I have a questions for the MJ experts here. Were the Jacksons "remastered" versions of Triumph and Destiny actually remastered? They dont sound any different to me in terms of sound quality compared with tracks from the Ultimate Collection and the Jacksons greatest hits package. In fact, I think the Jacksons songs from the various KOP compilations sound better than these 2 releases. Anybody know the deal?

Just a MiniMike.

[img:$uid]http://i45.tinypic.com/j79oya.jpg[/img:$uid]

Vanilli said:

Did P really say the following regarding Michael's bad album? "You know why they called the album Bad, right? Because they couldn't fit TERRIBLE on the cover."

I have also read it once, but I don¨t know if it's true. Might easily be another tabloid rumour.

[img:$uid]http://i46.tinypic.com/2qvulmw.jpg[/img:$uid]

dag said:

[img:$uid]http://i46.tinypic.com/2qvulmw.jpg[/img:$uid]

love this!!! <3

2 of my friends were at the UK premiere of Spike Lee's documentary today and there was a Q&A with Spike afterwards also. I'm jealous! Apparently it was said that the DVD will be released soon and the documentary may also be shown on UK TV, but not till December.

Vanilli said:

Did P really say the following regarding Michael's bad album? "You know why they called the album Bad, right? Because they couldn't fit TERRIBLE on the cover."

Sounds like a tabloid rumor.No one can ever show us the source/interview where Prince supposedly said this,so I'm saying it's bullshit

I went to the Bad 25 screening today and all I have to say is that it is IMMENSE. A real fucking treat. I almost want someone to pinch me to make sure I wasn't dreaming of seeing some of that footage. The TV version will be edited down but Spike Lee said the DVD (no release date yet) will have an hour of extra footage. The Bad Wembley show is also due to be shown on UK TV at least by Christmas.

Spike, John Branca and some dude from Capital FM talking to them:

[img:$uid]http://i45.tinypic.com/27yyc8j.jpg[/img:$uid]

[Edited 9/2/12 13:24pm]

mjforever said:

looks so much like michael! The way they look is exactly the same

By the way there's about 5 minutes of Bad 25 just talking about the "rivalry" with Prince at the time. No surprise that Nelson George was a contributer and egged on the comparisons but mainly the point was that both were at the top of their game in 1987.

At the end Spike Lee was asked why they spent so much time talking about Prince without him being interviewed. He said that he called Prince but he said no Unsurprising. Miserable bugger.

Ellie said:

By the way there's about 5 minutes of Bad 25 just talking about the "rivalry" with Prince at the time. No surprise that Nelson George was a contributer and egged on the comparisons but mainly the point was that both were at the top of their game in 1987.

At the end Spike Lee was asked why they spent so much time talking about Prince without him being interviewed. He said that he called Prince but he said no Unsurprising. Miserable bugger.

Ellie, any idea when the doc will be out on general release?

Ellie said:

ForgottenPassword said:

Ellie, any idea when the doc will be out on general release?

They didn't say, but I'd imagine not too long after the TV airing, which like I said will be a lot shorter. It'll be about 3 hours on the DVD.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-aeg-jackson-20120902,0,6711027.story?page=3&sc=3813044299045528785

Smh @ Sony

all around.

http://www.latimes.com/ne...full.story

Doubts surfaced early on Michael Jackson

Emails in Jackson insurance litigation show AEG execs knew of concerns about the pop star's stability.

Michael Jackson rehearses at Staples Center in June 2009 for his "This Is It" tour. (Kevin Mazur, AEG/Getty Images / June 23, 2009)

By Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times

The scene in Michael Jackson's London hotel suite left Randy Phillips in a panic. Phillips was one of the world's most powerful music promoters and used to rock 'n' roll chaos, but the star's condition still floored him.

"MJ is locked in his room drunk and despondent," Phillips said in an email to his boss at Anschutz Entertainment Group, the Los Angeles company staking a fortune on the singer. "I [am] trying to sober him up."

Across the Atlantic, where it was still early morning, AEG President Tim Leiweke read the message and fired back on his BlackBerry: "Are you kidding me?"

PHOTOS: Michael Jackson | 1958-2009

"I screamed at him so loud the walls are shaking," Phillips told him. "He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self loathing and doubt now that it is show time."

The story of Jackson's ill-fated comeback attempt has been told in news reports, a manslaughter trial and a feature-length documentary. But a cache of confidential AEG emails obtained by The Times offers a darker picture of the relationship between the down-on-his-luck idol and the buttoned-up corporation taking a bet on his erratic talents.

The 250 pages of messages illuminate the extent to which top executives were aware of doubts about Jackson's stability as they prepared for his 50-show concert run at their London arena.

The emails will probably play a central role in two lawsuits set for trial next year. The shows' insurers are asking a judge to nullify a $17.5-million policy that they say AEG got with false claims about Jackson's health and readiness to perform. Jackson's heirs are pressing a wrongful-death suit that accuses AEG of pressuring the pop star to carry on with a comeback despite indications he was too weak.

Lawyers for AEG, which has denied any wrongdoing, said most of the correspondence was produced as discovery in ongoing litigation. They said the messages reviewed by The Times were incomplete and leaked to portray the company in a negative light. The lawyers declined to provide additional emails that they said would give a fuller picture, citing a protective order imposed by a judge in the civil litigation.

"If you are in the creative arts business, you are going to be involved with individuals who have a great many problems," said AEG attorney Marvin Putnam. "Michael Jackson was an adult and … it is supercilious to say he was unable to take care of his own affairs."

Michael Jackson was a megastar but also had a trail of burned investors and canceled performances that loomed large when AEG began contemplating a deal with him in the fall of 2008.

Even before meeting with Jackson, executives at the highest levels of AEG, including billionaire founder Phil Anschutz, were seeking insurance to protect the company's bottom line if the shows didn't come off, according to the emails.

Anschutz invited Jackson to a meeting at a Las Vegas villa in September 2008. Paul Gongaware, an AEG Live executive who knew Jackson, emailed colleagues a strategy memo. Wear casual clothes, he told them, "as MJ is distrustful of people in suits" and expect to talk "fluff" with "Mikey."

The company was proposing a world tour that would net the cash-strapped star $132 million, according to the memo. "This is not a number that MJ will want to hear. He thinks he is so much bigger than that," Gongaware warned. Talk in terms of gross receipts, he suggested.

The singer and AEG signed a deal in January 2009. According to the contract, AEG agreed to bankroll a series of London concerts at its 02 Arena and Jackson promised "a first-class performance." If he reneged, AEG would take control of the debt-ridden singer's company and use the income from his music catalogs to recoup its money.

There were doubters inside and outside the company. Dan Beckerman, AEG's chief operating officer, sent Phillips, the chief executive of concert division AEG Live, a YouTube link to Jackson's shaky 2001 MTV appearance and asked, "Can he pull this off?"

PHOTOS: Jackson show rehearsal

"With time and rehearsal," Phillips wrote back.

Pressed by another promoter about Jackson's ability to deliver, Phillips shot back in an email, "He has to or financial disaster awaits."

The contract required a medical examination as part of AEG's effort to get cancellation insurance, and nine days after Jackson signed, a New York doctor went to the star's Holmby Hills mansion. Dr. David Slavit concluded that Jackson was in "excellent condition," an assessment that AEG would tout in the coming months as proof that their star was healthy.

It's unclear how thorough the exam was. Slavit, an ear, nose and throat doctor who listed his specialty as "care of the professional voice," wrote extensively about Jackson's vocal cords in his report, which AEG said was given to its insurance broker. But he was silent on Jackson's well-documented substance abuse problems.

The singer had dropped out of at least one tour for drug treatment, but Slavit wrote that past cancellations were "related to dehydration and exhaustion."

Asked on a questionnaire in the report whether he had "ever been treated for or had any indication of excessive use of alcohol or drugs," Jackson circled "no."

AEG planned to announce Jackson's comeback in March with a London news conference. But as the date drew near, Jackson dropped out of sight. Inside AEG, there was growing fear.

"We are holding all the risk," Gongaware wrote to Phillips. "We let Mikey know just what this will cost him in terms of him making money.... We cannot be forced into stopping this, which MJ will try to do because he is lazy and constantly changes his mind to fit his immediate wants."

"He is locked. He has no choice … he signed a contract," Gongaware wrote.

Publicly, AEG projected confidence. "The man is very sane, the man is very focused, the man is very healthy," Leiweke assured a music industry symposium the day before the news conference.

Jackson made it to London, but according to emails Phillips sent to Leiweke, the star was intoxicated and refused to leave his suite. In the end, the emails show, Phillips and Jackson's manager had to dress him.

"He is scared to death," Phillips wrote to Leiweke.

In an interview, AEG's attorney Putnam suggested Phillips had exaggerated in his emails and said Jackson's behavior appeared to be a case of "nerves."

Jackson arrived 90 minutes late for the news conference and his brief comments struck some of the 350 reporters gathered as disjointed and strange. Still, fan enthusiasm was undeniable: Demand for an initial 10 shows crashed Ticketmaster's servers.

Two months later, Jackson and AEG got insurance from Lloyd's of London, according to the policy that is contained in court records. For rehearsals in L.A., it only covered accidents. The policy would expand to include illness and death coverage when Jackson got to London and was evaluated by Lloyd's doctors there.

AEG officials first met Dr. Conrad Murray during May rehearsals. In the trial last year that ended with Murray's manslaughter conviction, witnesses testified that Jackson insisted that AEG hire the doctor as his personal physician for the London shows at $150,000 a month.

Murray, who was deep in debt and in danger of losing his home, was giving Jackson nightly doses of propofol, a powerful surgical anesthetic, for his chronic insomnia, according to the doctor's statement to police.

In an interview, AEG's lawyers noted that none of the emails referred to propofol and said no one at the company knew about Murray's use of it. Jackson died before signing Murray's contract, and the doctor was never paid by AEG.

Those rehearsing with Jackson began sounding alarms in mid-June, according to the emails, a month before his scheduled debut in London. They complained he missed rehearsals, was slow picking up routines and would have to lip-sync some of his signature numbers.

"MJ is not in shape enough yet to sing this stuff live and dance at the same time," the show's musical director informed supervisors in an email. Jackson missed another week of rehearsals, and when he finally showed up June 19, he was too weak to perform.

Emails reviewed by The Times show far greater alarm about Jackson's mental state than has emerged previously.

"He was a basket case," a production manager wrote. "Doubt is pervasive."

"We have a real problem here," Phillips wrote to Leiweke.

The show's director, Kenny Ortega, told Phillips their star was not ready for the comeback and called for a psychiatric intervention: "There are strong signs of paranoia, anxiety and obsessive-like behavior. I think the very best thing we can do is get a top Psychiatrist in to evaluate him ASAP.

"It is like there are two people there. One (deep inside) trying to hold on to what he was and still can be and not wanting us to quit him, the other in this weakened and troubled state," wrote Ortega, who had known Jackson for 20 years. "I believe we need professional guidance in this matter."

Phillips resisted the request for immediate psychiatric intervention. "It is critical that neither you, me or anyone around this show become amateur psychiatrists or physicians," Phillips wrote.

He added that Murray, "who I am gaining immense respect for as I get to deal with him more," was confident the singer was ready.

"This doctor is extremely successful (we check everyone out) and does not need this gig so he [is] totally unbiased and ethical," Phillips wrote.

At a meeting that day, Jackson vowed to improve, and Murray said he would help. By all accounts, the next two days of rehearsals — the last of Jackson's life — were superb.

In the recent interview, AEG's lawyer said the company responded responsibly to concerns raised by Ortega and others by monitoring rehearsals and consulting Jackson and his physician.

"Michael and the doctor stressed that he was OK. They had it under control," Putnam said.

Numerous emails show that at the same time, Lloyd's of London was pressing AEG to schedule a complete medical examination for Jackson. The insurance company had to be convinced the singer was healthy before they would expand the policy to include illness and death, crucial coverage given reports from rehearsals.

That four-hour exam by Lloyd's in London would include three doctors, heart monitoring and blood work. AEG's insurance broker tried to persuade Lloyd's to drop the physical, according to the email discussions by AEG officials. AEG suggested Murray could provide an oral recitation of Jackson's recent medical history instead. Lloyd's refused.

Since agreeing to the policy in May, Lloyd's had sought additional information from AEG — medical records, details about Jackson's daily fitness program and responses to media reports about his health.

"Always with no response," a Lloyd's underwriter wrote.

Lloyd's also insisted on five years of medical records. The insurance company wrote that it wanted a thorough account for all doctor's appointments, hospital visits and cosmetic procedures since 2003.

Within AEG, it was determined that Murray was the best hope to get the records, and in the final week of Jackson's life, officials sent at least 10 emails reminding him to gather them.

Murray responded to the last of the requests June 25 in Jackson's darkened bedroom suite, according to emails presented at the doctor's criminal trial. He wrote that he had talked to Jackson and "Authorization was denied,"

Less than an hour later, Jackson stopped breathing, according to a timeline Murray gave police.

A week later, AEG filed a claim for the entire $17.5-million insurance policy and said publicly that it was out more than $35 million.

But within a very short period, it became clear that Jackson's demise, however terrible for those who loved him, was a commercial boon for his heirs and for AEG.

The celebratory documentary "This Is It," which AEG co-produced alone grossed more than $260 million worldwide.

"Michael's death is a terrible tragedy, but life must go on. AEG will make a fortune from merch sales, ticket retention, the touring exhibition and the film/dvd," Phillips wrote to a concert business colleague in August, adding, "I still wish he was here!"

Azz said:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-aeg-jackson-20120902,0,6711027.story?page=3&sc=3813044299045528785

Smh @ Sony

This article now makes it perfectly clear that this man WAS NOT EVEN CLOSE to being ready to perform practically 50 non-stop concert dates. So what Randy Philips, Kenny Ortega and all those AEG people were stating after MJ's death that 'he was 100%' was basically a lie then?

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I have a questions for the MJ experts here. Were the Jacksons "remastered" versions of Triumph and Destiny actually remastered? They dont sound any different to me in terms of sound quality compared with tracks from the Ultimate Collection and the Jacksons greatest hits package. In fact, I think the Jacksons songs from the various KOP compilations sound better than these 2 releases. Anybody know the deal?

The remasters of Triumph and Destiny sound excellent to these ears. Way better than the initial discs from the mid-80s, which had inferior sound. Producer Leo Sacks did a great job with restoring these masterpieces to their absolute glory. Maybe you need to check your equipment.

[Edited 9/2/12 20:10pm]

PurpleMedley122 said:

Azz said:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-aeg-jackson-20120902,0,6711027.story?page=3&sc=3813044299045528785

Smh @ Sony

This article now makes it perfectly clear that this man WAS NOT EVEN CLOSE to being ready to perform practically 50 non-stop concert dates. So what Randy Philips, Kenny Ortega and all those AEG people were stating after MJ's death that 'he was 100%' was basically a lie then?

Well, Kenny Ortega was requesting Michael be examined. So I guess he may have been concerned for Michael, if even in the slightest bit...

But those Sony execs - who are 'evil' (in the words of Michael), and are running Michael's estate currently - acted disgustingly. Their thirst for money and exploitation blinded any kind of better judgement. Instead of accepting that Michael would never be ready, they continued their quest, binding Michael with the contract, and warning that Michael would be ruined if he did not complete his impossible task.

Randy Phillips really is a terrible person.

"I screamed at him so loud the walls are shaking," Phillips told him. "He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self loathing and doubt now that it is show time."

This clearly shows Michael was incapable from the start.

Even before meeting with Jackson, executives at the highest levels of AEG, including billionaire founder Phil Anschutz, were seeking insurance to protect the company's bottom line if the shows didn't come off, according to the emails.

Anschutz invited Jackson to a meeting at a Las Vegas villa in September 2008. Paul Gongaware, an AEG Live executive who knew Jackson, emailed colleagues a strategy memo. Wear casual clothes, he told them, "as MJ is distrustful of people in suits" and expect to talk "fluff" with "Mikey."

The company was proposing a world tour that would net the cash-strapped star $132 million, according to the memo. "This is not a number that MJ will want to hear. He thinks he is so much bigger than that," Gongaware warned. Talk in terms of gross receipts, he suggested.

They were trying to entice Michael from the start.

Pressed by another promoter about Jackson's ability to deliver, Phillips shot back in an email, "He has to or financial disaster awaits."

The contract required a medical examination as part of AEG's effort to get cancellation insurance, and nine days after Jackson signed, a New York doctor went to the star's Holmby Hills mansion. Dr. David Slavit concluded that Jackson was in "excellent condition," an assessment that AEG would tout in the coming months as proof that their star was healthy.

It's unclear how thorough the exam was. Slavit, an ear, nose and throat doctor who listed his specialty as "care of the professional voice," wrote extensively about Jackson's vocal cords in his report, which AEG said was given to its insurance broker. But he was silent on Jackson's well-documented substance abuse problems.

It's clear they were trying to decieve insurance companies, and were well aware that there was a fair chance of failure.

"We are holding all the risk," Gongaware wrote to Phillips. "We let Mikey know just what this will cost him in terms of him making money.... We cannot be forced into stopping this, which MJ will try to do because he is lazy and constantly changes his mind to fit his immediate wants."

"He is locked. He has no choice … he signed a contract," Gongaware wrote

I'm not naive to the greed of corporate leaders and their ruthlessness, but this is shameful. I now understand the filing of the wrongful death law suit

"He is scared to death," Phillips wrote to Leiweke.

Phillips resisted the request for immediate psychiatric intervention. "It is critical that neither you, me or anyone around this show become amateur psychiatrists or physicians," Phillips wrote.

He added that Murray, "who I am gaining immense respect for as I get to deal with him more," was confident the singer was ready.

"This doctor is extremely successful (we check everyone out) and does not need this gig so he [is] totally unbiased and ethical," Phillips wrote.

Utterly shameful. And these same execs, are now running MJ's estate; and being praised for 'such a great job'

There seem to be alot of blame to go around in this really tragic affair.

Azz said:

Utterly shameful. And these same execs, are now running MJ's estate; and being praised for 'such a great job'

What I find also odd is that during his last few weeks, employees that Michael FIRED decades ago were suddently coming back into his life, such as Frank Dileo and John Branca, who is now head of his estate.

Ellie said:

I went to the Bad 25 screening today and all I have to say is that it is IMMENSE. A real fucking treat. I almost want someone to pinch me to make sure I wasn't dreaming of seeing some of that footage. The TV version will be edited down but Spike Lee said the DVD (no release date yet) will have an hour of extra footage. The Bad Wembley show is also due to be shown on UK TV at least by Christmas.

[Edited 9/2/12 13:24pm]

dag said:

Vanilli said:

Did P really say the following regarding Michael's bad album? "You know why they called the album Bad, right? Because they couldn't fit TERRIBLE on the cover."

I have also read it once, but I don¨t know if it's true. Might easily be another tabloid rumour.

It was 'pathetic' instead of 'terrible' if i remember right. It was a throwaway line Sky magazine in the late 80's. I remember reading it, and just thinking it sounded like bollocks anyway.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Timmy84 said:

As far as I know, he never said it. In fact, Quincy Jones said that when Prince heard (I think he said the song but he might've meant the album, who knows?) it he said "this is real good". He always looked up to Mike.

No! P said he felt the song didn't need him on it. Besides saying he wasn't going to sing the first part of the lyrics.

Yeah he said (according to Quincy) they didn't need him on the song because he thought it was gonna be a hit regardless. Come on that's a compliment from P!

[Edited 9/3/12 2:57am]

PurpleMedley122 said:

Azz said:

Utterly shameful. And these same execs, are now running MJ's estate; and being praised for 'such a great job'

What I find also odd is that during his last few weeks, employees that Michael FIRED decades ago were suddently coming back into his life, such as Frank Dileo and John Branca, who is now head of his estate.

Exactly. It's highly probable that he wasn't making these decisions, and wasn't of sound mind to make such important decisions anyway.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

all around.

http://www.latimes.com/ne...full.story

Doubts surfaced early on Michael Jackson

Emails in Jackson insurance litigation show AEG execs knew of concerns about the pop star's stability.

This was a bonified mess. Mj is gone and everyone else made a lot of money. What a shame. ;(

I really feel bad 4 Mj but u cannot tie yourself 2 these type of folks. Anyone who knew Mj at the tme knew he could not and would not pull of these shows. Just pull up the org comments alone when these concerts were announced. Very very sad outcome.

Emancipation89 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

No! P said he felt the song didn't need him on it. Besides saying he wasn't going to sing the first part of the lyrics.

Yeah he said (according to Quincy) they didn't need him on the song because he thought it was gonna be a hit regardless. Come on that's a compliment from P!

[Edited 9/3/12 2:57am]

I know...

musicology54 said:

Dont let kcool hear you say that. Ellie said:

By the way there's about 5 minutes of Bad 25 just talking about the "rivalry" with Prince at the time. No surprise that Nelson George was a contributer and egged on the comparisons but mainly the point was that both were at the top of their game in 1987.

At the end Spike Lee was asked why they spent so much time talking about Prince without him being interviewed. He said that he called Prince but he said no Unsurprising. Miserable bugger.

Ok now was that called for? Prince has never got involved with the rivalry with him & mj. EVER!

If anything MJ was petrified that God was going to give Prince his ideas. He said it out his own mouth. Mj was so scared when he saw Purple Rain he knew Prince had come with (Which he did) the ultimate move that ultimately won him an Oscar something sadly mj(R.I.P) was never to accomplish in his lifetime. Prince never threw mj under the bus even during his two child molestation trials. He chose to stay & remain mum.Even after his death & added two mj songs to his successful touring setlist. So don't u EVER! CALL HIM MISERABLE PRINCE IS AT PEACE.Plus its already been established that they we're friends boo boo...

[img:$uid]http://pic80.picturetrail.com:80/VOL2084/9118410/23615037/395225501.jpg[/img:$uid]

(MJ reading about Prince's mega hit Oscar winning movie "Purple rain")

Oh he IS miserable. I'm a hardcore Prince fan too, but even MJ occasionally got interviewed about and was happy to present awards to his idols. I don't think I've ever seen Prince do anything that wasn't ultimately about him.