Year 2002
On January 10, 2002, as had been reported, the King of Pop attended the 29th Annual American Music Awards ceremony and received the ”Artist of the Century“ award.
Michael walked onto the stage to the standing ovations of the audience and thanked a long list of people, including Marlon Brando, who called him ”his other father“, and then left the stage.
[Michael at the American Music Awards ceremony]
Artists who perform at the American Music Awards ceremony are usually not invited to attend the more prestigious Grammy Awards. For this reason, Michael did not perform at this event.
At first, Michael intended to skip the American Music Awards ceremony altogether, so that this would encourage the event producer, Dick Clark, to file a ten-million-dollar lawsuit against Michael Green, the person responsible for the Grammy Awards, for this unfair competition.
On January 17, 2002, it was reported that the new Brandy song titled «It's Not Worth It» from the album «Full Moon», with Michael's backing vocals, would be released on March 5 of that year.
On February 9, 2002, Michael, along with Elizabeth Taylor, attended the ”Art for AIDS” charity exhibition, which was held to raise financial aid for patients with AIDS and took place at the Laguna Art Museum on Laguna Beach – California.
[Michael at the Art for AIDS charity exhibition]
At the beginning of the ceremony, commemorative T-shirts signed by various stars, including Michael, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Ringo Starr, Sharon Stone, and Halle Berry, were auctioned off.
The T-shirt that Michael had signed twice sold for the astonishing price of seven hundred dollars, which was above the average.
Michael and Elizabeth arrived late, and their entrance was accompanied by the playing of the song «Elizabeth I Love You» (Michael had written this song for Elizabeth and had performed it at her 75th birthday celebration in 1977). The two then made a brief appearance at a private dinner ceremony, which was also held to raise funds by selling each dinner plate for two thousand five hundred dollars.
On February 11, 2002, Michael was nominated for Best Rock & Blues/Soul Album for the album «Invincible» at the 16th Annual Soul Train Music Awards.
On February 13, it was announced that Michael Jackson, Sting, Barry Manilow, and Randy Newman are among those who will be introduced as top songwriters at the 33rd Annual Hall of Fame ceremony, which will be held in June, and then will attend the dinner ceremony at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan New York.
Songwriters whose professional career is at least twenty years old and who have written meaningful songs are placed on a list that everyone wishes to be on, and are introduced at this ceremony.
On February 23, 2002, at the 33rd Annual N.A.A.C.P. Music Awards ceremony held at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, Michael won three of the six awards he had been nominated for. However, he did not attend the ceremony.
Michael won awards in the following categories:
Best Television Show: Michael Jackson – The 30th Anniversary of His Solo Artistic Career
Best Performance in a Television Show: Michael Jackson – The 30th Anniversary of His Solo Artistic Career
Best Music Video: You Rock My World
On February 26, 2002, Norland Entertainment, the company owned by Michael, invested between fifteen and twenty million dollars in the global production and distribution company Mark Damon, named E.M.D.P. As a result, Michael and his new co-producer, Rajoo Patel, held the highest shares in this company.
Michael, along with his longtime friend Elizabeth Taylor and Brett Ratner, attended the ceremony set up for the signing of this contract. Until his arrival, it was not clear whether Michael would attend the ceremony or not. But suddenly, arm in arm with Elizabeth, he came out of a nearby living room and entered the dinner tent while receiving the audience's standing ovations.
When he took his place on the stage, on chairs that looked like royal thrones, Michael stood behind the microphone and explained his decision to invest in the E.M.D.P. company and enter the world of independent filmmaking.
Michael said: ”I have big dreams. Everything I have achieved started with a dream. And among all my dreams, I am most excited about this one.
A painter paints. A sculptor makes sculptures. But they only make a small image of life the subject of their work. However, films are a medium. You can live with the characters of a story. You suffer alongside the characters. You laugh alongside the characters. You become disappointed alongside the characters. This is the most artistic work. It is a medium that is more influential than the rest. I am proud of the work we do. And I promise you great and wonderful things.“
After this speech, the King of Pop, known for his shyness, explained more about his new project, the Norland film company, in an interview.
He said that in all aspects of the company's activities, such as reading the screenplay, selecting actors, and directing, he would be involved.
Michael said: ”I have a lot to say in films.“
While revealing that his favorite film is «To Kill A Mockingbird», he added: ”I do whatever it takes. Whether behind the camera or in front of the camera. I love this work.“
On March 16, 2002, Michael, along with Elizabeth Taylor, attended the grand wedding celebration of Lisa Minelli and David Gest.
Elizabeth Taylor and Marcia Brandson, the actress, accompanied the bride, and Michael, Tito, Michael's brother, and David Gest's childhood friends, were the groomsmen of the groom.
[Wedding ceremony]
The wedding ceremony was held at the 147-year-old Marble Collegiate Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It was the first marriage of 48-year-old David Gest, the organizer of Michael's concert at Madison Square Garden. And Lisa Minelli was getting married for the fourth time.
Among the two hundred guests at this celebration were Diana Ross, Patricia Neal, Luther Vandross, Lauren Bacall, Carol Channing, Elton John, Gene Simmons, Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Anthony Hopkins, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and billionaire Donald Trump.
On March 29, 2002, it was reported that Michael would perform at a two-hour television celebration, the special event marking the 50th anniversary of the opening of American Bandstand, the famous American television show held in Pasadena – California. The program will be broadcast on May 3 on the E.B.C. network.
A little later, on April 11, another report about Michael's performance was released: ”Michael will perform at a ceremony titled "Not Even One Vote Counts", which will be held on April 24 at the Apollo Theater in the Harlem area of New York City, in order to raise financial aid for the promotional programs of the American Democratic Party.“
On April 21, as promised, Michael attended the 50th anniversary celebration of the opening of American Bandstand and performed the song «Dangerous» twice. This show will be broadcast on May 5, 2002, on the E.B.C. network.
Dick Clark, the producer of this event, told the audience that Michael, his close friend, was not satisfied with his performance and intends to repeat it.
[50th anniversary celebration of the opening of American Bandstand]
On his way into the hall, Michael stood to meet his devoted fans who had gathered to show their support for him.