Michael Jackson

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For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation).
Michael Jackson
Spouse(s)Lisa Marie Presley (1994–1996)


Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958), often referred to as MJ[1] and The King of Pop,[2] is an American musician and entertainer, who debuted as a member of the Jackson 5, and went on to become a pop icon as a solo artist. His successful career and frequently controversial, enigmatic personal life have been a part of pop culture for almost four decades.[3]

His impact on the music industry has included dominating pop music from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s,[4] and becoming the first black entertainer to amass a strong cross-over following on MTV with his revolutionary transformation of music video as an art form and as a promotional tool.[5] The popularity of videos aired on MTV such as "Beat it", "Black or White", "Scream" and "Billie Jean" created a tremendous synergy [6] that helped to put the relatively young channel "on the map".[7]

Jackson also popularized physically-complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, that have redefined mainstream dance and entertainment.[8] His distinctive style, dance moves, and vocals have influenced a whole generation of hip hop, pop, and R&B artists. He has been cited as the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" by Guinness World Records.[9]

He began his musical career at the age of five with the Jackson Family vocal group.[10] He released his first solo recording, Got to Be There, in 1971, while remaining a member of the group.[11] In his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, which has worldwide sales exceeding 104 million.[12] After Thriller, Jackson continued to release internationally chart-topping albums like Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995), and Invincible (2001), his latest album of fully original material. Michael Jackson has received thirteen Grammy Awards[13](8 on a single night in 1984) and charted thirteen #1 singles in the United States, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era.[14] In November 2006, the World Music Awards announced that Jackson had sold over 750 million units worldwide[15] and given $300 million to charity,[16] making Jackson one of the best-selling music artists and the most charitable celebrity apart from Oprah Winfrey[17] whose efforts on the latter front have been acknowledged with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.[18] However Jackson's controversial appearance and actions has damaged his reputation in the eyes of some of the public and album sales has been in decline since the mid 1990s.[19]

From 1988 to 2005, Jackson lived on his Neverland Ranch property, where he built an amusement park and private zoo that was frequently attended by disadvantaged and terminally ill children. Rumors of sleepover parties received both negative media coverage and public attention after it was revealed that children frequently slept in his bed or bedroom. This first came to light when he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. Michael Jackson's relationship with children was brought into the spotlight again in 2003 when the TV documentary Living with Michael Jackson was broadcast. This resulted in Jackson being tried, and later acquitted, of more child molestation allegations and several other charges in 2005. After this, Jackson went on hiatus, traveling to countries such as Bahrain, before starting work on new material in Ireland. He will be releasing a new album on February 11 2008 called Thriller 25 which will include new material.

Career

Musical prodigy

Main article: The Jackson 5

Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana to a working-class family, the second-youngest brother of seven and the eighth of ten children of Joseph (Joe) and Katherine Jackson of African American descent. Katherine, a Jehovah's Witness, raised the children in that faith, while Joe, who initially started studying with the Witnesses, eventually decided not to join.[20] Jackson's father was a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called "The Falcons" with his brother Luther. The father was a strict disciplinarian, and many of the Jackson children recall being spanked or whipped by their father for misbehaving.[21]

Jackson showed musical talent early on and joined his brothers when they formed a group in 1964. Rolling Stone says of his early years: "First he was a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts," and notes that after Jackson joined the Jackson Family vocal group at age five, "he quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer."[22] Even though he sang with a "child's piping voice, he danced like a grown-up hoofer and sang with the R&B/gospel inflections of Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder."[22] During this period, the boys toured Indiana extensively, and after winning a major local talent show in 1966 with a rendition of The Temptations' "My Girl", led by Michael, they began playing professional gigs in Chicago, Illinois and across the mid-eastern U.S. Many of these gigs were in a string of black clubs and venues collectively known as the "chitlin' circuit," and the young kids sometimes had to open for strip tease and other adult acts in order to earn money.[23]

File:Jackson5.jpg
Michael Jackson, bottom centre, as a member of Jackson 5

The young Jackson had taken co-lead singing duties with brother Jermaine when the group's name changed from "The Jackson Brothers" to "The Jackson 5" in 1966. The group eventually auditioned for, and signed a contract with, Motown Records in 1968.[24] They hit stardom with their first four singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There", which charted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first time ever a group had pulled off that feat.[23] As a solo artist, Jackson released a total of four studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There in 1971 and Ben in the following year. These were released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise and produced successful singles such as "Got to Be There", "Ben", and a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin". Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice "descended ever so slightly from boy soprano to his current androgynous high tenor."[25]

The group's sales declined after 1973 and they chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. In 1976, the group signed a new contract with CBS Records (first joining the Philadelphia International division and then Epic Records).[26] Motown Records sued the group for breach of contract.[20]

As a result of the legal proceedings, which were complicated further by the fact that Jermaine Jackson was married to the daughter of Motown president (Berry Gordy), the Jacksons lost the rights to use the "Jackson 5" name and logo.[20] Jermaine left the group, choosing to stay at Motown.[27] They changed their name to "The Jacksons", featuring youngest brother Randy in Jermaine's place, and continued their successful career, touring internationally and releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, with Jermaine eventually re-joining in 1983, making them a sextet. From 1976 to 1984, Michael was the lead songwriter of the group,[28] laying down such hits as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel", and "Can You Feel It". In 1978, Jackson starred as the scarecrow in The Wiz with former-label mate Diana Ross playing Dorothy.[29] The songs for the musical were arranged by Quincy Jones, who established a partnership with Jackson during the film's production and agreed to produce his first solo album in four years.[20]

Off the Wall

Main article: Off the Wall
File:Dontstopvideo.jpg
A scene from the music video "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" in 1980.

Off the Wall, released in 1979, made music history becoming the first album ever to spawn four top-ten hits, including the number-one hits, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[11] It reached #3 in the Billboard album charts, spending 48 consecutive weeks on the Top 20.[30] Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson jointly produced the album, with lyrics and music by Jackson, Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney, among others. The album signaled the arrival of a new Michael Jackson, one not reliant upon his brothers to further his career.[31] Off the Wall, buoyed by its catchy dance rhythms and avoidance of the "shallow excesses...of the period's disco,"[31] eventually sold some 20 million copies worldwide.[32] Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt the album should have made a much bigger impact and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.

In January 1980, Jackson won his first awards for his solo efforts at the American Music Awards. He won "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" (for Off the Wall), "Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist" and Favorite Soul/R&B Single (for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough").[11] Later that month, he also won two Billboard Awards (for "Top Black Artist" and "Top Black Album").[11] On February 27 1980, Jackson won a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male" (for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough").[11] In 2003, the TV network VH1 named Off the Wall the thirty-sixth greatest album of all time.[33] Rolling Stone ranked it #68 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[34]

Thriller

Main articles: Thriller (album), Victory Tour, We Are the World, and Captain EO

In November 1982, the storybook for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released. It included Jackson reading the story as well as one original song, "Someone in the Dark". The album later won a Grammy for "Best Album for Children".[35] On the first day of the following month, Jackson released his second Epic album, Thriller. Thriller became the biggest selling album of all time with worldwide sales reaching over 104 million copies.[36]

The album also became the first in history to spawn seven top-ten Billboard Hot 100 hit singles,[37] including "Billie Jean", which was the first music video by a black artist to receive regular airplay on MTV,[38] "Beat It", and the album's title track, which was accompanied by a revolutionary music video. The thirteen-minute "Thriller" video was critically acclaimed and massive airplay lead to it being packaged with the featurette Making Michael Jackson's Thriller on VHS, where it became the best-selling music home video ever.[37] Thriller spent 37 weeks at #1 and remained on the Billboard album chart for 122 weeks. It was eventually certified 27x Platinum in the U.S.[39]

In 1983, while performing "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever concert, Jackson debuted what can be regarded as his signature move: the moonwalk.[37] The performance sparked a new wave of interest in Thriller, which continued to sell well throughout the year. In 1983, he started a sponsorship deal with Pepsi-Cola. As part of the deal with Pepsi-Cola, he agreed to star in a commercial. While filming the commercial in front of 3,000 fans the following year, a fireworks display behind him malfunctioned, shooting a shower of sparks on the singer’s head and setting fire to his hair. He suffered second-degree burns and later wore a hairpiece when collecting Grammys that year.[40]

In February 1984, Jackson was nominated for twelve Grammy awards - of which he won eight[37] - breaking the record for the most Grammy awards won in a single year.[41][page needed] Seven were awarded for Thriller and the other for the E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial storybook. In 1984, he also won eight American Music Awards and the "Special Award of Merit" and three MTV Video Music Awards.[37]

Thriller was a gigantic hit that made Jackson the seminal icon of American culture at the time. At the age of 25, the New York Times called him a "musical phenomenon", further commenting that "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".[42] Time magazine explained that "the fallout from Thriller has given the [music] business its best years since the heady days of 1978, when it had an estimated total domestic revenue of $4.1 billion."[43] Thriller also helped to bring music from African-American artists back into mainstream radio for the first time since the mid-1970s.[43]

Jackson also became something of a sex symbol, as he was described by Time magazine: "Undeniably sexy. Absolutely safe. Eroticism at arm's length".[43] Additionally, Michael Jackson's rhinestone glove and Thriller jacket became iconic aspects of his outfits which American youth sported all too eagerly. As a sign of his stature at the time, Republican officials considered inviting Jackson to their national convention, in 1984, where they would renominate Reagan, but a change of plans left Ron Walker, the convention manager, stating that "We never thought we had a ghost of a chance."[44]

After reuniting with his brothers, he helped to write and produce the Victory album. He then performed and starred in the Victory Tour, which started on July 6, 1984 and lasted for five months.[37] That year, Jackson was invited to the White House and was thanked by President Ronald Reagan at a White House ceremony for allowing the song "Beat It" to be used in drunk driving prevention television and radio public service announcements.[45]

Jackson continued his charity work in 1985 by co-writing with Lionel Richie the hit song "We Are the World", and singing a featured solo on the charity single. The record helped to raise money and awareness for the famine in East Africa and was one of the first instances where Jackson was seen as a humanitarian. The song also won a Grammy for "Song of the Year".[37] "We Are the World" became one of the top five best-selling singles of all time and the best selling single of the 1980s[46]

Controversy began when Jackson purchased shares in ATV Music Publishing (a company which owned the publishing rights to most of the Beatles' songs), making himself the majority shareholder. This move angered close friend and songwriter Paul McCartney, who had also made a bid for the company.[20] Ironically, it had been McCartney who advised Jackson on the merits of song ownership.[47] Their creative co-writing ended after this event. Following this controversial business deal, tabloid stories of Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to stall the aging-process, and an allegation claiming Jackson attempted to purchase the bones of the Elephant Man inspired the pejorative sobriquet "Wacko Jacko" (wacko meaning eccentric or irrational).[48] The name "Wacko Jacko," first used by British media, would come to be detested by Jackson.[49]

In 1986, Jackson starred in the George Lucas-produced, Francis Ford Coppola-directed 3-D film Captain EO. The film lasted 17 minutes but had costs estimated at $17 million.[50] At the time, it was the most expensive film produced on a per-minute basis. In the U.S., the Disney theme parks hosted Captain EO. Disneyland featured the film in Tomorrow-Land from September 18, 1986 until April 7, 1997.[51] It was also featured in Walt Disney World in Epcot from September 12, 1986 until July 6, 1994.[51]

Bad

Main articles: Bad (album) and Bad World Tour

In 1987, Jackson released Bad; his third album for the Epic Records label, and the final album with producer Quincy Jones.[37] He initially wanted to make the album 30 tracks long, but Jones cut this down to 11. According to Jones, Jackson wanted the title track to be a duet with Prince who later declined the duet.[52] Jones said the reason given by Prince was that he thought the song would be a hit whether he was in it or not.[53] With the industry expecting another monster hit, the release was heavily anticipated as it was Jackson's first album in five years.[54] The album had over two million advance orders.[54] Jackson hired film director Martin Scorsese to direct the video for the album's title track.[55] When the 18-minute music video debuted on TV, it sparked a great deal of controversy as it became apparent that Jackson's appearance had changed dramatically.[56]

Bad had lower sales compared to Thriller, but was still a commercial success. In the U.S., it spawned seven hit singles,[37] five of which went to #1: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You",[57] "Bad",[58] "The Way You Make Me Feel",[59] "Man in the Mirror",[60]" and "Dirty Diana".[61] Two decades after it was released, Bad still holds the record for generating more #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts than any other album.[62] It went on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide and the RIAA certified Bad at 8x Platinum. At the 1993 Grammy Awards, the album was acknowledged as the second best selling album of all time, but has since been overtaken.[63][64] In September 1987, Jackson embarked upon his first solo world tour, the Bad World Tour, which had record-breaking attendance figures. In Japan alone, Jackson had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record of 200,000 in a single tour.[65] The tour lasted sixteen months with Jackson performing 123 concerts to over 4.4 million fans worldwide.[66]

This period saw Jackson enjoy "a level of superstardom previously known only to Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Frank Sinatra."[67] This success led to him to be dubbed the "King of Pop",[2]. The nickname was conceived by actress and friend Elizabeth Taylor when she presented Jackson with an "Artist of the Decade" award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul."[This quote needs a citation] In 1990, the White House presented the singer with its own special "Artist of the Decade" award, in recognition Michael Jackson's musical influence in the 1980s. It was delivered to Jackson by President George H. W. Bush, who commended Jackson for acquiring a "tremendous following", among other achievements.[68]

Dangerous

Main articles: Dangerous (album) and Dangerous World Tour

In November 1991, Jackson released Dangerous, which, at roughly 30 million copies worldwide,[32] registered sales figures almost identical to those of Bad and became one of the most successful New jack swing albums of all time. Dangerous featured several hits, including "Black or White", "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Give In To Me", and "Heal the World". Dangerous was highly anticipated, as highlighted by an incident at the Los Angeles International Airport that witnessed a group of armed robbers stealing 30,000 copies of the new album before its official release [69] . The album featured the first of many collaborations between Jackson and guitarist Slash (of Guns N' Roses). Slash wrote and performed the introduction to "Black or White" and played three solos on "Give in to Me". Slash also featured in the "Give in to Me" music video, performing the song on stage with Jackson in a pseudo-live performance featuring Guns N' Roses then-rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke.

The biggest hit single in the United States from the album was "Black or White", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for seven weeks,[70] with similar performances around the world. The single was accompanied by a controversial video, premiering as a simulcast on the Fox network, MTV, and BET, which featured scenes construed as having a sexual nature as well as depictions of violent behavior. The offending scenes in the final half of the fourteen minute version of "Black or White" were edited out to prevent the video from being banned.[2] on November 14, 1991, the video for "Black or White" simultaneously premièred in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest viewing ever for a music video.[14]

The second single released from Dangerous was "Remember The Time" which spent 8 weeks in the top 5 in U.S..[71] The song hit a peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart. In 1993, Jackson performed the song at the Soul Train Awards in a wheel chair saying he had an injury in rehearsals.[72]At the ceremony, he was given three awards "Best Male Single" of the year for "Remember The Time", "Best R&B Album" for Dangerous and a Humanitarian Award for his charitable contributions to date.[73]

In the UK, as well as other parts of Europe, "Heal the World" was the biggest hit from the album. In Britain, it sold 455,000 copies alone and spent 5 weeks at #2. It was the Christmas #2 of 1992 and because of extra seasonal sales it outsold "Black or White".[74]

On February 10 1992, MTV kicked off its first global sweepstakes with "My Dinner with Michael". Winners from around the world attended a dinner party hosted by Michael Jackson on the set of his "In the Closet" music video.[75] Later that year, a biopic, The Jacksons: An American Dream, debuted on ABC; it was based on the true story of the rise of The Jackson 5.

Later that year, Jackson made most high-profile international visits: a trip to Africa in which he visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt.[76] This was the singer's second arrival on the continent, his first having occurred as a 14-year-old with the Jackson 5.[76] His first stop to Gabon was greeted with a sizable reception of more than 100,000 people in "spiritual bedlam", some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael".[76] In his trip to the Ivory Coast, Jackson visited the gold-mining village of Krindjabo, populated by the Agni tribe and located near the capital of Abidjan, and was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief.[76] He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed official documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.[76] Jackson finished his stay in Africa by going to Egypt and promoting the Dangerous album. In January 1993, he performed during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. It drew one of the largest viewing audiences in the history of American television.[77] Jackson was given the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.[78]

HIStory

Main articles: HIStory and HIStory World Tour

In June 1995, Jackson released HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I,[78] which went on to sell 16 million copies worldwide,[79]and is the largest selling multiple-disc album of all time.[79] To promote the album, Jackson embarked on the successful HIStory World Tour,[78] which was attended by more than four and a half million people, a record for concert attendance outside of the United States that still stands.[citation needed] Jackson also made a promotional "teaser" music video showing him marching with thousands of military personnel as well as shipping statues of himself on boats around Europe.[80]

The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a fifteen-track greatest hits album (this disc was later released as Greatest Hits - HIStory Vol. I, in 2001 selling an estimated 3 million copies).[81] The second disc, HIStory Continues, contained fifteen new songs. Frequent collaborator Slash featured on a lengthy solo for "D.S."

The first single released from HIStory was "Scream", sung and performed with his sister Janet Jackson. The single had the best ever debut at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "Scream" is one of his most critically acclaimed winning three MTV awards in 1995 and a Grammy in 1996.[78] "Scream" is currently the most expensive music video ever made.[82] "You Are Not Alone" was the second single released from HIStory and would become the first song ever to debut at #1 on the Hot 100,[83] beating his previous single "Scream". It reached #1 in various international markets, including Britain. It was seen as a major artistic and commercial success.[20]

"Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory and was accompanied by one of the most expensive and lavish videos of Jackson's career.[citation needed] The song topped the UK singles chart for six weeks over Christmas in 1995 and sold one million copies there, making it his most successful UK single, surpassing the success of "Billie Jean". At the 1996 BRIT Awards, Jackson was awarded as the Artist of A Generation.[84] At the ceremony Jackson performed the track "Earth Song", dressed in white and surrounded by children and an actor portraying a rabbi. During the performance it was alleged that Jackson was making Christ-like poses while being lifted into the air by a crane. Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker and his friend Peter Mansell mounted a stage invasion in protest. Cocker leapt onstage, pretended to expose his rear and danced around. In the ensuing scuffle to remove Cocker from the stage, it was claimed that up to three children received minor injuries.[85] The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), who ran the awards, qualified this by stated that "We are extremely concerned that Jarvis Cocker's actions last night resulted in injury to three children who were performing with Michael Jackson".[85] Cocker responded, "My actions were a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing".[85] A spokesperson for Jackson and Sony said that "Michael feels sickened, saddened, shocked, upset, cheated [and] angry".[85] Cocker's actions were met with mixed reactions from the British press.[citation needed]

"They Don't Care About Us" was the fourth single released from HIStory and caused controversy over alleged anti-Semitic lyrics. The song contained the lyrics "Jew me, sue me" and "kick me, kike me." After significant pressure from the Jewish community, later releases changed the verse to the same-sounding "do me, sue me" and "kick me, strike me" or censored it with a thumping sound.[citation needed]

During the "HIStory World Tour", Slash joined Jackson onstage for some shows, including one in Seoul, South Korea in 1996. This was held at the Chamsil Olympic Stadium and filmed for a live broadcast and commercial release on VHS.[86] Slash also appeared at Jackson's MTV Music Video Awards 1995 performance during "Black or White", played a solo, then played along to the opening of "Billie Jean".[87]

Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix

Main article: Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix

In 1997, Jackson released an album of new material titled Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, with remixes of hit singles from HIStory, and five new songs;[78] it sold six million copies worldwide and became the greatest selling remix album ever, reaching #1 in Britain.[citation needed] Of the new songs, three were released globally: the title track, "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary". The title track reached #1 in the UK. The singles "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" were based on a film created by Jackson called "Ghosts".[88] The short film, written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, features many special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music written by Jackson.[89] The music video for "Ghosts" is over 35 minutes long and is currently the world's longest music video.[90] Jackson dedicated the album to Elton John, who reportedly helped him through his addiction to painkillers and tranquilizers.[20]

Invincible

Main article: Invincible (album)

In October 2001, Invincible was released[91] and debuted at number-one in thirteen countries.[77] Invincible went on to sell nearly 8 million copies worldwide.[32] The album spawned three singles: "You Rock My World," "Cry," and "Butterflies." Frequent collaborator Slash reunited with Jackson for solo's on the song "Privacy".

Around the same time that Invincible came out, Jackson and 35 other artists recorded a charity benefit single entitled "What More Can I Give", designed to raise money for 9/11 victims, which was never released.

Just before the release of Invincible, Jackson informed the head of Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Mottola, that he was not going to renew his contract;[2] the contract was about to expire in terms of supplying the label with albums of full-new material for release through Epic Records/SME. In 2002, all singles releases, video shootings, and promotions concerning the Invincible album were canceled. As a result of this, Jackson made allegations about Mottola not supporting its African American artists.[2] Jackson referred to Mottola as a "devil" and a "racist" who used black artists for his own personal gain.[2] He cited that Mottola called Jackson's colleague Irv Gotti a "fat nigger".[92][93] Sony issued a statement stating that they found the allegations strange since Mottola was once married to biracial pop star Mariah Carey[94]. Carey herself seemed nonchalant about Jackson's claims when asked about them by Larry King on Larry King Live.[95] Though Jackson claimed that the albums sales were poor compared to previous releases, factors that contributed to its lower sales included no world tour promotion as well as only one music video release. Few reviews were actually negative, but most felt it was Jackson's least impressive effort yet.[96][97][98] Of those that were negative they were often unfair discussing the singers perceived eccentric image rather than the music.[neutrality is disputed][99][page needed]

On September 7 and September 10 2001, Jackson organized a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden for his 30th year of being a solo artist. The show aired on November 13, 2001 and[91] featured performances by Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, 'N Sync, the Jacksons, Slash, and a number of other artists.[100]

In wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Jackson helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.. The concert was aired on October 21, 2001, and included performances from dozens of major artists, including Jackson, who performed his song "What More Can I Give" as the finale.

Trial and career hiatus

Main articles: People v. Jackson and Post trial lawsuits against Michael Jackson

In November 2003, Jackson and Sony Records released a compilation of his number-one hits on CD and DVD titled Number Ones. The compilation has sold over six million copies worldwide.[101] On the album's scheduled release date, Jackson was in Las Vegas filming the video for "One More Chance" (the only new song included in the Number Ones compilation), the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department searched Jackson's home, the Neverland Ranch, and issued an arrest warrant for Jackson on new charges of child molestation.[102] Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by Gavin Arviso, who appeared in the Living with Michael Jackson documentary earlier that year.[citation needed]

After being acquitted of the allegations[when?], Jackson relocated to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, where he reportedly bought a house formerly owned by a Bahrain MP.[103] Jackson reportedly spent his time in the Persian Gulf writing new music. In September 2005, Jackson's spokesperson Raymone Bain announced that Jackson was busy producing an all-star charity single — called "I Have This Dream" — to help raise relief funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Some of the artists initially announced by Bain as involved were never confirmed, and were omitted from later mentions of participants.[104] After many delays, the single remains unreleased.

New album

Main articles: Visionary: The Video Singles, Thriller 25, and Michael Jackson's forthcoming studio album

You ain't seen nothing yet, and the best is yet to come. [105]

— Michael Jackson, in 1999.

In February 2006, Jackson's label released Visionary: The Video Singles, a box set made up of twenty of his biggest hit singles, each of which were issued individually week by week over a five-month period.[106] Sony released the Visionary box set in the US on November 14, 2006.[107]

Jackson also visited the London office of the Guinness World Records. There, he received eight awards, among them the "First Entertainer to Earn More Than 100 Million Dollars in a Year" and the "First Entertainer to Sell More Than 100 Million Albums Outside the U.S.".[108]

Jackson was awarded the Diamond Award on November 15, 2006, for selling over 100 million albums, at the World Music Awards. Despite tabloid rumors prior to the event,[109][110][111] he did not perform Thriller, instead joining a choir on stage for a verse of "We Are the World".

Following the death of James Brown, more than 8000 people watched as several artists, including Jackson, paid tribute during Brown's public funeral on December 30, 2006.[112] Reverend Al Sharpton, who was close to Brown, delivered his sermon at the funeral, in which he stated that in the last conversation he had with Brown, he had said that artists like Jackson needed to continue to make positive music for all people.[112]

In October 2007, Jackson did a photo shoot with Bruce Weber in New York City to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Thriller. The pictures were published in L'Uomo Vogue, the Italian men's version of Vogue magazine.[113]. Michael also did a photoshoot with photographer Michael Ralston for Ebony Magazine.[114]

On February 11, 2008, Jackson will release a 25th anniversary edition of his top-selling album Thriller called Thriller 25. The album will feature artists such as will.i.am, Kanye West, and Akon.[115] Jackson will release his first single in nearly five years, on January 14, 2008. The single will be a remix of "The Girl Is Mine" featuring will.i.am, while Paul McCartney's vocals have been removed.[116]

Shortly after Thriller 25, Jackson is expected to release the comeback album he has been working on. There have been reports of collaborations with will.i.am,[117] Teddy Riley,[118] Akon,[117] Chris Brown, and 50 Cent.[117] Initially, it was thought that the Bahrain-based label Two Seas would release the album, but, in September 2006, it was made apparent that Jackson and Two Seas were no longer affiliated with each other.[119] Consequently, Jackson formed The Michael Jackson Company, Inc. which will oversee both his finances and the release of his new album.[119]

Influence

As the biggest solo star since Elvis Presley,[43] Jackson has had a notable impact on music and culture throughout the world while also tearing down social barriers and paving the way for modern pop music and the concept of the modern pop star in his own country.[8] He has been described as an "extremely important figure in the history of popular culture,"[120] a person with "planetary influence,"[8] and is one of the most famous living humans. Jackson holds the record as the most awarded recording artist in history.[citation needed] Throughout his four-decade career, he has received numerous honors and awards, including the World Music Award's Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium, the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award,[121] and the Bambi's Pop Artist of the Millennium Award.[122] He is a double-inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (once as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997 and as a solo artist in 2001)[67] and an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[123] He is characterized as "an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and loads of sheer star power".[5] In 1990, Vanity Fair magazine named him the "Most Popular Artist in the History of Show Business".[124] Jackson's work has influenced and spawned a whole generation of a wide variety of artists, including Mariah Carey,[125] Usher,[126] Britney Spears,[125] Justin Timberlake,[127] Omarion,[128] Ne-Yo,[129] and Chris Brown,[130] among others.

Music videos and MTV

Jackson is widely regarded as being the first artist to elevate music videos to a meaningful art form,[8] setting off new trends of story-telling, mini-movies, and choreographed dance sequences that dominate the genre to this day. The concept of the short film, epitomized by 1983's "Thriller" but also seen in other Jackson videos such as "Ghosts", "Bad", "Smooth Criminal", and "Remember the Time", would largely remain unique to him, but the group-scene dancing pioneered by "Beat It" and popularized by "Thriller" has been a staple of music videos ever since. The dance sequence from "Thriller" has captivated popular culture worldwide, being replicated everywhere from Indian movies to Western wedding ceremonies.[131][132]

Central to Michael Jackson’s success with music videos was the relatively young music channel MTV, created in 1981, which put Jackson’s videos in heavy rotation throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Before the fruitful relationship materialized, however, Jackson struggled against the channel to have his videos aired. In 1983, when Jackson released "Billie Jean", his first video from Thriller, MTV rarely aired videos by African-American performers and promptly refused Jackson’s requests for a running.[133] Upon hearing the news, CBS Records President Walter Yetnikoff became livid, denouncing MTV and warning, "I’m pulling everything we have off the air, all our product. I’m not going to give you any more videos. And I’m going to go public and fucking tell them about the fact you don’t want to play music by a black guy".[133] Yetnikoff's harsh stance and rhetoric worked; MTV retreated and started giving "Billie Jean" heavy coverage, laying the groundwork for a dynamic partnership with Jackson that would last for years.

MTV itself gives a different account of events. In the chapter "Michael and MTV" from MTV: The Making of a Revolution, Tom McGrath argues that MTV executives initially refused to play videos by black artists such as Rick James or Michael Jackson, because the executives believed that MTV was only a "rock" channel. After much protest and criticism from black artists, "on March 2, one week after the song hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, the "Billie Jean" video debuted on MTV." When MTV executives saw the "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" videos " they were absolutely floored by "Beat It."", with its choreography and dancing...." McGrath states that "Never before had there been a video like this one. Almost single-handedly, this shy former child star had taken the entire field of music video and lifted it up a notch artistically." [134] McGrath notes that MTV viewers generally felt that "these were the best they'd ever seen" and "were what video had the potential to become." He also points out that after the "Billie Jean" "video went on the air, the album began to sell at a remarkable eight hundred thousand copies per week." McGrath argues that at this point "Michael and MTV were both absolutely on fire"; however, the "two weren't competing with each other; they were helping each other." [135]

When the 14-minute long music video for "Thriller" came out in December 1983, it took MTV by storm, running as often as twice within an hour at its height. True to its name, the video also had the feeling of a psychological thriller, reportedly scaring viewers across the United States, especially young children. "Thriller" marked the beginning of a new era in music videos and is often cited as the greatest music video of all time.[5]

Michael Jackson is often credited for putting MTV, initially a struggling cable channel, on the map "with pioneering videos such as "Thriller", "Billie Jean", and "Beat It".[7] In response to Jackson's influence, MTV shifted its musical focus as time went on, going from rock videos to more and more pop and R&B showings.[1]

Jacksons roll as a stable continued well into the 1990s with videos such as "Black or White" which simultaneously premièred in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest viewing ever for a music video. It was first broadcast on MTV, BET, VH1, and FOX (after an episode of The Simpsons) on November 14 1991. Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton, and George Wendt. It helped usher in morphing as an important technology in music videos. The video was directed by John Landis, the same director as Thriller. [14] "Remember the Time" which was an elaborate production and became one of his longest videos at over 9 minutes. Set in ancient Egypt, it featured groundbreaking visual effects and appearances by Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Magic Johnson along with a distinct complex dance routine. "Scream" which is one of his most critically acclaimed winning three MTV awards in 1995 and a Grammy in 1996.[78] and is currently the most expensive music video ever made[136] and "Earth Song".

Legacy of Thriller

Released in 1982, Thriller became the most commercially successful album of all time and one of the most critically acclaimed, single-handedly transforming Jackson into his generation's Elvis or the Beatles and making him the "late 20th century's pre-eminent pop icon".[133] It remains Jackson's most celebrated musical achievement and has acquired a prominent position in American culture. In the 1980s, it was an indelible part of American life, as described by TIME magazine, "The numbers, which are incredible, are also becoming indelible. How many Beatles were there? How many homers did Babe Ruth hit? How many Grammy Awards did Michael Jackson win on Feb. 28? How many copies of Thriller have been sold? Well, the Grammys are easy".[43]

The second track released from the album and Jackson's highest-selling single ever, "Billie Jean", has been described as "one of the most sonically eccentric, psychologically fraught, downright bizarre things ever to land on Top 40 radio".[133] Jackson's earlier solo work in Off the Wall had revealed a disco-funk combination, but "Billie Jean," edged onwards by a "pulsing, cat-on-the-prowl bass figure, whip-crack downbeat and eerie multi-tracked vocals ricocheting in the vast spaces between keyboards and strings",[133] featured a new and revolutionary sound, one that made Jackson's idiosyncratic vocals a staple of pop music and established a sleek, post-soul tune "whose echoes can be heard to this day".[133] Apart from the title track and the accompanying music video, the album's other memorable single was "Beat It", which Jackson described as "the type of rock song that I would go out and buy, but also something totally different from the rock music I was hearing on Top Forty radio".[137] The song was a crossover hit, buoyed by a "watch-my-fingers-fly guitar solo provided by Eddie Van Halen".[137]

Apart from establishing Jackson's iconic status and a new pop sound, Thriller revolutionized the music industry - steadily breaking record after record. Gil Friesen, President of A&M Records, stated that "the whole industry has a stake in this success".[43] At its height, Thriller was an industry in and of itself, with the Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a videotape describing the secrets behind the new music video that was released in the Christmas of 1983, going on to sell 350,000 copies by March 1984.[43]

The main influence Thriller had on the industry involved raising the importance of the album as a means of musical distribution. With seven top ten Hot 100 hits, Thriller shattered traditional notions of how many singles an album could release before falling in popularity,[5] record companies took an interest in following Michael Jackson's approach of releasing high-profile albums once every few years. Although the importance of singles relative to albums had started to wane before the 1980s, Thriller firmly established the album as the dominant force in the music industry, a status it retains to this day.

Time magazine summed up the impact of Thriller as follows: "For a record industry stuck on the border between the ruins of punk and the chic regions of synthesizer pop, Thriller was a thorough restoration of confidence, a rejuvenation. Its effect on listeners, especially younger ones, was nearer to a revelation".[43] Additionally, Thriller marked the return of black music to commercial radio for the first time in years, leading Quincy Jones to the following characterization of the doors opened by Michael Jackson: "No doubt about it, he's taken us right up there where we belong. Black music had to play second fiddle for a long time, but its spirit is the whole motor of pop. Michael has connected with every soul in the world".[43] By overcoming what some have called the "apartheid of pop", Jackson paved the way for the success of future acts, most immediately and notably Prince, who had been confined to low levels of airplay before Thriller opened the floodgates.[138]

Style and performance

Among the most celebrated aspects of Jackson's career have been his dance, fashion, and vocal styles, which have given rise to impersonators all over the world. In 1984, TIME magazine wrote the following on the singer's notable style: "His high-flying tenor makes him sound like the lead in some funked-up boys choir, even as the sexual dynamism irradiating from the arch of his dancing body challenges Government standards for a nuclear meltdown. His lithe frame, five-fathom eyes, long lashes might be threatening if Jackson gave, even for a second, the impression that he is obtainable".[43]

Jackson's dancing abilities were always an important part of his life[neutrality is disputed], and ones that he honed through constant training and dedication, manifested, according to Time, by "[shutting] himself up at the house in a room that has no mirrors—"Mirrors make you pose," he has said—and [cutting] loose to his own music or to the Isley Brothers' Showdown, practicing what Dancer Hinton Battle calls "moves that kill. It's the combinations that really distinguish him as an artist. Spin, stop, pull up leg, pull jacket open, turn, freeze. And the glide, where he steps forward while pushing back. Spinning three times and popping up on his toes. That's a trademark, and a move a lot of professionals wouldn't try. If you go up wrong, you can really hurt yourself".[43] Jackson has been described as an "avant-garde dancer" that allowed his techniques to acquire meaning through the "theatrical context" surrounding them.[139] His dancing abilities, sometimes compared to past greats like Fred Astaire and Rudolf Nureyev,[120] have contributed strongly to his perceived status as one of the greatest performers of all time.

Jackson's "Billie Jean" outing at Motown 25 on May 16, 1983 is widely regarded as one of the greatest performances of all time. More than 50 million viewers tuned in to see the special and Jackson perform his most popular song at the time.[133] It marked a new height in his popularity, pushed forward by the moonwalk. The moonwalk became Jackson's signature dance move and he would replicate it in all future performances of "Billie Jean." Jackson did not invent the move, but he was responsible for perfecting it, making it a household name, and enshrining it into the psyche of American culture, which witnessed kids and people of all age groups trying to do the move after the Motown special as well as earning a fitting peroration from the The New York Times: "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing".[139] In the 1990's, Jackson experimented with an innovative 'leaning' move in his music video performances for which he was granted U.S. Patent 5,255,452[140].

Jackson's outfits have been central components of his image. He famously wore a sequined white glove, which has led to some dubbing him as "The Gloved One". The jacket in the "Thriller" music video, designed by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, is on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The flooded pants and the "Jheri-curled hair and single-gloved, zippered-jacket look" became a favorite for many people across the United States in the 1980s.[141] Jackson has also made the fedora hat something of a trademark in his exhibitions, and many modern artists pay tribute to the look. The pants have also been a well known trademark of Jackson's. In most music videos since "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", Jackson has worn flooded pants exposing his white socks and black loafers.[citation needed]} It was once said that he adopted that style to make his footwork more noticeable, other sources claimed that he was imitating some of the well known male Motown acts of 60's who wore pants that seemed too short or too small.[citation needed] He has also worn sparkled variations on the matching glove-socks look.[citation needed]

Themes and genres

Michael Jackson's musical palette has covered everything from disco and pop to rock and R&B. Jackson's musical themes have been equally varied, featuring material on typical pop subjects like love and joy as well as more mature works on social justice and his convoluted relationship with the media. Jackson's solo career with Motown in the 1970s was largely unimaginative, dominated as it was by label-backed songwriters and producers intent on giving the young performer typical ballads and other similarly-styled melodious tracks. In his two-decade career with Epic, however, Jackson displayed extensive creativity, gradually evolving from compositions with mild, non-controversial messages to songs dealing with increasingly solemn and darker themes, a reflection of his personal struggles and his status as an international icon.[142]

Off the Wall and Thriller showcased a Michael Jackson primarily focused on making dance hits and ballads with catchy tunes and rhythms. While this preoccupation would continue in his future work, it would also be colored by various shifts and improvisations. Even in this early material, however, Jackson displayed notable paradoxes, mixing the melodious and comfortable sounds of "Lady in My Life" with the haunting and terrorized environments of "Billie Jean" and "Beat It", where women accused him of fathering their children and the outside world seemed strange and hostile.[143] Bad was accused by some of not delivering the exciting lyrics evident in Thriller, being more intent on consolidating a traditional pop sound and defeating the records of Jackson's previous releases.[143] The album left clues for future projects, however, mentioning in the tense intro to "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" that "A lot of people misunderstand me....because they don't know me at all".[143] Bad included Jackson's first major inspirational song, "Man in the Mirror", which was praised for its message and captivating sound and also criticized as, among other things, "pure pabulum."[143]

Jackson's work in the 1990s was characterized by more introspective material. Some have argued that the Dangerous album represented Jackson at a "near peak" in terms of musical quality and creativity[144] and received more critical acclaim than his previous Bad album.[145] Several things remained the same, with the title track to Dangerous ensuring another song about a "predatory lover".[146] More and more of Jackson's music in the decade, like "Black or White", "Heal the World", "They Don't Care About Us", and "Earth Song", started addressing sociopolitical issues around the world. The music in Dangerous, described as a "a sonic machine world" with "synthetic basslines, swooshing scratched records, [and] clanking metallic noises", reflected old influences while absorbing new trends, made all the more pressing by Jackson's habit of releasing albums once every four or so years, time periods that allowed for significant development in the sound of pop music.[146]

HIStory, arguably Jackson's most conflictive album, revealed a "furious" pop icon worn by years of superstardom,[142] with Jon Pareles of the The New York Times writing that "It has been a long time since Michael Jackson was simply a performer. He's the main asset of his own corporation, which is a profitable subsidiary of Sony".[142] The album featured Jackson using profanity and other controversial lyrics, which forced him to modify some of the words to "They Don't Care About Us". Edged onwards by a quasi-messianic flair, he also railed against the media in "Tabloid Junkie", singing, "With your pen you torture me/You'd crucify the Lord" and that "Just because you read it in a magazine/ Or see it on a TV screen/ Don't make it factual".[142] HIStory mostly encompassed reflective compositions, presenting only one conventional love song, "You Are Not Alone".[142]

Personal life

Michael Jackson's personal life has been under the spotlight for decades. His marriages, children, physical appearance, humanitarian efforts, and accusations of child molestation have all received considerable media coverage world-wide.

Marriages and children

Michael Jackson with his children in Disneyland Paris in 2006

Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, in 1994. Presley maintained during their marriage that they shared a married couple's life and were sexually active.[147] They divorced less than two years later, although still remain friends.[148] Jackson's second wife, Debbie Rowe, spoke about the couple's post-marriage friendship amidst "stories about Michael having an affair with his ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley",[148] saying that: "They have a relationship, and what people don't understand is his relationship with her is separate from his relationship with me. They're friends, they're very good friends... [and] I am glad that they have a relationship together. I am glad to see them together; they have a lot in common."[148]

On November 14, 1996, during the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married his dermatologist's nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe, with whom he fathered a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (also known as "Prince"), and a daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson. Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999. Jackson later said that Rowe wanted him to have the children as a "gift".[149] The paternity of Michael Jackson's children has been heavily debated by the public.[neutrality is disputed] Both Jackson and Rowe have always maintained that his first two children were conceived naturally.[citation needed]

In November 2002, Jackson traveled to Berlin to accept an award for his humanitarian efforts. He was surrounded by fans outside his room at the Hotel Adlon who were chanting in approval of the singer. According to the pop star, they also called out to see his baby. In response, Jackson brought his son onto the balcony, holding him in his right arm with a cloth loosely draped over the baby's face in order to protect his identity from the media. Jackson briefly extended the baby over the railing of the balcony. This raised concern as some perceived his actions as child endangerment, although Jackson has vehemently denied these accusations saying that he was holding the baby tightly. Jackson said that the media was wrong in their comments about him being irresponsible with his children, "I love my children," he explained. "I was holding my son tight. Why would I throw a baby off the balcony? That's the dumbest, stupidest story I ever heard."[150]

The controversial documentary Living with Michael Jackson aired in February 2003 in the UK (on the 3rd), and in the U.S. February 6, 2003. The documentary included interviews with Jackson which included information on his private life.[151] British journalist Martin Bashir and his film crew filmed Jackson for 18 months, also capturing his controversial behavior in Berlin. One particular part of the documentary, which stirred controversy and raised a significant level of concern, showed Jackson holding hands with a then 13-year-old cancer victim Gavin Arviso, and admitting to sharing his bedroom with him (but not in the same bed) as well as sharing his bed (non-sexually) with other children.

Jackson felt betrayed by Bashir and complained that the film gives a distorted picture.[152] In response to the media scrutiny, two specials were aired: Michael Jackson: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See and Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies.[153] Michael Jackson: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See which aired later in February showed uncut footage of the Living with Michael Jackson documentary. The Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies aired in April was a 2-hour special with footage of Michael Jackson's home videos and included commentary by Jackson.

Humanitarian efforts

Jackson began his charity work in 1981 with his brothers following the Triumph tour where they raised $100,000 for the Atlanta Children’s Foundation.[154] In 1984, following his burning accident with Pepsi the drinks manufacture gave Jackson a $1.5 million out of court settlement which he donated to the Michael Jackson Burn Centre set up in his Honour.[155] In July 1984 he donated his $5million share from the Victory tour to charity.[155] In 1985 Jackson co-wrote with Lionel Richie the hit song "We Are the World", and sung a featured solo on the charity single. The record helped to raise money and awareness for the famine in East Africa and was one of the first instances where Jackson was seen as a humanitarian. All profits from his 1988 hit single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.[156]

From 1985–1990 Jackson had donated $500,000 to the United Negro College.[157] In 1992, Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation" (named after his humanitarian single "Heal the World"). The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's Neverland Ranch, located outside Santa Ynez, California, to go on theme park rides which Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it in 1988. All profits from the Dangerous World Tour went to his foundation raising many millions of dollars in relief. Jacksons 1995 international #1 hit Earth Song showed a shift in his concerns to environmental issues and ends with a disclaimer asking for donations for his "Heal the World Foundation". In 1998 Jackson was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.[18]

In late 2002, Jackson's Heal the World Foundation had net assets of just US$3,542 and reported $2,585 in expenses, mostly for management fees. The foundation was suspended in California since April 2002 for supposedly failing to file annual statements required of tax-exempt organizations, according to John Barrett, spokesman for the state Franchise Tax Board. The "Heal the World Foundation spread millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war and disease," thanks to the efforts of Michael Jackson, but the forced closure of the Foundation leaves many of these children without aid.[158] At the World Music Awards in 2006 Beyonce announced that Jackson had given $300 million to charity.[159](more than any other celebrity apart from Oprah Winfrey)[160] and that Jackson has been actively involved with 39 charity organizations around the world.[161]

Physical appearance

File:MJcopyright free.jpg
Michael Jackson after being acquitted on child molestation charges on June 13th 2005.

Jackson's skin was a medium-brown color for the entire duration of his youth, but starting in 1982 his skin gradually became paler. This change became so noticeable that it gained widespread media coverage, with some media outlets claiming that he was bleaching his skin. The structure of his face has changed as well, and several surgeons have speculated that Jackson has undergone multiple nasal surgeries as well as a forehead lift, thinned lips and cheekbone surgery.[162]

Appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1993, Jackson addressed the rumors claiming that the change in his skin color was due to the disease vitiligo.[163] In the interview, Jackson became emotional, saying that: "I'm a black American, I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity... I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of my skin, it's something that I cannot help, OK? But when people make up stories that I don't want to be what I am it hurts me... It's a problem for me that I can't control."[163] Jackson also responded to tabloid rumors about the amount of plastic surgery he had had done, insisting that he's had "Very, very little. I mean you can count on my two fingers," and furthermore said that "I've never had my cheekbones done, never had my eyes done, never had my lips done and all this stuff, they just go too far."[163] These assertions echoed what Jackson wrote in his 1988 autobiography Moon Walk: that he only had two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin. In the book, he attributed the noticeable change in the structure of his face to puberty and diet.[164][page needed] Despite Jackson's protests, some news sources, particularly tabloid newspapers, have pointedly continued to express skepticism about his claims.[165]

Child molestation charges

Main article: People v. Jackson

"If a man could say nothing against a character but what he can prove, history could not be written."[166]

— This quotation from the British author Samuel Johnson was cited in a statement by Michael Jackson released by People magazine, 1988
Fans protest Jackson's innocence in Amsterdam, 2004

Jackson was reported to be allowing children to sleepover at his Neverland ranch. This practice came under much media and public scrutiny, in 1993, when child molestation allegations were brought against Jackson by a child who had stayed with him on several occasions. That year, Jordan Chandler, the son of former Beverly Hills dentist Evan Chandler, represented by civil lawyer Larry Feldman, accused Jackson of child sexual abuse. On December 22, Jackson responded to the allegations via satellite from his Neverland compound and claimed to be "totally innocent of any wrongdoing". On January 25 1994, Jackson settled out of court with the accuser for an undisclosed sum, reported to be US$20 million. The family dropped the charges.[167]

I have spent my entire life helping millions of children across the world. I would never harm a child. It is unfortunate that some individuals have seen fit to come forward and make a complaint that is completely false. Years ago, I settled with certain individuals because I was concerned about my family and the media scrutiny that would have ensued if I fought the matter in court. These people wanted to exploit my concern for children by threatening to destroy what I believe in and what I do. I have been a vulnerable target for those who want money.[168]

— Michael Jackson

On December 18 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent in order to commit that felony, all regarding the same boy, (Gavin Arvizo), under 14. The felony complaint stated that Jackson had committed seven lewd acts and two acts of administration of an intoxicating agent to enable the former accusations. Jackson denied these allegations, saying that the sleepovers were in no way sexual in nature. Jackson's friend, Elizabeth Taylor, defended him on Larry King Live, saying that she had been there when they "were in the bed, watching television. There was nothing abnormal about it. There was no touchy-feely going on. We laughed like children, and we watched a lot of Walt Disney. There was nothing odd about it."[169]

The People v. Jackson trial began in Santa Maria, California, on January 31, 2005, and lasted until the end of May 2005, with Jackson being acquitted on all counts in June. It was one of the largest and most documented trials in world history. About 2,200 media credentials to over 30 news organizations from around the world were issued to cover the trial, more than what was given for the trials of O. J. Simpson and Scott Peterson combined.[1] Jackson's popularity outside the United States ensured a distinctly international crowd of reporters.[1] On top of the media, Santa Maria was also flooded with Jackson fans, 1,200 of whom heard and celebrated the ten not guilty verdicts right outside the courthouse.[170]

The District Attorney of Santa Barbara County in California, Tom Sneddon, has led two efforts against Jackson involving child molestation.[171] The first incident, in 1993, resulted in no charges and the second, at the end of 2003, culminated in a trial two years later in which Jackson was acquitted on all counts. These repeated prosecutions have led to suggestions that Sneddon was motivated by a "mission" or "vendetta" against Jackson. Although Sneddon has a good track record, evidence to support Jackson's claim is quite strong, as Sneddon joked about Jackson's greatest hits album being released on the same day as his arrest, called him "Wacko Jacko" and also shouted "we got him, we finally got him" to the world media when he had at the time minimal evidence.[172][173][20]

Finances

Music catalogs and loans

Michael Jackson purchased ownership in ATV Music Publishing in 1985, which owns the publishing rights to songs written by The Beatles and many other acts. Paul McCartney of The Beatles, who had also recorded with Jackson, was reportedly angered by the 'surprise' purchase, and this led to the two becoming estranged.[citation needed]

In 1995, Jackson and Sony Music Publishing merged their two catalogues to create Sony-ATV. Jackson's 50% interest in the company (Sony Music Entertainment owns the other half) is estimated to be worth USD $500 million. Jackson also owns his own music catalogue called MiJac Publishing, which contains all of his songs and songs from Sly & the Family Stone.[174]

Over the past 10 years, Jackson has secured two loans for USD $200 million and USD $70 million. The USD $200 million loan was secured by using Jackson's share of the Sony-ATV Catalogue as collateral. He later secured the USD $70 million loan by using his MiJac Catalogue as collateral. However, because of his declining sales, his MiJac Catalogue's value declined to under USD $100 million, therefore he was forced to use his Neverland Ranch and Hayvenhurst as added collateral to keep the loan.[citation needed]

In April 2005, Bank of America sold the loan to Fortress Investments. Jackson continued to miss payments on the loan, and as of December 20, 2005, Fortress had the right to foreclose on the loan, allowing Sony Music the first right to buy Jackson's share of the loan. However, Fortress extended the loan, allowing Jackson time to get money together.[citation needed]

In a move named by Jackson's advisors as "refinancing," it was announced on April 14, 2006 that Jackson had struck a deal with Sony and Fortress Investments. In the deal Sony may be allowed to take control of half of Jackson's 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing (worth an estimated $1 billion) which Jackson co-owns. Jackson would be left with 25% of the catalogue, with the rest belonging to Sony.[citation needed]

In exchange, Sony negotiated with a loans company on behalf of Jackson. Jackson's $200m in loans were due in December 2005 and were secured on the catalogue. Jackson failed to pay and Bank of America sold them to Fortress Investments, a company dealing in distressed loans. However, Jackson has not as yet sold any of the remainder of his stake. The possible purchase by Sony of 25% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a conditional option; it is assumed the singer will try to avoid having to sell part of the catalogue of songs including material by other artists such as Bob Dylan and Destiny's Child. As another part of the deal Jackson was given a new $300 million loan, and a lower interest rate on the old loan to match the original Bank of America rate. When the loan was sold to Fortress Investments they increased the interest rate to 20%.[175] None of the details are officially confirmed.[citation needed] An advisor to Jackson, however, did publicly announce he had "restructured his finances with the assistance of Sony."[176]

Michael Jackson owes a $5 million interest payment to Fortress Trust, the publicly traded hedge fund that bought his $272 million loan from Bank of America in April 2005 (the loan has been refinanced to $325 million by Fortress). The payment is due on Oct. 31, 2007.[177]

Neverland Ranch employees

On March 9, 2006, California state labor officials closed the singer's Neverland Ranch and fined him $69,000 for failure to provide employment insurance. The state "stop order" bars Jackson from "using any employee labor" until he secured required workers' compensation insurance. In addition to being fined $1,000 for each of his 69 workers, Jackson is liable for up to 10 days pay for those employees who now are no longer allowed to report to Neverland for work.[178] Thirty Neverland employees have also sued Jackson for $306,000 in unpaid wages.[179]

Soon after this payment, Jackson's spokesperson announced on March 16, 2006 that Jackson was closing his house at Neverland and had laid off some of the employees but added that reports of the closing of the entire ranch were inaccurate.[180]

F. Marc Schaffel

On July 14 2006, the jury awarded Schaffel $900,000 of the original $3.8 million he sued Jackson for, which Schaffel later reduced to $1.6 million, and finally to $1.4 million.[181] The jury also awarded Jackson $200,000 plus interest of the $660,000 that Jackson claimed he was owed by Schaffel"[182].

Prescient Acquisition Group

On July 31 2006, a federal judge allowed a $48 million claim against Jackson and one of Jackson's trusts (MJ Publishing Trust) for unpaid fees and breach of contract. Prescient Acquisition Group claimed the singer owed fees for the company's help in refinancing his debts and claiming a larger stake in a library of Beatles songs. All parties were ordered to reappear in court in September.[183]

Discography

Main articles: Michael Jackson album discography and Michael Jackson singles discography

Filmography

Main article: Michael Jackson filmography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Media go into MJ Overdrive". usatoday.com. Retrieved 2007-08-09. Cite error: The named reference "USATODAY" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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  113. ^ Michael Jackson - “L’uomo Vogue” October 2007
  114. ^ MORE PICS OF MICHAEL JACKSON FROM EBONY MAGAZINE!!
  115. ^ Kanye, Akon Help Jackson Revisit 'Thriller'
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  149. ^ Jackson, Michael (February 3 2003). (Interview). Interviewed by Martin Bashir http://www.mjshouse.com/stories/living_with_mj_transcript.html. {{cite interview}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |callsign=, |subjectlink=, and |city= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |program= ignored (help)
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  154. ^ Off The Wall Era
  155. ^ a b Taraborrelli, J. Randy (1991). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 1-55972-064-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  156. ^ 50 Facts about Michael and his famous family
  157. ^ Blacks who give something back; more and more celebrities are establishing foundations for serious philanthropy
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  159. ^ Michael Jackson On WMA 2006 Earls Court
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  164. ^ Jackson, Michael (1988). Moonwalk. Doubleday. ISBN 0-434-37042-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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  178. ^ "Workers Barred From Neverland". The Smoking Gun. March 9 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  179. ^ "Demand of Payment of Wages and Penalties Under the Labor Code". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
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  182. ^ "Split Decision In Michael Jackson Trial". ABC7. July 15 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  183. ^ Reuters (August 1 2006). "News: NY lawsuit against Michael Jackson trust goes ahead". Michael Jackson The King of Pop. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  184. ^ "The Jackson TV Show". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
  185. ^ "The Simpsons: Stark Raving Dad". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-11-21.

Further reading

  • Jackson, Michael (1988). Moonwalk. Doubleday. ISBN 0-434-37042-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Taraborrelli, J. Randy (1991). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 1-55972-064-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Jackson, Michael (1992). Dancing The Dream. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-40368-2. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Grant, Adrian (1994, 1997, 2002 and 2005). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-432-2. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Noonan, Damien (1994). Michael Jackson. Carlton Books. ISBN 1-85797-587-1. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Jackson, Michael (2006). My World, The Official Photobook, Vol. 1. Triumph International. ISBN 0-9768891-1-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Michael Jackson.
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