Michael Jackson enjoyed spending time with his children, cruising the Vegas strip and even ordering fast food through a drive through, according to three of his former bodyguards.
The King of Pop trusted his three bodyguards with his life, kids and secrets.

But the men also said Jackson’s lifestyle was isolated and lonely and described it as full of

“stress, paranoia and pain.”

In an exclusive interview with “Good Morning America,” Mike Garcia, Bill Whitfield and Javon “BJ” Beard spoke out about Jackson’s secretive life, describing some moments as just plain “sad.”

For instance, when Jackson held a birthday party for one of his children, only Jackson, the teacher, the nanny and the three bodyguards would attend, the men said. No other children were there.

“None,”

the three men said.

Jackson died June 25 following a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and propofol. The three men said they first met the pop star more than two years earlier in 2007.

“He’s got his little doctor’s mask on and he says, ‘BJ, hi, I’ve heard so much about you. Go ahead and have a seat,’”

Beard said.

The three men signed up for personal protection, but the job became much more, they said. Jackson trusted them with his life, his children and his secrets.

“We were with Michael Jackson the person, not the entertainer,”

Garcia said.

In fact, the bandages Jackson wore frequently in public were not concealing secret surgeries, Whitfield said. Instead, the singer was using them as a disguise.

“That disguise to him was the burn victim look,”

Whitfield said.

Although the men wondered what was going on, they never asked Jackson about the mask.

“He’s coming down with the kids and we can’t say, ‘What the hell you got on, sir?’”

Beard said.

“How could you tell him that?”

Prior to his death, Jackson was staging a comeback tour in London. When the family was not on the road, Jackson called a rented Las Vegas mansion his home. But his bodyguards said the singer did not enjoy being there.

“For you and I, it’s a great house…but for security for MJ and his kids…[it's a] horrible house,”

Whitfield said.

The men said Jackson was always paranoid about security.

The men described Jackson as an “awesome” dad who loved to spend time with his children and took them to fast food drive-throughs for Big Macs and fried chicken. Often, Jackson would insist on ordering himself, the guards said.

“The kids were constantly saying, ‘I love you, Daddy…They were like four buddies,”

Garcia said.

Despite having a privileged upbringing, Whitfield said the children were very “polite” and “well mannered.”

A note from Paris to Whitfield asking for tuna fish for the cat is filled with please and thank you.

In fact, the bodyguards said the children were the easiest part of their job, and remember, wistfully, moments when they misbehaved and tried to sneak extra Oreos.

“I mean, sometimes they would say little things like, ‘Bill, Daddy wants you to go get some cookies for us,’” Whitfield said, remembering moments when Jackson’s kids tried to trick him into getting them cookies.

Source: mjfanclub.net

It was one year ago today that Michael Jackson announced plans for the ‘This Is It’ concert run at a press conference at London’s O2 arena. To mark the anniversary, Charles Thomson sat down with Jackson’s long-time guitarist Jennifer Batten, to talk about what it was really like behind the scenes on a Michael Jackson tour.

Batten was Jackson’s lead guitarist for a decade, accompanying the star on all three of his record-breaking world tours. At just 29 years old she was plucked from complete obscurity by the King of Pop. As impossible as it sounds, before Batten joined Jackson, her touring experience was limited almost exclusively to a brief spell with an Elvis impersonator.

“We played down in American Samoa of all places,”

she laughs.

“He had a brother that was a missionary on the island, so he set up the gig. Then we did another stint in Colorado because he had a brother there too. That was it.”

Inspired by blues legends like BB King and Brownie McGee, Batten began playing guitar at the tender age of eight. As a young woman she attended the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles where she was the only girl.

“I was the only woman with 60 guys,”

she says.

“I didn’t have a problem with it. I could go practice in the bathroom because you get the natural reverb in there and I knew I wouldn’t be bothered.”

BAD TOUR

After the Elvis gigs she lived for several years in San Diego, playing in cover bands before heading to Los Angeles in search of success on the music scene. It wasn’t long before she began teaching at her former school, the Musicians Institute. It was there – on one fateful day in 1987 – that Michael Jackson’s representatives called asking for musicians to attend tour auditions. Batten recalls,

“They were auditioning about a hundred people so it was pretty intense. When I went, there was just a video camera, no band. The only guidance I was given was to play some funk rhythm stuff so I did that, then I finished off with the Beat It solo because I had been playing that for years in cover bands. I think ultimately that’s what got me the gig.”

Batten says that earning her place on Jackson’s Bad Tour in 1987 changed her life.

“It was like a paid vacation. I had been teaching and gigging pretty much seven nights a week and all of a sudden I’m on the biggest tour in the world making ten times the money and only working two or three days a week!”

Rehearsals began immediately and they were brutal; seven days a week for two solid months. For the first month the band, singers and dancers would rehearse separately. They all came together for the second month in a production studio, where every element of the show came alive. It was here that Batten first met Michael Jackson.

“We heard that if he liked the music he’d start dancing and he did as soon as he walked through the door. We stopped and people who hadn’t met him before were introduced to him. I remember seeing his manager Frank Dileo come in with the ponytail and the cigar. It was kind of surreal seeing the two of them together. I just remember Michael looked gorgeous close up. He was just beautiful.

“He was very much hands on and he was an extremely hard worker. By the end of rehearsals we were running the show a minimum of once a day, sometimes twice. I would say that’s the number one thing I learned from him: the value of rehearsing that much and that intensely, because by the time we hit the stage everybody was relaxed.”

Batten recalls opening night in Tokyo saying,

“I’d never played for that many people before. On the road Michael took it up another notch. I mean, he was pretty full out at the last rehearsals anyway but that extra excitement of knowing there are people going nuts watching you… There’s an extra amount of fire that you can feel onstage with everybody doing their best and trying to give 110%.”

But soon after hitting the road, Batten says she discovered a more sinister side to working with Michael Jackson.

“I was approached in the beginning by somebody who said I could make a lot of money by talking to the National Enquirer. I was just appalled. I thought ‘that is just sick’, you know? I just got this great gig. Why would I sabotage it like that? It seemed like a really evil thing to do.”

Batten grew to feel sorry for Jackson, who she says was trapped by his celebrity.

“If he wanted to go anywhere he had to alert the security and he had to really have it planned in advance. If he wanted to go to a store they would have to be called and shut it down for him. He was a prisoner of the hotel room, really.”

Batten says Jackson compensated by treating himself and his entire entourage to special excursions. Sometimes he had theme parks closed to the public so that he and his team could have some fun without being hounded.

“He did it first at the Tokyo Disneyland. That was just unbelievable. We would go on the rollercoaster rides and when we were done they would just ask us, ‘Do you want to go around again?’ We were very, very spoiled.”

The Bad Tour ended in January 1989 and the group disbanded. In later years Sheryl Crow, who worked as a back-up singer on the tour, would make several disparaging remarks about Jackson during interviews publicizing her own work. Crow called Jackson a diva who never bothered to learn people’s names. Batten refutes this saying,

“I think singers in general are just nuts and ultra-sensitive. One night Michael called Sheryl ‘Jennifer’,” she giggles, “and I know that pissed her off. But it’s like, so what? I mean, you got the biggest gig in the world and it’s not like Michael was unaware of who was onstage with him. We were with him for a friggin’ year and a half.”

DANGEROUS TOUR

In 1992 Batten was called back to work on Jackson’s Dangerous Tour. Batten says Jackson seemed like ‘the same Michael,’ if slightly more fatigued.

“I noticed that he was busier and I remember that one time he came to rehearsals and just apologized for not having been there the last few days. He said, ‘I was just showered with meetings’ and he just repeated it with emotion, ‘meeting after meeting after meeting’.”

Jackson’s heavy schedule dictated that he was limited in his rehearsal time, which meant that much of the set list was simply carried over from the Bad Tour. Batten said this was a little disappointing to the band because they all wanted to play the new stuff. One of the few new tracks – Remember The Time – was cut from the show after a wardrobe malfunction. She laughs saying,

“They had Egyptian costumes and the male dancers had these skirt kind of things. The first time we did it one of the dancers’ costumes fell off. That was a little disturbing to Michael.”

Unfortunately, the wardrobe malfunctions didn’t end in rehearsals. Speaking about that enormous fibre-optic headdress Batten says,

“At the end of Beat It everybody would run out on the stage,” she remembers. “Invariably, I would be running at full force and somebody would step on my fibre-optic cable – it would pretty much knock my head off. That was kind of a drag.”

Talking about the end of each show when Jackson would exit the stage on a jet pack, floating over the audience’s heads Batten said,

“He wanted to come out with the biggest show on earth. He wanted it to be like Christmas for people. His imagination was like a creative tornado. He would come up with his wildest dreams and then hire people to carry it out. It was really amazing to be a part of that.”

SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE

In January 1993 Batten accompanied Jackson for his legendary Super Bowl performance, which was watched by 1.5 billion people. She says,

“I’ll tell you, it was the only time I ever saw Michael nervous. It’s live and there’s only the time of a couple of potato chip commercials to get the stage out into the field. There’s one scene where I’m on the corner of the stage with Michael and there’s so much fog coming out that we both get lost for a second, but that’s the beauty of live gigs. You never know what’s going to happen. That was one of my favorite times because it was a one-off special thing that will never be repeated.”

After the Super Bowl there was a long break before the second leg of the Dangerous Tour. It was during the second leg that allegations of child abuse were leveled at Jackson. Batten  says matter-of-factly,

“I figured it was an extortion case, which I still figure it is. Everybody was concerned about him. I think it pains all of us that he was so attacked and so unfairly. Most artists are sensitive and he was talented times ten, so ultra sensitive, and to be slung that kind of stuff… I mean, you can hear it in his lyrics. It’s a real drag because you wonder what kind of music he would have come up with if people weren’t attacking him like that.”

“Honestly, I think it would have been considered uncool among the press to take Michael’s side. I think it would take a brave soul to do that, which is really sad. Really pathetic. Even at the 2005 trial… I know people who were inside the courtroom and then they would watch the news at night and it was complete lies.”

HIStory TOUR

In 1996 Batten was brought back onboard for the HIStory Tour, although she recalls that it was ‘very last minute.’

“I got hired a week before I was supposed to start rehearsals, which was a real scramble. It was just nuts. I had to cancel some work.”

The tour brought with it more costume problems for Batten, who describes her black latex get-up as ‘just dreadful.’

“That mask I had to wear was just ugh… ghastly. Somebody had shown Michael an art book that was kind of S&M based and all the paintings looked really beautiful. So he had that in mind but when it came to real life it wasn’t too beautiful anymore,” she laughs. “I just had to remind myself that it was all about the theatre, you know? It’s not just about the music.”

Batten says Jackson got ready for each concert by warming up his voice.

“Every night he’d be warming up with his vocal coach. You could hear him doing arpeggios from his dressing room.”

The guitarist says that initially she was alarmed by Jackson’s decision to end each concert flanked on either side by young children.

“At the end of the show he would disappear down an elevator in the stage with a little boy and a little girl. At first I thought, ‘God, because of the allegations you’d think he wouldn’t do that’. But then I thought, ‘You know what, he hasn’t done anything wrong so why the hell should he change his life?’ I think that was a little bit of giving a finger to his critics.”

The HIStory Tour lasted into the Summer of 1997 and would mark the end of the pair’s working relationship, but Batten says she never felt disappointed that he didn’t bring her back.

“I would just go off and work on my own career. If he calls, great, and if he doesn’t, great. It’s been a great ride with him anyway.”

MICHAEL’S DEATH

Batten was in her car on June 25, 2009 when someone called to tell her about rumors of Jackson’s death.

“I didn’t really believe it when he told me because I had heard so many rumors about Michael over the years, false alarms about everything. I thought, ‘Yea, right’. I saw it was true when I got home and I had mixed feelings. I was sad but in a way I thought power to him for going to the other side, because of all the torture that had come at him. I just can’t imagine living with that.”

In the weeks after Jackson’s death Batten says she was unable to watch the media coverage, knowing how much of it would be slanted.

“They were respectful for about two or three hours and then they turned it into a tabloid festival. I just couldn’t watch it. There were a lot of specials on about him and once in a while I would turn one on and it was just shit. I guess it makes money to just bring up negativity and stir up controversy but it’s pathetic and I just can’t watch it. It’s all about money now, not about truth. People can be very cold.”

Unlike some of Jackson’s friends and family, Batten says she was able to bring herself to watch ‘This Is It,’ even if she did have mixed feelings about it.

“I hadn’t seen any video of him for years and just to see his talent, even when he wasn’t going full out, the way he sang ‘Human Nature’ was just chilling. The way his body moves – there was just no other dancer in the world that was like that. So I enjoyed it.”

Source: mjfanclub.net

While Dr. Conrad Murray’s formal charging in the death of Michael Jackson is certain to pose another emotional time for the pop superstar’s surviving family members, his three children – Prince Michael I, 12; Paris, 11; and Prince Michael II (“Blanket”), 7 – have been dealing with their grief with the help of a close-knit family and something new to them: a sense of normalcy.

“They’re doing great, thanks to the love and support they’ve gotten,”

Adam Streisand, an attorney for their grandmother and guardian Katherine Jackson, told PEOPLE in an interview before Murray’s surrender.

Seconds longtime family friend Kathy Hilton,

“They’re getting along and they have an incredible family.”

Since their father’s death last summer, the children have been living at Katherine’s Encino, Calif., estate with cousins and other relatives, growing in maturity and confidence as they play with friends and go on outings – now without wearing masks and free of the chaos that once followed their father.

“With the kids running around the house, laughing, playing, they’ve given each other a lot of joy,”

says Streisand.

The trio’s older cousins, who joined Prince and Paris on stage at the Grammys Jan. 31 when they accepted their father’s Lifetime Achievement Award (shy Blanket was deemed “too young” to take the stage that night, says Streisand), have become mentors to Michael’s kids, who remain a tight-knit group.

Helping Katherine raise the kids is their nanny Grace Rwaramba, who had stopped working for Michael before his death but returned afterward upon Katherine’s request. Some Jackson family members don’t support Rwaramba’s involvement, but a source says,

“Katherine’s made it very clear that it’s important to her that Grace is around. She knows the kids are more important to her than anything.”

Katherine and Rwaramba are working to ensure that Michael’s kids lead as normal a life as possible.

“Nothing over-the-top happens”

at home, says a family source. Instead, there are school lessons (they are tutored at the house), iChatting sessions and family dinners.

The children go to karate lessons, the library and church. And even though Katherine may be strict (Prince and Paris had to go behind her back to attended the New Moon premiere last November, says a source), she is also giving them room to grow.

“Katherine really listens to the kids,”

says Streisand.

“She wants to give them a sense of freedom when she can. She wants to encourage them.”

Being normal also means a lot less spectacle. When the children venture out in public, their faces are no longer concealed.

“They like not wearing the masks,”

the family source says of the trio.

“It’s a different experience for them.”

Another source notes that Prince and Paris have become more confident over the past several months.

“It would have been hard to imagine them going out in public or showing up at someone’s house hanging out and playing video games before [their father died],”

says the source.

“That had a lot to do with Michael, because every time he showed up there were bodyguards and [chaos]. And now, not so much. It feels much more normal and they’ve adjusted really well to that.”

And yet, their father’s influence lives on.

“Talking to Prince is like talking to Michael,”

says the family source.

“He’s so smart and mature – way beyond his age.”

Paris, meanwhile,

“wants to be a singer.”

Adds grandfather Joe,

“I was so proud of my grandchildren [at the Grammys]. But I’m always proud of them.”

Source: mjfanclub.net

On Friday, February 12, 2010 Lionel Richie sat down with talk show queen Oprah Winfrey to discuss the release of the We Are the World 25 to help benefit Haiti.

It’s been 25 years since Lionel Richie wrote “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson to help end hunger in Africa. With producer Quincy Jones on board, musicians like Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen were eager to lend their talent to the cause. The single skyrocketed to the top of the charts, won four Grammys and raised millions to help those in need.

After the devastating Haiti earthquake, Lionel and Quincy decided it was time to bring back “We Are the World.” More than 80 of the world’s most talented singers joined the project—including Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, The Jonas Brothers, Pink, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Jay-Z, Jennifer Nettles, Jennifer Hudson and Lady Gaga.

“I’ve never seen so much excitement—Tony Bennett, Snoop Dog talking to each other. Lil Wayne, Barbra Streisand talking to each other,”

Lionel says.

“Everyone stepped up, and it’s beautiful

.
When the original single was recorded in 1985, there was a sign at the studio that read,

“Check your egos at the door.”

This time, Lionel says everyone’s egos disappeared once they were reminded why they were there.

“It lasted for about 20 minutes,”

he says.

“Once you see the kids standing on top of their homes, on top of their families—because they’re still in the rubble. … Now, the egos stop. You absolutely know what you’re supposed to do when you’re there.”

Despite the amazing talent in the room, Lionel says many of the performers were actually nervous.

“You get in there and realize the new group can’t really perform in the circle. In other words, they’re nervous,”

he says.

“We had to have three separate rooms [for soloists to record in].”

The plan, Lionel says, was for the new recording to remain a secret..

“Right after we finished the first verse, everybody’s Twittered.”

Lionel says the new performance brought back memories of working with Michael Jackson back in 1985—and shares a story he’s never told publicly.

“We’re writing the lyrics of ‘We Are the World’ the first time,”

he says.

“I’m lying on the floor, and I see out of the corner of my eye some records falling over. There’s a python.”

Lionel was rattled, but Michael was excited.

“[He says]: ‘Oh, there he is, Lionel. I found the snake,’”

he says.

“It’s an albino python that he couldn’t find in the house.”

To honor his friend, Lionel found a way to put Michael in the video.

“He had to be in it,”

he says.

“So what we did was we have Michael singing [his] exact same part with the footage, and Janet, his sister, singing along with him.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Dr. Conrad Murray has returned to Nevada to resume his medical practice and await trial, his representatives said Wednesday.

Murray was in Las Vegas making arrangements to work from another physician’s office pending an April 5 evidentiary hearing in Los Angeles, said Miranda Sevcik, spokeswoman for Murray and his lawyer, Edward Chernoff.

Chernoff vowed in a Web posting that Murray

“is going to keep practicing medicine.”

“We’re not sharing the location because the doctor’s primary concern is for his patients’ privacy,”

Sevcik said from Houston.

Murray moved his practice, Global Cardiology Associates, out of a Las Vegas office building in August, said Mary Russell, property manager for the building across Flamingo Road from Desert Springs Hospital.

Murray, a 56-year-old cardiologist, also continues to operate the medical practice in Houston that he resumed in November, Chernoff said.

Murray is licensed to practice medicine in Nevada, Texas and California, although the California Medical Board is preparing to seek removal of his license there.

The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners has no history of disciplinary action against Murray, who obtained a Nevada medical license in 1999, said Douglas Cooper, interim board executive. Murray’s license is set to expire June 30, 2011.

Cooper said he could not disclose if any new investigations involving Murray were under way.

“He has an active license in the state of Nevada,”

Cooper said.

Murray pleaded not guilty Monday in Los Angeles to an involuntary manslaughter charge carrying the possibility of up to four years in prison.

Cooper said Nevada authorities were aware that as a condition of Murray’s release on $75,000 bail, a judge in Los Angeles barred him from administering any anesthetic agent, specifically the drug propofol.

The Los Angeles coroner cited propofol as the cause of Jackson’s death, with other drugs as contributing factors.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz also ordered Murray to surrender his passport, after a prosecutor suggested he might flee to his native Grenada or to Trinidad, where he has a child.

Murray was with Jackson when the 50-year-old pop singer died June 25 in a rented Bel Air mansion. Murray had been hired to look after Jackson’s health during a comeback tour. He told police he gave Jackson propofol and other sedatives to help him sleep.

Chernoff has said nothing Murray gave Jackson should have killed him.

Source: mjfanclub.net

When Zaldy Goco answered the phone last April and learned that Michael Jackson’s creative team wanted him to develop some costume ideas for the King of Pop’s long-awaited comeback concert series in London, he could scarcely believe his luck. A long time fan of the sometimes-maligned, but always-loved music legend, Zaldy set about developing an approach for creating costumes that at once hearkened back to iconic images from Jackson’s past, while also making him relevant for contemporary fashion of the day.

The results were amazing and once the decision was made to make Zaldy the chief costume designer for the upcoming concerts, the process to get there involved five up close-and-personal fittings between Zaldy and Michael Jackson over a period of a several weeks, including the last fitting, just days before the singer’s sudden death.

Zaldy kindly spoke to Business of Fashion about the experience of designing for Michael Jackson and shared some photos of Jackson from the fittings, published here for the very first time.”

BoF: And now for the topic that I am sure everyone is most interested to hear about: your collaboration with Michael Jackson for the This Is It tour. How did that come about?

It was such a surprise that began with a really casual phone call from someone who was representing Michael’s choeographer, Travis Payne. It was already the end of April and the tour was starting in July, and he asked me if I was interested in making some outfits. Of course I said yes! But, I really didn’t take it all that seriously as I knew that Michael had only ever really worked with one designer in the past named Michael Bush. He had developed all of Michael’s iconic looks for Thriller and Bad. So, by no means was it definite. I thought maybe I’d get to make a couple of outfits — maybe.

It turns out that Michael had been advised to take more of a fashion look with his presentation, and he had asked to see designs from some really big names, including, I believe, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. My impression is that he got all these packages from these different designers and then he chose who he wanted to work with.

When he got my package, they called me right away and said he that Michael was jumping up and down screaming, saying “I’ve always wanted to do this! I’ve always wanted to do this!”

They asked me to come to L.A. the next day to meet Michael and told me they wanted me to do the entire show. In the end, because Michael is so faithful, he did ask Michael Bush to work on a few of the outfits as well, which I thought was really nice especially because it was supposed to be Michael’s last tour.”

BoF: Wow, that’s pretty amazing. How would you describe what you designed for him?

This is the thing. When they first asked me to do this, they said “we need you to re-invent Michael.” And my first thought was that Michael does not need to be re-invented, especially not now. He is one of the only artists who created iconic looks and iconic images to go along with iconic songs. It’s not necessary for those looks to be reinvented — they just needed to be made more relevant for today. Nobody wants to see a Thriller jacket that it isn’t red and black. People were going to want to see those iconic images, made more relevant to the times.

So, that’s what my approach was — referencing what we knew, but bringing more technology and new techniques that Michael had never used before.”

BoF: What are your favourite looks that you designed for Michael Jackson?

They all kind have their own specialness for me. But, if you ask anyone who works with me, they will always say the We Are The World outfit, embroidered with all kinds of techniques from around the world — from African to American Indian to Japanese to Chinese. It was quite a mix, and very beautiful.

But for me, I loved the Black or White leather jacket, with three different custom plated coloured studs, which was kind of a Sumurai-referenced jacket. The finale jacket is also a favourite, especially because Michael was so excited about it. I had made what Michael called ’secret treasures’ in the shape of little teardrops that enclosed around crusts of crystal chunks.

And then of course there was the light-up outfit for Billie Jean, which was a collaboration with Philips Technology, which really, really made him the happiest. The last time I saw him was about six days before we were leaving for London, and I tried these pants on him and he was silent; completely stunned. After about thirty seconds, he said “It’s everything I’ve always wanted.

So, that was pretty special for me.”

BoF: And then, of course there was his sudden death, which must have turned things upside down for you.

I experience anti-climax after every project, but I was in disbelief. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had been living and breathing Michael Jackson for weeks on end. When I design for a musician, I immerse myself completely in their music. It just has to play in my head the whole time.

I decided I needed to lock myself away in a hotel to get away, but even that didn’t work. Everywhere I went, people were listening to Michael Jackson. There was no escape.”

BoF: Did you have any sense that he might be unwell?

Not at all. And that is the thing that I think the movie really shows. He was quite lively, energetic and strong. And, he was super in tune to all the details. Every time I met with him, he was always catching little details. When I’d do fittings with him, he was very solid and very strong.”

BoF: Last year was quite a year for you. Doing Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson in one year is pretty big. What lies ahead for you 2010?

It’s funny because I kept seeing the two of them side-by-side in stories or hearing their names mentioned in the same story. And then, all of a sudden I was working with both of them. But right now, I’m pretty excited to get back into the Scissor Sisters, who are launching their third album. But also, last year was a big music year, and I’m thinking of leaning back towards fashion again.”

BoF: So there could be a Zaldy label again?

There could be. Right now I am working on a gown for the Met Ball. So, let’s see. I’m working on a couple of things.”

Want to See Even More Photos of the costumes Zaldy designed for Michael Jackson?

Concert suits for Michael Jackson

Concert Jacket for Michael Jackson

Shoes For Michael Jackson

Additional Concert Jackets for Michael Jackson

Source: mjfanclub.net

Peter Andre has recorded a version of Michael Jackson’s ‘She’s Out Of My Life’ for his new album.

The song – a top three hit for Jackson in 1980 – is one of five classic ballads Andre has covered for Unconditional Love Songs, due for release on Rhino on February 1.

The remainder of the 16-track compilation comprises the singer’s favorite romantic tracks from his previous LPs, including the hit singles ‘Lonely’ and ‘The Right Way’.

“I have always wanted to cover an MJ song and this particular song is so simply done and says so much about the artist,”

Andre said in a press release.

“It’s lyrically beautiful and is so thought-provoking.”

Andre’s last studio album Revelation debuted and peaked at number three on the UK albums chart in September. It has since been certified platinum.

Source: mjfanclub.net

According to Roger Friedman,  Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie are planning a massive 25th anniversary re-recording of “We Are the World.”

The timing couldn’t be better, sadly enough.

The duo is summoning lots and lots of talent from Grammy weekend to stay an extra night — Monday Feb. 1 — and come to the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. There, they will celebrate a quarter century since Ken Kragen, Richie and Michael Jackson organized the original “We Are the World” with Quincy.

This time the artists invited include Usher, Natalie Cole, and John Legend. But you can bet that more names will be added shortly and that all the Grammy nominees and participants will be asked to come as well. Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich will produce the event, which will then be turned into a video and single just like it was in 1985. Don’t be surprised if Wyclef Jean joins in, along with Sting, Fergie, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake and other distinctive voices.

It’s hoped that as in 1985, everyone will

“leave their egos at the door.”

Originally, this anniversary celebration was to be held on Jan. 28. But when the Haiti earthquake happened, sources tell me, the whole deal changed. Now proceeds will go to Haiti relief. In 1985, “We Are the World,” which begat Live Aid, raised money for Africa relief.

Plans are still sketchy, but one thing’s for sure: In some way, the song’s co-author Michael Jackson will be invoked. AEG is co-producing this event. They’re also putting together a 3D tribute to Michael for the Grammy show from elements Jackson was going to use for his tour. Jackson recorded “We Are the World” for what became “This Is It.” Surely he’ll be included here as well, which will make the whole project even more poignant.

Stay tuned. PS: Quincy Jones is about to release what has been described to me as a landmark new album that he’s made with contemporary R&B and hip hop artists. He was responsible for the original “We Are the World” and will guide the new one. He is not a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in case you were wondering.

Source: mjfanclub.net

GRAMMY winners Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher will join together, along with the voice of Michael Jackson, in a moving tribute to Jackson at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Jan. 31. This very special GRAMMY Moment will feature the never-before-seen 3-D mini-movie for “Earth Song” that was created by Jackson as the centerpiece of his much-anticipated This Is It tour, but was never seen by the public prior to this GRAMMY performance.

The 3-D film was created to support the performance of “Earth Song,” an original composition and a No. 1 hit for Jackson. The song has a strong theme about the future of the planet, and Jackson saw it as a unique opportunity to deliver a message to millions of people who would have seen him on tour.

“It was one of the most important portions of the concert tour to Michael and when Michael saw the film for the first time at his last rehearsal, there were tears in his eyes,”

according to Ken Ehrlich, GRAMMY co-Executive Producer and longtime Jackson associate, who was also at the rehearsal that night.

“This very special GRAMMY Moment will feature some of our most respected GRAMMY recipients, all of whom have a great love for Michael,”

added Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy.

“This segment promises to be an emotional highlight of this year’s show, and is sure to join the unique list of amazing performances for which the GRAMMY Awards have become renowned.”

This special segment also represents another GRAMMY technical breakthrough in that it will be the first time a major awards show broadcasts in 3-D. The GRAMMY Awards also were the first awards show to broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound (2003).

So that viewers can enjoy this unique 3-D TV experience at home, CBS and Target have partnered to provide millions of free 3-D GRAMMY Glasses. From Sunday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 31, Target stores nationwide will exclusively offer these 3-D GRAMMY Glasses so that fans have the opportunity to see the film that was very personal to Jackson. Additionally, the audience at Staples Center will share the 3-D experience, wearing the same glasses as those being worn by viewers at home.

This GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson joins previously announced performances by nominees Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, the Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Pink, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band.

The 52nd GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Kenny Ortega went through hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage putting together Michael Jackson’s This Is It, a tribute to Jackson for his fans, but he says it was a labor of love. It was also a way of helping with the healing process after the death of his close friend. The film, which will be released on DVD on January 26th, exceeded expectations at the box office and earned a nomination in the Best Documentary category at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. On the red carpet before the show, Ortega shared his memories of working with Michael Jackson and what set him apart as an entertainer in a video interview.

Source: mjfanclub.net