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
February 28, 2009
February 18, 2009
Jackson Residency; The Times Jumps Onboard
Last night the Newshound brought you news of a potential Michael Jackson residency at London's O2 arena. The Times has today confirmed that AEG believe they are on the verge of announcing a Jackson residency in July.
According to the article, news of this residency was leaked on 'Twitter' by a celebrity PR called Mark Borkowski.
In 2001 Jackson visited London to launch a new charity, hiring Borkowski to handle the PR. As such, it is possible that Jackson has asked Borkowski to handle his London PR again. But the Newshound can't help but wonder why...
The 2001 visit descended into a farce. Jackson, looking like a china doll in a bad hairpiece, hobbled into the Oxford Union with a broken ankle and gave a heartfelt speech announcing his new charity, 'Heal The Kids'. The following day, the press ran with sneering headlines pertaining to Jackson and children, cruelly portraying a charitable gesture as an elaborate grooming ritual.
On the same trip Jackson privately visited Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he donated hundreds of toys, read stories to sick children and handed out concert tickets. The media picked up on the story and, the following day, ran with the angle that Jackson had shown up late to the hospital and spent barely any time with the children, callously using them as a publicity stunt to boost his own reputation. This angle was not only spiteful, but also entirely fictitious.
Jackson left London with his tail between his legs, having been made to feel guilty for his selflessness.In Borkowski's defence, the British media's animosity towards Jackson is difficult to contain, even for the most skilled of PR workers. Borkowski was rumoured to have also handled Jackson's British PR work in the wake of Martin Bashir's 'Living with Michael Jackson', which must have been a thankless task.
Returning to the subject of the rumoured residency, The Times claims that any performances by Jackson will likely rely on 'Britney-style vocal enhancements'. In other words, they will be mimed. This is unsurprising. When Jackson embarked on his 1996/7 HIStory Tour, the only live vocals - bar the odd ad-lib - were reserved for 'Wanna Be Startin Somethin' and a lackluster Jackson 5 medley. Across each two-hour concert, ticketholders were treated to approximately ten minutes of singing.
Fans on Jackson websites have long urged the singer to look to his idol, James Brown, and his greatest contemporary rival, Prince, for inspiration when it comes to planning new shows. Rather than sacrificing live vocals in an attempt to out-dance his previous concerts, they say he should slow down and pace himself. It seems Jackson has half taken their advice - The Times suggests that although Jackson will indeed cut back on his dancing, he will mime the concerts anyway.
Fans are already threatening to picket the concerts and demand refunds if Jackson is caught miming in London.
This is all presuming Jackson actually performs the residency. As The Times says, a week is a long time in the world of Michael Jackson. Even if the star has decided to perform in July, tomorrow he may decide not to. The star is changeable - a law unto himself. He thinks little of signing a contract to perform a series of concerts, then backing out with no explanation. Just ask Marcel Avram...
In 1999 Avram, a concert promoter, signed Jackson to perform two millennium concerts. He spent millions of dollars organising and promoting the shows only to discover that - despite having signed a contract - Jackson no longer had any intention of staging the concerts. It took almost three years and a lengthy court case before Jackson was ordered to reimburse Avram for his outgoings. The star never offered a legitimate reason for his failure to perform on those evenings.
The Newshound remains doubtful that this residency will ever come to fruition. Jackson is a loose cannon. He has lost his passion for his art - it has been beaten out of him by years of abuse and mockery at the hands of the media, and years of back-stabbing by those he held dear. His only pleasure in life today is travelling the world with his children. It will only be his desire to fund this extended holiday that has inspired him to ink any performance contract.
What AEG must now bank on - if indeed this contract has been signed - is that Jackson won't disappear with the advance.
Mahalo!
The Lowly Newshound
According to the article, news of this residency was leaked on 'Twitter' by a celebrity PR called Mark Borkowski.
In 2001 Jackson visited London to launch a new charity, hiring Borkowski to handle the PR. As such, it is possible that Jackson has asked Borkowski to handle his London PR again. But the Newshound can't help but wonder why...
The 2001 visit descended into a farce. Jackson, looking like a china doll in a bad hairpiece, hobbled into the Oxford Union with a broken ankle and gave a heartfelt speech announcing his new charity, 'Heal The Kids'. The following day, the press ran with sneering headlines pertaining to Jackson and children, cruelly portraying a charitable gesture as an elaborate grooming ritual.
On the same trip Jackson privately visited Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he donated hundreds of toys, read stories to sick children and handed out concert tickets. The media picked up on the story and, the following day, ran with the angle that Jackson had shown up late to the hospital and spent barely any time with the children, callously using them as a publicity stunt to boost his own reputation. This angle was not only spiteful, but also entirely fictitious.
Jackson left London with his tail between his legs, having been made to feel guilty for his selflessness.In Borkowski's defence, the British media's animosity towards Jackson is difficult to contain, even for the most skilled of PR workers. Borkowski was rumoured to have also handled Jackson's British PR work in the wake of Martin Bashir's 'Living with Michael Jackson', which must have been a thankless task.
Returning to the subject of the rumoured residency, The Times claims that any performances by Jackson will likely rely on 'Britney-style vocal enhancements'. In other words, they will be mimed. This is unsurprising. When Jackson embarked on his 1996/7 HIStory Tour, the only live vocals - bar the odd ad-lib - were reserved for 'Wanna Be Startin Somethin' and a lackluster Jackson 5 medley. Across each two-hour concert, ticketholders were treated to approximately ten minutes of singing.
Fans on Jackson websites have long urged the singer to look to his idol, James Brown, and his greatest contemporary rival, Prince, for inspiration when it comes to planning new shows. Rather than sacrificing live vocals in an attempt to out-dance his previous concerts, they say he should slow down and pace himself. It seems Jackson has half taken their advice - The Times suggests that although Jackson will indeed cut back on his dancing, he will mime the concerts anyway.
Fans are already threatening to picket the concerts and demand refunds if Jackson is caught miming in London.
This is all presuming Jackson actually performs the residency. As The Times says, a week is a long time in the world of Michael Jackson. Even if the star has decided to perform in July, tomorrow he may decide not to. The star is changeable - a law unto himself. He thinks little of signing a contract to perform a series of concerts, then backing out with no explanation. Just ask Marcel Avram...
In 1999 Avram, a concert promoter, signed Jackson to perform two millennium concerts. He spent millions of dollars organising and promoting the shows only to discover that - despite having signed a contract - Jackson no longer had any intention of staging the concerts. It took almost three years and a lengthy court case before Jackson was ordered to reimburse Avram for his outgoings. The star never offered a legitimate reason for his failure to perform on those evenings.
The Newshound remains doubtful that this residency will ever come to fruition. Jackson is a loose cannon. He has lost his passion for his art - it has been beaten out of him by years of abuse and mockery at the hands of the media, and years of back-stabbing by those he held dear. His only pleasure in life today is travelling the world with his children. It will only be his desire to fund this extended holiday that has inspired him to ink any performance contract.
What AEG must now bank on - if indeed this contract has been signed - is that Jackson won't disappear with the advance.
Mahalo!
The Lowly Newshound
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