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Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as The King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose career and personal life have been a part of pop culture for almost 40 years.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers and most popular recording artists in history, Jackson displays complicated physical techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, that have redefined mainstream dance and entertainment. His achievements in the music industry have included a revolutionary transformation of music videos, establishing high-profile album releases and sales as a new trend for record companies to generate profits, dominating pop music during the 1980s, and becoming the first black entertainer to amass a strong following on MTV while leading the relatively young channel out of obscurity. His distinctive style, moves, and vocals have inspired, influenced, and spawned a whole generation of hip hop, pop, and R&B artists. He has been named the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" by Guinness World Records.

Jackson began his musical career at the age of five with the Jackson Family vocal group. He released his first solo recording, Got to Be There, in 1971, while remaining a member of the group. In his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, which has worldwide sales exceeding 104 million. After Thriller, Jackson continued to release internationally chart-topping albums like Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995), and Invincible (2001), his latest album of fully original material. Michael Jackson has received thirteen Grammy Awards and charted thirteen #1 singles in the United States, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. In November 2006, the World Music Awards announced that Michael Jackson had sold over 750 million units worldwide and given $300 million to charity, making Jackson one of the best-selling music artists and one of the most charitable humanitarians of all time, whose efforts on the latter front have been acknowledged with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. However Jackson's controversial appearance and actions has damaged his reputation in the eyes of some of the public and album sales has been in decline since the mid 1990`s.

From 1988 to 2005, Jackson lived on his Neverland Ranch property, where he built an amusement park and private zoo that was frequently attended by disadvantaged and terminally ill children. Rumors of sleepover parties received both negative media coverage and public attention after it was revealed that children frequently slept in his bed or bedroom. This first came to light when he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. Michael Jackson's relationship with children was brought into the spotlight again in 2003 when the TV documentary Living with Michael Jackson was broadcast. This resulted in Jackson being tried, and later acquitted, of more child molestation allegations and several other charges in 2005. After this, Jackson went on hiatus, travelling to countries such as Bahrain, before starting work on new material in Ireland. He will be releasing a new album on February 112008 called Thriller 25 which will include new material.

Finances

Music catalogs and loans

Michael Jackson purchased ownership in ATV Music Publishing in 1985, which owns the publishing rights to songs written by The Beatles and many other acts. Paul McCartney of The Beatles, who had also recorded with Jackson, was reportedly angered by the 'surprise' purchase, and this led to the two becoming estranged.

In 1995, Jackson and Sony Music Publishing merged their two catalogues to create, Sony-ATV. Jackson's 50% interest in the company (Sony Music Entertainment owns the other half) is estimated to be worth USD $500 million. Jackson also owns his own music catalogue called MiJac Publishing, which contains all of his songs and songs from Sly & the Family Stone.

Over the past 10 years, Jackson has secured two loans for USD $200 million and USD $70 million. The USD $200 million loan was secured by using Jackson's share of the Sony-ATV Catalogue as collateral. He later secured the USD $70 million loan by using his MiJac Catalogue as collateral. However, because of his declining sales, his MiJac Catalogue's value declined to under USD $100 million, therefore he was forced to use his Neverland Ranch and Hayvenhurst as added collateral to keep the loan.

In April 2005, the Bank of America sold the loan to Fortress Investments. Jackson continued to miss payments on the loan, and as of December 20, 2005, Fortress had the right to foreclose on the loan, allowing Sony Music the first right to buy Jackson's share of the loan. However, Fortress extended the loan, allowing Jackson time to get money together.

In a move named by Jackson's advisors as "refinancing," it was announced on April 14, 2006 that Jackson had struck a deal with Sony and Fortress Investments. In the deal Sony may be allowed to take control of half of Jackson's 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing (worth an estimated $1 billion) which Jackson co-owns. Jackson would be left with 25% of the catalogue, with the rest belonging to Sony.

In exchange, Sony negotiated with a loans company on behalf of Jackson. Jackson's $200m in loans were due in December 2005 and were secured on the catalogue. Jackson failed to pay and the Bank of America sold them to Fortress Investments, a company dealing in distressed loans. However, Jackson has not as yet sold any of the remainder of his stake. The possible purchase by Sony of 25% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a conditional option; it is assumed the singer will try to avoid having to sell part of the catalogue of songs including material by other artists such as Bob Dylan and Destiny's Child. As another part of the deal Jackson was given a new $300 million loan, and a lower interest rate on the old loan to match the original Bank of America rate. When the loan was sold to Fortress Investments they increased the interest rate to 20%. None of the details are officially confirmed. An advisor to Jackson, however, did publicly announce he had "restructured his finances with the assistance of Sony."

Michael Jackson owes a $5 million interest payment to Fortress Trust, the publicly traded hedge fund that bought his $272 million loan from Bank of America in April 2005 (the loan has been refinanced to $325 million by Fortress). The payment is due on Oct. 31, 2007.

Neverland Ranch employees

On March 9, 2006, California state labor officials closed the singer's Neverland Ranch and fined him $69,000 for failure to provide employment insurance. The state "stop order" bars Jackson from "using any employee labor" until he secured required workers' compensation insurance. In addition to being fined $1,000 for each of his 69 workers, Jackson is liable for up to 10 days pay for those employees who now are no longer allowed to report to Neverland for work. Thirty Neverland employees have also sued Jackson for $306,000 in unpaid wages.

Soon after this payment, Jackson's spokesperson announced on March 16 2006 that Jackson was closing his house at Neverland and had laid off some of the employees but added that reports of the closing of the entire ranch were inaccurate. There have been many reports of a possible sale of Neverland, but nothing tangible has been reported yet.

F. Marc Schaffel

In 2006, F. Marc Schaffel, a former associate of Jackson, filed a suit for millions of dollars allegedly owed to him after working with Jackson on an unreleased charity record named "What More Can I Give" and documentaries. Florida businessman Alvin Malnik, who had advised Jackson, appeared in court and stated that Jackson appeared to be bewildered by financial matters. Schaffel claimed to have made frequent loans to the singer totaling between $7 million and $10 million. He also claimed to have received an urgent plea from Jackson for $1 million so that Jackson could buy jewelry for Elizabeth Taylor so that she would agree to sign a release for her involvement in a Fox special.

On July 14 2006, the jury awarded Schaffel $900,000 of the original $3.8 million he sued Jackson for, which Schaffel later reduced to $1.6 million, and finally to $1.4 million. The jury also awarded Jackson $2,000 plus interest of the $660,000 that Jackson claimed he was owed by Schaffel. The trial revealed that Schaffel had been dismissed after Jackson learned of his past work as a director of gay pornography. Schaffel claimed that Jackson "once wanted him to go to Brazil to find boys for him to adopt. He later modified that statement to "children" to expand Jackson's family." Jackson's lawyer Thomas Mundell said that he had never heard the allegation during the pre-trial investigation and that "it was an effort to smear Mr Jackson with a remark that could be interpreted to hurt him in light of the case against him last year."

Prescient Acquisition Group

On July 31 2006, a federal judge allowed a $48 million claim against Jackson and one of Jackson's trusts (MJ Publishing Trust) for unpaid fees and breach of contract. Prescient Acquisition Group claimed the singer owed fees for the company's help in refinancing his debts and claiming a larger stake in a library of Beatles songs. All parties were ordered to reappear in court in September.

Lavely & Singer

In 2007 the high-profile L.A. firm Lavely & Singer sued Jackson in August to try and recoup what it says is more than $113,000 in unpaid fees.

Discography

Filmography

See also

• Best-selling music artist
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of best-selling remix albums worldwide
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of most expensive music videos
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of number-one hits (United States)

References

1. "Media go into MJ Overdrive". usatoday.com. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
2. "Michael Jackson's Biography". Fox News. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
3. Campbell, Lisa (1993). Michael Jackson: The King of pop. Branden. ISBN 082831957X.an example of the appellation "king of pop", Abdelnour, Mark (2004). Buying & Selling Music, Instruments, and Music Collectibles on Ebay. Thomson Course Technology. 159200504.indicates "MJ" as a well-recognized abbreviation,
4. "Michael Jackson: In a Class by Himself". bmi.com. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
5. "Michael Jackson". vh1.com. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
6. "Michael Jackson". msn.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
7. "Michael Jackson". real.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
8. "Why Are Michael Jackson's Fans So Devoted?". abcnews.com. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
9. "Jackson receives his World Records". Yahoo! News. November 14 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/biography
11. "History: 1970s". Michael Jackson's official website. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
12. "Jacko's Back!". MTV UK. November 16 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. "Grammy Winners Search". Grammy's official website. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
14. "The Return of the King of Pop". accesshollywood.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
15. CBS: Pop Icon Looks Back At A "Thriller" Of A Career In New Interview
16. YouTube
17. "Nobel Peace Prize: You Got A Shot?". CBS News. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
18. "Make or break for Michael Jackson". BBC. October 15 2001. Retrieved 2007-12-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. "The Rights Stuff". Snopes. 14 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
20. "Michael Jackson Bailout Said to Be Close". The New York Times. April 13 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
21. "Jackson strikes deal over loans". BBC News. April 14 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
22. "Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Plans". Fox News. October 17 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
23. "Workers Barred From Neverland". The Smoking Gun. March 9 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
24. "Demand of Payment of Wages and Penalties Under the Labor Code". The Smoking Gun. Retrieved 2006-11-11.
25. "Jackson Closes Neverland House". CNN. March 17 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
26. "Court hears Jackson's frantic phone messages". Daily Mail. July 6 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
27. "Michael Jackson ordered to pay $900,000". MSNBC. July 14 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
28. "Split Decision In Michael Jackson Trial". ABC7. July 15 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
29. "Jackson sent witness 'to adopt boys in Brazil'". Independent Online Edition. July 19 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
30. Reuters (August 1 2006). "News: NY lawsuit against Michael Jackson trust goes ahead". Michael Jackson The King of Pop. Retrieved 2006-11-11. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
31. "Jackson Ordered to Pay Attorneys' Legal Bills". E! News. October 15 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
32. "The Jackson TV Show". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
33. "The Simpsons: Stark Raving Dad". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-11-21.

Further reading

• Jackson, Michael (1988). Moonwalk. Doubleday. ISBN 0-434-37042-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Taraborrelli, J. Randy (1991). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 1-55972-064-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Jackson, Michael (1992). Dancing The Dream. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-40368-2. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Grant, Adrian (1994, 1997, 2002 and 2005). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-432-2. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Noonan, Damien (1994). Michael Jackson. Carlton Books. ISBN 1-85797-587-1. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Jackson, Michael (2006). My World, The Official Photobook, Vol. 1. Triumph International. ISBN 0-9768891-1-0. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• Sony's Official Michael Jackson website
• MJ Licensing, LLC. (Official Michael Jackson Licensing)
• Template:MySpace
• Michael Jackson at IMDb
• MJFC - Michael Jackson Fan Club
• Michael Jackson's UK Fan Club
• Michael Jackson at All Movie Guide
• Template:Amg
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page on Michael Jackson
• Songwriters' Hall of Fame page on Michael Jackson
• Template:Dmoz
• Michael Jackson's Family Tree
• Michael Jackson discography at Discogs
• Michael Jackson Collection

Template:Jackson siblings

Template:Persondata

• Jackson family
• Michael Jackson
• 1958 births
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• African-American singer-songwriters
• American choreographers
• American dance musicians
• American dancers
• American disco musicians
• American funk musicians
• American male singers
• American multi-instrumentalists
• American pop singers
• American record producers
• American rhythm and blues singers
• American rock singers
• American funk singers
• American soul singers
• BRIT Award winners
• Falsettos
• Former Jehovah's Witnesses
• Grammy Award winners
• Hollywood Walk of Fame
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• Jackson 5 members
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• Motown artists
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• Guinness World Record holders
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• People from Gary, Indiana
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees as a Performer
• UK Music Hall of Fame inductees
• Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
• Sony BMG artists