Michael Jackson Estate Threatens Legal Action Over Tribute Concert

'Michael Forever' concert rescinds invitation for Kiss to perform following complaints from estate and fans.
By Gil Kaufman


Michael Jackson in the video for "Hold My Hand"
Photo: Sony Music Entertainment

Several weeks after announcing their intention to celebrate the life of Michael Jackson with an all-star concert called "Michael Jackson Forever," the initial lineup for the October 8 show at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, was revealed last week.

According to promoters, the Michael Forever show is slated to feature such stars as Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Motown legend Smokey Robinson, in addition to less globally popular talents, including Alexandra Burke, Pixie Lott, Leona Lewis, JLS, Craig David, Alien Ant Farm and a pair of Jackson-related groups, 3T and the Jackson Brothers.

The one thing the event does not have, however, is the approval of Jackson's powerful estate, which had kept silent about the show put together by parents Joseph and Katherine Jackson, along with siblings Jackie, Tito, Marlon, LaToya and Rebbie. Brothers Jermaine and Randy have not been involved in the plans and have publicly objected to the event because it falls in the middle of the involuntary manslaughter trial of Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray.

On Tuesday (August 16) a spokesperson for the estate — which has handled all of Jackson's affairs since his 2009 death — confirmed that estate lawyer Howard Weitzman sent a letter to concert organizers last week raising some pointed questions about the show.

"I represent the Executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson. As the legal caretakers of Michael's intellectual property, we believe it is our duty to contact you directly regarding the growing number of questions that have been addressed to the Estate, as well as multiple concerns that have emerged in recent days," reads the letter.

After reminding organizers that the estate is the only entity that can sign off on the use of Jackson's image or his intellectual property — the concert's website is careful not to feature any images of the singer or samples of his music — the letter said the estate was "especially disappointed" by the announcement on Monday that greasepaint rockers Kiss have been added to the bill.

Specifically, the beef was that outspoken Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has made a number of disparaging comments about Jackson in the past. "It was extraordinarily embarrassing when no sooner had you announced this 'news' that [Simmons] would participate in your concert that TMZ posted an item noting that Mr. Simmons called Michael Jackson ... a child molester, notwithstanding the fact that Michael was acquitted by a jury," read the letter.

Jackson fansite MJ4Justice was flooded with negative comments about the addition of Kiss, announced on Monday by Katherine Jackson on CNN, and has called for a boycott of the show. The concert's Facebook page has also been inundated with concerns over the booking of Kiss.

And the complaints worked. On Tuesday, the concert's promoter, Global Live Events, canceled Kiss' "invitation" to appear in the show. "We have listened to Michael's fans and are grateful to have been alerted to these unfortunate statements by Gene Simmons," CEO Chris Hunt said in a statement. "Under the circumstances we fully agree that even though Kiss is a band Michael admired we have no choice but to rescind our invitation to them to appear in our tribute concert. We offer our sincerest apologies to Mrs. Jackson and the family for this oversight — our primary concern must be to do justice to Michael's memory, and to put on a tribute that the family and the fans will find suitable and fit for a King, our King of Pop."

The estate also expressed concerns about the promotion of the concert as a charity event, noting that it is using Jackson's "good name" to promote contributions, when the charitable element of the show is voluntary. "It appears from your interviews and from your website that none of the (approximately $90-$390) per person ticket price is committed to charitable causes," the letter states. The estate asked for clarity on to whom the charitable contributions are going , as well as an explanation of the small type clause that says that refunds will not be offered if "50% or more of the number of contracted artists attend and perform."

A spokesperson for the concert had not returned requests for comment about the donations at press time. Tickets are being distributed in lottery fashion, with fans asked to register for the chance to buy them in order to, "avoid the usual frantic rush and confusion when tickets for big events go on sale," according to the concert's website.

"Michael Jackson always made sure his fans were treated to concert experiences so spectacular that they would remember the evening for the rest of their lives," lawyer Weitzman concluded. "He always treated his fans with the utmost respect. In light of the questions raised above and the confusion surrounding this 'event,' we are extremely concerned about Michael's legacy, his fans and the public-at-large." The letter asks promoter Global Live to address those concerns and those of the singer's fans as soon as possible.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1669141/michael-jackson-tribute-concert-legal-action.jhtml

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'The Thing' Revealed In EXCLUSIVE New Clip!

FROM MTV MOVIES: It's a horror-movie question almost 30 years in the making: What the hell happened to the Norwegian researchers discovered toward the beginning of the 1982 John Carpenter cult fave "The Thing"? Kurt Russell and his crew do end up stumbling into some terrifying answers, but Carpenter's flick concentrates on the alien horrors the [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/09/07/the-thing-clip-exclusive/

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Michael Jackson's Family Upset With James Durbin Over 'American Idol' Pepsi Quip

'We were shocked to see this,' read the Jacksons' message; Durbin tweeted an apology on Thursday.
By Gil Kaufman


James Durbin performs on "American Idol" on Wednesday
Photo: Michael Becker/ Fox

Some people might argue that it's patently unfair to take rank amateurs, put them on the biggest show on TV and then expose them to potential worldwide ridicule every week. Because it's one thing to tune in to "American Idol" from your living room or play shows at the local wings joint, it's another thing entirely when you get up on that stage and open your mouth with tens of millions watching and listening.

James Durbin learned this lesson the hard way this week when he made what he thought was an innocent crack about not setting himself on fire during his pyro-tastic cover of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" on Wednesday night.

Asked by host Ryan Seacrest if he was worried about dancing around among the flames shooting up from the piano onstage, Durbin joked, "I have a lot of hairspray in my hair to keep it from jumping around — so much so, the one thing I was worried about was having a 'Pepsi moment.' "

The seemingly innocent crack was a reference to the 1984 on-set accident in which late pop icon Michael Jackson was badly burned during the shooting of a Pepsi commercial by some wayward pyro effects. The serious burns he suffered in the incident allegedly led to his longtime addiction to pain medication and prescription drugs.

The Jackson family was not amused by the quip and sent a statement to TMZ on Thursday.

"We were shocked to see this. It's nothing to make light of and everybody should be focusing on who was responsible for Michael's death," read the statement. Family patriarch Joseph Jackson also was reportedly miffed that "Idol" producers did not cut the comment from the West Coast feed of the show.

Durbin defended his slip-up in a tweet, which has since been scrubbed from the singer's official "Idol" Twitter feed, that explained, "For anyone talkin ... I said pepsi NOT MJ! I have no disrespect for Michael. I grew up singing his art. I guess youll take it how you want it." He later added, "Talkin about MJs passing is too soon. Making a reference to an incident 25 years ago..not too soon. The stab was at pepsi people."

It's worth noting that Pepsi's bitter rival, Coca-Cola, is the main "Idol" sponsor, a fact that Seacrest reminded Durbin of in an awkward moment after the comment on the show.

What did you think of James Durbin's "Pepsi" quip? Tell us in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661097/jackson-family-james-durbin-american-idol.jhtml

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'Sherlock Holmes' Villain Praises Nemesis Robert Downey Jr.

'Mad Men' star Jared Harris reveals how he'll live up to Professor Moriarty's rep in 'A Game of Shadows.'
By Josh Wigler


Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"
Photo: Daniel Smith

Every coin has two sides, every number an opposite. In the case of Sherlock Holmes, his other half is Professor Moriarty, the shadowy criminal mastermind who serves as the greatest threat to the world's greatest detective — quite a feat, really, considering that the character directly appeared in only two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories.

Click for exclusive photos from fall's biggest flicks.

But Moriarty is stepping out of the darkness and into the light when "Mad Men" actor Jared Harris fills out his villainous shoes, playing opposite Robert Downey Jr.'s Holmes in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," which arrives in theaters this holiday season. As MTV News' Fall Movie Preview continues, we spoke with Harris about what goes into portraying such an iconic (if often unseen) villain, and all the red herrings and moral ambiguity that come with the package.

MTV: Professor Moriarty is a character with great history in the "Sherlock Holmes" universe and beyond. What kind of research and preparation went into getting into the spirit of the character?

Jared Harris: Well, I tried to hatch some worldwide domination plots. [Laughs] What's interesting is that when he appears in the Sherlock Holmes books, he doesn't appear very much; he's talked about, but you don't see him very often. I thought a little bit about previous incarnations of him. But there were two things that were tricky about this: that convention of who that character was in the Sherlock Holmes stories, this sort of arch nemesis/supervillain. It's been borrowed so often that you can't just go back and do it the way it was, because it seems like a cliché or something. You're only one bad line away from stumbling into cliché in those sorts of things. So we thought about successful villains in other stories and how they operated.

MTV: You've played villains before. How do you make these characters relatable for you? With Moriarty specifically, were you able to dive into him and find a way to like this man?

Harris: You've got to enjoy your work, basically, and you need to have the character enjoy their work as well. I understand what you're saying. You can relate to the character, but it's difficult to always turn around and say you like a character as evil as that. But in my mind, the trick I've played with is, that quality in you and in all of us, when we like or dislike someone, there's a judgment and a moral value involved ... so I removed that from the equation. I don't feel that this guy had any sense of morality. He doesn't see things as right or wrong; he sees things as possible or not possible. From that point of view, the character was liberated and free to do anything.

MTV: Obviously we've already met Moriarty's equal number, Sherlock Holmes, in Guy Ritchie's first film. That version of the character certainly has brains, but he has some brawn to back it up, too. What's your Moriarty like? Is he a similarly multifaceted threat, or is it really his wit that's his sharpest weapon?

Harris: I can't give too much away. It's in keeping with the original version: It's a Guy Ritchie movie, so they haven't suddenly gone back and made a Basil Rathbone "Sherlock Holmes." It's all in keeping with that. But I can't give too much away. Whatever stuff is in the story that they're trying to keep secret until the time comes along, my feeling is it's their secret to blow, and when they feel like blowing it, then I'm free to talk about stuff. That in particular, there are some elements of what you're asking that definitely point to things they've said they'll keep close to their chests until we get closer to [the release date].

MTV: Very interesting! Maybe you can tackle this one a bit more openly — I imagine that most of your screen time is with ...

Harris: Robert, yes. I loved him in the first movie, and I have even more respect for him now. I found him to be very generous and attentive. He wants people around him to do their best work. Sometimes you run into these things where people aren't like that, maybe they're insecure. He's not insecure about talent at all. He wants other people to raise their game. I loved it. I really enjoyed working with him. I can't say enough highly about him. I think he's very special.

MTV: Fans are very eager to see the way you bring Moriarty to the big screen. There have been a lot of eyes on this character, from even before his brief appearance in Ritchie's first "Sherlock" movie. Do you feel any sort of pressure to live up to a certain expectation of this character?

Harris: I certainly didn't ignore that. There are a couple of ways we talked about how you handle that. But he's a very famous character, an infamous character. The man's name is really well known. But it's interesting, because like I said, he only actually appears in two Sherlock Holmes stories. The rest of the time his reputation is done wonders by Sherlock Holmes; he talks him up a great deal. You kind of want to play on that element. It's similar to ... a monster movie; the real thought of the monster movie is you don't reveal the whole shark until the very end of the story. You want to keep people guessing as much as you can, and not show too much, while throwing in a few red herrings and stuff like that. I have no idea, because I haven't seen it, how much it works. [Laughs] But you are very conscious about all that.

At the same time, it's a very different "Sherlock Holmes" film. It isn't a very traditional Sherlock Holmes story at all. It does maintain a truth to the spirit of the times and very much the idea of what we have of Sherlock Holmes and his stories as filtered through this Victorian ideal of how these people behaved and everything, but those were rough, rough, rough times. I wouldn't be surprised that if you went back in a time machine, you'd find that it's actually much closer to what Guy Ritchie is doing than what the Basil Rathbone ones were doing, where everyone's extremely polite with all their clothes pressed and everyone's clean all of the time. I would imagine that! I remember reading at school that Queen Victoria took a bath once every six months and that was considered outrageous, that she was very clean and she was overdoing it.

From "Abduction" to "Muppets, "Moneyball" to "Breaking Dawn," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.

Check out everything we've got on "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670319/sherlock-holmes-2-game-of-shadows-villain.jhtml

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Tower Heist' Director Hypes Eddie Murphy's 'Genius

Brett Ratner describes the long road to making the film and finally getting the chance to team up with Murphy, in our Fall Movie Preview.
By Josh Wigler


Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy in "Tower Heist"
Photo: Universal

Ralph Fiennes, Ian McKellan, Phillip Seymour Hoffman — these are just a few of the acting titans Brett Ratner has worked with over the course of his career. But as he told MTV News, the only time he's really had to pinch himself was his first day on the set of "Tower Heist" with Eddie Murphy (who has just signed on as the host of next year's Oscars, produced by Ratner.

Murphy is just one of the many all-stars in the cast of "Tower Heist," Ratner's upcoming heist comedy that centers on a New York City high-rise building's staff working together to rip off one of the residents, a wealthy businessman (Alan Alda) who lost all their pension funds in a Ponzi scheme. It's a heavier comedy than some might be anticipating, Ratner said, and it didn't come easily: The movie went through multiple incarnations over several years of development.

Now, with the "Heist" finally set to commence in November, MTV News' Fall Movie Preview continues with an exclusive look at the film and a chat with Ratner, who spoke about the project's difficult development process, working with Murphy and the dramatic weight this comedy carries.

Click for exclusive photos from Fall's biggest flicks.

MTV News: "Tower Heist" took a long time for you to pull off, but now we're finally weeks away from release. Can you walk us through a bit of the process you went through in setting this movie up?

Ratner: I was actually developing "Beverly Hills Cop [4]" with Eddie. He called me at my house one day and said, "I have an idea for a movie." He pitched me the idea of a bunch of guys who work in the Trump Tower going and ripping off Donald Trump. To the urban community, Donald represents wealth, and I thought it was such a good idea. We pitched it to Brian Grazer, who came on as a producer, and we sold it to Universal. But it became very difficult to crack. It became very similar to "Ocean's Eleven," just ripping off a rich guy for the sake of ripping off a rich guy. We went through a bunch of writers, just trying to crack it and crack it, and we couldn't crack it. Then this guy Ted Griffin, who I'd hired to write "Ocean's Eleven" before Steven Soderbergh did it — I'd been attached to it, but I never did it, and I missed my opportunity to work with Ted — I sent it to him and asked if he'd give me his opinion. He said, "I have good news and bad news. Good news: I'm going to write it for you. Bad news: I'm throwing the script away."

He came up with this pitch about a guy living in a building who does a Ponzi scheme and loses all of the employees' pension funds. We didn't know the economy was going to get f---ed up. This all just coincidentally happened. We weren't looking for [the Bernie Madoff connection], but we loved the idea, and we just had to do it. Ted wrote an incredible heist movie that's reminiscent of the '70s heists, which spend the first 40 minutes setting up the characters, which are different from the heist movies of today that tend to start with these big set pieces.

MTV News: Was Eddie still involved at this point, or had the idea moved so far away from what he initially imagined?

Ratner: Well, Eddie's original idea was he'd do the movie with Dave Chapelle, Jamie Foxx, Chris Tucker, Chris Rock — all these guys together. [When Ben Stiller came onboard], Ben and I were talking about who we could get to play [the movie's co-lead]. He went, "Wouldn't it be the most incredible thing to have Eddie Murphy?" And I told him that this movie actually was Eddie's idea. And he was like: "What? We gotta go to Eddie!"

But I didn't know if Eddie wanted to do it anymore, because [his character] wasn't the lead anymore. It was his idea to be the manager of the building, but there was always a character from the 'hood who'd go out and help with the heist. It was a completely different script. I didn't expect Eddie to [be onboard], but I showed him the script and he said, "I'm in."

MTV News: You and Eddie had been planning to work on "Beverly Hills Cop 4" for a while, but obviously, this movie came first. What was it like getting to finally work together on set?

Ratner: You know, I've been around some big stars, some of the greatest actors who've ever lived. The only time I ever really had to pinch myself was the first day of shooting with Eddie Murphy. [Laughs.] This guy is a genius! He delivers the lines on point, and he brings so much. He'll give me what's on the page, and then he'll give me stuff ... for instance, the scene in the trailer with him and Gabby Sidibe, that was completely improvised. I just had the idea last minute to put those two together, having her show him how to crack the safe. It was supposed to be one shot, and then I told Gabby that she should flirt with Eddie and see what happens. [Laughs.] And, oh my god, it was just incredible. It was genius! The outtakes of that are going to be some of the funniest outtakes in the history of outtakes. There's stuff I can't even put in the movie of them just going at it.

For me, this cast, it was like a dream come true: Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick and all these actors ... I was 12 when Matthew was the coolest movie star in the world, so directing him was like the ultimate.

MTV News: It's interesting, because the film does have such a hilarious cast of actors and comedians, but when looking at the "Tower Heist" trailer, this doesn't feel like an out-and-out comedy.

Ratner: It's heavier. There are scenes in this movie that would never be in "Ocean's Eleven," and that's what I loved about it. It's like one of these '70s cool movies where there are real stakes. And I really learned that from watching Eddie Murphy movies as a kid: great, real villains with real stakes, real drama, and Eddie does his thing. Eddie's funny in the movie, but everyone is very real. It's funny you bring it up: Eddie's always said that his comedy comes from the characters and the situations they're in.

You know, I kind of feel like "Rush Hour" and all my movies were really preparation for this movie, really. To me, as a filmmaker, I feel like I've done my best work. I took all my experiences of working with an ensemble like I did on "X-Men," of doing comedy like "Rush Hour," suspense like "Red Dragon" and brought it to "Tower Heist." Growing up being a fan of Eddie's, and later being a friend of Ben Stiller's, it felt like I just knew what this movie needed to be. I'm hoping people come wanting more than just a comedy, which is what's great about it. There's funny sh-- and people are going to have a great time with it, but people need to care about these characters and get invested. It's not a false thing. You get to know each of these characters; they just all pulled it off. They have such individuality.

From "Abduction" to "Muppets, "Moneyball" to "Breaking Dawn," the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films' biggest stars.

Check out everything we've got on "Tower Heist."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Related Videos Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670265/tower-heist-eddie-murphy.jhtml

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Jessica Simpson Denies Breast Reduction, Loves Her Boobies

Jessica Simpson Denies Breast Reduction, Loves Her Boobies

It seems that Jessica Simpson will never get away from the media's endless body scrutiny -- but at least she has a sense of humor about it! This week, In Touch and The Sun reported that the singer was planning to get her breasts reduced, in order to look slimmer for her upcoming wedding to football player Eric Johnson. On Wednesday, Simpson, 31, took to Twitter to assure everyone that her double-Ds have indeed been invited to the wedding.

"Been getting lots of questions about this alleged breast reduction," Simpson wrote. "Not to worry...I LOVE MY BOOBIES!! They aren't going anywhere!"

Simpson then proceeded to trade jokes about the rumor with her friend and publicist Lauren Auslander. "Breast assured everyone!" tweeted Auslander. "IT's UDDERly not true!" added Simpson.

The report may be false, but it didn't exactly come out of nowhere. While promoting her VH1 show The Price of Beauty last year, the pop star mentioned that she'd like her top and bottom halves to be better balanced.

"I have a white girl booty. I don't have a big butt," she told Closer magazine. "I'd rather have a happy medium and take some off my chest and put it towards my butt so I could balance out a bit."

Given all of her efforts to promote healthy body image, it's nice to know that Simpson isn't rushing off to get that breast reduction (or butt enhancement) just to look more like a Kardashian. That famous décolletage has certainly been an asset to her career -- and we're sure the right designer will create a wedding dress that makes all her curves look fabulous!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/jessica-simpson-denies-breast-reduction-loves-her-boobies/1-a-380489

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Anne Hathaway at ?The White Fairy Tale Love Ball?

Anne Hathaway

On Wednesday night (July 6), Anne Hathaway dazzled at 'The White Fairy Tale Love Ball' at Chateau de Wideville in Crespieres, France. Looking princess-like as she stepped out for a good cause. As for the cause, The Naked Heart Foundation has a stated mission "to provide a safe and inspiring environment in which to play for every child living in urban Russia." The praiseworthy effort actually just launched a new program based on the principle that: ?Every Child Deserves to have a Family? - which supports the implementation of new and development of existing family support centers. [gallery=761]

Source: http://www.celebritygossiphollywood.com/celebrities/anne-hathaway/anne-hathaway-at-the-white-fairy-tale-love-ball/

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