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Jackson's Final Panic
But as fast as the money came in, Jackson spent it. His major asset, his music catalog that included the Beatles songs, was half owned by Sony, and his portion had so many liens and loans against it that it could take a probate court years to unravel its real value. By November, the Jackson confidant says, the pop star was given an ultimatum by his advisers. Either commit to the London concert tour or have creditors seize whatever assets he still prized.
At a meeting in Las Vegas in late 2008, Jackson met with Randy Phillips, Rod Stewart’s former manager and now the chief executive of AEG, who is one of the world’s largest concert promoters. The concerts could raise tens of millions of dollars for Jackson, money he desperately needed. The sticking point was over the number of performances. AEG, owned by secretive American billionaire Philip Anschutz, wanted dozens.
Friends knew that Michael was frail, his weight at 112 lbs. on his 5-foot-11 frame the lowest it had been in years. He had not toured publicly in over a decade. I’m told that even some of his old UAE friends, like the rally-car driver Mohammad Ben Sulayem, had doubts that Jackson was physically fit enough to complete a grueling tour. Jackson apparently knew his own limits. He insisted on no more than 10 performances.
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On March 5, Jackson held a London news conference in which he announced to the press and fans that he would perform 10 concerts there beginning July 8. The concerts were dubbed “This Is It,” and Jackson told the group, “These will be my final shows performing in London. ‘This Is It’ really means this is it.”
Behind the scenes, AEG and Jackson’s financial advisers had evidently worked out a deal that required the pop star to do more shows. When Jackson learned of that after the press conference, it kicked off several days of stormy meetings, with Jackson at times threatening to balk at doing any. Jackson, as usual according to those who knew him, had failed to grasp all the obligations of the financial arrangement he had entered. Five days later, on March 10, a brief press release added 11 dates to the 10 that Jackson had already announced. The next day, the number of shows expanded to 45, and would soon be 50, extending into February 2010. The shows were scheduled so Jackson had at least one night off between each, and AEG released a statement that Jackson was in "tremendous condition after a battery of tests.”
By April, Jackson’s advisers were in talks with two hoteliers in Las Vegas to create a six-month show for the pop star, starting soon after his London dates finished in early 2010, which would fetch him, I was told, up to $100 million. Jackson, according to one close adviser, resented the pressure to start performing to pay past bills and avoid losing his music catalog.
Shortly after that news broke, AEG announced Jackson’s tour dates slipped. The opening night was moved from July 8 to the 13th and performances previously scheduled for July 10, 12 and 14 were moved to March 2010.
It is little wonder that with so much at stake, AEG had already hired a full-time tour doctor for the pop star. It was Jackson, however, who chose Dr. Murray. Jackson had met Murray in 2006 in Las Vegas, when one of Jackson’s children had become ill. A member of Jackson’s security detail knew Murray and called him. The doctor made a house call to Jackson’s hotel, treated the child, and the pop star and physician became fast friends.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Amateur Hour at the White House
Leslie H. Gelb, a former New York Times columnist and senior government official, is author of Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy (HarperCollins 2009), a book that shows how to think about and use power in the 21st century. He is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Going Rogue: The Index
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
Murder or Miscarriage?
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Her Majesty's Secrets Revealed
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Left Off Holder's List
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Good lord!
Jackson was obviously a demon-ridden genius.
Too bad no one ever really had enough of his confidence to really look out for him.
Just look at his father's last two press conferences.
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You hate this site yet you read it and even take the time to comment.
Wow.
The terms he used were actually "rib fractures," not "cracked ribs." If you are going to ding him for his details, then you should be more careful about yours.
I just reread this article twice....where did it say anything about cracked ribs.
Pathetic? Look in thy own mirror.
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two quick points, Raajae: your remarks about touching children are a punchline waiting for the rest of joke, and second, it's not clear that Michael Jackson actually had any children!
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Daily Beast sent me an "Exclusive" Email about this?
Are you serious?
Is there a setting you can pick to be Emailed only in the event of actual news?
Why has this author used details from the "leaked autopsy" when TMZ and the coroner's office have made it clear it's a complete fabrication with inaccuracies? The kind of "journalism" I've seen since he died is appalling! Each relying on another hearsay article! If you want to report what a source has told you, fine, do so, but at least check the validity of your other details!
Thank you Miss Fabulous. I agree with your intelligent comments.
At least they printed your comments!
Hey, I've been saying the same thing!
Your way of saying is good.
I am glad Katherine has the children and I hope she can keep them. They ought to grow up with their cousins. The lawyers will handle the business. Eventually I hope all we will remember of Michael is his music.
And that is what's going to happen. As long as friends and family and those who knew him will keep talking about what he was really like. The only perspective we had as outsiders was from the media. They are the ones who force-fed us those images and stories.
wow, you True Believers are in for a rude shock, that is if you're not totally divorced from reality.
see, this stuff usually trickles up from the bottom. first you hear it from The Sun, TMZ and such. now, it has worked its way upstream to a point where The Daily Beast is comfortable reporting it. tomorrow or the next day it will have reached mainstream news outlets. you'll still be able to deny reality, of course, at every step of the way, but there's no reason to be so rough on the author of this article at this stage of the circus.
Know what?
It's July 19, 2009.
No leaks about this version of the story so far.
I do agree with you, however. Stuff trickles up from the bottom. But this thing with MJ is different. The media played a major role in promoting his oddness, and never once promoted other things he did, like visiting vets at Reed, his contributions to organizations, etc.
Why doesn't the media talk to those people?
As for The Daily Beast....
I have no idea what kind of animal it is.
I completely agree with Mr. Posner. I believe that he very correctly deduced exactly what happened to Michael Jackson and why. The facts all add up and support this article. As to the LA Coroner, the facts have been leaked out by employees there (not surprising given the sensational circumstances) and the official report, when it is "officially" released will only support the "leaks" . . . is it any wonder that the Jackson family want their own independent autopsy? Good job Mr. Posner.
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WOW! What a bomb shell story. When you turn an investigative journalist like Mr. Posner loose on a story like this, it is amazing what shakes from the trees.
"Follow the money" has never been shouted as loudly and clearly here. Excellent reporting!
It never made sense as to why Michael Jackson would want to do 50 concerts. Given his penchant for perfection and demanding singing and dancing routines, certainly the original 10 or so would be doable but beyond that number it doesn't seem plausible.
There appears to be confirmation in Lou Ferrigno's interview on GMA today regarding Michael Jackson's frailty who indicated that Michael was a vegetarian eating one meal a day. It would appear that Lou's comment was an indirect (most likely innocent) tip-off that something was up. Following this diet makes a person of his size very undernourished further made worse being a high-energy singer-dancer that he was. Now throw in the pills and this is a recipe for a disaster.
Let's see what the autopsy reveals.
At least now... Michael will be free from all of the Vultures... Almost like Princess Diana... Had to die to gain freedom from the vultures...
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Can't believe the garbage being printed about Michael Jackson. You guys oughta be ashamed of yourselves! I can't even finish reading the piece. It makes me physically ill!
Just amazing.
No names, no sources, all innuendo.
i.e., TRASH
what is wrong with you? this is just a news report. it either is or is not true. and after all the reports of his child molestation THIS, THIS is what makes you ill? you need a serious life/reality check.
he was a great performer, but he was a sick man - both things can be true. get on board the truth train and embrace the reality that human beings aren't saints just because they're talented.
Re-reading this comments, 17 days later, and I still think my assessment was correct.
This is not journalism. Period.
Oh Gawd!!!! Now he was suicidal, too? Good grief, what is wrong with you people? You make up the biggest fairy tales to get attention...
Can I get an AMEN to your comment! I heard Posner on MSNBC last week say that Michael was the "court jester for the Saudi's when he took time away from the United States.
I have someone very close to me who is a Legend in the music business. I wonder how she will be remembered, in this CRAZY tabloid society!
This reporting is shameful! Posner is SHAMEFUL!
ssps- not suicidal ...... scheming, coniving, trying to back door his way out of his contractual obligations, if the story mr. Posner is telling is true (i have no opinion if its true or not) this is just one theory of the life of MJ which i'm sure won't be the last rumor or innuendo in a conspiracy driven society and this story will last longer and with more enthusiasm than any theory on president Kennedy. Like Terrell Owens says "get yer popcorn ready, and enjoy the show"
whoa - the reporting is getting a little crazy - CNN just had some garbage about paternity that they are reporting based on a US Weekly report - a real low for the network and Anderson Cooper if you ask me. People are interested so they keep conjuring up stuff to fill time and pages - but why never anything positive?
why "never" anything positive? are you kidding? they're been enshrining him in every newspaper, tv and radio story since he passed on. he's a huge celeb and a one with a hugely sordid past. i'm only surprised there aren't more people asking why we've all suddenly forgotten about the little children he traumatized.
remember the victims? I can promise you THEY remember.
I'm with you and StellaRay...people like D. Chopra and The Hulk (who no doubt were on MJ's payroll) are shouting his praises. "The gentle Prince of Peace." How does spending money on oneself -- Period -- earned by way of a God-given talent, and throwing in a "We are the World/Look in the Mirror" here and there, make anyone a Prince of anything???? I'm totally confused.
clp i'm with you 1000% ..... a month ago he was a "skin bleaching, surgery loving, false nose wearing, accused pedophile that you don't want living in your neighborhood" .... today he is a martyr ..... yes he was an amazing entertainer but in my opinion you don't give twenty million dollars to a person accusing you of such vile, disgusting crimes just to make it go away even though you swear. how innocent you are.
giantphan,
I disagree with you.
Would you want to fight the accusation if it was you who was the "potential" criminal, if they were willing to accept money, which they were, just to go away?
What about their motives?
Michael made great music, but was obviously a drug addicted. troubled man. IMO, he bought his own death, and plenty of people tried to talk him out of it. I'm amazed at the people that can see and smell this much smoke and be absolutely certain there's no fire.
There is always so much junk out when someone like this dies; I suppose like me, many would rather wait until there is confirmation. It's hard to believe that he would resort to something as desparate just to get a hospital trip. Because it seems to me if it drug induced that would covered in the contract. With all the talk about his use of drugs, certainly the contract company would have known that and would have been shrewd enough to attach a clause that would separate that from anyother illness. I just can't take this all in. Why in heavens name would a contract company pile on 50 concerts in one city.....Doesn't make sense. They would have to take some precautions with a man Michael's age, even if he had been in A-one shape. There's just something about this that doesn't sound right. I have to hear this from someone else, as a matter of fact, from several someone elses before I can accept this. The one thing that has always been constant is the fact that Michael Jackson was a shrewd businessman. Although he may have had some childlike ways....all seemed to confirm that he was a very shrewd businessman. Just doesn't set right with me. Not yet.
A shrewd business man doesn't go 500 million dollars into debt !
I agree with you. Posner even said today on the Rachel Maddow show, that Michael was only smart when it came to music, not business! What a ridiculous statement!
I am stunned at how we treat people in this society.
His family is devastated! We are in shock! For those who want to jump on the tabloid reporting bandwagon..how would you feel if that were your relative, loved one or friend. How would you feel if horrible speculation was swirling around them like a tornado?
I will wait to see what the results are of the autopsy. I hope they will be definitive.
Let's try to see the good in people and not immediately jump to scandal!
I can believe it is true though, it is believable. Panic is easy enough to do if a person faces that kind of debt, without considering their assets and of course equity, good will, name recognition. etc etc.
I know from personal experience the fear mongering, to produce more, regardless of health, or personal life or what have you is supposed to make the person produce more. I am sure the intent is not to cause a panic attack, or even worse a horrible feeling of being cornered, so suicide feels like the only option.
The difference is, if you have a good understanding of accounting, your own finances, and your long terms goals that you plan for, you can say no to the people who are trying to manufacture consent through fear.
There is a fine line between acting like a trustee and a manager. And the fine line is about power and control. Just like any other form of abuse.
Look at Jimmi Hendrix, very similar, a very fine line between manager and trustee, and fear was possibly used to control him too. How can fear really be used to serve, if serving the person is the actual intent? A good manager eases the mind related to everything. Because he is managing inputs and outputs, to maximize the bottom line which is different than fear mongering or destroying value, where expenses out weigh a person's cost of capital.
So in this case there appeared to be a huge group of people destroying the value related to the brand known as Michael Jackson.
That is just my opinion.
This makes sense to me...
MJ could have wrapped his mind around 10 concerts, but then things went spin drifting into 50 concerts due to sellout demand...
MJ knew what he was capable of, like any gifted creative performer, he could visualize just about anything, every move he makes on stage, but was he doing it for real this time?
or was he going to just show up to pay the bills?
Hack job, MJ is not.
This could have been eating him up. What to do in a crisis? Face it or avoid for another day, It will go away. His way or no way.
Meanwhile AEG was moving forward with all these dance auditions in LA... with full stage sets etc... in this whirling dervish of choreography, music and ever compounding $$$ Sterling in all the AEG brains...
Except where was Michael?
Where was he everyday?
The "THIS IS IT" concert is a total MJ concept.
Showing up now and again, as an icon spotlight, of course MJ would get upset at in fact that he was the King of Pop lynchpin in this whole operation with very little real control over matters, 10 = 50 concerts? anyone?
A wise man knows his limits.
Maybe he knew his, assess the work situation and decide to pull off a sick day or two, because he thought it would buy him time... but then he bought more than that...
He bought the "THIS IS IT" ending... who knows but him at this time?
And now the real concert of details, personalities, events begins...
A sad testament to MJ. Just don't play God, He'll get cha!
Here is a news flash -- Michael Jackson is still dead, but the rest of the world isn't.
How about a little reporting on North Korean nukes, or the instability in Central America, or a scoop on those Japanese guys smuggling a gazillion dollars into Switzerland?
It's just my opinion, and I might be in the minority, but I think that as long as Michael Jackson stays dead he isn't newsworthy. Move forward.
WOW!
I agree. There are far more pressing problems in the world than whether or not MJ was wasted on pills to get high or to get out of his contract.
Yes, it has the sickly, sweet scent of truth about it.
Let me first start by saying to all you MJ haterz, keep on hating no one cares about your mean and discontented spirit or comments. Your the reason this world is full of hate and anger....besides you guys are just making Michael bigger than life...in death! Believe that!
Now this message goes out to the media I would like to know what is more important to you? Getting A STORY OUT, or getting THE STORY OUT?What is more important being THE FIRST TO GET A STORY OUT? Or is it THE FIRST TO GET THE STORY RIGHT? WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO FACTS?.. AND REAL SOURCES?
I can understand why some are so over hearing about Michael Jackson and that is because you are all in a race to be the first to break some sort of news. Well let me just say B.S. is NOT news.
Finding some woman on the street who says Michael talked to her about drugs without any credibility, to give her a national platform and sling dirt on a man who is no longer with us is by far a shocking realization of why celebrities hide away from world, and hide away from their fans.
Its not even us they are afraid of it's you mudslinging sensationalistic perverts.People are talking about how Farrah's death was overshadowed by the eclipse of media on Michael well I can say at least Farrah will rest in peace and no one is dissecting her every move she made in life and how much debt she left in death. At least she doesnt have a whole bunch of leaches comming out of the wood work talking bad on her for their 2 mins of fame.
I have watched every major(supposedly) News networks,slander,and defame this man and his work. These blood sucking vampires trying to suck the life out of Michael Jackson, his death and his Legacy. I can tell you we dont want to hear about all your speculations, phony revelations, or your inquries on who is his kids real father or their mother or how in debt you think Michael is.
If you take a hint and look around the world at how he touched people...those are the stories we want if your gonna continue talking about Michael stop trying to sensationalize every salacious angle you can find.THIS IS WHATS WRONG WITH OUR WORLD TODAY!
You must remember media, whether you liked him or not he was a human being!He was a son, a brother, and a father! This man was a pioneer, a musical genious, a Philanthroper, a great inspiration,this is a loss, a GREAT LOSS......this MAN has died!Have you no honor?No matter how he died,no matter how much money he had, what kind of trials and tribulation he went through in his past he has died!However in his journey with us he touched this world!There have not been many, if not anyone else to do that. So stop trying to tear him down to our level, it can never be done.Besides a mother just lost her son, 3 kids just lost the only father they know. SO SOMEONE PLEASE RISE ABOVE THE GUTTER BEFORE ITS TOO LATE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF RESPECT...SHOW AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT OF DIGNITY!
Why dont you guys take a look at the man in your mirror!
R.I.P. MJ Forever
Bless your soul! I could not take all this CRAZY talk I have been hearing, especially from the mainstream media. Thanks for your thoughts, I know that I am not alone in how I feel.
Let's continue to pray for healing and strength for his children and family!
Regards
You are right. These people are trash and do not see - the gutter is where they live.
I "Tweeted" Deepak Chopra in a similar vein and he is of such low character he could only claim his intent to expose the LA medical community. A verse in a song "She could carelessly cut you and smile while you're bleeding" comes to mind.
Perhaps the "press" thinks this a way to stem it's flagging viewer/readership/credibility. In my view this type of "conjecture/hypothetical/bs as reportage" only serves to accelerate it's demise. Who would anyone buy or waste time reading this trash by purveyors of unsubstantiated nonsense
Apparently you just did by reading this unsubstantiated article. That's why people report on train wreck type scenarios--we cannot help but look. If you want the media to change we'd have to stop being Capitalists because in such a system a person's life only has value if they or another can make value from it, which is why the news never reports on normal people who do decent things for others, they know not enough people will watch it and they know plenty of people will watch the train wrecks. Personally, I'd be quite happy if America had more control over its media like in the UK where there are certain standards that have to be maintained and anybody can lodge a complaint that those standards aren't being maintained. In America you have to have connections in the government before anybody even responds to your complaint let alone actually listen to what you want to say.
dangerousd, i looked at the man in my mirror and i realized i have a hell of a lot more respect for him than mj, that man in the mirror never slept in bed next to a little boy because its natural, or to show i love him. i'm not even going to mention the line "he touched the world" its to easy .... mud slinging sensationalistic perverts??? why because they pointed out things that ACTUALLY happned??? its amazing to me that anything harmful is mentioned and you dismiss it as b.s. anything remotely close to favorable and you etch it in stone.
lets talk about the so called philanthropist, do you know how many charities he promised to write songs for, or events he said he would attend, and niether happened
"People are talking about how Farrah's death was overshadowed by the eclipse of media on Michael well I can say at least Farrah will rest in peace and no one is dissecting her every move she made in life and how much debt she left in death" .......because she gave them no reason too. .... even his own sister unloaded on him at the trial several years ago. you say he was a son a brother a father ..... well so is the 12 year old boy he paid off ..... you don't pay twenty million dollars if your innocent just to make it go away, especially such despicable crimes, .... you scream from the mountain top how innocent you are ..... you can get a cacophany of lawyers, private eyes, investigators, and detectives for a lot less than twenty million .... then you prove its all lies ..... then it goes away and you still have your reputation intact.
he was an amazing talent, he also was a troubled man ..... if you want to tell the story, tell the whole story without spin
rip mj
dangerousd, you start by automatically calling us mj haters .... alot of us don't hate mj, we hate what he was accused of .... giantphan was right you yell if your not guilty, not pay people or whats to stop everyone from saying you abused them ..... just look at your home ..... its a pedophile paradise, a nambla dream ..... its got the circus atmosphere kids love.
you said you watched major news people slander and defame his work ..... no one has said anything bad about his singing and dancing .... everyone said he is a great showman ..... you don't need to embelish ..... you seem to have alot of hate and anger in you ..... have you thought about trying the decaf????
gp, you make good points but who is the sister that unloaded on him and what did she say???? you said it yourself ..... tell the whole story
ok so mj passed away ..... i'm sorry for your loss, no one should die that young ..... he was a great singer, a great dancer, and an ok buisness man (to much debt) .... but its over ..... lets move on ..... he was an accused pedophile with freaky tendancies ..... i do not want my children emmulating him or idolizing him ...... i don't mean to piss anyone off its just my opinion ..... he is not a martyr ..... i wish nothing but good things for the children and ...... rip you too Farrah
i replied yesterday ..... no post?
Great job at defending the inconsequential MJ, now if you'd only put half the effort into poverty, famine, or war atrocities you might be able to move the world in a better direction. And, the media has been a sleaze pool since the late 80's and facts went out the window a week after the 24 hour news cycle started. Why not get involved with Media Matters or a similar groups if you want to help restore facts to reporting.
FYI, inconsequential means his impact on the world won't be long lasting say like George Washington, Gandhi, or MLK. Those people will still be remembered a century from now while MJ will be mostly forgotten.
"If you take a hint and look around the world at how he touched people.."
oh, man, unintended comedy is the best, ain't it?
"THIS IS WHATS WRONG WITH OUR WORLD TODAY!"
what is wrong with our culture is that so many see "greatness" and "genius" where it so manifestly is not. Michael was a fairly talented song and dance man who offered the world a kind of entertainment-lite in the form of big, pyrotechnic stage shows. there's nothing wrong with that, but products of pop culture aren't meant to be enduring, and his legacy will be the trainwreck of his personal life, which may be what he intended.
"
Beautiful.
Well said. I especially love the part where you suggest the media start covering the things that were good about MJ, the things we loved about him.
I just want to add one thing.
I found this kind of strange, you know, being a global community and all, that the television stations most of us get here in the US, had limited international coverage, even though we heard and read about tributes being held in remote parts of the world.
I would have LOVED to see that, for example.
But nada.
And, dangerousd, I just gotta tell you. I don't know if you're ever gonna come back here and read this, but I am DYING to edit your comment!
It's compulsive with me.
It's a great comment.
But I just wanna make it look BETTER in print!
Don't mean to be mean, or nothing.
Shame on you for making this story up. You just jumped on the bandwagon and thought of a way to bring more traffic in.
Think about it - why would someone that was SO close to Michael tell this information to a little-known blog, but not tell the people investigating.
I hope they demand you reveal your sources so it can be shown it was a lie.
Ditto!
I have a secret source who knows the person who cuts the hair of the woman who lives across the street of the cousin of the guy who shoveled the snow around the corner from the cop who pulled over the neighbor of the sister of the father of the priest from the old town where the dog that he got from the aunt of the man who sold the peanuts at the concert hall where MJ waved to the little girl in the third row on the left side of the mezzanine ...... i'm sorry what was the question????
Just because you are clueless about The Daily Beast doesn't make it a little known site. There are plenty of sites in the Top 100 sites that I know nothing about, does that make them little sites too? The Daily Beast is one of the few outlets on the web that does actual investigative reporting and posts interesting articles and it is definitely not a little site--little sites do not pay their writers real money.
Well - What an explosive piece of unaccredited journalism.
Anonymous sources? Well we all know, if you looked at Saturday's New York Post, in bold red headline, a list of drugs found in his system.
Secondly, his weight was listed at 112lbs. It sounds more like a struggle with anorexia, or at least an eating disorder or some kind, a lethal drug cocktail, and cardiac arrest brought on death.
Was it all a cry for help? Or a passive aggressive action so to not complete a rigorous touring schedule? That is certainly possible.
I'm concerned over that lack of accredited sources. I understand we don't live in a three source rule system anymore where anonymous starts the process to gather the three and without the accredited sources it's just an expose and not a cutting edge investigative insiders scoop.
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Thanks for your profound insight!
Wow...talk about stoopid. That is what drugs do to you or I should say drugs are Satan incarnate...they lure you in then take your breath. Anyone who doesn't get that is really stoopid...no one can manipulate them (him) for long and no one can walk away from them (him) without some serious help. Wow...Michael's power done went to his head. RIP
Anyone who classifies all drugs into one big, scary category obviously doesn't know what they are talking about. The differences between alcohol, LSD, heroin, cigarettes and acetominaphine are far more vast than the differences between carrots and candy bars. I hope you don't vote the way you speak, on things with which you obviously have zero life experience.
Drugs are Satan? Lay off the crack pipe pontifications. People can be addicted to anything it doesn't need to be an addictive thing for that to happen. People get addicted to food, sex, shopping, religion, gambling, drugs, and plenty of less normal things. And there are plenty of people who use alcohol (which is worse than most drugs, btw) and drugs who don't ever abuse them. If Michael didn't do drugs he'd be addicted to other things like spending ludicrous amounts of money on ludicrous things or buying children so they will love him. I'm sure somebody in your life probably had their lives ruined by what looked like drugs but drugs are far more often of a pre-existing problem(s) the person is trying to forget but by not facing the problem they actually give it more power. I do agree MJ was a weak-willed person as evident by firing anybody whenever they said no to him.
I agree with everything you say, until your last sentence.
Actually I would think an addict would have an incredible will to get what their body craves.
How strongly?
Who knows.
Yo. You sound scared.
"Satan incarnate?"
Prescriptions drugs are often harmful, and Addiction is a medical condition, a disease, for starters.
We don't know what it has to do with intelligence, but doctors rarely refer to those who suffer from Drug addiction as "stoopid."
Hope this helps.
This whole thing is a bunch of crock. Even the old man used it to promote his new record company.
4 US soldiers families will be devastated by there sons death this week in Iraq this 4th of July.
I agree. I'd much rather the media fixate on honoring those four dead soldiers in Iraq than the MJ circus. All MJ did was sing while they gave their lives for our country. MJ is not a hero.
Maybe you don't know about this, or even care, but MJ visited soldiers in Walter Reed when in Washington. Are you suggesting spending so much time on him is somehow convoluted? That he did not have enough of the values some people find acceptable and honorable, like Patriotism?
You may not like what I am going to say, but MJ accomplished more than our armies and governments have together, by bringing people together, from ALL OVER THE WORLD. together, without ever raising a weapon.
Doesn't that have any value for you?
How odd, I had a conversation about Michael Jackson's possible accidental suicide over the weekend. I just seemed to me that he knew he wasn't up to the concert commitment and needed a way out. With Dr. Murray in residence he figured on a last minute save. He was wrong.
He was a man child. Wonderfully talented with a knack for reaching audiences of all ages. But he never accepted the adult realities of his life. Though his father, by all accounts, was a mean SOB, at some point you have to let that go and be your own person.
Instead, he lived in a child's fantasy world. How sad for him, his children and his fans.
Real journalism deals with facts not speculation. Real journalism reports and we decide.
First let me commend 'THE DAILY BEAST" for eliminating those who come to this site and take every opportunity to diminish the gravity and unbias dignity of the authors efforts to bring a story.
I hope the liberty of free speech is held to a level of responsiblity , not to demean, demoralize and demonstrate a spirit of emotional dribble based upon being BIAS and CLOSED minded with the intention to be inflammantory..if so, you should be called out on the carpet.. and your comment detracted as demonstrated upon this article.
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Getting to the current events of Michael Joseph Jackson..
My Grand Father told me "A dead man can't talk"..
MJ is gonna be tested more-so upon his death than alive...
This is just the beginning of THINGS RUMORED or FACT..to come upon the death of MJ..
True, MJ had problems with many issues in his life as the entertainer and as the individual known as Michael Joseph Jackson off stage.
However, I say beware of WOLVES in SHEEP clothing when it comes to profiteers who ever worked with MJ..who by all stance will get PAID for the most outragious stories /events created ..to the LIFE AND TIMES OF MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON..
What will eventually happen is the JACKSON FAMILY will sue for slander against the Jackson Family NAME by these profiteers..all of MJ assets(stock and barrell) belongs to the JACKSON FAMILY NAME NOW...which means there will be several LAWYERS involved as time moves forward..
..and to say that MJ was in debt speculated.. however, for someone to rent a manison for 100 thousand monthly ... doesn't appear BROKE to me, UNLESS, the invested producers/promotors related to the tour.. covered such expenses...
The sooner MJ is laid to rest..the sooner the Jackson family can move forward ..
Hey.
I agree with you completely.
However, I did not read what you quoted(?) The top 2 paragraphs of your post. I just read that and have no idea what it means.
Thank you.
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