http://news.yahoo.com/s/a...5oYWRsbw--


By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch, Ap Special Correspondent – 19 mins ago
LOS ANGELES – A week after Michael Jackson died, his longtime lawyer and friend, John Branca, was summoned to meet with the singer's family. He carried the pop star's will, and with it, an answer to their eagerly awaited question:

Who was to benefit from the King of Pop's estate?

"It was very difficult," Branca recalled. "There were a lot of family members there, his sisters and most of the brothers and his mother, Katherine."

He told them three things. Katherine would be guardian of Michael's three children and receive 40 percent of the estate in trust. The children would also receive 40 percent. The remaining 20 percent would go to unspecified charities to benefit children.

Their reaction would seem to bode well for the days to come.

"Actually, they applauded three times when they were told who got the property," Branca said. "They were thrilled."

It is one reason why Branca, one of two special administrators named in that same will, says he's surprised by the opposition that followed from lawyers representing Mrs. Jackson.

Her legal team has asserted that she should be given "a seat at the table" in executing deals for the estate. They've also been considering a formal challenge to the status of the special administrators, suggesting that conflict of interests and other factors may compromise the qualifications of Branca and co-executor John McClain.

Neither man is unknown to the Jackson family. During more than 20 years as the pop superstar's lawyer, Branca, 58, was a principal architect of Jackson's financial empire, having brokered the deal for the Beatles catalog of records; obtained the rights to master recordings of Jackson's own songs; and negotiated the purchase of Jackson's Neverland estate.

McClain, a childhood friend of Jackson's, crafted a major recording career for Michael's sister Janet, and is a successful record company executive.

Branca plays down any conflict with the Jackson family.

"Everything is going to be fine," he said calmly during a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press.

Branca and McClain have already won court approval for a deal that will bring the estate $60 million from a movie made of footage shot during rehearsals for the concerts Jackson was to have performed in London. A coffee-table book also was approved. But two multimillion-dollar projects, including a deal to market Jackson merchandise, have been stalled because of objections from Mrs. Jackson's camp.

"We're approaching the $100 million mark if those two deals in front of the court are approved," said Branca. "That's pretty remarkable — in six weeks as executors, to have brought $100 million into the estate."

A wunderkind of entertainment law when he met a young Michael Jackson in 1980, Branca is now regarded as one of the three top entertainment lawyers in the country, a man who's made millions for the Beach Boys, The Doors, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones and countless other top rock acts. He represents 28 members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"I've been very fortunate," Branca said. "Growing up, I had five idols and I wound up representing all of them. Elvis was No. 1. Then the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and Michael and the Jackson 5."

In high school he played keyboard, wrote music and formed a rock band, but music wasn't his only passion: His uncle was famed Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca, who made baseball history when he served up what became known as the "shot heard 'round the world," Bobby Thomson's home run that cost the Dodgers the 1951 National League pennant.

Branca's father, who encouraged his interest in baseball-card collecting, became the New York State athletic commissioner. At one point Branca had one of the world's most formidable baseball card collections, with major prized pieces including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and of course his uncle Ralph, who he's proud to say was one of two white pallbearers at Jackie Robinson's funeral (the other being Pee Wee Reese).

Branca spent his early years in Mount Vernon, N.Y., but later moved to Los Angeles with his mother, actress Barbara Werle who, coincidentally, had a role in the Presley movie "Charo." At Los Angeles City College he first majored in music, but quickly realized he wasn't good enough for the major leagues of rock.

He pursued law instead, seeking a music-related vein soon after graduating from UCLA School of Law. He started by setting up tours for Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Neil Diamond.

"I was in heaven," he recalled. "And then I got the Beach Boys and started my own thing."

He represented the Presley estate for a time, but in 1980 his world changed when an intermediary asked him to meet with Michael Jackson.

"Michael was either 21 or about to turn 21 when I met him and he had never had his own (legal) team," he said. "'Off The Wall' had come out and it was a big hit."

They bonded immediately.

"He said, 'Do I know you?' It was one of those things you have in life where you feel so comfortable with a person you actually feel you do know them. The conversation is easy and the connection is effortless."

He met Jackson's parents briefly, and remembers Mrs. Jackson saying, "Michael, I don't know if he's old enough to be a lawyer."

They were both in their 20s and about to make rock 'n' roll history.

Branca shepherded Jackson through the phenomenal success of the "Thriller" album in 1982 and negotiated the groundbreaking "Thriller" video — as well as a video about the making of the video. And contrary to other versions of the story, he said it was Michael's idea to buy the Beatles catalog after Paul McCartney told Jackson he was investing in buying copyrights to famous songs.

"Michael called me up and he said, 'Branca, I want to buy copyrights.' I said, 'Great.'" He bought copyrights to such songs as "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer," and the work of Sly and the Family Stone.

"And then came the mother lode," said Branca. "I found out ATV was for sale and I told Michael. He asked what that was. I said, 'You're not going to believe it: 250 Beatles songs, the Little Richard catalog.' He started screaming on the phone. I actually have a great note he wrote me. It said: 'Branca, the catalog is mine. Don't lose it by over-negotiating.' I framed that note."

Before bidding, he said he checked with Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and McCartney's lawyer and brother-in-law John Eastman to see if they were interested. They were not. It took a year of bidding against others — including British industrialist Richard Branson — before he closed the deal. In 1995, he merged it with Sony to create one of the largest such collections in the world.

In earlier years, Branca also helped Jackson obtain the rights to his recording masters and brokered the purchase of Neverland Ranch, originally offered for $60 million, for a final price of $17.5 million, including all furnishings.

Those deals helped transform Jackson from a rich pop star into a man of extraordinary wealth, and turned Branca's career in the direction of buying and selling music assets. (He recently negotiated the sale of the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalog for $200 million.)

But life with Michael was not all about money, Branca says. At first they were friends, traveling to Disney World together, socializing at Branca's home. Jackson was the best man at Branca's first wedding, bringing with him his pet chimp Bubbles, who was clad in a tiny tuxedo. Little Richard was the minister.

"His personality," Branca says when recalling the young pop superstar, "was just infectious."

In 1990, Jackson tearfully told Branca he wanted to try different representation; though Branca wouldn't confirm it, it's been widely reported that Hollywood mogul and record company executive David Geffen advised Jackson that Branca's influence in his affairs had grown too large. They remained apart for three years, while Branca moved on to other artists.

Branca returned in 1993, at a time when Jackson was being sued in a child molestation case he ultimately settled. But the relationship was different.

"Later on in his career he really had a line between his business and personal life," said Branca. "As people get older, that's not uncommon."

Branca's connections to Elvis would extend to Jackson when he introduced Michael to the King's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. Branca treasures a portrait of the two after their marriage, which is inscribed in Michael's hand signed by the couple. It reads: "John: To the greatest lawyer of our time."

In 1997 a will was drafted for Jackson — but not, Branca says, by him. Instead, he said he assigned it to a member of his firm who specialized in wills and trusts. It was redone in 2002 because one of Jackson's children had not been born at the time of the first.

Branca said he played no role in advising Jackson on it, but knew the singer did not want a family member in control of his estate. Jackson also felt he did not have to take care of his brothers and sisters, Branca said.

By 2006, Branca says, his relationship with Jackson was troubled once again. The star was listening to an increasingly odd set of advisers — a revolving door of characters who Branca feared did not have the singer's best interests at heart.

"He was surrounded and I had to resign," he said. "He did not ask me to stay. I resigned amicably."
And then, a little more than a month before Jackson died, the call came from Jackson's former manager, Frank Delio.

"Michael wants you to come back," Delio told him. "He wants you to give some thought to what you can do for him, what kind of deals."

Branca drafted an agenda and met with Jackson on June 17 at the Forum in Los Angeles, where the King of Pop was rehearsing for his big comeback.

"I hadn't seen him in several years," Branca said. "We hugged each other. He said, 'John, you're back.' It was very emotional. I showed him the agenda."

It was what Jackson wanted, Branca said — including a concert movie, books and merchandising deals.

"That agenda is exactly what John McClain and I are doing now," Branca said, "for the estate."

*****
is it possible that the family didn't understand the fine print, that katherine didn't outright get 40% of the estate but 40% of revenue AFTER paying down debts, or whatever the executors think best? and that it would revert back to mj's kids upon her death? i think that's why the family's hot now. in spite of what branca says, i predict trouble. if branca is telling the press that mj never wanted his family in charge of the estate, what do you think he's going to tell the judge if katherine keeps pressing this? there is that no contest clause card in the deck, and i do think branca will play it if he has to.
[Edited 8/14/09 22:22pm]
[Edited 8/14/09 22:23pm]

^^ Very interesting.

suga10 said:

I didn't view the video but I thought that was funny.

MJ needed a strong woman (like Lisa Marie) to keep the vultures at bay and to help him live a drug-free life.

i like branca

interesting he said that about the brothers and sisters

Copycat said:

i agree. i really wish she wouldve had his baby.

Mcmillan said this on Larry King a few weeks ago


http://transcripts.cnn.co...kl.01.html


[Edited 8/14/09 22:38pm]

I don't think Lisa Marie was the strong woman he needed though because she jumped ship when the vultures came around. But he did need a strong support system. It's a shame that he had so many phony friends and a shady family.

& Katherine and her lawyers need to be quiet imo. Her family has shown that they do not know how to manage money. They need a professional like Branca. He's one of the best too. I don't get why she won't cooperate.

StillDirrty said:

I think its more like she wants to be a third executor.

Was Londell involved with Mj's legal stuff?

suga10 said:

I don't think he was.

Interesting quote

http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/...ay_people/

“When I first met Michael, from the beginning, [he said], ‘Make sure to take care of my children and my mother,’ ” the lawyer said. “That’s what we’re going to do.”

suga10 said:

I think she does as well but I don't think she should be so skeptic of Branca. Like Frank Dileo said there wouldn't be an estate if it weren't for him. I bet Michael's affairs would have been better if Branca had stayed the whole time. Didn't Katherine give a no go to one the deals at the last court date? It only hurts the estate to not cooperate. & on the first day wasn't she like oh there's no will? & on the Today show Londell made it seem like they are going to try and prove that Michael didn't want Branca running his affairs which I doubt.

StillDirrty said:

I think they're going to aim at her becoming third executor.

Cause it'll be too risky otherwise.

StillDirrty said:

So is Katherine good with money or not? Because reading MJ boards, you'd think Katherine was this business titan. I'm just baffled by all the ass kissing she gets. Not saying she should be disrespected or anything, but fans are acting like it's an outrage she isn't an executor.

Also I don't think Michael would have been okay necessarily if Branca was still around.

Michael hasn't toured in ages and wasn't doing squat= no new material, nothing pretty much. The liquid cash flow was not the same like it once was back in the 80s and 90s. Instead now he was spending money lavishly on shopping trips and spending money like he was a billionaire. Lets not forget that Bashir shopping spree.

Only an individual can prevent themselves from going into debt by spending wisely.
[Edited 8/14/09 23:02pm]

suga10 said:

yes, that's what she wants. the trust/will states that there were to be three executors, but if one left, the other two didn't have to replace him. and one did leave.

mcmillian is insisting that branca and mcclain appoint her, b/c he will be the defacto executor, because in spite of what he says about katherine being a trusted 'advisor', she will be relying on mcmillian's legal expertise. they don't have to, and something tells me they're not going to without a fight, especially in light of branca's statements above. mcmillian has been calling branca 'shady' for all intents and purposes, and he's going to have to prove those allegations to the judge before the judge agrees to 'force' branca and mcclain to appoint katherine as the third executor. he's already signalled his concerns about a conflict of interest by making sure that mj's kids have their own lawyer to represent them and their estate interests.

i think if mj wanted to appoint her or any family to run his estate, he would have done it when he was drawing the documents up. yes, londell was involved with mj's legal stuff, but apparently not all of it as mj never mentioned his estate plans to him.

suga10 said:

The reason Branca quit those few years ago was because Michael had shady people around him. I'm guessing he was talking about Dr. Tohme who I heard had made several bad deals for MJ. I think if Branca was around he would have given Michael better advice than what he was getting from his sketchy advisers.
[Edited 8/14/09 23:26pm]

mookie said:

i read an article which mentioned that she and joseph declared bankruptcy maybe about 10 years ago, and claimed debts of $25 million. so i'm going to go with no.

mj was a good son, and as long as he lived, he ensured his mother had her expenses paid at hayvenhurst (save maybe the time he was struggling with cash flow), and he wanted to ensure that continued if he should die before her. i don't believe all this hype about her advising him. i think being a trustee on some of these mj businesses was probably more about generating an additional revenue stream for her than anything else.

i note that in one of their filings with the court, the executors pointed out that the estate would continue to pay some but not all expenses at hayvenhurst, as other adults living there were going to be picking up the difference. they don't feel obligated to the family in the same way mj did, i don't think.

does Katie have any business experience? woudln't it be in her best interst to leave it to the professionals?

ehuffnsd said:

no. that's why i'm saying, this is mcmillan's attempt to become a de facto executor. it is in her interest to leave it to the professionals, but she wants her own 'professional' on the case. if she's given status as an executor, she can have mcmillan advise her, and if i'm not mistaken, she would also be entitled to a fee as an executor. she could be seen as 'double dipping' by being both an executor and beneficiary.

kibbles said:

my ex was the exuator of his father's estate when his father died. after his estate went to probate his powers meant nothing. it's who ends up on the board of the trust that ends up with real power. i'm wondering if that's what she is trying to do. so that way she can change who the money goes to when she dies.

kibbles said:

Thanks for answering my question.



Oh, that's good to know. I don't think it's right that all those people that live at Hayvenhurst get a free ride.

mookie said:[quote]

kibbles said:

why do you think Janet avoids the family. i remember old rumors of Lisa Maria and Janet getting into it becasue Lisa thought Janet should help out more if Michael was.

ehuffnsd said:

I never heard that before but for some reason I can believe it. Why an ex gonna tell her ex's own sister how to handle her brother?

Timmy84 said:

lisa i guess didn't think it was fair for Michael to have to support everyone if janet was raking it in as well

ehuffnsd said:

since there is a trust as well as a will, mj's will won't have to be probated which is more public. but he had already named three executors to the trust when he drew up the docs, and one has dropped out.

mcmillan is trying to pressure branca and mcclain to add a family member to the mix, saying that the family 'should' have someone as an executor b/c after all, the presley family and james brown's family have a say in the management of their estates.

i say that's not a legal argument, but an emotional one. i understand that the jacksons aren't happy that mj did not name anyone in his family - no immediate relative or even a cousin - as part of the estate's management team. under cali law, mcmillan has asked the judge to first decide if katherine's motion to question the suitability of the executors constitutes a challenge to mj's will. if the judge determines that it isn't, mcmillan will further press his arguments that branca's return to mj's employ right before his death is 'suspicious', that mj and branca had a tumultuous relationship and mj didn't trust him in the past, and he did trust katherine so she should be made an executor.

as an executor, i'm thinking that she would be able to put forward a family member to take her place when she passes. i think the court, and perhaps the other executors, would have to approve.

but something tells me the judge will probably say that katherine is challenging the will since their is no real evidence, only her allegations, that branca is 'suspicious'. she has no evidence that mj didn't want branca or was intending to update his will, and so what that mcmillan didn't know about the will, or whatever other argument she makes. there is no evidence that there has been any misconduct on the executors' part thus far; they've brought in $100 million in deals for the estate in two short months. evidence of misconduct, i think, would be the only credible argument to challenge these executors. therefore, i think she is challenging her son's wishes, and therefore his will, and under the no contest clause, she could be disinherited.

OOOHH The Memories,
I was digging through old clippings, I thought I had thrown all my Michael articles out a week or two before his death. I am elated to have found all of them. I have the Ebony interview from 85, the Spin article by Quincy Troupe, the People magazines from the Bad era and the Rolling Stone from the Bad era. I'm gonna spend the night looking over them and reminiscing.

mozfonky said:

cool!

a friend of mine made this site

http://www.the-michael-ja...ntent.html

he's been collecting for years