Rhymes with Snitch - Dr. Tohme Tohme

Well folks, the mysterious Dr. Tohme Tohme has resurfaced and surprise, surprise....he wants money. Tohme is asking the court to unseal the redacted status report that the estate executors filed a few days ago. Tohme claims that he and other creditors should be able to see the business dealings of the estate. "The motion seeks access to revenue, expense and profit information that is not publicly available." Tohme claims that he negotiated the This Is It deal between Michael Jackson and AEG, and he is asking for 15% of the profit from the DVD, CD and This Is It film. He is also seeking $2.3 million in a previous suit, in which the state of the lawsuit is listed as "No Action Taken" from the status report that the estate executors just filed a few days ago.

Some of the media articles I found had literally mixed the two of Tohme's claims into one. The first lawsuit is Tohme's that claimed he negotiated the Neverland deal with Colony Capital. Colony Capital bought MJ's Neverland mortgage for roughly $23 million. Tohme claims that Michael promised Tohme a fee for finding a company to save Neverland from foreclosure. Since Tohme is asking for $2.3 million, we can only assume that Tohme believes he is entitled to 10% of the Neverland deal between Michael and Colony Capital. The other lawsuit claims that Michael promised Tohme a 15% fee for negotiating the This Is It deal between AEG and MJ. To get some estimate of what kind of money Tohme is looking for, we can use just the gross theater profits for the This Is It film, without including the DVD or album sales. Gross profits for This Is It were $260 million. 15% of just the film alone equals $39 million. Is this some sort of joke? A bad dream? Sadly, no it's not. Tohme is going after the estate's money, and he's going after it with gusto.

Now I have a question for everyone. Isn't this the same "Dr." (and I use that term loosely) Tohme who claimed he never took a dime from Michael? Didn't he say he worked with Michael to get his finances in order but did not receive a salary from MJ? And isn't this the very same Dr. Tohme who allegedly received a $100K salary per month from AEG? Let's take a stroll down memory lane to see what Tohme has said, and what he did prior to meeting Michael Jackson.

August 29, 2009 - Roger Friedman reports that "TMZ got punk'd" with a fake Frank Dileo letter. Friedman hints that Alloco is in cahoots with Tohme, Leonard Rowe and Joe Jackson "may have fabricated the letter to make Dileo look bad."

August 24, 2009 - Michael Jackson's spiritual advisor June Gatlin goes public with audio tapes of Michael from September, 2008, stating that he is afraid of Tohme, and that Tohme has isolated him, that Michael has no access to his money.

July 25, 2009 - Reports circulated that Dr. Tohme returned $5.5 million that belonged to Michael Jackson, but was a "secret" between them prior to his death. Tohme states that the money was put aside for Michael to buy a dream home in Las Vegas.

July 6, 2009 - "I was the closest person to Michael Jackson" Tohme said. Tohme does claim in this article and others that he was the person who negotiated the This Is It deal between Michael and AEG. Tohme claims he works in the world of finance and denies he is affiliated with NOI. Tohme also claims he negotiated the Thriller Broadway deal and an MJ clothing line. Thome also claims he was nearing a new renegotiation of MJ's share of the Sony/ATV catalog. Tohme claims he built a fence around MJ and twice fired Grace Rwaramba on Michael's order. Most importantly, Tohme claims that he "dropped everything else he was doing and took no salary while working with Jackson and that he helped to begin turning Jackson's finances around after years of poor management."

Circa July, 2009 - Roger Friedman reports Tohme returns a warehouse full of Michael Jackson's belongings. (A warehouse full of MJ's belongings? Where did that come from and what was in that warehouse??)

July 13, 2009 - LaToya Jackson tells the Daily Mail that Dr. Tohme fired all the staff at the Holmby residence as well as a Las Vegas residence at 11 p.m. on the day Michael died.


Now before I get nailed for using Roger Friedman so much as a source, readers need to watch the above video made by LunaJo67. There are many, many parts to her videos which I think are simply an amazing tribute to Michael Jackson. In part 53 above, Roger Friedman goes into detail, during the course of the molestation trial in 2005, about how the media is only reporting the prosecution's side of the trial, and not the defense's side. Friedman states in 2005 what we knew then or learned later, that the media crucified Michael Jackson on bogus charges from Tom Sneddon. Anyone who believes Friedman was biased against Michael Jackson should watch this video. Back to Tohme.

May 5, 2009 - Michael reportedly sends a letter to all of his business associates stating that "Dr. Tohme is no longer authorized to represent me" effectively firing Tohme.

March 15, 2009 - Roger Friedman personally interviews Dr. Tohme. Friedman states that Tohme is 59 years old. Friedman also states that Tohme is in a position of conflict of interest; that Tohme is a consultant to Colony Capital LLC, and has taken over Jackson's life at the same time. Tohme told Friedman that he set up the AEG Live deal in 2007, although Friedman maintains that Tohme was not around Jackson at that point. Tohme also gives a "murky" description of how he met Michael, whether it was through Michael personally or through the Jackson family. (Most believe it was Jermaine who introduced Tohme to Michael, and there are rumors that Tohme and Jermaine's wife Halima are cousins.) Tohme tells Friedman that he did not set up the Julien's auction; but Darren Julien has positive comments about Tohme at this point and says Tohme set up the auction. Friedman notes that those who surrounded Michael at this point did not like Tohme, and questioned his motives and whether he was just another hanger-on with a "personal agenda".
March 4, 2009 - Michael Jackson files court documents against Julien's Auction House, stating that he never gave permission for Julien's to auction off "priceless and irreplaceable" belongings that were left at the Neverland Ranch. Julien's fires back on March 25, 2009, stating that Tohme enthusiastically negotiated with Julien's, only to threatened them on Feb. 9, 2009, stating that the "auctioneers would be in danger from Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam if Julien's did not call off the auction.

January 26, 2009 - AEG issues the contract between themselves and Michael Jackson in letter form to Dr. Tohme. Clause 6.8 states there is a separate agreement between AEG and TT International, Dr. Tohme's company. AEG agrees to pay TT International, which is not to exceed $100,000 per month, but that income for Tohme is considered part of Jackson's advances that he will eventually have to recoup. (Didn't Tohme say he was working for no salary?)

Late 1990's - Radar Online reports in July, 2009 that Tohme filed for bankruptcy. (This is the guy that works in the financial world, right? The guy that "turned Michael's finances around", right?) R.O. states that even when the court demanded that Tohme disclose certain personal information, Tohme fought the court and lost.

July 1, 1994 - Newsday reports that while looking for the murder weapon of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, police search the neighborhood, including the garbage cans of one Dr. Tohme Tohme of Brentwood. Of all that was confiscated in the area, the police left with two brown bags, and Tohme's two garbage cans. Weird coincidence how Tohme happened to be fairly close to an infamous murder; a prelude to come.

Now I know that I have not included everything that has been reported about Dr. Tohme; including his affiliation with Sid Rogich, TRW, etc. I tried to include the most important highlights, but I'm sure I have missed a few things. The point of this blog is this: Dr. Tohme stated he worked without salary for Jackson, yet now he is suing the estate for millions, expecting to be paid for services rendered. Tohme was also receiving a salary from AEG to his company TT International, which was part of Jackson's advances from AEG. Tohme was supposed to be turning Jackson's finances around, yet he has filed for personal bankruptcy himself. He was fired in May of 2009, yet he fired the staff at both Holmby and the Las Vegas homes the day Michael died, and stated on that same day that he was still in charge of Michael Jackson's business affairs.

Nothing about Dr. Tohme sits well with fans. Tohme was on AEG's payroll and when he threatened Darren Julien with his life, Michael had had enough. The last thing Michael would condone is violence and threats against their lives, especially for material possession. Tohme deserves nothing except the wrath he receives on his judgement day.

MJ Estate Keeps ATV

The MJ Estate executors proved once again that they continue to fight for MJ's legacy and to benefit MJ3 and Katherine Jackson. A copy of the status report can be found here. Here are the highlights of the past few months:


1. The estate executors requested a partial redaction and seal on the accounting of the past few months. This is due to "confidential trade secrets and proprietary information in that it reveals negotiating strategy and business plans and objectives." (p. 5) The reports also states that confidentiality is due because the business deal requires it. There are several pages on the status report that state why some of the information should be held confidential. Before anyone assumes that there is something that the executors are hiding, they should read those pages in order to clearly understand why confidentiality is necessary.


2. The status report is required by Judge Beckloff. (This statement on the blog is only to offset those who still maintain that Branca and McClain have free reign over the estate's assets with no accounting of what they are spending to anyone.) A no-brainer for anyone who has researched the estate and the executors' position. The executors are required to file a status report on the MJ estate every nine months. (p. 16)

3. MJ's assets include: 50% share in ATV catalog, 100% of MIJAC, the rights to the writer's share of MJ's songs, ownership of MJ's master recordings (in which Sony has distribution rights and joint venture agreement), rights to MJ's name and likeness and an interest in Neverland and its likeness.
4. Status report states that shortly before his death, MJ employed not only John Branca, but entertainment attorney Joel Katz. Also mentioned is that MJ was "in between" managers, transitioning between Tohme and Dileo. (p. 20)

5. The estate restructured MIJAC's loan so that the interest was significantly reduced. (This article from CNBC maintains that the loan's interest rate at the time of MJ's death was 16%, but the estate has now lowered it to a mere 4%. This same article states that the loan is at approximately $45 million. This means that at 16% interest, the estate would still have $7.2 million in interest. However at 4% interest, the interest would be only $1.8 million, saving the estate $5.4 million in interest. The executors also restructured so the interest payments will be allowed to fall under the category of tax deduction, rather than only a portion of it, saving the estate an additional $3 million over a five year span. (p. 22)

6. The estate WILL KEEP MJ'S 50% INTEREST IN THE ATV. The estate executors have refinanced the ATV loan with UBS, with backing from Sony. The amended agreement "greatly benefits the estate" and has a new, lower interest rate. (p. 23)

7. The major business transactions that have taken place:

~Republication of Moonwalker

~Release of This Is It (gross box office was $260 million)

~2 disc compilation album of previously released music under new Sony agreement

~Merchandising agreement with Bravado

~Agreement with Opus for book

~Estate executors amended original agreement between MJ and AEG to greatly benefit the estate.

~Extended agreement MJ had with BMI regarding composer's royalty rates.

~Conducted a royalty audit of Sony. Audit is not concluded.

~Worked with Kenny Ortega regarding This Is It.

~Worked with Triumph LLC to produce Michael Jackson videogame.

~Amended MJ's agreement with Sony that originally took place in 2001 and 1991.

~Entered into agreement with Cirque de Soleil.

~Entered into agreement through Triumph LLC with Ubisoft for MJ videogame.

8. Executors list the attorney firms that need to be paid. I will not list them here because I need to research these further before commenting. These firms are listed on pages 28-34.

9. Executors request to pay other attorney firms without specific grant from Beckloff to reduce the number of times they have to go to court.
10. Estate executors paid off the Hayvenhurst home in full. They also paid for repairs to the home. The estate loaned Katherine Jackson an unspecified amount of money (redacted).

11. Estate taxes are due on September 27, 2010. Storage units outside of California had to be inventoried for value, taking up a great deal of time.

12. MJ had not filed federal tax returns for 2006, 2007 or 2008. All federal and state income taxes have been paid or will be by October 15, 2009.

13. Lastly, the report lists what creditor claims have been allowed and paid and what have been denied. Of interest is Tom Mesereau's payment of $341,000 that was sorely overdue, and Leonard Rowe's payment of $51,000 which surprises me that the estate paid.

Overall, it is my belief that Branca has worked his butt off for the benefit of the estate and MJ3.

Making Some Sense Out of Confusion: KJ/AEG Lawsuit

I look at images such as these and think...fame certainly has its pricetag. And then I start to feel badly for Katherine Jackson, who did not ask for the fame. All the criticism that Katherine has endured, and yet she still is the center of her family, the core of the Jacksons. I say that unless anyone has walked in her shoes, they have no right to criticize Katherine Jackson. Michael loved her more than any other human being besides his children, and I sincerely hope that Katherine sees justice for her son before she meets Michael once again. Some questions that needed to be answered can be found on this blog, great work on the part of the blogger.

One of the comments here today mirrored my sentiments exactly regarding the new information put forth by Katherine Jackson's lawsuit against AEG. There are so many different versions of the events that happened and by the people close to Michael prior to his death that it is mind boggling. So today, this blog is going to post the top three most confusing aspects of Michael Jackson's death as it pertains to AEG.

#3 Most Confusing Aspect:

Do Katherine's lawsuit allegations match the results of Michael Jackson's autopsy report?

The lawsuit alleges that AEG ordered Michael Jackson to stop seeing Dr. Arnold Klein on June 18, 2009 and stop taking the drugs Klein was giving him. AEG said the drugs from Klein were making MJ sleepy and prevented him from rehearsing. (pp. 6-7) On June 18, Murray gave MJ a cocktail of drugs including Versed, Ativan, Valium and Propofol. This had been occurring for the past five weeks. On June 19, lawsuit alleges that MJ showed up at rehearsal "upset, not coherent, drugged and disoriented." MJ continued the same routine cocktail of drugs over the weekend. On June 23, Jackson was freezing cold at rehearsal, required a heater and was shivering and disoriented. On June 25, Murray gave Jackson the same cocktail of drugs, and Michael died that day. (p. 9)

A copy of the autopsy report can be found here. On page 1 of the autopsy report, it states that MJ was, at the time of death, taking Lorazepam, Flomax, Diazepam, Trazodone and Clonazepam. Lorazepam is Ativan, Diazepam is Valium, Trazodone is an antidepressant, Clonazepam is used for seizures and panic disorder, and Flomax is used to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate. (p. 1) Cause of death is listed as acute propofol intoxication and benzodiazepine effect is listed as "contributing but not immediate cause" of death. (p. 5) Toxicology report is taken from page 5, because truthfully I cannot comment on the other tox report, which gives exact percentages of medications in the body.

Tox screen: Blood: Propofol, lorazepam, midazolam, lidocaine, diazepam and nordiazepam. Urine: Propofol, midazolam, lidocaine and ephedrine. Liver: Propofol, lidocaine. Stomach: Same as above. At the time of death, Jackson had propofol, ativan, valium, an anti-anziety drug (nordiazepam), Versed, lidocaine and ephedrine. There was no ephedrine (a stimulant) in the stomach contents and it is likely that it was given to restart Michael's heart. In my (albeit limited) opinion, the autopsy report does reflect what Katherine Jackson alleges took place in the last few weeks of Michael's life, regarding what kind of medications he was taking. If anyone who has medical expertise, please feel free to chime in.

This directly contradicts Randy Phillips' statements that Michael Jackson was healthy and motivated to do the tour. Phillips definitely had something to gain by lying about the health and condition of Michael Jackson, as he and Anschutz must have known this wrongful death lawsuit was inevitable.

#2 Most Confusing Aspect:

Who exactly was Conrad Murray working for?

Katherine's lawsuit alleges that "at the time of his death, Michael Jackson was immediate care of a doctor selected by, hired by, and controlled by AEG; indeed AEG demanded and required that Michael Jackson be treated by this particular doctor to ensure that Michael Jackson would attend all rehearsals and shows on the tour. AEG had an employment contract with this doctor that, among other things, paid him $150K a month...." (p. 2) The lawsuit mentions an "AEG-MURRAY" contract, stating that he signed the revised written copy of the contract on June 24, one day before Michael's death, and faxed it back to AEG. (p. 9)

Again, this is a direction conflict with what Randy Phillips' has been stating since the time of Jackson's death. Phillips has maintained since Jackson's death that Michael "insisted" on hiring Conrad Murray, and that AEG would have preferred to hire a doctor in London. Today, AEG has refuted the claims in the lawsuit, calling them "without merit."

Since the allegations are so detailed regarding date (i.e. Murray email of contract and faxing it back to AEG) I would assume that Katherine and Panish have pored over said contract. One possibility is that AEG was supposed to pay Murray, but this was considered an expense that Michael would have to pay back with revenue from the tour. However, even if that were to be true, I would assume that AEG would technically have a contract with Conrad Murray, even if it were under the umbrella of Michael's expenses. Clearly, Murray could not have worked for Jackson on the tour without being simultaneously employed by AEG.
And the number one most confusing aspect:

There are really two most confusing aspects. The first is, was AEG aware of Murray's actions; that Murray was "weaning" MJ off of propofol? If AEG had knowledge of propofol, it would indicate that AEG did not care about Jackson in any way. (I already believe this about AEG, but the knowledge of propofol administration would be closer to negligent homicide, at least on the part of Randy Phillips in addition to Conrad Murray.)

What confuses me also is why Conrad Murray keeps insisting he did not give Michael Jackson anything that "should have killed him." Yes, he lied at UCLA. Yes, he hid propofol bottles when he should have been trying to save Michael Jackson. Yes, he performed CPR on a soft surface, the bed, instead of on the floor. Yes, he spent 47 minutes on the phone when he should have been attending to Michael. Yes, he said he only left the room for two minutes to go to the bathroom. Conrad Murray has clearly lied many times, but one has to wonder if all of these "mistakes" were not made intentionally.

And yet, when I watch that YouTube video of Conrad Murray pleading, there is something odd about it. There is an underlying tone that Murray intimates; there is something he is not telling the viewers. In no way should Conrad Murray walk free of the crime of involuntary manslaughter (should have been second degree murder). But there may very well be others who are involved in this, and if they do not pay with their lives in jail, then at the very least, the corporations who employed these people should have to dig deep into their pockets so that MJ3 will feel some sort of justice for their father, and Katherine Jackson will see justice for her son, Michael Jackson.

Katherine Jackson Files Suit Against AEG

Katherine Jackson filed a wrongful death civil suit against AEG today. I was going to blog about Leonard Rowe and his beliefs about the AEG contract, but because this information came out today, I decided to cover this topic, and do the Rowe blog next. A copy of Katherine's lawsuit against AEG can be found here.

Katherine is being represented by an attorney named Brian Panish. In 2004, Panish and another attorney "won the largest personal injury verdict in California" to date, when a jury awarded $58 million to their client who had suffered burns over 75% of his body due to a company parts' malfunction. Panish also represented a family who brought a lawsuit against GM because the gas tank of their Chevy Malibu exploded. This was not the only gas tank to explode because ultimately the jury ordered GM to pay $4.9 billion to their victims. I did not do extensive research on Panish, but apparently she has retained an accomplished and experienced attorney in order to sue AEG for the wrongful death of Michael Jackson. We will cover what Katherine alleges in the lawsuit first and the numerical order of this blog may not follow the exact numerical order of the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles today. Katherine alleges:

1. Michael was under contract with AEG for the This Is It tour and that under that contract "AEG had legal duties to Michael Jackson to treat him safely and not put him in harm's way....But AEG, despite its' knowledge of Michael Jackson's physical condition, breached those duties by putting desire for massive profits from the Tour over the health and safety of Michael Jackson." Katherine alleges AEG's actions/inactions led to MJ's death on 6/25/09.

2. Katherine Jackson alleges that AEG hired Dr. Conrad Murray. The lawsuit states that not only did AEG hire Dr. Conrad Murray, but that AEG was attempting to control MJ through Murray. It alleges that "AEG demanded and required that Michael Jackson would attend all rehearsals and shows on the tour" and this was ensured through Conrad Murray.

3. Lawsuit names defendants as: AEG LIVE LLC, Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc., Brandon (aka Randy) Phillips, Kenny Ortega, Paul Gongaware (co-CEO AEG), Tim Leiweke (president and CEO AEG).

4. Lawsuit states that Michael entered into a contract with AEG on January 26, 2009. The agreement was an "artist loan out" agreement. AEG had the rights to merchandising and other revenues. "AEG advances Michael Jackson substantial sums of money, which it was to recoup through revenues of the Tour. If however, Jackson failed to perform, or failed to generate the revenue to cover the advances, then AEG would have the right to collect the advance against security provided by Michael Jackson and his company Michael Jackson, LLC." Assets AEG could seize included MJ's half of the Sony/ATV. "Indeed, AEG was even entitled by the contract to recoup from Jackson the production costs from the Tour if the Tour itself were not to be successful."

5. Lawsuit alleges AEG essentially controlled MJ's life; he was financially dependent on AEG, the home he lived in was provided by AEG, "and his assets stood security if he failed to perform."

6. Lawsuit alleges the AEG contract required MJ to help buy life insurance in which AEG would benefit in the event of Jackson's demise. MJ was required to buy cancellation insurance at his own expense and name AEG as the beneficiary.

7. Lawsuit alleges that rehearsals began in April, 2009. By May, 2009, AEG complains to MJ that he is missing rehearsals, instructs him to no longer see or take prescriptions from current doctor (Dr. Klein) and to start seeing doctor AEG would provide.

8. Lawsuit alleges AEG hired Murray, entered into a contract to pay him $150,000 per month from May, 2009 through June, 2010. AEG agrees to pay for all of Murray's medical equipment including CPR equipment and a nurse.

Lawsuit alleges Murray's timeline:

May 8: Murray enters into contract with AEG.

May 12: Murray orders first propofol through pharmacy in Las Vegas.

May 15: Murray advises AEG in writing that he has started his services with Jackson.

May 22: Murray send an email to AEG which contains his bank account information.

In this period, Murray gives Jackson doses of Versed, Ativan, Valium and Propofol.

June 18: Jackson misses rehearsal. Phillips arrives at Jackson's house on Carolwood Drive, and Murray was there. AEG reads Jackson the "riot act" stating that there will be no more missed rehearsals or AEG will "pull the plug" on the Tour. AEG requires Murray to accompany Jackson to rehearsals and says that it is "tough love".

On the same day, (June 18) Michael Jackson arrives at rehearsal "visibly upset." Murray attends rehearsals. That night MJ is given the same cocktail of prescriptions drugs along with the propofol as the night of June 25.

June 19: Jackson arrives at rehearsals "upset, not coherent, and seemed drugged and disoriented."

June 23: At rehearsal, Jackson is "freezing cold". Jackson required a heater.

June 24: Jackson's disorientation and shivering continue at rehearsals.

June 25: Jackson dies under Murray's care.

Essentially, Katherine's lawsuit is based on her belief that AEG breached their contract by not providing CPR equipment and a nurse. In addition, Katherine believes that AEG did not care if Michael Jackson was in ill health, but rather about the possibilities of unheard of revenue that occurs when Michael Jackson goes on tour.

I will have to dig a little deeper to see if there is additional information on this subject. If what Katherine Jackson alleges is true, it is one of the worst travesties in entertainment history. To quote another blog, MJ was held in "financial bondage" by AEG. I don't personally hold the belief that Sony held Jackson in financial bondage at the time of his death, but AEG did.

Here are some things to consider while I pull up the next blog covering more of this topic:

~According to Leonard Rowe, Tohme was under contract with AEG for a huge monthly paycheck. Where is Tohme Tohme and why has he gone under the radar??

~Tohme Tohme and Randy Phillips are both connected to Colony Capital? Will this recent fallout include Tom Barrack and Colony Capital?

~Lastly, something my research partner pointed out. They told me to look at the end of the timeline above and see what stood out to me. I had no idea. Then it hit me. On June 18, Michael had the "riot act" read to him by AEG staff according to the lawsuit. However, something else very important happened in this same 24-hour time period. John Branca was hired by Michael Jackson on June 17, 2010, and was at rehearsals that day.

I would bet money that Branca was brought in because Jackson was unhappy, perhaps to the point where he wanted out. Perhaps because Michael felt threatened. Perhaps Michael was just too ill. Perhaps MJ was just sick and tired of the controlled chokehold AEG had on him and asked John Branca to help him. One thing is for sure, the timing of hiring John Branca was no accident on Michael's part. He needed help, and it breaks my heart that he did not get it. Michael Jackson deserved better than this, MJ fans. And so we continue, and will never stop fighting, for justice for MJ.

What Has Happened to the MJ Community?

Take a good look at this picture, MJ fans. Every time I am sad because Michael is gone, I reach for this image. Michael looks so happy here, surrounded by children and doing one of the things he loved most. When Michael first died, I remember the MJJ community being one of unity. We grieved collectively as one. Shock, anguish, heartbreaking pain...and then the anger that followed. Over a year later, our community has changed. We are divided, we are fighting, we do not trust and we are angry. What has happened to us?

As I watch the latest MJJ community battle ensuing, I asked myself these questions. Should the MJ fans focus on speculation and negativity? Should we:

• Spend time questioning whether a fan's picture with Michael Jackson is photoshopped, even though Michael's makeup artist states that the picture is geniune?


• Spend time questioning a journalist's motives? A journalist that wrote an amazing piece regarding media bias and MJ's 2005 trial, but is accused of making derogatory remarks about Jackson years earlier?


• Spend time fighting each other because we disagree on who are the bad and good people who used to surround MJ?

There are plenty of other examples, but the answer is clearly no. No offense to anyone, but I personally don't care if a fan's picture is photoshopped. I also see no reason why Michael's makeup artist would lie. I certainly don't care if a journalist wrote something that others perceive as negative about Michael years prior to the release of one of the most informative journalistic pieces to be published either before or after Jackson's death. And I will concede that sometimes it annoys me that others do not agree with my perspective over who is good and who is bad regarding those who surrounded MJ prior to death, but should I spend my time fighting with them, or should I focus on Michael Jackson and who is responsible for his death? We all know what the answer is and what Michael would do.

How many of the fans believe Michael is watching us now? I do. Would Michael want us to nitpick at each other? No. Michael would want us to unite, he would want us to understand each other and he would want us to fight for justice for his legacy and his children.

So remember, even if we disagree on many things, MJ fans that are still here fighting for Michael, love him. (With the possible exception of few who have an agenda.) We have to stop fighting each other, unite, and fight for justice for Michael Jackson. Do not waste any more time and focus on that, like Michael would want us to. Think peace, MJJ community.

If MJ Wanted Nothing to Do With Sony, Why Did He....

Michael Jackson's contract with Sony officially ended in 2002. Jackson stated that he had to fulfill his final contract obligation to Sony, a boxed set, and he and Sony were parting ways. Of course, Jackson did leave Sony. Many fans believe that Michael Jackson would never have wanted the estate executors to work with Sony, and the estate deal with Sony is the ultimate betrayal to Michael Jackson's legacy.

A really great follower of this blog brought something to my attention that I had never thought of before, although the concept is very simple. If Michael Jackson wanted nothing to Sony, then why did he release at least six compilation albums under Sony's label, Epic or a division of Sony? These albums were released AFTER Michael's contract was finished with Sony. In addition, Jackson served as executive producer for five out of the six compilation albums he made with Sony/Epic. Take a look at the list of albums made after Jackson's contract was fulfilled:

Michael Jackson's Number Ones: Release date: 11/17 or 18/2003. Executive producers: Michael Jackson and John McClain. Label: Sony/Epic.
Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection: Released 11/17/04. Executive producer: Michael Jackson. Label: Sony/CBS

The Essential Michael Jackson: Released 7/18 or 19/05. Michael was not the executive producer of this compilation album, but considering the date of release, MJ fans know why. Label: Sony/Epic.


Visionary CD/DVD Box Set: Release date: 11/17/06. Executive producer: Michael Jackson.


Thriller 25: Released 2/08/08. Executive producer: Michael Jackson. Label: Epic.

Michael Jackson King of Pop: Release date: 8/22/08. Executive producer: Michael Jackson. Label: Sony BMG.


Raymone Bain's lawsuit court document clearly state that she encouraged and helped to negotiate Jackson's Thriller 25 deal between Michael and Sony. Although I don't always find Bain to be credible, the fact is that Michael did what he wanted to, so Michael must have wanted to work with Sony on the Thriller 25 project. See screen shots below:







The court documents state: "Upon Mr. Jackson's return to the United States in December of 2006, Ms. Bain conceived of and encouraged to participate in and sanction the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the release of Mr. Jackson's historic Thriller album. Ms. Bain worked closely with Sony Music and Legacy Records in the planning, marketing and promotion of the project..."

Again, I want to thank the blog follower for pointing this out to me. It simply makes no sense that Michael didn't want to work with Sony after his contract ended, yet put out all of these compilation CD's with Sony under no contractual obligation. Michael Jackson's problem was with Tommy Mottola, and rightfully so. After Mottola left (was forced out) Michael Jackson went back to Sony to work, although not under contract. It's as simple as that.