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May 29 - 31 Weekend News Byte

Jay Leno hosts last Tonight Show

Jay Leno has bid farewell to The Tonight Show after hosting the US chat show for 17 years.

The 59-year-old took the opportunity to poke fun a final time at his favourite targets including celebrities, current events and politicians.

His final guest was his successor Conan O'Brien, who will take over hosting the show from Monday.

The star ended by asking viewers to "please give Conan as much support as you've given me throughout the years."

Leno told O'Brien during his 3,775th show: "You were the perfect choice. You've been an absolute gentlemen in private and in the press."

The only celebrity guest on the show was singer James Taylor, who performed Sweet Baby James at Leno's request.

During his final monologue, Leno thanked Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Monica Lewinsky and Michael Jackson for giving him "so much material".

After reminiscing briefly about his time as host, Leno said he had an answer to those who asked him about his Tonight legacy.

He then invited the audience to "take a look" at the 68 children who had been born to staff who had worked on the programme over the 17 years.

Leno is due to begin hosting a new show on TV network NBC from September.


Prince - "Somewhere Here On Earth" on Leno 5/28
Prince was on the second to last Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight 5/28. He performed “Somewhere Here on Earth.” Check out the video below to see his interesting sign at the end.
 
Dorothy_Marie said:
I don't even know if I should post this here but I shall go out on a limb and if it gets too crazy mods please move.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-michael-jackson31-2009may31,0,1441957.story?page=1


To this financier, Michael Jackson is an undervalued asset

Others have tried to revive the onetime pop star's performing career. Tom Barrack is convinced he's the 'caretaker' to do it.
By Chris Lee and Harriet Ryan
May 31, 2009

Tom Barrack, a Westside financier who made billions buying and selling distressed properties, flew to Las Vegas in March 2008 to check out a troubled asset. But his target was not a struggling hotel chain or failed bank.

It was Michael Jackson. The world's bestselling male pop artist was hunkered down with his three children in a dumpy housing compound in an older section of town. At 49, he was awash in nearly $400 million of debt and so frail that he greeted visitors in a wheelchair. The rich international friends who offered him refuge after his 2005 acquittal on molestation charges had fallen away. His Santa Barbara ranch, Neverland, was about to be sold at public auction.

In Jackson, Barrack saw the sort of undervalued asset his private equity firm, Colony Capital, had succeeded with in the past. He wrote a check to save the ranch and placed a call to a friend, the conservative business magnate Philip Anschutz, whose holdings include the concert production firm AEG Live.


Fifteen months later, Jackson is living in a Bel-Air mansion and rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows in London's O2 Arena. The intervention of two billionaires with more experience in the board room than the recording studio seems on course to accomplish what a parade of others over the last dozen years could not: getting Jackson back on stage.

His backers envision the London shows as an audition for a career rebirth that could ultimately encompass a three-year world tour, a new album, movies, a Graceland-like museum, musical revues in Las Vegas and Macau, even a "Thriller" casino.

"You are talking about a guy who could make $500 million a year if he puts his mind to it," Barrack said recently. "There are very few individual artists who are multibillion-dollar businesses. And he is one."

Others have tried to resurrect Jackson's career, but previous attempts have failed, associates say, because of managerial chaos, backbiting within his inner circle and the singer's legendary flakiness.

Even as Jackson's benefactors assemble an all-star team -- "High School Musical's" Kenny Ortega is directing the London concerts -- there are hints of discord. Last week, two different men identified themselves as the singer's manager and a month before, a respected accountant who had been handling Jackson's books was abruptly fired in a phone call from an assistant.

But his backers downplay the problems. "He is very focused. He is not going to let anybody down. Not himself. Not his fans. Not his family," said Frank DiLeo, his current manager and a friend of three decades.

Jackson needs a comeback to reverse the damage done by years of excessive spending and little work. He has not toured since 1997 or released a new album since 2001, but has continued to live like a megastar.

To finance his opulent lifestyle, he borrowed heavily against his three main assets -- his ranch, his music catalog and a second catalog that includes the music of the Beatles that he co-owns with Sony Corp. By the time of his 2005 criminal trial, he was nearly $300 million in debt and, according to testimony, spending $30 million more annually than he was taking in.

Compounding his money difficulties are a revolving door of litigious advisors and hangers on. Jackson has run through 11 managers since 1990, according to DiLeo.

At least 19 people -- financial advisors, managers, lawyers, a pornography producer and even a Bahraini sheik -- have taken Jackson to court for allegedly failing to pay bills or backing out of deals. He settled many of the suits. Currently, he is facing civil claims by a former publicist, a concert promoter and the writer-director of his "Thriller" video, John Landis.

John Branca, an entertainment lawyer who represented Jackson for more than 20 years, blamed the singer's financial straits partly on his past habit of surrounding himself with "yes men." Branca advised Jackson to buy half of the Beatles catalog in 1985 for $47.5 million. The catalog is now estimated to be worth billions and the purchase is considered his smartest business decision.

"The paradox is that Michael is one of the brightest and most talented people I've ever known. At the same time, he has made some of the worst choices in advisors in the history of music," said Branca, who represents Santana, Nickelback and Aerosmith, among others. He said he split with the singer because Jackson invited into his inner circle "people who really didn't have his best interests at heart."

The singer's financial predicament reached a crisis point in March 2008 when he defaulted on a $24.5-million loan and Neverland went into foreclosure. Jackson's brother Jermaine enlisted the help of Dr. Tohme Tohme, an orthopedic surgeon-turned-businessman who had previously worked with Colony Capital.

Tohme reached out to Barrack, who said he was initially reluctant to get involved because Jackson had already sought advice from fellow billionaire and Barrack's friend Ron Burkle.

"I said, 'My God, if Ron can't figure it out, I can't figure it out,' " Barrack said.

But he was drawn to the deal. He owns a ranch five miles from Neverland, and his sons were among local children Jackson invited over for field days at the ranch. With the auction of Jackson's home and possessions just days away, Barrack made the singer a proposition.

"I sat down with him and said, 'Look . . . we can buy the note and restructure your financial empire,' " Barrack said. But, he told him, "what you need is a new caretaker. A new podium. A new engine."

Tohme, who acted as Jackson's manager until recently, recalled the urgency of the situation. "If he didn't move fast, he would have lost the ranch," Tohme said. "That would have been humiliating for Michael."

Jackson and Barrack reached an agreement within seven days. Colony paid $22.5 million and Neverland averted foreclosure.

Jackson has not spoken publicly since a March news conference and his representatives declined to make him available for an interview.

Barrack said his position outside the music industry seemed to endear him to Jackson. "He looks at me like 'the suit.' I have credibility because I don't live in that world. I'm not interested in hanging around him. I'm not interested in girls. I'm not interested in boys. I'm not interested in drugs," Barrack said.

After buying Neverland, Barrack called his friend Anschutz. Barrack said the prospect of helping Jackson, given his recent criminal case, gave Anschutz, a devout Christian, pause. (Anschutz declined to be interviewed.)

Barrack had spent significant time with Jackson and praised him as "a genius" and devoted father. Ultimately, Anschutz agreed to put Jackson in touch with Randy Phillips, the CEO of his concert subsidiary.

As the head of AEG Live, Phillips oversees a division that grossed more than $1 billion last year and has negotiated such lucrative bookings as Celine Dion's four-year, $400-million run in Las Vegas and Prince's 21 sold-out dates at the O2 Arena in 2007.

Phillips had his eye on Jackson for some time. In 2007, Phillips approached the singer with a deal for a comeback, but Jackson, who was working with different advisors, turned him down. "He wasn't ready," Phillips recalled.

This time, however, Jackson was receptive. He needed the money, and he has a second, more personal reason: His children -- sons Prince Michael, 7, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine, 11 -- have never seen him perform live.

"They are old enough to appreciate and understand what I do and I am still young enough to do it," Phillips quoted Jackson as saying.

Jackson stands to earn $50 million for the O2 shows, "This Is It" -- $1 million per performance not including revenue from merchandise sales and broadcast rights. Jackson is considering options including pay-per-view and a feature film. But the real money would kick in after his final curtain call in London.

AEG has proposed a three-year tour starting in Europe, then traveling to Asia and finally returning to the United States. Although Jackson has committed only to the O2 engagement thus far, Phillips estimates ticket sales for the global concerts would exceed $450 million. Such a rebound could wipe out Jackson's massive debt.

"One would hope he would end up netting around 50% of that," Phillips said.

Barrack, the man who set Jackson's comeback in motion, has seen his net worth drop with the financial crisis. Forbes estimated his wealth at $2.3 billion around the time he met Jackson, but he is now merely a multimillionaire. He said that the economic downturn makes Jackson more attractive as an investment because his value has been overlooked: In times like this, he said, "finding little pieces of information that others don't have" is more important than ever.

His company isn't exposed to any risk by working with Jackson. All the money Colony has put up is backed by the value of Neverland and related assets, he said. If Jackson regains firm financial footing, Barrack's company could be a partner in future deals. "When he looks back and says, 'Who took the risk? Who was there?' I mean, he gets it. So that's my hope," Barrack said.

It all depends on what happens July 13 when the lights go down in the O2 Arena. Doubts about Jackson's reliability are widespread because of his long concert hiatus. Those concerns were heightened earlier this month when the show's opening night was pushed back five days. Phillips and Ortega, the director, blamed production problems and said Jackson was ready to perform.

Fans demonstrated their faith in Jackson months ago when they snapped up 750,000 tickets for shows through March 2010 in less than four hours. "We could have done 200 shows if he were willing to live in London for two years," Phillips said.

In addition to the more than $20 million AEG is paying to produce the shows, the company is putting its reputation on the line for a performer with a track record of missed performances and canceled dates. "In this business, if you don't take risks, you don't achieve greatness," Phillips said.

But the problems that have bedeviled Jackson in the past -- infighting, disorganization and questionable advisors -- persist.

In an interview last week, Tohme identified himself as the singer's "manager, spokesman, everything" and spoke about the benefits of dealing with business titans Barrack and Anschutz rather than their "sleazy" predecessors. "Michael Jackson is an institution. He needs to be run like an institution," Tohme said.

The next day, however, longtime Jackson associate DiLeo claimed he was Jackson's manager and said Tohme had been fired a month and a half earlier. Tohme denied being fired but declined further comment.

In April, Jackson fired the accounting firm, Cannon & Co., that had worked for him for a year, according to an accountant who worked on his finances. In his corner office high above Century City, Barrack is sanguine about reports of disharmony. "You have the same thousand parasites that start to float back in and take advantage of the situation and that has happened a little at the edges." But, he added, he had confidence in AEG's ability to keep Jackson focused.

The concerts, Phillips acknowledged, are a do-or-die moment for Jackson. "If it doesn't happen, it would be a major problem for him career-wise in a way that it hasn't been in the past," he said
Click to expand...


This article is filled with Lies & Manipulations. Michael Jackson is now in good financial condition and the "debts" are no longer a problem with or with out the O2 concerts. MJ has done excactly what he needed to do. This story makes me sick.
 
Moonwalker.Fan said:
Jay Leno hosts last Tonight Show

Jay Leno has bid farewell to The Tonight Show after hosting the US chat show for 17 years.

The 59-year-old took the opportunity to poke fun a final time at his favourite targets including celebrities, current events and politicians.

His final guest was his successor Conan O'Brien, who will take over hosting the show from Monday.

The star ended by asking viewers to "please give Conan as much support as you've given me throughout the years."

Leno told O'Brien during his 3,775th show: "You were the perfect choice. You've been an absolute gentlemen in private and in the press."

The only celebrity guest on the show was singer James Taylor, who performed Sweet Baby James at Leno's request.

During his final monologue, Leno thanked Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Monica Lewinsky and Michael Jackson for giving him "so much material".

After reminiscing briefly about his time as host, Leno said he had an answer to those who asked him about his Tonight legacy.

He then invited the audience to "take a look" at the 68 children who had been born to staff who had worked on the programme over the 17 years.

Leno is due to begin hosting a new show on TV network NBC from September.


Prince - "Somewhere Here On Earth" on Leno 5/28
Prince was on the second to last Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight 5/28. He performed “Somewhere Here on Earth.” Check out the video below to see his interesting sign at the end.
Click to expand...

crisp performance. tight band. i couldn't read the sign. what did it say?

Dorothy Marie, your instincts are correct about your previous post.
 
Moonwalker.Fan said:
Prince - "Somewhere Here On Earth" on Leno 5/28
Prince was on the second to last Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight 5/28. He performed “Somewhere Here on Earth.” Check out the video below to see his interesting sign at the end.
Click to expand...
absolute legend. i would die, (believe in religion), and go to heaven if our Mike gave us anything near as cool, tight, raw but smooth, and live as this. come on July!
 
DanceOfZenab1994 said:
^^^ Oh-oh...The world is going MJ mad!
Click to expand...

Everyone wants him now. We have just had the final of Britain's got Talent and the first act a fantastic dance group used his music and you could see his influence all over it. The second act sung one of his songs and through the show so many of them used his music.

By the end of July the world will be all over him again, if he brings out more music the awards will start flodding in. I can see a return to the 80's hysteria for him, and I just hope once he gets a taste for performing again it will be too addictive for him to stop at the London shows.

I think our US friends will have their man performing on his home turf next year.
 
Thanks Dorothy.
I dont find that article too bad at all. I cant believe how long it is,
but I read it anywayz. Lol! It was helpful and informative. It also
pulled some things together for me that I was uncertain about. I
loved reading that the tour will end in the States even tho it hasnt
been committed upon yet. But why wouldnt it? :)

As for the Prince performance on Leno......amazing.
The song kind of reminds me of "Damn U" by the Purple One.
I totally enjoyed it. Thanks for posting.

I couldnt read the sign either. I tried pausing on it but I couldnt make it out.
 
The London Underground frequently plans weekend engineering works on many of the tube lines. I have to say though that whatever is planned over Michaels weekends gigs will not have an impact whatsoever, fans WILL make sure they are there on time. Its the getting home that might be the issue though. Plan ahead and you should be ok.
 
Leno can take that "thanks" and shove it. As a matter a fact i'd like to thank him for playing dumb at the trial making us believe he didn't know anything about gavin.
 
Well after drooling for sometime of the new curl pictures I better get a move on to update the news thread. Please keep drooling some more for me as I look up the news and mentionings.:D
 
There is no news to report besides the curl news, but you can discuss that here: http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64196

Michael Jackson Mentionings for May 31, 2009:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/31/di-namite-115875-21402267/

Earlier, BGT maestro Cowell had declared Diversity - who performed an urban dance routine - were the ONLY act he would award 10 out of 10 to, proving his knack for picking a winner.
He said: "I've got to tell you, all bets are off. If I had to give marks tonight, this would be the only one I would give 10. When I look at you now, there was not a step out of place. It was sheer perfection. I think you'll win."
Amanda told them: "You have practically rendered me speechless. Your choreography is second to none."
Last night it emerged that they already have a film deal on the table, as their transformation into overnight celebrities begins.
And Simon even hinted they could end up supporting Michael Jackson in his UK shows in July. He added: "Their performance was immaculate. This show is about finding talented people.


http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/130746474

Dance troupe Flawless got the show off to a flyer with a slick group display in 1930s suits to a Michael Jackson-inspired medley. Simon said: "You saved the best performance for right now." Shaheen Jafargholi then stepped up to deliver astunning cover of the Jackson 5 classic Who's Loving You?. Piers said: "Absolutely unbelievable



http://www.southtownstar.com/neighborhoodstar/chicagoheights/1598288,053109sd163anniv.article



With a little help from the King of Pop, the Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 celebrated its 60th anniversary in style.
The Forest Trail Middle School Choir kicked off the Wednesday morning event hosted at Forest Trail Middle School, 215 Wilson St., with a performance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
The choir, wearing black fedora hats, limped about like zombies, cooed the catchy choruses and hit all the appropriate falsettos.

Choir members from throughout the district closed out the event with "We Are the World," a song co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
They waved their arms back and forth during the chorus and sang for its sentimental worth.
 
hilliver said:
Everyone wants him now. We have just had the final of Britain's got Talent and the first act a fantastic dance group used his music and you could see his influence all over it. The second act sung one of his songs and through the show so many of them used his music.

By the end of July the world will be all over him again, if he brings out more music the awards will start flodding in. I can see a return to the 80's hysteria for him, and I just hope once he gets a taste for performing again it will be too addictive for him to stop at the London shows.

I think our US friends will have their man performing on his home turf next year.
Click to expand...

im praying your last sentence comes true .
 
Rasta Pasta said:
Becuz I am just in a pparticular mood...Eminem's new album sold around 630,000 its 1st week ...his last sold over a mil its 1st week this to me shows the affect the backlash of dissing Michael still has on his career...don't F with Mike....
Click to expand...

I doubt that. Selling 600K today is amazing. When his last album was released sales generally were a lot healthier. Now it's a different story. His debut sales are impressive, but it'll be interesting to see if he can keep them solid -- his singles are not doing very well, so we'll see....
 
serendipity omg your positivity is mind blowing.

Michael will Always have a fan base no matter what. I am getting a little tired of all the negative crap going on. If you don't think Michael can sell like he used to.... um. Look at what happened when he sold out in how many hours?

Have a little faith in the man who IS trying to. I hate to use the word, Restart, but he is trying to get it going full force again. We need to support him as much as possible and not be faithless...

We are fans of someone who out shines all other entertainers today. People look up to him still and try their damnedest to copy him. He deserves more then what hes getting from some so-called fans.

I'm just saying my opinion here and you can disagree with it all you want to... which i am more then 100% someone will. So take it or leave it.
 
serendipity said:
I doubt that. Selling 600K today is amazing. When his last album was released sales generally were a lot healthier. Now it's a different story. His debut sales are impressive, but it'll be interesting to see if he can keep them solid -- his singles are not doing very well, so we'll see....
Click to expand...
if Lil Wayne didn't just sell 1mil in his first week... i would agree with you... but Eminem.... is in the "it" column with everyone in the industry
...the golden boy...so not selling close to or 1mil this time around is a failing...
 
Rasta Pasta said:
if Lil Wayne didn't just sell 1mil in his first week... i would agree with you... but Eminem.... is in the "it" column with everyone in the industry
...the golden boy...so not selling close to or 1mil this time around is a failing...
Click to expand...


Yeah, but because he doesn't have a major hit song and he doesn't have the same support at radio, it was a given that he wouldn't debut with a million in sales. From what i'm seeing on most music sites, most folks are impressed that he opened as well as he did.
 
GinnyJackson said:
serendipity omg your positivity is mind blowing.

Michael will Always have a fan base no matter what. I am getting a little tired of all the negative crap going on. If you don't think Michael can sell like he used to.... um. Look at what happened when he sold out in how many hours?

Have a little faith in the man who IS trying to. I hate to use the word, Restart, but he is trying to get it going full force again. We need to support him as much as possible and not be faithless...

We are fans of someone who out shines all other entertainers today. People look up to him still and try their damnedest to copy him. He deserves more then what hes getting from some so-called fans.

I'm just saying my opinion here and you can disagree with it all you want to... which i am more then 100% someone will. So take it or leave it.
Click to expand...

:blink: Umm... I was commenting on Eminem!

AngieJ said:
Yeah, but because he doesn't have a major hit song and he doesn't have the same support at radio, it was a given that he wouldn't debut with a million in sales. From what i'm seeing on most music sites, most folks are impressed that he opened as well as he did.
Click to expand...

:yes:
 
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