishing has great assets, and also tremendous potential for growth and expansion,” said Mr. Bandier. “This move offers me the opportunity to participate in the growth of a major publishing entity and to build something in an entrepreneurial environment with a fantastic company.”

“Marty Bandier is a true legend in the music industry. His experience and stature are unparalleled,” said Mr. Wiesenthal. “We are delighted that he is joining Sony/ATV at this critical time in the music publishing industry. His proven track record of innovative and highly effective business strategies will help us to continue to build this company and result in meaningful upside for all involved.”

“We are very excited to have Marty take the helm at Sony/ATV in what we believe will be a transformative appointment,” said Sir Howard Stringer. “This sends a strong signal about how serious we are about music publishing and adds one of the most respected and accomplished executives in the music industry to our team. We expect Marty to do what he does best, grow this business and take it to the upper echelon of the industry.”

“I am thrilled that Mr. Bandier has agreed to become Chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing,” said Michael Jackson. “Marty has over 30 years experience in the music publishing industry, and not only brings with him a wealth of knowledge about the industry, but the vision and ability to take the company to new heights. I look forward to working with him.”

Mr. Bandier was named chairman and CEO of EMI Music Publishing in 1989 after a merger between SBK, a company he founded, and Thorn EMI. Under his leadership, the combined company became the world’s largest and most successful music publishing company. When Bandier took the reins at EMI, the company was the fourth largest player in the industry.

Source: The Earth Times, PR Newswire

In an exclusive interview to Hall Of Fame Magazine, singer Kipp Lennon talks about a- kinda surreal - recording session he did for Fox’s tv series ‘The Simpsons’. In the famous episode Lennon played the part of Michael Jackson singing ‘Happy Birthday Lisa’ – while the real Michael Jackson stood next to him in the room silently watching.

Michael only spoke his own cartoon character’s dialogue in the show, but could not sing for the series. Kipp, a sharp vocal mimic, laughs at the surreal nature of it all - imitating the King of Pop while the King of Pop watches every move and hears every inflection. Kipp takes a bit of pride in thinking that he - “this skinny white kid” - will be “a footnote in pop culture.”

Source: Hall Of Fame Magazine

A lawsuit filed against entertainer Michael Jackson and Marian Medical Center is due to appear in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria on June 18.

The lawsuit was filed Feb. 15 by the family of Manuela Gomez Ruiz, who was moved Feb. 15, 2005, from a two-bed trauma room at Marian so that Jackson could have the room. Jackson reportedly entered the hospital because he was suffering from flu-like symptoms during his child molestation trial.

The lawsuit alleges abuse of celebrity status.

Ruiz, 73, of Santa Maria, was on a life support after she suffered a heart attack, and died the night of Feb. 15, 2005.

The June 18 court appearance is a case management conference that will be heard by Judge Rodney Melville, the same judge who presided over Jackson’s 2005 trial.

Source: Santa Maria Times

A London woman who claims she is the real mother of Michael Jackson’s three children cannot intervene in the King of Pop’s custody settlement with his ex-wife, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Non-a Paris Lola Jackson, 36, filed a motion in October demanding a role in the custody settlement between the singer and Deborah Rowe. Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider denied the motion in November and again on Wednesday, saying she had failed to properly notify Jackson and Rowe of her claims.

The woman hadn’t provided “credible evidence” that she was the children’s birth mother, the judge said.

He left open the opportunity for her to bring the motion again if Jackson and Rowe were served properly.

Non-a Jackson’s court papers contended that “Michael and I are a sexually active couple and have been this way from the beginning.” She also claimed to have written more than 3,000 songs for him.

Non-a Jackson, speaking by telephone, tried to question two lawyers for the singer in court Wednesday.

“Is Mr. Jackson denying I’m the mother of the children?” she asked. “What is he saying about my children?”

However, the judge told her that the lawyers weren’t obligated to answer. No lawyers for Rowe were present.

Michael Jackson has said Rowe is the mother of his eldest son, Prince Michael, and daughter, Paris. He has not identified the mother of his other son, Prince Michael II.

Jackson and Rowe settled a custody fight in September. Details of that agreement have not been released.

Source: USAToday

On the official web site of the US football team San Francisco 49ers, safety Mark Roman took some time during the off-season to check in and answer some questions by fans. One of his answers refers to Michael:

Question: “What do you do before a game? Do you have any rituals?” — Jordan

Answer: “I listen to Michael Jackson. I’ve been listening to Michael Jackson before every game since I was in high school. That all started when I was running track in high school and was listening to music on my headphones and I a had a Michael Jackson CD in. I said, “Man, this sounds good!” I started singing along with it. I ran the fastest quarter mile that I ever ran so I knew I had to keep listening to it. Other than that, I always try to take a bath the night before a game and I eat the same thing every morning - oatmeal, an omelet and a quarter of a waffle.”

Source: 49ers.com

By Erald Kolasi, Cavalier Daily Opinion Columnist

In 2007, the King of Pop will reclaim his rightful throne. According to several reports, Michael Jackson has been working on a new album, to be released later this year, with red-hot performer “Will.I.Am” of the Black Eyed Peas. Several songs already have been recorded and the album should be finished shortly, which would represent Michael Jackon’s first album of completely new material since the release of Invincible in 2001. The most impressive achievement of this album, however, would be to restore Michael Jackson’s iconic status and recapture lost glory by transforming the way people think about him, putting the focus back on the music and away from his personal life.

During the 1980s, Jackson was the biggest music icon in the world. Released in December 1982, Thriller, the greatest selling album of all time, defined ’80s pop and catapulted Jackson’s fame to uncharted heights. According to Guinness World Records, Thriller has sold well over 100 million copies worldwide; no other album even comes close. The King of Pop scored nine number-one singles in the Hot 100 during the decade, more than any other artist. His fame dwarfed that of any other human on the planet; in 1997, a survey found that Michael Jackson was the most famous person in the world, beating out President Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II, according to his biography on IMDB. God would probably have been the only entity humans recognised more, and God’s existence is in dispute!

A series of controversies surrounding his personal life, however, gradually removed the focus from his music, although Jackson continued to have phenomenal worldwide success throughout the 1990s, releasing chart-toppers like Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995) along with Blood on the Dance Floor (1997), which became the greatest selling remix album ever. Nevertheless, his activities with children at Neverland Ranch in California received increasingly sceptical attention. In 1993, he responded to accusations of child molestation by settling out-of-court for an undisclosed sum of money. Over a decade later, he stood trial for child molestation, but was acquitted on all charges in June 2005. Following a few travels after the trial, Michael Jackson has returned to the United States and now hopes that those glittering gloves will shine as brightly as they once did.

His chances for continued success are very real, but to better understand the inquiry, the upcoming album must be placed in the context of Michael Jackson’s status as a cultural icon, not merely his musical prowess. Once upon a time, almost everything associated with Michael Jackson was, well, “cool,” from the moonwalk to the way he adorned his fedora hat at the start of “Billie Jean” performances. As the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame explains, Michael Jackson “enjoyed a level of super-stardom previously known only to Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Frank Sinatra.” Today, however, when many people think of Michael Jackson, they are often struck by preconceptions of an aloof individual who did horrible things to his face and molested children. Michael Jackson’s iconic image has been heavily bruised, but it’s not completely gone, and if anyone has the talent to revive their career, it’s Michael Jackson.

The 2007 album must seize on that hope that remains to rescue his status by shifting those negative public perceptions. After all, he does not have anything more to prove musically. He has established himself as one of the greatest dancers ever, if not THE greatest, and his vocals are legendary, a fact still recognised by Will, who has praised the King of Pop’s singing and just about everything else relating to Michael Jackson’s musical genius. He is one of the greatest selling artists ever, has won 13 Grammy awards, charted 13 number one Hot 100 singles in his solo career, and has set whopping concert attendance records through his global tours.

This effort should be more about history and legacy; unless someone as spectacular as the 1983 Michael Jackson emerges, nothing will ever approach Thriller’s success for decades anyway. If all this new album does is get people to start thinking more about his music rather than his personal life, it would have been a success.

Source: The Cavalier Daily

Regarding the most recent rumours circulating about Michael Jackson’s attendance to San Remo Music Festival in Italy, General Manager Raymone Bain has confirmed to CTE the Italian fan club the following:

“Please disregard any rumours. My office has spoken to no one regarding this event. Whatever is being written is pure speculation and not fact from us. […] You can advise the fans that it is a rumour.

Raymone K. Bain”

Source: CTE Fan Club, MJFC-USA

Michael Jackson and Marian Medical Center have been sued by the family of a Santa Maria woman who died at the hospital in February 2005, shortly after she was transported from a two-bed trauma room to make room for the entertainer.

The civil complaint, filed Thursday in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria on the two-year anniversary of the death of 73-year-old Manuela Gomez Ruiz, alleges abuse of celebrity status.

It blames Marian Medical Center and Jackson for the “outrageous, circus-like atmosphere they orchestrated during the last hours of Manuela Ruiz’s life and its obvious emotional and mental lasting effects upon the plaintiffs.”

The plaintiffs, mostly children of Ruiz, are seeking undetermined damages. They allege intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, elder abuse, false imprisonment and conspiracy on the part of Jackson, Marian Medical Center and Catholic Healthcare West, which owns the hospital.

Marian Medical Center said in a written statement that the suit appeared to be without merit.

“The most recent complaint appears to be another frivolous claim to generate publicity,” according to the statement.

The Medical center also expressed sympathy for the loss experienced by the Ruiz family:

“Patient care and safety is always our first priority at Marian. As such, we are confident the care provided to Mrs. Ruiz was exceptional.”

Hugh Spackman, the Santa Barbara-based attorney representing Marian in the case, said Friday, “Unfortunately, I can’t comment about any of the facts underlying this suit.”

During his child-molestation trial two years ago, which ultimately resulted in his acquittal, Jackson was taken to Marian Feb. 15, 2005, complaining of flu-like symptoms.

The complaint alleges that due to what it called Marian’s unspoken “VIP” policy for affording priority admission and prime accommodations to high-profile patients, Jackson was able to avoid court that day by basically “hijacking” the hospital under the guise that he suffered from a serious illness.

“Manuela Ruiz was dying,” according to the lawsuit filed by attorney James McKiernan of San Luis Obispo. “Michael Jackson was also dying … but instead, dying not to go to court that day for his then-pending and highly publicized criminal trial for child molestation.”

Ruiz, who had suffered from a massive heart attack early that day, was placed in a two-bed trauma room, in a restricted area of the hospital, according to the plaintiffs.

Ruiz was admitted in critical condition and was put on life support.

Just after 8:30 a.m., “several nurses suddenly rushed into Manuela’s room …. and without any explanation, hastily started unplugging the respiratory ventilator and disconnecting the other life support system machines that she was attached to,” the lawsuit alleges.

Informed that “a private patient” needed the room “to protect his privacy,” two of Ruiz’s daughters complained that their mother was too critical to be moved.

The lawsuit asserts that neither Ruiz nor her daughters posed a “privacy risk” for Jackson, as they weren’t in a state to pester him.

Ruiz, kept alive by hand-pumped oxygen, was slowly transported to an exam room with no medical equipment in it.

Life-support machines arrived at Ruiz’s new room.

Ruiz had another heart attack, but milling crowds delayed her arrival at the critical-care unit, according to the complaint.

Ruiz died later that evening.

McKiernan said Friday that he initially discussed filing a wrongful-death lawsuit. However, after several experts reviewed records, McKiernan thought such an allegation would be difficult to prove.

“I think we should focus on the main problem, which would be the way everyone was treated,” he said.

McKiernan said the plaintiffs will let a jury decide the amount of damages owed based on the merits of the case.

The attorney said the plaintiffs waited to file the lawsuit so it could be viewed objectively, removed from other suits Jackson was facing.

“The primary reason was the family didn’t want to jump on the Michael Jackson bashing-boat,” McKiernan said.

The attorney who McKiernan said is representing Michael Jackson in the case, Santa Fe Springs-based Brian Oxman, did not return a phone call Friday afternoon.

A woman who has served as Jackson’s spokesperson, Raymone Bain, could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Source: Santa Maria Times