Sad but predictable news has reached the Newshound that Michael Jackson's O2 negotiations have faltered for a third time.
Selected staff at Sony BMG's London HQ had been briefed that Jackson would announce details of his O2 residency on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, staff at the O2 arena were told over a week ago that the residency would be announced in a press conference on either Wednesday or Thursday of this week.
By midday on Thursday there was confusion at Sony HQ as to why the announcement had not been made. However, staff were reassured that the announcement would be made by the end of the day.
The announcement never came.
The Newshound is now hearing whispers that Jackson has fired Peter Lopez, the star's music lawyer of several years. Lopez had been representing Jackson in negotiations surrounding the residency since they began in 2007.Rumours of the lawyer's dismissal are as yet unconfirmed and the reasons behind the alleged dismissal remain unclear.
The Newshound, however, will be so bold as to venture that should these rumours prove true, there is just one reason behind the decision.
Jackson is extremely work shy and has been since the late ninties. In 1999 the star signed contracts to perform two concerts at the turn of the millennium. However, Jackson failed to perform those concerts and never offered a legitimate reason as to why.
Jackson approached his next studio album, Invincible, so lazily that Sony rejected it in its original state. Insiders claim that Jackson was so addicted to alcohol and painkillers that friends and colleagues feared for his life. The star reportedly had no interest in the project, earning most of his songwriting credits by changing occasional words in other people's compositions.
Prior to the album's release, Jackson performed two largely mimed concerts in New York, infuriating producer David Gest by showing up high on painkillers.
The star went on to record one music video for Invincible but shunned all subsequent promotion, branding his record company 'racist'.
Later, in a 2003 television special, the star declared that he hated touring.
In late 2003 Jackson struck a peace deal with Sony, agreeing to embark on a short European tour to promote his 'Number Ones' compilation album. However, it is worth noting that although Jackson technically agreed to the tour, he had already got wind of an impending child abuse allegation and hired Mark Geragos as his defence lawyer. As such, it could be the case that Jackson knew he would never have to fulfill that particular obligation.
Since his child molestation trial Jackson has promised charity singles, a music video and an album - and, more recently, claimed to be 'finalising' TV specials and a world tour. To date none of these projects, some of which date back to 2005, have ever seen the light of day.
No evidence exists to suggest that the star has completed any work on his new record apart from a lackluster duet with Akon, featuring a vocal so half-hearted that Jackson could have recorded it in under an hour.
Jackson displayed further laziness early last year when he reneged on a deal with Sony to promote 'Thriller 25' at the Grammy Awards. The star was due to perform a live medley and then complete a backstage interview for the promotional podcast series known as the 'Thrillercasts'.
Jackson angered Sony by failing to complete either activity and enraged Grammy organisers to such an extent that they cancelled an 'all-star salute to the King of Pop', despite having already advertised it on national television.
Sony sources also told the Newshound in late 2007 that Jackson had recently backed out of an X Factor appearance, claiming he had done so because the press had 'ruined the surprise'.
During the last 18 months Jackson has become involved in serious discussions with AEG Live - promoters for the O2 arena - on three separate occasions; once in late 2007, once in early 2008 and once during the last fortnight.
It seems that firing Peter Lopez could be Jackson's way of backing out for a third time, effectively killing the negotiations by removing his only point of contact. This would be typical of Jackson's cowardly approach to dealing with problems, which tends to consist of either running away and leaving somebody else to clear up his mess or trying to place the blame on a third party. Or, quite often, both.
However, speculation is rife that the O2 has already booked dates for Jackson's residency, with no concerts currently being marketed between July 6th and August 5th. Rumour also suggests that some papers could already have been signed, which - if true - could leave Jackson fighting one of the most intense legal battles of his career.
The future of Jackson's O2 residency is unclear. The only certainty is that Sony employees and O2 employees were expecting an announcement on Wednesday or Thursday. That announcement never came. At the same time, the steady stream of leaked information has once again dried up, suggesting that negotiations have ceased.
More as and if the Newshound hears it.
Mahalo!
The Lowly Newshound
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