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.
[50th anniversary celebration of the opening of American Bandstand]
On April 24, 2002, Michael's campaign committee shook the United States.
With a rare performance, Michael encouraged American citizens to vote for the American Democratic Party's committee.
Michael performed the songs «Black Or White», «Dangerous», and «Heal The World» in front of an eager crowd that had gathered in the Apollo Hall in New York.
[In the Apollo Hall]
Like in his youth, Michael performed for the audience present in the hall. Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Stevie Wonder were among the other performers.
The pop superstar, along with Bill Clinton, the former Democratic president of the United States, and singers Tony Bennett and K.D. Lang, took the stage in an event that raised three million dollars for the Democratic Party.
At this event, comedian Chris Tucker and actress Slyly Tayson were also present. One thousand four hundred people paid five thousand dollars each to watch these artists perform. This money was allocated for the promotional activities of the Democratic Party committee named ”Not Even One Vote Counts”.
Bill Clinton introduced Michael as ”one of the most prominent showmen in the history of America”. But contrary to what many hoped, Michael did not accompany his performance with playing the saxophone.
Some time later, Michael's silence about the grudge he held against Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony's distribution company, for not promoting his serious album, «Invincible», was broken.
In the text printed in the English newspaper Mirror, it said:
”During his twenty-four years of solo activity, Michael Jackson, together with Sony, has sold more than one hundred and twenty million albums around the world.
But now Tommy Mottola, the head of one of Sony's distribution companies, is accusing him of having harmed his career, by not releasing the singles of his new album, «Invincible», which could have helped the album sell worldwide, by preventing the promotion of the album «Invincible», during the broadcast of a highly watched program on one of the United States television networks related to his career, and by sabotaging possible plans in order to sign highly profitable contracts between him and another recording company, thus deliberately damaging his career.
Jackson told his close friends that he was disgusted by the way he had been treated.“
A friend said: ”Michael wants to leave Sony and believes that some influential people in this company hope they can force him to pay compensation for this lack of loyalty. By stopping all promotion for the album «Invincible», Sony prevented Michael from releasing the singles from this album. And by doing this, they intentionally harmed his career. Jackson is very angry at Mottola and any working relationship between the two has been ended. They are the most powerful men in the music industry and now they have gone to war with each other.“
The low sales of «Invincible», the seventh Michael album for Sony, caused by the lack of promotion for the album, has ignited this war that had remained hidden until now.
Michael believes that the reason for this grudge is his business cleverness, which results in him owning 50% of the company's income even after leaving Sony.
In 1995, Michael shared with Sony the rights to more than one thousand songs, along with 251 songs from the Beatles group. Sony and Jackson shared, fifty-fifty, in the income from the publishing of these songs. Of course, this does not include Michael's albums. (Michael fully owns the publishing rights to his songs.)
With the album «Invincible» and a collection of his greatest hits that will be released later, he is fulfilling his commitment to Sony. And now he intends to leave Sony. While he is still benefiting from this company.
A gossip source said: ”Tommy Mottola is very angry. Michael believes that Mottola wants to make sure that all the money and time Michael spent over three years on «Invincible» is completely wasted.“
Michael views this matter as a punishment for him for acting more cleverly toward a company that is itself entangled in financial problems.
He held two concerts at Madison Square Garden, and the tickets for both sold out within five hours, generating twelve million dollars in revenue. These two concerts were broadcast in a special program on the C.B.S. network last November and, with a record-breaking audience, were watched by 26 million viewers. It was the most-watched program in the history of this network.
Sources claimed that despite Michael's requests, his recording company prevented the placement of promotional messages for the album «Invincible» among the television broadcast of his concert (the 30th anniversary of his solo artistic career).
A source said: ”That was foolish. This was the best opportunity to sell the album to a very large number of television viewers.“
Sony claimed that the C.B.S. had no empty slots for this promotion. Jackson raised the request to rebroadcast this concert in January. But they announced that they did not have any empty slots available to air it. When the television program is Michael Jackson's concert, such a thing seems strange.
To help the victims of the September 11 attacks, Michael had recorded a song featuring many stars such as Ricky Martin, Destiny's Child, Shakira, Celine Dion, and Gloria Estefan. But despite the song's enormous commercial power, Sony ultimately refused to release it, to Michael's surprise.
The source added: ”The song was intended to raise financial aid for charitable causes. And many stars participated in it, so without a doubt, the song would have been successful.“
Michael suggested to Sony the production of a PlayStation game, which would certainly have been well received.
He also suggested that they let him participate in their film projects for free, and only for promotional purposes. Both of these suggestions were rejected by Sony.
The album «History», released in 1995, was the best-selling double album up to that time. During his «History» tour around the world, he sold out all tickets. In addition to the concerts he had held for three nights at the Dublin and Wembley stadiums.
Then, in 1997, he released the album «Blood On The Dance Floor», which was a mixed album. Despite media criticism, this album became the best-selling mixed album in music history.
In late March, Sony removed the album «Invincible» from its preliminary list of international products. In comparison, his previous album, «History», remained on this list even after two years from its release.
A source said: ”Even if Michael leaves Sony today, he would still earn half of the income that many of their artists bring into this company. For them, it is difficult to accept that Michael is smarter in this matter. For revenge, they try to make it difficult for Michael to sign contracts with other companies as much as possible. Low album sales, the lack of promotion for the album, and the anger that arises among fans all prevent Michael's ambitions. Many fans think that Michael is no longer interested in music and intends to set aside this profession.“
Even when Michael started working on «Invincible» last year, he worked around the clock to make the album a success. He even paid for album signings in a passage in New York, and thousands of fans met him there; he had never done this before. What has happened cannot be the result of simple indifference.
Only five years ago, Michael was at the peak of pop music worldwide and sold millions of music records. He is still considered the most talented and most intelligent artist in the world by the music industry.
Music companies are still working hard to sign a contract with him, and he is currently receiving high offers from several companies. Before Michael signs a contract with a company, it is only a matter of time. And he intends to overcome this problem.
Despite the rumors made about Michael, he is still determined to maintain his high position in the music industry. Michael believes that he is still a powerful figure in music and that all the events that have happened so far indicate this reality.
But because the album «Invincible» fell from the top of the best-seller charts very quickly, many infer that he does not have the magic power of the past. However, it is difficult to understand why this album disappeared without leaving any trace.
On June 15, 2002, Michael attended a protest that fans had organized against Sony in the city of London. This unprecedented protest took place in front of Sony's European representative office on Marlborough Street in central London.
Michael Jackson, while standing on the upper deck of a military double-decker bus, surprisingly appeared at this protest.
[Protest in London]
A little later, on the same day, at the celebration of his fan club, MJNI (MJNI), whose headquarters is in England, he spoke openly about Sony:
”I want to thank all the talented and amazing people who performed at this celebration. If you perform music, I dance too. [He refers to the performance Ernest Valentino put on]. I want to thank him for his incredible performance. I think the performance by Brighton McClure was also amazing. He is also an incredible singer.
Anyway, first of all, I wanted to say that I really don't like talking too much. I really don't. I prefer to perform rather than talk.
I really want you to know what I'm saying.
The stories of great performers, from Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown to Jackie Wilson, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly, have always been the same. The story is always one. Although these people really work hard, they are criticized unfairly. This story ends in the same way every time. They are usually very tired, injured, and often sad. Because the companies use them. They really do this.
I have made billions of dollars for Sony. They truly thought that all my thoughts and concerns are music and dance. Often, that's the case, but they never thought that one day I might take them out of my mind.
So we cannot allow them to freely do what they want. Because now I am in control and I only owe Sony one more album. Which is a collection of songs plus two new songs that I wrote a long time ago. For every album I made for Sony – without exaggeration, honestly, I'm telling the truth – I wrote at least one hundred and twenty songs for each one. So I can give them that collection of songs and both of the new songs they want, to them.
So I am leaving Sony. Now I am in control and I own half of the income of Sony's recording and distribution company, and I intend to leave them. And they are very angry with me because I only did something clever in my work, you know.
So by trying to ruin my album, they are trying to take revenge on me. But I have always said, you know, art – great art – never dies.
And Tommy Mottola is a devil. I shouldn't say this, but I have to let you know about it... [He gestures to the crowd] Please don't record what I want to say. Okay? Please turn off (your cameras)... [He pauses and changes his mind]. Record it, record it. I don't care.
Mariah Carey came to me crying after she separated from Tommy Mottola. She was crying. She cried so intensely that I had to hold her in my arms. She told me: ”He is a devilish man. Michael, he is stalking me.“ She records her phone conversations and he is truly devilish. Mariah doesn't trust him.
We have to keep fighting until we defeat him. We cannot allow him to do the same thing to great artists. We cannot.
I just wanted you to know that I appreciate everything you have done. You have been amazing. You have been very loyal to me. [He looks carefully at the crowd]. Diana, Waldo, all of you, everyone who is here, I love you. You are amazing. I love you. But still, but still I promise you that the best is on the way.“
On July 3, 2002, the film «Men in Black 2» surprised audiences with Michael's brief 24-second appearance in the film during its first public screening in theaters.
Both critics and general audiences praised Michael's performance in this film.
Three days later, on July 6, Michael spoke about Mottola in front of a crowd of three hundred and fifty people who had gathered inside the headquarters of the National Sharp-ton Network in the Harlem area of New York City:
”He is a racist and a very, very, very devilish person.“
Musical artists, producers, and executive managers, including Michael Jackson, called for better treatment of black artists by recording companies in this protest. Michael spoke at the headquarters of the National Sharp-ton Network. But before he could be asked a question about his attack on Mottola, he got into his limousine and left.
Following this protest, Michael received the ”30th Anniversary of His Solo Artistic Career“ award from them at a ceremony hosted by his fans.
After that, Michael, along with one hundred and fifty people, showed his protest in front of Sony's headquarters in New York.
[In New York]
On August 23, 2002, People magazine officially reported that Michael had become a father again. The magazine said that Michael currently has a six-month-old son whom he calls Prince Michael II. The details of Prince Michael II's mother remained hidden.
The news also announced that Michael's second son was carried and born by a surrogate mother.
On August 29, 2002, it was reported that Michael provided backing vocals on Monika's new album titled «All Eyes On Me».
On the same day, on Michael's birthday, the King of Pop was named ”Millennium Artist“ at the annual MTV Music Video Awards ceremony in New York City. Britney Spears presented this award to him.
[Michael – Britney Spears]
At this ceremony, Michael said: ”When I was a little boy and growing up in Indiana, if someone had told me that one day I would receive the ”Millennium Artist“ award, I would never have believed it.“
[MTV ceremony]
On September 8, 2002, Michael Jackson delivered his message of condolence to the people of that country on an audio tape, because of the devastating flood that had afflicted the people of Germany.
Michael's message was as follows:
”To the people of Germany,
I offer you my deepest concerns, my heartfelt and sincere condolences. You are not alone. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Remember that God is with you and believe in the truth that this too will pass. All my love and thoughts are for you. I love you forever. Thank you.“
Michael invited a German family, along with their four children, to Las Vegas so they could spend the weekend with him. This family was one of many families who had lost their entire lives due to the flood.
In addition, he personally auctioned off items to help the victims of this incident in Las Vegas.
[In Las Vegas]
On November 2, 2002, Mikhail Gorbachev awarded Michael the ”World Arts Award“. Of course, Michael did not attend the ceremony.
[World Arts Award]
Michael's recorded message was as follows:
”Honored guests, Mr. Gorbachev
Being selected by Mr. Gorbachev and the awards committee to receive the ”World Arts Award“ for 2002 is a great honor for me. This year's World Arts Awards slogan is peace and tolerance. These values are very dear to me. In my heart and mind, I unite with you for peace, love, and tolerance for the world.
I would like to thank Mr. Gunter Stamm and George Kaindel and President Gorbachev. I love you very much and I thank you very much.“
On November 13, 2002, Michael was placed in the witness stand at the Santa Maria –