ARAB TIMES, SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2009
NEWS/FEATURES
Neverland
Memorial site eyed
Ranch a ‘shell’
sans Jackson
LOS OLIVOS, California, July 3
(Agencies): The gates to Michael
Jackson’s fabled Neverland Ranch
swung open Thursday to reveal a shell of
the fantasyland the boy-man had created
in his heyday.
Gone was the zoo with its elephants,
tigers and giraffe. The exotic snakes had
long since slithered away, and the amuse-
ment park rides had been dismantled.
The five-bedroom house, with its
gigantic kitchen and media room where
Jackson liked to screen his beloved
Disney films, were nearly empty. His big-
screen TV was gone, only a mounting
bracket remained.
There were some traces of the playland
that the place had been in its glory days,
when Jackson opened it to neighborhood
children by the thousands and presided
over the ensuing parties as the lord of the
manor.
In its empty game room, for example,
the door knobs shaped like miniature bas-
ketballs, baseballs
and soccer balls
remained. In a clos-
et in the pool
house, sandwiched
between the pool
and the tennis
court, was a bucket
of tennis balls.
And on a hill
overlooking the
house stood the
Jackson fabled train station
— a near replica of
the one at Disneyland with its huge floral
clock. It was still a stunning site from
Jackson’s front yard, although the railroad
tracks behind were overgrown with
weeds.
In the station lobby was a snack bar,
and above that, accessible by only the
smallest of spiral staircases, was a crow’s
nest of sorts with a fireplace. There, pre-
sumably, Jackson must have stood and
watched his trains fill up with children
taking trips around his 2,500-acre (1,000-
hectare) estate.
The ranch was also the site where
authorities alleged Jackson had molested
a boy. He was acquitted in 2005 and even-
tually left Neverland.
Visitors wandered through the first-
floor, back bedroom where authorities
said the incident occurred.
Jackson once acknowledged in a tele-
vision interview that he sometimes let
children sleep with him in his bed in what
he called innocent sleepovers.
Colony Capital LLC, the Los Angeles
firm that established a joint venture with
Jackson to rescue Neverland from fore-
closure last year, opened the home to
scores of journalists Thursday after a non-
stop barrage of requests for access after
Jackson died.
Colony has declined to say what it
plans to do with the house, and none of
the handful of officials present would
speak on the record. No members of the
Jackson family were seen on the premis-
es.
Visitors were allowed to roam freely
for the most part, as more than a dozen
gardeners and maintenance workers went
about their duties.
The two-story house has a number of
labrythine-like hallways and stairways. A
large copper bathtub sits in the middle of
a hallway.
Across from the front door of the main
home was the guest house where
Jackson’s friend Elizabeth Taylor stayed
when she married Larry Fortensky in
1991, at a Neverland wedding briefly
interrupted by a skydiving gate-crasher.
Off-limits Thursday was the estate’s
now-empty amusement park, where
Jackson and others once rode bumper
cars, a merry-go-round and a Ferris
wheel.
“My kids used to go out there and they
had a good old time,” Los Olivos resident
Frank Palmer said earlier this week. “He
was just a big kid himself, was what they
told me. Michael loved it when they’d
crash the go-carts.”
Among other things, Jackson left
behind dozens of metal sculptures of chil-
dren in various states of play. They were
scattered across the estate, some showing
children in modern dress, others looking
more like kids who stepped out of a
Charles Dickens novel.
One was a kid climbing on monkey
bars, another boy helped a girl reach a tree
branch. A slightly larger sculpture had the
name Michael Jackson written beneath it.
From a distance, it looked nothing like
him.
Also:
PARIS: The Los Angeles mansion where
Michael Jackson lived before his death
will become a public memorial site,
French fashion mogul Christian
Audigier announced, saying he would
purchase the building.
The vast house in the Holmby Hills
neighborhood currently belongs to
Audigier’s associate and the boss of his
fashion company Hubert Guez.
A statement given to AFP by
Audigier’s press spokesman said the
property had been rented by the pop icon
for several months and the lease would
run out in six months’ time, after which
Audigier would buy it “with the aim of
keeping intact the precious moments he
shared with Michael Jackson.”
Spokesman Laurent Guyot said:
“Christian Audigier, a friend of Michael
Jackson, will buy this property to make it
a place dedicated to the memory of the
star to which the public and fans will have
access.”
The back of the main house at Michael Jackson’s former home, Neverland Ranch is seen in Los Olivos, California, July 2. This corner of the house is where Jackson had his bedroom and bath. (Inset): The main room
is seen at Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California, July 2. The door at the right leads to the kitchen. (AP)
Karson Avila, 11, of Solvang, California,
stands near the gates of the late Michael
Jackson’s former residence, Neverland
Ranch, in Los Olivos, California, July 2.
(AP)
Richie Beyonce
Variety
NEW ORLEANS: The celebration of black
music and culture at the Essence Music
Festival in New Orleans will provide comfort
to artists and fans alike after a tough week
following Michael Jackson’s death.
Singer Lionel Richie, a longtime friend of
the pop superstar and the festival’s headliner,
says performing at Essence will give him and
others a chance to regroup.
“We’ll celebrate his life and come together
as a family down there,” Richie said. “It’s
New Orleans. The spirit of what the music
business is all about is there. It really is to me
one of those places that’s like visiting my
foundation.”
The festival, which began in 1995 to cele-
brate the birthday of Essence Magazine,
begins Friday and runs through Sunday. It
will include a tribute to Jackson, as well as
performances by Beyonce, John Legend, Ne-
Yo, Anita Baker and others.
Richie, 60, collaborated with Jackson in
1985 and wrote what became one of the
fastest-selling singles ever – “We Are the
World” – a song produced to raise money for
victims of the Ethiopian famine.
“I wanted him to be able to enjoy his life
and his success, and he was never really able
to do that,” Richie said. “He just couldn’t get
there. For me, that was the tough part.”
Richie said his performance Sunday will
consist of favorites like “Zoom” and “Brick
House,” but he’ll also sprinkle in a selection
or two from “Just Go,” his new CD.
“I know this audience,” he said. “This is
my audience. ... They want to hear as much
old as I can play.”
Essence also will include a host of New
Orleans acts, such as Troy “Trombone
Shorty” Andrews, trumpeter Irvin Mayfield
and the brass band Big Sam’s Funky Nation.
New Orleans jazz singer Thais Clark is
making her Essence debut Friday with two
performances – one a salute to New Orleans
blues singer Marva Wright, who is recover-
ing from a stroke last month, and another
with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
“I love Essence,” Clark said. “It brings a
certain energy to the city, the people and
enthusiasm. I’m so excited to be a part of it
this year.”
Besides music, Essence has plenty to cele-
brate with the election of the country’s first
black president and the festival’s 15th
anniversary, said Michelle Ebanks, president
of Essence Communications Inc.
As in years past, seminars addressing chal-
lenges in the black community, such as under-
achieving schools and single-parent house-
holds, will be held during the day at the
Morial Convention Center, and concerts are
slated for evenings at the Louisiana
Superdome.
On Friday, actor and comedian Steve
Music
Video shows vigorous Jackson
LOS ANGELES, July 3, (Agencies): A
video released Thursday showed Michael
Jackson vigorously practicing a song-and-
dance routine days before his death, sup-
porting accounts he had been in good
health.
In footage obtained by AFP, the pop leg-
end performed at the Staples Center in Los
Angeles on June 23, two days before he
died, as he prepared for a 50-date set in
London starting in July.
Jackson, while thin, is seen dancing
with energy in a tightly choreographed
sequence with a group of performers.
Jackson sings on a headset and at one
point pushes back his jacket to reveal his
red shirt underneath.
In the footage, Jackson switches sharply
in styles in a medley of some of his hits.
The video starts with Jackson dancing
wildly in front of a rock ‘n’ roll guitarist
before a pause for dramatic effect.
Jackson then shifts to a snippet of
“Billie Jean,” one of his greatest hits,
before singing, “They Don’t Care About
Us,” one of his most controversial tracks
in which he brought in a hip-hop influ-
ence.
The set ends with a sample of a car
horn. The stage then fades to black as an
outside voice instructs, “Hold for
applause.”
Associates of Jackson have described
the 50-year-old pop star as being in good
form, including at another rehearsal just
hours before his death.
Jackson collapsed and died on June 25
at his rented Los Angeles mansion.
Speculation has focused on whether
Jackson was taking painkillers or other
medication.
Jackson’s voice coach Dorian Holley
said Jackson was in an upbeat mood in the
days before his death, joking around with
his wardrobe and makeup staff.
“My friends call and ask, ‘Was Michael
sick? Was he weak? Was he ill?’ It’s the
absolute opposite of that,” Holley told
Harvey will talk about marriage and actor
turned activist Bill Cosby will discuss educa-
Jackie (left), and Tito Jackson (right), brothers of pop icon Michael Jackson, leave the
Jackson family home in Encino, California, July 2. As funeral plans took shape one
week after Michael Jackson’s death, legal battlelines were drawn over the King of
Pop’s legacy and the fate of his offspring, with ex-wife Debbie Rowe declaring she
planned to seek custody of the star’s eldest two children. (AFP)
Rehearsal footage may become motion picture
CNN.
“He was very energetic, he was happy.
He was even more playful than he normal-
ly was at rehearsal,” he said.
Holley said Jackson, 50, did not show
his age.
“I’m sure that he was in pain after some
rehearsals. But I got to tell you something
— the guys and girls dancing with him
were all in their 20s,” he said.
“When Michael was on stage with them,
there was only one person that you could
watch and that was Michael Jackson,” he
said.
A similar account came from Kevin
Mazur, who was attending the rehearsal
sessions as a photographer.
“He was like an expectant father pacing
up and down the stage,” Mazur told
Britain’s Sun tabloid.
“He was just so focused. Between
songs, he burst into laughter and joked
around with his dancers and the director. I
have never seen him so happy,” Mazur
said.
Jackson had planned a series of concerts
at London’s O2 Arena starting on July 13,
part of a comeback for the King of Pop
whose personal and financial life had
sharply deteriorated in the past decade.
Concert promoters AEG Live, who
released the video, are offering full ticket
refunds for the concerts.
British media reports said about £50
million (59 million euros, $83 million) has
been spent on 750,000 tickets.
The 30-second snippet of Michael
Jackson rehearsing two days before his
death was released Thursday, part of more
than 100 hours of footage that could be
turned into live albums, a movie and a
pay-per-view special, the promoter said.
The treasure trove of material, along
with possible insurance proceeds and tick-
et sales to memorabilia collectors, could
help benefit the late singer’s estate, which
is burdened by an estimated $400 million
in debt.
tion a day later. Other speakers include
Marvelyn Brown, a 24-year-old who was
“He was our partner in life and now he’s
our partner in death,” Randy Phillips, pres-
ident and CEO of concert promoter AEG
Live, said in an interview at Staples
Center.
Jackson had been rehearsing for a giant
series of comeback shows in London.
“If we all do our jobs right, we could
probably raise hundreds of millions of dol-
lars just on the stuff we have worldwide
and then the estate could eradicate its
debt.”
AEG Live also stands to profit from the
material. Jackson’s album sales have
exploded since his death, with three of his
albums in the top three spots and 2.3 mil-
lion tracks downloaded in the United
States, Nielsen SoundScan said.
Worldwide digital downloads for the week
hit 3.3 million.
The clip released Thursday shows
Jackson dancing and singing to “They
Don’t Really Care About Us” on June 23
during a rehearsal at Staples Center. He
died two days later at age 50.
Phillips said he released the clip
because he was tired of seeing the singer
negatively portrayed in the media since his
death.
“I said let’s grab one piece where we
can show people where he was headed,”
he said. “He was developing getting his
moves together.”
The rehearsal footage, shot in high def-
inition, includes Jackson performing his
hits “Thriller” and “Beat It.” Other footage
shows production meetings and auditions.
“We have enough audio to make two
live albums, and he’s never done a live
album,” Phillips said. “This is really the
last great work of a 21st century genius.”
The production budget for the 50
London shows, which were set to begin
July 13, swelled to more than $25 million,
he said.
Part of those costs included 3D technol-
ogy used to produce what Phillips called
“mini-movies” involving “Thriller” and
diagnosed with HIV at 19, former magazine
editor Monique Greenwood and Soledad
‘I grew up on his music’
Obama Jackson fan
WASHINGTON, July 3, (AP): The King
of Pop had a fan in the White House.
President Barack Obama described
himself as a longtime follower of
Michael Jackson, the legendary per-
former who died June 25 at age 50.
“I grew up on his music — still
have all his stuff on my iPod,” Obama
said in an AP interview Thursday,
adding that Jackson “will go down in
history as one of our greatest enter-
tainers.”
At the time of his death, the pop icon
was preparing a series of comeback
concerts to overcome years of sexual
scandal and financial calamity — a
troubled history the president acknowl-
edged without naming specifics.
“I think that his brilliance as a per-
former also was paired with a tragic
and, in many ways, sad personal life,”
Obama said.
He expressed pleasure that the
public is celebrating Jackson for his
talents, instead of dwelling on his per-
sonal tragedies.
25
“Earth Song.”
“That’s what’s so compelling,” he said.
“Just `Thriller’ is nine minutes of 3D visu-
al insanity.”
Another possibility is a tribute show at
The O2 arena in London that would be
broadcast worldwide and then sold as a
DVD, the promoter said.
Phillips said AEG Live is waiting for
Jackson’s estate to be settled to see who
the company will be dealing with. The
estate “would get the lion’s share” of any
profits from the release of the rehearsal
footage, he said.
Insurance will help cover any losses on
the London shows if the coroner’s autopsy
shows that Jackson died accidentally —
including of a drug overdose — but not if
he died of natural causes, Phillips said.
AEG Live took out $17.5 million in
insurance coverage through Lloyd’s of
London.
That would fall short of the $25 million
to $30 million Phillips said AEG Live
spent on Jackson’s advance, producing the
shows at The O2 arena, covering some of
Jackson’s debts, and paying his staff and
rent on the Holmby Hills mansion where
he died.
The concert promoter for Michael
Jackson’s canceled London shows said
Thursday that audio and video tapes made
before the King of Pop’s death could gen-
erate hundreds of millions of dollars and
erase debts on the singer’s estate.
Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG
Live, said his company has recorded
enough of Jackson’s songs to release two
albums and video to make a movie, DVD,
or both from Jackson’s recent rehearsals
for concerts planned for London’s 02
arena.
A lot is at stake for AEG and Jackson’s
family, because Phillips said the King of
Pop’s death would likely leave his estate
liable for more than $25 million AEG
spent on production costs and the singer’s
expenses ahead of the London shows.
O’Brien, the CNN anchor who reported on
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
This year is shaping up to be a record
crowd, despite the slumping economy and loss
of two major sponsors, Ebanks said. Essence
is on track to break last year’s record atten-
dance of 270,000, she said.
Hotel occupancy is expected to be 80 to 90
percent, and could increase “if we have a lot
of last minute decision-makers,” said Mary
Beth Romig, spokeswoman for the New
Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑
LOS ANGELES: Steve Brennan, a 20-year
veteran reporter and editor at The Hollywood
Reporter, died Thursday at Cedars-Sinai
Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles after
a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 57.
Brennan was well-known in the entertain-
ment industry as a tenacious and fair-minded
reporter who tirelessly covered the entertain-
ment industry, with a particular focus on the
domestic TV syndication and the international
beats for the paper.
“Steve often dazzled with his colorful style,
but his insights were even brighter, and uncan-
nily spot-on,” Hollywood Reporter editor in
chief Elizabeth Guider said. “
He was one of a rapidly disappearing breed
of old-school newsmen who had an unshak-
able work ethic, a global rolodex and a won-
derfully wry but affectionate view of the busi-
ness of entertainment and the people engaged
in it.” (AFP)