Today in MJJ HIStory

1971 - The Jackson 5 attend the Salute to Muhammad Ali charity held at Hollywood Palladium, to raise money for the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade.

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1973 - The song Melodie was recorded by Michael Jackson, but it remained unreleased until it appeared – newly mixed – on Michael's album, FAREWELL MY SUMMER LOVE.

1976 - Michael and his brothers all gave sworn depositions in the Jackson 5′s counter-suit against Motown records. Recounting his private meeting with Berry Gordy nine months earlier, he described it as one of the most difficult things he had ever done in his life.

1997 - Michael stayed two weeks in the Tower Suite at the Montreux Palace in Montreux, Switzerland to complete work on his album Blood On The Dance Floor.

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Every day, he went to the Mountain Studios where he recorded the album. No way for him to pass by incognito, in his big limousine, surrounded by body guards!

The King of pop music liked Switzerland for having there all the calmness he needed for the recording of part of his album Blood on the Dance Floor. The album was produced while Michael traveled the globe on his HIStory World Tour. Thus, the songs were produced in a variety of countries that included Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.

After a divorce and a re-marriage, Michael records Blood on the Dance floor in the Mountain Studios in Montreux. It was the calm of this city which decided Michael Jackson to come and work in Montreux. The news of Michael's presence in town was spread out very quickly, and fans from all over Europe came to Montreux: They tried to see him day and night, gathering at the entrance of Montreux Palace and desperately hoping for a photo or an autograph, or just to see him. But Michael often used hidden doors or accesses for employees and soon disappeared in a limousine with dark windows.

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During his stay in Montreux, Michael Jackson wanted to acquire the house owned by the Chaplin family, former long-time residence of Charlie Chaplin, but his offer to buy the property was declined by the heirs of the famous artist.


2003 - Michael pays a last respect to Bee Gee's Maurice Gibb.

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Gibb, 53, died on January 12 after suffering cardiac arrest shortly before undergoing emergency surgery on a blocked intestine. Gibb's private funeral was held at Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapel in Miami Beach at noon and was followed by a cremation service.

The private funeral service for Maurice Gibb was attended by family and close friends, including his fraternal bandmates, twin brother Robin Gibb and Barry Gibb, Michael Jackson and Gibb's first wife, singer-actress Lulu.

An hour after the official funeral Barry and Michael went to the coffin to honor Maurice for the last time. Michael was wearing a turquoise suit and went in quickly protected by a black umbrella to show his friend the last respect.

Michael Jackson is a close friend of the Gibb family, and had been working on a song with the Bee Gees just prior to Maurice's sudden illness.

Filed under  //   1971   1973   1976   1997   2003  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1972 - The Jackson 5 headline the first annual Martin Luther King Birthday Commemoration Concert in Atlanta, Georgia.

1994 - Michael wins the trial for The Girl Is MIne, Thriller & We Are The World

2003 - Martin Bashir meets with Michael Jackson in his Miami Hotel for the final interview for Living with Michael Jackson documentary.

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When Bashir brings up the subject of his face, a visibly upset Jackson says that he has only had two operations on his nose in order to facilitate his singing, to which Bashir tries to ask how he looks so much different from when he was an adolescent. After the singer states that there is nothing wrong with plastic surgery, and that it was "not invented for Michael Jackson," Bashir comes to the conclusion that Jackson wanted to change his appearance as a result of his troubled youth and father's insults.

When he asks about a comment Jackson's son Prince made that "I haven't got a mother," Jackson tells him that Deborah Rowe bore his two children as a gift for him, because he wanted to be a father so badly. On the subject of Blanket's mother, Jackson contradicts his earlier statement that he had Blanket with a woman with whom he had a relationship by stating that Blanket's mother was a surrogate mother and that they didn't know each other.

Bashir also repeatedly questions Jackson why he invites children into his room. Jackson defended himself stating that such activity is natural when the children are of close friends or family, and that "many children," including the Culkin family children (including Macaulay and Kieran) have slept in the same bed as him. Jackson strongly denied that there was any sexual motivation for this. During these defensive comments he also stated that he would allow his children to stay with his friends including Barry Gibb, saying that they are "sweet people" and are not "Jack the Ripper". Due to the confidentiality agreement, he refuses to talk about the 1993 allegations, but he reveals that he paid the accuser a settlement, since he "didn't want to go through a long, drawn-out affair, like O.J."

The same day, he hears that Maurice Gibb has died from an heart attack.

2008 - Michael and his 3 children attended the 'Tournament Of Kings' at the Excalibur hotel ans casino in Las Vegas (USA). 'Tournament Of Kings' is a famous dinner show. It features invading armies, dancing maidens, fireworks, and eating with your fingers.

Filed under  //   1972   1994   2003   2008  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1984 - At the first annual Black Gold Awards, produced by Dick Clark, Michael wins four awards.

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Michael Jackson - Top Male Vocalist
Thriller - Best Album
"Billie Jean" - Best Single of the Year
"Beat It" - Best Video Performance

1996 - Michael Jackson's "History: Past, Present & Future Book 1" was certified 6 times Platinum.

2003 - Michael Jackson visited Maurice Gibb in a Miami hospital. Gibb died the next day.

Dieter Wiesner & Ronald Konitzer officially take over Michael's management in a written agreement. The first act is to fire MIchael's previous managers Trudy Green & Howard Koffman. They also work on a plan named MJ Universe which Is supposed to relaunch Michael's career

Filed under  //   1984   1996   2003  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1987 - Michael, Quincy Jones & Bruce Swedien start recording the BAD album at the Westlake Studio in Los Angeles.

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How do you follow the world’s most successful album – ever?

Even thinking about following THRILLER must have been daunting which may explain, at least in part, why Michael took so long to do so. Certainly Michael felt if he didn't top THRILLER, he would be perceived by many as a failure. So not only did he want the follow-up to be 'as perfect as humanely possibly', he set his sights on an impossible sales target: 100 million.

BAD was the first studio album Jackson released after leaving The Jackson 5 and the first in an almost five-year period following THRILLER. BAD was the third consecutive solo project(fifth, if The Wiz and the E.T. storybook are included), and final, musical collaboration between Jackson and Quincy Jones. The album was produced by Jones, with co-production credit given to Jackson.

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Singer Michael Jackson, shown during a recording session for
his first LP since THRILLER. The album entitled BAD, uses Hugo
Zuccarelli's Holophonics sound system on several tracks.
Michael chose to record the pillow-talk sequence for "I Just
Can't Stop Loving You", while lying in a bed with zuccarelli's
head-shaped robotic recorder.
Michael began recording demos for the anticipated follow-up to Thriller a few months after the 1984 Victory Tour with The Jacksons. Work on the new album started in August 1986, and recording took place between January 5, 1987, and July 9, 1987.

They began by sifting through the 60 or so songs Michael had written himself for the new album and recorded thirty, wanting to use them all on a three-disc set. Jones had suggested that the album be cut down to a ten-track single LP. 'Fifty percent of the battle is trying to figure out which songs to record,' Quincy admitted, 'it's total instinct.' When the album was released on CD, a bonus 11th track, Leave Me Alone was included. It was later released as a single. Michael was credited for writing nine out of eleven of the songs (including the CD-only bonus track) made the final selection on the album – easily the largest contribution he had made to any of his solo albums. Other writing credits included Terry Britten and Graham Lyle for Just Good Friends and Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard for Man in the Mirror.

1994 - Michael presents the award for Best Choreographer to Debbie Allen at the 26th NAACP Image Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles, Ca.

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He was greeted by deafening cheers and a standing ovation. Dressed in a black military style jacket with red accents and a silver sequined armband, and no glasses, he seemed very upbeat, confident and comfortable. He presented the award for Outstanding Choreography but first took the opportunity to say a few words on his own behalf, prior to presenting dancer/choreographer Debbie Allen with the award, pausing now and then to tell the cheering fans, "I love you too" and "I love you more!". He delivers a speech underlining the meaning behind the NAACP organization supporting equality of treatment for all races and human dignity, and exhibiting his sympathy to the NAACP members:
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"For decades, the NAACP has stood at the forefront of the struggle for equal justice under the law for all people in our land. They have fought in the lunch rooms of the South, in the hallowed halls of the Supreme Court and the board rooms of America, for justice, equality and the very dignity of all mankind. Members of the NAACP have been jailed and even killed in noble pursuit of those ideals, upon which our country was founded". Michael Jackson also re-declares his innocence regarding prior allegations of improper conduct towards a minor. He says, "Not only am I presumed to be innocent, I AM innocent, and I know that the truth will be my salvation. I have been strengthened to prove my innocence by my faith in God and the knowledge that I am not fighting this battle alone."
He then announced the winner, Debbie Allen. Allen immediately invited her fellow nominees to the stage which included Michael Peters, nominated for his work on What's Love Got To Do With It. Peters ascended the stairs to the stage and immediately went to his friend Michael and hugged him warmly. Allen began her acceptance speech saying, "God bless you Michael, we're all on your side."

1995 - Bravo magazine [Germany] featured Michael on the cover.

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2003 - Michael visits Maurice Gibbs (one of the Bee Gees) at a Miami hospital.

2007 - Michael has dinner with Kenny Ortega at the Wynn Restaurant in Las Vegas.

Filed under  //   1987   1994   1995   2003   2007  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1995 - Michael leaves a videotaped Christmas message for the British music TV program “Top of the Pops” viewers, presenters and fans from his Neverland Ranch: “Hello, Top Of The Pops. Hello, and thank you for all your love, your support and your loyalty. I love you all so much, it has been a source of strength and inspiration. I wish you a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. I look forward to seeing you soon, and I love you all dearly. Thank you very much.”



1988 - Michael perform 8th of 9 dates at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo during the Japanese leg of Bad tour.

2003 - From the Beverly Hills Hotel, Michael gives an interview to Ed Bradley (shown on CBS’s 60 minutes 3 days later) in the presence of Mark Geragos, Leonard Muhammad & Grace.

Impassioned Michael vehemently denies the charges against him, "Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists"

"I've helped many, many, many children, thousands of children, cancer kids, leukemia kids. This is one of many." Michael says his relationship with this boy he first met a year ago was positive. He says he was determined to help him with his battle against cancer.

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"When I first saw him, he was total bald—headed, white as snow from the chemotherapy, very bony, looked anorexic, no eyebrows, no eyelashes. And he was so weak, I would have to carry him from the house to the game room, or push him in a wheelchair, to try to give him a childhood, a life. Cause I felt bad. Because I never had that chance, too, as a child... Not being sick, but not having had a childhood. So, my heart go out to those children I feel their pain."

Jackson says he tried to help in the healing process by taking the boy around the grounds of Neverland to Jackson’s favorite places. "He had never really climbed a tree. So, I had this tree that I have at Neverland. I call it, "My Giving Tree." Cause I like to write songs up there. I've written many songs up there. So, I said, "You have to climb a tree. That's part of boyhood. You just gotta do it."
I helped him up. And once he went up — up the tree, we looked down on the branches. And it was so beautiful. It was magical. And he loved it. To give him a chance to have a life... Because he was told he was going to die. They told him. They told his parents prepare for his funeral, that's how bad it was. And I put him on a program. I've helped many children doing this. I put him on a mental program."

When Bradley asks him why a child would accuse him if it weren't true, he replies: "Because parents have power over children. They feel they have to do what their parents say. But the love of money is the root of all evil. And this is a sweet child. And to see him turn like this, this isn't him. This is not him."

Michael adds: "Just because it's in print doesn't mean it's the gospel. People write negatives things, cause they feel that's what sells." He also says that the police search of Neverland Ranch was overdone and so violated his privacy that his home will never be the same. He tells Bradley, "I won’t live there ever again. It’s a house now. It’s not a home anymore. I’ll only visit."

Source: Transcript of the Interview With Ed Bradley On '60 Minutes'
Filed under  //   1988   1995   2003  

Today in MJJ HIStory

1996 - Michael perform HIStory concert at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo dattending 45,000 fans.

2002 - Gold magazine publishes an interview of Michael.

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Michael Jackson is the king of pop, the man who made the biggest selling album in history, a man whose dance routines and tunes have entranced people in every corner of the globe, from Johannesburg to Jakarta, from London to L.A.

But he is also an enigma. A child star with his siblings in the Jackson Five, he comes from an immensely talented family and, as youngest son, carved for himself the most successful solo career of all of them. He is one of the few world-famous children who have gone on to become world-famous adults; and now he is reinventing himself again, as a film star.

Despite his fame, despite the fact that he has been performing, creating and improvising almost since he was old enough to walk, Jackson is shy of publicity. He may have hordes of fans and photographers surrounding him whenever he steps out in public, but he is an intensely private man who lives with his family on his fairy-tale Neverland ranch in California. In this rare interview, he talks candidly to Magdalena, the Gold Girl, about fame, the burden of his childhood stardom, his view on the media, and his future in film.

magdalena "gold girl" "Do you most see yourself as a musician, an entertainer or an entrepreneur?"
michael jackson:Probably all of the above, because I love entertaining and I always will love entertaining. I love becoming a slave to rhythm. Because dancing is about interpreting the sounds and accompaniments of the orchestra. You know, you become the sound, you become the bass, you become whatever you hear, and you do it bodily. But I try not to get so caught up in it all that you don't think about your future. So many great entertainers have just been taken in the past, and they ended up lonely, sad and broken. I've always said to myself, I never want to be that way and I'm going to try my hardest to learn about the business side, support myself, invest my money, save. Who knows what tomorrow brings? You want to be protected financially so you can support yourself.

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magdalena "gold girl" "Would you like to be remembered as a great entertainer?"
michael jackson: I love movies and I love art - and an architect is an entertainer, the guy who builds a rollercoaster is an entertainer. He knows where to build the slopes, and the big anticipation when you go up... He makes you go,'Oh my God!' when you get to the top before you come down. It's just the same as structuring a show or a dance.

magdalena "gold girl" "Does it ever become a burden to be one of the most recognized stars in the world?"
michael jackson: There's nowhere in the world I can actually go and have privacy. The thing that hurts the most is the fact that your privacy is taken away from you. To use the silly expression, you live in a fishbowl, but it's true. I do disguises... People know them all, it's very hard, very hard.

magdalena "gold girl" "What kind of disguises?"
michael jackson: Bat suits, buck teeth, glasses, afros, prosthetics, make-up jobs, everything. Just to sit in the audience and experience it the way an audience would experience a show; I want to feel how they feel.

magdalena "gold girl" "Do they find you out?"
michael jackson: Sometimes, yes. In the beginning, no. Then they start looking me in the eyes. I put these things on and then they start looking behind the glasses... Girls are very smart, you know. You can trick a guy quicker than you can trick a girl. Women can just pick it up. They know the way you move your body, the way you walk, the way you gesture. I hear them go,'Look at the way he moves his hand', or ' Look at the way he was walking', and I think,' Oh no.

magdalena "gold girl" "If You were invisible for a day in London, what would you do?"
michael jackson: Oh boy. Who would I like to slap? Let me see {laughs}... I think I'd find one of the tabloid paparazzis and kick his ass , moonwalk style. I'd really like to knock them off one of those little scooters they ride around on, I really would, knock the cameras right out of their hands. They're so anoying. I'd go for them first, yeah. They drive you nuts. You can't get away from them. It's terrible.

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magdalena "gold girl" "Who has inspired you the most professionally, and who do you relate to?"
michael jackson: Probably Walt Disney; because when I was little I grew up in an adult world. I grew up on stage. I grew up in night clubs. When I was seven, eight years old I was in nightclubs. I saw striptease girls take off all their clothes. I saw fights break out. I saw people throw up on each other. I saw adults act like pigs. That's why to this day I hate clubs. I don't like going to clubs - I did that already, I've been there. That's why I compensate now for what I didn't do then. So when you come to my house, you'll see I have rides, I have a movie theatre, I have animals. I love animals - elephants and giraffes and lions and tigers and bears, all kinds of snakes. I get to do all those wonderful things that I didn't get to do when I was little, because we didn't have those things. We didn't have Christmas. We didn't have sleepovers. We didn't have school, we had private school when we were touring. I didn't go to a state school. We tried it for two weeks and it didn't work. It was very difficult. It's hard growing up a celebrity child. Very few make that transition from child star to adult star. It's very difficult. I relate to Shirley Temple. I met her in San Francisco and I sat at her table and I cried so bad. She said,'What's wrong Michael?' I said,'I love you. I need to be around you more.' She goes,'You're one of us, aren't you?' and I said 'Yes, I am.' Somebody else said,'What do you mean?' and she said,'Michael knows what I mean.' And I know exactly what she meant - to have been there as a child star and to have graduated to have succeeded in making that transition to fame as an adult is very difficult. When you're a child star people don't want you to grow up. They want you to stay little for ever. They don't want you to work afterwards. It's very hard.

magdalena "gold girl" "Tell me more about your interests in theme parks - what is it about them that interests you?"
michael jackson: My favourite thing about theme parks - and I have a pretty good outlook on it because I've travelled the world many times over - is I love seeing people simply come together with their families and have fun. It really does bring them closer together. I go for fun, but I also go to study. I go after hours to most parks because I can't go in the regular hours. They're kind of like a ghost town.

magdalena "gold girl" "I hear you have some ideas for a theme park in Las Vegas?"
michael jackson: I've done many projects in Las Vegas, and what I think I've done is I've widend the demographic there. Because when I was a little kid - I was no more than eight years old - my brothers and I would go to Las Vegas, and at that time kids weren't even allowed to walk on a casino floor. So we used to stay up in our rooms, bored, with nothing to do while everyone else gambled. There was only one place for kids in Vegas at the time, called Circus Circus. It was a hotel and the theme they had there was clowns, So there was a trapease man and there were chimps doing the little unicycles. When I got older we played Vegas a lot - we performed there many, many times - and I thought about it and I said,'It's really not fair that there's nothing here for children,' so I started to conceive a couple of ideas for certain hotel owners. And now it's like the family-themed vacation kingdom, it really is.

magdalena "gold girl" "Who are your favourite people?"
michael jackson: I love people who have really contributed to the pleasure and hapiness of the planet and mankind, people with light - from Walt Disney to Ghandi to Edison to Martin Luther King. These are people with light, people who really cared about children, bringing families together, and love. That's what I try to say in my music and in my songs. If you go to one of my concerts, my shows, you will see 200,000 people swaying, holding candles, saying,'We want to heal the world,' and 'We love you.' I've seen it around the world from Russia to Germany to Poland to Africa to America. We're all the same. People cry in the same places in the show. They get angry in the same places in the show, they get the pathos in the same places.

magdalena "gold girl" "Was Fred Astaire your friend?"
michael jackson: Yes. Fred Astaire was my neighbour. I used to see him every day when I was riding my little motorscooter. He always told me, he would always say when I was a little kid,'You're gonna be a big star.' He told me that he thought I was an incredible entertainer and a great mover. And he always used to say,'You're the best,' and I'd say,'No, you're the best.' I remember the first time I did the moonwalk. Fred called me at home. He was screaming on the phone, raving. He said it was the best performance he'd ever seen. I said,'Oh, come on.' He said,'Michael, you put them on their ass.You're a hell of a mover. You're a hell of a dancer.' I said,'Well, coming from you, I don't need any awards.' Because I was nominated for an Emmy for that performance, and I didn't get it, but it didn't matter to me because Fred Astaire said he loved my performance, and that's all the award I needed.

magdalena "gold girl" "If you could work with anyone, alive or dead, who would that be?"
michael jackson: If I could work with anybody it would be Charlie Chaplin, who I love so much. Also, Laurence oliver was a genius, really. Those two guys, I think. And also the king, Brando.

magdalena "gold girl" "Last year you put together a short film, You Rock My World, with the assistence of Marlon Brando. What was it like working with the master?"
michael jackson: Brando is a good friend of mine. He's very much like me. He doesn't go many places. He comes to Neverland or he stays in my house in Mulholland Drive, or he goes to Tahiti. His son worked for me for more than 20 years, and his other son was in my class in private school. He's just a giant. You see, Brando's smart, because when he works with me he always says,'I know what buttons to push to get emotion from you.' He knows me so well. He knows how to get me ticked off, so he'll say certain things to get me really geared up. He's a genius. He's a king. He's the last of that generation. He's a brilliant man, a lovely person. I love him and he's my good friend.

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magdalena "gold girl" "You had a cameo in Men In Black II, was that fun to work on?"
michael jackson: The Men In Black project really was a lot of fun because I introduced myself as the new guy.

magdalena "gold girl" "It was obvious from the video of Thriller that you have a great interest in the visual arts."
michael jackson: Everything I do I like either to direct myself, or work closely with the director - we co-direct and come up with the ideas together. If you look at Ghosts, it says co-written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King. We wrote it on the telephone, Stephen and I - he's a lovely guy, he's amazing. We wrote it on the phone, just talking together.

magdalena "gold girl" "Who are the figures in the movie business you most admire, and why?"
michael jackson: I just love Robert De Niro. I think he's such a multi-faceted actor. He can play anything from a comedian to a preist to a psychopathic killer to an idiot to a charming uncle to just anything. And of course, any of the great dancers.

magdalena "gold girl" "Who would be your ideal leading lady, and why?"
michael jackson: An actress? {laughs} You and I should do a film together. Let's do it, I'd love that...

magdalena "gold girl" "There was talk of you going to the moon to perform an authentic moonwalk here. Is there any truth in this?"
michael jackson: {laughs} There is some truth in it. It's not a rumour. I'll just say that.

magdalena "gold girl" "You outbid Paul McCartney for the Beatles archive. What was so special about it?"
michael jackson: No, I didn't, he didn't bid for it. It was for sale and I liked it and I bought it, like buying a piece of art.

magdalena "gold girl" "Tell me more about your passion for children's charities. Which organizations do you support?"
michael jackson: Well, I have a charity for kids that I created myself, called Heal the World. And whenever I do a concert or anything pertaining to entertainment, I give a certain amount to Heal the World - you know orphanages, hospitals, kids who need a lung or a liver, we'll find it, we'll pay for the surgery. On tour, I do as many hospitals and orphanages as I do concerts. We go to 12-years-olds and we take boxes and boxes and boxes of toys, a bunch of Michael Jackson posters and paraphernalia. They love it.

magdalena "gold girl" "How much more do you feel you want to achieve in your life?"
michael jackson: I'm never satisfied. There are so many different avenues and so many different things that I want to do. I've done a lot, but I don't think it's enough, which is why I don't put up any awards or anything in my house. You won't see any awards in my house, I put them all away in storage. Because if you get caught up in that, you start to feel like,'Oh, man, I did it.' There's so much more, so many more mountains to climb.

magdalena "gold girl" "If one of your children came to you and said,'Dad, I want to be a pop star,' what's the best advise you could give them?"
michael jackson: The best advise that I would give them is it's a lot of hard work, and be propared, because it's not all joy all the time. And that you've got to have rhinoceros skin, because the bigger the star, the bigger the target. The tabloid press are bastards, and you've got to have rhinoceros skin to deal with that kind of ignorance mentality. They do it simply to sell papers, because bad news sell, not good news. They simply make it up. If they don't have anything, they just make it up. I'm nothing like the way the tabloids have painted me out to be, nothing. Nothing like that. They're the ones who are crazy. They're ignorant. I always say to my fans 'Let's have a tabloid burning. Let's make a big mountain out of tabloids and just burn them.' The real fans who love me know that garbage isn't true. They know. They're smart.

magdalena "gold girl" "Have you always wanted to do film? If your family had not been such successful musicians, would you have turned to it earlier in your life?"
michael jackson: I've always wanted to do film, but the tours got in the way. That's why I want to take several years off just doing film. I'd like to get six great movies behind me, and then I'll do a little bit of touring, then I'll do more filming.

magdalena "gold girl" "What kind of ideas do you have for film?"
michael jackson: I have ideas for film and movement and dance and things that people have never seen. I can't wait to just surprise people. That's why I've been dying to start a film production company, and I'm very excited that that's what we're doing with Neverland Pictures. I get to just have a clean slate and play and create and sculpt.

magdalena "gold girl" "Tell me a little bit about the werewolf idea in your films, and how does it relate to video?"
michael jackson: I haven't read the script yet for Wolfed - it's one of the movies that we're going to be making and I'm really excited about it. I'm so happy to be working with Sammy Lee {the co-writer of Music Box, who recently acquired 'first look' rights to Jackson's films}. We're doing some great projects together in film, and I'm really excited.

magdalena "gold girl" "And Wolfed will be the first film?"
michael jackson: As of now, our schedule says that Wolfed will be the first film. That's going to be fun. I want it to be really scary. Rick Baker wants to do all the visual effects. He has seven Academy awards. Rick is very excited about it too - he did American Werewolf in London. He won an Oscar, and he said,'Michael, that was nothing.' That's nothing compared to what he can do today. And he did Thriller and he said of that,'It's nothing'. He can go way beyond that. He did all the Eddie Murphy films, Clumps and Nutty Professor and all that Men In Black stuff too. He does all that.

magdalena "gold girl" "So tell me how you would like to be remembered?"
michael jackson: How would I like to be remembered? As a person who came and brought light to the world, some escapism. Also as the voice for the voiceless children, because I love them. I'm living for the children. If it weren't for the kids, I would throw in the towel. A baby, a child - now that's amazing. They're little geniuses, you know, little geniuses. They really are.

magdalena "gold girl" "Do you enjoy being a father?"
michael jackson: It's my favourite thing. I love it. I love it. I love it.

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magdalena "gold girl" "The other day I saw you pick up your daughter when she was sleeping. You just picked her up, and I could see the joy in your face..."
michael jackson: Oh, I love them. The Jacksons have a lot of kids. I have a lot of nephews and nieces. There's a lot of us!

magdalena "gold girl" "What is your relationship with your brothers and sisters?"
michael jackson: I love my brothers and sisters. When I'm with them we laugh. It's like a different version of yourself. We can just laugh and giggle and talk about old times. We're not together as much as we'd like to be. We're all busy. We're all in showbusiness. We're always doing something. If I'm in town, Janet's out of town. If we're both here, my brother's somewhere else. Everybody's running around, you know.

magdalena "gold girl" "Are you a family man? What do you like doing with your family?"
michael jackson: My personal family? My Children? We love just sitting together, talking, shooting the breeze. We sit by the lake. I take the for a walk every day at my house. We sit by the lake and we throw rocks in the water and we just talk.

magdalena "gold girl" "What do you think is the deepest form of love someone can feel? And have you felt it?"
michael jackson: Wow, I think that's really a matter of opinion. Have I felt the deepest form of love? I don't know what would be the deepest... {long pause} and interesting question... {repeats question a few times}. I love my children very, very much, and I always look in their eyes and tell them that - I think that's the most important thing.

Michael goes to Miami to visit houses and work with Barry Gibb on a charity song.

2003 - Michael returns to Neverland for the first time since it was searched for a private get together entitled “You Are Not Alone” which about 600 friends & family attend

Michael who does not consider Neverland as his home anymore, moves in a rented mansion in Beverly Hills with Grace & the kids.

2008
- Michael is spotted wearing a Zorro mask while visiting his Dr Arnlold Klein, his dermatomogist's office in Beverly Hills.

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Today in MJJ HIStory

1978 - The Jacksons perform Shake Your Body, Destiny & Things I Do For You at American Bandstand.

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In his sky blue outfit, Michael was now suddenly much taller and thinner than he was in Blame It On The Boogie just one year earlier.

1979 - The Jacksons perform Destiny tour in Oakland, USA.

2003 - Michael Jackson's album Number Ones was certified Gold by the RIAA.

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Today in MJJ HIStory

1974 - The Jackson 5ive perform a concert in Las Vegas, Nevada during the quintet's first World Tour.

1979 - The Jacksons perform Destiny tour in Macon, Georgia

1991 - Michael Jackson had his fourth UK #1 single with 'Black or White' which featured Slash on guitar. Also a #1 hit in the US.

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"Black or White" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's Dangerous album, released in November, 11 1991. "Black or White" is a mix of rock, and dance-pop. Written, composed, and arranged by Jackson with the rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell, it is a song that promotes racial harmony. The song's introduction and main riff are performed by guitarist Slash and Bill Bottrell.

"Black or White" made an extraordinary and amazing debut in the UK, where it became the first single by an American to go into the singles chart at #1 since 1960, when "It's Now Or Never" by Elvis Presley did in the same manner.

The single also stormed into Billboard's Hot 100 at #35. A week later it shot up to #3 and on its third week, December 7, 1991, it ascended to #1, making it the fastest chart topper since the Beatles' "Get Back" in 1969. It achieved the year at #1, and remained at the top of the singles chart into 1992, for a total of 7 weeks, making Michael Jackson the first artist to get #1 popular hits in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Around the world, Black Or White hit #1 in 22 countries including US, UK, Mexico, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Euro Chart Hot 100 and #2 in Germany and #3 in Holland. It reached #1 on many singles charts in 1991. The single was certified platinum in the US, selling over one million copies as well as becoming the second-best selling single of 1991.

Actually, the hard rock "Black or White" is considered one of the greatest rock songs of the 1990s and the meaning behind the lyrics is rock solid in this song.

2003 - Michael Jackson's Number Ones album went to #1 in the UK. In the US it entered the chart at #13 and quickly dropped out of the Top 50.

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Today in MJJ HIStory

1972 - Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 perform a concert at an NAACP fund-raising dinner at Hollywood, Palladium, California, at the 6th annual Black Image Awards. The Jackson 5 won the NAACP Image Award for Best Singing Group.

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1979 - The Jacksons perform Destiny tour in Houston, Texas

1984 - The Jacksons perform Victory tour at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada attending 42,000.

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Michael Jackson is made an honorary member of the New Westminster Police Department during his hush-hush visit to New Westminster while in British Columbia, Canada. Appointed PC 49, he swears as a police constable to "serve the Queen and cause the peace to be kept and preserved".

The King of Pop received Badge 49 during his visit to the Royal City.

"He was very quiet. He was very soft-spoken. He almost seemed introverted," said retired police officer Ken McIntosh, who attended the gathering at city hall. "By that time he was a big star."

Jackson's visit was arranged by former police chief Jack Fordham, who was an inspector for the department at that time. He learned Jackson was a big soccer fan and contacted Jackson's publicists to let them know the police department ran a soccer school.

Prior to Jackson's visit to city hall, a couple of New Westminster police cars were deployed to Jackson's Vancouver hotel. They escorted the Dodge van he and his companions were riding in back to New Westminster.

"You wouldn't have known he was here," said Det. Const. Mike Macfarlane, one of the officers in attendance. "That was one of the prerequisites."

At New Westminster City Hall, Jackson appeared on the front stairs of city hall with a group of local police officers for a photo opportunity.

"It was amazing for Michael Jackson to be there, We didn't know he'd want us to go up and down the stairs." McIntosh said.

Jackson, who provided the police officers with sunglasses, requested that he film himself walking up and down the stairs of city hall with the officers. It's unknown whether Jackson ever used the video footage shot that day.

The visit and filming took place on a Sunday, so city hall was closed. The activity caught the attention of some people passing by on Royal Avenue and people in the rooftop restaurant or bar that was located in the Royal Towers Hotel at the time.

While police officers sometimes run into celebrities when doing movie callouts, Macfarlane said they rarely encounter people of Jackson's star power and have a chance to work alongside them. At the end the visit, Jackson shook each officer's hand.

"I am not a big Michael Jackson fan. At that time you couldn't help ... but be somewhat awed, Here he was in New Westminster." Macfarlane said.
While the visit had been arranged ahead of time, Macfarlane recalls it coming together at the last moment to prevent any leaks. CKNW reporter George Garrett, respected by Lower Mainland police forces, was tipped off about the visit and provided the photos featured in The Record.
"He gave us a (soccer) ball that was signed, It used to be in the old (police) building." Macfarlane recalled.

At that time, Jackson was in Vancouver for the Victory tour, with his brothers. It came two years after his blockbuster album Thriller.
Mayor Wayne Wright said Jackson signed the City of New Westminster's guest book.
"I think it's obviously very interesting because of the nature of the day, When he came here, he was a star."

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The front page of the Nov. 21, 1985 issue of the Royal City Record featured an article about the results of the municipal election (Tom Baker was re-elected mayor) and Jackson's surprise visit to New Westminster.

Getting the star treatment, Jackson received a full police uniform sewn by Gastaldo Tailors, soccer jerseys featuring silkscreening by MVP Athletic, an engraved plaque done by the Click Shop, a police badge, assorted police-related caps and a police identification card.

"After it happened, people were freaking out, They couldn't believe it happened. A lot of people thought it was really cool." Although McIntosh wasn't a fan of the pop star, he enjoyed the experience. "Historically, now, it is kind of significant, My kids got to see him up close. He was quite the entertainer. I found him to be very humble. He wasn't a demanding, look-at-me person," he recalled. "He almost seemed overwhelmed by the fuss. He did not seem to be arrogant."

McIntosh said all of the participating police officers were issued a set of sunglasses.
He has donated his sunglasses, a photograph taken that day of officers and Jackson and a copy of the book Moonwalk to the New Westminster Museum and Archives. A photograph of New Westminster police officers with Jackson is included in the book.

1987 - Michael visits the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick, Australia.

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Natasha Lang, mother of a child committed in the hospital at the time, offers her account of his visit there years later: "... I will never forget that day as long as I live, when Michael came to the hospital with an abundance of stuffed animal toys, so generously given, to all the children in the children’s ward. He went around the ward and visited each child personally and quietly spoke words of comfort to them and I will never forget the delight of these children, the medical staff and the parents who visited on that day. My son now is a grown man and I wish to share this photograph with the whole world because it shows Michael’s selfless and generous nature. My son, unfortunately, lost his eye in a school accident that week and, as you can imagine, it was a real tragedy for the whole family, but that day he gave us all some joy, great pleasure and an abundance of happiness."

1991 - Michael and Brooke Shields go out for dinner at The Inn Of The Seventh Ray Restaurant, Malibu, Ca

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1997 - Michael Jackson quietly arrives in Seoul, South Korea to discuss investment in troubled underwear maker, Ssangbangwool Ltd's Ski Resort. “Michael Jackson has come to Korea to discuss the possibility of investing in Muju Resort,” says a company spokesman. The spokesman adds that Ssangbangwool has planned to expand the resort complex to include a theme park, but says the plans had been put on hold when the company faced financial troubles.

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2003 - The Michael Jackson album Number Ones was released. The album contained 18 songs including the song "One More Chance."

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Number Ones, the greatest hits album included Jackson singles that reportedly reached #1 in charts around the world.

Number Ones reached #1 in the UK and #13 in the United States. It proved to be an enduring catalog seller, eventually returning to the top spot in the UK and US charts in 2009. It stayed as the #1 selling album in the United States for 6 weeks and for 27 week on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart.

At the 2009 American Music Awards, Number Ones claimed two awards - Favorite Rock/Pop Album and Favorite Soul/Rhythm and Blues Album.

Overall, the album has sold over 12 million copies worldwide, with 4,138,600 of those being sold in the U.S.


After a search warrant was served at Neverland Ranch Michael made the following statement:
"I've seen lawyers who don't represent me and spokespeople who do not know me speaking for me. These characters always seem to surface with dreadful allegations just as another project, an album, a video is being released".

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Today in MJJ HIStory

1979 - The Jacksons perform Destiny tour in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1984 - Magician Franz Harary levitates Michael Jackson backstage. Harary will be in charge of the stage illusions at Jackson's upcoming concert.

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1992 - A biographic film detailing the Jacksons' life airs on ABC. Although it isn't a superficial representation, some aspects are overlooked, such as patriarch Joseph Jackson's abusive treatment towards his children, certain members of the family indicating he was more abusive than portrayed, as well as more infidel in his marriage. Other areas are also grossly neglected, and some errors also intervene. The film, however, will draw very high ratings.

2003 - Michael was honored for his contributions to Racial Harmony at the Third Annual "Power of Oneness" Awards held at the Universal Studios Hollywood Globe Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Ed Begley Jr., The Jim Henson Company, Dr. Joy DeGruy-Leary and Brad Gluckstein are among the illustrious honorees.

Michael Jackson received The Power of Oneness Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong commitment to writing, singing and speaking about the need for us to take responsibility for the worlds children and making the our world a better place. "Man in the Mirror", "Heal the World", "Black Or White", "The Lost Children", "We Are the World", and "What More Can I Give" are but a few of the inspiring songs Michael has recorded during his career, showing by example how music can be used to entertain, heal and educate.

The 2003 Power of Oneness Awards ceremony preceded by a dinner & silent auction; items for auction have been donated by Universal Music, Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana, artist Romero Britto, Tiffany & Co., and many more. The awards program (written and directed by off-Broadway playwright and choreographer, Kamal Sinclair-Steele) promised to be a vibrant fusion of dance, music, multi-media, spoken-word and theatrical presentations representing a vivid celebration of the creativity and diversity of the human family - a celebration of our oneness.


2003, Michael Jackson accepts, from Neverland Ranch, the "Power Of Oneness" Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the Annual Power Of Oneness Awards in Universal Studios, Hollywood, for his contributions to racial harmony, life-long commitment to singing, writing and speaking of the world's responsibility towards its children and the betterment of the planet. Oneness is a non-profit organization co-founded by American record producer, songwriter, musician and singer, K.C. Porter in 1999, with a mission of eliminating racism and promoting racial unity through the healing quality of music and the arts.

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2006 - Michael attends the 18th Annual World Music Awards ceremony at Earl Court in London, England. Beyonce presents him with the Diamond Award, the top accolade, which honors outstanding recording-artists who have sold over 100 million albums during their career. Thriller album has sold more than 104 million copies worldwide since its release in 1982 - making it the best selling album of all time. Michael performs a few lines of We Are The World for the children's chorus rendition of final.

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2010 - The Very Best Of Michael Jackson and Diana Ross is released.

The Queen of Motown and the King of Pop together for the first time on a 2-CD best of. Inducted in 1988 and in 1997 into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Supremes and the Jackson 5 have paved the way for a whole generation of artists. Their songs, their dances and their styles have influenced generations of fans while defining the standards of pop music. For the first time on a 2CD box are the greatest hits of these two legendary groups as well as selected tracks of their leaders: Michael Jackson & Diana Ross. More than a compilation of classics, it is a journey through the world’s most charismatic artists of all time.

Disc 1 (Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5)

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1. I Want You Back
2. ABC
3. The Love You Save
4. I’ll Be There
5. My Girl
6. Ain’t No Sunshine
7. Dancing Machine
8. Rockin’ Robin
9. Ben
10. Got To Be There
11. I Wana Be Where You Are
12. Don’t Know Why I Love You
13. Mama’s Pearl
14. Hallelujah Day
15. The Boggie Man
16. Maybe Tomorrow
17. Ready Or Not
18. One Day In Your Life
19. My Cherie Amour
20. You’ve Got A Friend
21. Music And Me
22. Who’s Lovin’ You
23. Never Can Say Goodbye
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