All the Los Angeles Times Jackson v AEG News Stories Thread

[Admin]

First topic message reminder :

All the Los Angeles Times articles will be posted in this thread now-Here is the link to the update page: AEG-Michael Jackson wrongful death trial:

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Family tried to get Jackson to stop taking drugs, detective says
By Corina Knoll

May 2, 2013

This post has been corrected. See note at bottom for details.

Michael Jackson’s family tried over and over to talk with the pop singer about his drug abuse and attempted one intervention at his Neverland retreat, a Los Angeles police detective who interviewed Michael Jackson’s mother testified Thursday.

Det. Orlando Martinez said that when he interviewed Katherine Jackson on Dec. 9, 2009 — months after Jackson’s death — she told him she had never met nor known about Dr. Conrad Murray until her son died. Murray, who gave the singer a lethal dose of propofol, is now serving a jail sentence for involuntary manslaughter.

The detective, under questioning from the attorney representing the Jackson family in a wrongful death case against concert promoter AEG, also verified that he wrote the following summary about that discussion:

“Mrs. Jackson stated that she last spoke with Michael at his residence on Carolwood approximately one and a half weeks prior to his death. When asked if Mrs. Jackson had ever met Dr. Murray she stated that she had not and didn’t even know who he was until after Michael’s death.

“Mrs. Jackson was asked if she or any other family members ever attempted to do an intervention with Michael as it relates to painkillers or any other drugs. She stated that there had been one attempted intervention at Neverland on behalf of Janet, however Michael didn’t want to participate.

“Mrs. Jackson stated that she had been informed Michael had been taking drugs, however she had no idea which drugs, and she had never seen Michael take any drugs. Mrs. Jackson stated that the family attempted several times to help Michael however he would have nothing to do with it. She further stated that she had asked Michael if he was taking any drugs and Michael denied it.

“When asked if Michael had any chronic medical conditions that she was aware of, Mrs. Jackson stated that he had problems sleeping and that his back frequently bothered him. She stated she thought the back pain was a result of falling off of a stage during a performance.”

Katherine Jackson has been present at the trial since it began Monday, stepping out of the courtroom only when a paramedic described finding the singer on his bed.

Jackson’s mother and the singer's three children are accusing the entertainment company of pushing the singer beyond his physical abilities and of negligently hiring and controlling Murray, who gave Jackson a fatal dose of propofol.

On Thursday, defense attorneys objected to Katherine Jackson being accompanied by her daughter Rebbie, who, like many of her siblings, is on the witness list.

Judge Yvette Palazuelos overruled the objection. “I think Mrs. Jackson should have at least one support person in the courtroom,” the judge said.

For the record, 4:15 p.m., May 2: An earlier version of this post said that Katherine Jackson and her three children sued AEG. Katherine Jackson and Michael Jackson's three children sued AEG.

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

Michael Jackson called 'the freak' in email from top AEG lawyer

By Jeff Gottlieb and Corina Knoll
May 23, 2013

An email shown to the jury in the Michael Jackson wrongful-death lawsuit revealed the top attorney for AEG called the pop star "the freak" before he signed multimillion-dollar contracts for his London concerts.

The email was shown to the jury during the third day of testimony by Shawn Trell, general counsel and senior vice president for Anschutz Entertainment Group.

Jackson attorney Brian Panish asked Trell about his visit to the singer's house to sign the contracts. "It was exciting to meet Michael Jackson," he said.

Panish built toward a climax, asking Trell if it were company policy to speak in derogatory terms about an artist it was about to sign to a huge deal.

"I may not have necessarily agreed with some of the life choices Michael Jackson made," Trell said, "but I certainly had enormous respect for him as an entertainer."

Panish asked Trell, "Did Mr. Fikre say to you that Michael Jackson was a freak?" a reference to Ted Fikre, chief legal and development officer and a member of the board of parent company AEG, before slowly unraveling the emails.

The email chain starts Jan 28, 2009, with AEG Live executive Paul Gongaware writing to Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live: "MJ still on today?"

Phillips emails back. "Yes. 5 p.m. 100 Carolwood Dr. You and Shawn should be there," referring to Trell.

Trell forwarded the email to Fikre, who replied two minutes later: "Does this mean you get to meet the freak?"

Trell replies: "Apparently. Not sure how I feel about that. Interesting for sure, but kind of creepy."

Panish then scolded Trell as he sat in the witness box: "Didn't your mother ever tell you if you don't have anything good to say about someone not to say it?"

Asked outside court about the email, Jessica Stebbins Bina, an attorney representing AEG, replied, "I think it speaks for itself."

The Jacksons are suing AEG, contending the company negligently hired and supervised Conrad Murray, the doctor who administered a fatal dose of propofol to Jackson in June 2009. AEG says that Jackson hired Murray and that any money the entertainment company was supposed to pay the doctor was an advance to the singer.

Murray is in jail after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Earlier in the day, Trell testified that he had been told that Jackson passed a medical exam for an insurance policy "with flying colors" a few months before his death. A second insurance exam had been scheduled for July 6, 2009 -- about two weeks after Jackson died.

The exams were necessary so AEG could buy cancellation insurance for Jackson's "This Is It" concerts.

Cancellation insurance, Trell said, is a typical way to recoup advances made to an artist when an event falls through. According to its contract with Jackson, AEG had advanced the singer close to $30 million.

Insurance carriers, however, were "skittish" due to tabloid reports about Jackson's health, Trell said. Stebbins Bina said their concerns did not include drugs, painkillers, alcohol or sleep disorders.

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[midangerous]

This really angers me!

[corlista]

"Does this mean you get to meet the freak?"

WTH??! I almost couldn't believe my eyes!! I just kept staring at that statement like I couldn't comprehend it. Every day AEG gives me another reason to despise their irresponsible, disgusting, lying, manipulative, arrogant as*ses. I can only imagine what a wormy little prick this Fikre is.

(Sorry - can't help myself! I'm so angry! Am I going to get banned???)

[MJ Mod]

@corlista

Of course you're not going to get banned. We all agree, some really terrible things have been said lately and it is extremely aggravating

[Admin]

I cannot stand that liar Trell either!! Keep it up Trell-you are sinking faster with every word!

Oh yeah-screw you too Palazuelos!

See Corlista - we can go at these jerkoffs - it's OK!

[corlista]

Thanks all. At least you assuaged my meltdown...a little.

WHO ARE these animals?? The revelations of what they did to Michael and how cold and contemptible they were towards him gets worse every day. To make it even worse I (stupidly) just went on several sites listed in the Yahoo alerts and this "freak" headline has brought the haters out like a tsunami. I never cease to be astounded by how cruel people can be.

[Admin]

I am receiving messages about so called "MJ fans" dissing the family and saying why get so hopped up about this "freak" comment when the J-Fam has said worse about MJ in the past! WTF is that? Who the hell do these REAL FREAKS (the fakes calling themselves MJ fans) think they are!? Honestly this is worse than the non MJ fan hater types that just bash to incite!!

[midangerous]

I think it hurts more when so called MJ fans are doing this!

[midangerous]

AEG exec testifies he knew Michael Jackson was taking painkillers


By Corina Knoll

May 28, 2013, 11:49 a.m.

A high-ranking AEG executive testified Tuesday that he had known for years that Michael Jackson was taking painkillers but wasn’t aware he was abusing them until the pop singer abruptly canceled his Dangerous world tour in the early 1990s to enter rehab.

Paul Gongaware, the co-chief executive of AEG Live’s touring division Concerts West, testified that although he was the manager of the Dangerous tour and knew Jackson was being given painkillers, he didn’t know how serious the problem was until the singer made a public announcement during the tour about his decision to check into rehab.

Gongaware is a defendant along with AEG in a wrongful death suit filed by Jackson’s mother and three children that accuses the concert promotion company of negligently hiring and controlling Dr. Conrad Murray, who gave the singer a fatal dose of the surgical anesthetic propofol and is now serving jail time for involuntary manslaughter.

Leaning back casually in his chair as he answered questions from the Jackson family attorney, Gongaware said he knew a doctor was medicating Jackson during the Dangerous tour but did not find out why the tour was eventually cut short.

“Didn’t have time,” Gongaware said. “I was just dealing with what was in front of me.”

Gongaware, expected to be on the stand for several days, began working at Concerts West about 1976, before it was a subsidiary of AEG Live. He worked on Elvis Presley’s final tour, which ended with the performer’s death.

“So you knew what to expect when Michael Jackson passed away, is that right, sir?” Brian Panish asked.

“I kind of knew what was going to happen, yes,” Gongaware answered.

Before Tuesday's court session began, the appearance of Janet Jackson sent a murmur through the small crowd gathered in the hallway. The singer hugged her mother, Katherine, as fans watched and called out, “Janet, you’re beautiful.”

Attorneys for AEG objected to the high-profile performer sitting inside the courtroom along with her sister Rebbie.

Judge Yvette Palazuelos ruled earlier that Katherine Jackson — who has attended nearly every day since the trial began four weeks ago — is allowed only one supporter at the trial since most of her family members are on the witness list.

Palazuelos said the issue would be addressed later.

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

Michael Jackson case: 'We need to pull the plug now,' says AEG email

By Jeff Gottlieb
May 28, 2013

Three months before Michael Jackson died, a top executive of concert promoter AEG Live wrote an email to another company executive saying, "We need to pull the plug now. I will explain."

The email was sent on March 25, 2009, and was from Randy Phillips to Paul Gongaware, who took the stand Tuesday in what is expected to be the first of several days of testimony.

Gongaware denied that the email was a reference to calling off Jackson’s "This Is It" concerts in London but instead was pointed at "pulling the plug on Karen Faye," the singer's hairstylist, makeup artist and longtime friend who had expressed fears about Jackson's poor health.

"We never talked about pulling the plug on the Michael Jackson tour, not that I recall.” said Gongaware, co-chief executive of AEG Live's touring division.

Faye testified earlier in the trial that she told tour director Kenny Ortega in June that she was worried Jackson would die.

In another March 25, 2009, email, Ortega wrote Gongaware that it was Faye's "strong opinion that this is dangerous and impractical with consideration to MJ's health and ability to perform." The singer died June 25, 2009, as he was rehearsing for the tour.

The email, shown to the jury in the wrongful-death suit filed by Jackson's mother and children, raises questions about how early people began sending out warnings about Jackson's health.

"I think Kenny wanted to pull the plug on her because of the way she handled the situation," Gongaware testified about Faye. "She tried to control access to Michael Jackson, and Kenny didn’t like that.”

In other emails shown to the jury, Gongaware denigrated Jackson's work ethic. He told his assistant to change the colors of a calendar so the singer would think he had more days off.

"Figure it out so it looks like he's not working so much," Gongaware wrote.

Another email, Gongaware said, was about the need for Jackson to appear at a news conference in London announcing the concerts.

"We cannot be forced into stopping this, which MJ will try to do because he is lazy and constantly changes his mind to fit his immediate wants,” he wrote.

Explaining the email, Gongaware testified that Jackson "really didn’t like to rehearse. He didn’t like to do these kinds of things."

Jackson's mother and three children are suing AEG for negligently hiring and supervising Conrad Murray, the doctor who administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to the singer.

AEG maintains that Jackson hired Murray and that any money the company was supposed to pay the physician was actually part of an advance to the singer.

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

AEG exec testifies he never checked Jackson's budget

By: Corina Knoll and Jeff Gottlieb
May 28, 2013

A ranking AEG executive testified Tuesday at the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial that he didn’t pay attention to the tour budgets that he approved, even though he was the tour manager.

Paul Gongaware said he didn’t read through the budgets, instead trusting that the tour accountant for Jackson’s planned comeback concert series “knew what he was talking about.”

A defendant in the civil suit filed against AEG by Jackson’s mother and three children, Gongaware testified that Dr. Conrad Murray’s salary, although included in the company’s budget for several months, wasn’t something he saw as an actual payment that would be made.

“If there’s a potential for cost we put it in our budget so there are no surprises later,” he said.

The civil trial that began more than four weeks ago hinges on whether it was Jackson or AEG who controlled Murray, now serving time for involuntary manslaughter after giving the singer a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

Gongaware said he spoke on the phone twice with Murray. The first time, the doctor requested $5 million to join the “This Is It” tour as Jackson’s physician. The second time, Murray agreed to a salary of $150,000 a month, which was a figure suggested by Jackson.

“He started in saying that he wanted more and I said that offer came directly from the artist and he immediately accepted,” Gongaware said of their second phone conversation.

He added: “It wasn’t a done deal. We agreed on what the compensation would be, but there was still a lot of open issues that had to be resolved.”

Gongaware testified that he asked a doctor friend how much he would charge to do the same job. The friend said $10,000 a week.

Gongaware said although AEG never did a background check on Murray, in his view they had “checked out” the doctor according to their standard practices.

“When we check out someone, we either rely on if we know the person or if they’re known in the industry or if they’re recommended by the artist,” he said. “And in this case, Dr. Murray was recommended by the artist — in fact, the artist insisted.”

The Jackson family’s attorney pressed Gongaware. “You did nothing to verify anything about Dr. Murray, isn’t that true, sir?” Brian Panish asked.

“Well, Michael Jackson insisted on him, recommended him and that was good enough for me,” Gongaware replied. “It’s not up to me to tell Michael Jackson who his doctor should be.”

Panish asked: “You could have told Dr. Murray at any time that his services were no longer needed, couldn’t you?”

“No,” Gongaware replied.

Panish then pointed out that the AEG executive had fired Jackson’s nanny after being asked to do so by the singer’s aide.

Gongaware said he attended a meeting at Jackson’s Holmby Hills home in June 2009 with other AEG executives; Frank Dileo, Jackson’s manager; and Murray. Gongaware said the hourlong meeting was not about Jackson missing rehearsals, but about “whether Dr. Murray and Michael had everything they needed to take care of Michael’s health.”

Jurors were later shown a police summary of the meeting.

“The topic of the meeting was Jackson’s overall health, i.e., diet, stamina and his weight,” the document read. “Jackson had missed a rehearsal and was thought to be dancing at home. However they discovered he was only watching video. Doctor Murray was receptive to their concerns and indicated he would take care of the situation.”

Gongaware said in a separate meeting with Jackson, the singer had slurred speech and “was a little bit off.... I believe he was under the influence of something because he wasn’t quite right.”

Gongaware testified that landing Jackson, whom he felt was the biggest artist of his era, was huge for AEG.

In a 2008 email to AEG Live President and Chief Executive Randy Phillips, Gongaware described how the company should approach Jackson and his manager about a possible comeback tour.

“We need to start at the fundamentals. How we do it. The difference between [Live Nation] and us is huge. We are artist-based, they are Wall Street-driven,” Gongaware wrote.

"We are smart people. We are completely honest and transparent with everything we do. That’s how [founder] Phil [Anschutz] wants it.”

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

Doctor told AEG that Michael Jackson was a drug addict, lawyer says

By Jeff Gottlieb
May 31, 2013

The attorney for Michael Jackson’s family in its wrongful-death lawsuit said Thursday a doctor testified in a deposition that he injected Jackson with morphine while the singer was touring Asia and that he told a current AEG executive Jackson was a drug addict.

According to Brian Panish, the attorney for Jackson’s mother and three children, Dr. Stuart Finklestein said that while the Dangerous tour was in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1993 he couldn’t give Jackson an injection of morphine in his buttocks because there was too much scar tissue from previous shots. Instead, according to Panish, Finklestein said he gave the singer an IV drip of the drug for 24 hours.

Paul Gongaware, now co-chief executive of AEG Live/Concerts West was manager of the worldwide tour.

Finklestein "told Gongaware that it was his opinion [Jackson] had an opiate addiction,” Panish said.

Gongaware testified Thursday that he did know then that Jackson had problems with drugs or painkillers until the singer made a public announcement. Jackson cut the tour short in Mexico City when Elizabeth Taylor flew down to accompany him to a rehab facility in London.

“Everyone knew Michael had a problem,” Jackson’s longtime makeup artist and hairstylist, who was on the tour, testified earlier in the trial.

Gongaware testified that Jackson was scheduled to give two shows in Bangkok but that the second was canceled. He said Jackson performed the first concert in 100-degree heat with 100% humidity.

Gongaware said that another doctor was on the Dangerous tour to treat Jackson, and that Finklestein treated the band and crew. He said Finklestein told him he treated Jackson twice.

Gongaware has testified that Finklestein is his regular doctor.

A deposition is given under oath, just like testimony in a courtroom.

Panish, who spoke outside the courtroom, also said that Gongaware warned Finklestein, “Don’t be a Dr. Nick,” a reference to a doctor who supplied Elvis Presley with prescription drugs that led to his death.

“He’s telling him, 'Don’t kill him,’” Panish said.

Finklestein is expected to testify is the case.

In an email to The Times, AEG attorney Marvin S. Putnam blasted the Jacksons' attorneys, saying that "throughout this trial, they have shown that their search is for something else entirely, and certainly not the truth."

He went on to say that shortly before the third leg of the tour, Jackson underwent painful scalp surgery after suffering severe burns while filming a Pepsi commercial.

"Mr. Gongaware was aware that because of that surgery, Michael Jackson received pain medication at times during the tour. Mr. Gongaware never learned Mr. Jackson developed any problems with that medication until after the tour ended, when Mr. Gongaware -- like the rest of the world -- heard Mr. Jackson's public announcement that he was entering rehab."

The Jacksons are suing AEG, Gongaware and AEG Live Chief Executive and President Randy Phillips, saying they negligently hired and supervised Conrad Murray, the physician who gave the singer a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

The defendants say that Jackson hired Murray and that any payments the company was supposed to give him were advances to Jackson.

Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

Michael Jackson lost $26 million on HIStory tour's 1st leg, exec says

By: Jeff Gottlieb
May 31, 2013

Michael Jackson lost $26 million on the first leg of the HIStory tour in the mid-1990s and was in debt for sound, lighting and other expenses, according to testimony Friday in the wrongful death suit his family has filed.

Paul Gongaware, now co-CEO of AEG Live/Live Nation, testified he was brought as tour executive for the 40 concerts that made up the second leg of the world tour.

“I had to go in and cut a lot of expenses," Gongaware said. "There was so much excess."

Gongaware said HIStory, at the time considered one of the most ambitious tours ever, eventually broke even.

He said Jackson’s performances were "sensational" and he saw no evidence the singer was using drugs. Gongaware did not start working for AEG until 2000, when the entertainment firm bought his company, Live Nation.

Gongaware is a defendant in the wrongful suit filed by Jackson's mother and children against AEG. The Jacksons allege that AEG negligently hired and supervised Conrad Murray, the doctor who administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to the singer in 2009.

AEG contends that it was Jackson who hired Murray and that any money the firm was supposed to pay the doctor was merely part of a much larger cash advance to the singer.

Gongaware, in his fourth day on the stand, also testified that in 2008 Jackson met in Century City with Colony Capital, a group of investors, that held the mortgage on Jackson's Neverland ranch, which was threatened with foreclosure.

“Whoever held the note before … was about to foreclose on Neverland and Colony came in, I think at last-minute, and took on that obligation," Gongaware said.

He said Colony was trying to figure out a way to hold a Jackson exhibit or museum at the Las Vegas Hilton, which the firm owned. But nothing came of the discussions.

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

'This Is It' was to be Michael Jackson's final tour, AEG exec says

By: Jeff Gottlieb
May 31, 2013

The “This Is It” concert series in London — which was to have earned Michael Jackson millions and served as a triumphant comeback — was to be the performer’s final tour, a ranking concert promoter testified Friday.

Paul Gongaware, co-CEO of AEG Live/Live Nation, which was producing and promoting the concerts, said the English capital was chosen for the shows because of Jackson's enormous popularity there. During a previous tour, Jackson had sold out 10 shows at the 75,000-seat capacity Wembley Stadium, Gongaware testified.

The plan originally was for 10 shows, but it was bumped up to 31 and then 50 because of the enormous ticket demand, the AEG executive testified in a wrongful-death case filed by Jackson’s mother and children.

Gongaware said he would have liked Jackson to have given even more performances at AEG's O2 Arena.

He said that at one point Jackson decided to do 31 because Prince had performed 21 concerts at O2.

Gongaware's recollection of events surrounding Jackson's London news conference announcing his first tour in more than a decade give a different perspective than the worried emails his boss sent at that time.

Gongaware said he was annoyed but not surprised when Jackson showed up a couple hours late.

“Michael really doesn’t like to do those things," Gongaware testified. "His schedules don’t always run like clockwork."

The tour announcement took place at the O2. When Jackson saw Gongaware backstage, "he came up to me and gave me a big hug and said, 'Make sure the teleprompter has big words. I don’t have my glasses.'”

Gongaware said Jackson did not smell of alcohol or appear drunk.

“He was good," the AEG executive testified. "I think he was excited."

But emails from Randy Phillips, AEG Live's chief executive and president, tell a different version. "MJ is locked in his room drunk and despondent," Phillips wrote. "I [am] trying to sober him up.

"I screamed at him so loud the walls are shaking," Phillips told him. "He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self-loathing and doubt now that it is showtime."

In a previous interview with The Times, AEG attorney Marvin Putnam said Phillips had exaggerated in his emails and that Jackson's behavior appeared to be a case of "nerves."

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[midangerous]

Murray Wanted $5million to treat Jackson


By Jeff Gottlieb

June 3, 2013, 3:24 p.m.

An AEG executive testified Monday in the Michael Jackson wrongful death civil trial that he offered Dr. Conrad Murray $150,000 a month on the singer's instructions to serve as his personal physician on the "This Is It" concert series in London.

Murray originally asked for a total of $5 million, which Paul Gongaware testified was ridiculous.

When Gongaware later made the $150,000-a-month offer, Murray at first turned him down.

"I told him the offer comes directly from the artist," Gongaware testified. "He accepted it right away."

Murray said he needed an assistant, a house in London with at least three bedrooms and medical equipment. Murray also said he would take care of getting a license to practice medicine in Britain.

Gongaware wrote a May 6, 2009, email to Jackson's assistant after cutting the deal with Murray: “done at $150k per month, per MJ. He needs about 10 days to wind down his practice then he will be full time.”

Gongaware said the email was a message to Jackson "that I had done what he asked."

Asked why he had negotiated with Murray, the AEG executive replied that he was "instructed to by Michael Jackson."

Gongaware said there was no other reason for him to deal with the doctor.

Marvin Putnam, Anschutz Entertainment Group's attorney, asked Gongaware why he didn't tell Jackson he couldn't take Murray on tour with him.

"Because he could if he wanted," Gongaware said.

Jackson's mother and three children are suing AEG, Gongaware and AEG executive Randy Phillips, alleging they negligently hired and supervised Murray, who administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to the singer. AEG contends that Jackson hired the doctor and any payments the company was supposed to give Murray were advances that Jackson had to repay.

Murray is serving time in jail for involuntary manslaughter. Jackson died June 25, 2009, at a time when he was in rehearsals for the 50 concerts in London.

Gongaware insisted in his testimony that AEG was not paying Murray.

An AEG executive previously testified that negotiations over Murray's deal were between the doctor and AEG and that neither Jackson nor his representatives were involved nor saw any of the drafts.

Parts of Gongaware's testimony differ from a June 14, 2009, email he wrote to tour director Kenny Ortega about Murray that is one of the key pieces of evidence.

“We want to remind him that it is AEG, not MJ who is paying his salary. We want him to understand what is expected of him."

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

Michael Jackson wanted Conrad Murray as tour doctor, AEG exec says

By: Jeff Gottlieb
June 3, 2013

The AEG executive in charge of Michael Jackson's London concerts testified Monday that he had never heard of Conrad Murray — the doctor who gave the singer a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol — until Jackson told him he wanted the physician to accompany him on his comeback tour in England.

“He came up to me and said he wanted to take Dr. Murray to London as his personal physician,” Paul Gongaware testified in the Jackson family's wrongful-death suit against Anschutz Entertainment Group, the tour promoter and producer.

When Gongaware suggested during the late April 2009 conversation it would be easier and cheaper to use an English doctor, Jackson vetoed the idea.

Gongaware said Jackson told him, "'This is the machine. We have to take care of the machine.' I think what he meant was his brain could create it but his body had to deliver the show every night.”

Shortly after, Gongaware testified, he called Murray to tell him Jackson wanted to take him to London.

Murray, he said, didn't ask any questions, and they immediately started talking about the price.

“I asked him what he wanted." Gongaware testified. "He said he’d need $5 million."

Murray told Gongaware that he'd have to shut down his clinics in Houston, Las Vegas and San Diego and lay people off.

Asked by AEG attorney Marvin Putnam if Murray's price was reasonable, Gongaware replied, “It was ridiculous… Michael couldn’t afford it, so I had to tell him it wasn’t going to work.”

Murray eventually agreed to work for $150,000 a month.

Jackson's mother and three children are suing AEG, Gongaware and AEG executive Randy Phillips, saying they negligently hired and supervised Murray. AEG says Jackson hired the doctor and that any money the company was supposed to pay him was an advance to the singer.

Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is now serving a jail sentence.

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

Michael Jackson case: AEG exec admits Murray characterizations wrong

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 10, 2013

Confronted with emails he wrote five days before Michael Jackson's death, the chief executive of AEG Live admitted Monday his characterizations of Conrad Murray, the doctor who gave the singer the fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol, were wrong.

Randy Phillips testified on the 25th day of testimony in the wrongful-death suit brought by Jackson's mother and three children against AEG Live and two of its executives, including Phillips.

After Kenny Ortega, the director of Jackson's 50 scheduled concerts in London, wrote an email saying Jackson needed psychiatric help, Phillips responded:

“I had a lengthy conversation with Dr. Murray, who I am gaining immense respect for as I get to deal with him more. He said that Michael was not only physically equipped to perform and, that discouraging him to, will hasten his decline instead of stopping it.

"Dr. Murray also reiterated that he is mentally able to and was speaking to me from the house where he had spent the morning with MJ. This doctor is extremely successful (we check every one) and does not need this gig so he totally unbiased and ethical.

“You cannot imagine the harm and ramifications of stopping this show now. It would far outweigh 'calling this game in the 7th inning.' I am not just talking about AEG’s interests here, but the myriad of stuff and lawsuits swirling around MJ that I crisis manage every day and also his well-being.

“Please stay steady. Enough alarms have sounded. It is time to put out the fire, not burn the building down. Sorry for all the analogies.”

Under contentious questioning from Jackson family attorney Brian Panish, Phillips said he was wrong when he characterized Murray as extremely successful, when he said AEG checked him out and when he said Murray was unbiased and ethical.

[For the record, 12:52 p.m. June 10: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said that AEG official Randy Phillips said he was wrong when he said AEG didn't check out Dr. Conrad Murray. He said he was wrong when he said AEG checked out Murray.]

Phillips said Murray was "extremely successful" because the doctor had closed down several clinics to treat only Jackson for $150,000 a month.

“You would call it a false statement, I would call it an assumption,” Phillips said.

Panish: "So what you wrote you admit was not true?"

“At the time I thought it was,” Phillips said.

Earlier, Phillips said he did not recall what was discussed in a phone conversation with Murray. In his video deposition that was shown to the jury, Phillips first said the conversation lasted three minutes. He was shown phone records that showed it lasted 25 minutes.

The Jacksons claim in their suit that AEG Live negligently hired and supervised Murray. AEG says the singer hired Murray and that any money the firm was going to pay him would have been an advance to Jackson.

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[WeAreTheWorld.]

Jackson trial: Leiweke email calls Anschutz 'a paranoid scrooge'

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 11, 2013

The chief executive of AEG referred to his own boss as a “paranoid scrooge” in an email exchange when the entertainment firm was preparing to promote Michael Jackson’s anticipated comeback tour in 2009.

Tim Leiweke, long the public face of AEG and an influential figure in Los Angeles, made the reference to Phillip Anschutz in a March 13, 2009, email to Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, the company’s concert arm.

“Phil can be such a paranoid scrooge," Leiweke wrote, "He wants to know why I am so certain that none of our key folks are taking Michael Jackson tickets and scalping them."

Leiweke left AEG earlier this year. In April he was named president and chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in Toronto.

The email was revealed during ongoing testimony in the wrongful death suit that Jackson’s mother and children filed against AEG, which the suit contends hired and controlled the doctor who administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to the singer as he was rehearsing for the “This Is It” concerts in London.

Much of the case so far has turned on testimony from those working with Jackson as he prepared for his comeback and dozens of emails that were exchanged among top AEG officials as the concerts approached.

Last week, jurors were told about an email that Phillips wrote to Leiweke, in which he wrote: “MJ is locked in his room drunk and despondent. Tohme [one of Jackson’s managers] and I are trying to sober him up and get him to the press conference with his hairdresser/make-up artist.”

In a second email to Leiweke, Phillips wrote: “I screamed at him so loud the walls are shaking. Tohme and I have dressed him and they are finishing his hair and then we are rushing to the O2. This is the scariest thing I have ever see. He is an emotionally paralyzed mess riddled with self loathing and doubt now that it is show time. He is scared to death. Right now I just want to get through his press conference.”

In another email Phillips wrote to a business partner: “I haven’t pulled it off yet. We still have to get his nose on propery [sic]. You have no idea what this is like. He is a self-loathing, emotionally paralyzed mess.”

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As Jackson's mother sues AEG, brothers work with company
By Jeff Gottlieb

June 12, 2013

While Michael Jackson’s mother and three children are suing AEG Live for what they say is the company’s role in the pop singer’s death, four of his brothers will perform this month at a festival the entertainment giant is producing and promoting.

Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon Jackson will close out the three-day BET Experience on June 30 on a bill with R. Kelly and New Edition. The festival is being produced by AEG and will be staged at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

“What are their options about performing?” said Kevin Boyle, the attorney for Katherine Jackson and her grandchildren. “Why would they not perform?”

The Jackson’s upcoming performance came up this week during testimony in the wrongful death suit filed by Jackson’s mother and children. The case could be worth billions if jurors determine that AEG played a role in the singer’s death.

Michael’s wrongful death trial during the testimony of Randy Phillips, AEG Live’s chief executive, who spent his fifth day on the stand. Since late morning, though, his attorney was asking the questions, not the Jacksons’ lawyer.

Although Michael Jackson came to fame as lead singer in a group with his four brothers, he had a strained relationship with his family. Randall Sullivan, author of “Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson,” said many family members looked at the singer as their meal ticket.

“The persistence with which they exploited him was breathtaking and was relentless, and it was right until the moment of death and after,” Sullivan said in an interview. “He was the one really talented person, and they all lived off him and took advantage of that talent to best of their abilities forever.”

Attendance at the Jacksons' tour last year was disappointing, and they failed to sell out the Greek Theatre.

Several Jackson siblings sent a letter to the executors of Michael Jackson's estate last year, accusing them of fraud, forgery and abuse of their mother.

The letter claimed the executors were manipulating Katherine Jackson and affecting her health. The letter also claimed Michael Jackson’s will, which cut out his siblings and left his estate to his children, his mother and charity, was a fraud.

In court Tuesday, Randy Phillips, AEG Live’s chief executive, also testified that he met with Jackson in Las Vegas in 2007 at the singer’s behest, to discuss touring. Jackson also said he wanted to do a TV mini series on King Tut and star in movies. AEG owns a film production arm.

During one meeting, Jackson showed AEG executives a 20-minute special-effects laden film he had financed, called “Ghost.”

Phillips said Jackson was “animated, clear.” AEG made a proposal to Jackson, which included starting a tour in London. AEG later received a call from a Jackson representative saying he was not ready to go back on stage.

The next year, Jackson began negotiating with AEG again, paving the way for the “This Is It” concerts in London. Jackson died after being administer a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol as he was rehearsing for the comeback shows.

Philips and another AEG Live executive are defendants in the lawsuit. The Jacksons say AEG negligently hired and supervised Conrad Murray, the doctor who administered the propofol. AEG says Jackson hired Murray and that any money the company was planning to pay him was part of an advance to the singer.

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Fire marshal cuts public, media seats for Jackson trial

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 14, 2013

The Los Angeles fire marshal has ordered the number of people in the courtroom where the Michael Jackson wrongful-death suit is being tried be reduced immediately, cutting the number of seats for the media by nearly two-thirds and leaving only one spot available for the public.

That does not mean the news media or the public will be shut out of the trial, which finished its 30th day Friday. Since the early days of the proceedings, a closed-circuit feed has been shown in another courtroom that seats 63 people.

The new rule means that media will alternate days in the courtroom. The Times, for instance, will have a seat on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but will have to watch the proceedings in the overflow room other days. Other media, including CNN, KTLA-TV (Channel 5), the Associated Press, the New York Post and Agence France Press, are also part of the rotation.

The number of spectator seats in the courtroom is being reduced from45 to 34.

Before the trial started, Judge Yvette Palazuelos ruled that no cameras would be allowed in the courtroom. CNN's request to broadcast the proceedings was denied.

Mary Hearn, a spokeswoman for the court, said the plaintiffs and defendants each get 12 seats, which can be filled with members of the legal team and guests. Another seven are reserved for the media and the rest for court staff. If the parties to the suit bring fewer people, their seats will be taken by media or the public. There is a daily lottery for the public.

Hearn said that 15 to 20 reporters have been in the courtroom most days.

A small group of Jackson fans have been attending the trial. Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, has been in the audience most days, along with her nephew. Janet Jackson attended for half a day.

But if Michael Jackson's children or one of the celebrities on the witness list, such as Prince or Diana Ross, testify, the number of people wanting a look at the trial would probably grow.

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Michael Jackson's personal chef describes death scene frenzy

By Kate Mather
June 20, 2013

As paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's rented Holmby Hills mansion, the pop singer's personal chef testified that the performer's bodyguard immediately asked her if she signed a confidentiality agreement.

Kai Chase told a Los Angeles jury Wedneday that she and the other house staff were told to leave Jackson's Holmby Hills estate by bodyguard Alberto Alvarez, who she said then asked her to sign a piece of paper after learning she hadn't signed a confidentiality agreement.
The paper had no letterhead or other signature, Chase testified, but had a paragraph written on it. Chase said she read the text but could not recall its contents.

"It was four years ago," she said.

The star died in June 2009 after Dr. Conrad Murray administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is currently serving jail time.

Chase also recalled that Jackson's daughter Paris was distraught the day of his death and didn't want to leave her father.

"Paris was screaming, 'Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!' " Chase testified, saying staff members were "literally pulling her by the ankles" as they tried to keep her from running upstairs.

"Paris was so emotional that day," Chase said. "It was such an emotional day."

When asked by a Jackson family attorney if she thought Paris, now 15, had been going through a "difficult" time in the last two weeks, Chase responded "yes." The teenager was recently hospitalized after an apparent suicide attempt.

Chase is currently employed by Paris' grandmother, Katherine Jackson.

In a video shown to jurors the day before, Paris said her father described the nanny, Grace Rwaramba, as "sneaky" and dishonest, saying the singer "didn't like her, so he tried to, like, keep her away from us."

When asked about the teenager's deposition, Chase said Paris "seemed lost."

"She seemed like she's still grieving," the chef said.

Chase's testimony comes in the eighth week of the case, filed by Jackson's mother and three children. The family contends that AEG pushed an ailing Jackson to perform in hopes of reaping a huge return.

The suit alleges that the entertainment giant employed and controlled Murray. AEG Live says it was Jackson who hired Murray, and any money paid to the physician was part of a much larger advance to the singer.

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Sleep-deprived Michael Jackson needed teleprompter to sing classics

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 21, 2013

A Harvard sleep expert testified in the Michael Jackson wrongful death case Friday that the singer suffered from almost total sleep deprivation that resulted from his use of the anesthetic propofol.

Dr. Charles Czeisler, who has both an MD and a PhD, testified that propofol brings on "a drug-induced coma" that is far different from sleep. Not only does it not satisfy the body's need for sleep, it dissipates the sleep drive, "leading to a massive sleep deficiency."

"That is what I believe happened in the case of Mr. Jackson," Czeisler testified.

He said that the symptoms Jackson exhibited, laid out in emails and testimony from people watching him during rehearsals for the 50 concerts scheduled for London were "consistent with what you might expect to see in someone suffering from total sleep deprivation over a chronic period of time."

He said the emails provided more detail than those kept by scientists during their observations.

"The meticulous detail of his deterioration was both profound and sad,” Czeisler said.

Those symptoms included loss of weight, paranoia, anxiety, difficulty with balance, difficulty regulating his body temperature and asking for a teleprompter for lyrics to songs he had been singing for years.

The doctor said the fact Jackson asked for the teleprompter "was shocking and indicated to me the profound impact this sleep deprivation was having on his memory.”

Asked by Michael Koskoff, an attorney for the Jacksons, what had caused the problems, Czeisler replied, "No. I believe Mr. Jackson had a sleep disorder and it was a chronic sleep disorder."

Jackson died June 25, 2009, of an overdose of propofol that Dr. Conrad Murray administered at the singer's rented Holmby Hills mansion to treat his insomnia. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is serving time in jail.

Czeisler testified that in April, May and June 2009, Murray ordered more than four gallons of propofol.

"It's a stupendous amount," he said.

The sleep expert testified that according to the toxicology report, the amount of propofol in Jackson's system was what you would expect of a patient undergoing major abdominal surgery.

Czeisler said that Jackson's insomnia was not disabling most times, but was exacerbated when he was on tour or preparing for one.

“The key issue in this case is that his insomnia, his sleep disorder was greatly exacerbated when he was on tour," he said. "It was rather mild when he was not in tour mode or tour preparation mode. It was disabling to him when he was on tour or preparing to tour.”

He said that Murray, an internist and cardiologist, "was clearly not competent to diagnose or treat Mr. Jackson’s sleep disorder.”

The suit against AEG Live and two of its executives was brought by Jackson's mother and three children. They say AEG, which was promoting and producing the concerts, negligently hired and supervised Murray. The entertainment giant says that Murray worked for Jackson and that any money it was supposed to pay the doctor was an advance to the singer.

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Michael Jackson's son Prince to take stand in AEG trial

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 25, 2013

In an appearance sure to bring out the paparazzi, the groupies and the just plain curious, Michael Jackson's eldest child, Prince, will testify Wednesday in a wrongful death suit, just a day after the fourth anniversary of the singer's fatal overdose.

Prince, 16, an occasional correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight," is expected to provide emotional testimony about what he saw on June 25, 2009, the day his father died in the family’s rented Holmby Hills mansion.

Kai Chase, who was the family’s chef, testified earlier that Jackson’s personal physician, Conrad Murray, yelled at her to get help, and she sent Prince upstairs, thinking it was something minor, like a sprained ankle.

She said she told Prince, then 12, "Dr. Murray needs you. There may be something wrong with your father."

Then she heard Prince shout, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," following by a "blood curdling scream" from Paris, Jackson's younger daughter.

Michael Jackson's three children and his mother, who is their guardian, are suing AEG Live, promoter of his 50-concert comeback tour that was scheduled for London, and two of its executives, saying they negligently hired and controlled Murray, who administered the anesthetic. AEG says it was Jackson who hired Murray and that any money the company was supposed to pay the doctor was an advance to the singer.

Murray is serving time in jail after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Brian Panish, one of the Jacksons' attorneys, said Prince will also testify about life with his father. Other witnesses have testified about what a good father Jackson was.

Prince will be the first of the Jacksons to testify in the trial, which just completed its 36th day. Nearly 20 family members are on witness lists.

Paris, 15, is recovering from an apparent suicide attempt earlier this month. Panish said it has not been decided whether she will testify. The third of Jackson's children, known as Blanket, is 11.

Until he died, Michael usually kept his children out of the public eye, and they often wore masks in public. In many ways, their first major public exposure was at their father's memorial at Staples Center.

Prince will be taking a break from summer school to testify, his attorneys said.

In court Tuesday, the director of Stanford University's sports medicine program continued his testimony about what he said was Murray's and AEG's conflict of interest regarding Jackson's medical care. Testifying for the second day, Dr. Gordon Matheson said the conflict was the worst he had heard of.

Asked by AEG attorney Jessica Stebbins Bina, about the propofol use, Matheson answered, "I think AEG Live enabled it, yes."

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Michael Jackson's doctor had conflict of interest, expert testifies

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 25, 2013

The director of Stanford University’s sports medicine program testified Monday that Michael Jackson’s doctor for his “This Is It” concert series, who administered a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol to the singer, had conflicts of interest with the tour promoter that “were likely to lead to poor medical decisions.”

Testifying in the wrongful death case brought by Jackson’s mother and children against promoter and producer AEG Live and two of its executives, Dr. Gordon Matheson said Dr. Conrad Murray’s debts meant he badly needed the $150,000 a month he was supposed to receive. Matheson testified that the contract made him answerable to AEG rather than his patient, and that because he would have been out of a job if the 50 concerts had been postponed, Murray was more likely to want to please the company.

Matheson, who has an M.D. and a doctorate, said that when Jackson’s health deteriorated, “that conflict played out.”

Matheson testified under the assumption that Murray had a contract with AEG, one of the most contentious points at the trial, which just completed its 35th day of testimony. The Jacksons say that AEG negligently hired and supervised the doctor, while the entertainment company says any money it was supposed to pay him was an advance to Jackson, who was Murray's employer. Murray signed his contract the day before Jackson died on June 25, 2009. Neither AEG nor Jackson signed it.

The Stanford doctor, who worked as the team physician for the Vancouver Canucks professional hockey team and the Canadian Olympic hockey team, said it didn’t make a difference that AEG didn’t sign the contract because the terms had been negotiated, and that Murray was “fully engaged” and had passed on his bank information to the company so he could get paid.

“Whether it was signed or not didn’t change my feeling as to whether there was conflict of interest,” he testified.

Matheson pointed to a line in the contract that said Murray was to “Perform the services reasonably requested by Producer.” The language he said, tied Dr. Murray to AEG even though his was supposed to be looking after Jackson’s health, creating a conflict “as to which of the interests is primary.”

AEG has argued that the contract Murray signed was one of the three or four drafts and that “Producer” was one of several mistakes that would have been corrected in the final version of the contract.

Matheson wondered why Murray would close his practice when he faced losing his job caring for Jackson if the show were canceled, especially since he was in such bad financial straits. “It can produce a bias in the thinking where Dr. Murray wants to preserve that income at all costs and keep the people paying that income happy,” he said.

Matheson discussed several emails written by AEG executives, the tour manager and tour director that have become central pieces evidence in the trial. In one email, AEG Live executive Paul Gongaware wrote of Murray, “We want to remind him that it is AEG, not MJ who is paying his salary. We want him to understand what is expected of him.”

Matheson said the email “relates directly to attempts to control the doctor’s decision-making or professional judgment.”

He likened it to a quarterback being pulled from a game in the fourth quarter because of an injury and the team owner pressuring the doctor to put him back into the game by reminding the physician that he was paying his salary. “We wouldn’t normally put an athlete back into the game when they had worsening symptoms related to their health,” he said.

The sports medicine expert said that in order to avoid conflicts, the doctors for Stanford athletic teams are in charge of an athlete’s healthcare. He said they also teach or perform research at the university so their decisions about athletes don’t affect their income. He said there is a separate facility away from the coaches where players and doctors can have confidential discussions.

Matheson said that an email from AEG Live Chief Executive Randy Phillips showed he was aware of the potential conflict with Murray but did not believe one existed. In the email he wrote that Murray “does not need this gig he [is] totally unbiased and ethical.”

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Michael Jackson's son recalls father's tears, fatigue and death

June 26, 2013

Michael Jackson’s eldest son testified Wednesday that during rehearsals for Jackson's anticipated "This Is It" comeback tour, his father told him, "They're going to kill me, they're going to kill me.'"

Prince Jackson said his father seemed generally pleased when he returned home from rehearsals but wished he had more time to practice before the upcoming concerts.

He testified his father would sometimes get upset after receiving phone calls from AEG Live Chief Executive Randy Phillips, or Tohme Tohme, his sometime manager.

"He would get off the phone, he would cry sometimes," Prince Jackson said.

He testified at one point, Phillips aggressively grabbed Jackson’s elbow during a conversation. He said that incident took place either June 23 or 24 in 2009. Jackson died June 25.

The testimony came in the ongoing wrongful death case in which Jackson’s children and mother contend AEG, which was promoting and financing the tour, pushed the pop singer relentlessly as the tour date approached.

Prince Jackson also recounted his memories of the day his father died.

He testified he was on the first floor of their rented Holmby Hills mansion when he heard screaming upstairs. When he ran to the kitchen to see what was doing on, he said he saw Dr. Conrad Murray run back up to the second floor.

Kai Chase, the family's chef, told him Murray wanted him upstairs.

When he got to the bedroom, he said he saw his father lying half off the bed, his eyes rolled back in his head. He said Murray was giving his father CPR.

He said he recalled his sister Paris was screaming, calling for her “daddy.”

Prince said he followed the paramedics to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and learned of his father's death when Murray announced, "Sorry kids. Dad's dead."

He said Murray told them Jackson had died of a heart attack.

"We just cried," the performer's son said.

Prince Jackson is the first family member to testify in the trial, which is nearing the two-month mark.

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Michael Jackson's son Prince Jackson tells of childhood, Neverland

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 27, 2013

In an attempt to give his kids a chance at a normal childhood, pop singer Michael Jackson had his kids wear masks when they were in public with him so they wouldn’t be recognized, Prince Jackson testified Wednesday.

During 90 minutes of testimony in a wrongful death suit filed by his grandmother and siblings against AEG, Prince Jackson, the pop star’s eldest child, revealed details of his life, which were closely guarded while his father was alive.

Prince Jackson said he would spend six days in school, either with his father or a tutor, learning about other cultures and religions. His father would ask them how they were doing in school and what they were doing “to better the world.”

His father, he testified, made all of them wear masks in public “so no one would know what we looked like so if we went out without him we could have a normal childhood.”

Prince said he's now followed all the time.

"So I know why he did it. "

Prince, 16, also talked about life with his famous father, living at the Neverland compound in Santa Barbara County, Ireland, Paris, Bahrain and Las Vegas. His attorneys showed home movies and photos of Neverland, which Prince called "a very homey place."

He said the children were only allowed to go to the zoo and ride the Ferris wheel on special occasions. "My dad wanted us to remain humble," he said. Posted around the compound, he said, were messages and poems from their father. “When children play, tyrants cry, there is nothing to say,” said one.

Prince, who now lives with his grandmother, said he just finished his sophomore year at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, where he is a member of the National Honor Society. He said he makes jewelry, does martial arts and is part of the school's robotics team. He said he wants to go to USC to study film, business or mechanical engineering.

Prince was the first of the Jacksons to testify during the trial. He testified that when he arrived at the hospital where his father had been rushed, the pop singer’s personal physician met him and his siblings.

"Sorry kids. Dad's dead," he said Dr. Conrad Murray told them.

"We just cried," the performer's son said.

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Michael Jackson's son Prince Jackson tells of childhood, Neverland



By Jeff Gottlieb

June 27, 2013, 8:29 a.m.

In an attempt to give his kids a chance at a normal childhood, pop singer Michael Jackson had his kids wear masks when they were in public with him so they wouldn’t be recognized, Prince Jackson testified Wednesday.

During 90 minutes of testimony in a wrongful death suit filed by his grandmother and siblings against AEG, Prince Jackson, the pop star’s eldest child, revealed details of his life, which were closely guarded while his father was alive.

Prince Jackson said he would spend six days in school, either with his father or a tutor, learning about other cultures and religions. His father would ask them how they were doing in school and what they were doing “to better the world.”

His father, he testified, made all of them wear masks in public “so no one would know what we looked like so if we went out without him we could have a normal childhood.”

Prince said he's now followed all the time.

"So I know why he did it. "

Prince, 16, also talked about life with his famous father, living at the Neverland compound in Santa Barbara County, Ireland, Paris, Bahrain and Las Vegas. His attorneys showed home movies and photos of Neverland, which Prince called "a very homey place."

He said the children were only allowed to go to the zoo and ride the Ferris wheel on special occasions. "My dad wanted us to remain humble," he said. Posted around the compound, he said, were messages and poems from their father. “When children play, tyrants cry, there is nothing to say,” said one.

Prince, who now lives with his grandmother, said he just finished his sophomore year at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, where he is a member of the National Honor Society. He said he makes jewelry, does martial arts and is part of the school's robotics team. He said he wants to go to USC to study film, business or mechanical engineering.

Prince was the first of the Jacksons to testify during the trial. He testified that when he arrived at the hospital where his father had been rushed, the pop singer’s personal physician met him and his siblings.

"Sorry kids. Dad's dead," he said Dr. Conrad Murray told them.

"We just cried," the performer's son said.

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Nephew describes Michael Jackson as inspirational

By Jeff Gottlieb
June 27, 2013
In sometimes emotional testimony, Michael Jackson’s nephew on Thursday said that his uncle had inspired him to “be ambitious, be giving, be loving, be honest and to make your mark on the world.”

Asked about his relationship with his uncle, TJ Jackson lowered his head and was silent for several seconds.

"He was just everything," he said, wiping away tears.

TJ Jackson said his uncle came to his aid after his mother was killed when he was 16. "...my world crumbled and my uncle Michael saved it. He was there. He kept me inspired. Kept me ambitious and he was just there for me.”

TJ Jackson is the son of Michael Jackson's brother and fellow Jackson 5 member Tito. Along with Michael Jackson's mother, he is co-guardian of the singer's three children.

Now 34, TJ Jackson said he considers Michael Jackson his mentor, although he ignored his uncle's advice to stay in school after being accepted to attend the University of Pennsylvania, instead forging ahead with his brothers in the singing group 3T.

TJ Jackson said it was important for him to watch over his uncle's children. “He was there for me when I lost my mother," Jackson said. "I don’t think I could live properly the rest of my life if I didn’t give 100% to my cousins if they didn’t turn out the way he wanted them to be. “

When Michael Jackson was alive, he said, the children weren't allowed to watch TV during the week, and he alluded to a dispute that led to the firing of the children's longtime nanny because she tried to follow the singer's wishes, while other family members disagreed. "She wanted to follow my uncle's child raising," he said.

TJ Jackson blasted the paparazzi trying to get photos of Prince, Paris and Blanket, calling them "a complete annoyance. It’s awful and I think there should be laws against it.” He said he would support laws limiting their access to minors.

"In my opinion, I know it's making everything harder for the kids to grieve and recover and progress," he said.

Jackson talked about the three children. Prince Jackson, 16, who testified Wednesday, "was always my uncle’s little assistant," he said. "He was always very mature for his age and very smart."

Paris, 15, "was daddy’s girl. My uncle was her world. My uncle gave them more love. For it to be taken away has been very challenging for her."

He described Jackson's youngest son, known by the nickname Blanket, as always wrapped around his father's leg.

Katherine Jackson and the singer's three children are suing AEG Live, the entertainment company that was producing and promoting Michael Jackson's 50 comeback concerts in London, and two of its executives. They say the company negligently hired and controlled Dr. Conrad Murray, who gave the singer the fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009. AEG says that Murray worked for Jackson and that any money the company was supposed to pay him was an advance to the singer. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

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Michael Jackson's makeup artist worried over aggressive tour schedule



By Kate Mathers

June 28, 2013, 2:07 p.m.

Michael Jackson’s hairstylist, makeup artist and longtime friend testified Friday that she was concerned about the star’s aggressive “This Is It” tour schedule, saying she worried it didn’t give him enough time to “recuperate” between shows.

Karen Faye returned to the witness stand in the wrongful death case between Jackson’s family and entertainment giant AEG Live, seven weeks after she last testified. During cross examination from AEG attorney Marvin Putnam on Friday, Faye said she looked at the 2009 show dates.

“I was concerned about how close the shows were together,” she said.

Faye said she felt the singer “might make the first week” of the “This Is It” tour but the schedule overall would be “too difficult for him to maintain.” In all, the pop star was set to perform as many as 50 show in London.

“I know the time he needs to recuperate after a show and I didn’t know if he could continue very long with that schedule because there wasn’t enough time to recuperate,” she said.

Faye’s comments came on the 39th day of testimony in the case, in which Jackson’s mother and three children contend AEG pushed an ailing Jackson to perform. The suit alleges the company employed and controlled Conrad Murray, the doctor who gave the singer a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol. AEG maintains that Murray – who is currently serving jail time for his involuntary manslaughter conviction – worked for Jackson.

Faye said she expressed her concerns about the tour schedule to Jackson and tour director Kenny Ortega. When asked about an email Ortega wrote about their conversation, Faye disputed some of the words Ortega used.

In the email to AEG executive Paul Gongaware and production manager John Houghdahl, Ortega said Faye “commented rather heavily” about the schedule she had seen online and had a “strong opinion that this is dangerous and impractical with consideration to MJ’s health and ability to perform.”

“I didn’t say it would be dangerous…that’s ridiculous,” Faye said. “I said it wasn’t the best schedule for Michael to be successful.”

“There’s no way I would have said dangerous or impractical… I mean dangerous? No,” she told Putnam. “I wouldn’t have used those words, sir.”

Faye testified that she told Jackson directly that he should look at the schedule and see how he felt about it. “That’s funny,” she said the singer told her. “My mother said the same thing.”

Faye said she had previously spoken to Jackson about the tour and he seemed "a little discouraged about that number" of 50 shows, she said.

“I was a little apprehensive too, but we didn’t dwell on that whatsoever,” she told the court.

Faye worked with Jackson for nearly three decades, including during his 2005 child molestation trial. After he was acquitted, she said, he left the country and she didn’t see him again until after agreeing to do the “This Is It” tour.

Her primary focus, she said, was getting his hair back in shape. Faye said she watched the London news conference in which AEG and Jackson announced the tour, and noticed “he had a really bad hair piece on.”

“His wig was so big,” she said.

Jackson’s wigs were elaborate and expensive, she said, pricing them around $3,500 each. Each was ventilated and made of high-quality hair, with each piece individually placed into the netting. She said she needed “at least five” hair pieces ready before leaving for the London tour.

Faye’s contract with AEG called for money to pay for the wigs as well as a private room with a hydraulic chair where she could do his hair and makeup.

“Michael liked privacy,” she said, noting the singer “didn’t want people seeing” him get his hair done.

She also stipulated in the contract that she would provide AEG general receipts for “personal service” and “products” rather than itemized notes in order to protect that privacy.

“Michael didn’t want people to know that he wore a wig,” she testified. “I wanted it to be as private for him as possible.”

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i got a question: when did michael start wearing wigs?

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