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http://www.salon.com/ent/wire/2002/07/06/jackson/index.html

― John Darnielle, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. Or something.

This story works on so, so many levels. Anybody got film of MJ's speech? I'm beggin' you.

― John Darnielle, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

but michael jackson is white.

― keith, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Sharpton and attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. recently formed a coalition to investigate whether artists are being financially exploited by record labels" hahahahaha

― Josh, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sony produced Jackson's last album, "Invicible," which has had disappointing sales despite an estimated $25 million in promotion.

Geez, for $25 mil in promotion, you'd think people woulda seen it.

― Vic Funk, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I read this story earlier this afternoon, and the scene kept playing out like a movie. MJ dangling his costumed arm out of the half-mast window of his chauffered SUV, clutching a sign in which his likeness is positioned next to the word "GOOD." A crowd of freaks who think "Invincible" is a great artistic triumph. Must be made into a TV movie. I'm interested in the different levels on which this all works, though, in your view. Elaborate.

― Aaron A., Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Also check out this.

― Michael Daddino, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Good stuff Michael. Just to publicly tease MJ I think Tommy Mottola oughta don a black cape & Zorro-style mask, and, like, affect a super-wicked cackle. Because he's evil. Way evil. So evil that expects to recoup on his company's 25 million-plus investment. Evil.

― John Darnielle, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

And also grow a handlebar mustache, which he could twirl at press conferences.

― Nicole, Saturday, 6 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

J Lo would be the damsel in distress, of course. Or is that Mariah?

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmmm, Mr. Jackson claims Tommy Mottola is a racist and likes to say "nigger." Then he goes on to claim that one of the black performers that the music industry has screwed over is Mariah Carey, who was married to Mr. Mottola ... and I don't remember hearing any lurid accusations of bigotry when they divorced.

Mr. Jackson has never been very strong on logic, has he?

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

He is going to "outthink" Sony. Him and his pet monkey.

― bnw, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Jackson's anger stems from his belief that Sony poorly handled the star's recently released Invincible album, which has sold slightly more than 2 million copies in the U.S. to date."

That's a pretty good amount of records for any other artists.John wouldn't you be ecstatic if you sold half as many copies of the new Mountain Goats release?? I'm glad to see that Jackson is speaking out,but is he doing it for artists of color as a whole or just his greedy one glove wearing self???

― brg30, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Question: if Michael Jackson leaves Sony, who'll own the masters to Off the Wall, Thriller, etc.? MJ or Sony?

I know that some superstars get to have their back catalogue migrate with them when they change labels: take Paul McCartney's move from Capitol to CBS, or Paul Simon's from Columbia to Warner Brothers. Likewise, over the years Elvis Costello and David Bowie got to have their catalog live in a number of different places. Not too sure if Sony is gonna be so willing to part with records that must still sell a million yearly.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the conspiracy theory i read — on ilm? — is that sony deliberately mispromoted the new one (ie frittered away a vast budget) because MJ was already so in hock to them on production costs ($40 million?) that the ONLY WAY he cd pay them off is by paying them in kind, ie by giving them the rights to his back cat in part or full payment

i assume this is part of the negotiation strategy: viz a terrific and very bonkers quasi-political tantrum (which incidentally will also help sell records) (so sony only lose in the sense that everyone will think they are corporate and evil and faceless and soulless, which everyone anyway ALREADY thinks... )

― mark s, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

see if YOU can spot the many logical steps a feverish and flu-ridden mark s omitted from that post

― mark s, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think I saw something like your theory in a rolling stone news item, mark

― Josh, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sounds like nonsense to me. $40 million would be nothing to him. Anyway standard terms in any contract (let alone the kind of preferential deal that someone at his level could command) is that any money to be repaid comes from record sales. They couldn't demand payment from another source.

― David, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the $40 million i totally can't swear to, i tht i read it somewhere but even as i wrote it i wz thinking "is this a lot? is it peanuts?"

it's like the elephants in the apartment above moving the furniture, we can't tell who's moving what or why, but we do know it's being moved

after a sales failure of this magnititude there is no way his contract is not being aggressively renegotiated: the question is really, is this a GENUINE FITE or a real fite w.fake public pretext or just a fake fight to drum up publicity (and sales)?

― mark s, Sunday, 7 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

This was a great quote I read from MJ's weekend tirade:

"When you fight for me, you're fighting for all black people, dead and alive," Jackson said.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 9 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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