John Branca: We’re moving forward according to the will

Two weeks ago, John Branca, the head of the Michael Jackson Foundation, said in an interview that he is ignoring the Jackson family controversies and focusing on Michael Jackson’s legacy and the Foundation’s activities—which ultimately belong to Michael’s three children. John Branca’s name is mentioned in all four of Michael Jackson’s wills from 1995 to 2002. He says: "Michael had a will. We follow the will’s guidelines." He added: "When Michael passed away, he was about to go bankrupt. But now the future of his children is bright. Michael trusted us and put the future of his legacy, his children, and their mother in our hands. We’re proud that he had a good opinion of us; we’re filled with joy and excitement. We do this out of love. We love Michael." After Michael’s death, he had about four hundred million dollars in debt, and according to the Foundation’s trustees, most of that debt has been settled. This debt resulted from Michael’s battle to preserve his 50% stake in the Sony/ATV publishing company. He kept his share by taking out loans from various banks. That publishing company is now worth more than two billion dollars. Branca said that, in his view, the permanent Michael Jackson show that will reopen in Las Vegas on May 23 would delight the King of Pop. These shows will be staged as part of the continuation of the Michael Jackson Immortal Tour (Cirque du Soleil). "These shows will be very spectacular and completely different from concert-like Cirque performances." He avoided giving details, but from what he said it seems that the Immortal show venue in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas uses surround-sound techniques. "We have a lot of tricks up our sleeve. Each seat has a speaker, and we use the walls and ceiling to create an atmosphere that immerses the audience." Unlike a circus, these shows do not have live music, and they will use entirely Michael’s recorded remixes. Source: eMJey.com / AP