Michael Jackson's Career Resurrection
Michael Jackson's Career Resurrection (from TIME)
By Bryan Alexander Friday, Jun. 25, 2010
As Michael Jackson's fans prepare to mark the first anniversary of his death on June 25 with concerts, tributes and remembrances, the superstar's father has even bigger plans. Get ready for Michael Jackson Day, an annual, universal day of celebration to honor the King of Pop's life and work. "I would like to see a Michael Jackson Day all over the world," Joe Jackson tells TIME. "And maybe in the United States it would be a holiday. I want Michael's legacy to continue on."
The Jackson patriarch has always been a big talker and the notion is indeed far-fetched. But a year ago, the idea would have been laughable. Following his death, Michael Jackson's imperfect image has seen a rehabilitation of epic proportions. His reconstructed face, his reclusive tendencies, the accusations of his improprieties with young children — all have fallen away in the wake of his sudden, untimely demise. "There's an expression for that: In death, all is forgiven," says Marc Schaffel, Jackson's former business partner. "Or at least forgotten."
This selective forgetting looks to continue in earnest. Those who loved Jackson, love him all the more fervently. Schaffel, who had a significant falling out with Jackson, is back in the complicated family fold (he has scored an exclusive interview with Jackson's mother Katherine, airing on NBC Friday night) and is currently in Japan for the premiere of his documentary Michael Jackson: Inside His Private World, based on footage he shot of the pop star in 2003. The movie will open in an impressive 200 theaters in Tokyo on Friday, which he says are sold out for a two-week run.
The image rehabilitation began almost immediately following the news of Jackson's death and was substantiated at Jackson's Staples Center memorial on July 7, 2009. As Michael's brilliant gold coffin glistened nearby, the Rev. Al Sharpton addressed Michael's three children from the podium saying, "There was nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with." Ever since, those not on board with the Michael Jackson reverence have rarely been welcomed to express it. "Since he's died I haven't heard anyone use a derogatory word against him, much less Wacko Jacko. He is now Michael Jackson," says Schaffel. "Anything else would be disrespectful. He's part of history now."
The Michael renaissance has been enhanced by the public's affection for his children. Before Jackson died, little was known about 13-year-old Prince Michael, 12-year-old Paris and Prince Michael II (or "Blanket"), 8, beyond glimpses of them in gossip magazines wearing eerie masks or veils over their faces. Whereas fatherhood has served to humanize many celebrities, in Jackson's case it only added to the freak show. But his very public memorial service doubled as a coming-out ceremony for the children: they appeared normal and well behaved despite the unimaginable circumstances. Paris' tearful goodbye to her father at the end of the ceremony — "Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, "and I just wanted to say I love him so much" — was not only her first public words; it forever cast Michael in the role of loving patriarch, skeptics be damned.
Since then, the children have maintained what seems to be a remarkably grounded existence under the watchful eye of grandmother Katherine. By most accounts they are well-bred kids who love fairy tales, computers and their regular karate classes. Family friend Steve Manning recalls giving Paris a book when staying with the Jacksons earlier this month. Hours later, he found a thank-you note from the girl in his room. "Michael raised three beautiful, unpretentious children who are wonderful," he says.
Even Jackson's notoriously precarious financial situation is being burnished. In the last years of his life, the King of Pop's extravagant lifestyle — from the $5 million annual upkeep on his Neverland ranch to his bizarre spending habits (a $250,000 antique shopping spree in Beverly Hills in 2003 and a $1 million appearance fee paid to Marlon Brando in 2001, for starters) — began to outpace the continued profits from his career. The slide was only abetted by the millions of dollars in legal settlements and fees Jackson paid following the child-molestation cases brought against him. By the mid-1990s, Michael was forced to sell 50% of his stake in the Beatles catalog to Sony for $100 million to help balance his books. By 2009, his debt had helped push the increasingly reclusive icon into signing up for his first extended concert run in over a decade, aptly named This Is It. Jackson died less than three weeks before the curtain was to go up on the first show.
But in the 365 days since his death, the nostalgia for Jackson has turned into even bigger business: in the year since he died, the Jackson estate has earned an estimated $250 million, according to the Associated Press. This has included a posthumous deal to sell unreleased Jackson recordings with Sony Music, which has already brought $125 million to the estate. Sony Music has sold more than 31 million Jackson albums since he died, shocking for a music industry and a performer in decline.
The estate's finances have also been helped in part thanks to the $54 million it received from Sony for the rights to This Is It. Ironically perhaps, Jackson's financial situation is also improving because its single largest revenue drain — the pop star's extraordinary spending — is now out of the equation. Executors used the money to aggressively pay down Jackson's staggering debt, including the $5 million mortgage on the Jackson's sprawling family compound in Encino, Calif.
The extended Jackson family gathered at the compound last week to celebrate the high school graduation of two of Michael's nephews. "That party is something that's put together for every Jackson kid that graduates from school. There is usually a reunion," Michael's brother Tito tells TIME. This year, it's also a time for mourning. Tito admits his admiration for Michael, like most of the world's, has grown since his passing. "We see him in a whole different light now. Although we knew what he stood for, now we see the full package. We're so proud of him."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1999579-2,00.html#ixzz0s5DDU8y8
By Bryan Alexander Friday, Jun. 25, 2010
As Michael Jackson's fans prepare to mark the first anniversary of his death on June 25 with concerts, tributes and remembrances, the superstar's father has even bigger plans. Get ready for Michael Jackson Day, an annual, universal day of celebration to honor the King of Pop's life and work. "I would like to see a Michael Jackson Day all over the world," Joe Jackson tells TIME. "And maybe in the United States it would be a holiday. I want Michael's legacy to continue on."
The Jackson patriarch has always been a big talker and the notion is indeed far-fetched. But a year ago, the idea would have been laughable. Following his death, Michael Jackson's imperfect image has seen a rehabilitation of epic proportions. His reconstructed face, his reclusive tendencies, the accusations of his improprieties with young children — all have fallen away in the wake of his sudden, untimely demise. "There's an expression for that: In death, all is forgiven," says Marc Schaffel, Jackson's former business partner. "Or at least forgotten."
This selective forgetting looks to continue in earnest. Those who loved Jackson, love him all the more fervently. Schaffel, who had a significant falling out with Jackson, is back in the complicated family fold (he has scored an exclusive interview with Jackson's mother Katherine, airing on NBC Friday night) and is currently in Japan for the premiere of his documentary Michael Jackson: Inside His Private World, based on footage he shot of the pop star in 2003. The movie will open in an impressive 200 theaters in Tokyo on Friday, which he says are sold out for a two-week run.
The image rehabilitation began almost immediately following the news of Jackson's death and was substantiated at Jackson's Staples Center memorial on July 7, 2009. As Michael's brilliant gold coffin glistened nearby, the Rev. Al Sharpton addressed Michael's three children from the podium saying, "There was nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with." Ever since, those not on board with the Michael Jackson reverence have rarely been welcomed to express it. "Since he's died I haven't heard anyone use a derogatory word against him, much less Wacko Jacko. He is now Michael Jackson," says Schaffel. "Anything else would be disrespectful. He's part of history now."
The Michael renaissance has been enhanced by the public's affection for his children. Before Jackson died, little was known about 13-year-old Prince Michael, 12-year-old Paris and Prince Michael II (or "Blanket"), 8, beyond glimpses of them in gossip magazines wearing eerie masks or veils over their faces. Whereas fatherhood has served to humanize many celebrities, in Jackson's case it only added to the freak show. But his very public memorial service doubled as a coming-out ceremony for the children: they appeared normal and well behaved despite the unimaginable circumstances. Paris' tearful goodbye to her father at the end of the ceremony — "Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," she said, "and I just wanted to say I love him so much" — was not only her first public words; it forever cast Michael in the role of loving patriarch, skeptics be damned.
Since then, the children have maintained what seems to be a remarkably grounded existence under the watchful eye of grandmother Katherine. By most accounts they are well-bred kids who love fairy tales, computers and their regular karate classes. Family friend Steve Manning recalls giving Paris a book when staying with the Jacksons earlier this month. Hours later, he found a thank-you note from the girl in his room. "Michael raised three beautiful, unpretentious children who are wonderful," he says.
Even Jackson's notoriously precarious financial situation is being burnished. In the last years of his life, the King of Pop's extravagant lifestyle — from the $5 million annual upkeep on his Neverland ranch to his bizarre spending habits (a $250,000 antique shopping spree in Beverly Hills in 2003 and a $1 million appearance fee paid to Marlon Brando in 2001, for starters) — began to outpace the continued profits from his career. The slide was only abetted by the millions of dollars in legal settlements and fees Jackson paid following the child-molestation cases brought against him. By the mid-1990s, Michael was forced to sell 50% of his stake in the Beatles catalog to Sony for $100 million to help balance his books. By 2009, his debt had helped push the increasingly reclusive icon into signing up for his first extended concert run in over a decade, aptly named This Is It. Jackson died less than three weeks before the curtain was to go up on the first show.
But in the 365 days since his death, the nostalgia for Jackson has turned into even bigger business: in the year since he died, the Jackson estate has earned an estimated $250 million, according to the Associated Press. This has included a posthumous deal to sell unreleased Jackson recordings with Sony Music, which has already brought $125 million to the estate. Sony Music has sold more than 31 million Jackson albums since he died, shocking for a music industry and a performer in decline.
The estate's finances have also been helped in part thanks to the $54 million it received from Sony for the rights to This Is It. Ironically perhaps, Jackson's financial situation is also improving because its single largest revenue drain — the pop star's extraordinary spending — is now out of the equation. Executors used the money to aggressively pay down Jackson's staggering debt, including the $5 million mortgage on the Jackson's sprawling family compound in Encino, Calif.
The extended Jackson family gathered at the compound last week to celebrate the high school graduation of two of Michael's nephews. "That party is something that's put together for every Jackson kid that graduates from school. There is usually a reunion," Michael's brother Tito tells TIME. This year, it's also a time for mourning. Tito admits his admiration for Michael, like most of the world's, has grown since his passing. "We see him in a whole different light now. Although we knew what he stood for, now we see the full package. We're so proud of him."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1999579-2,00.html#ixzz0s5DDU8y8
Comments
That is precisely what began and is still taking place. Restoring Michael's image is VERY IMPORTANT to this hoax. If it can't be done to a certain level, then Michael will have to remain "dead" to the world. That is why it is taking some time and the official "bam" date is probably the only thing not set in stone from the beginning. The time has to be right.
Well said! MJ's image being restored to its right place in the public eye is so critical to the hoax. MJ, once again, you are a total genius. You are so much smarter than the average Joe Q. Public can ever begin to grasp! Daddy, you go get them, baby! <!-- s;) -->;)<!-- s;) -->