Those “Crazy Michael Jackson Fans:” Maybe we should listen?

Michael Jackson fans are grieving in a way that is not normal in an atmosphere that is not normal. Normally the deceased is eulogized in a reverent way, their contributions to others and the world highlighted. Their lives are celebrated and revered. Normally, they have some closure. There is no closure with the death of Michael Jackson. It is not a normal grieving process because the hype, reaction, media slant and opinions of those who didn’t know Michael taint the process. If the real Michael Jackson were globally exposed tomorrow and people would actually see how they have been duped and led by the nose into believing the tabloid version of the man, the fans could take a deep breath. If the real story were actually released into the culture and people started to understand this one they have believed an enigma, the fans would have some hope. If the whole sorry mess were exposed for what it was and the world was truly informed about the truth of this story, and an acknowledgement was made of the damage, the fans could begin normal grieving. And eventually they would heal.

So it is important to understand that those “crazy Michael Jackson fans” may be up to something important. While some are hostile and misguided and they act out their anguish in ways that are sometimes destructive and not always helpful or pretty, they really are trying… They are trying to save Michael and save themselves from a cruel world that mistreats really, really badly—its greatest treasures. They are trying to save the world from its delusions. They are trying to resurrect the truth. They are trying to construct an honest humanity because they are deconstructing tolerance for untruths and reconstructing humanity’s compassion. They are trying to prevent another human being from dismemberment for sport and for profit. They are trying to live Michael’s legacy—to heal the world and make it a better place. They are holding up a mirror to the world and saying: “look here: look what happened, look what was done to this human being; do you like what you see?” They do that for Michael because that is what Michael did. And he was crucified for it. They are trying to bring back humanity and are bringing salvation back. Maybe we should take into consideration what it is that they are actually grieving and maybe, if we can get past our judgment, we should listen

By Rev. Barbara Kaufmann

JLS member ASTON MERRYGOLD, celebrated by getting a tattoo of MICHAEL JACKSON on his pumped bicep.

He said when asked about the new tat;

It’s musical influences really. I might get the whole arm but I couldn’t get the other arm.

Source: NoTW

For years now, Usher has been tapped as “the next Michael Jackson.” Of course, he considers this a compliment, even if he doesn’t believe the hype for a second. Because to him, there will never be another King of Pop.

“He influenced me in so many ways, more than just music … as a humanitarian, as a philanthropist, as an artist, as an individual who transcended culture. I wouldn’t be who I am today without Michael Jackson,” Usher said. “They say if you ever want to be great, you’ve got to study who the greats studied, so, of course, I studied his moves — studied them down to a T. But there was much more to him than that. Really, he created an eclectic style of life and, throughout the years, from his childhood to his adulthood, he managed to continue to be successful, but also to continue to push the limits and push everyone’s expectations.”

It was the second time Usher has spoken publically about the death of Jackson — the first being a statement he released as the news of his passing spread last Thursday (June 25) — and in the days since, he’s leant his voice to a Game-helmed tribute track, but he says that he’ll really never stop paying homage to the King, a man he not only considers a trailblazer, but also knew as a friend, a mentor and a confidant.

“I think Michael Jackson is by far one of the most impactful artists in music … when MTV did not play African-American videos, he took a stand and said, ‘This is a must,’ and you look what it became after that,” Usher said. “You can’t say that you are an artist in this century and [not be] influenced by Michael Jackson. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to share the stage with him, to know him personally, and I am always going to remember him. I’ll be a fan for life … this is a tragedy to say the least, and it has affected all of us.”

And though Jackson is gone, Usher said he’ll always have his memories of the times they spent together, including a 2001 show in New York City where the two shared the stage. It’s a moment that will be with Ush for the rest of his life — one that will probably never be topped.

“There’s two highlights that I will always remember in my career,” he offered. “One, sharing the stage with James Brown at the Grammys, where he named me ‘the Godson of Soul,’ and sharing the stage with Michael Jackson in New York City.”

Source: MTV USA

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

Paying tribute to the King of Pop, Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Michael Jackson collectible figure again, this time depicting his image in his popular hit Bad’s music video in 1987, highlighting the authentic head sculpt, the multi-layered stereoscopic hair sculpture and the highly-detailed costume of his style. A complimentary value-added set of upper outfit portraying his image in the Dirty Diana music video in 1988 is also presented.

The 1/6th scale Michael Jackson (Bad version) collectible specially features:
- Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Michael Jackson in the Bad music video
- Newly developed head sculpt with new make-up
- Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS) and colored Translucent Iris
- Multi-layered stereoscopic hair sculpture
- Slim version of TrueType body with 38 points of articulation
- Approximately 30 cm tall
- One (1) pair of punches, five (5) additional right and two (2) extra  left interchangeable and posing palms
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted

Costume:
- Two (2) sets of costumes (one (1) set for Bad version and one (1) set of upper outfit in Dirty Diana image)
- Bad costume:
+ Black jacket with buckles, zips and pouches as accessories
+ Black and white tees
+ Black pants with buckles and a red stripe on the left
+ Four (4) belts with buckles (three (3) in black and one (1) in brown)
+ One (1) pair of black shoes with buckles
+ Nine (9) pieces of black gloves with buckles (six (6) for right hands, three (3) for left hands) (right gloves with rivets added)
- Dirty Diana costume:
+ A set of white shirt and tee

Accessory:
- Square-shaped deluxe figure stand with LED lights with Michael Jackson nameplate and M ICON DX series title

Release date: Q2, 2010

Artists:
-  Head Sculpted by Lee So Young
-  Head Painted by JC. Hong
-  Head Art Directed by Yulli
-  Figure Costume Made by Namgung Mijin
-  Accessory Sculpted by Kouhei Okui

© 2010 Triumph International, Inc, under license to Bravado International Group, manufactured by Hot Toys Ltd.

To see additional details and photos of the doll click Here.

Source: mjfanclub.net

On a family outing for the first time since the LAPD began investigating that whole stun gun mess, Jackson family children (L-R) Paris, Blanket, Prince, Jaafar and Jermajesty all went to the movies in Los Angeles yesterday, reportedly to see “Alice in Wonderland.”

Source: TMZ.com

Armed LAPD officers swarmed around the Jackson Estate tonight on foot and in the air, but it turned out to be much ado about nothing — the perfect ending to a crazy week at the Encino home.

Around 9:00 PM PT, at least five officers entered through the front gate of the compound with shotguns drawn — while an LAPD chopper circled overhead. Cops tell us they were responding to a burglary in progress call.

But everything was fine once they got on the grounds. We’re told the emergency call — which came from outside the house — was a false alarm.

No word on exactly which Jacksons were home during the raid.

L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services investigators have been at the Jackson home all week over that whole stun gun thing with Jermaine‘s son Jaafar.

Source: TMZ.com

Debbie Rowe was at Michael Jackson‘s mausoleum in Glendale, CA yesterday, crying hysterically and hugging fans.

The emotional gathering occurred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park — where a bunch of Michael Jackson fans meet on the third day of every month and bring cards, gifts and letters from fans around the world … this according to LisaBurks.com.

Turns out Debbie — Michael’s ex-wife — showed up to Forest Lawn as the meeting was in full swing, and started hugging MJ’s fans and crying.
Source: TMZ.com

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

A judge has delayed a ruling on whether Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson can obtain medical records related to the death of his son.

Mitchell Beckloff, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge,  said Thursday he wants to further consider arguments raised by Joe Jackson’s attorney. Beckloff says he will issue a ruling next week.

Joe Jackson’s attorney, Brian Oxman, sought Michael Jackson’s medical records as part of an effort to obtain a monthly stipend for the Jackson family patriarch. Oxman says his client has a right to know more about his son’s death and the records could also determine how to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.

Attorney’s for Michael Jackson’s estate have opposed releasing the medical records.

Source: mjfanclub.net

The revamped “We Are the World” made its world premiere Friday during NBC’s coverage of the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, and a simultaneous worldwide screening of the full, and the seven-minute version of the music video is planned for Saturday.

The worldwide simulcast on 53 domestic and international channels was planned for 2 p.m. (1900 GMT) Eastern time.

A three-minute version of the video aired Friday. Filmed by Oscar winner Paul Haggis, the video shows images of devastation from the island nation after the January 12 earthquake that has claimed more than 200,000 lives.

It also shows some of the 85 artists who gathered in Los Angeles earlier this month to re-record the 1985 charity anthem.

Teen sensation Justin Bieber opens the song. Also featured are Jennifer Hudson and Nicole Scherzinger, Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion and Fergie. Josh Groban, LL Cool J, Nick Jonas, Lil Wayne (and his auto-tune), Jeff Bridges, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus and Haitian-American singer Wyclef Jean also get screen time.

Michael Jackson, who co-wrote the original hit with Lionel Richie, is shown in a clip from the original music video. In the new version, Jackson, wearing his trademark 1980s pseudomilitary regalia, sings alongside his sister, Janet Jackson.

Richie and fellow producer Quincy Jones introduced the song Friday via video, saying money raised by its sales will provide food, shelter and medicine for the Haitian people.

Fans can download “We Are the World 25 for Haiti” online now. All proceeds will benefit earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti.

Visit the Official We Are the World 25 website Here for more details!

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

Joe Jackson has just filed legal docs asking a court to acknowledge Michael Jackson‘s family has a right to sue news outlets that published photos of Michael Jackson dead.

Joe Jackson’s lawyer, Brian Oxman, filed papers with the court in the Michael Jackson estate case, claiming there is legal precedent for a family suing for invasion of privacy when such photos are published.

Although the legal docs don’t state which photos he intends to sue over, “Entertainment Tonight” aired a photo of Jackson — whom paramedics believed was already dead — as he was taken into an ambulance from his home.

Oxman is trying to get the estate court judge to allow him access to medical records as a prelude for filing such a case.
Source: TMZ.com