Michael Jackson has no end of troubles, including financial, and no, I don't think people are out to get him because he is eccentric: I think they are concerned that he is truly dangerous. Regardless of the outcome of the most recent charges, one does not dangle a baby over thin air where one slip would mean instant death without being considered a danger. That is still for me the single most troubling (uncontested) bit of behavior in this ongoing saga.
- Mr. Jackson has spent millions of dollars on legal fees over the past two decades, hiring a who's who of high-priced entertainment lawyers and public relations experts to represent him in hundreds of lawsuits.
He is an inveterate spender, with the upkeep of his Neverland ranch costing nearly $4 million a year, say colleagues who know him. According to accounts of executives close to his record company, Sony Music Group, and published reports, he has borrowed millions of dollars to pay for his lavish lifestyle.
In June Mr. Jackson settled a lawsuit filed by Myong-Ho Lee, a former business adviser, who said Mr. Jackson had been in financial trouble. The amount of the settlement has not been divulged. Earlier this year, a jury in Santa Maria, Calif., said Mr. Jackson owed a German concert promoter $5.3 million for backing out of two concerts in 1999.
For many musicians, the plummeting album sales Mr. Jackson has experienced would be career-ending. But people who know him say that in fact most of his wealth comes from his joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment, the music publishing arm of his record company.
....Reports about the decline of Mr. Jackson's financial health began to surface in June 2002, when the singer clashed with the former head of the Sony Music Group, Thomas D. Mottola, over the promotion of Mr. Jackson's album "Invincible."
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i do feel sorry for jackson (not that that let's him off the hook for what he may have done or anything).
seems like he's the textbook example of somebody who was just crushed by his celebrity. the friggin' ranch, the cosmetic surgery....man, it's just creepy, and sad.
2 - Eric Olsen
He is of course a pitiable figure, but when the safety of children are concerned, they must become the priority.
3 - Taloran
Who has fallen further, Mike Tyson or Michael Jackson?
4 - Mark Saleski
i don't know. has anybody ever respected tyson?
5 - Eric Olsen
it's hard to say in the big picture, but their plunges cover similar altitude
6 - Taloran
I once respected Tyson's work in the ring. He was unbelievable at age 21. Now even that's gone, and not strictly because of age.
7 - Michelle
he is just another case that's just destroyed by false charges against him - like tupac shakur, whom they even tried to accuse of sodomy to destroy his reputation.
8 - Eric Olsen
Michelle, surely you aren't saying there have been false charges against Mike Tyson?!? he is one of the most deranged thugs in the public eye of the last century.
9 - Natalie Davis
Eric, many people believe Tyson got a raw deal in his rape conviction. I do not agree with those people.
As for MJ, I presume innocence until he is proven guilty in court. That said, of course I don't support that baby-dangling business (that blew my mind) and I wouldn't allow my kids to have sleepovers with non-age-appropriate friends, whether or not they were self-proclaimed deities of pop. But neither of those things necessarily make Jackson a child molester. I'll wait until all the information is out and the evidence presented. And apparently, there is much still awaiting revelation.
10 - Eric Olsen
we are in agreement and you are wise
11 - Al Barger
Perhaps there's A VIABLE SOLUTION for Michael Jackson's various problems.
12 - Eric Olsen
I think space is the place, Al
13 - Natalie Davis
Sorry, Eric. I have dibs on space.
14 - Eric Olsen
Michael will be disappointed