Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
5 posters
MJ's L.O.V.E. Is Magical :: II. Michael Jackson & Law (Criminal & Civil Legal Cases/Lawsuits) :: MJ Lawsuits & Civil Litigations-Entire AEG Case-News/Updates
Page 1 of 1
Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by WeAreTheWorld. Thu May 30, 2013 2:36 pm
Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails reveal
BY NANCY DILLON
MAY 30, 2013
'You aren't going to kill the artist, are you?' the King of Pop purportedly asked producers during his 'This Is It' tour.
Michael Jackson made a haunting remark about his mortality after watching some stage pyrotechnics for his doomed "This Is It" tour less than a week before his death, a jury heard Wednesday.
"You aren't going to kill the artist, are you?" the King of Pop purportedly asked producers after viewing and "endorsing" a test of the combustible special effects, a production manager recalled in a June 19, 2009, email revealed in court.
Concert production manager John "Bugsy" Houghdahl relayed the quote to his boss Randy Phillips, the CEO of concert giant AEG Live, as part of an explanation of the "Thriller" singer's sick and disoriented demeanor at the June 19 rehearsal in Los Angeles.
Houghdahl said he assumed the comment was a passing reference to the pyrotechnics, but he also said show director Kenny Ortega later observed Jackson acting like "a basket case."
"Kenny said (Jackson) was shaking and couldn't hold his knife and fork. Kenny had to cut his food for him before he could eat, and then had to use his fingers," Houghdahl wrote in the email. "I don't know how much embellishment there is to this, but (Kenny) said repeatedly that MJ was in no shape to go on stage."
The email was one of several in a dramatic chain that lawyers for Katherine Jackson used to grill AEG Live's co-CEO Paul Gongaware in the matriarch's ongoing negligence lawsuit against the No. 2 concert promoter.
Katherine, 83, is suing for damages estimated at more than $1 billion, claiming AEG negligently hired and failed to property supervise the doctor convicted of overdosing her son.
AEG has denied any wrongdoing, saying Michael personally hired his death doctor and kept his use of the intravenous anesthetic that killed him a closely guarded secret.
Katherine's lawyer Brian Panish said outside court that he thought the Houghdahl email showed Michael was shaken by the pyrotechnic display after having suffered serious burns from an explosion on the set of a 1984 Pepsi commercial.
A lawyer for AEG said that wasn't the case.
"It may seem chilling in retrospect, but (Houghdahl) believed (Michael) was making a joke at the time. Michael Jackson wasn't afraid of the pyrotechnics. He wanted them," AEG lawyer Marvin Putnam told the News.
Panish needled Gongaware repeatedly Wednesday, asking what steps AEG took to address Ortega's concerns and why some messages about Michael's meltdown were sent by Phillips to his personal email address, not his business account.
Gongaware said he didn't know why Phillips used different email addresses for him but that he believed everyone wanted what was best for Michael.
His lawyer said in opening statements that no one at AEG knew the pop icon was getting dangerous drug infusions from his doctor leading up to his June 25, 2009, death.
"The artist's health is the most important thing, I agree with that," Gongaware testified Wednesday. "The artist is the most important thing."
Source: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
BY NANCY DILLON
MAY 30, 2013
'You aren't going to kill the artist, are you?' the King of Pop purportedly asked producers during his 'This Is It' tour.
Michael Jackson made a haunting remark about his mortality after watching some stage pyrotechnics for his doomed "This Is It" tour less than a week before his death, a jury heard Wednesday.
"You aren't going to kill the artist, are you?" the King of Pop purportedly asked producers after viewing and "endorsing" a test of the combustible special effects, a production manager recalled in a June 19, 2009, email revealed in court.
Concert production manager John "Bugsy" Houghdahl relayed the quote to his boss Randy Phillips, the CEO of concert giant AEG Live, as part of an explanation of the "Thriller" singer's sick and disoriented demeanor at the June 19 rehearsal in Los Angeles.
Houghdahl said he assumed the comment was a passing reference to the pyrotechnics, but he also said show director Kenny Ortega later observed Jackson acting like "a basket case."
"Kenny said (Jackson) was shaking and couldn't hold his knife and fork. Kenny had to cut his food for him before he could eat, and then had to use his fingers," Houghdahl wrote in the email. "I don't know how much embellishment there is to this, but (Kenny) said repeatedly that MJ was in no shape to go on stage."
The email was one of several in a dramatic chain that lawyers for Katherine Jackson used to grill AEG Live's co-CEO Paul Gongaware in the matriarch's ongoing negligence lawsuit against the No. 2 concert promoter.
Katherine, 83, is suing for damages estimated at more than $1 billion, claiming AEG negligently hired and failed to property supervise the doctor convicted of overdosing her son.
AEG has denied any wrongdoing, saying Michael personally hired his death doctor and kept his use of the intravenous anesthetic that killed him a closely guarded secret.
Katherine's lawyer Brian Panish said outside court that he thought the Houghdahl email showed Michael was shaken by the pyrotechnic display after having suffered serious burns from an explosion on the set of a 1984 Pepsi commercial.
A lawyer for AEG said that wasn't the case.
"It may seem chilling in retrospect, but (Houghdahl) believed (Michael) was making a joke at the time. Michael Jackson wasn't afraid of the pyrotechnics. He wanted them," AEG lawyer Marvin Putnam told the News.
Panish needled Gongaware repeatedly Wednesday, asking what steps AEG took to address Ortega's concerns and why some messages about Michael's meltdown were sent by Phillips to his personal email address, not his business account.
Gongaware said he didn't know why Phillips used different email addresses for him but that he believed everyone wanted what was best for Michael.
His lawyer said in opening statements that no one at AEG knew the pop icon was getting dangerous drug infusions from his doctor leading up to his June 25, 2009, death.
"The artist's health is the most important thing, I agree with that," Gongaware testified Wednesday. "The artist is the most important thing."
Source: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
WeAreTheWorld.- Posts : 1967
Join date : 2012-07-22
Age : 27
Location : United States
Re: Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by jw224 Thu May 30, 2013 3:50 pm
I don't believe that Michael was afraid of the pyrotechnics, but I do agree that the comment he made was a little strange, and could be worrying, especially him saying it in the state he was in that day.
jw224- Posts : 216
Join date : 2013-01-30
Re: Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by Admin Thu May 30, 2013 4:04 pm
It's so heartbreaking that he feared for his life. I can't think of what can be more terrifying. God Bless MJ for how hard he tried to do TII. I have so much anger with these reprobates with AEG I can't even put it into words anymore.
A really disheartening aspect is that Gongaware said he won't be affected by the loss of the case. He said AEG takes the hit, not him personally. Somehow I have a hard time believing that a Co-CEO wouldn't be affected. More lies and ego from a slob!
A really disheartening aspect is that Gongaware said he won't be affected by the loss of the case. He said AEG takes the hit, not him personally. Somehow I have a hard time believing that a Co-CEO wouldn't be affected. More lies and ego from a slob!
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 6072
Join date : 2012-07-22
Location : USA
Re: Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by jw224 Thu May 30, 2013 4:09 pm
Yeah, it seemed like they were all worried about the shows not going ahead, not about Michael's health. The only ones that seemed worried about michael were people not working for AEG, kenny ortega etc. Or were they all employed by AEG? I'm not sure.
jw224- Posts : 216
Join date : 2013-01-30
Re: Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by midangerous Thu May 30, 2013 4:10 pm
midangerous- Posts : 3098
Join date : 2012-07-23
Age : 34
Location : United States
Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by beagleladywv Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:33 pm
In one of the YouTube videos, Michael was rehearsing for a special performance where pyrotechnics were being used. I think it may have been one of those World Music Awards performances. It was the one where there was a car on stage. Perhaps someone here remembers seeing it too. He was talking to the man setting them up, and asked about the safety of them. Michael told him that he had gotten burned by them before. He seemed cautious, but did not come across as particularly frightened.
beagleladywv- Posts : 14
Join date : 2013-01-07
Re: Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by midangerous Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:39 pm
I don't think I've seen that one, btw, welcome beagleladywv! 
midangerous- Posts : 3098
Join date : 2012-07-23
Age : 34
Location : United States
Re: Michael Jackson feared for his safety during ‘This Is It’ tour, emails in the Jacksons V AEG trial reveal.
by Sponsored content
Sponsored content
Similar topics» Insurers feared Michael Jackson had cancer, other diseases says witness in Jacksons v AEG trial
» All the Los Angeles Times Jackson v AEG News Stories Thread
» ALL CNN TRIAL REPORTER ALAN DUKE'S NEWS ARTICLES - UPDATED DAILY
» Jacksons V AEG Trial: Was Michael Jackson Worth $40B?
» ALL ANTHONY McCARTNEY (AP) ARTICLES FROM 'THE BIG STORY' WEBSITE THREAD
» All the Los Angeles Times Jackson v AEG News Stories Thread
» ALL CNN TRIAL REPORTER ALAN DUKE'S NEWS ARTICLES - UPDATED DAILY
» Jacksons V AEG Trial: Was Michael Jackson Worth $40B?
» ALL ANTHONY McCARTNEY (AP) ARTICLES FROM 'THE BIG STORY' WEBSITE THREAD
MJ's L.O.V.E. Is Magical :: II. Michael Jackson & Law (Criminal & Civil Legal Cases/Lawsuits) :: MJ Lawsuits & Civil Litigations-Entire AEG Case-News/Updates
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|