A Speech MJ made about Tommy Mottola

The date of this speech was July 6, 2002. The 7/7/02 will was made the next day... interesting.
 
Wow. I was JUST about to start a thread on this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIb9PFrmCT4&feature=player_embedded

The last time that I tried to watch this tape, it wouldn't run because so many people were trying to watch this right after MJ's death.

Someone wrote this in a blog days after MJ died:

Michael Jackson lived his whole life surrounded by vipers. They would set him up in compromising positions, have a series of families of 'victims' sue him, portray him in the mass media as a serial pedophile thus denying him any defense (of course, even with all the negative publicity, the families kept sending the children over), force him to settle the lawsuits, and then lend him the money to pay them, all on the security of his once considerable assets. This process of stealing his money went on for years, until there was nothing left to steal. They then came up with the idea of having the frail Jackson pay everything off with a huge concert tour, one that neither they nor Jackson thought he could physically survive. If he didn't do it, they would seize all his assets and ruin him. Essentially, they decided to go for the age-old solution, the pound of flesh. Jackson would pay them off with his life.

Due to his many health scares, it became impossible to insure Jackson for the tour, particularly when the shysters got greedy and vastly extended the tour, so the promoters had to 'self-insure', meaning they would take all the risk if Jackson in fact couldn't finish the tour. As everybody knew he wouldn't be able to survive the tour, this was unacceptable, and Jackson became more valuable dead than alive. Alive, he would just create more debt to be shared amongst the creditors, with no more assets to pay them off. Dead before the tour, the banksters could divvy up his tangible assets and use his preexisting insurance to cover the rest (they almost certainly had insurance on his life as security for their loans).

I was told once, a long time ago, that MJ stopped touring on the 1988 Bad Tour because he found out that he was being robbed blind. I don't know how true that is. But if you look at this tape on MJ, he makes some compelling points:

  • That one of the things James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and others had in common was their passion for their craft, but in the end, each didn't have much to show for it;
  • That he had made several BILLIONS of dollars for Sony over the years;
  • That they, Sony, thought that he was just an artist who only paid attention to his art, but that they were wrong. They didn't count on him being able to THINK.
In the grand scheme of things, thinking at such a high profile level can be rather dangerous. For years, Dick Gregory has always said that MJ's troubles began and ended with that damn catalog. MJ made a point in that tape back in 2002 of saying that he was a free agent and that he was taking half of Sony [ATV/Sony publishing] with him.

That was in 2002.

In 2003, the Martin Bashir interview came out that was the beginning of a downward spiral that MJ never seemed to recover from.

Prior to the 1993 allegations breaking, MJ sat down and opened his secret NLVR world up to Oprah Winfrey to a 30 ratings point share for ABC. As many people watched that interview as they do the Super Bowl in the United States.

As depicted in the Malcolm X movie "That's too much power for one man to have"...

If Michael Jackson had ever chosen to speak out on global warming beyond the artistry of the 'Earth Song', or the Middle East war, think of just how much of a threat he would have been to other interests.

Instead, he spoke up and spoke out about the not so pretty under workings of the recording industry.

And unlike Prince, who once wrote 'Slave' on the side of his face during his battles with Warner Bros. Records (Londell McMillan was his lawyer during those days) or Mariah Carey who had a nerve breakdown dealing with the likes of her ex -- Tommy Mottola, MJ had a big chip in Sony's game.

He owned something that usually only corporations own and that's a major music publishing empire.

And like the days when he would stand against Papa Joe and threaten not to perform when Joe was being mean -- he said 'no more' to Sony and threatened to walk out of the door.

As he prepared to show his stuff as a new free agent, DA Tom Sneddon raided his NLVR home yet again (in 2003) and this time, he was armed with a change in California's state law to ensure that MJ stands trial.

Arrested and booked in 2003 with a 3 million dollar bond (3x higher than they give to someone charged with murder), and the surrender of his passport, MJ's business world came to an abrupt halt. He wasn't even able to travel overseas to make money if he could.

He couldn't go anywhere or do anything. No one would touch him and no one was even trying to work with him. It's enough to break the strongest of people who have been thru the dance once before.

During the 2005 trial, interesting tidbits emerged about some of the players in MJ's world:

Testimony of LeGrand, cross examination by Thomas Meseareau:

1 Q. BY MR. MESEREAU: And at times Mr. Jackson

2 and Sony would have business discussions about their

3 respective ownership interests in the catalog,

4 right?

5 A. I was never privy to those discussions. It

6 would certainly seem that they would occur, but I

7 don’t have actual knowledge of that.

8 Q. But you were aware that negotiations went on

9 from time to time between representatives of Michael

10 Jackson and representatives of Sony about their

11 respective interests in that music catalog, right?

12 A. Well, absolutely, yes, because I obtained

13 files from the Ziffren law firm evidencing the

14 Ziffren law firm and Mr. Branca’s representing Mr.

15 Jackson in just such discussions over a period of

16 time.

17 Q. And just to clarify, Mr. Branca was a

18 partner at the Ziffren law firm in Los Angeles,

19 correct?

20 A. Yes.


21 Q. That firm also represented Sony, correct?

22 A. I believe the answer is correct. Yes.


LeGrand went on to testify that during his employ under MJ that a PI was hired to investigate a number of individuals who were around MJ at that time and that while some evidence was uncovered that Sony may have been sending money to an off-shore account to John Branca, it was never verified.

MJ once told the Rev. Jessie Jackson (3/27/05) that there was a conspiracy all around him:

JJ: Good. Good. But you know Michael, in this life, they say some rain must fall and you’ve had these seasons of just ahem, tailwinds like pushing you forward. But life is of such that’s not a straight line, ah, some argue you either in a storm, or you are just leaving a storm, and going to a storm and it’s not difficult to handle the sunshine of bright skies, tailwinds days, but then these headwinds come that kind of uh, test what you really are made of, the kind of test your metal, your true grit. And so you’ve had these high points. What do you consider to be the low point?

MJ: Probably the low point, the lowest point, emotionally and experience, is probably what I’m going through (clears throat).

JJ: In the sense – what, what about it has kind of stung you?

MJ: What about it … has what?

JJ: Has stung you, so to speak.

MJ: Has, …. Use the word again…

JJ: STUNG. You said it’s kind of hurt you, you said the low point.

MJ: Yeah, just the pain of what I’m going through, where I’m being accused of something, where I know in my heart and in my experiences in life I’m totally innocent, and it’s very painful. But this has been kind of, ah, a pattern among Black luminaries in this country.

JJ: And so since, you-you have been going through this and you feel the pain, you think it’s a kind of pattern? How are you handling it spiritually? Because you go from being held so high and now your very character, your very integrity is under attack. How your handling it?

MJ: I’m handling it by using other people in the past who have gone through this sort of thing. Mandela’s story is giving me a lot of strength, what he’s gone through and the Jack Johnson story was on PBS ~~ it’s on DVD now. It’s called ‘Unforgivable Blackness’. It’s an amazing story about this man from 1910 who was the heavyweight champion of the world and bust into a society that didn’t want to accept his position and his lifestyle, and what they put him through, and how they changed laws to imprison the man. They put him away behind bars just to get him some kind of way. And-and Muhammad Ali’s story. All these stories. The Jesse Owens story. All these stories that I can go back in history and read about gives me strength Jessie. Your story gives me strength, what you went through. Because I didn’t, I came in at the tail end of the Civil Rights Movement ~~ I’m a, ah – I-I didn’t get the really, I’m a 70’s child, really, but I got in on the tail end of the Civil Rights Movement and I got to see it, you know?

......
JJ: You and I were watching, you know you and I were talking last week on the phone and – and there was this rhythm of the trial, which we will not get into at all today, but then they shifted from the focus of the trial to say you are broke. And last week, people are calling in, all around the nation saying, “Is Michael broke”? Michael, are you broke???

MJ: That’s not true at all. It’s one of their many schemes to embarrass me and to just drag me through mud. And it’s the same pattern, like I told you before with these other people in the past. Same pattern. Don’t believe, you know, this is tabloid, sensationalized kind of gossip.

JJ: Well, how did the money issue get in it in the first place? Some people called and they thought it was about the Sony catalog. What’s- what’s in that catalog?

MJ: In my Sony Catalog, is all the Beatles music, ahem, all of the music I own – I own Sly and the Family Stone, I-I own such a volume of so many, I own Elvis – so many Elvis songs and it’s a huge catalog, very valuable, it’s worth a lot of money. And there is a big fight going on right now, as we speak about that. Now, I can’t say whether or not – I can’t comment on it, but there’s a lot of conspiracy, I’ll say that – conspiracy going on as we speak.

JJ: It was suggested by a number of your friends and family members was that this fight was really more about this catalog issue than it is any thing else. Do you believe that?

MJ: Well, you know, I don’t want to comment. I don’t want to make a comment, Jessie ah—it’s a real delicate issue and uh, I’ll let you, I’ll let you make the comment on that one.

Now people have to draw their own conclusions on what all this mean, if anything. But in my humble opinion, there was this pattern:

--Success (Thriller, Bad, Dangerous CDs, Bad and Dangerous world tours, Beatles cat. acquisition and NLVR acquisition and build-out)

--Mass Exposure and Adulation (Oprah interview prime time ABC -- 30 million viewers on a week night early 1993)

--Scandal (Chandler accusations mid 1993)

--Debt (settlement; loss of income and earnings potential)

--Borrowing (against assets -- 1998 loan with BOA at around $150 million)

--Success (resumes touring, HIStory compilation, HIStory tour)

--Mass Exposure and Adulation (Invincible project; 30th Anniversary Shows)

--Scandal (MJ accuses Sony of undermining Invinicible project; MJ ends contract with Sony)

--Mass Exposure/Scandal Set Up (LWMJ Martin Bashir documentary)

--Scandal (Arvizo allegations, arrest, trial and acquittal)

By this time, MJ's finances are truly a mess and he leaves the U.S. for 2 years.

In 2008, Tom Barrack's Colony Capital saves NLVR from foreclosure. MJ agrees to tour again.

June 25, 2009. You know the rest of the story.

Make of this as you will.
 
Thanks for posting. It is really complex to take in all the details of it all, Joh Branca name keeps coming up. my take for now is this though.

Were MJ finances really as bad as they say though because that catelogue according to Thomas mesereux is worth more like 4.5 billion, not 100 million as the media report. Although it is probably difficult to put an exact worth on it, but it is very valuable and who has control is very powerful in the music industry. He also had an income of royalites of 80 million a year.


The allegations against MJ didn't work, sony did not get their way and you know what they say "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"

I do not believe MJ was a drug addict ,he had a phobia of needles, obviously he used meds at times in his life like most of the world's population, but you do not just drop down dead, you would deteriorate slowly over years, and if he was close to death he would not have been able to perform. The rehearsal footage does not demonstrate an addicted man, if he were addicted he would not be able to dance or coordinate movemements in the way he did, he didn't show signs of slurred speech or anythig like that, like other well publiscised drug addicts, who most have survived ie ozzie osborne and Keith Richard, oh and they were serious alcoholics too. His dancers say that he was dancing as well as them, and they were half the age, he was 50 almost 51,his performance was spectacular in my eyes.

From what I've read that MJ after these concerts which would have been so hugely successful that he would have put him in a postion to be in control of the catelogue and free of sony. Whoever had that catelogue was very powerful in the music industry and that would upset the people in control of the music industry.

I can't help thinking how MJ cheekily (but naively as there people involved more dangerous than he realised) said in his sony speech in London how he had outwitted/thought them, and I wonder if he had done that again. He had gone away to heal from his wounds, and must have had to some time to think about things,but he was not going to go away and crawl under a stone, he wasn't the type as proved before,he was gonna come back, and the concerts would have put him back in the public eye for his music and put an end to the rumours.
 
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If John Branca was representing both sony and MJ, at the same time that is illegal, so he is obviously corrupt and as someone pointed out on another thread maybe that could get him removed as trustee of the will.

I also wonder who was behind employing and funding the Martin Bashir documentary on MJ.
 
Perhaps AEG got the shock of their lives when they realised how massive this was actually going to be. Perhaps Sony got the shock of their lives- perhaps they thought no tickets would sell and it would be a humiliating experience - perhaps they then booked the extra 40 dates because they actually knew he wouldnt be able to do it - even the most seasoned of performers have stated what an astounding date order it was.
 
If Michael Jackson had ever chosen to speak out on global warming beyond the artistry of the 'Earth Song', or the Middle East war, think of just how much of a threat he would have been to other interests.

Instead, he spoke up and spoke out about the not so pretty under workings of the recording industry.

Michael did speak out on other human rights issues not just the recording industry. He founded the Heal the World Foundation in 1992, one year before 1st child allegations and the heal the kids foundation in 2001, which was about healing our planet,by healing our children, just before the second allegations.

He did a speech hoping to pass a bill on childrens rights in 2001.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFDkyglJYk4&feature=related

He also did a speech on Love and Freedom in 2002

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeVt9UEUh-8

Prior to 2003 he was used every award he got as a platform to speak about love forgiveness,healing and ending of wars, etc.

In 2003 he did the Martin Bashir documentary

In 2004, the heal the world foundation closed related to the horrific negative media coverage of MJ and they had financial problems, related to the financial situation being created for MJ. In 2005 were the trials.

His makeup artist also posted on her face book a day after MJ death that one of the reasons for the concerts was that wanted to use the stage as a platform to deliver the message on healing the planet, and we had a 3-4 year window on which to do it, although she has deleted the message now, which I find curious to say the least.

Also a fan who spoke to him shortly before the concerts gave her the same message, that the concerts weren't about him but healing the world with the message of Love, she made a beautiful post here.


http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72213

All these reasons are why I love the essence of who MJ was, he was such a spiritually evolved soul, despite everything he had been put through. I can't help thinking that the child allegations may also be to do with destroying that message. I think the reasons for MJ murder could be multi faceted.
 
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Also a fan who spoke to him shortly before the concerts gave her the same message, that the concerts weren't about him but healing the world with the message of Love, she made a beautiful post here.


http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72213

All these reasons are why I love the essence of who MJ was, he was such a spiritually evolved soul, despite everything he had been put through. I can't help thinking that the child allegations may also be to do with destroying that message. I think the reasons for MJ murder could be multi faceted.


I do believe his name was smeared on purpose. Evan Chandler said someone was going to help him put the information out there to ruin Michael, who was helping Evan? Frank Dileo said on Larry King he is working for AEG and has a seat at Sony. Conflict of interests....

I think Michael was aware for years of such a conspiracy but people just thought he was being 'paranoid'. Thats the thing about theories, if the people involved are very secretive and clever its very difficult to persuade people that someone really is plotting against you and you end up looking 'mad' which is exactly what the people plotting against you would want, then they take it one step further and help make you look evil with false allegations.

I find it interesting about the possibility of Sony transferring money to an offshore account for Branca... the fact Dick Gregory said Michael was fearful of people poisoning him too.

I reckon Dr Murray will get a little jail sentence if one at all, then after change his identity and move abroad and live off money set up in an account in his new name. I'm not saying that is the truth that is my theory.

The fact Michael did once have an issue with prescription drugs and went to rehab means that the general public will buy the 'accidental overdose' story if that is what they say and most won't question it - making it the perfect cover up for a murder IMO. I don't rely on the LAPD to provide 100% the truth either, they have been so slow in searching places and 'seem' to be leaking stuff left right and centre.

I hope that 'if' it is foul play then someone slipped up somewhere in such an obvious way that it cannot be covered up. For Michael's sake, Katherine's and the kids I hope for the 'real' truth to come out sooner than later - whatever it is. I don't want it to be a 30 year wait and a tv doc telling me 'Michael Jackson was really murdered' when I'm nearly 60. The thing is when it comes out many years later like with Jimi Hendrix, people are still not sure if its true or people making money as most of the people they are talking about in the story are now dead and can't sue. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6719597.ece

Everytime I show people the Sony speech they change their mind about Michael. Anyone know how to hack into live TV in the USA to get millions to see it?! If only eh!

Michael's case just does not add up. I doubt the 'official' outcome to the investigation will make 100% sense either. Its just all so sad. I believe what Michael was trying to tell us about a conspiracy and people out to get him. I just wish he'd gone to live somewhere like where he was in Ireland and just lived most of the rest of his life out of the public eye and surrounded by his 3 lovely children. In all of this my thoughts are with them. Michael, I believed all you were trying to tell us. I just wish we'd have been able to help you...
 
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Dick Gregory said Michael Jackson was afraid of being poisoned.

I dont thonk That had nothing to do with this vid from 2002
that was in 2005 during the trial that Gregory said MJ said that
and he was staying at home with his Family present when he said that ..
so who was he afraid of _ It doesnt make sense .. Gregory has to give
more details - instead of causing more confusion .. In fact Tommy Mattola was already fired from Sony _ and wouldnt gain anything
 
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459460/20030109/story.jhtml


Jan 9 2003 6:56 PM EST
Mariah's Ex, Sony Chairman Tommy Mottola Steps Down
Record mogul credited with helping break Hall & Oates, John Mellencamp, Jennifer Lopez.

By Ryan J. Downey, with additional reporting by Jennifer Vineyard


Tommy Mottola, the record company mogul Michael Jackson called the devil and Mariah Carey called a husband, has stepped down as Sony Music's chairman.

Mottola, best known as the architect of his ex-wife's career, announced his resignation Thursday (January 9) and plans to launch a new music venture in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment. He spent 14 years with Sony, which reportedly suffered an operating loss of more than $100 million last year.

"I have been thinking about taking up this new challenge for about a year and really made the decision to go forward recently," Mottola said in a statement.

Jackson waved a placard bearing a hellish drawing of Mottola, called him "mean" and blamed his label boss' alleged racism for the poor sales of 2001's Invincible. Mottola's representatives called the charges bizarre and false.

A New York native, Mottola helped guide Hall & Oates to multiplatinum success in the 1970s and '80s and also worked with John Mellencamp and Carly Simon. He joined Sony Music in 1988, and it wasn't long before he intercepted a Carey demo tape intended for another executive.

Mottola divorced his first wife in 1990 and married Carey three years later, taking the reigns of her career. The couple divorced in 1998, and Carey split from Sony shortly after.

Upon hearing the news of his resignation, Carey said, "I wish him well in his future endeavors."

Mottola has also been instrumental in the musical careers of Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez.

His replacement as chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, Andrew Lack, was named Friday. Lack, who'll join Sony in early February, has been president and COO of NBC since June 2001, and prior to that was president of NBC News, where he presided over the creation of MSNBC. Lack spent the bulk of his news career at CBS, where he created the '80s newsmagazine "West 57th" and worked as a producer on "60 Minutes."
 
It doesn't matter who is officially head of sony, TPTB at sony still wanted control of that catelogue.. Tommy Mottola lost his job at Sony because of Michael, I would say this also means he might have an agenda against Michael.

People get jobs like head of sony because they suit the purpose, I wonder who makes the decison on who gets the job as head of sony. TPTB behind sony.
 
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Dr. Murray needed a lot of money.
"LOS ANGELES — Dr. Conrad Murray was in dire financial shape when he signed on as Michael Jackson's personal physician earlier this year at $150,000 a month.
The Las Vegas cardiologist owed a total of at least $780,000 in judgments against him and his medical practice, outstanding mortgage payments on his house, delinquent student loans, child support and credit cards.
Court records chronicling Murray's woes in Las Vegas, where authorities searched his home this week as part of a manslaughter investigation into Jackson's death,"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/31/conrad-murray-had-huge-de_n_248456.html

I believe the thugs in the record industry, in one huge money payment, paid Dr. Murray to murder Michael Jackson. Why?
Because Michael Jackson fought against them, and he would not stop:
Watch Michael's London Speech, again, and all doubts will leave your mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIb9PFrmCT4&feature=related
 
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Excellent video. Funny too. Doesn't change my mind about anything, but it was hilarious.
 
According to Dick Gregory ,there were clauses built into the contract that Michael had with sony for a partnership of catelogue , that if anything went wrong morally with MJ sony would get the catelogue, then the child allegations broke,and if Michael died sony would get the catelogue.
 
I, myself, am not amused by murder.
You need help, Superstition.

You have absolutely got to be kidding me.

What's next, maybe I shouldn't buy any more albums of Michael Jackson that are released by Sony because I'm supporting murder (nevermind the fact that this video has no bearing on any theoretical murder or not).

I don't even know why I'm dignifying that post.
 
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