Today in MJJ HIStory

1972 - Michael Jackson's cover version of "Rockin' Robin" was released as the second single from his 1972 first solo album titled Got to Be There.

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The song hadn't originally been scheduled as a single, and it was only after radio djs started playing the song from Michael's first LP, Got to Be There, that Motown decided to release it as the second single, instead of of "I Wanna Be Where You Are." The djs who has originally played the album cut in the first place probably chose it because it was a familiar song to them, having first been released as a single back by Bobby Day back in 1958, the year Michael was born. Also on the B-side was "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone", another cover from The Supremes' #1 smash.

It was the biggest hit from the album, peaking at number two on the Hot 100 and R&B charts.

1979 – The Jacksons perform their Destiny Tour in Manchester, UK.

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Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) hits the Billboard Pop singles chart peaking at #7 and remains on the charts for 22 weeks.

Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) co-written by Michael and Randy, was released as the second single from the Jacksons 12th studio album, Destiny, and became a signature tune of the disco age. It was the most successful single from Destiny, which helped to re-established them as a top-selling group. This infectious dance tune peaked at #3 on the black singles chart.

Michael, in a rare interview for a radio program, recalled writing the song with Randy. "Randy was going around the house humming a tune and I liked it. I asked him what it was and he said, 'It's nothing.' I said, 'No, it's something.'" Michael went on to write the melody and lyrics for "Shake Tour Body". "I don't know where it came from. God, I say."
1983 - Michael is on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, with the main article Michael Jackson Life As a Man, who they dub as 'The Prince of Pop' in an interview by Gerri Hirchey.

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1992 - Michael Jackson is one the cover of Jet magazine. The main article in three pages is entitled:”Michael Jackson`s new video “Remember The Time” when blacks were kings and queens.

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1997 - Michael Jackson is on Tele Loisirs Magazine, from France. The main article is entitled: "Michael Jackson nouveau drame divorce juste avant la naissance de son enfant".

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Filed under  //   1972   1979   1983   1992   1997  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1976 - The Jackson 5, minus Jermaine, take part in a couple of skits and perform 'Forever Came Today' on Rich Little Show. In the same show "Welcome Back Kotter" spoof with Rich Little as Kotter and the Jacksons as The Sweathogs; and "Duck Soup" spoof with Rich Little and all the Jacksons playing Groucho Marx simultaneously.

1979 – The Jacksons perform their Destiny Tour in Glasgow, UK.

1997 - Michael Jackson performs at a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor for her AIDS benefit concert titled "Happy Birthday, Elizabeth" in Los Angeles, California.

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Elizabeth Taylor, who is facing surgery soon for a bening brain tumour, celebrated her 65th birthday in her characteristic glamour at a black-tie gala "Happy Birthday Elizabeth - A Celebration Of Life" at Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, with a star-studded cast of well-wishers. Michael, arrived as Liz's escort for the evening and sat by her side throughout. Michael was making his first appearance since the recent birth of his first son, whose godmother is Taylor. Michael sang Elizabeth, I Love You", which he wrote especially for the occasion.

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Michael gave a markedly sparse performance with out his usual pyrotechnics, props or supporting cast, with the exception of a child actress appearing at the beginning of the number who was representing Taylor as a girl.

The tribute aired on February 27, 1997 by ABC – TV

2004 - Michael, Grace, the kids, Omer Bhatti & Dr Sebi arrive in Old Snowman in Colorado where Michael has rented the Meanwhile ranch (close to Aspen).

2005 - Katherine, Joe & Jermaine visit Michael at the hospital before he goes back to Neverland to rest.

Filed under  //   1976   1997   2004   2005  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1977 - The Jacksons performed "Enjoy Yourself", "They Can't Take That Away from Me"/"Puttin' on the Ritz", "Blues Away", "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" and "Keep on Dancing" with guest star Redd Foxx.

1979 – The Jacksons perform their Destiny Tour in Geneva, Switzerland.

1993 - "Give in to Me" was officially released in Europe with a video clip featuring Slash, filmed in Germany in two hours in front of a live audience.

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The single was not released in North America, but became a top ten hit in five countries.

2003 – Michael Jackson is on Heat Magazine, United Kingdom.

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2005 - Michael Jackson was admitted to Marian Medical Center with flu-like symptoms.
Filed under  //   1977   1979   1993   2003   2005  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1968 - The Jackson Five perform at the Apollo Theater's legendary Amateur Night.

Joseph in a visit to New York, secure the group their most daunting gig to date, an appearance at the Apollo Theater's legendary Amateur Night as the opening act for Dave Prater (of Sam & Dave). As seasoned performers, the Jackson Five had little to fear and their worries proved unfounded. Not only did they win the ‘Superdogs Final’, they also earned a rare standing ovation from a notoriously fickle audience.

1979 – The Jacksons perform their Destiny Tour in Geneva, Switzerland.

1983 - The short film for “Beat It” is paid for and conceptualised by Michael Jackson himself, directed by Bob Giraldi and co-choreographed by Michael Jackson and Michael Peters, and takes place on Los Angeles Skid Row around February 14, 1983.

Jackson asks Giraldi to come up with a concept for the "Beat It" video because of the singer liking a commercial Giraldi has directed for WLS-TV in Chicago, which it features a married couple of two elderly blind people who, instead of running from a run-down neighborhood of minorities, which all the other white folks had fled from, choose to stay and throw a block party for all the young kids in the area. The cast for ‘Beat It’ includes 80 members of two real rival street gangs from L.A., Crips and Bloods - the entertainer’s idea - the promo for the video costing Jackson an estimated $140,000 or $50,000, after CBS refusing to finance it. “Beat It” sees the unification of two gangs through the power of music, message and dance. The heavily repeated chorus goes

“Beat it, beat it,
No one wants to be defeated.
Showing how funky, strong is your fight,
It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right”
draw up an emblematic anthem against violence and taking chance on it as a demonstration for manhood. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that the song is both "tough" and "scared". In his room, Jackson contemplates the violence breaking outside, him dancing his way through the diner and pool room of a hotel (presumably), towards the gang conflict, where he starts dancing and the gang members joining him. The single reaches to the number-1 chart position a week after its release and Michael Jackson becomes the first black artist to have a number-one album and single simultaneously in the United States and the United Kingdom. The single will be certified gold, a few months after its release, for shipments of at least one million units. In 1989, the standard format single will become re-certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, based on the revised sales level of one million units for platinum singles. The total number of digital sales in the United States, as from September 2010, amounts to at 1,649,000.

1985 - Michael helps with the delivery of Valentino, a baby deer born to his pet deer, Prince and Princess at Hayvenhurst in Encino.

1989 - Michael and his manager Frank Dileo, were parted company.

No real reason was given for the abrupt split, leaving the media to speculate about possible causes, suggesting that Dileo was trying to be bigger than Michael, that his managing technique was too flamboyant and that he tried to promote him as a wacky person.

Dileo managed Michael's career from March 20, 1984 to February 14, 1989.

1996 - Veja magazine, Brazil

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2001 - A special evening at New York City's Carnegie Hall for Michael Jackson, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Mother Love, Loveline's Dr. Drew Pinsky, Dr. Stanley Greenspan, publisher Judith Regan, attorney Johnnie Cochran, Temptation Island host Mark L. Walberg as well as for fans who traveled to New York City from all over the world:

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A debate entitled "Love, Work & Parenting: Can You Be a Success in the Bedroom and the Boardroom?" to introduce the newly founded charity of Jackson and Boteach "Heal The Kids".

From Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's introduction:

"This initiative, 'Heal The Kids', is designed to save us from the worst kind of hell: a life where you are surrounded by people and you're still totally alone; a life where your children don't talk to you about meaning, but rather about your being a pay station for PlayStation; a life where the TV always blared, but your soul was never bared; a life where shopping at Barney's came before playing with your children and their Barneys...a life where surfing the Internet for content came before searching hearts for meaning."

"Who would've believed one day we'd hear of parents bored of their children turning on fantasy television - 'Star Wars', 'The Wizard of Oz'? Have you ever heard of escaping your children's reality by escaping into someone else's reality?"

"We're talking about you having deprived them of every child's birthright: the right to feel loved without deserving it, to feel admired without earning it."


Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who co-founded "Heal The Kids" with Jackson last year, introduced Jackson, saying that "the real Michael Jackson isn't famous for the moonwalk, he's famous for... his love for children."

From Michael Jackson's introduction:

"Tonight, we're here in the world's most famous concert hall to hear an entirely different kind of music, a loftier melody.... This music I speak of is...more harmonious than a thousand voices joined in a hymn, and more powerful than all the world's percussive instruments combined....

That sound is the sweet sound of love. That sound has become a forgotten refrain. Instead of dinner conversations, there is the noise of video games. Instead of regular conversations between parents and children about drugs or violence, there is the deafening sound of silence."

"Who would have believed that the sound of children at their playgrounds would be replaced by the sound of automatic machine-gun fire? That the sound of little girls skipping rope would be overshadowed by the frantic screams of little children dodging bullets? Yet, instead of loving our children more, we install metal detectors in our schools."

"With two children of my own, I know what it means to balance the demands of family and career - and let's not even talk about finding a date for myself. Rabbi Shmuley keeps telling me he'll find me the perfect woman. My response is, 'As long as she's not a journalist.' "

Mother Love, who openly wept during Jackson's speech, spoke extensively about her 28 years of marriage, while Regan expounded on the difficulties of single motherhood.

The event ended with a short question-and-answer session, followed by brief closing words from Jackson, who explained he would give more details about love and family at the next "Heal The Kids" event that will take place at Oxford University in Great Britain.

He promised a speech "certain to surprise you".

Launched about the same time is the official website for Michael Jackson's "Heal The World Foundation". Be informed about upcoming events, Heal The Kids, Teach The World by visiting this great site!

Michael Jackson’s Heal The World Foundation and The Seminar Center present a Valentine’s Day Seminar at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The event, organized by Jackson and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, promotes family love and is the first public event by the "Heal the Kids" initiative, a HTW campaign aiming to educate the occupied adults in favor of reprioritizing their children. Jackson introduces his guests, a panel of children's experts and celebrities - who hold discourses on balancing romantic love, family commitment and professional dedication - and holds a speech pertaining to the event’s theme (read the speech here). The entertainer displays his lingering concern towards the illegal and augmentative child access to machine guns, leading to fire attacks in educational institutions, as a result to a faulty parenthood, and speaks on the importance of parents raising their children responsibly. Prior to the event, the entertainer invites his fans via a letter, to participate at the inaugural evening: "This is a serious and entertaining event and I have asked some of the top experts on love and parenting to come and talk to you", moreover, specifying that the seminar’s proceeds will benefit "Heal The Kids"

Filed under  //   1968   1979   1983   1985   1989   1996   2001  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1979 - The Jacksons perform a concert in Sheffield, UK on Destiny tour.

1984 - Feb. 13, issue of People magazine featured Michael on the cover, became the publication's third best selling issue ever.

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1989 - Just two weeks after the end of the Bad World Tour, Michael fired manager Frank DiLeo, a former executive at Epic Records, who had been with him since 1984.

Despite his success at the helm of the Victory and Bad tours, and in negotiating endorsement deals with Pepsi, DiLeo had also failed to get Moonwalker into North American theaters, despite high demand. It is also thought Michael blamed DiLeo for being behind his wacky Tabloid image, despite the fact that subjects like the oxygen chamber and Elephant Man skeleton had been Michael’s ideas.

The firing had immediate repercussions when Michael was convinced by his family to perform concerts with his brothers in South Korea by the Moonie religious organization, who had literally offered a million-dollar reward to any family member who could convince Michael to do them.

The shows, scheduled for August 1989, never happened, and subsequent lawsuits and counter-suits proved to be more trouble than the deal was worth. DiLeo had been the one in the past to shield Michael from his family’s opportunistic demands, and had even turned down the same million-dollar offer from the Moonie’s representative to negotiate Michael’s part in the concerts.

Michael later rehired Frank DiLeo in 2009.

“Leave Me Alone” is the eighth single released from the BAD album on February 13, 1989. It is only released in Australia and Europe and not in U.S. and reaches #1 in the United Kingdom.

On January 2, 1989, video for the single premieres on MTV and is a unique blend of live action and animation, combining a small carnival animal setting with Jackson crusing around in a small plane, and verbally poking fun at the false rumors about him such as the stories about him purchasing the bones of The Elephant Man, sleeping in a hyperbanic chamber, devoting a shrine for actress and friend, Elizabeth Taylor, or his cosmetic surgeries. Newspapers are thrown on a doorstep carrying outrageous titles: “Michael’s Space Age Diet”, “Bubbles The Chimp Bares All About Michael”, “Michael Proposes To Liz”, “Michael To Marry Brooke”; “Michael’s Cosmetic Nose Surgery”; “Michael and Diana Same Person”; “Jackson’s Third Eye Starts Sunglass Fad”, “Michael Weds Alien”; “Michael Frozen For 50 Years”, “Michael Confides To Pet Chimp”, “Michael Sleeps In Hyperbanic Chamber”. The song’s lyrics are mainly addressed to the media: “Leave me alone, stop it / Just stop dogging me around”, while cruising by an image of his ‘shrine’ to Elizabeth Taylor, lying in his hyperbanic chamber and dancing next to the Elephant Man’s bones. The closing part of the video features Jackson freeing himself from the enormous ties of fame holding him down.

1993 – Michael Jackson is on Lookin magazine, UK.

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1997 - Michael Jackson's wife Debbie Rowe gave birth to a healthy baby boy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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Michael was present at his son's birth. The boy is named Prince Michael Junior Jackson. According to MTV News the birth time was 1:07 am [PST].

The day that Prince was born Michael was filming the video for Blood On The Dance Floor. Michael Lee Bush: "Michael left before we totally finished because Prince was being born, the look in Michael's eyes when he got the warning it was starting to happen...... unforgettable,, damn see you made me start to cry again,...."

Yannick Allain (one of Michael's bodyguards from the 90s): "My first time in a maternity ward was not for my child but for Michael's. Michael invited us into to the room to introduce Prince to Me and Wayne. We both gave him a hug to congratulate him and all I could remember noticing was the look on Michael's face. The look of absolute pride. I had never seen him looking calm and yet so confident and happy without saying a word. At that moment I think I felt that kinship of manhood, that only comes from becoming a father. A wonderful moment."

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A happy, but concerned Jackson issues the following statement regarding his becoming a parent, one of his most ardent wishes:
"Words can't describe how I feel... I have been blessed beyond comprehension and I will work tirelessly at being the best father that I can possibly be. I appreciate that my fans are elated, but I hope that everyone respects the privacy Debbie and I want and need for our son. I grew up in a fish bowl and will not allow that to happen to my child. Please respect our wishes and give my son his privacy."
Prince is the first of two children he would have with Rowe before their divorce on October 8, 1999. With the end of the marriage, Michael retained custody of the children, which Rowe signed away in exchange for a settlement.

2002 - It was announced that Michael Jackson, Sting, Barry Manilow and Randy Newman are amongst the latest names to be inducted into the "Songwriters Hall of Fame".

The songwriters will be honored during the "33rd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame" induction ceremony and dinner in June, at Manhattan's Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers.

A songwriter must have been a "professional" for over 20 years and penned a significant canon of music to be included in the coveted list.

Filed under  //   1979   1984   1989   1993   1997   2002  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1972 – The Jackson 5ive concert at Saint Louis, Kiel Auditorium.

1979 - The Jacksons perform a concert in Wakefield, UK on Destiny tour.

1983 - Billie Jean topped Billboard RnB Chart.

1984 - Michael Jackson`s Thriller is for three weeks on top of Number-one albums chart in Australia.

1996 - Michael Jackson continues the filming of his video "They Don't Care About Us" in Rio de Janeiro, with a view of the city as background.

2008 - The Thriller 25th Anniversary Special Edition is released in the US.

Filed under  //   1972   1979   1983   1984   1996   2008  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1979 - The Jacksons perform a concert in Preston, UK on Destiny tour.

1984 - Michael is on the cover of LA Semaine Magazine [Canada].

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1992 - On occasion of Black History Month - Michael tours 30,000 miles of the African continent (covering Gabon, The Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Kenya and Libreville) in 11 days [Between February 11 and February 18, 1992], where he visits medical centers, schools, churches, children’s housings and educational NGO’s for disabled children.

Michael Jackson began a trip of Africa in Gaob. He had planned to visit the Ivory Coast and Tanzania. Michael is welcomed by 100 000 people when he arrives in Libreville. President Omar Bongo presents him with a Medal Of Honour at the Ambassador’s Hall in the Presidential Palace.

Michael Jackson is also welcomed on February 11 by 100,000 people when he arrives in Libreville, Gabon, President Omar Bongo recompensing him with the 'National Honor Of Merit Award' on behalf of the country of Gabon, West-Central Africa, at the Ambassador's Hall in the Presidential Palace.

While in Gabon, President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, declares that “the return of Michael Jackson (to Africa) fits into the tradition of the abolition of time and the integration of space. His music made us feel that he’s never really been away”. In return for the honors received by the entertainer in Gabon, he presents President Bongo with the album Jackson was awarded when he was named ‘Artist of the Decade for the Eighties’.

The President’s grandchildren, Christopher, Neata and Malika join some one thousand children, including the singer’s friend, Brett Barnes at a party given by Jackson back at the Intercontinental Hotel. He also gives an interview while in London regarding his visit and more for May's issue of "Ebony" magazine, confessing towards the end, "You know, that's the most I've said in eight years... You know I don't give interviews. That's because I know you and I trust you. You're the only one I trust to give interviews to."

He phones his ranch daily, however, to make sure his property and animals are unaffected by the storms and floods in California at the time. He is reportedly interested in making a film, "Return To Africa", for his own video library. During his goodwill trip, Michael is crowned King Sanwi by King Nana Amon Ndoufou IV - ruler of Sanwi on the Ivory Coast - during vast ceremonies held in the Village of Krindjabo.

1998 - News broke that Michael Jackson is nominated for the 1998 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE - Michael is among the record 130 nominees for 1998's Nobel Peace Prize, along with Pope John Paul II and US President Bill Clinton.

Nominations for the Peace Prize can be made by members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, members of some national legislatures and governments, previous laureates and university professors of history, philosophy and political science, among others. The 1998 prize will be presented on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swede who invented dynamite and endowed the prizes in his will. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo. Michael did not win the Nobel Peace Prize for 1998 but it is already a HUGE HONOR to be nominated!

2002 - The "16th Annual Soul Train Music Awards" announced that Michael Jackson is nominated in the category Best R&B/Soul Album, Male for "Invincible".

2008 - The Thriller 25th Anniversary Special Edition is released in UK and Europe.

Jackson issued a 25th anniversary edition of his top-selling album Thriller called Thriller 25. It is a double disc album; disc one contains the original nine tracks from "Thriller", five remixed "Thriller" tracks, a song originally recorded in the Thriller era called "For All Time", a voice over by Vincent Price and featured will.i.am, Fergie, Kanye West, and Akon, with single releases alongside the album. Disc two is a DVD which contains the three music videos from "Thriller" and Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean" at Motown 25.

Filed under  //   1979   1984   1992   1998   2002   2008  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1979 - The Jacksons appeared on American Bandstand, performing Shake Your
Body (To The Ground)
and Things I Do For You. Solo, Michael also sang another song from the DESTINY album, Push Me Away.

The Jacksons perform a concert in Brighton, UK on Destiny tour.

1988 - Michael Jackson is finally arrived in this Panhandle city to rehearse for his concert tour “BAD”.

After bad weather in Atlanta delayed his arrival by three days, a publicity spokeswoman said. On Monday afternoon, Jackson arrived in the same Eastern Airlines that carried the Pensacola Tornados of the Continental Basketball Association home from a road trip. The singer is sharing the 10,000-seat Pensacola Civic Center with the Tornados, who had a home game scheduled Tuesday night, as he rehearses through February 18 for a 13-city tour that begin Feb. 23 in Kansas City, Mo. Jackson was expected to arrive Friday night. The performer was met at the airplane's steps and whisked away. Television cameras caught only a fleeting glimpse of him. Jackson's lighting equipment and stage and a 100-person entourage of musicians, backup singers and others began arriving two weeks ago, but Jackson does not plan any public performances in Pensacola.

1992 - MTV kicked off its first global sweepstakes with "My Dinner with Michael". Winners from around the world attended a dinner party hosted by Michael Jackson on the set of his music video "In the Closet".

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Michael Jackson departs for a one week tour to Africa at LA airport. He travels for 11 days to visit hospitals, orphanages, schools, churches & institutions for mentally handicapped children, covering about 30,000 miles on his journey.

1993 - Michael Jackson is interviewed by Oprah Winfrey at his Neverland Ranch.

It is his first live TV interview in 14 years. During the 90-minute special, he opens up about his personal life and career, clears up some misconceptions and rumors about himself and gives Oprah a night time tour of his ranch.
In the interview, Jackson claims that he has a disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin. He also claims he's had very little plastic surgery. Elizabeth Taylor made a surprise appearance during Oprah Winfrey’s primetime interview with Michael Jackson. Elizabeth, who at first didn’t intend to appear on the program, set the record straight about her friendship with her friend Jackson and the controversy surrounding him. He also dances live in his theater and gives the audience a special an a-capella performance of “Who Is It”. The live telecast attracted about 85 million viewers in US alone, and was the 4th most watched TV event in history. It was the most successful ABC entertainment special ever.

Note: In spite of Jackson’s good-will and generosity, Winfrey, as, in fact, various other journalists, will prove/have proven to be biased, her not believing in Jackson’s innocence of wrongdoings towards children and expressing this on several occasions, particularly during the 2005 trial completed with the entertainer’s vindication.

The World première of Give into Me video took place on February 10, 1993 during the worldwide live telecast from Neverland Valley of "Michael Jackson Talks... To Oprah". The video clip is starring Michael Jackson and Slash. Shooting of the video clip took place in Munich, Germany. Video clip produced by Phil Rose and Warren Hewlett. Staging Michael Jackson. Directed by Andy Moharan.

1996 - Michael Jackson flew into Brazil to begin filming the second video for "They Don't Care About Us".

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He was welcomed with near-hysterical enthusiasm by fans in Salvador. Hand-in-hand with two Casio children -- and with only his eyes visible above a black surgical mask -- the singer sprinted across a shimmering runway to wave to hundreds of fans gathered on an airport balcony. "He started running toward us and I almost fainted," said breathless schoolgirl Sheila de Oliveira, still in tears after her not-so-close encounter with the star.

For the first time in his career, Michael made a second music video for a single. Plans by Michael and director Spike Lee to film in Brazil have caused an uproar. State authorities unsuccessfully tried to ban the singer filming in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador (Pelorinho). Officials feared images of poverty might affect tourism and accused Jackson of exploiting the poor. Ronaldo Cezar Coelho, the state secretary for Industry, Commerce and Tourism demanded editing rights over the finished product. Some were concerned that scenes of poverty and human rights abuses would affect their chances of hosting the Olympics in 2004. Others supported Jackson's wish to highlight the problems of the region, arguing that the government were embarrassed by their own failings.

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A judge banned all filming but this ruling was overturned by an injunction. Although officials were angry, the residents were not and Jackson was surrounded by crowds of enthusiastic onlookers during filming. One woman managed to push through security to hug the singer who continued dancing while hugging her. Another woman appeared and hugged him from behind. He then fell to the ground as police pulled the two women off him and escorted them away. After the director helped Jackson get up off the street, he continued to sing and dance. This incident made it into the music video. 1,500 policemen and 50 residents acting as security guards effectively sealed off the Dona Marta shanty town. It was alleged that Jackson's production team had negotiated with drug dealers in order to gain permission to film in one of the city's shantytowns.

The music video was directed by Spike Lee. Asked why he chose Lee to direct the video, Jackson responded,

"'They Don't Care About Us' has an edge, and Spike Lee had approached me. It's a public awareness song and that's what he is all about. It's a protest kind of song ... and I think he was perfect for it".
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Michael can be seen wearing the "Olodum" t-shirt
in the video.
Jackson also collaborated with 200 members of the cultural group Olodum, "who swayed to the heavy beat of Salvador's 'samba-reggae' music". Producing the first video proved to be a difficult task for Jackson. The music was changed slightly to fit Olodum's style of drumming. The "Olodum version" (unofficial title) of the song has since become more popular than the original album version. The media interest surrounding the music video exposed Olodum to 140 countries around the world. It brought them worldwide fame and increased their credibility in Brazil.
At the beginning of the video, a Brazilian woman says "Michael, eles não ligam pra gente" which means "Michael, they don't care about us".

Speaking of the music video, in The New Brazilian Cinema, Lúcia Nagib observed:

When Michael Jackson decided to shoot his new music video in a favela of Rio de Janeiro ... he used the favela people as extras in a visual super-spectacle ... All the while there is a vaguely political appeal in there ... The interesting aspect of Michael Jackson's strategy is the efficiency with which it gives visibility to poverty and social problems in countries like Brazil without resorting to traditional political discourse. The problematic aspect is that it does not entail a real intervention in that poverty.
In 2009, Billboard described the area as "now a model for social development" and stated that Jackson's influence was partially responsible for this improvement.

2000 - Michael has selected "The Firm" as his new management company. "The Firm", a two-year-old company described as "one of the hottest music management teams in the world", is headed by Jeff Kwantinetz and Michael Green. John McLain, a family associate and former high-ranking A&M executive, will remain involved in managing Michael Jackson.

Filed under  //   1979   1988   1992   1993   1996   2000  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1979 - The Jacksons perform a concert in London, UK on Destiny tour.

1984 – Michael Jackson leaves Hemsley Palace, New York City, NY, the day after he went there to attend a performance of The Tap Dance Kid.

1991 - La Toya Jackson, Michael’s sister, released her autobiography “La Toya: Growing up in the Jackson Family”.

She recounts in her (controversial) autobiography, one of the many memorable stories of her brother, which is relevant to his character and life philosophy:

"When Mother picked Michael’s shoes one day, she noticed gaping soles in the holes and brought him a new pair. He refused to wear them. I had to plead with him to discard the old shoes and, really tempting fate, to change his socks. Forget about it. “La Toya, these things are not important”, he said. “Why do people care about clothes? Music is what’s important to me, how it sounds, that I get it right. And why do we care about having new shoes? What about the man who has no shoes? Or the man who has no feet?... These are great shoes... and I’m going to keep wearing them.” […] At home, it was back to wrinkled jeans and old sweaters. […]”
2002 - Michael Jackson escorted Elizabeth Taylor to the first Art for AIDS fundraiser held at Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, California (Orange County, USA) in a tribute to Rock Hudson.

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Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., professionally known as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, and also one of the first major Hollywood celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness.

At the beginning of the event commemorative t-shirts signed by various stars including Michael, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Ringo Starr, Sharon Stone, Halle Berry and others were auctioned. Michael's, which was signed twice, went for an amazing $ 700, well above the average. The gala was expected to raise $150,000.

Michael was wearing a black suit with white trim and Elizabeth was adorned with jewels. They arrived late, to the strains of "Elizabeth, I Love You". He held Taylor’s bejeweled hand throughout the press conference, his slender, costumed body curved protectively around her.
Both stars appeared briefly at a subsequent Art for AIDS fundraisers, a private $ 2,500 per plate private dinner at the St. Regis in Dana Point, CA.

Filed under  //   1979   1984   1991   2002  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1977 - The Jacksons perform "Enjoy Yourself" and "Dreamer" on Mike In Hollywood '77.

1979 - The Jacksons perform a concert at The Rainbow in London, UK on Destiny tour.

1983 - Michael attends The British Record Industry Awards in the Grosvenor House Hotel, London (UK) to collect an award on behalf of Barbara Streisand. Michael is pictured with Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda.

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Michael & Paul Mac Cartney are on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.


1984 - Michael attends the Tap Dance Kid musical at the Broadhurst Theatre in NYC with Sean Lennon.

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1993 - Jet magazine featured Michael on their cover with the story: Michael Jackson gives First Live Interview to Oprah Winfrey.
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As the monthlong celebration gets underway during the Black HIStory month, the musical monarch will establish an precedent. He will give the first live interview to Oprah Winfrey. The prime time special, produced by Winfrey's Harpo Productions, Inc., will air Wednesday, Feb. 10 (9:30-11:00 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network in the U.S. and in countries around the world. Oprah's 90-minute interview with Michael, originating from his ranch in Santa Ynez, CA., will provide viewers a rare glimpse into this private and often mysterious musical master's intriguing life.

"Michael Jackson has always been at the top of my list of people I am most interested in interviewing," Oprah allowed. "The excitement of this interview being live and unedited is certainly a special event for me and for all of Michael's fans." she adds.

Rather than tape the interview and release it on the scheduled air date, the talk show host and Michael agreed to an unprecedented live show. The format will allow the megastar to talk about his career, lifestyle and family, and express his innermost feelings.

2006 - Michael, Anton, Grace & the kids leave Sorrento and go to Roma.
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