Tag: Michael Jackson
Elfen’s TBT R&B 1980 Music Video Michael Jackson rock with you
Michael Jackson was on EVERY ONES radio. Dj (Disk Jockeys) Play this on rotation. Michael Jackson got is big as he did simply because of the dish jockey he was the one who chose that particular song he knew that this song was going to be a hit just my instinct and boy were they right! Is stayed on the pop and R&B charts for four weeks
French Michael Jackson fans sue ‘Leaving Neverland’ accusers Wade Robson, James Safechuck
Article via USAToday
Three Michael Jackson fan clubs in France are suing two men who accused the singer of sexual abuse in the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland.”
The lawsuit accuses Wade Robson and James Safechuck of unfairly harming the reputation of the King of Pop, who died 10 years ago.
A lawyer for the fan clubs, Emmanuel Ludot, said he is seeking conviction under a French law against the public denunciation of a dead person.
The fan clubs are asking for one euro each in symbolic damages.
A court in the French city of Orleans held a hearing Thursday. A lawyer represented Robson and Safechuck, who in “Leaving Neverland” described years of alleged sexual abuse when they were boys and teens.
The documentary, which aired on HBO in January, centers on Robson, 36, and Safechuck, 41, who allege that Jackson began sexually abusing them at ages 7 and 10, respectively. At the time, both boys were diehard fans with entertainment aspirations of their own: Robson, who went on to choreograph for Britney Spears and ‘N Sync as an adult, met Jackson after winning a dance contest during the singer’s 1987 Bad tour in Australia. Safechuck, a child actor, appeared with Jackson that same year in a Pepsi commercial and says he began to hang out regularly with the star in Los Angeles.
Jackson’s estate denies the allegations and sent a letter supporting the lawsuit.
Previously, Jackson’s estate said in a statement issued to USA TODAY, that “Leaving Neverland” “isn’t a documentary, it is the kind of tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death. The film takes uncorroborated allegations that supposedly happened 20 years ago and treats them as fact. … The two accusers testified under oath that these events never occurred.”
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Parents vote on removing Michael Jackson’s name from L.A. school auditorium
Article via LATimes
Gardner Street Elementary School is undergoing a most unusual soul searching this week, weighing whether to break a symbolic link with pop star Michael Jackson, whose name is on the auditorium of the Hollywood campus.
A man in a white T-shirt and tan shorts said he was conflicted.
“I’ve tried to digest this,” said the man, whose daughter is a fifth-grader at the school. “I’ve grappled with it and I haven’t come to any decision.”
“The documentary was a dark thing,” he said. “And I believe the two men. But his music still lives. My gosh, people love his music. It’s a huge joy for them.”
He walked away shaking his head.
The documentary is “Leaving Neverland,” which aired on HBO in March and portrays Jackson through the eyes of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who allege Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. Jackson was never charged with molesting either.
Still, the broadcast was deeply unsettling for parents and staff at Gardner, who are voting this week on whether to banish Jackson’s name.
The documentary should not convict Jackson in the eyes of the Gardner community, said Howard Weitzman, who represents Jackson’s estate, which has sued HBO.
“It would be a terrible shame to remove Michael’s name from the auditorium based on an intentionally one-sided film,” Weitzman said. “There is no fair consideration when you only hear from one side. Michael Jackson is not guilty, and he, like all citizens, is entitled to the presumption of innocence.”
The man in shorts requested anonymity because he knew people who worked for the Jackson estate and said he couldn’t afford to damage personal and professional relationships. Gardner has a sizable contingent of parents in the entertainment industry, who know its dark and light sides.
Their presence at Gardner represents something of a middle-class resurgence at the diverse campus, where families speak languages from across the globe and range widely across the spectrum of prosperity.
Outside the campus Tuesday morning, some parents or grandparents replied in broken English that they didn’t know enough to comment. Others said they wished the school could be left alone to settle the matter out of the spotlight.
Jackson long has been a small but significant piece of the school’s history, starting as an 11-year-old, when he attended the school for several months — before stardom whisked him away and ended any semblance of a normal childhood. He returned to the school in 1989, to celebrate the naming of the auditorium.
It has been a subject of pride or embarrassment and a regular tourist stop for out-of-towners.
The issue has divided the campus, which is nestled on a quiet street just north of Sunset Boulevard in the flats below the Hollywood Hills. For some, the path ahead is clear.
“The name probably should be taken down,” said parent Robert Fitzgerald. “It’s just not appropriate for an elementary school. The documentary painted the picture pretty clearly.”
Fitzgerald, who spoke after dropping off his daughter for kindergarten, found the accusers believable and felt “disgust” toward Jackson.
But Myreon Arslan said he voted to keep the name.
“There are people in this country who have done worse things to the country that have been convicted and that still have their names on buildings,” Arslan said. “The gentleman’s passed away. His name’s been on that building for, God only knows, more than 20 years, I think.
“We have people like President Trump, who’s assaulted women, and he becomes president of the United States,” Arslan added.
(Trump has denied the numerous allegations of assault and improper conduct levied against him. He has not been charged in connection with any alleged acts.)
Voting among parents began April 10 and 11 and will resume Wednesday and Thursday. Staff members have been able to vote by picking up ballots in the office.
One teacher said she did not want a name on the school “that is associated with allegations of pedophilia.” She declined to give her name because she wasn’t authorized to speak. Principal Karen Hollis also declined to be interviewed, but she had lots of hugs for students and parents as she waved students across a crosswalk before school.
District officials said Tuesday they would follow the lead of the Gardner community, but school board member Nick Melvoin, who represents the school, said “the figures whose names adorn our school buildings should be held to the same standard of values that we wish to impart on our students.”
He added, “Many of his alleged victims were the same age as the students who gather in that auditorium daily.”
So indeed was Jackson when he enrolled after his family moved in 1969 from Gary, Ind., to Los Angeles. Family members were staying in the nearby home of famed Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. The youngest of the Jackson Five attended school only briefly before the group — comprising Michael and four older brothers — scored a hit record, and that was it for public school.
His association with a local campus was so brief that Jackson is not included in an authoritative online site of famous students from the L.A. Unified School District. But Jackson attended the 1989 dedication of the spruced-up auditorium in his name.
Jackson, dressed in a tight-fitting black-and-red outfit with silver buckles and a thick silver belt, walked onstage to loud applause and scattered screams. A school chorus performed his song “We Are the World.”
“I am deeply touched and honored that the PTA, principal and faculty members and students have been so kind as to dedicate the auditorium, where I sat as a child, in my honor,” Jackson said. “We must all never forget that the children are our future and without them humankind will become extinct.”
After receiving the key to the school, Jackson was escorted by security to Room 8, his former classroom, where he autographed the wall. As he walked, he flashed the peace sign and blew kisses to children.
Since then, Jackson’s evolving reputation has made for an on-, off-, on- and off-again love affair with the school. Some parents complained about the name on the auditorium in 1993 — just four years after the dedication — when word leaked that Jackson was under investigation for his conduct with a boy. Jackson settled out of court with his accuser and prosecutors filed no charges.
In 2003, district officials ordered that Jackson’s name be covered with plywood — but not removed — after Jackson was arrested on charges of sexually abusing another boy. He was found not guilty following a criminal trial in 2005.
In 2010, a year after Jackson’s death from an accidental drug overdose at age 50, school district officials ordered the covering removed — amid much celebration from Jackson fans.
The man in the shorts, a longtime area resident, remembers feeling mixed emotions.
“To me it was a little strange when the sign came back up,” he said. “The general feeling was that there was something weird going on here.”
Parent Maria Frank said she’d love to see the end of the association and all the distraction that came with it.
But another parent, Meredith Patterson Brayley, opposed removing the name. She felt that weight should be given to the fact that Jackson was tried and acquitted in the 2005 case. She felt the documentary was not enough despite content that she agreed was “shocking.”
“It’s a dangerous road we are going down,” she said.
Heather Fox, parent of a kindergartner, supported removing the name from the auditorium but said it was important for people to separate the art from the artist.
She admires Jackson’s music, Fox said. “I still believe he should be recognized for his place in music history.”
Parents were making their way to home and work, and school was getting started when the man in the shorts returned.
“I’ve made up my mind,” he said. “The name needs to come down.”
‘He WAS a pedophile.’ Michael Jackson’s former maid claims she fished little boy’s underwear from his Jacuzzi, found Vaseline throughout rooms at Neverland and he stashed VHS tapes of sex acts with children in secret library
Article via DailyMail
- Adrian McManus worked as Michael Jackson’s personal maid for four years at his Neverland ranch and said she has no doubt the singer was a pedophile
- In an interview with DailyMailTV, McManus claims Jackson brought young boys into his bedroom and said she saw troubling things while cleaning up after him
- The 56-year-old says she fished Jackson’s and children’s underwear from a Jacuzzi at the home, and witnessed kids walking around barely clothed
- She says she found Vaseline and tampons next to Jackson’s bed and around the house and recalls the singer having a strange obsession with photos of children
- McManus said: ‘I didn’t question it, because he was my boss and you just do what you’re supposed to do, but I would wonder’
- But most disturbing was a large collection of VHS cassettes McManus believes contained ‘intimate’ footage the star filmed with children in the 1990s
- She says that as details emerged that Jackson could face criminal charges when former child companion Jordan Chandler alleged abuse, the tapes were hidden
- McManus said she was scared to come forward because she ‘was told by Michael’s bodyguards that they could hire a hit man to take me out’
Michael Jackson was a predatory pedophile who sexually abused ‘dozens’ of children, filmed his sick encounters and kept the footage in a secret library hidden at his Neverland ranch.
That’s the shocking claim made by the star’s former housekeeper who says she witnessed first hand his disturbing interactions with young children and saw the King of Pop’s stash of ‘sex tapes.’
In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV Jackson’s former personal maid Adrian McManus has lifted the lid on the sick behavior she allegedly witnessed during the four years she worked at the Neverland ranch and is in no doubt her former employer was a ‘pedophile’.
She claims the star – who has been accused of serious sexual abuse in a shocking new documentary – brought a long line of young boys into his bedroom and that she saw many troubling things while cleaning up after him.
Watch the maids interview: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6673973/Michael-Jacksons-former-maid-says-pedophile-boys-underwear-Jacuzzi.html#v-8273471457035109188
She says she found Vaseline and tampons next to Jackson’s bed and scattered around the house and recalls the singer having a strange obsession with photos of children.
‘There was a lot of Vaseline around Neverland, a lot in Michael’s bedroom,’ she recalls.
‘I didn’t question it, because he was my boss and you just do what you’re supposed to do, but I would wonder.
‘And they had it all over in the main house, there was a rose room, it was up there. They had it in train room, which was kind of like an attic; they had that up there. It was in every room, the soldier room.
‘It was in drawers. Sometimes it was on counters. Sometimes they would find it on the golf carts that Michael would take out to drive around.’
McManus would often have to clean up after Jackson had boys over for long weekends.
‘I found underwear that were in the back of Michael’s main room and one of the closets and it was in the back of the filing cabinets,’ she recalls.
‘They were very hard, and crunchy, and yellow, but I didn’t know who they belonged to.
‘When I would go in to pick up Mr Jackson’s bedroom, many times when there were his special guests there, little boys, they were taking baths with him in his Jacuzzi. He had a Jacuzzi in the bedroom and I used to have to let the water out of the Jacuzzi, so I had to put hangers together in order to get to the middle of the Jacuzzi to let the water out.
‘But Michael would have his underwear floating in the water and the little boys’ underwear floating in the water together. If they weren’t floating in the water, they were outside on the floor around the Jacuzzi. So I would find stuff like that.’
She added: ‘With all the little boys he would hold their hands and kiss them. And they would fight for Michael’s love. It was a strange environment to watch.’
The maid claims she also saw books on masturbation in the bedroom and one time Jackson asked her to laminate photos of naked babies and have them put in his room for decoration.
But most disturbing was a large collection of VHS cassettes McManus believes contained ‘intimate’ footage the star filmed with children in the 1990s.
The maid believes the singer – who died a decade ago from drug abuse – hid the ‘damaging’ material from police by storing it in a movie projection theater away from the main house on the sprawling Neverland ranch.
Asked about the videos, she said: ‘I think they were of Michael with boys doing inappropriate things that had to be hidden, or they would have put him in jail. I think they were sex tapes.’
While McManus admits she never actually saw the contents of the tapes, she says Jackson’s behavior and the shroud of secrecy placed on the tapes has left her convinced of their more sinister nature.
‘After watching Michael with the boys and dealing with the way he was and what I saw and then hearing what I heard, I believe it to be true,’ she says.
McManus also points to the fact Jackson was obsessed with capturing everything on camera at Neverland and had a walk-in closet filled with expensive camera equipment and battery chargers.
‘He had a lot of batteries charging, the chargers always charging and cameras, a closet full of cameras and battery chargers, so they were always ready for him to use,’ she recalls.
‘And when that one died, next, but he always had a camera on him taking pictures of the boys, kids. It was always the boys. That’s all that’s really there.’
Her claims come in the wake of the release of Leaving Neverland – an HBO documentary detailing Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck’s allegations of long term abuse by Jackson.
Producers for the show also claimed they were made aware of potential tapes, but never found them.
A 2003 criminal case spurred by 13-year-old cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo’s accusations led to Jackson’s arrest, trial and 2005 acquittal. Pictured: Jackson arriving for an evidentiary hearing in his child molestation case on August 16, 2004
From 1990, McManus spent four years as Jackson’s personal maid – one of just a few staff to have access to the star’s bedroom, bathroom and secret chambers.
She says that as details emerged that Jackson could face criminal charges when former child companion Jordan Chandler alleged abuse, the tapes were hidden.
‘I don’t know where they went, but I did hear that one of the nephews of the man who ran the theater had got a hold of a lot of the videos and hid them,’ she recalls.
‘The rumor was the projectionist said that they were very damaging to Michael.
‘I had heard that the man who ran the theater, he had mentioned that his nephew had come over there once in a while. His nephew would run the theater when the older man wouldn’t. And rumors were that he packed them up in the trunk and took them off the ranch.’
In 1993, 13-year-old Jordan Chandler brought charges of sexual abuse against Jackson that ended in a reported $20 million cash settlement.
And a 2003 criminal case spurred by 13-year-old cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo’s accusations led to Jackson’s arrest, trial and 2005 acquittal.
McManus’ claims of the existence of videos were in part supported by Leaving Neverland producer Dan Reed, who says Safechuck was aware of ‘sexual’ videos Jackson had filmed.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, British award winning creative Reed said: ‘James mentioned to me at one point, “You know, Michael had a video camera and he recorded a sexual act.” But he didn’t go into detail. And then Jackson was like, “Oh, what did I do?” and taped over it.
‘I have all the evidence that I need. And there was no video recording that exists of Michael having sex with [these] children.
‘There was no flagrante delicto with these guys. We don’t have the tapes.’
McManus, like Reed, is in no doubt that the superstar singer was a child molester – a claim which is yet to be proven.
These days she works as a carer in Nipomo, California, and says she ‘is at peace’ with branding her former boss a sex abuser, despite still suffering with anxiety and panic attacks as a result of the experience.
She adds that she was not shocked at the claims made by Robson and Safechuck, who were regular private guests in Jackson’s bedroom during her years working for him
‘I’m not shocked. I already know what he is. I live with it. I know the truth. It wouldn’t shock me. It is kind of what it is, what it was. I think it would be devastating to his fans, who are blindfolded by the reality. That’s what would hurt.’
She has previously claimed that she recalls Jackson accuser Safechuck being cajoled into playing dress-up with the King of Pop.
She says she always wondered about Jackson’s relationship with Safechuck in early 1990s.
‘Michael would be obsessed with Jimmy,’ she said. ‘They would go into the bedroom and play dress-up. Jimmy would take his clothes off, and Michael would let him wear his personal shirts, pajamas and famous black fedora hat.’
She said Safechuck was a regular guest at Neverland and his relationship with Jackson ‘didn’t feel right.’
She recalled how Jackson would get Jimmy alone and ‘lock him away’ for days at a time.
‘He was always cuddling him, holding his hand or being amorous towards him more like a girlfriend than a friend,’ she said.
McManus tried and failed to sue Jackson along with other employees in 1994 for their treatment during their employment.
Melanie Bagnall, Kassim Abdool, Ralph Chacon, McManus and Sandy Domz said they were harassed and threatened by security guards and fired or forced to quit in 1994.
In their depositions McManus and Chacon spoke about the singer’s alleged sexual abuse of minors.
McManus was also called as a prosecution witness in his 2005 criminal trial.
The former maid says Jackson got away with the abuse for so many years because of the regime of fear and intimidation he ran.
She claims Jackson’s private security team would issue death threats and intimidate staff and children to stay silent about what they saw in Neverland during the early 90s.
And the King Of Pop himself issued threats to staff who questioned his behavior.
‘I knew Michael very, very well, and I was told that what I know you just don’t say it, and that really concerned me.
‘I was threatened by Michael when I took over his bedroom, so I was already scared with that and I was afraid for my family.
‘At that point, I was thinking of my life and my family’s life; something could happen to me.
‘I was told by Michael’s bodyguards that they could hire a hit man to take me out, that they could have somebody slice my neck and you’d never find my body. So yeah, I was very concerned and it’s my life and I cared about my life.’
She continued: ‘Nobody knew what these bodyguards were, and everybody was afraid of them. They carried guns and they would tell you little things and pet their guns. These guys were wicked and scary.’
McManus recalls how Jackson himself used intimidation tactics, calling her at home on Mother’s Day in 1993, just as the pressure mounted around the Jordan Chandler case.
‘He called me at home and he said he wanted to ask me something and I said “yeah, go ahead.”
‘And he asked me continuously “what do you know?” “What do you mean?’, I said. “Michael I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”
‘I think he knew that I was on to him, and he wanted to see if I was stupid enough to say that.
‘He was concerned about what he was doing because after that the allegations popped up. He wanted to see how loyal I was to him.
‘Michael was a manipulator and I was scared of him. I was programmed not to ask questions.’
McManus believes the star’s staggering wealth – at the time an estimated $250million – meant the Bad singer felt untouchable.
Jackson spent millions of dollars on high profile lawyers and even employed notorious private detective Anthony Pellicano to protect his image – and muddy the names of any detractors.
McManus said: ‘I think anybody who came into contact with him (Jackson) has been destroyed, and they suffered, because there was something not right with him. He was a pedophile.’
She added: ‘I am happy the world is now questioning Michael, but there will still be unbelievers.
‘I hope people take off their blinders and realize that he was a man. People have urges. I wish more people would have spoken up, because maybe today Michael would have been alive if they put him in prison. Maybe things could have gone different.’
McManus said she was scared to come forward because she ‘was told by Michael’s bodyguards that they could hire a hit man to take me out’
Michael Jackson’s Brother Responds to Shocking New Allegations: “Leave Us Alone”
Article via VanityFair
The documentary Leaving Neverland, about two men who say Jackson abused them when they were children, stunned audiences at the Sundance Film Festival premiere last week.
Hours after filmmaker Dan Reed debuted his shocking documentaryLeaving Neverland—a film that details abuse allegedly committed by Michael Jackson—at the Sundance Film Festival last week, the late musician’s family released a strongly worded statement, deriding the project as “tabloid character assassination.” On Wednesday, as disturbing details contained in the film continued to circulate across the Internet, a Jackson family member offered the first televised interview in response to the documentary’s claims from accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
Jackson’s brother Jermaine began his nearly 10-minute interview on Good Morning Britain by not stating whether he has actually seen the four-hour documentary—which contains such distressing allegations that the film festival reportedly had mental-health professionals available to counsel audience members, just in case. Instead, Jermaine produced a page of notes from his jacket pocket and shakily outlined Robson’s previous defense of Michael Jackson, and other arguments the Jackson estate made in its initial statement. (As Vanity Fair’s Nicole Sperlingreported from Sundance, both Robson and Safechuck did initially defend Jackson when other young men accused him of molestation in 1993: “Neither man was able to admit that the sexual relationship they each say they shared with Jackson was abuse until they became fathers, and the weight of their secrets proved overbearing.”)
When Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan countered with purported evidence that Jackson may have molested children—citing Jackson’s multi-million-dollar settlements with accusers and sleepovers Jackson hosted at his Neverland Ranch—Jermaine interjected to argue, “Those were slumber parties, and what they didn’t tell you was that there were little girls there, even with their parents, their uncles . . . they were watching movies.”
“How sure can you be, Jermaine, that Michael was completely innocent?” Morgan pressed.
“Piers, I’m 1,000 percent sure, because Michael was tried by a jury and . . . he was acquitted on all of this,” Jermaine responded. “Our family is tired. Let this man rest. He did a lot for the world. Let him rest. I’ll just say this: there is no truth to this documentary.”
Growing emotional as Morgan continued with more questions, Jermaine begged, “Leave us alone. Leave him alone. Let him rest—please. Let him rest. He deserves to rest.”
During a Q&A at the Sundance Film Festival, Robson revealed that he wasn’t particularly comfortable sharing the documentary with his own family members.
“I was really scared for my mother to see [Leaving Neverland],”said Robson. “Each of us watched it by ourselves, and there are things that I said, things my brother said, that have never been communicated within the family dynamic. It was an intense experience for them. My hope is that while this is not the usual way to healing—for a movie that goes out to the world—hopefully this can open new doors for them. This is an important story to tell.”
The documentary will air on HBO this spring in a two-part series.
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Janet Jackson is accused of removing a monument to her brother Michael from his childhood home for a video shoot and replacing it with a white board
- The stone tribute was erected outside Jackson’s childhood home after his death
- It disappeared last October and police said at the time that the family had it
- But a year later the huge monument has been replaced by a white board
A giant Michael Jackson monument which was mysteriously taken from his childhood home has been replaced with a white board.
Neighbours in Gary, Indiana, accused his sister Janet of removing the impressive plaque, although the family later claimed that it had been taken down temporarily and would be put back soon.
But a year on and there’s no sign of the huge plaque but instead a paper message board has appeared in its place, hanging on the railings.
The monument disappeared at the end of October last year and eagle-eyed locals said it was the same time as Janet came into town for her US tour – she was playing in nearby Chicago and visited the home the next day.
Gary Police Lt. Thomas Pawlak said at the time: ‘I guess it was taken down to do a video shoot. They are planning to do some landscaping in the spring. Once they are done, they’ll bring it back.’
Now tourists are complaining about the missing plaque and accusing the family of theft. Claudia T on TripAdvisor wrote: ‘Sad that the plaque was removed from front yard by family. They should put it back!!’
Another, called Dialjo, was furious that the family had taken the most impressive thing about the house, saying: ‘There is really nothing to see but a gated house. There are a few plaques and a place to leave a message on a white-board. Bring your own marker – the one their (sic) is dry.’
The stone was a mammoth epitaph to the King of Pop and paid its respects to the singer on one side, engraved with the words ‘Never Can Say Good Bye’.
The other side was adorned with pictures of Michael through the ages and a biography.
Now the only sign that the house ever belonged to the Jacksons is a plaque in the pathway which says ‘In Loving Memory of Michael J Jackson – You Gave Us A Lifetime of Love’ from all the Jackson family.
The other side was adorned with pictures of Michael through the ages and a biography.
Now the only sign that the house ever belonged to the Jacksons is a plaque in the pathway which says ‘In Loving Memory of Michael J Jackson – You Gave Us A Lifetime of Love’ from all the Jackson family.
The nine Jackson brothers and sisters, plus mum Katherine and dad Joe, lived at 2300 Jackson Street, all crammed into the two-bed house. Michael lived there until he was five years old.
One neighbor posted at the time of it going missing: ‘Just recently I noticed that the MJ memorial in the front yard has been removed.
‘To my knowledge, there has been no mention of where it went. It actually coincided with Janet’s time in the area performing in Chicago. I’m sure she might be able to shed some light on this. I’d be more than open to hear from her.’
Article via DailyMailUK
Rashida Jones Honors Her Father With Netflix Documentary ‘Quincy’
Jones co-directed and co-wrote the Netflix doc about her father Quincy Jones’ prolific career in music.
Quincy Jones has had one of the most legendary careers in the entertainment industry and on Friday night, his accomplishments were honored with the premiere of the documentary Quincy at the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, with Rashida Jones, Diane Warren and Ted Sarandos in attendance.
Jones rose from the slums of the South Side of Chicago to become one of the most successful and prolific composers and music producers of all time, working with such legendary talents as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, for whom he produced Thriller, the best selling album in the history of music.
Rashida spoke to THR about why this was the right time to make a film about her father.
“My dad’s story is also the story of black America. He was born in the 30s. He’s seen every decade since. He’s been relevant in every decade since so we’re dealing with a lot of race stuff in this country and it’s important to tell the stories of the past,” Rashida said. “It’s the only way we can learn. It’s the only way we can change and evolve and this is the great way to do it.”
The film brought out Quincy’s friends, family and several important people from his past, including the original band from the Thriller album. Warren and Sarandos were seen chatting excitedly with each other about the film in the lobby of the theater before the premiere.
Rashida co-directed the film with Alan Hicks, who told THR the most exciting things he learned about her father while doing research on him.
“I would learn something every day because Rashida and I would work in the archives and just pour over all the material and you’d find out a new thing every day. For example, I found out that he was in the room with Miles Davis when he recorded Kind Of Blue. And then you found out that he had the first music that was ever played on the moon and that he made all of these discoveries like Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey.”
The film covers every decade in Quincy’s life, documenting both his professional successes and his personal struggles and culminates in his production of a television special to celebrate the opening of the National Museum of African American and Culture in Washington D.C., which featured appearances by Barack and Michelle Obama, Winfrey and John Legend.
The conclusion of the film was greeted with a long and sustained standing ovation for both the film and for Jones who was in attendance.
After the movie, guests headed over to the ballroom at the Neuehouse in Hollywood, where they enjoyed beef sliders, mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto and chicken meatballs and were entertained with a musical performance by R&B singer Lalah Hathaway, who at one point was accompanied by Michael Jackson’s musical director Greg Phillanganes while she sang Jackson’s hit “Human Nature.”
“I am constantly in awe of how much he’s managed to cram into a lifetime,” Rashida noted. “He’s not done. He’s 85 and he’s not done.”
Article via: Rashida Jones Honors Her Father With Netflix Documentary ‘Quincy’
Check out Lovelyti’s video: Quincy Jones SPILLS ALL THE TEA on Richard Pryor, Marlon Brando, Michael Jackson & Ivanka Trump!!
Michael Jackson Musical Eyes 2020 Broadway Bow
Lynn Nottage has been tapped to pen the book for the musical, inspired the life of the music icon
A musical exploration of the life and catalog of Michael Jackson is heading to Broadway. The Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage have partnered to develop a musical inspired by the pop icon; the show is expected to bow in New York in 2020.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined) will pen the book for the musical, which will incorporate Jackson’s myriad hits. An American in Paris Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon has been tapped to direct and choreograph.
No word yet on casting or any pre-Broadway engagements.
Jackson’s catalog has previously served as the backbone for a theatrical production with Thriller – Live, which has played the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End since January 2009. The show was initially scheduled to play a limited run, but it continued to gain popularity and interest—particularly after Jackson’s death in June that year.
Michael Jackson’s Mother Accuses Nephew of Elder Abuse
The Jackson family matriarch is accusing her nephew of abusing her.
Katherine Jackson has been granted a temporary restraining order against her nephew, Trent Lamar Jackson, alleging ongoing elder abuse.
The younger Jackson has been employed as the driver for Mrs. Jackson, who is described as “the beloved, 86-year-old mother of nine children, her most famous son was the late Michael Jackson,” in court documents obtained by CNN.
Since the pop star’s death in 2009, Mrs. Jackson alleges, her nephew has “manipulated’ her and “preyed on her kindness.”
“Trent was supposed to be her driver, but over time has infiltrated Mrs. Jackson’s business and personal affairs, even referring to himself as her ‘House Manager,’” a statement included in the restraining order reads. “Trent has made it his business to regulate Mrs. Jackson’s interactions with her children — screening phone calls, not relaying messages, not allowing privacy during visits or phone calls.”
The document states that Trent Jackson “conned employees at Mrs. Jackson’s bank” to obtain access to her accounts.
Mr. Jackson has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time Katherine Jackson has been at the center of family drama.
In 2012, a missing-person report was filed — and her guardianship of Michael Jackson’s children, Prince, Paris and Blanket suspended — after she was out of touch with her family for 10 days.
She later said she had been secluded at an Arizona spa — unaware of the uproar surrounding her “disappearance.”
The order states that Mrs. Jackson has fired her nephew.
A hearing in the case has been set for March 1.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/02/10/michael-jacksons-mother-accuses-nephew-of-elder-abuse/
Michael Jackson kept child pornography collection at home – sources say
LOS OLIVOS, Calif. — The late Michael Jackson had a large collection of pornographic material at his Neverland Ranch.
Police reports say Jackson’s bedroom and bathroom had at least seven collections of work that show boys in their teenage years and younger, fully nude or partially clothed, according to Radar Online.
Authorities made the discovery during a search of the home in November 2003.
Many of the material were submitted after a young boy claimed Jackson sexually abused and assaulted him on multiple occasions. Jackson was ultimately acquitted of molestation charges in 2005.
Jackson was a pop singer/songwriter whose fame began with the Jackson 5 alongside his brothers. He later went on to have a successful solo career and died in 2009 from a medication overdose.
His physician was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
via: http://fox2now.com/2016/06/21/michael-jacksons-pornography-collection-detailed-in-newly-released-police-reports/