The plans that began with a Jackson family museum, a center for the performing arts and a 300 room hotel are growing in the Jacksons home town of Gary, Indiana.  Slated to be built on a 100 acre plot of city-owned land that is currently vacant, the project is break ground sometime this year.

New additions to the plans are an amusement park incorporating characteristics of Neverland Ranch and Chicago’s former Riverview amusement park and a golf course.  The amusement park will have roller coasters, trains and other rides familiar those who ever visited the old amusement park or was a guest at Michael’s ranch.

There has been discussion as to whether offer bus tours of the Jackson family home and local places of Jackson history or to build a replica of the house.

“Everything is in the planning stages at this point, but we’re moving on a fast track and we’re looking forward to actually breaking ground sometime in 2010,”

says Odie Anderson, president of the project.

The project could cost $1 billion over a 10-year construction period with private donors paying the bulk of the bill.  Anderson also said that he is looking to Gary for tax incentives.  He did not report how much has actually been raised since October, when Gary mayor, Rudy Clay, announced two new foundations dedicated to raise money for the project.

“We’re trying to extract the best and come up with a combination that made Riverview so attractive for kids of all ages as well as [have] special themes of Neverland that would be reminiscent of the Jacksons,”

Anderson said.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Many fans around the world have begun to receive Michael Jackson Opus’ this past week. Opus Media Group has received calls and e-mails with questions, which prompted them to send the below e-mail addressing some of the frequently asked questions.

Dear customer,

We have received some calls from customers regarding the absence of the Opus Reality Card in the Opus and asking why there is only one glove included.

We took the decision to include just one white glove purely as a further tribute to Michael Jackson. The single white glove is an iconic and defining symbol of the man and his extraordinary career and we thought it only fitting to include just one glove with your Opus. We hope that this is an understandable decision.

Please be assured that the promised Opus Reality feature is very much part of the Opus offering, but we want to ensure that this is something only available to our customers. With that in mind, it has been decided that this should be offered through a secure and protected online forum. In the New Year, you will be provided with your own unique pass code to a secure area of the Opus web site. The Opus Reality trigger card will be available to download from the site and used to access footage that will be presented in a way that will hopefully provide you with a unique ‘Michael Jackson Experience’. The benefit of using this system is that it significantly reduces the possibility of non-Opus customers being able to access this experience.

We are committed to bringing you a selection of Opus Reality footage over the coming year with the first example ready for you before the end of January 2010.

We hope that this has helped to address these queries.

Have a great holiday.

Sincerely,

Opus Media Group.

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Source: mjfanclub.net

A very touching story is unfolding via the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait website, one that is representative of Michael Jackson’s far-reaching impact on the world. Joshua, from Germany, a 12-year-old boy, and avid Michael Jackson fan had tickets to watch Michael Jackson’s This Is It film with his parents on October 28 – and on that same day, he was diagnosed with Leukemia.

One night from his hospital room, Joshua told his mother:

“Mom, I had so many plans… and I’ll never get to see This Is It on a big screen.”

Since then, Joshua has had six surgeries and five chemotherapy treatments. Young Joshua believes that by having his dot next to Michael Jackson’s in the portrait, he can be healed. The Michael Jackson tribute portrait was created and organized by Jerry Biederman and David Ilan the artist who has embarked upon a phenomenal homage to Michael Jackson in the form of a portrait. The King of Pop is arguably the greatest entertainer the world has ever known. David Ilan uses a technique called pointillism. Each dot in the portrait represents an actual fan who has signed up to be a part of the tribute.

The Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait website has become a major social networking mecca for MJ fans around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have signed up to be a part of the special tribute to the King of Pop.

The Tribute website recently held a contest for its young members, inviting children from around the world to write why they should have their dot next to Michael’s dot in the portrait. Numerous submissions were received from children in different countries. One of the entries was from Joshua. He wrote:

My name is Joshua. I’m 12 years old. I’m from Germany. I love MJ. His dance, his music, his heart + love for children. I miss him + I need him right now. I have Leukemia and I know he would help me. Maybe being next to Michael’s dot would help. I just had my 3rd chemotherapy and today I’m having a bad day. Wish he was here with me. Love Joshua”

According to executive producer and organizer of the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait, Jerry Biederman:

Nearly 200 of the portrait’s members have come forward in the course of just one week to send Joshua messages and prayers, but people from around the world are asking for a mailing address so they can send him various things. A charity in Australia has now taken an interest and they have arranged for one of Michael’s nephews who they are associated with, Austin Brown (Rebbie Jackson’s son) to give Joshua a call.”

The organization of which Jerry Biederman discusses is called AlittleSomthin4Michael.

Joshua’s mother Faith has written several messages and open letters on the website. Such as the following:

Let me tell you that the love, support and friendship of others, especially those from The Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait website, are one of the things that keep my head above water. We, as a family, but especially my boy, have been through hell the past four weeks. The torment Joshua’s been suffering is outrageous. We are fighting this cancer with all our might. He is such a brave kid and every day I love and admire him more. Every time he feels bad, I put his headphones on him and he listens to all the MJ CDs and that’s how he relaxes.”

Faith’s open letter to the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait community can be read here.

Some fans might identify young Joshua’s situation with that of Ryan White. White was the teenager who was expelled from school for having AIDS, and later died from the disease. Ryan White of course met Michael Jackson and was a friend. The song Gone Too Soon was dedicated to his memory. Joshua, like Ryan, and all fans, saw Michael Jackson for who he really was – a kind, gentle human being who wanted to do all that he could for children in need, and he accomplished a great deal. Tribute website blogger Linda Higgins writes that Ryan White’s mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, once said in an interview:

He didn’t care what race you were, what color you were, what was your handicap, what was your disease, Michael just loved all children.”

Michael Jackson’s untimely death shocked the world and left his family, friends, and countless fans devastated. While the loss is great, greater is the legacy of love and music that will live on forever in each and every person who has been impacted by Michael Jackson’s example of excellence and unconditional love. Michael Jackson cared greatly about children and their needs in the world. He truly believed that the children are our future, and that it was this generation’s responsibility to ensure a brighter tomorrow for the children of the world – to heal the world. Michael Jackson once said:

When you don’t have a childhood, like myself and other child stars, you try to compensate for the loss later on and you try to catch up. But what I like to do is help other children who are less fortunate than I am. You know kids who are terminally ill, kids who have diseases, poor children.”

So many children idolize Michael Jackson because of the care that he has always shown for them.

There is a community group on the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait website entitled, “The Power of the Portrait: Believe It or Dot.” Many members of the website that have had their dot placed within the portrait have reported occurrences of good luck. Many members of the tribute website feel an immense sense of community and recognize that Michael Jackson is still bringing people together from all over the world. Joshua’s mother Faith has given the tribute portrait team a recent update.

Faith writes:

“We’ve had fantastic news, the news we’ve been praying for for weeks now! Josh is responding well to the treatment and what’s more important… all the other clinics that are involved in his case confirmed the good results. He started with 95% cancer cells in his bone marrow. Two weeks ago he was down to 20% and a few days ago they only found 1.5%!!! We are on target, we are right there where doctors wanted him to be. All the prayers were heard and answered and my heart is overflowing with gratefulness, love and hope! Not only to God and Jesus Christ, but to all those helping and supporting us. People like YOU!”

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of Joshua’s battle with cancer, and one day his mother Faith will say that Joshua is completely cured of the disease. The story of Joshua, reminds us all of the possibilities that love holds. Love is perhaps powerful enough to eradicate anything that is negative from society. Love is the answer.

If you would like to help Joshua and his family fight his battle against Leukemia, please contact Linda Higgins at
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for further details.

If you have not yet become a part of this amazing new tribute, you may do so by signing up for your dot at http://www.MichaelJacksonTributePortrait.com.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Kenny Ortega, director of Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’ recently signed on for his next feature film project, In the Heights, the big screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.

Although Ortega directed the “High School Musical” films and choreographed “Dirty Dancing,” he knew his shot came from the success of the Jackson film. The strong reviews, the box office and now this has left him conflicted, Ortega told Variety magazine in a recent interview.

I’d trade it all in a second to have Michael back with us, but I owe a debt of thanks to him,”

Ortega said.

“He’s my angel. Whenever I said yes to him, I came out on the other end benefitting greatly.”

Source; mjfanclub.net

Dame Elizabeth Taylor says people should watch ‘This Is It’ if they want to get to know the real Michael Jackson.

Elizabeth, who was best friends with the ‘Bad’ singer, loved the documentary – which was pieced together from footage of the ‘King of Pop’ rehearsing for his sold-out London residency – and has urged everyone to watch it.

She said:

“Michael and I shared a pure and perfect love. Usually, I don’t speak publically about the loss of a loved one.”

But I am encouraging everyone to please, please see his mastery in ‘This Is It’. Michael’s genius will never be equalled. Tragically, we shall never see the likes of him again.”

The 77-year-old actress also revealed she has Michael’s music on her iPod, as well as British singing sensation Susan Boyle.

She added in an interview with the USA Today newspaper:

We’re just starting to load my iPod now. I ask my secretary to help me with those things. I have Andrea Bocelli, Enya, Susan Boyle and of course my loved one, Michael Jackson, on it.”

Despite constant rumours she is in ill health, Elizabeth insists she is still going strong.

She said:

“I’ve outlived many who have prematurely buried me. There are so many things in the world that are more important than my health watch.”

Source: mjfanclub.net

In a recent interview in an Italian newspaper, Sir Paul McCartney was asked how his collaboration with Michael Jackson started, to which he replied:

On Christmas Day, in 1981, I think, the phone rang at home around 10 o’clock in the morning. A voice whispers: Mr McCartney would you like to hear some of my songs? And it bothered me, I did not know the guy personally, so I said if you want to send me tapes, do. Then, he semed embarrassed as told me: Sir, I am Michael Jackson, you do not recognize me? Since this day a great friendship was born. Michael was a man not prepared for life because his life was music. He did not walk, he danced. He never talked, he sang. His advice to musicians are not technical but poetic. Things like: When you take this note on the piano, do not be hard, play as if you had the most beautiful sunset in front of you. You’ll see it will sound totally different.”

On Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 9 PM ET Larry King Live will feature an interview with Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon Jackson. The Jackson brothers reunited for the first time since Michael’s death will talk to Larry about their new reality show. What will it reveal about music’s most famous family?

Fans can send questions to Larry for his interview Here.

Michael Jackson videos or the next Spider-Man movie won’t be among the titles that Sony Corp. releases in 3-D as it gears up to boost TV sales with that technology, Chief Executive Howard Stringer said Thursday.

“I don’t think that would make sense to be honest,”

he said in an interview at the Japanese electronics and entertainment company’s Tokyo headquarters.

“I don’t think it will reveal anything else about Michael Jackson we would want to be see.”

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” a Sony film about the King of Pop’s final rehearsals before his June 25 death, has grossed more than $70 million in the U.S., and Sony is planning to release CDs and DVDs of the film.

The Jackson release has been one bright spot in a dismal earnings year for Sony, which has been battered by plunging global demand and a strengthening yen.

Stringer said he didn’t think the next “Spider-Man” sequel would be in 3-D either, but a 3-D version of “Men in Black” was being considered. It was unclear what titles in Sony’s extensive film library might be reissued in 3-D, he added.

With 3-D TVs, viewers perceive an illusion of depth when they wear special glasses. Sony has said it expects a third to a half of Sony TVs on sale will be packed with 3-D features in three years time.

Stringer was confident Sony will finally reap the benefits of being a company whose businesses span video games, gadgets, music and movies. The company has often pointed to its ownership of content as an advantage over competitors but benefits in boosting gadget sales have so far proved illusory.

Besides forays into 3-D, Stringer believes Sony couldn’t have won the Blu-ray disc format war against HD-DVD without its strong relations with Hollywood studios.

Sony Pictures includes Columbia, Tristar and a home entertainment division. Sony, which makes Bravia TVs and PlayStation 3 game consoles, is also part of a consortium that owns MGM.

Blu-ray disc won the format battle in high-definition TVs last year, partly because of backing from Hollywood.

Sony’s online service, set to be expanded next year from a version now offered for PlayStation 3, is another way its strength in entertainment will work as a plus, Stringer said. The service will offer downloads of games, video and other entertainment, according to Sony.

“You cannot create stand-alone hardware that has value by itself anymore unless you have some differentiating software,”

said Stringer.

Welsh-born American Stringer has promised “synergy” from owning hardware and software businesses since taking the helm as the first foreigner to head Sony in 2005.

But Stringer said he needed the latest management shuffle, which he spearheaded eight months ago, to remove barriers between Sony’s sprawling businesses that he said operated like “silos” — not communicating effectively and sometimes competing.

“I do feel the group is operating in harmony and in the same direction,”

he said.

Under a comeback plan announced by Stringer last month, Sony is introducing a wireless version of its electronic book Reader later this year in the U.S., targeting 40 percent market share by the fiscal year ending March 2013.

The company is also developing its own display for TVs and lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

Sony is still struggling, expecting its second straight annual loss for the fiscal year through March 2010. The $1 billion of red ink racked up the previous fiscal year was its first annual loss in 14 years.

Source: mjfanclub.net

R. Kelly concludes his recent Ladies Make Some Noise Tour this weekend and said the trek has been a blessing.

“It was a thrill. I hadn’t been on the road in, like, two or three years, expressing myself live,”

he told MTV News recently. Kelly also said the most exciting part of the tour is hearing the screams, seeing his fans and feeling the unity.

One of the highlights of the concert is Kelly’s tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

“Michael Jackson being gone is like our breath, our musical breath, being taken away,”

Kelly says in his videotaped message.

“But I’m not gonna let him die.”

Then home-movie footage of Jackson and director Brett Ratner dancing in a vehicle to the sounds of Kells’ “Ignition” appears on the screen. R. told us that the King of Pop wanted a song like it of his very own.

“Michael told me one day, he said, ‘I wanna know if you can write a song like “Ignition” for me — I love that song,’ “

Kelly explained.

“I was like, ‘Mike, man, “Ignition” is not a “Thriller,” but much like “Thriller,” those type of songs will probably never happen [again]. It’ll never happen again. I’m sorry.’ “

But Kelly was extremely humbled when he saw Jackson dancing to “Ignition” and felt compelled to put the footage in his show.

“I cried the first time I saw him on YouTube, and I couldn’t believe he was in the backseat of the car. He was jamming [to my song],” he said. “You can tell he was into it. He was feeling it. It was like, ‘Wow, he’s doing my music. He’s singing to my music.’ It was unbelievable. I knew I made it when I saw that. You can sing songs forever. I’ve written a lot of songs, and they went around the world. I’ve won all types of awards, but let me tell y’all something — nothing, nothing told me, I didn’t know I made it until I saw Michael Jackson in the back of that car performing and dancing to my song ‘Ignition.’ That’s when it became official. I’ve been in the game 20 years, but that’s when it became official to me that Kells is here, baby, for real.”

The video homage to Jackson segues into a montage of Michael’s performances and videos. Kelly sings, “Don’t say goodbye to me/ There is no need to/ Don’t say goodbye to me, because I’m still with you/ Don’t say goodbye to me, don’t shed a tear/ Because I’m still here/ Go light a candle and say a prayer/ Scream out victory, ’cause love is still there.”

“I do dedicate a segment of the show to Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson is one of the biggest reasons R. Kelly is in the game right now. It’s amazing,” he explained.

Kelly sped up his wardrobe change so that he could watch the video every night from backstage.

“It made me feel like he was still alive,”

Kelly smiled.

“It made me feel like I still have the chance to go to the level that Michael took it to. It brings me back to what real music is and how it touches and pierces the soul. That’s what my mission is.”

R. Kelly’s Untitled is in stores now.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Earvin Magic Johnson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on December 1, 2009 and discussed his friendship that he shared with not only Michael Jackson, but the Jackson family, as well. Johnson said that he has some of the most memorable times with the Jacksons.

Jimmy Kimmel mentions that he watched him speak at Michael Jackson’s memorial, and said he didn’t know that the two were friends. Johnson then reveals:

“I had some of the most unbelievable fun with Michael and the Jackson brothers. I used to hang out at the house. I went on tour with the Jacksons – a couple of times. It was really cool, Jimmy, because they would send out limos – and there would be thousands and thousands of girls in front of the hotel, so they would send out the limos and everyone would think the Jackson’s were inside. Then we would come to the hotel about an hour later in these white vans, and everyone would be gone, chasing the limos down the street.”

“When we would get back from the concerts, we would have pillow fights and water balloon fights – because they would block off the whole floor for the Jacksons, and we would have some of our most unbelievable fun.” Kimmel then asks how old Johnson was when all of this was happening. Johnson reveals: “It was during the Victory tour. You have to remember that Michael and I are 50. Do you remember that I was in the Remember the Time video? And I’ll tell you – people don’t know this, but Michael Jackson loved fireworks. We used to throw firecrackers and cherry bombs at his house. We would do this all day for at least 4 or 5 hours straight.” He adds, “Like I said, I had so much fun with him. Everyone thinks he was this crazy guy, but Michael was smart, and he was a lot of fun.”

Johnson went on to say that Michael,

“was a genius at that music.”

He told Kimmel,

“I would go to the rehearsals or soundchecks and he know where everybody was supposed to be, when they were supposed to come in.

watch?v=sKhHIXpuCPg&feature=player_embedded

Source: mjfanclub.net

You might expect to hear Michael Jackson’s hits at a night club but, at a church?

It seems one local church pastor in Sacramento, California is using the King of Pop’s music to get an important messge across in order to spread the faith.

Michael Jackson wrote songs about peace, salvation, and hope…all themes from an international star that pastor Ron Vanderwell from “The Gathering” Christian Church believes we can all learn from and he is teaching “The Gospel According to Michael Jackson.”

To get the crowd at the Natomas Marketplace Theatre going, Pastor Ron tried to show off some of the Pop Star’s signature moves but, all jokes aside, there was a serious message he wanted to relay using Jackson’s tunes.

He says the hit song, “Beat It” teaches racial reconciliation.

“The combination of peace and defiance is a neat way to see [it] combined together.”

And he says that songs like, “I’ll be there” teach inspirational lessons of love and commitment.

“A desire to pour yourself out for someone else and the way [Michael's] able to do that. It shows a lasting connection with someone that won’t flake out on you.”

Churchgoers yesterday said “Amen” to the messages taught during the service.

“I can finally relate. It’s not just some old dude talking. I can’t relate to that, but I can relate to Michael Jackson’s music,”

Stuart Canton says.

Churchgoer, Dorothy Wollan says,

“We have so many pop artists. I’m sure they have a lot to offer the public and there’s always a deeper layer and we need to look for that.”

Getting people to think about the deeper meanings through Pop music is exactly what Rev. Ron is aiming for.

He says,

“The sense of redemption, the sense of love and peace are all things that Michael Jackson helped us hope for.”

Source: mjfanclub.net

Prosecutors and police investigators don’t expect to file charges in connection with Michael Jackson’s death before 2010, law enforcement officials told The Times.

The officials said there is still much evidence to review — some of it complex medical data — and that they have sought the help of outside medical experts.

A decision on whether to file criminal charges is

“months rather than weeks away,”

one source said.

Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s personal physician has been identified as a suspect in a manslaughter investigation. Murry provided Jackson with the powerful anesthetic propofol, which coroner’s officials said killed the pop singer.

The investigation has resulted in large quantities of information that need to be carefully reviewed not only by LAPD detectives, but also prosecutors and some outside medical advisers before a final decision is made on how to proceed in the case, according to sources familiar with the investigation. They spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

With no suspects in custody, those familiar with the probe compare the Jackson case to the investigation of music producer Phil Spector, which took more than a year before prosecutors decided to file charges.

Murray has denied repeatedly any wrongdoing and insists he gave appropriate medical aid when he found Jackson distressed and not breathing. His attorney has stressed that Murray is fully cooperating with authorities.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office already has had Murray’s girlfriend Nicole Alvarez testify before a grand jury panel, according to sources.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office determined that Jackson died from “acute propofol intoxication” combined with sedatives and labeled his death a homicide.

The complexity of the medical evidence in the case has lead LAPD Robbery Homicide Division detectives and a prosecutor who is virtually embedded with them to seek several medical opinions in addition to the coroner’s officials’ on Jackson’s death, according to two sources.

Murray, 56, told detectives that he administered the anesthetic propofol and other medications to Jackson before the pop star’s death June 25, according to search warrants in the investigation. Five bottles of the anesthetic were purchased in Nevada from Applied Pharmacy by Murray, who had it shipped to California, according to search warrants in the investigation.

Some of those bottles were found in Jackson’s rented Holmby Hills mansion, according to search-warrant affidavits. Propofol is usually used in medical settings by anesthesia professionals to make patients unconscious for surgery.

The physician told police Jackson was dependent on propofol to sleep and that he was trying to wean the singer off the drug.

Murray last week went back to work at his Houston medical office.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, having kept the release of Michael Jackson concert pic “This Is It” out of the fourth quarter to give theaters a longer window, will tie the DVD and Blu-ray discs to the Grammy Awards with a January 26 release.
Positioning “This Is It” as the first big homevid title of 2010, SPHE said the DVD and Blu-ray discs will offer a fuller experience than the theatrical cut, which has already drawn more than $70 million in U.S. box office. The standard DVD ($28.96) will contain an hour of extra footage, and the Blu-ray version ($39.95) will hold an additional hour and a half of material.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray version is a “Smooth Criminal” vignette that was originally intended to screen prior to Jackson’s planned London concerts. There is also the featurette “Making Smooth Criminal,” as well as Sony Web-enabled feature movieIQ.

“We’re thrilled with the date that we ended up with, where it’s at an opportune time in the market,”

said Marc Rashba, Sony’s VP of worldwide marketing.

“The Grammys follow right after the release date (on Jan. 31). There will be a lot of Grammy areas in stores, and we can play into that.”

Retailers are also expected to push “This Is It” pre-orders during this heavy fourth-quarter shopping period.

Both standard DVD and Blu-ray editions, carrying a Dec. 24 pre-order date, include two making-of documentaries. The two formats also hold three featurettes, covering costuming, memories of Jackson and auditions of the concert dancers.

To further boost the title’s appeal, Sony will attach different collectible components at various retailers.

“We’re looking at new channels of distribution, and working with digital partners,”

Rashba said.

Source: mjfanclub.net

Prince Michael Malachi Jet Jackson – the 24-year-old who claims to be MJ’s lovechild — is going back to court in the hopes of getting a slice of Jacko’s fortune, even though he was already rejected by the people who run MJ’s estate.

PMMJJ just filed

“objections of rejection”

paperwork in L.A. County Superior Court, in which he begs a judge to

“have determined that he is the biological son of decedent Michael Joseph Jackson … and gain whatever benefits he is entitled to.”

The Jackson estate had rejected PMMJJ’s claim back in August, even though he provided a California birth certificate which lists Michael Joseph Jackson as his father.

Source: TMZ.com

Artist Nate Giorgio recalls the last time he saw Michael Jackson, just days before the singer’s death.

The pop icon wanted Giorgio to create dazzling murals of his children as well as artwork for his “This Is It” concerts, and Giorgio got out his pen during their talks.

“I was doing little drawings on the spot of him, and he loved it,”

says Giorgio of his black-and-white sketches.

“He was great, he was really excited.”

Those never-before seen sketches, as well as other rare artwork and photos of Jackson, are now part of a lavish new leather-bound book, “The Official Michael Jackson OPUS,” out December 7.

The book, the only publication officially sanctioned by Michael Jackson’s estate, not only contains unseen images of perhaps the world’s most famous face, it also has essays about the superstar written by friends and those who worked with Jackson over the years, from Motown founder Berry Gordy and Paula Abdul to John Landis and David Blaine.

While many Michael Jackson books have been printed since his June 25 death at age 50, Jeff Wald, president of OPUS Media Group, which published the book, says his stands out.

He and his team decided

“this would not be a red carpet sound bite kind of a book,”

he says.

“It wasn’t about, ‘Yeah, he’s a great singer, a great dancer.’ It was much more in depth about the human being that he was.”

To that end, OPUS executive vice president Jordan Sommers elicited essays that weren’t quite tributes, but personal reflections. Some talk about Jackson the jokester; others recall his artistic genius; still others reflect on his friendship.

“There’s a lot of information from the book that comes directly from sources that will clear up a lot of misconceptions,”

he says.

“There are stories told directly from the likes of Smokey Robinson (and others) that they’ve never told before.”

The photos, some of which were provided by friends like Gordy, range from Jackson’s childhood to his many transformations as an adult.

“Our mandate … was to have most of the photos either not be seen ever before or never ever seen in the format in which they had been (shown),”

says Wald.

There are also drawings of Jackson done by Giorgio and other artists. Giorgio says Jackson was a voracious art collector and was very specific about the kind of imagery he wanted of himself, jotting down instructions, some of which are included in the book.

While Wald talked about the book (which costs $249) benefiting the Jackson children and his mother, the Jackson family did not play any role in the creation of the 400-page, 26-pound book.

“We just decided this would be something apart from the family,”

Wald said.

“It was about Michael… We really stayed narrowly to that.”

Jackson’s continuing appeal is highlighted by the success of the film “This Is It,” which has become the all-time top-grossing music documentary, and the honors that still arrive, such as Jackson posthumously winning four American Music Awards on Sunday night.

Wald first met Jackson as a teen and stayed in touch with him throughout the years. Jackson reached out to him earlier this year because he was a fan of the OPUS books and wanted two done on him: one based on the “This is It” concerts and another chronicling his career.

Wald said Jackson, who at times had battled an addiction to prescription drugs, was lucid and energetic when they met for two hours at his home.

“He seemed clear eyed, not drugged… he was in great spirits,”

he says.

“He was just happier than hell, he had a sense of humor about him… it was nothing like you hear on all those breathless reports on television.”

Giorgio, who illustrated the book’s cover sketch, recalls Jackson being anxious for him to start work on huge murals he planned to put in his Las Vegas residence: He wanted a painting of himself and his children walking through a forest.

“He kept telling me, come on, we gotta start on this – the kids are growing, and they are changing,”

he says.

While Giorgio drew elaborate, fantasy images of Jackson for the legend, he says the quick sketches he took of Jackson just before he died reveal the most:

“They really capture more of the essence of him.”

Source: mjfanclub.net