Re: Joe Jackson On Larry King tonight
Does anyone remember reading what Kathy Smith, the fitness video lady said when she met him 2 weeks before he passed? She wrote in her blog the day after Michael died that he was in the same building she was and she said he was trying to cancel a concert and she said that he said they were SO MEAN, SO MEAN. This sounds a lot like the control issues being mentioned by Joe, Leonard, Terry Harvey, etc.
http://www.kathysmith.com/blog/2009/06/
From the blog: We talked for a while. He introduced me to his children - who were sweet, beautiful, and clearly adored their father - and he told me about canceling an upcoming concert in London. “The people were so mean,” he said, visibly upset. “Just so mean.”
Of course they were mean. And I don't say that without sympathy. It's just that if you look at this from a professional standpoint (meaning let's take MJ out of the equation and put a random artist in this scenario), they had already advanced him millions of dollars, poured millions of dollars into production, cancelled 3-4 shows that nearly shifted the fanworld off its axis with rage and increased the doubt that the shows just may not happen at all, and they were a month away from the opening date. I'm sure the last thing they were trying to hear was ANYBODY mentioning the word cancellation at that point. It would be interesting to know why he wanted to cancel a date and for what reason. The only show I could see being in question or of any dire importance would have been the opening date and ya'll know if that date had been resheduled all Hell would have broken loose (not being able to see the future, of course). A lot was on the line for a lot of ppl with these shows whether they were 10 or 30 or 50.
What's odd is Micheal was a very good businessman. He was known to be very shrewd, so sometimes you hear things and wonder WHAT in God's name...?! The level of professionalism in his team sometimes lacked and it just didn't make any sense, imo. After reading this comment about the people being mean, I wonder...did Jesus take the wheel, here? Did he take Michael from this world to save him from himself? Personal responsibility plays a part here, imho, regardless of who all else is ultimately responsible. No one is perfect but everyone knows MJ was too nice, too trusting, possibly too naive in certain situations which sometimes led to lawsuits and expensive misunderstandings and deals going off-track; ppl taking advantage of him. It was neverending in the past 10-15 years. Project after project delayed or derailed in some capacity; not necessarily due to MJ's fault, of course, but the door was always somehow left often for these things to fail.
Also, I don't believe Michael was anyone's puppet either, but I do believe he may have found himself in a jam this time and was halfway in puppetland to some extent, hence the "they were so mean" comments where he felt he had no control or final say. You have ppl saying he was forced to fire and hire ppl, yet he was able to fire Tohme and hire Rowe at his own will. So he wasn't completely powerless in all areas, imo. People were saying they couldn't reach Michael when we saw all the pictures of Michael out and about. Fans knew where to find Michael and were allowed time to talk with him. Others could have done the same thing if they were determined.
Anyway, with everything being said now it seems like these concerts were doomed before they got started (with Michael signing a contract he either hadn't read or was misinterpreted to him by his representative), and may have been doomed in some other way down the line had he lived and the shows went on. For all we know, the end results would have been the same (Michael dying) but instead of in his house in California it could have been onstage or backstage or in his home in London. I do wonder if Jesus simply took the wheel. And now Michael doesn't have to worry about anyone else being mean to him again.
