Jacksons-AEG trial and its exhibits. IT’S FOUR YEARS SINCE MICHAEL DIED
FOUR YEARS
Today is four years since Michael died. The best way to mark this day would be to see a miracle happen and have him return, but this is impossible alas, and those fans who still live in the illusion that he is somewhere in recluse should stop deceiving themselves – unfortunately Michael is dead and cannot be returned.
But he is returning to us in a different way. He is coming back to us through the media which is forced to talk about Michael though they would surely prefer to forget and not to disturb their conscience by having to talk about him every day and report his pain. He is returning to us as a hologram in a Cirque du Soleil show and people lining up to catch at least a glimpse of what Michael was like and relive his magic again. I hear that the line is so long that they are now selling tickets for the December shows.
Michael has returned and is already here among those who are working day and night to report the trial and are so terribly busy that don’t notice the miracle they are taking part in. Some attend the courtroom, some type the transcripts, some send money to buy them, some analyze, some translate, some take the truth further to the public and all of it is done without any form of coordination, in a totally self-regulatory way, with no one telling anyone what to do, on a completely selfless and voluntary basis and by the people living in different parts of the world too – oh, if Michael could only see it he wouldn’t believe his eyes.
No matter where each of us goes tomorrow we will never forget the miracle we happened to create with our own hands and the mighty, irresistible, mind-boggling appeal of it.
We’ve learned that this type of interaction between people is possible and wherever we go from now on we will surely seek it and recreate it again as the changes Michael did to us are irreversible – those who have learned to fly will no longer crawl. And it was Michael who changed us so much… These are the changes he hoped to see in people when he was writing his songs and screaming about the need to start with ourselves and heal the world this way, and the only bad thing about it is that it began happening to us only after he died.
It seems to me that some ripples of confusion have gone over the masses too. The majority of them have fallen into silence which is the first sign that they have probably started thinking at last and this may be the first step to their recovery. The haters’ comments are still there of course but they are somewhat half-hearted as if done out of obligation and sounding unsure and unconvincing as everything that is trying to fight the wind.
And the climax of it all is the AEG trial which is in full swing now, exactly in the same days of June, when four years ago Michael was silently suffering from the humiliation and merciless exploitation AEG was subjecting him to.
There is some heavenly retribution in the fact that all of it is happening exactly in the same days of June, only four years later. Just as Michael was dying in front of everyone and AEG did not give a damn, AEG is similarly falling apart now too, and no one gives a damn whether AEG exists on this planet in the future or it does not. They are reaping what they have sown and there won’t be a single person feeling sorry if they are gone. And no matter what the outcome of the trial is AEG will forever carry the stigma of a concert promoter which is exploiting people to their death.
The AEG bigwigs are sweating and puffing on the stand and this alone is a rewarding experience. It is a rare treat to see those who considered themselves untouchable to be seen ripped apart and into complete shreds too. If they have to pay back their billions it will be even a better way of handling them than putting them in jail. Money is what they value most, so let their punishment be where it hurts most.
I’ve read Brian Panish’s opening statements and found that the actual sum of the lost tour income calculated by the plaintiff’s experts is $1,5 billion and not $40 billion as the media screamed. The sum of $1,5 billion may grow indefinitely if the jurors consider that the loss sustained by the family (and the world) is greater than this amount. However there can be no price tag put on a human being and artist like Michael Jackson, and no money on earth can compensate for this loss.
So let the heavens decide on the price AEG has to pay for what they did to Michael.
THE TRIAL EXHIBITS
At this intermediate stage of the trial it is worth looking at the trial exhibits. They were recently posted by the heroic (no exaggeration) TeamMichaelJackson site, and you can find the full list on their site here: http://teammichaeljackson.com/archives/8832
My selection will be limited only to those exhibits which are able to clarify the picture further. There is a big difference between what you hear and what you see, and it is sometimes only after you see things that you realize their full meaning.
Look at this photo for example:
The picture was taken on June 19th, five days before Michael’s death. Michael’s state of health is horrendous – he is not only skeletal, but it is also obvious to anyone looking that he is terribly ill. It was after that costume trying that Michael’s skin felt icy cold and he was trembling, shaking and asking Kenny Ortega “You don’t want to kill the artist, do you?”. It was also the same day when he said that God was talking to him and both Ortega and Alif Sankey cried like babies seeing that Michael was indeed dying in front of their eyes.
But the detail I did not realize when reading those horrible accounts was that those shoulders were probably the only element of the costume which was ready by that time. Michael seems to be even wearing a T-shirt which carries a sketch similar to the final costume. So the costume was not ready? It is June 19th guys, and the show is starting in three weeks and the artist still needs to wear the costume before the show to see whether it is not too heavy and functional at all!
Of course they could not make it – Michael was getting thinner and thinner and everything they were doing had to be redone the next day. But even this did not make AEG bosses pay attention to what was going on with Michael and his health.
REHEARSAL SCHEDULES
Look at the rehearsal schedules they prepared for Michael for May – July 2009.
In my naivety I thought that the schedule for Michael Jackson was somewhat different from the one for the general company.
The young dancers were only learning their dance routines and the rehearsal schedule for Michael (if any at all) was surely not to be the same as for them.
He knew his dance steps inside out as he was the one who created the choreography, and the need to save his energy for the show was to be the principal issue for all those who were involved in the preparation of the show and were setting the schedule of his rehearsals.
So it was natural for us to expect an hour here, an hour there, but absolutely not what we see in these papers made for Michael by AEG:
So Michael had only one day off?
When you look at it you begin to realize that AEG were making him perform for two and a half months even before the tour started. It was something like 60 shows before the tour and then another 50 shows after it.
And Michael had to do it even though he was going without sleep as we know it now?
And even if he had been able to sleep who could have coped with such a crazy schedule? And what was the need for it at all? And how did they dare?
Now the AEG bosses say it themselves that it is even insulting for an artist to be told to attend rehearsals – whether he wants to rehearse or he doesn’t is solely up to the artist and to him only – so what were they thinking of at that time then?
The July schedule is no better than the rest of them. Over here I calculated the overall number of production rehearsals, dress rehearsals and concerts, and came to the number of 15.
Given that dress-rehearsals are no better than full-time shows in terms of the effort the artist puts into them this schedule means that in July 2009 Michael was supposed to work every other day.
If I only could, I would strangle those slave-masters with my own hands. Or better make Randy Phillips and Paul Gongaware dance on stage throughout the night in some God-forsaken club for three months running with only one day off. 
TOHME
Now comes the series of emails concerning Tohme.
Do you remember the hard time we had proving that Tohme was working for the Colony Capital and that he could not fulfill his duties of a personal manager due to a huge conflict of interest? And now we have a simple and easy answer – an email from Colony Capital which says that Tohme was working for them as a consultant, was a broker (evidently the one who brings them ‘distressed assets’), and they openly acknowledge that Tohme brought Michael to them and not them to Michael as he should have.
A personal manager should work for his employer and offer him several opportunities to choose from, and should not be taking him to the place where he receives a commission for every new client he brings in. There might be a dozen places which will offer much better terms but where he will not receive a commission from the other side. If he does and in return brings these people to his employer as the only choice, it is called bribery which is actually a criminal deed. So what Tohme was doing is not just a conflict of interest – it was a downright crime.
At the very least it was a huge conflict of interest. If you work for two opposing parties you are supposed to offer each of them the best terms. One wants to sell at the highest price, and the other wants to buy at the lowest – so working in the best interest of each of them is impossible even in theory and nothing will convince me that out of these two parties Tohme chose Michael and worked solely in his favor.
Here is an email from Richard Nanula of Colony Capital saying that Tohme is their longtime consultant:
This is followed by another interesting email. It is dated January 14th 2009 and is sent to AEG by Dennis Hawk who was actually Tohme’s lawyer. The email informs Kathy Jorrie and the AEG General Counsel Shawn Trell that Michael Jackson is the sole officer of the Michael Jackson Company and can be the only signatory to the contract on behalf of his company:
So if Michael is the only signatory it means that Tohme cannot sign for it. However this did not prevent Tohme from signing off for the Michael Jackson company and approve the production expenses on its behalf after Michael’s death. He is a nobody to that company but says that he is, and AEG knows that he is not authorized but doesn’t mind it:
The maneuver with signing off the costs by Tohme enabled AEG to write in their first report submitted to the Estate that “this summary of expenses is consistent with the approved budget”.
Approved by whom? By Tohme Tohme who was signing on behalf of the company which he had no right to represent.
The report is preceded by a cover letter which makes it clear that AEG is informing Branca and Kane of those expenses not just for the fun of it, but because they expect them to pay those expenses.
At the trial all AEG bosses will say that the report was “for review only”. Okay, but what was the purpose of all that reviewing then? Was it just for having a look and then throwing it away?
No, of course they wanted the Estate to cover those expenses and this was the main idea of that “review”.
The correct date of the report submitted to the Estate is July 17th (and not July 7th as we previously thought):
The reason why AEG insists that the report was not final is because they included Murray’s salary into the budget, and this is no small matter as it might seem at first sight. Since they wanted money to be paid to Murray (no matter by whom) it means that they acknowledged that their contract with him was final and executed, and if it was executed it means that it was no different from their other contracts – with Karen Faye, Travis Payne or Kenny Ortega. And this means that AEG employed Murray like everyone else and that Murray was in AEG’s employment in the same way as for example, Travis Payne was.
Now AEG say they made a mistake in including Murray into the budget and are fighting the Jacksons’ lawyers over this point tooth and nail.
Since Tohme was mentioned in connection with signing off the production expenses it’s worth recalling what he said to Sullivan about the salary to Murray. And to Sullivan he said that Michael insisted that the expenses on the doctor should be covered by AEG and they actually agreed to it, and this is probably why they included the salary into their budget.
It will be interesting to see what song Tohme will sing at the trial. Here is an excerpt from Sullivan’s book:
Of all the demands that Michael Jackson made during the negotiation of the contract for the O2 shows, his requirement that AEG pay for the services of a “ personal physician” had been the one that Randy Phillips and the company attorneys resisted most vigorously. Jackson’s refusal to compromise on this point suggested that his sense of self-importance had made a comeback every bit as extraordinary as the one Randy Phillips hoped to see onstage at the O2.
“ Look,” Michael told Phillips, “ my body is the mechanism that fuels this entire business. Just like President Obama, I need my own doctor attending to me twentyfour/seven.” Paul Gongaware remembered Jackson pointing to himself and saying, “ This is the machine. You have to take care of the machine.”
Frank Dileo pointed out to Phillips and Gongaware that hiring a personal physician might be a good way to separate Michael from Arnold Klein, whom all three men believed to be Jackson’s primary drug supplier. AEG agreed to pay for a private physician, even yielding to Michael’s demand that he alone be permitted to pick the MD who would live with him.
SPLITTING THE PROFIT
As regards the budget, expenses, profit and the way money was to be split another exhibit caught my attention. The exhibit looks to me like an absolutely damning document. It is a paper showing who was to receive what amount of money after making those shows and paying all the expenses:
This tables explains to us that the “premium tickets” did not make up a tiny fraction of the whole sum of the tickets as AEG earlier claimed, but were one fifth of the sum collected from the tickets sold via usual sources. Premium tickets were sold for hundreds and even thousands of dollars through secondary agencies like Viagogo.
The sum collected for the premium tickets was around $17 mln. as per May 2009. The date is important as a certain quantity of premium tickets was offered for sale right on the eve of Michael’s death – naturally at exorbitant prices and at the time when they already knew that Michael would most probably not be able to make those concerts at all. Yes, dear reader, these are the things we learn about this beautiful AEG company in the course of this beautiful AEG trial.
BBC News said about it:
Page last updated at 17:35 GMT, Tuesday, 23 June 2009 18:35 UK
More Jackson tickets up for sale
Jackson announced his comeback shows in March this year.More tickets for Michael Jackson’s This Is It concerts at London’s O2 arena are to go on sale on Wednesday.
The “limited” number of extra seats – thought to be hundreds per show – had been held back as production logistics were worked out.
Fans who have registered on his website will be entered into a lottery system in order to buy the tickets.
The first 750,000 tickets for the 50-show run were snapped up when they went on sale in March.
The pop superstar will take to the stage for his first show on 13 July – five days later than planned.
Four initial shows were rescheduled last month when promoters AEG Live said the singer needed more time for dress rehearsals.
The second thing we learn from the breakdown of expenses is that out $133,5 mln collected only $52mln was to be paid to Michael Jackson. These are the real numbers standing behind all that soothing talk about a 90/10 split between AEG and Michael Jackson which was meant for imbeciles only.
The VAT and payment for the insurance (covered by MJ) were not be recouped by the parties, but all the rest of it was to go into AEG’s pocket. And the longer the tour lasted the more costs Michael was to incur – in 2009 the costs on running the tour were to be $12mln and the next year another $11 mln was to be added to that. In fact, even the three months break between the two legs of the tour was to cost Michael around $1,5 million!
Out of the whole $133mln collected Michael was to receive $52 mln and AEG was to receive all the rest (with VAT and insurance excluded). Even by my rough estimation it is $68 mln.
Does it look like a 90/10 split to you? To me it doesn’t.
EMAILS IN MID-JUNE
Another exhibit is the chain of emails starting on June 13th about Michael’s health which resulted in a big uproar from AEG and a riot meeting on June 16th.
It began with an innocent message from Travis Payne saying that the doctor ordered Michael a sick leave:
This was followed by an email sent by Kenny Ortega on June 14th. From the short fragments read out at the trial the intentions of Ortega were not quite clear, however the full text of the email convinces us that he was very worried about Michael’s health and that the middle of June was the time when another of those big red flags was raised, only no one reacted:
This brings us to the famous reply from Gongaware where he says that they want to remind Murray that it is AEG who is paying his salary and not Michael Jackson, and that they want him to understand what is expected of him. Now Gongaware has complete amnesia as to who, when and why wrote this email:
Kenny Ortega answers him in the early hours of June 15h with another worried email which is balancing between deep sympathy for Michael, need to explain why he is missing rehearsals, the necessity to pacify Gongaware, and concern for the future of the show:
As you know the above chain of emails ended in a meeting on June 16th which Randy Phillips called an “intervention” . Over there instead of giving Michael medical help they threatened him with pulling the plug, read to him some riot act and “played the tough love, now or never card”. This we will learn from the next package of emails called ‘Trouble at the front’.
TROUBLE AT THE FRONT EMAILS
The Trouble at the front emails were exchanged on June 19-20. They consist of at least five big blocks of emails exchanged between various people.
The correspondence starts with John Houghahl (Bugzee) who writes to Randy Phillips that he isn’t being a drama queen but Michael was sent home without setting foot on stage. “He was a basket case and Kenny was concerned he would embarrass himself on stage or worse yet – get hurt”. “Doubt is pervasive, time to circle the wagons”.
Upon hearing from Bugzee Phillips informs his boss Tim Leiweke that they have a real problem here:
Trouble at the front” started with an email from Bugzee (John Hougdahl). Read from the bottom and up please.
Three hours later at 2 am in the morning, when Randy Phillips is long asleep (he says he goes to bed early), Ortega sends him an extremely worried email urging him to take immediate action. This is Ortega’s well-known email saying that after bringing the doctor into the fold and playing the tough love, now or never card the artist might not be able to rise to the occasion due to the emotional stuff. A strong Therapist is required. Michael was fatigued, had a terrible case of chills, was trembling, rambling and obsessing. No one was caring for him and there was no one around to even bring him a cup of hot tea…
At around 7 o’clock in the morning after having a good eight-hour sleep Randy Phillips gives Ortega a non-committal reply. He knows about the problem since the previous night but has nothing to say to Ortega except that Brigitte Segal (a lawyer who is taking care of housing in London) will be brought back as soon as possible – as if it is able to settle the problem with Michael’s health:
Trouble at the front 2
After noon Murray called Randy Phillips and they talked for 25 minutes. Now Phillis says it was about setting up a meeting for that day – as to what else was discussed he does not remember. However after his conversation with Murray Phillips sent to Ortega a soothing email – everything is fine, enough alarms have sounded, it is critical not to become amateur physicians for Michael, he has immense respect for the doctor, the doctor is excellent, they check everyone out, and so on and so forth with the rest of his lies.
The email was sent in reply to Ortega’s second extremely worried email Phillips received after noon. Over there Ortega again spoke about Michael’s continued physical and emotional weakening and mentioned a psychiatrist.
Oh, now I understand who was the one to talk about no need “to become an amateur psychiatrist”! Of course it was Randy Phillips. He was answering Ortega’s suggestion of bringing in a psychiatrist and at their later meeting the same day Murray simply repeated Phillips’s words to Ortega! And now they are telling us that AEG did not control Murray?
Trouble at the front 3
The email Randy Phillips simultaneously sends to his boss Tim Leiweke (never mind the time printed on the email, it is wrong) makes it clear to us that the only thing Randy Phillips is really worried about is not Michael Jackson’s health but Kenny Ortega and his “hysteria”.
He says that this guy (Ortega) “is really starting to concern” him:
Trouble at the front 4. Phillips to Tim Leiweke about Kenny Ortega: “This guy is starting to concern me”
On June 20th Branca who was rehired two days earlier replied too and offered a doctor he knew of. He wonders if there is any substance issue involved :
Trouble at the front 5. Branca’s reply
But Randy Phillips still thinks that the main problem is not with Michael Jackson but is with Ortega.
In the evening on June 20th he informs Gongaware and the whole party representing Michael Jackson (Kane, Branca and Frank Dileo) about the meeting he eventually had in MJ’s house with Michael, Murray and Ortega.
He says that Ortega’s “hysteria will be checked”, the doctor was “fantastic” and they “agreed on the schedule” which was naturally the main point of concern of this AEG monster.
Not a word is said about Michael’s state of health. And this is happening on June 20th, four days before Michael’s death, after the meeting where Murray, of whom Phillips knows nothing, was downright rude to the worried Ortega, basically told him to mind his own business and leave Michael’s health to him.
It was then that Murray told Ortega: “No one should become amateur psychiatrists or physicians for Michael”, most probably repeating Phillips’s earlier words this way. No wonder that the doctor was “fantastic” according to the AEG Live boss. The rest of the email is about what really worried Randy Phillips at that time – it was Joe Jackson, Leonard Rowe and AllGoodEntertainment.
Randy Phillips’s email is on the bottom, while Branca’s answer to the evening news about the meeting is on the top of the page:
Trouble at the front 6
Branca gives two interesting answers to Phillips’s information. In the first he says that the situation with Michael is encouraging news and thinking that some drugs are involved asks them not to let him sign anything before he reviews it (June 20th) and in the second he expresses his opinion about Joe Jackson (morning of June 21st).
I did not quite get the meaning of it, but his statement that Michael should first think of his interests and only then of his family sounds to me as a correct one. No wonder that the family is not of too high an opinion of Branca:
Trouble at the front 7. Branca about Joe Jackson
The light-hearted attitude displayed by Kane, Michael’s accountant, looks extremely unpleasant in a dramatic situation like this one. On the other hand his emails betray his full dependence on AEG – exactly at that very time he was asking for a $1mln advance for Michael in addition to the first $5mln he had received half a year before ($5 million is actually a minimal advance given to the artist – other artists receive from AEG $25mln and more).
However Randy Phillips refused Kane even that little.
Moreover he answered him that Michael “might be in breach of the contract” which he was absolutely not.
Phillips dismissed even the chance of more advance money for Michael and his reply impresses you by its arrogance and finality. It clearly conveys the idea who is the boss here.
In reply to Phillips’s refusal to provide money and the “breach of contract” news Kane says that “he thought it couldn’t get worse”:
Trouble at the front 8 Kane asked for a $1mln advance to pay the bills but Phillips refused saying that Michael was in breach of the contract (a lie)
In closing my short list of exhibits let me mention only one more email – the one about the “freak”. Nothing can testify to the ugliness of AEG people better than the words written by themselves:
This was actually the essence of AEG’s attitude to Michael which they displayed towards him from beginning to end. They never respected him and were just using him – in the same way others use their Xerox to make as many copies as possible while its cartridge is still alive.
From the way AEG behaves it seems that AEG has long ceased to treat human beings as human beings at all – the gigantic sums they make from their concert business corrupted them, and corrupted them in a really big and fundamental way.
AN INCIDENT WITH THE EARTH SONG
One more exhibit attracted my attention. I’ve never seen it before and it is the episode of Michael in a concert in Korea in 1996 where some fan climbed into the cherry picker where Michael was singing the Earth song. It is a rare sight and the way Michael dealt with this incredible situation is absolutely incredible too.
What also amazes me is that all major incidents on stage took place with Michael when he was singing the Earth song. In Munich a bridge under him collapsed when he was singing the Earth song, in South Korea he saved a fan from falling from a cherry picker when he was singing the Earth song, and in This Is It tour it was the last song he ever sang in his life.
It seems that the Earth song was Michael’s last hope and last appeal to the people of the planet, and it was the response to it that was constantly letting him down.
Michael held that fan so tight that there was no way he could fall. He really cared. I think this episode should be shown on every TV channel instead of that “dangling episode” they so terribly like talking about. What nonsense they are saying! If Michael didn’t allow this fan to fall he would have never allowed a small baby to fall either.
An incident at a show in Korea. EARTH SONG
Let me accompany this trial exhibit with a few comments from people who knew Michael.
This may remind AEG what man and artist they were so mercilessly degrading and abusing. Hopefully at least now they will learn who they have ground down and eventually killed:
Miko Brando:
“He was perfect,” he said. “He was someone you wanted to be with. He was the one who pushed me to keep going. It’s unbelievable. His presence was so comforting, I’ll never get over it,” he said, beginning to cry.
Rob Hoffman (Sounds Engineer):
“I was fortunate enough to work with MJ early in my career. He was an incredible artist. TALENTED BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAM. Extremely generous, and a hard worker…. A completely incredible human being.
Look at the way he holds him! EARTH SONG, Korea
In 2003, Björk did an In Camera interview at showstudio. One of the questions came from the King of pop himself:
Michael Jackson: I have always loved and admired your creativity. Nature’s struggle to survive alongside mankind has been an inspiration for me: given the natural beauty of your Icelandic homeland, how does nature inspire your work?
Björk : I hope this doesn’t sound too naff, but being alone in nature, especially after walking for hours, just puts you in your place and you realise how small you are and how plenty of everything is all around you. Then you just let go and surrender, become part of it.
I’m so chuffed you asked me a question! I have to say you’re the best, keep fighting and it angers me how cruel everybody is to you. It’s like in the US right now, it’s illegal to be an eccentric. Maybe people would have been more understood if you were a contemporary of Ludwig II of Bavaria, who commissioned Wagner and lived with the swans. I listen to Butterflies off your last album all the time. You are a true artist! Thanks for fighting and believing in magic even though the rest of the world have forgotten about it.
H e holds him with both of his hands! EARTH SONG, Korea
Howard Reich, Arts critic:
Was Michael Jackson a genius?
No doubt about it, according to experts who convened over the weekend at the Harold Washington Library Center to explore the topic.
“He IS a genius,” proclaimed reissues producer Harry Weinger, refusing to revert to past tense.
And he never stops singing at that! EARTH SONG, Korea
“You may wonder, ‘How could he be so shy?'” asked Phillinganes, pointing to a performer who appeared fearless on stage.
“If you were chased (by fans), and you had to run for your life, if that’s what you experience from 11, you would be a little different, too.”
The real Michael Jackson, explained Phillinganes, was the man who stood before the microphone – particularly in the recording studio – and let all that glorious music flow out of him, without qualm or inhibition.
At this moment the cherry picker is going down and Michael holds him extra tight. EARTH SONG, Korea
Toward the end of the evening, 79-year-old Oscar Walden Jr., a Chicago TV and radio producer, got up from his seat in the crowd and, leaning on his cane, prepared to read a poem he had written for Jackson.
“I love Michael,” he told the crowd, which fell to a hush.
“He was a genius.”
Safe and sound on the ground again. EARTH SONG, Korea
Maximilian Schell, German actor, in a handritten letter retyped here:
NOV. 19, 1993
TO: Michael Jackson
(somewhere on this planet)Dear Michael,
I AM DEEPLY ASHAMED — FOR THE PRESS, FOR THE MEDIA, FOR THE WORLD – I don’t know you – we met only ONCE on one of those Award-Dinners (“Entertainer of the decade”) – We shook hands – you were kind and polite – I don’t think you knew who I was – How should you? Our worlds are too far apart – (I am more, “classical” – minded ) but I looked into your eyes — They were KIND —
A human life was saved. EARTH SONG, Korea
You are a great artist and I admire you – my little daughter (she is 4½) loves you! Deeply – she even wants to marry you! (“But he never calls me!”) She imitates you all the time – and quite well –
We all love you.
I would like her more to listen to Mozart – but she loves YOU! And I respect her taste! —
That you survive this avalanche of dirt thrown at you – I admire tremendously –
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE!
GOD BLESS YOU
Maximilian Schell
P.S. “One can only see good with the heart – the essential is invisible for the eyes” – (“The Little Prince”)
Thank you for what you are, Michael. God Bless you
Vindicating Michael 
SOMETIMES PPL CAN DO ANYTHING TO MAKE MONEY, NO MATTER WAT..THIS IS NT NEW..EVEN B4 “MJ” WAS TARGET EVEN NW..HE’S BIGGEST TARGET OF MAKING MONEY..MAY GOD PUNISH THOSE BUSTARD.
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“I think Alberto Alvarez asking Kai Chase to sign a non disclosure agreement on the day Michael died is highly suspicious.” – lopsided man
Yes, it is very strange and surprised me too. Previously I was of a very good opinion of Alvarez. Let us not pass judgment on him too soon, and just keep a mental note of it.
The only explanation I can find for it is that he was doing what AEG told him to – just like all the rest of them. It now seems to me that they fired Grace because they could not dictate her their terms.
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I think Alberto Alvarez asking Kai Chase to sign a non disclosure agreement on the day Michael died is highly suspicious.
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“But then he was kept away by the ‘body guards’ while AEG staff and anyone else was allowed freely in and out whether Michael was home or not?
Who gave orders that Michael couldn’t get in contact with his father or that his father was not allowed inside?. Were it the same people who shielded him from the follower fans?” – Sina
It’s very late here and I need to go, but just want to say a word about the bodyguards. It surprised me that they also seemed to follow the orders from AEG. At the same time Alberto Alvarez looks to me very much like a decent person who wouldn’t let Michael down and would always stand up for his interests.
How can we explain this discrepancy? Was it a spell AEG put on all these people or what? Why were all of them looking up to AEG as if they were their bosses?
I think the reason for it was most probably the daily reminders from AEG that “it is we who are paying here for everything” and it did indeed create the impression it was intended for.
It is very characteristic that all the people in This Is It tour thought that their salaries were paid by AEG. Alif Sankey, Karen Faye, Travis Payne – everybody was sure that they were paid by AEG.
And this type of thinking automatically puts people in a position of respect and loyalty to their bosses.
It also instills in them the feeling of gratitude – AEG is investing so much money in the project and they simply cannot let the poor company down. And Michael cannot let them down and should do as he is told. AEG is doing so big a favor to him…
But the problem was that AEG was NOT doing a favour to Michael. They were only lending money to Michael via their production costs (at least they presented their case this way) and it was Michael who was to pay for everything and everyone.
And I am sure that if AEG bosses had said that it was Michael who was paying their salaries the attitude towards Michael would have been different.
It would have restored respect towards him and AEG would have lost the aura of a benefactor who is “selflessly” helping Michael and he – the ungrateful child – is not behaving the way he is told. It would have immediately shifted the focus from AEG to Michael as their boss, and would have put everything in its place. I think that AEG deliberatetely never mentioned it and were always presenting the case in the opposite way.
Well, after Michael died ALL of us were under the impression that AEG was sustaining big, big losses. And the same type of attittude was typical for all people around Michael at the time when he was still alive. “Poor, poor AEG – they are investing in it so much…”
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Yes Jolie, only the blind will not see what was going on.
A few things from Prince’s testimony yesterday.
RP and Tohme invited themselves in Michaels home when he was not there. Since when do business associates visit without an appointment or just pass by while the man is not home? Or did they feel “at home”because they advanced the rent for Michael?
I believe Prince 100% about RP s confrontation with CM.
“Philipps looked aggressive to me”
Poor boy, had to deal with so much drama and stress. I know from my own experience how hard it is for children to see their parents sad and cry. They try to take on the parent role and want to protect and console the parents.Which is a too heavy burden for a child.
After Princes testimony Murray’s attorney Valerie Wass and AEG defense attorney Marvin S. Putnam denied outside court that the meeting Prince described ever happened. Then why did Putnam not asked him on cross? Are they accusing Prince of lying or can they say it because the evidence to corroborate Princes statements is not allowed?
Interesting that AEG and Wass/Murray are a TEAM now? How convenient, but shameless.
Will she also deny what her client said in his ‘documentary’ about what RP told him about Michaels financial situation after one of their meetings(intervention??). And I don’t think he meant it as a compliment to RP : “He does not have a fucking cent, what is this bullshit all about.This guy will be on skid row, hes gonna be homeless. The popsicles his children suck on. Im paying for the toiletpaper he wipes his ass with. And if he dont get this show done, hes over.”
I dont know how much of what Murray says is true, but this corroborates perfectly with RPs abusive attitude, his choice of words and how he treated Michael.
And if this particular meeting that Murray talks about happened, why not another meeting where not Michael was bullied but Murray. Prince said’; Philipp looked aggressive to me ‘
Murray sounds quite pissed when he is talking about RP and that is exactly how a man like him will feel after being pushed and shoved by a jerk half his size.
This is also interesting. Prince:
“My dad didn’t fight, he was like my grandma, too kind to fight, that’s why he called my grandpa,”
So there was some fighting to do or going on (maybe literally) and Michael called his father.
But then he was kept away by the ‘body guards’ while AEG staff and anyone else was allowed freely in and out whether Michael was home or not?
Who gave orders that Michael couldn’t get in contact with his father or that his father was not allowed inside?. Were it the same people who shielded him from the follower fans?
Could it be that the same orders that did not approve of any business relationship between Michael and his father were extended to any relationship or contact at all?
The power and control they had over Michael is mindboggling.
Here is an intersting article that many maybe forgot, about RPs statement that the insurance policy covered overdose.
http://www.today.com/id/31716678/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/aeg-boss-jackson-insurance-covers-overdose/
I think AEG should have been more than just a witness in the criminal case.
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Thank you helena for this informative blog searching for the thruth. I have problems getting comments sent from this library computer. My own is out of order at present. It is most unfortunate at such a dramatic turn inthe trial.
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“a report that all landlines disconnected to CW days leading uo to 7/25.” Ominous. Can this be proven?
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Sina, your comment is fantastic! There is so much to say, and you said what is most important. Everyone, please read Sina’s comment below. You summarize the conclusions we have all come to after carefully scrutinizing the trial testimony.
e.g. 1) This trial is more than about Jackson, but ALL artists, as Jackson himself stated. What other artists have been enslaved by contracts by the music industry??? 2) All of Jackson’s representatives in bed with Randy Phillips and AEG’s representatives, and the emails are proof. 3) Thome (Power of Attorney) and Phillips, two peas in a pod. Think about it. Michael fired Thome as his manager. What is he doing with RP? … etc, etc, etc…
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It seems your words in this post struck us all the same way. Which leads me to something I was pondering yesterday; that is that Michael has such an enormous sphere of influence. He has us thinking many of the same thoughts simultaneously. I can’t count how many times I have come here or to David or Raven’s sites and read something that was reminiscent of what I had been lolling over in my mind. I think there is a reason for this and Helen-Marie said it so well.
It is an understatement to say that Michael was/is extraordinary. I really cannot imagine what this loss feels to his children and mother (Joseph too). I know I am “preaching to the choir”. Funny how expressing our thoughts/feelings about Michael helps us feel better.
You helped so many people with this post to synthesize complicated emotions on such a difficult day.
Many thanks to you Helena.
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Message from TeamMichaelJackson:
(Prince) Michael Jacksons testimony June 26th #Jackson V AEG (sorry for spelling mistakes, no time to check)
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rl1noe
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Prince says his father had several tense phone conversations with promoters and would sometimes cry after those conversations. After one of them he said: “They are going to kill me”. Prince saw Randy Phillips at their house – he was involved in a heated conversation with Murray. He was grabbing his elbow and looked aggressive. Michael wasn’t at home at the time.
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Oh my God, look what TeamMichaelJackson is reporting from the courtroom.
Prince Jackson is testifying:
1 RANDY PHILLIPS CAME TO HOUSE ON 24TH WITH TOHME WHILST MJ WAS AT STAPLES GRABBING PUSHING MURRAY. Randy Phillips WAS AGGRESIVE WITH Conrad Murray. PRINCE WAS VERY WORRIED…
2 Called his Dad, was last time he spoke to his father
3 “Saw Dad next morning half off the bed Conrad Murray doing CPR, dads eyes rolled to back off his head”
4 PJ very strong, gentle holding his own, no tears..
5 (Prince) Michael Jacksons testimony June 26th #Jackson V AEG (sorry for spelling mistakes, no time to check, (cont) http://tl.gd/n_1rl1noe
6 Prince Jackson said AEG people were allowed into the house BUT NOT MY GRANDPA
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As he will take the stand today to speak up for his father, I wish Prince strength, courage and guidance to do the best he can.
I support this cause wholeheartedly, not only because I love Michael Jackson but for justice ,for him, his family and for every single artist to be spared the ordeal Michael went through with AEG as many artists before him . Michael didn’t work just for his own glory, but for the benefit of all. He had been in the business long enough to know the dark side of it:
“the tradition of great performers from Sammy Davis Junior to James Brown, Jacky Wilson,Fred Astaire to Jean Kelly, the story is usually the same though. These guys work really hard at their craft. But the story ends the same. They usually are broken torn,they usually are just sad. The story is very sad in the end because the companies take advantage of them. They really do (…….…). We cant let them get away with it.”
Thank you again Helena for your dedication and relentless efforts to search for the truth and for justice. A true work of love and again many eye openers .To quote yesterdays witness Dr Matheson:
“The conflict of interest environment in this case was severe,”
“It says to me the agreement was being constructed and negotiated without Mr. Jackson’s input,”
Every word he said is confirmed by the emails. A disturbing story of unscrupulous people, looking after their own interest, talking ABOUT Michael, BEHIND him but never WITH him or in his interest. All about power and control. But what imo stood out most is this.
Tohme, not a board member, yet signing on behalf of Michael Jacksons company, while he was already stripped of his POA and whatever representative rights he still had became extinct the moment Michael died. The same goes for Dileo.
The misleading figures AEG presented to Michael about his share of the deal(I have to look closer to your calculation.)Not even mentioning the way they tricked him into the deal.
New to me and very shocking is RPs report to Branca of how great the meeting with Michael was and Branca’s response : an ‘encouraging report’. In itself a big NO GO as far as lawyer – client relationship is concerned and worse if you consider what Michael was going through with AEG.
Since when does a concert promotor or anyone for that matter reports to a lawyer about personal issues of an artist who happens to be the client of said lawyer. What happened to lawyer-client confidentiality? Was not Dileo the manager supposed to handle these matters and Branca the legal ones.
Why was Branca relying on a report by Michaels business partner who was more like an adversary to him, who had yet to come with a decent contract for the client? A meeting that was violating their agreement that Michael had no obligation to attend rehearsals.
If anyone should have reported to Branca shouldn’t it have been Michael? Are there any such reports that Michael sent to his lawyer about RP? ‘the doctor was fantastic’??? Really?
“Nothing good can come from Michael having any business relationship ‘not approved’ by THIS TEAM with Joe Jackson.”
WHAT TEAM was this supposed to be? who were part of it? The ones in the email?: Gongaware, Leiweike, Philips , Katz , Dileo, Kane,Branca? Why is everyone cc-ed, except Michael who was the very reason for the existence of THIS TEAM ? Was he not part of THIS TEAM?
Did Michael approve of anything that AEG did or didn’t do , did he approve of 50 concerts? Did he approve of a concert promoter forcing him to go to rehearsals. Did he approve of his promoter reporting to his lawyer behind his back, sugarcoating what had actually happened.
Of course “stupid”Joe Jackson should be kept out of his sons business . God forbid he stood in the way of AEG and Murray. That was not in THE TEAMS interest. THE TEAM minus Michael.
And what good exactly came of the APPROVED business relationship of Michael with AEG??
That he is dead now and AEG is desperately trying to safe their behind and lying under oath?
The approved agreement that AEG wrote 3 days after Michael died, that was signed off by Tohme and Dileo and readily paid off by the executors? Or the money RP boasted AEG was making because ‘life goes on’
What PROOF is there that Michael really owed AEG all the money they claimed?
This convinced me even more that the executors or at least Branca as Michaels lawyer at the time was deep in bed with AEG. That was a huge conflict of interest and they know it. Imo that is the reason why they do not support KJ vs AEG and went as far as to make a public statement about it. Which will be interesting should KJ win the case.
I was thinking about Michaels last two rehearsals on june 23 and 24. Imo he was or SEEMED on top of it because he was every inch a professional and still loved to perform. Just like he did in This is it announcement in march, looking cheerful and enthusiastic, shortly after being manhandled by RP & co. The last rehearsals were also right after RP personally went to threaten him and found the doctor on his side.That was the straw that broke the camels back.
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Today June 26th in the courtroom:
1 Good Morning from the courthouse in downtown LA. Day 38 of Jackson family vs AEG trial to begin shortly.
2 Prince Jackson is already in the courthouse. He’s wearing a suit and tie.
Follow the tweets:
https://twitter.com/ABC7Courts
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Guys, here is the ABC7 Court News coverage of days 36 and 37 at the trial.
The first impression is that Dr. Earley testifying for AEG is saying a lot of nonsense about propofol “addiction” (no physical addiction is formed there in principle and he simply confuses craving for sleep with an addiction. All of us also want to sleep though we are not addicts).
And Dr. Matheson, a doctor in sports medicine, testifying for the Jacksons is just not in the right position to testify in this case.
He compares the three party conflict of interest between sportsman – coach – doctor with the one MJ – AEG – Murray had. The conflict of interest was indeed there – the coach wants the sportsman to train, the doctors gives him a sick leave as his duty calls him to, the coach insists due to some urgency and the doctor relents forgetting his duty. The same was the case with AEG.
But there is one fundamental mistake here. Any analogies between the sportsman/coach and artist/producer relations are completely wrong!
A coach has the right to demand training of a sportsman (because it is his job) while a producer does not have this right (he provides the artist with opportunities for him to perform). AEG simply assumed the role of a coach to which they had absolutely no right. Therefore considering these situations similar is impossible.
Today Prince is testifying. He is already in the courtroom.
Here are the tweets for the past two days:
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Now that I look back at Murray’s trial it seems like a cannonade aimed at a sparrow. No one doubts Murray’s guilt, but it was only one link in a horrible chain of events where the main driving force was surely AEG.
Actually I never doubted it because I saw their contract . It is the worst monument possible AEG erected to themselves. But over there their nastiness was so cleverly packed into “business” language that it was difficult to translate the horror of it into ordinary words. I am happy that now everyone can see it with their own eyes.
Great words of wisdom.
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“Thank you so much for this incredible post. I don’t know what we would have done without you and your tireless work.” – prov31wmn
Guys, I am so humbled by your words of approval that don’t even know how to react. Michael deserves the very best from each of us, and all of us are indeed putting everything they can into this common pool. This is indeed the miracle Michael was hoping for, and it is happening due to all of us. I am doing only what I think is my duty to Michael.
“May his spirit continue to rest in peace. Let’s also continue to pray for Paris’ well being.”
Oh, YES. If all of it is so painful for us, how much more painful should it be for Michael’s children? These years Paris only seemed to be okay – it is a normal reaction of all those who went through enormous grief. They sheild themselves from the pain by artificial optimism and superhuman activity, but one day it no longer works and rebounds with a double force. Paris and her brothers need all the prayers we are only capable of.
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“I feel that perhaps God wanted the whole world to know what Michael went through and feel his pain. Which is why the AEG trial is so important.” – Suparna
Oh, God definitely wants us to learn our lessons from Michael’s life and death. To reassess our values, to learn what’s right and what’s wrong, to stop putting money above everything else including a human life. God wants us to return to what humans were meant to be – not machines like AEG, not animals living by instincts only and having no concept of conscience, and not imbecile vegetables who happily buy every lie they are fed.
He wants us to be co-workers of God like Michael was. He wants us to be human beings in the first place. In the world made up of machines like AEG their behavior is nothing wrong (“it’s business, you know”) and it is only for the world of humans that this kind of behavior is abhorrent. Michael’s death was meant to stop us from losing our human essence.
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You said it so well, thank you very much for expressing things I could not express. Michael’s life and death are extremely sad considering how much he gave to the world and how little he received back. I think it is the contrast between what he gave us and what he received back which makes it so sad. To be frank, this makes me sad not only on the anniversary of his death, but at all times, especially when I read some media reports and see that some people’s recovery is beyond hope.
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“4 years have already passed but what about justice for Michael Jackson?” – Daniela
And what are we for? Justice will not come all by itself.
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“What you mentioned about the Earth song sent chills down my spine,,, all those accidents on the set or after which eventually claimed his life made me really not wanting to listen to it again.” – Jovana
Oh no, no – the Earth song is not responsible for it. It was only a symbol, the essence of Michael’s hopes and an appeal to the people populating the planet that they should change and start caring.
And it was only the response to this appeal that was constantly letting Michael down. He appealed to the world but all he got in response was another crash, and the very last one ended in his death.
This is why there is so much symbolism in all those accidents, and this is what I meant. The Earth song is not to blame and Michael’s hopes connected with it are still there.
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It looks brighter as far as the trial is concerned.The AEG bosses have bitten their own tail.
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I was unable to send a post from this computer. Sorry.If this one works:Thank you Helena for this blog.
P.S. It seems to work now. Thank you again Helena. My time is up.I just got a message.
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Helena, What you mentioned about the Earth song sent chills down my spine,,, all those accidents on the set or after which eventually claimed his life made me really not wanting to listen to it again. 😦
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4 years have already passed but what about justice for Michael Jackson? 😦
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Dear Helena, I’ve been reading your trial updates and wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for all you do in the name of Michael. I don’t know if it’s the timing, but for me this post seems to be the most upsetting one to date.
I have been following Michael’s messages of LOVE and his life for over 40 years and his death is still as raw as ever, yesterday was hard. Some people may think that’s a tad crazy and that I should pull myself together, but the only way I can explain my on going sense of loss is the fact that he was not just an artist, but a guiding light in a troubled and lost world and when that light went out it affected us all on a global scale.
I truly believe his mission on this earth was to equip the masses with the tools of pure love so that we could collectively start to heal the world, and he started that mission by healing our individual souls with divine messages of love, hope and charity within his music.
I believe his legacy will be in his music and it will teach those divine lessons to many generations to come.
He changed human consciousness on levels never reached and those of us who took notice on a higher level still feel the acute pain of his loss.
I am sure he would be humbled by the words within this blog Helena and also by the love and compassion that is written within the lines from all who come here. I cannot thank you enough for being all that you are for Michael and to those of us that seek the truth. It must take hours of dedication.
The trial itself has been an eye opener to say the least and I cannot believe the timing of Prince being put on the stand one day after the anniversary of his fathers death. If this is true then I feel it shows no compassion from all involved, for he is only a child and one that is still deep in his grief. We know how raw we are all feeling today let alone his own Son. I know that the show must go on but this doesn’t seem compassionate to me.
thanks again.
With love.
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Thanks so much Helena for this wonderful post. I feel that perhaps God wanted the whole world to know what Michael went through and feel his pain. Which is why the AEG trial is so important. Michael was so full of love and cared so much for his fans all around the world, that it is only befitting that he has millions of people feel for him and love him back. I am so happy to see your write up about Michael holding on to the young fan lest he fell. I have written about just that to a friend pfmine and it is indeed a mark of the caring loving man that he was.
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Thank you so much for this incredible post. I don’t know what we would have done without you and your tireless work. The details of the AEG so called “powers that be” are staggering. Michael endured all of this disrespect and abuse and not once do we hear of any negative behavior from him. May his spirit continue to rest in peace.
Let’s also continue to pray for Paris’ well being.
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All I can say is, great work, Helena. These e-mails tell it all, and like I said before, AEG has been losing from the start. I agree, no matter how this turns out AEG will be stigmatized forever. They lose either way, either money or reputation. As bad as Murray was, AEG was worse, and they are going down one way or the other.
It feels good to see their crimes coming to light, but at the same time we’re seeing more every day of the horror that Michael was going through. I can’t conceive the stress that he was under, and so few people that even cared and knew the situation. AEG knew exactly what they were doing, but sadly it was all about the money. Money is not the root of all evil, but the love of money is. When you’re willing to sacrifice a man’s life for money, you’ve crossed God’s line, and he is a God of vengeance. Michael always believed that justice and truth would prevail, and I do too.
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RIP Michael Jackson. It’s been 4 years sense his death. It seems just like yesterday when MJ passed, boy time sure flies. We miss you Michael.
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Thank you so much. I loved reading this.
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Thank you Helena. Your work is a labor of the heart. And I don’t believe in coincidences. All this is happening for a reason and has been put in motion by the hand of the Creator. God makes “all things work together for good to those who love him, and are called to His purpose”. Michael Jackson loved God and I believe that he is only departed from our midst in physical form. His spirit is everwhere and he is with God performing his new mission. Hopefully, one day we may all be part of it again.
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Thank you so much..This is a wonderful post and a beautifull tribute for our Michael. God Bless his sweet soul. Love. Mado
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A wonderful post and a fitting tribute, Helena. Thanks so much.
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Helena, you have done a wonderful, heartwarming work.
I believe that this post was created by true, unconditional and healinglove, the same love that Michael wanted and contemplated.
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“There is some heavenly retribution in the fact that all of it is happening exactly in the same days of June, only four years later.” Helena
Yes, there is so much symbolism and “coincidences” happening around Michael that cannot be overlooked. It also reminded me of Michael’s speech in TII when he talked about us only having 4 years to get it right before it’s too late. We all know he was talking about our planet and the environment – but who knows what else was included in the meaning of his words.
And tomorrow even Prince is supposed to be on the witness stand, exactly 4 years after his father’s death.
Great post, Helena. To see all these emails is really mind-boggling. They expose AEG Live’s business ways totally, and I agree that if their company ever survives they will never lose this stigma again.
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Yes, dear Helena : Thank you for what you are, Michael
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