Ever since the release of “MICHAEL” the new ‘Michael Jackson’ album last year rumours have circulated regarding the ’3 Cascio’ tracks; Breaking News, Monster & Keep Your Head Up. The tracks had the fan community divided over the fake vocals contained on the track.

Many fans suspected the imposter vocalist was Jason Malachi despite Jason, Sony, The Estate & producers such as Teddy Riley all denying the vocals were fake.

Today however, it seems we may finally have the truth!

On (what may be) Jason Malachi’s Facebook page, he posted the following status:

Jason Malachi finally admits what we already knew..

Sheesh guys, I guess it’s time to confess. I’ve lied to many people, including someone today, but…. It was me. It was me who sang Breaking News, Keep Your Head Up, Monster and Stay.

I had a agreement with the record company, but now the cat is out of the bag. Sorry to all my fans, and fellow Michael Jackson fans.

Jason Malachi

The real deal, or a fake FB account – what do you think?

Michael Jackson may have drank himself to death by consuming a juice box laced with Propofol — at least that’s what Conrad Murray’s defense team suggested in court today.

Murray’s attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, was questioning a Senior Criminalist from the L.A. County Coroner’s Office about the 70 grams of fluid found in MJ’s stomach at the time of the autopsy … fluid that tested positive for traces of Propofol.

Flanagan noted the presence of a juice box on MJ’s nightstand … and asked if it had been tested for Propofol … raising the possibility that MJ was drinking the anesthetic shortly before he died.

The criminalist testified he had not tested the juice box.

So what’s Flanagan’s point? He might be suggesting that MJ was secretly self-administering his Propofol … which would support Murray’s defense theory that MJ accidentally caused his own overdose.

Source: TMZ

Ne-Yo is staging a one-man boycott of the new Michael Jackson album — telling us he doesn’t want to listen to it because he doesn’t think MJ would have EVER wanted it to be released.

The singer/songwriter/producer was in NY this weekend — where he explained MJ was such a perfectionist, “If Michael was still alive … I don’t think the album would be out yet.”

He added, “I’m gonna stick to my old Mike.”

Source: TMZ

After his outburst at legendary producer Quincy Jones yesterday, Teddy Riley issued an apology to Q on his blog today:

I REALLY WANNA APOLOGIZE FOR THE STATEMENT THAT WAS MADE. I DIDN’T MEAN FOR IT TO COME OUT THAT WAY. I WAS ONLY DEFENDING MY FRIEND AND MUSIC. I ALSO FEEL HE SHOULDN’T HAVE SAID ANYTHING TO DISCREDIT MICHAEL JACKSON, I FELT IT WASN’T RIGHT. I RESPECT & LOVE QUINCY JONES, AND HE WILL AWAYS BE MY IDOL.

QUINCY I APOLOGIZE, NO POINT INTENDED.

TEDDY RILEY

Source: http://teddyrileyblog.wordpress.com/

Teddy Riley claims criticism of ‘Michael’ is ‘disappointing’. One of the producers behind Michael Jackson’s forthcoming posthumous album has hit back at criticism of the project from Quincy Jones.

Teddy Riley, who has contributed three songs to ‘Michael’, argued that 77-year-old Jones’ hearing is not up to the task of determining whether it is Jackson singing on the tracks.

Last month, Jones – the man behind classic Jackson albums such as ‘Thriller’and ‘Off The Wall’ – told US Magazine that there is “no way ['Michael'] should be coming out”.

However, Riley has hit back at his comments, telling The Guardian:

“Look at his [Jones'] age. He can barely hear you talk. How the hell could he hear Michael? Anybody who says [it is not Jackson on the album], I do have a comeback, because you’re not right. That’s just the bottom line.”

Riley added that it is “disappointing” that Jackson’s family have also been critical of ‘Michael’, as they are set to be “reaping the benefits” of sales of the album.

Last month, Michael Jackson’s brother Randy joined the row about the authenticity of the King of Pop’s vocals on the record, claiming that “some of the songs are him and some aren’t”.

‘Michael’, which is released tomorrow (December 13), features guest appearances from the likes of Dave Grohl, Lenny Kravitz, 50 Cent and Akon.

Riley has already claimed that more previously unheard Michael Jackson songs will be released in the future.

Teddy Riley (producer) will be doing press and radio interviews in the UK all day today to promote the new Michael Jackson album MICHAEL.

Teddy Riley will also make an appearance on BBC Breakfast TV tomorrow morning at 9am.

Source: Sony Music UK

Speaking during an interview with an Atlanta Radio Station last night, Teddy Riley revealed that the NEXT project planned in The Michael Jackson Estate/Sony deal is an album of Duets.

“Mike has like, oo, I would say like 50 songs, from what I heard, that he laid down. That he laid down only the first verse and a chorus so its not finished.

So the next project will be getting some real stars in to come and sing a second verse and help finish the songs. Stars with real substance.”

No indication of time scales for release was given during the interview.

An Atlanta radio station called up Teddy Riley last night for an impromptu interview. He spoke about his work on the upcoming “Michael” album, his problems with “JM” (John McClain, co-executor of The Michael Jackson Estate).

It makes for some really interesting listening. Listen to what he says, and gain an insight into what is going on ‘behind the scenes’ at Sony and the Estate regarding the work and preparation for this album.

Finishing a King of Pop record, the right way
Family & Fueds
Control
Conspiracy
M.O.N.E.Y.

Listen to Teddy’s Interview here.

On behalf of King of Pop – we’re right behind you Teddy.

Michael Jackson’s upcoming Cirque Du Soleil spectacular will be directed by the choreographer/dancer who doubled for the King of Pop on his Dangerous tour.

Jamie King will spend the next year working with over 60 performers before staging The Immortal World Tour, which has been personally endorsed by Jackson’s Mother and members of the famous family, late next year (11).

King will also write and direct the production, which links Jackson’s most famous songs and eye-popping acrobatics.

The $57 million (GBP 38 million) show, which was announced on Wednesday (03Nov10), will travel across North America, beginning next October (11).

King, who has directed live shows for Madonna, Britney Spears and Rihanna, among others, tells The Reporter he was thrilled to be asked to take charge of the Jackson spectacular.

He says, “I jumped at the opportunity. I’m a huge fan. In my work directing big rock and pop tours, I have been so influenced by the Cirque shows and the magic they create.”

Source: Contact Music
King was hired as a dancer – and Jackson’s body double – on the Dangerous tour, and he spent two years travelling the world with the King of Pop.

Katherine and Joe Jackson sat down with Oprah Winfrey this weekend to tape a segment for O’s show … and TMZ has the first photos.

As we first reported, production trucks for Oprah’s show were parked outside the Jackson compound in Encino for the better part of Saturday. In the photos, Oprah can be seen meeting with several family members and getting the tour of the house.

We’re told the interview focused heavily on Michael Jackson (duh) — talking about his life, his kids and the book Katherine put together about his life.

No word yet on when the episode will air.

Source: TMZ.com

It appears Katherine Jackson is going to do what Oksana Grigorieva couldn’t … appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Production trucks have arrived at the Jackson family compound in Encino along with two black SUVs. Members of the production crew told TMZ they are there for “an Oprah shoot.”

A security guard told TMZ Oprah will not be showing up … so this could be filming for an introductory segment of the show.

No word on what the interview might be about … but we’re guessing the words Michael and Jackson will be used often.

UPDATE 5:10 PM PT — No one has left yet, but there has been a visitor … the Domino’s Pizza delivery guy!

UPDATE 6:23 PM PT — The production trucks are getting a parking ticket. Put it on Oprah’s tab.

UPDATE 6:39 PM PT — The two SUVs have taken off and the production crew has begun to load equipment. Looks like it’s a wrap.

Source: TMZ

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