MJ Recorded "Michael" in 2007 - proof??
DancingTheDream
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Michael Jackson’s ‘artistic differences’ while recording at Studio at the Palms
Kenny Ortega and Michael Jackson with the 12 dancers selected for Michael’s upcoming This Is It concert run at London’s O2 Arena. The dancers were chosen from 5,000 applicants.
By John Katsilometes · November 12, 2010 · 2:06 PM
It’s all fun and games -- until Michael Jackson starts covering nude portraits in the suite you arranged for him in the Las Vegas resort that you actually own.
This is what George Maloof learned in November 2007. This was the period during which Jackson was living in Las Vegas while working on a new CD featuring a few songs for which he collaborated with some of his favorite vocalists.
That CD, titled simply “Michael,” is to be released Dec. 14. The album’s first single, “Hold My Hand,” a duet with Jackson and Akon, is set for release Monday. That song was recorded at the Studio at the Palms. Reportedly, “Hold My Hand” was chosen because a person representing Jackson’s estate found a note written by Jackson after his death indicating that he wanted that song to be released first. The song will debut at 12:01 a.m. and is then available for download.
Jackson had wanted to record at The Studio at the Palms, a favored studio among many contemporary artists when visiting Las Vegas. Those who ran the studio were, predictably, thrilled.
“We are so proud to have been a part of ‘Hold My Hand’ with Michael and Akon,” Zoe Thrall, director of Studio at the Palms, said Friday via e-mail. “When Michael was here, all of us at the studio knew we were part of something beyond cool.”
As he recorded, Jackson also sought to stay at the hotel with his young children, Prince, Paris and Prince Michael II (aka Blanket).
Naturally, Jackson wanted complete privacy for his family. His known residence was a rented 10-acre mansion on Monte Cristo Way in northwest Las Vegas (at the time, Jackson also was considering a “Neverland”-style development in Henderson).
The finest, and most secure, accommodations Maloof could offer on his property were the Hugh Hefner Suite in the Fantasy Tower. The villa was beautiful, spacious and safe. No one would think Jackson and his kids would be hanging out up there.
But there was one problem. Call it “artistic differences.”
“I came in there one day, and Michael had covered up all the nude pictures,” Maloof recalled Friday morning. “This was because of the kids. He didn’t want them looking at those pictures.”
Maloof then helped Jackson move to a two-story Sky Villa just below the Hef suite. It was just Jackson, the three kids and him.
“No one else could help with this because nobody else knew he was at the hotel,” Maloof said. “He was having issues with his security guard, and he was actually fired the second day he was there. So it was just us, moving all of these belongings, carrying them down the stairs because he didn’t want to use the elevator and risk someone recognizing him.”
Jackson spent a few days in the two-story suite before being moved once more because the space had long been booked for a high-roller party by a group who also had reserved 300 rooms on the property. Without complaint, Jackson moved once more, in another Sky Villa suite one floor below the two-story residence.
“It was brutal,” Maloof said. “The second move was harder than the first because they’d brought more stuff in -- but he understood our situation.”
Jackson was a guest at the Palms far longer than Maloof expected, about 4 months.
“It was very hush-hush,” Maloof said. “Nobody knew he was there. It’s only now that the CD is coming out that we can talk about it. But we want people to know, yeah, that he did a lot of work at the Palms. It’s pretty remarkable, remembering it all now, actually.”
Michael Jackson’s ‘artistic differences’ while recording at Studio at the Palms
Kenny Ortega and Michael Jackson with the 12 dancers selected for Michael’s upcoming This Is It concert run at London’s O2 Arena. The dancers were chosen from 5,000 applicants.
By John Katsilometes · November 12, 2010 · 2:06 PM
It’s all fun and games -- until Michael Jackson starts covering nude portraits in the suite you arranged for him in the Las Vegas resort that you actually own.
This is what George Maloof learned in November 2007. This was the period during which Jackson was living in Las Vegas while working on a new CD featuring a few songs for which he collaborated with some of his favorite vocalists.
That CD, titled simply “Michael,” is to be released Dec. 14. The album’s first single, “Hold My Hand,” a duet with Jackson and Akon, is set for release Monday. That song was recorded at the Studio at the Palms. Reportedly, “Hold My Hand” was chosen because a person representing Jackson’s estate found a note written by Jackson after his death indicating that he wanted that song to be released first. The song will debut at 12:01 a.m. and is then available for download.
Jackson had wanted to record at The Studio at the Palms, a favored studio among many contemporary artists when visiting Las Vegas. Those who ran the studio were, predictably, thrilled.
“We are so proud to have been a part of ‘Hold My Hand’ with Michael and Akon,” Zoe Thrall, director of Studio at the Palms, said Friday via e-mail. “When Michael was here, all of us at the studio knew we were part of something beyond cool.”
As he recorded, Jackson also sought to stay at the hotel with his young children, Prince, Paris and Prince Michael II (aka Blanket).
Naturally, Jackson wanted complete privacy for his family. His known residence was a rented 10-acre mansion on Monte Cristo Way in northwest Las Vegas (at the time, Jackson also was considering a “Neverland”-style development in Henderson).
The finest, and most secure, accommodations Maloof could offer on his property were the Hugh Hefner Suite in the Fantasy Tower. The villa was beautiful, spacious and safe. No one would think Jackson and his kids would be hanging out up there.
But there was one problem. Call it “artistic differences.”
“I came in there one day, and Michael had covered up all the nude pictures,” Maloof recalled Friday morning. “This was because of the kids. He didn’t want them looking at those pictures.”
Maloof then helped Jackson move to a two-story Sky Villa just below the Hef suite. It was just Jackson, the three kids and him.
“No one else could help with this because nobody else knew he was at the hotel,” Maloof said. “He was having issues with his security guard, and he was actually fired the second day he was there. So it was just us, moving all of these belongings, carrying them down the stairs because he didn’t want to use the elevator and risk someone recognizing him.”
Jackson spent a few days in the two-story suite before being moved once more because the space had long been booked for a high-roller party by a group who also had reserved 300 rooms on the property. Without complaint, Jackson moved once more, in another Sky Villa suite one floor below the two-story residence.
“It was brutal,” Maloof said. “The second move was harder than the first because they’d brought more stuff in -- but he understood our situation.”
Jackson was a guest at the Palms far longer than Maloof expected, about 4 months.
“It was very hush-hush,” Maloof said. “Nobody knew he was there. It’s only now that the CD is coming out that we can talk about it. But we want people to know, yeah, that he did a lot of work at the Palms. It’s pretty remarkable, remembering it all now, actually.”
Comments
1. MJ fired a bodyguard. He was having problems with his bodyguard... and he only had one?
2. MJ was fit enough to lug his belongings several times up and down the stairs.
3. MJ left a note stating which song he wanted as his first release. This was found after his death. By who and how and where?? And why would Michael leave a note... not like he knew he was going to die, is it? <!-- s:idea: -->:idea:<!-- s:idea: -->
Surely no other people go up and down the stairs??
If he could stay there for a few months he could stay somewhere else for a few years....
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Is it possible to be more explicit (even if it is out of context)??? <!-- s8-) -->8-)<!-- s8-) -->
He left a ton of notes if we believe the media. The found lots of post-its on the walls in his room when he 'died'. Probably the script... LOL
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."Jun. 26, 2009 By MIKE WEATHERFORD LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
'King of pop' created media circus during 2003 visit
Michael Jackson never performed an actual ticketed show in Las Vegas during his adult career. But he had a high profile in the city as a frequent visitor and, in recent years, a resident. His association with Las Vegas began during the Jackson 5 era and continued to recent recordings in the studio at the Palms. A teenage Jackson and his brothers performed on the Strip as the Jackson 5, starting in April 1974 at the original MGM Grand (now Bally's). They performed at the hotel several times that year. It was there Jackson, then 15, befriended magicians Siegfried & Roy, who were a specialty act in the "Hallelujah Hollywood!" revue at the same hotel. The friendship held through the years, with Jackson eventually supplying the theme song to "Siegfried & Roy at The Mirage."
Jackson also was a guest for long stretches in the poolside villas of The Mirage during the '90s, when his friend Steve Wynn was hotel chairman. "Michael was a wonderful dad and I feel very sad for the children," Wynn said Thursday. The closest Jackson came to a ticketed performance was in February 1994, when "The Jackson Family Honors" was taped in front of a live audience at the MGM Grand Garden arena for an NBC special. The event fell during the first time Jackson defended himself from accusations of child sexual abuse in a civil suit that was settled out of court. Instead of a performance, the show turned into more of a rally in Jackson's defense, led by his friend Elizabeth Taylor. The crowd screamed and cheered so much when Jackson came onstage that it took several minutes for the entertainer to be able to continue with his presentation.
Jackson had a difficult time getting through the evening's stated business -- a tribute to Motown Records founder Berry Gordy -- because of screams from the audience expressing support for the singer. Taylor had to silence the crowd when they screamed for Jackson to perform, and they booed when she told them he was not prepared. "Enough of tabloid media. Enough of tabloid television," Taylor proclaimed from the stage. "Only you (the public) can accomplish this simply by not buying their garbage. Only you can put them out of business." He did join in the group finale.
Jackson started turning up more frequently in Las Vegas beginning in 2002. He received the key to the city from Mayor Oscar Goodman in October 2003, and lived here with his children during a six-month stretch in 2007. He returned in the summer of 2008, living for a few months in a residence on Palomino Lane. It was not immediately known how recently he had lived in Las Vegas, but CNN reported he relocated from the valley to Los Angeles in May.
During the filming of a controversial British documentary that aired in 2003, journalist Martin Bashir followed Jackson on shopping sprees around town.
Jackson created a media circus on Nov. 20, 2003, when he returned to Las Vegas from Santa Barbara, Calif., after posting $3 million bail following charges of child molestation. A slow-speed car chase ensued as local and national media followed from the air and ground Jackson's Lincoln Navigator as it seemingly wandered the streets of Las Vegas and Henderson. Fans also tried to track Jackson, and live television coverage showed the singer offering a gloved hand to fans who ran into traffic to touch him.
Jackson stayed at Green Valley Ranch and the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas before moving back to California to await trial. After being exonerated in June 2005, he left the country for 18 months, splitting time between Dubai and Ireland before flying to Las Vegas on Christmas Eve 2006 with his children.
He ended the stay in June 2007, leaving a Summerlin rental home in what Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke reported as a "filthy" shambles, citing an eyewitness. Piles of junk were left on the curb at the home, and two Christmas trees draped with ornaments were still in place inside the house. "They left the Christmas trees up like it was still December," said Clarke's source.
During his stay in Las Vegas, Jackson and his children often were spotted at local shows and attractions. All of that fuelled reports that Jackson was pursuing a Celine Dion-type residency on the Strip.The rumors built to such a level of plausibility that Wynn, chairman of Wynn Resorts, had to issue an official denial of any plans to host Jackson in June 2005.
Rumors cranked up again in June 2008 when Colony Capital -- owner of the Las Vegas Hilton -- came into control of Jackson's Neverland Ranch in California, fueling speculation that Jackson would perform to pay off the debt. The Wall Street Journal reported a possible tribute show at the Hilton similar to Cirque du Soleil's Beatles show "Love." "Mr. Jackson wouldn't be a regular part of the performance but would appear for 20 to 30 performances a year, possibly with his brothers," the Journal reported. Though Jackson dined with choreographer Kenny Ortega at Wynn Las Vegas in January 2007, the comeback they discussed ended up being scheduled for London instead of Las Vegas.
George Maloof chatted often with Jackson about a year and a half ago, while he resided and recorded at the Palms for two months. Some of the material appeared on the 25th anniversary of his "Thriller" album, released last year. It's not known how much more of his work there remains unreleased. "He touched base about every other day just to say hi," Maloof said Thursday. "He was always a gentleman. Never asked for anything outrageous. He always asked if I was in the middle of something, and said he could call me back if I was." Maloof said Jackson was "real private" about what specifically he was recording, and that he recorded in his room as much as in the Palms' studio.
Since privacy was such a concern, Maloof tried to keep a lid on his residency. This led to an awkward moment while Maloof gave Jackson and his three children a tour of the Sky Villa. "I didn't know how to operate the remote-control system," Maloof said. "And I didn't want to call engineering, because I snuck him in and I didn't tell anybody in the whole hotel that he was there." As Maloof pressed buttons haphazardly, one began blasting a tune from one of the Palms' piped-in music channels. It was "Billie Jean." "It was the craziest thing ever," Maloof said. "He looked at me and said, 'Well, we know it works.' "
Jackson was credited as producer when he financed the Pasadena, Calif., staging of a theatrical musical "Sisterella" by Las Vegas composer Larry Hart in 1996. After the premiere, "Michael hosted a celebration at Neverland, and invited my family and the whole cast. That visit became the first of many," Hart said in a statement Thursday. "On (the) closing day, Michael came to see the show and see us off before we left to go on tour in Europe. "The last time I heard from Michael was last October. He left a voice mail message for me to sing 'Happy Birthday.' I hadn't heard from him in a while, and that message is more poignant today, as it was surprising and touching then," Hart said in the statement.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/49170552.html
10/11/2010 9:21 AM PDT by TMZ Staff
George Maloof -- part owner of the Sacramento Kings and The Palms Casino Resort in Vegas -- was busted for DUI in Vegas late Saturday night.
According to cops, Maloof was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for DUI, speeding, making an illegal left turn, driving without a valid license and having no proof of insurance.
Story developing ...
Filed under: George Maloof, TMZ Sports, Celebrity Justice, Hot Vegas
Cops: Maloof Boozed, Popped Pills and Sped
10/26/2010 12:08 PM PDT by TMZ Staff
George Maloof -- part owner of the Sacramento Kings and The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas -- told cops he was under the influence of Ambien and Corona when he sped down a Vegas street and lost control of his car earlier this month.
http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/1026_maloof.pdf
TMZ has obtained the police report, which says Maloof was going 72 MPH in a 45 MPH zone when he lost control of his vehicle trying to make a left turn and drove into oncoming traffic.
Maybe more significant -- Maloof told cops he popped an Ambien 20 minutes before losing control. Oh yeah, he also said he had 4 Coronas.
Maloof's blood alcohol level was .091 -- which exceeded the legal limit and does not account for the Ambien reaction.
The arresting officer also stated in the report, "[Maloof] almost backed into my parked police motorcycle while siren and lights activated, twice."
One final thing, in the report, the officer said to Maloof, "Without looking at your watch, do you know what time it is?"
The cop says, "[Maloof] looked down at both wrists, before saying, 'I don't know.'"
As we first reported, Maloof was arrested on October 9 in Las Vegas -- and was booked for DUI, speeding, making an illegal left turn, driving without a valid license and having no proof of insurance.
Filed under: George Maloof, Celebrity Justice, TMZ Sports
George Maloof Charged in DUI Bust
11/2/2010 12:10 PM PDT by TMZ Staff
George Maloof just got charged with five counts for his DUI arrest last month in Las Vegas ... TMZ has learned.
http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/1102_george_maloof_TMZ_WM.pdf
Maloof -- owner of the Palms Casino Resort and co-owner of the Sacramento Kings -- is now officially charged with DUI, speeding, improper turn, driving without a valid license, and operating a vehicle without security.
Back on October 9, Maloof was doing 72 in a 45 MPH zone -- and lost control while making a left turn ... according to the police report.
Cops also say Maloof admitted he was on Ambien and had consumed 4 Coronas.
Filed under: George Maloof, Celebrity Justice, TMZ Sports
http://www.tmz.com/person/george-maloof/