Where's Jackson's body?

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at 11:40 AM - 0 Comments

Rest in peace, Michael? Not likely. No sooner had the singer’s memorial service ended than speculation ensued about the disposition of his body, which was whisked away from the Staples Center in Los Angeles to no-one-knows-where. The family had been expected to inter Jackson at a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, but there was no sign of digging there yesterday. Many fans had been pressing for a burial at his Neverland ranch, which would technically be illegal without a special state permit. Meantime, it has emerged that pathologists have hung onto Jackson’s brain for further tests to better pin down the exact cause of death. They have generously offered to return it to his loved ones when they’re done. Ick.

Times of London

Photo Gallery: Michael Jackson Memorial

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 5:42 PM - 2 Comments

Warm reception to anti-MJ video

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 1:02 PM - 0 Comments

A few days after attacking Michael Jackson, Rep. Pete King says his office is flooded with calls responding to his video; about 60 per cent have been positive. Filmed in front of the Wantagh American Legion, King said: “This guy was a pervert… and to be giving this much coverage to him, day in and day out, what does it say about us as a country?” He added: “he died, he had some talent, fine.” Apparently, the positive feedback has outweighed the negative. King says he has hit a raw nerve with people who believe that the the King of Pop isn’t worthy of hero worship. But the response from Jackson’s supporters has been colourful. There has been “yelling and cursing and screaming,” King said, as well as “vile and pornographic” emails. His detractors also include Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel and other political figures. Rangel said “most people are really surprised that Peter or anyone else would pick a time when the family is mourning to give vent to his very, very poison opinion of this person who we lost.” King may run for the U.S. Senate next year.

New York Post

In his own words

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 11:48 AM - 11 Comments

Billie Jean first appears in the third verse of the opening track of the record for which there was no precedent. “Billie Jean is always talkin’,” Michael Jackson sings in Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’. “When nobody else is talkin’ / Tellin’ lies and rubbin’ shoulders.”

In many ways, the song is little more than a bouncy nod to the dance club, a simple bridge between the exuberance of Off The Wall and the grandeur of Thriller. Each line of the chorus ends with a refrain of “yeah, yeah” from the backup singers. The final verse invokes truth and belief and Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ plays out to a seemingly joyful chant in an African dialect. But this is unquestionably, if you take the time to read the lyrics, a horrifying song. Continue…

Gone blogging

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 11:42 AM - 0 Comments

I’ll be over here this afternoon, following coverage of Michael Jackson’s memorial. It’ll be just like covering Question Period, only slightly less soul-crushing.

Liveblog: Michael Jackson memorial

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 11:39 AM - 22 Comments

Welcome to live coverage of Michael Jackson’s memorial. I’m going to spend the next few hours watching CNN, writing about it and linking to whatever I find interesting. Should be a wholly uncomfortable afternoon.  (See the photo gallery from the memorial here)

11:30pm. First up, live coverage of the private memorial at Forest Lawn cemetery as seen from a helicopter circling overhead. Very, very classy. Let’s distract ourselves. Maybe go buy a copy—or 12!—of our commemorative issue. Or go read Sasha Frere-Jones at the New Yorker. Or Tom Junod’s obit. Or ?uestlove’s twitter feed. Whatever you do just don’t watch television, ok? I’ll tell you when it’s mildly safe to look.

11:42pm. CNN’s Don Lemon is reviewing the program for the memorial ceremony. It’s like storytime in kindergarten. Only way sadder. Continue…

It's the Soul Mass Transit System!

By Jaime Weinman - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 10:18 AM - 1 Comment

Finally, some good news that involves Michael Jackson in some way, albeit tangentially:

Soul Train,” which charted the soul, R&B and hip-hop genres for more than 35 years on TV, is headed to DVD, bringing with it decades of perfs by Michael Jackson and other iconic acts.

“Soul Train” DVDs will be released under the Time Life label, and series clips will be licensed for other outside uses. Direct Holdings Americas, parent company of the Time Life brand, has acquired DVD distrib rights to the entire “Soul Train” catalog. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Much of the material, which also includes concerts by Al Green, Aretha Franklin and the Temptations, is being made available for licensing and DVD for the first time… the company has a slew of Jackson footage it can piece together for releases, including live perfs of “I Want You Back,” “Dancing Machine” and “Don’t Say Goodbye Again” from his days in the Jackson 5 and “Whatever You Got I Want,” “What You Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You” and “If I Don’t Love You This Way” from his days as an emerging solo act.

Complete season sets are unlikely, since this syndicated show did 39 episodes a season, but I hope they include full episodes instead of clips; clips aren’t hard to find. Soul Train was a historically important show not only because of the talent it showcased (creator/star Don Cornelius was sometimes compared to Ed Sullivan for his ability to find the right mix of established and up-and-coming talent), but because it helped give a new prominence to African-American dancing and dancers on mass-market television.

Here’s an article from the Chicago Reader on Soul Train and its Chicago origins (as well as the local Chicago version that kept going for several years after the original version moved to L.A.).

The King of Pop Quiz

By macleans.ca - Monday, July 6, 2009 at 4:30 PM - 3 Comments

You love him. Or love to hate him.
But do you really know him?

Who did Michael Jackson pray to?

By Katie Engelhart - Monday, July 6, 2009 at 4:28 PM - 23 Comments

Tuesday morning, the Jackson family will pay tribute to Michael in a small, “private family function” at a cemetery in Hollywood Hills. When it’s over, the real show will begin. The location is set: Los Angeles’s Staples Center. The tickets have been counted: 20,000 to be packed in tight. Even the colour of the coffin has been confirmed (it’s made of gold). But when the final blessing is made, from what holy book will it come?

Last Thursday, Jermaine Jackson ended a news conference: “And Allah be with you Michael, always. I love you.” By Friday, news outlets around the world were a buzz with responses to a single question: why “Allah”? In recent years, Michael Jackson’s faith took a few sharp turns. Jackson was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness by his devout mother, but rumours began circulating in 2006 that the star was turning away from the family creed. In June 2005, Jackson was spotted wearing the red string bracelet favored by followers of Kabbalah. Sources reported that Michael had been turned on to the mystical offshoot of Judaism by close friend, Elizabeth Taylor. Continue…

Michael Jackson's promoter looks to turn a profit

By macleans.ca - Friday, July 3, 2009 at 2:56 PM - 1 Comment

The L.A.-based concert promoter AEG Live spent $25 million to $30 million preparing for Michael Jackson’s comeback tour. It also sold $85 million in tickets. So many figured that Jackson’s death would ruin the company. However, there is a chance that AEG might not just recoup its losses, but turn a profit. To start, the company has offered fans either a full refund or a special souvenir ticket. Almost half have opted for the ticket—a number that could help the promoter break even. AEG also stands to recovers losses through an insurance policy. It can file a claim if Jackson is found to have died accidentally or from prescription drugs. Lastly, there is footage from rehearsals that will almost certainly be turned into a documentary. AEG would be entitled to a cut of the proceeds. Even in death, the Michael Jackson franchise will likely be very lucrative.
Los Angeles Times

A mother’s love?

By macleans.ca - Friday, July 3, 2009 at 10:22 AM - 2 Comments

Does she want them or doesn’t she? “She” being Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe, and “them” being her two children with Jackson—Prince Michael Jackson Jr., 12, and Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11. Rowe reportedly told a Los Angeles TV station on Thursday that she would seek custody of the kids. But now, her lawyer is rescinding that comment, claiming that “Debbie has not reached a final decision concerning the pending custody proceedings.” The two children, in addition to a third child born to a
surrogate, have been placed in the temporary custody of Jackson’s 79-year-old mother Katherine Jackson. A court hearing over permanent guardianship has been delayed a week, fueling rumors that a “fierce custody battle” (People magazine) will erupt. Reports indicate that a 2002 will, signed by Michael, asked that his mother take care of his children. Jacksonfans will gather on Tuesday at L.A’s 20,000-seat Staples center for a public memorial to the former King of Pop.

Vancouver Sun

Coyne v. Wells on the meaning of Michael Jackson

By macleans.ca - Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 7:13 PM - 9 Comments

Download | Feed | iTunes

Week in Pictures: June 26th – July 1st, 2009

By macleans.ca - Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 4:00 PM - 1 Comment

At last, a place to mourn

By macleans.ca - Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 2:55 PM - 1 Comment

The King of Pop will finally be laid to rest. On Tuesday, Michael Jackson’s funeral will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to the NBA’s L.A. Lakers. The venue has a seating capacity of 20,000 and is owned by AEG Live, the organizers of Jackson’s comeback tour. To accommodate the devoted fans expected to crowd the surrounding streets, giant screens will also be mounted outside of the arena to broadcast footage of the funeral. Police say they are preparing for a ceremony of historic proportions–one that is expected to surpass, in size, the 1977 funeral of Elvis Presley, which attracted 80,000. Plans to hold a public ceremony at Jackson’s Neverland ranch apparently fell through.

The Economic Times

The Telegraph

Fact or Fiction: Michael Jackson rumours

By Katie Engelhart - Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 5:04 PM - 8 Comments

The allegation: MJ autopsy results released

On Monday, British Tabloid, The Sun, announced that it had received a copy of the coroner’s autopsy of Michael Jackson. It seems the star was in pretty bad shape. The Sun explained that Jackson was “a virtual skeleton” at the time of his death—“barely eating and with only pills in his stomach at the time he died. His hips, thighs and shoulders were riddled with needle wounds—believed to be the result of injections of narcotic painkillers, given three times a day for years.”  The report also alleged that Jackson bore scars from at least 13 separate cosmetic operations, that “little more than ‘peach fuzz’ covered his scalp,” and that he showed symptoms of anorexia.

The verdict: FALSE

The Sun’s report was a fake, says entertainment site TMZ (who broke the news of Michael Jackson’s death). The Los Angeles County coroner made this announcement on Monday: “The report that is being published did not come from this office. I don’t know where the information came from, or who that information came from. It is not accurate. Some of it is totally false.” Continue…

Jackson neither the biological nor adoptive father to children

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 12:51 PM - 6 Comments

According to a report on gossip site TMZ.com, Michael Jackson is not the biological father of his three children. Michael Jr., Paris, and Prince Michael II were apparently conceived in vitro, with neither Jackson nor Debbie Rowe, the putative mother to Michael Jr. and Paris, contributing biological material to the children. The biological father to Jackson’s two oldest children was reported by Us Weekly to be Jackson’s dermatologist (and Rowe’s former boss), Arnold Klein. TMZ reports the identity of Prince Michael II’s biological parents remain a mystery, perhaps even to Jackson himself, and his surrogate mother was kept in the dark about whom would eventually take custody of the child. Further complicating matters surrounding custody of the children, Jackson reportedly never filed adoption papers for any of his kids, believing no third party would ever lay claim to them.

TMZ (adoption story)

TMZ (paternity story)

Us Magazine

British magazine prints photo of Michael Jackson’s final moments

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 12:24 PM - 0 Comments

Michael Jackson’s untimely death has spawned all sorts of magazine tributes (including a Maclean’s special issue now available on newsstands.) But the celebrity gossip glossy OK! has upped the ante by publishing what they claim are the final pictures of a dying Jackson on their cover. Mediaweek reports that the British-owned publication paid about US $500,000 for the macabre stills. An investment they expect to more than recoup.

Mediaweek

Michael Jackson’s mother files for custody of his children

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 29, 2009 at 2:39 PM - 0 Comments

Katherine Jackson has filed a petition requesting full custody of the late pop star’s three children, Prince, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7. According to the court document, all three children are currently living with Katherine Jackson, with whom they “have a long-established relationship.” The petition further states that it is “not known at this time” whether Debbie Rowe, listed as the two older children’s mother, would agree to the request. The mother of Prince Michael II is unidentified.

MTV

Joe Jackson suspects "foul play" in death of son

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 29, 2009 at 11:52 AM - 0 Comments

Joe Jackson, Michael’s father, told reporters at the Black Entertainment Television Awards he suspects “foul play” in the death of his son. According to Joe Jackson, “Michael was dead before he left the house.” However, Jackson says that just “a few minutes” beforehand, Michael was “waving to everybody and telling them he loves them and all the fans at the gate.” The Los Angeles County Coroner says its post-mortem examination of Michael found no signs of trauma or foul play. However, after expressing their frustration with the inconclusive results of the first autopsy, the Jackson family hired a private pathologist to conduct a second one.

The Telegraph

L.A. Times: Second autopsy on Jackson

By macleans.ca - Friday, June 26, 2009 at 11:49 PM - 0 Comments

The L.A. Times is reporting that the Jackson family hired a private pathologist to perform a second autopsy on Michael Jackson’s body in the hopes of finding out his cause of death faster. The L.A. County coroner’s office performed the first autopsy on Friday. And while it ruled out foul play, the coroner announced that more tests were required to determine the “cause and manner of death.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Conrad Murray, who was with Jackson at his home when he stopped breathing, spoke to police for three hours on Saturday. A source close to the investigation told the L.A. Times that while the doctor — who authorities stress is not a suspect — was “cooperative,” the interview provided little in terms of evidence as to why Jackson went into cardiac arrest.

L.A. Times (autopsy)

L.A. Times (doctor)

Doctor's car impounded

By macleans.ca - Friday, June 26, 2009 at 5:31 PM - 0 Comments

With some speculating that Michael Jackson may have overdosed on the painkiller Demerol, police have turned their attention to his personal doctor. Though authorities stressed he’s not under criminal investigation, Dr. Conrad Robert Murray, who was with Jackson when he stopped breathing in his home, spoke briefly with police and had his car impounded. “The car might contain medications or other evidence that could assist the coroner,” said a police spokesperson. A friend of the Jackson family, Brian Oxman, gave several interviews on Thursday and said drugs may have contributed to the former pop star’s death. The King of Pop was reportedly addicted to painkillers. A toxicology report will confirm what chemicals were in Jackson’s system, but it could take six to eight weeks for results to be ready.

New York Times

This is huge

By Paul Wells - Friday, June 26, 2009 at 4:10 PM - 3 Comments

In a move that should be profoundly chastening to the current management of the Village Voice (The what? Precisely.), the paper has loaded up its archive of significant articles on Michael Jackson. It’s a humbling reminder of a time, not long distant but gone forever, when the Voice led the American conversation on just about every significant issue, pop trend, cultural debate or lurid sideshow. Our intrepid researcher found this because I was looking for the Stanley Crouch article. But there’s Christgau, Greg Tate, Guy Trebay… well, for a long time right into the ’90s, Thursdays were really important to me because there were a few places in Montreal where I could get my hands on the Voice.

"I could listen to that song all day!"

By John Geddes - Friday, June 26, 2009 at 3:27 PM - 0 Comments

Driving a twisty Ontario two-lane highway with my then nine-year-old daughter in the back seat a couple of years ago, I put on a new Motown best-of CD to pass the time. A few of those old songs went by without eliciting any comment. But after “I Want You Back,” she piped up, “Can I hear that one again?” “You like it?” “I could listen to that song all day!”

Studio cuts scene featuring LaToya from Brüno

By macleans.ca - Friday, June 26, 2009 at 2:10 PM - 0 Comments

The studio behind Sacha Baron Cohen’s Brüno has made a last-minute edit to the film to cut out a scene featuring Michael Jackson’s sister, LaToya. The deleted scene showed Cohen (as Brüno) looking for the pop star’s phone number on LaToya’s phone and reading out a number purportedly belonging to Jackson. Universal Studios has said the decision was made “out of respect for Jackson’s family.”

The Guardian