Michael Jackson Estate News (Announcements and Discussion)

Mikky Dee

Sunset Driver, Midnight Rider
Joined
Mar 8, 2016
Messages
3,018
Points
63
:hellov1:

The thread title is self-explanatory. This thread will be for the posting of ALL official announcements and news, coming directly from the Michael Jackson Estate (or a reliable source), regarding developments and projects; either real, or possible/projected - for this year and beyond it, far into the future.

Discussion regarding such announcements and news will be allowed in this thread.....indeed it will be encouraged.....providing that members remember our rules with regard to remaining positive, professional, respectful, reasonable and civil at all times.


As soon as there is some interesting and/or exciting news to post, we will be happy to kick-start this thread!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The purchase from Mubadala Investment Company — which is pending regulatory approval before it can close — brings the Japanese conglomerate’s total share up to 90 percent.
Sony Corporation has signed a deal to acquire a 60 percent share in EMI Music Publishing from a consortium led by the Mubadala Investment Company. It increases Sony’s stake in the company to 90 percent overall, in a deal that carried a $4.75 billion valuation.

It appears the Michael Jackson Estate still owns the remaining 10 percent of EMI Music Publishing.

With both parties signing a “legally binding” memorandum of understanding for the acquisition — which is pending regulatory approval and other conditions before it can close — the arrangement will give Sony publishing assets that generated about $1.334 billion in revenue last year, Billboard estimates.

“We are thrilled to bring EMI Music Publishing into the Sony family and maintain our number one position in the music publishing industry,” Sony Corp. president and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said Monday in a statement. “The music business has enjoyed a resurgence over the past couple of years, driven largely by the rise of paid subscription-based streaming services. In the entertainment space, we are focusing on building a strong IP portfolio, and I believe this acquisition will be a particularly significant milestone for our long-term growth.”

EMI Music Publishing generated adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $249 million on revenues of $663 million in the fiscal year ended March 31.

According to the announcement, Sony will assume EMI Music Publishing’s debt, which totaled $1.359 billion as of March 31, and expects to pay $2.3 billion, which totals $3.659 billion. If the Jackson estate still owns its nearly 10 percent stake, which the deal appears to value at $475 million, that leaves another $660 million is unaccounted for — which could be additional debt.

EMI Music Publishing owns or administers over 2 million songs that include classics by Queen, Carole King and the Motown catalog, along with contemporary songs from Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Drake, Sam Smith, Pink, Pharrell Williams, Calvin Harris, Fetty Wap, Hozier and more, according to Sony.

“EMI Music Publishing represents one of the world’s largest and most diverse catalog of copyrights with iconic songs that span every decade over the last one hundred years,” said Mubadala Capital head of private equity and EMI Music Publishing chairman Adib Mattar. “The sale of our consortium’s interest in EMI Music Publishing represents a milestone for Mubadala and our private equity business.”

As Johnn Branca is a consultant on the SONY board, it is now clear that SONY will now control all assets from EMI, and of course SONY/ATV. Michael Jackson’s own catalogue is still under the control of the Michael Jackson Estate (still signed at SONY)

Source: MJVIBE/Billboard/Variety
https://www.billboard.com/articles/...buys-60-percent-stake-in-emi-music-publishing
http://variety.com/2018/biz/news/so...-music-publishing-for-2-3-billion-1202818371/
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In deal, Sony to own 90%. Estate of Michael Jackson the rest--Sony to Buy Additional 60% Stake in EMI Music Publishing <a href="https://t.co/gXlmRtesJ6">https://t.co/gXlmRtesJ6</a></p>&mdash; The Best of Internet (@TheBestofMJJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBestofMJJ/status/998903624502861824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">22. Mai 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sony/ATV aquires another 60% of EMI Music Publishing taking it to 90%. The other 10% is owned by the estate of Michael Jackson<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/music?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#music</a> <a href="https://t.co/9ddAtZWHfl">https://t.co/9ddAtZWHfl</a></p>&mdash; Countdown Music Aust (@CountdownAus) <a href="https://twitter.com/CountdownAus/status/998784244162924544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">22. Mai 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate News (Announcements and Discussion) - 2018 and Beyond

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- We want consumers to know that The Last Days of Michael Jackson, a television special airing on ABC TV (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) tomorrow May 24, is not sponsored or approved by the Estate of Michael Jackson. It is particularly disheartening that Disney, a company known to strongly believe in protecting its own IP rights, would choose to ignore these rights belonging to the Estate.

ABC was using a copyrighted photo and silhouette image owned by the Estate in the trailers and promotional material for the special. Only after notice from our attorneys to ABC News indicating they were infringing on our IP rights were the materials removed. We are told ABC intends to use music and other intellectual property owned by the Estate such as photos, logos, artwork, and more in the program itself, without having licensed the rights to any such material. Imagine if this was done with any of ABC's intellectual property. We believe the special to be another crass and unauthorized attempt to exploit the life, music and image of Michael Jackson without respect for Michael's legacy, intellectual property rights or his children.

The Estate of Michael Jackson
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...ews-special-on-michael-jackson-300653855.html
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For this year’s very special Diamond Birthday Celebration in Las Vegas, the Estate has decided to honor Michael’s well known desire to help disadvantaged people around the world by welcoming The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to the event. Learn more: <a href="https://t.co/fHimFvgFdb">https://t.co/fHimFvgFdb</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZDiG0bVpWK">pic.twitter.com/ZDiG0bVpWK</a></p>&mdash; Michael Jackson (@michaeljackson) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljackson/status/1008750392535060481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">18. Juni 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate News (Announcements and Discussion) - 2018 and Beyond

They best do something more than having a select few in Vegas be able to celebrate. There are fans all over the world who aren't privileged enough to make it to Vegas, myself included.

MJ was all about getting all the fans involved. If the Estate wants to follow 'Michael's desire', do the same.
 
dam2040;4223973 said:
They best do something more than having a select few in Vegas be able to celebrate.

This is about charitable works, to celebrate Michael's Diamond birthday year - by doing something close to his heart and that is helping people (particularly children) in need. As Michael's daughter Paris is a youth ambassador and spokesperson for the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, this is a perfect marriage of opportunity, personalities and real financial support.

I don't think it's appropriate to be moaning about fan celebrations.
There will be plenty of those and they are completely separate to this.

The statement from the Estate reads:

For this year&#8217;s very special Diamond Birthday Celebration in Las Vegas, the Estate has decided to honor Michael&#8217;s well known desire to help disadvantaged people around the world, especially children, by welcoming The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to the event. We will join forces to support the work of GAIA Elizabeth Taylor Mobile Health Clinics which brings accessible and free health care to those living in rural Malawi.

http://www.michaeljackson.com/news/...clinics-for-mjs-diamond-birthday-celebration/
 
Mikky Dee;4223976 said:
This is about charitable works, to celebrate Michael's Diamond birthday year - by doing something close to his heart and that is helping people (particularly children) in need. As Michael's daughter Paris is a youth ambassador and spokesperson for the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, this is a perfect marriage of opportunity, personalities and real financial support.

I don't think it's appropriate to be moaning about fan celebrations.
There will be plenty of those and they are completely separate to this.

The statement from the Estate reads:

For this year&#8217;s very special Diamond Birthday Celebration in Las Vegas, the Estate has decided to honor Michael&#8217;s well known desire to help disadvantaged people around the world, especially children, by welcoming The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to the event. We will join forces to support the work of GAIA Elizabeth Taylor Mobile Health Clinics which brings accessible and free health care to those living in rural Malawi.

http://www.michaeljackson.com/news/...clinics-for-mjs-diamond-birthday-celebration/

There's nothing wrong with this, it's obviously a good thing they're doing but it would be nice to do something all fans can get involved with too.
 
Michael Jackson Musical Coming to Broadway in 2020:

The Michael Jackson estate and Columbia Live Stage are developing a new stage musical inspired by the life of the beloved pop star. The as-yet untitled show is expected to arrive on Broadway in 2020.

Playwright Lynn Nottage will pen the book, while Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph the show. The score will comprise hits from across Jackson's massive catalogue. Nottage has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice, first in 2009 for Ruined &#8211; a play about women in war-torn Congo &#8211; and more recently in 2017 for Sweat, which is about residents in Reading, Pennsylvania, one of the poorest cities in America.

Wheeldon is an acclaimed choreographer and director best known for adapting the 1951 film An American in Paris into a Broadway musical. The show won several Tony Awards, with Wheeldon picking up the trophy for Best Choreography. The Broadway musical marks a new type of stage venture for the Jackson estate, which previously sanctioned two Cirque du Soleil shows, Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour and Michael Jackson: One. Other projects the estate has produced in recent years include the 2017 compilation Scream, a 3-D rendering of the famed "Thriller" video and two posthumous albums, Michael and Xscape.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jackson-musical-coming-to-broadway-w521692
 
Hello #MJFAM!
We wanted you to be the FIRST to know:
The Estate of Michael Jackson has partnered with Columbia Live Stage to develop a Michael Jackson stage musical which is expected to open on Broadway in 2020. The musical, which doesn&#8217;t yet have a title, will be written by Lynn Nottage &#8211; who is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and directed by Christopher Wheeldon, a Tony Award winner. And, of course, the music will be all Michael Jackson!
More to come!

Best, Alicia
MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate&#8482;
 
Paris78;4224036 said:
Hello #MJFAM!
We wanted you to be the FIRST to know:
The Estate of Michael Jackson has partnered with Columbia Live Stage to develop a Michael Jackson stage musical which is expected to open on Broadway in 2020. The musical, which doesn&#8217;t yet have a title, will be written by Lynn Nottage &#8211; who is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and directed by Christopher Wheeldon, a Tony Award winner. And, of course, the music will be all Michael Jackson!
More to come!

Best, Alicia
MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate&#8482;

This is very exciting! Here are some more details. There is a separate thread dedicated specifically to this topic alone, also.

Thank you Paris78!!


New Musical Based on the Life of Michael Jackson Will Premiere on Broadway in 2020

A new musical framed around the life and music of the late singer-songwriter Michael Jackson is currently in development, Columbia Live Stage and The Michael Jackson Estate have announced. The stage show is expected to arrive on Broadway in 2020.

The currently untitled musical will feature a book by two-time Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat) and a score made up of Jackson's song catalogue. Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon (An American in Paris) will direct and choreograph.

Jackson's many albums included Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973), Forever, Michael (1975), Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), Book I (1995) and Invincible (2001). His hit singles comprised "Just Can't Stop Loving You," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror," "Dirty Diana," "Black or White" and "Remember the Time." Jackson was the recipient of 13 Grammy Awards.

Casting and a pre-Broadway production timeline for the Michael Jackson bio-musical will be announced at a later date.

https://www.broadway.com/buzz/19259...el-jackson-will-premiere-on-broadway-in-2020/
 
https://www.billboard.com/articles/...el-jackson-estates-share-emi-music-publishing

Sony Completes Acquisition of Michael Jackson Estate's Share of EMI Music Publishing

In announcing its financial results, the Sony Corp. revealed that it had acquired Michael Jackson&#8217;s estate share of EMI Music Publishing, paying it a total of $287.5 million.

That was apparently the first step in completing its pending acquisition of EMI Music Publishing from a consortium of investors, which still has to be vetted by governmental regulatory agencies before the deal can proceed. Sony is still in the process of filing the paper work for the proposed acquisition, according to sources, so the process of scrutinizing the deals impact on potential anti-trust issues has yet to begin, they say.

As it is, Sony has agreed to pay $2.3 billion to acquire EMI, as well as assume EMI&#8217;s debt of $1.359 billion. With Sony and Jackson&#8217;s share valued at $1.091 billion that gives EMI Music Publishing a valuation of $4.75 billion.
The Jackson estate held a 9.84% interest in EMI; or a 25.1% stake of the piece owned by Sony and the Jackson estate, which means that without putting up any money in the deal, by virtue of its stake in Sony/ATV, the Jackson estate received $287.5 million, not a bad return on a zero dollar investment.

Prior to this deal and before EMI Music Publishing came up for sale, the Jackson estate had sold its 50 percent share of Sony/ATV in 2016 and received $750 million in cash, which means that the Jackson estate has made over $1 billion since it has unwound its interest in those publishing assets.

While the Jackson estate, advised by Shot Tower Capitol, is overseen by two co-executors -- music industry executive John McClain and lawyer John Branca -- it is the latter, a partner in the law firm of Ziffren Brittenham LLP, who likely gets credit for making the shrewd publishing deals on behalf of the estate.

When Sony completes its acquisition -- if it gets the regulatory approval that is; the buyout of the Jackson estate didn't require it but the buyout of the other 60 percent does -- EMI Music Publishing will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corp, and will likely be legally merged into Sony/ATV, as it functionally already is.
 
Michael Jackson Estate & Sony Music to Celebrate King of Pop's 60th Birthday With Las Vegas Fete: Exclusive

8/6/2018
by Melinda Newman



michael-jackson-red-1986-live-billboard-1548.jpg

[FONT=&amp]Kevin Mazur/WireImage[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Michael Jackson performs in concert circa 1986

[/FONT]
The iconic musician's children and brothers are expected to take part.
[FONT=&amp]
Michael Jackson would have turned 60 on Aug. 29. Though he is no longer here, his extraordinary life and legacy will be heralded at the Michael Jackson Diamond Birthday Celebration in Las Vegas.

Coordinated by the Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music, the festivities will kick off with an early evening performance of Michael Jackson One by Cirque du Soleil, followed by an exclusive after-party at Daylight Beach Club, both at Mandalay Bay. Fans are expected to flock to Las Vegas from all over the world for the festivities.

Jackson, who died in 2009, will be well represented by his family at the event, with children Paris and Prince expected to attend, as well as brothers Jackie, Marlon and Tito.
<figure class="readmore__media readmore__media--landscape" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: middle; display: table-cell; width: 156px;">
</figure>

The Daylight Beach Club party, hosted by Sway Calloway, will include interactive elements including activations inspired by Jackson's music videos. The party is for invited guests only, as well as attendees of that day&#8217;s Michael Jackson One performance.
[/FONT]

michael-jackson-diamond-celebration-2018-billboard-embed.jpg


[FONT=&amp]For the event, the Michael Jackson Estate is joining forces with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to bring health care to southern Malawi. Paris Jackson, who is an Ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, will accept the 2018 Elizabeth Taylor Legacy Award for Humanitarian Service awarded to their father posthumously. Attendees are encouraged to make donations to the Taylor's AIDS Foundation.
[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]The party comes as Jackson&#8217;s legacy continues to grow. A previously unreleased Jackson vocal provides the hook for &#8220;Don&#8217;t Matter to Me,&#8221; a song on Drake&#8217;s Scorpion album, which is spending its fifth week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Additionally, the National Portrait Gallery in London&#8217;s Michael Jackson: On The Wall exhibit runs through Oct. 21, while work continues on a Broadway musical inspired by Jackson&#8217;s life produced by the Estate and Columbia Live Stage. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lyn Nottage will author the book, while Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph the musical which is expected to open in 2020. [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]No word yet on whether Sony plans to release or reissue any Jackson material around the birthday.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/...son-estate-sony-music-60th-birthday-las-vegas[/FONT]
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate & Sony Music to Celebrate King of Pop's 60th Birthday With Las Vegas Fete

Find it very hard to care about this. Props for the charity work.

A Vegas exclusive party and an overpriced box of picture discs. Happy birthday, Mike.
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate & Sony Music to Celebrate King of Pop's 60th Birthday With Las Vegas Fete

I agree totally. What can fans from countries other than USA join in to celebrate Michaels 60th??

Or is everything going to be wait until next year when its his 10th year of not being with us.

I miss you so much Michael * music innovation died with you, and music videos are never advancing anymore than when you was here!*

*BeatlesBoy*
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate & Sony Music to Celebrate King of Pop's 60th Birthday With Las Vegas Fete

What can fans from countries other than USA join in to celebrate Michaels 60th??

Or is everything going to be wait until next year when its his 10th year of not being with us.

Well.......what did fans from outside the USA do, when Michael was alive? They organised their own parties and events, of course. He never celebrated his own birthday in a big way.....his 45th was a fan-organised event (in London) and basically a one-off. His birthday has taken on a different meaning, since he passed away, naturally, but the phenomena of celebrations and events occurring in a limited way, in limited countries (a.k.a mostly the USA, where he was born and where he lived) is not surprising and the same as it's always been. Fan clubs and fan enclaves from other parts of the world (e.g. Brazil) can and will organise their own celebrations, I'm sure.
 
The Estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil will host the 6th Annual Michael Jackson ONE celebration in honor of the King of Pop&#8217;s birthday on Wednesday, August 29. Join fans from around the world at Mandalay Bay and get ready for a celebration unlike any other!

For this year&#8217;s very special Diamond Birthday Celebration, the Estate has decided to honor Michael&#8217;s well known desire to help disadvantaged people around the world, especially children, by welcoming The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to the event. We will join forces to support the work of GAIA Elizabeth Taylor Mobile Health Clinics which brings accessible and free health care to those living in rural Malawi.

UPDATE: The Diamond Celebration starts in the afternoon and concludes at night with a big outdoor party hosted by the Estate and Sony Music and brings together fans from around the world to celebrate the King of Pop on this special day. Also in attendance will be members of the creative team behind Michael Jackson ONE, Jackson family members and other special invited celebrities and VIPs. The day&#8217;s schedule is as follows:

2:30 &#8211; 3 pm: Meet & Greet with MJ Estate and invited guests at Michael Jackson ONE Theater lobby

3 pm: Annual book signing by Michael Bush at Michael Jackson ONE Boutique

7 pm and 9:30 pm: Michael Jackson ONE performances

8:30 pm &#8211; 1 am: Outdoor party at Daylight Club open to ticketholders to both the 7 pm and 9:30 shows of Michael Jackson ONE who are 21 years of age and older. The M. C. of the night&#8217;s festivities will be radio personality, Sway Calloway &#8211; host of Sway In The Morning, and there will be special presentations and performances by guest stars throughout the party. There will be food and drinks available (for purchase) as well as social media activations inspired by Michael Jackson short films.
 
Sony and the members of the Estate team are very much looking forward to honoring Michael at the Diamond Celebration on August 29 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. For those of you who will be able to join us, John Branca will host a personal, intimate question and answer session just for you, the MJ fans, immediately following the meet and greet held in the Michael Jackson ONE theater lobby.

In order to give the chance for people to have a conversation with Mr. Branca, anyone may attend but they MUST RSVP. The location of the Q&A will be emailed the morning of the 29th to the people who have RSVPd.

Please feel free to post and distribute this so as many people who wish to attend may RSVP.

Please click HERE to RSVP
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...ovF0IxZtUM9GsS5ABXSNa_w4FzP2rw/viewform&nbsp;

Thank you,
Alicia
 
A Happy Birthday for the Michael Jackson Business

8/24/2018 by Ed Christman

Michael-Jackson-1988-performance-bw-1548.jpg


With a Broadway musical on the way and a guest spot on one of the year&#8217;s biggest albums, the King of Pop&#8217;s legacy is proving lasting -- and lucrative.
When Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, the executors of his estate, John McClain and John Branca, felt that their No. 1 job "was to generate revenue, pay off debt and enhance Michael&#8217;s legacy as an artist, not the tabloid sensation," says Branca.

As the estate gears up to stage Michael Jackson&#8217;s Diamond Celebration in Las Vegas on Aug. 29, the day the King of Pop would have turned 60, Branca says that a series of recent deals both large and small are easily taking care of business. This summer, the estate picked up $287.5 million on what sources say was a $50,000 investment as part of the consortium that bought EMI Music Publishing in 2012. With that catalog now worth $4.75 billion, Sony, which owned nearly 30 percent of EMI, agreed to buy out the estate&#8217;s 10 percent. Since Jackson put up about $17.5 million in equity and $30 million in debt to buy the ATV catalog for $47.5 million in 1985, the estate, aided by its investment bank Shot Tower Capital, has earned nearly $1.6 billion on that investment, Billboard estimates.

Also, given that the estate owns Jackson&#8217;s master recordings as well as his publishing rights, Billboard calculates that it earns about $10 million in annual royalties from his recordings in the United States alone, not including synch deals or bonuses that may have been in his recording contracts. Worldwide, the estate earns an estimated $20 million to $25 million a year on the recordings.

mj-slot-bb20-2018-u-billboard-1548.jpg


Helping protect his legacy are initiatives such as the "On the Wall" exhibit at the National Gallery in London that recently opened. "Not everything we do is meant to pull in millions of dollars," says Branca, without commenting specifically on the exhibit. "Sometimes we do things because they are interesting and cool."

As for ventures that can accomplish both, a Broadway musical is in the works with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and renowned ballet choreographer Christopher Wheeldon directing the production. (Cirque du Soleil&#8217;s The Immortal world tour and the Michael Jackson ONE tribute in Las Vegas are ongoing.) The estate is also gearing up to release limited-edition sneakers, after a Michael Jackson collection from skateboard brand Supreme immediately sold out earlier in 2018, according to sources. Jackson is also currently on the charts as a featured artist on Drake&#8217;s "Don&#8217;t Matter to Me," which counts 107 million on-demand streams as part of the rapper&#8217;s blockbuster Scorpion album, according to Nielsen Music.


All told, the estate&#8217;s executors have brought in over $2 billion since Jackson&#8217;s death, leaving the estate debt free and all paid up on taxes -- though a decision in a case prompted by an IRS lawsuit over the valuation ascribed to Jackson&#8217;s image and likeness is pending, sources say. For now, says Branca, "we&#8217;re trying to do things that are smart and tasteful."

Cirque-du_Soleil-mj-one-broadway-bb20-2018-billboard-1548.jpg


https://www.billboard.com/articles/...e=twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate News (Announcements and Discussion) - 2018 and Beyond

This little video shows us what the new picture discs (LP vinyl records) released by the Estate, for Michael's Diamond birthday, actually look like, out of their covers. Hector Barjot is speaking in French, but after the Intro, he is just showing us each of the records. They are absolutely GORGEOUS!! This makes me want to buy them, now, even though I have nothing to play them on.


 
News: The Michael Jackson estate is plotting a new project, which will feature a &#8220;reworking&#8221; of &#8220;a batch of tracks alongside a high-profile producer the estate wants to keep secret for a one-off release,&#8221; according to the Los Angeles Times. The potential project would likely be a collaboration with Sony Music. Sony Music representatives were also interviewed in the same LA Times article, which was centered around the new &#8220;Michael Jackson: On the Wall&#8221; exhibit at London&#8217;s National Portrait Gallery. The company&#8217;s Chief Executive, Rob Stringer, said the label is &#8220;constantly scouring the catalog for ideas, but there are no plans at the moment to put any more full-fledged albums out. We are looking at one-off songs, and in this streaming world that works because it&#8217;s a track-based world. There are a few gems out there that we may unearth individually over the next months and years.&#8221;

&#8220;We&#8217;ve done a lot of big idea projects and things aimed to attract new fans,&#8221; co-executor of Jackson&#8217;s estate John Branca told the paper. &#8220;Michael was so multifaceted and in trying to manage the brand we want to do things that capture each facet of who he was. But we start by thinking: What would Michael do?&#8221;
 
From the Estate of MichaelJackson &#10084;&#65039;&#55357;&#56401;&#10084;&#65039;


Hi MJ Fam!


We know a lot of you are anxious for information about where you can see &#8220;Thriller 3D in IMAX.&#8221; The short film will be shown in all 400+ IMAX theaters in the United States. &#8220;Thriller 3D in IMAX&#8221; will also be shown in select theaters in Canada and the United Kingdom starting on September 21. For those of you in the US, UK, or Canada, you can head to http://imax.com/thriller3D to find a theater near you and buy tickets.

&#8220;Thriller 3D in IMAX&#8221; will also be shown in select markets in the Middle East and Latin America before The House with a Clock in its Walls, so the dates of the showings are dependent on when that film opens in those countries.

We hope you enjoy the experience!
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Estate of Michael Jackson has endowed the <a href="https://twitter.com/CFGA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CFGA</a> Center of Great Apes with an additioanl $100K toward expansion on their Ape Sanctuary. We believe Michael would be so pleased at this development. &#128018; &#9829;&#65039; <br>as the Estate is carrying on his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/philanthropic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#philanthropic</a> work. <a href="https://t.co/dXzVsSp18v">pic.twitter.com/dXzVsSp18v</a></p>&mdash; MJJJusticeProject (@MJJJusticePrjct) <a href="https://twitter.com/MJJJusticePrjct/status/1055603967021858816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">25. Oktober 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
https://www.billboard.com/articles/...anniversary-interview-john-landis-john-branca

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' at 35: A Look Back at the Iconic Music Video By Those Who Made It
Sunday (Dec. 2) marks 35 years since the debut of Michael Jackson&#8217;s ground-breaking &#8220;Thriller&#8221; music video, which premiered on MTV and launched a dance craze, a red-jacket fashion favorite, and more pricey and ambitious videos by other top-tier artists.

The 14-minute &#8220;short film,&#8221; as the late singer preferred to call it, was shot on 35mm in downtown Los Angeles in the middle of the night. It was directed John Landis (National Lampoon&#8217;s Animal House, The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London), and written by Landis and Jackson.

The title-track from Jackson&#8217;s 1982 album was written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones, and became the seventh single after such hits as &#8220;Billie Jean&#8221; and &#8220;Beat It.&#8221; The landmark film went on to win three MTV Awards, two American Music Awards and a Grammy, and is the first and only music video to be inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The 3D version of the music video and restored documentary Making Michael Jackson&#8217;s Thriller, directed by Jerry Kramer, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2017. This September, it became the first music video released in IMAX 3D. The song re-entered the Hot 100 on Nov. 10, 2018 at No. 31, the highest it has been since April 7, 1984.

Billboard spoke with John Landis, and entertainment lawyer John Branca, who brokered the deal with MTV and Showtime and is now co-executor of Michael Jackson&#8217;s Estate, about getting the $1 million to make the music video, its impact on the business, stealing the tracks from Quincy Jones without his knowledge and more.

That was pretty ballsy to go to a television station to try and cover the costs of making a music video.

John Branca: At the time, most music videos cost about $50,000 [to make], and Michael and John Landis had a budget of $1.2 [million] for this project, and the record company refused to pay for it, for good reason [laughs]. So I said to Michael, &#8220;You know, it&#8217;s a million two?&#8221; and he basically said, &#8220;Branca, figure it out.&#8221; So I came up with the idea for a &#8220;making of,&#8221; a long-form, 60-minute piece. It was the first time MTV ever paid for a video, and Showtime paid for it, their sister station, and then we put it out with Vestron [Video] and we actually ended up making a profit.

What do you remember about the time on set and the amazing masks and prosthetics?

Branca: At that time, I was Michael&#8217;s main business advisor/manager and so I really focused on the business. Now, when running the estate, I have to do the creative also, but at that time Michael and Landis did all the creative. The one thing that I did do -- because growing up as a boy, I loved monster movies, so Werewolf, Lon Chaney, Dracula, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Frankenstein -- when Michael felt pressure from the church, from Jehovah&#8217;s Witnesses, he told me to get the film canisters and destroy them, before the &#8220;Thriller&#8221; video was ever released. So I held them in my office for many, many days and he would call everyday.

To destroy the whole thing?

Branca: Yes. So the world would never have seen it. Finally I said to him, &#8220;You know Michael, Bela Lugosi played Dracula" -- I kinda made it up, I said, &#8220;He was very religious.&#8221;

He wasn&#8217;t religious?

Branca: No. Who knows? So I said, &#8220;We&#8217;ll put a disclaimer on it.&#8221; That&#8217;s why you&#8217;ll see the disclaimer [at the start of the music video] that due to his personal convictions it doesn&#8217;t reflect Michael&#8217;s personal views.

John, Michael called you because he was a fan of your film An American Werewolf In London?

John Landis: Everything in Making Michael Jackson's Thriller is accurate.

Good thing he wasn&#8217;t a fan of Animal House or we&#8217;d be having a much different conversation.

Landis: He wanted to turn into a monster, and the first discussion with [special effects make-up creator] Rick Baker, he wanted to turn into the werewolf from An American Werewolf in London, and it took me a while to talk him out of it because I was saying it&#8217;d be really hard to dance with four legs, you know. That&#8217;s why he became that Werecat thing, because I suggested the werewolf from I Was a Teenage Werewolf, [starring] Michael Landon, in the letterman&#8217;s jacket. Rick&#8217;s first design, which was great, was too ugly. I said, &#8220;Look, it&#8217;s Michael. He can&#8217;t be ugly.&#8221; I think what he made was very elegant, that sort of cat creature.

Branca: It&#8217;s scary, though.

Landis: Oh, it&#8217;s scary. It&#8217;s meant to be scary.

Right from the start you weren&#8217;t interested in making a music video. You wanted it to be elaborate.

Landis: Music videos at that time were always just needle drop. Some were pretty good, but most were not, and they were commercials. Michael&#8217;s such a huge star that I said, &#8220;Maybe I can bring back the theatrical short.&#8221; I pitched him the idea, and he totally went for it. Michael was extremely enthusiastic because he wanted to make movies.

Branca: He came to refer to his music videos as short films, and he instructed everybody, &#8220;These are not music videos; these are short films.&#8221;

What did you both notice after &#8220;Thriller&#8221; came out? Record companies probably weren&#8217;t very &#8220;thrilled&#8221; with you because all the other big artists probably wanted to make million dollar videos.

Landis: Absolutely the opposite.

Branca: They were thrilled, actually.

Landis: You have to remember, nobody wanted it. We had to figure out a way to finance it because it was a union shoot in Los Angeles. I demanded the dancers had at least a week&#8217;s rehearsal, all that make-up, so it was expensive. CBS Records basically said, &#8220;[The album has] been No. 1 for over a year. We made 'Billie Jean&#8217; and &#8216;Beat It,&#8217; with [directors] Steve Barron and Bob Giraldi [respectively] -- hugely influential important videos, which cost very little, and you&#8217;re coming to us? You already have the most successful album of all time, and now you want to do this vanity video so you can turn him into a monster? Go f--k yourselves," was essentially what they said it to me. They didn&#8217;t say it to Michael, but that was the same thing. So we had to figure out a way to make it, which is why Making Michael Jackson's Thriller was done, so we&#8217;d have an hour and we could sell the hour. Do you know what happened when the video &#8220;Thriller&#8221; came out on TV? The No. 1 selling album in the world, already out for a year, tripled its sales. So everybody jumped on the bandwagon.

Branca: It changed the way people make music videos.

Landis: It raised the standard. Everybody became much more ambitious, and tons of big directors came out of music videos.

Branca: &#8220;Thriller&#8221; remains the most influential and most important video of all time. Everybody&#8217;s acknowledged it, so kudos to John.

Landis: It&#8217;s always called those things and I don&#8217;t make those claims, but it certainly had a huge impact not only on the music business -- and it made MTV. Their viewership went nuts.

As a filmmaker and someone who&#8217;s just had the sound quality and visual presentation of the &#8220;Thriller&#8221; video upped [in 3D and Dolby Atmos], how does it make you feel that people today watch videos on YouTube, on computer and phone screens?

Landis: I&#8217;m not crazy about it.

Branca: You should talk about the sound.

Landis: The sound. Okay. &#8220;Thriller&#8221; was just stereo, left and right. The soundtrack for Thriller, I said, &#8220;This is a movie; this is not a rock video.&#8221; Rock videos are always needle drop. A record at that time was mixed to sound good on your car radio, so, I said, &#8220;This is a movie.&#8221; So I asked Quincy Jones and Bruce Swedien, &#8220;Can I have the tracks to &#8216;Thriller&#8217;?&#8221; They both said no. I explained to Michael we needed them. So George Folsey and I and Michael, at like 2 in the morning, went to the recording studio, walked in the lobby, the guard, said, &#8220;Hello Mr. Jackson.&#8221; &#8220;Hello.&#8221; We went in the back, found the tracks on the racks, took all of them -- there were a lot -- put them in two big duffel bags, put them in the trunk in a car, drove them over the hill [to the engineer], where they [duplicated] them all. We put them back in the duffel bags, went back with Michael over the hill, and put them back [laughs]. I&#8217;ve always been amazed that Bruce Swedien and Quincy have never said anything because "Thriller" is very different than the record. I only used a third of the lyrics. It&#8217;s a 3-minute song; in the film, it plays for 11 minutes. Well now, through new technology called Atmos, you can put sound anywhere in the house. It&#8217;s amazing: I had to relearn that because music is always left-right-center, and suddenly how the f--k do you mix this because its everywhere. But we were able to bring it up and it&#8217;s astounding.

That story should have been in the documentary.

Landis: I discussed it with Quincy. Do you know that they didn&#8217;t notice? And Quincy was at the premiere [of the 3D version] and I said, &#8220;What did you think? &#8220;I loved it. It was great,&#8221; and everything and I just thought to myself, &#8220;You motherf--ker, you said &#8216;No,&#8217; you bastard.&#8221; [laughs]

Branca: Quincy said you&#8217;re not allowed to remix his tracks ever without his permission, so be careful.

Landis: Too late.
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate News (Announcements and Discussion) - 2018 and Beyond

DxhWbArU0AAmKAP.jpg

DxhWVIMVsAAAtWx.jpg


Email from the Estate of Michael Jackson (this image in NYC is advertising for the upcoming Broadway show based on Michael's life).
 
(Most Recent) Announcement from the Estate:

Hello #MJFam:

As we all know, the past few weeks have been very difficult for both the Estate and Michael&#8217;s worldwide fan community. As we have communicated with many of you personally, you know that there is a significant amount of work going on behind the scenes at the Estate that is not visible to the public in order to address the spurious accusations made in Leaving Neverland and protect Michael&#8217;s legacy moving forward.

In the past few days, several of you have written to us about an absurd and obscene article that appeared this week in RadarOnline. RadarOnline is, of course, nothing more than an entertainment site existing to appeal to the most base instincts of humanity, and is barely worthy of the designation of tabloid.

However, since they published their absurd story, the Estate&#8217;s attorneys have sent the publishers this response. We hope this will allay some of the concerns you have expressed over the last few days. The text of the letter may be read here.
Furthermore, we wanted to share the text of the letter that was recently sent by the Estate's attorneys to HBO. It may be read at The Hollywood Reporter.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t...-become-hbos-greatest-shame-10-page-l-1184415

Letter: https://gallery.mailchimp.com/b10cd...-3580-421e-a850-2cc525da3438/attachment_1.pdf

Sincerely,

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate&#8482;
 
When we first learned of Leaving Neverland on January 9 it was inconceivable to us, as it must have been to you, that a respected company like HBO was behind it. We assumed that HBO&#8217;s corporate values reflect a commitment to fairness, honesty and integrity.

Sadly, we were wrong. Leaving Neverland is nothing short of a premeditated ambush, announced at the 11th hour at the Sundance Film Festival as part of a secretive two-year deception to escape scrutiny from Michael&#8217;s family, Estate, friends, associates and fans. HBO even tried to hide the names of the two accusers in announcing the film, only begrudgingly identifying them after our initial public statement revealed them to be two failed litigants we know well.

HBO&#8217;s goal is obvious: It wants to mute the voices of all who would speak up in defense of Michael Jackson and who know the lack of credibility of these allegations as well as the character of the individuals making them. Thanks to all of you, HBO and its filmmaker have been unable to prevent the harsh light they hoped to avoid from being directed at this film.

They do not want anyone noting that it is overwhelmingly one-sided. They do not want it known that the filmmaker, in two years, never so much as reached out to anyone other than his two subjects and their families, including those he maligned and was morally and ethically obligated to contact. Nor does HBO want anyone knowing that the subjects have repeatedly changed their stories, committed perjury and have financial motives hidden from the public. Rather, HBO hopes to sneak Leaving Neverland by any rigorous scrutiny of facts and credibility that it should have demanded of its filmmaker. But your tenacious passion to defend Michael in the face of such dishonesty pierced HBO&#8217;s lack of transparency. It is inspiring and heartwarming, and we are grateful to all of you.

Most important, HBO and its partner Channel 4, want to deflect attention from the fact that it is attacking an innocent man who is no longer with us to defend himself and that they can do this only because they cannot be held legally responsible for defaming a deceased person. The refrain from HBO continues to be that fairness is irrelevant while adding the disingenuous and absurd claim that its film is not about Michael Jackson. Let&#8217;s be clear: it is entirely about Michael Jackson. The same Michael Jackson who had his day in court on accusations just like these 14 years ago and was declared innocent unanimously on all counts by a sophisticated jury.

But in HBO&#8217;s court, there is no jury, no opportunity to cross examine witnesses and no defense; just a predetermined conviction of an innocent man by an intentionally lurid filmmaker who declared himself the final judge and jury. And rather than let viewers weigh all the evidence and decide for themselves if the subjects are telling the truth or lying, HBO forces the filmmaker&#8217;s storyline down every viewer&#8217;s throat, allowing no time in four hours of viewing for even a scintilla of the volumes of conflicting evidence.

Michael Jackson suffered during his life through a malicious spotlight no artist of his generation was forced to endure. As James Baldwin prophetically wrote in 1985, when Michael was coming off the global phenomenon that was Thriller, &#8220;The Michael Jackson cacophony is fascinating in that it is not about Jackson at all. I hope he has the good sense to know it and the good fortune to snatch his life out of the jaws of a carnivorous success. He will not swiftly be forgiven for having turned so many tables, for he damn sure grabbed the brass ring, and the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo has nothing on Michael.&#8221;

Sadly, his children have had to repeatedly endure the additional pain of these lurid tabloid tales after losing their father, be it during the criminal trial of the man responsible for his death or the claims of the two individuals in this film. While the press has treated the allegations in this film as fresh and new, in truth these individuals have been making these same salacious and false accusations in the media for six years, more than half of the time Michael has been deceased. But having hijacked HBO&#8217;s credibility, what they have now is just a louder platform, a soundtrack, drone shots, skillful editing and a multimillion-dollar marketing budget. What they can&#8217;t buy is the truth. Facts don&#8217;t lie; people do.

In the six years since these false allegations were first made, Michael&#8217;s music and his legacy thrived for a simple reason: you can&#8217;t silence Michael Jackson. His genius and artistry are timeless, and his resilience prevails. We will continue to fight the meritless claims of his accusers because he is innocent. His legacy is stronger than two individuals seeking hundreds of millions of dollars after defending him for years and whose similar epiphanies raise countless questions about their timing and motives. Their repeated dishonesty such as committing perjury and hiding evidence says everything about their credibility that four hours of
Leaving Neverland goes out of its way to hide.

Finally, it&#8217;s important to remember what Michael said himself in 1994 when he was invited to the NAACP Image Awards. At that time, the relentless persecution that would haunt him the rest of his life had started. In addressing the gathering, he went out of his way to note the right all of us have to the presumption of innocence.

&#8220;I never really took the time to understand the importance of that ideal until now,&#8221; Michael said, &#8220;until I became the victim of false allegations, and the willingness of others to believe and exploit the worst before they have a chance to hear the truth. Because not only am I presumed to be innocent, I am innocent. &#8211; And I know the truth will be my salvation.&#8221;

&#8212;-The Michael Jackson Estate

MJOnline
The Official Online Team of The Michael Jackson Estate&#8482;
 
Re: Michael Jackson Estate News (Announcements and Discussion) - 2018 and Beyond

Alicia what about re-running the take2 and helping Taj get a documentary with all the stars/celebs who knows him, like Macauley etc.

Tell the world what he used to do for all the underprivildged kids, dying kids etc. Help he gave to lots of people and saying that they where not just boys!

Michael had a gf , she came out to see us outside his hotel in London.

Tell everybody how kind he was with fans, like buying us all pizzas once the press had left and laughing about it!! Also paying for us to have drinks which we all shared.

The man was a big kid. Where is the harm in that. Oh yes of course He did not comply! And neither will the estate to these 2 liars when they wanted money!
 
STATEMENT FROM THE ESTATE

As we are sure you have recently read, tickets for the new Broadway
play, &#8220;MJ The Musical&#8221;, go on sale January 15 with previews
starting at the Neil Simon Theatre on July 6, 2020 and the show will
premiere on August 13, 2020.

In the meantime, we wanted to say how excited we are about the show. We
were excited when we worked with Cirque du Soleil and Jamie King in
creating &#8220;Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour&#8221; which went on to
become one of the most popular and highest grossing touring shows of all
time. And we were equally excited about working again with Cirque de
Soleil and Jamie King in creating the &#8220;Michael Jackson ONE&#8221; show in
Las Vegas which just enjoyed its 3,000th performance and remains one of
the top selling shows in Las Vegas.

We also were very pleased about the work we did with Spike Lee in
creating the &#8220;Bad 25&#8221; documentary and the documentary &#8220;Michael
Jackson&#8217;s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall.&#8221;

We are confident that this new Broadway show will be every bit as good
as any show we have had a hand in creating.

Some of you have expressed concern about Lynn Nottage. Let us assure
you that Lynn Nottage is a huge Michael Jackson fan. We are always
careful about selecting the creative talent who will work on a Michael
Jackson project. She was ambushed by the UK tabloid reporter and
statements made in casual conversation were taken out of context and
have been misconstrued. No show we ever create about Michael will be
anything other than truthful and positive, and of course we would never
validate the lies and slander that have been perpetrated by Reed,
Robson, Safechuck and HBO in what the fans have called a
&#8220;bullcrapumentary.&#8221;

The creative team on this Broadway show is outstanding. Lynn Nottage is
the only living playwright who has won two Pulitzer Prizes. Christopher
Wheeldon, also a huge Michael Jackson fan, is an acclaimed director and
choreographer who won the Tony Award for his work on &#8220;An American in
Paris&#8221; on Broadway.

Having seen rehearsals and read the book we can assure you fans will be
very excited. Of course, no one can replace Michael. No one can do
what Michael did. There was a reason that Berry Gordy confirmed that
Michael is the greatest entertainer who ever lived. However, just as in
any movie where a famous historical figure is portrayed, once we enter
the playhouse, we have to suspend our disbelief and look forward to
seeing a great show paying homage to Michael&#8217;s legacy.

You all know that the media has tried very hard to negate Michael&#8217;s
influence in the world. To use their term, they tried to cancel
Michael. The Michael Jackson fans and the Michael Jackson Estate will
not allow that to happen. The love of Michael is too strong, it will
always be with us. While some media outlets might be hesitant to
telecast new Michael Jackson programs in the short term, that will turn
around in the long term since everyone wants to see and enjoy Michael
and his work. This Broadway show will go a long way toward reminding
the world who the King of Pop is. Let&#8217;s celebrate it, let&#8217;s embrace
it and let&#8217;s remind everybody that Michael is the greatest of all
time.

THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL JACKSON
 
Finally! i was gonna make an thread for this. glad to know it exist. so what do with posts that have do with a topic with thread that already exist?
 
Back
Top