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Das ist doch die Bestätigung dafür, dass sie kaum bis keinen Kontakt zum Jackson-Clan hat. Man hatte ja schon immer den Verdacht, dass sie nicht grundlos sofort mit 18 J. ausgezogen ist.
Ja genau. Andererseits höre ich aus ihrem Statement aber schon auch den Vorwurf raus, dass die sich nicht bei ihr melden, wenn se sich angeblich Sorgen machen. Sie macht meines Erachtens schon deutlich, dass der Clan wohl auch ein gewisses Desinteresse an ihr hat.
Paris hat sich zu der angeblichen Sorge einiger Jacksons bzgl ihrer Person geäussert. Und ich muss sagen, bin begeistert von ihrer Reaktion 
. Die steckt den Clan doch allesamt in die Tasche.
MELODY CHIU April 23, 2018 02:10 PM
Paris Jackson is hitting back at her relatives who seemingly don’t have her best interest at heart.
Over the weekend, a report surfaced that Michael Jackson‘s only daughter, 20, is out of control and headed for a “serious meltdown.”
A relative told New York Post‘s Page Six the model and actress has “lost it,” but Jackson — who’s previously opened up about her struggles with self-abuse, drug addiction and depression — clapped back Monday morning at the unnamed family member on her Instagram.
“So apparently people think I’m about to die,” she said, referencing the report. “My therapist texted me about it laughing though, so that’s good. So I guess to the family members that are talking to all of these news outlets saying they’re worried for me: When is the last time you called me?”
“Prince isn’t worried. Why?” she continued. “Because we talk all the time. We hang out. If you’re worried about me, call me.”
Jackson’s aunt La Toya Jackson also supported her niece last week in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, telling the outlet Paris has become “a remarkable woman” and “done very, very well” for herself.
“I’m very proud of her and very excited and very happy,” said La Toya.
RELATED: Paris Jackson and Cara Delevingne ‘Have a Flirty Friendship’ but Aren’t Dating: Source
In an interview with Teen Vogue last year, Jackson reflected on becoming a target for haters. “People can be really cruel. I’ve learned that no matter what you do, you will always receive some kind of ridicule for it,” she told the magazine. “It doesn’t matter if your heart is in the right place — someone will always have a reason to hate you.
“But that being said, I’ve also learned that it really doesn’t matter and that as long as I follow my heart and continue trying to do what’s right, I’m on the right path,” she continued.
http://people.com/music/paris-…__twitter_impression=true
Paris sagt u.a., Die Familienmitglieder, die sagen, dass sie um mich besorgt sind, wann habt ihr mich zum letzten Mal angerufen? Prince ist nicht besorgt. Warum? Weil wir die ganze Zeit miteinander reden. Wir hängen miteinander rum. Wenn ihr um mich besorgt seid, dann ruft mich doch an. Sie sagt auch, dass sie von ihrem Therapeuten von der "Sorge" der Familie erfahren habe. Er textete es ihr zäh lachend.
Was ist bloß mit Paris Jackson los? Ihre Familie glaubt offenbar, dass das Model verrückt geworden sein könnte.
Paris Jackson auf einem Event in Los Angeles
© Birdie Thompson/AdMedia/ImageCollect
"Ich bin fast gestorben!" Mit diesen besorgniserregenden Worten hat Paris Jackson (20) vor wenigen Wochen eine ihrer Instagram-Storys untertitelt. Das Model tänzelte darin am Rande eines Hochhausdaches und verlor beinahe das Gleichgewicht. Jetzt spricht erstmals ihre Familie darüber, wie sehr sie sich um das Model Sorgen macht.
Ein Verwandter, der offenbar nicht namentlich genannt werden möchte, vergleicht den Clip mit dem berüchtigten Balkon-Vorfall von Paris' verstorbenem Vater Michael Jackson (1958-2009). Der King of Pop hatte 2002 sein drittes Kind "Blanket" über die Absperrung des Balkons eines Hotelzimmers gehalten, um das Baby den Fans zu zeigen. "Das hier ist aber schlimmer als damals, weil ich immer noch glaube, dass Michael die Kontrolle über Blanket hatte und sie lange nicht so hoch oben waren wie Paris in diesem Video", erzählt der anonyme Verwandte der "New York Post". "Sie ist verrückt geworden, wirklich..."
Die Großeltern würden es nicht verstehen
Die Familie mache sich Sorgen, dass Jackson auf einen "ernsthaften Nervenzusammenbruch" zusteuern könnte. Eine Intervention oder dergleichen habe man aber noch nicht geplant. In die Bedenken der Verwandten spielen sicherlich auch Faktoren wie die bewegte Vergangenheit des Models mit ein. Im Januar 2017 erzählte sie dem "Rolling Stone", dass sie mehrfach versucht habe, sich das Leben zu nehmen.
"Jeder hat das Video gesehen und obwohl wir alle wissen, dass es ihr gut geht, war das Anschauen so traumatisch, dass es niemand Katherine oder Joe zeigen möchte", erzählt die anonyme Quelle weiter. Gemeint sind die Großeltern von Paris, denen man offenbar noch einiges mehr über ihre geliebte Enkelin verschweigt, damit sie sich nicht zu sehr aufregen - besonders nachdem Katherine kürzlich einen Schlaganfall erlitten haben soll, von dem sie sich derzeit erholt.
Jackson soll mit Cara Delevingne (25, "Suicide Squad") zusammen sein und ihre Oma sei nicht gerade eine Verfechterin gleichgeschlechtlicher Liebe, erklärt der Insider weiter. "Vielmehr könnte sie sogar bestürzt sein und glauben, dass sie in ihrer Erziehung versagt habe." Andere Familienmitglieder heißen die Beziehung allerdings gut: "Michael hätte gewollt, dass sie glücklich ist. Wenn Cara, oder wer auch immer, sie glücklich macht und vervollständigt, dann ist das am Ende des Tages alles, was zählt."
Die Musikindustrie ist wirklich erbärmlich, aber nicht nur die. Es geht immer nur um Geld, Geld und noch mehr Geld.
Letzendlich ist es bei Normalos aber nicht anders.
So ist es. Das ist der Zeitgeist 
. So lange man funktioniert und Leistung bringt ist alles ok, aber wehe wenn nicht...
Rest in Peace Avicii 
April 20, 2018 - by Sue Francis
Lisa Marie Presley is reportedly feeling very lonely and unlucky in love and life. Who would have ever of thought that the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley’s only daughter would have ever grown up to live the troubled and dramatic life she has?
As previously reported, Lisa Marie Presley has been making celebrity news headlines for the past two years since she announced that she would be divorcing her fourth husband Michael Lockwood. The estranged couple has two daughters, twins Harper and Finely, and are also engaged in a heated and nasty custody battle.
Since 2016, Lisa Marie has faced a slew of legal issues, drug addiction, rehab stays and financial devastation. During divorce proceedings, Lisa Marie was forced to reveal publicly that she was broke and that all her father, Elvis Presley’s inheritance money was long gone. It has also been reported that Priscilla Presley is asking for Elvis Presley memorabilia gifted to her former lovers to be returned so she can sell it to help Lisa out of her financial hole.
Lisa Marie Presley is also looking for a way to help herself financially and could soon write a tell-all book about her life in hopes of making enough to pay off her $16 million debts. Life has not been easy for Lisa Marie. As stated this is her fourth divorce. So why is Lisa so unlucky in love? According to National Enquirer, Lisa’s first marriage to Danny Keough lasted only six years.
At first, everyone chalked her split from Danny off to marrying too young. Danny and Lisa have remained relatively good friends and share two children together actress Riley Keough, and Elvis Presley look-a-like Benjamin Keough. Oddly enough, Lisa Marie Presley shocked the world just 20 days following her divorce from Keough by marrying King of Pop, the late Michael Jackson.
Fans shook their heads in disbelief and attempted to try and figure out Lisa’s reasoning for this bizarre coupling. In public, Lisa Marie gushed over the marriage calling Michael Jackson a “passionate lover” and exhibiting awkward and forced displays of public affection. Two years later the couple announced that they were divorcing, citing “irreconcilable differences.” In 2000, Lisa Marie Presley became engaged to songwriter John Oszajca, the engagement did not last long, especially after Lisa’s mom pushed for an ironclad prenup.
It was not too long after the break up before Lisa Marie Presley met and married “Face Off” star Nicolas Cage. Yet another quick relationship that fans could not quite wrap their heads around. The marriage to Cage, who is a huge and obsessive Elvis Presley fan lasted 108 days. So many failed relationships in one lifetime. Many wonder what is it about Lisa Marie Presley that makes it so difficult in finding true love? Many fans believe Lisa’s bad luck when it comes to love and relationship could stem from her childhood.
Lisa Marie grew up never really knowing what a good, loving and stable relationship really looked like. Her parents Priscilla and Elvis Presley split when Lisa was very young, and from that point on she grew up witnessing both mom and Dad engaging in numerous relationships throughout her life. Children usually grow up living what they have learned at home from their parents while growing up. Do you believe that Lisa Marie Presley’s bad luck in finances and love are a result of her upbringing?
Hopefully, Lisa Marie will take some time before jumping into another marriage and the next time she falls in love it will be real, and forever. How different do you believe Lisa Marie Presley’s life would have turned out if her father Elvis Presley hadn’t died at such an early age?
http://www.hollywoodnewsdaily.…and-unlucky-in-love/12300
In diesem neuen Artikel gehts um die Tragik im Leben der Lisa Marie. Einsamkeit, Drogen, diverse Scheidungen, finanzieller Ruin. Und es soll ein Buch in Arbeit sein, in welchem Lisa Marie von ihrem Leben erzählen will. Die Einnahmen des Buches sollen ihr aus der finanziell mißlichen Lage verhelfen und auch ansonsten möchte Lisa Marie ihr Leben zum besseren verändern.
By Liz Calvario 7:24 PM PDT, April 21, 2018
La Toya Jackson is so proud of Paris Jackson.
The 61-year-old singer couldn't help but talk wonders about her 20-year-old niece at the 25th Annual Race to Erase MS Gala at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday.
"She's become a remarkable woman," La Toya told ET's Lauren Zima. "She's done very, very well and I'm very proud of her, and very excited and very happy."
La Toya is also so inspired by all her family members who frequently give back to the community. "All my nieces and nephews are always doing something. If it's not downtown [helping] homeless people, they're constantly doing something that a lot of people don't even realize or know about. It's very important," she shared, adding how her late brother, Michael Jackson, would "absolutely" be proud of Paris and his kids.
La Toya was recently on an episode of the Hollywood Medium, where she and Tyler Henry had a surreal experience communicating with the King of Pop.
"It was an incredible experience. I have to tell you something. Tyler is so, so, so amazingly talented," La Toya confessed. "It was amazing. It's amazing how that works. I can't even tell you how it works, but it does, and there are things that he doesn't know that he says, and it's like, he's getting it from somewhere."
The moment was "extremely" emotional for her, but La Toya explained how Henry got vibes and "he knew that he was going to be meeting" her brother because "Michael kept coming up" as she was on her way to meet him.
Meanwhile, La Toya couldn't have been happier attending the Race to Erase MS Gala.
"It's amazing. It's very close to me because I love Nancy [Davis] and I'm playing for Race to Erase on the Worst Cooks: Celebrity Edition… I'm so excited and she is too, that I'm playing for her. So I'm happy to raise some more money."
http://www.etonline.com/paris-…-la-toya-exclusive-100833
La Toya sagt, Paris sei eine bemerkenswerte Frau geworden. Zu der 25. Race to Erase MS Gala, sagt La Toya, das Paris, dass sehr gut gemacht habe. Sie sei sehr stolz auf Paris und sehr aufgeregt und glücklich.
Die Familie denkt nun daran, einzugreifen
So wie ich es verstanden habe, wollen die wohl intervenieren. Da musste ich gleich an Michael denken, bei ihm haben die das ja auch versucht und wie das oft geendet hat, wissen wir ja 
. Sollte da was dran sein, denke ich, kann das nur nach hinten losgehen, meiner Meinung nach. Paris hat ihren eigenen Kopf und ich glaube, ne Horde Jacksons, die auf sie einreden, das kann nix werden. Sie scheint sich eh von dem ganzen Clan mehr oder weniger distanziert zu haben, da lässt se sich sicher nix von denen sagen.
A rep for the Jackson family is addressing a recent report claiming Katherine Jackson suffered a “sudden and devastating” stroke last weekend.
RadarOnline posted the original article, claiming the 87-year-old Jackson family matriarch, “has the family around her 24/7 since the stroke.” Fortunately, there’s no truth to the rumor, according to longtime Jackson family publicist and friend Steve Manning.
“The story is bullsh*t. Mrs. Jackson is fine. She’s with (daughter) Rebbie. I don’t know where they get this fake news,” Manning told the New York Daily News.
One of Jackson’s nine children, who preferred to speak anonymously, also dispelled the lie, saying, “It’s not true, It’s a rumor. She’s fine.”
http://www.ebony.com/entertain…n-family-katherine-stroke
Der Publizist und Freund der Jacksons sagt lt dem Artikel, dass Katherine keinen aktuellen Schlaganfall hatte, es Katherine gut ginge und sie bei Rebbie sei.
Genevieve Jackson soll auf Social Media mitgeteilt haben, dass die Info eine Erfindung von Radar online sei und es Katherine gut ginge. Keine Ahnung, was da dran ist 
.
Womit manche Leute die Gerichte so beschäftigen 
. Sony hatte seinerzeit mehrere fachmännische Stimmenprüfungen durchführen lassen und das Ergebnis war, dass es Michael Jackson ist, der die Songs singt.
Dieser Artikel hat nicht direkt etwas mit Paris zu tun, es geht mehr um ihre Freundin Cara. Der Artikel ist sicher für uns Michael Fans auch interessant in Hinsicht auf Anschutz. Ich wusste nicht so recht wo ich ihn posten soll, wollte ihn aber auch nicht unter den Tisch fallen lassen. Falls er hier verkehrt ist, bitte verschieben.
Die Showbiz-Elite versammelt sich beim Coachella-Festival – doch Topmodel Cara Delevingne(25) streikt! Während ihre Victoria's Secret-Kolleginnen zusammen mit anderen Stars und tausenden Feierwütigen in Kalifornien ein Wochenende voller Musik und Party genießen, bleibt Cara dem Hype fern. Der Grund: Sie will den Mann hinter dem Festival nicht unterstützen, denn um ihn gibt es einen handfesten Homophobie-Skandal – ein No-Go für die bisexuelle Aktivistin!
US-Unternehmer Philip Anschutz ist Chef der Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), die hinter Coachella steht. Der 78-Jährige habe laut NY Daily News im Laufe der vergangenen Jahre umgerechnet mehrere hundertausend Euro an Organisationen gespendet, die sich ausdrücklich gegen Homo-, Bi- und Transsexuelle positionieren. Außerdem unterstütze er konservative Politiker, die sich für Waffen und gegen Abtreibungen einsetzen. Werte, die Cara keinesfalls vertreten kann – auch wenn Anschutz vor einiger Zeit beteuerte, dass er rein gar nichts gegen die LGBTQ-Community habe und die Spenden inzwischen eingestellt seien.
Trotz ihrer Abwesenheit postete die Schauspielerin auf Instagram eine Lobrede auf Beyoncés(36) Headliner-Performance. Für einige ihrer Follower nicht gerade konsequent – in einer Story reagierte Cara, die gerade mit Paris Jackson (20) anbandeln soll, auf die Kritik. "Ich weigere mich immer noch, zu einem Festival zu gehen, das einem Menschen gehört, der gegen LGBT und für Waffen ist. Ich habe das Recht, diesen Mann und das Festival zu beschämen und gleichzeitig eine Künstlerin zu würdigen", erklärte die Schauspielerin. Sie wolle das umjubelte Festival nach wie vor nicht besuchen.
Ich gehe davon aus, dass Katherine schon seit geraumer Zeit nicht mehr in der Lage ist, ihre Kohle zu verwalten. Und um die geht es ja letztendlich.
Es ist wirklich traurig, dass man bei so einer Nachricht, wie der aktuellen, gleich an sowas denken muss, aber die Jacksons haben uns ja bislang hinreichend bewiesen, dass diese Sorge mehr als berechtigt ist.
Man darf wohl gespannt sein...
und erholt sich nun zu Hause bei ihrer Familie.
Würde mich mal interessieren, wer genau aus der Familie sich nun um Katherine "kümmert".
Ist möglicherweise für einige jetzt wieder eine gute Gelegenheit, eigene Interessen durchzusetzen. Wenn Kathrine in einer "schwachen Verfassung" war, wurde das bislang ja immer (aus)genutzt.
Grundsätzlich hoffe ich, dass Paris diese ganzen Model-Jobs nicht nur kriegt, weil sie die Tochter von MJ ist. Es ist sicherlich ne gute Eintrittskarte so manches Mal, allerdings und das ist mein persönliches Empfinden, ist sie quasi für diese ganzen Shootings super geeignet, weil ich sie sehr fotogen finde und sie einfach ein "Typ" ist. Diesen ganzen Magermodels mit ihren leeren Blicken, kann ich so gar nix abgewinnen und dsbzgl punktet Paris bei mir schon erheblich und kann locker mit denen mithalten. Ich finde sie auch sehr wandelbar. Ist sicher auch alles eine Frage des Geschmacks und jeder empfindet es anders. Was die Klamotten betrifft, werden die sicher bei ihren Shootings vorgegeben. Da muss sie sich nach dem jeweiligen Auftraggeber richten. Allerdings...soo ganz sorglos sehe ich das Ganze auch nicht. Die Modelszene ist schon eine recht oberflächliche und da hoffe ich, dass Paris sich nicht unter Druck setzt bzw unter Druck setzen lässt zB was ihre super Figur betrifft(etwas abgenommen hat sie ja unnötigerweise durchaus). Es ist einfach krank, welche Schönheitsideale teilweise in der Modelbranche herrschen und da hoffe ich einfach, dass Paris sich da nicht verbiegen lässt. Ich freue mich auch grundsätzlich, dass Paris mal wieder verliebt ist, gebe aber zu, dass ich nicht sicher bin, ob Cara(und die gesamte Modelszene) nur guten Einfluss auf sie haben .
JERMAINE BEIM FINALE VON KIDS VOICE IN ROLLE (VD/CH) 12. APRIL 2018 Jermaine Jackson wird am Samstag 28. April 2018 live beim Finale der TV-Sendung Kids Voice mit von der Partie sein. Jermaine wird in diesem Finale unter den Jurymitgliedern sein, die neben Jermaine aus eher regional bekannten Musikern bestehen. Die 8 Finalisten der mittlerweile bereits 4. Staffel dieser Sendung werden während der Show u.a. mit den Jurymitgliedern im Duett zusammen auftreten. Die Show beginnt um 19:45 in der Rosey Konzerthalle von Rolle und dauert 3 Stunden. Wer die letzten Tickets dafür ergattern möchte, ist hier an der richtigen Stelle. Der TV-Sender RTS2 wird etwas zeitversetzt ab 21.50 Uhr mit dabei sein. Die Sendung Kids Voice ist eine TV-Music-Castingshow für Teenager im französischsprachigen Raum, die dem entsprechenden Format im deutschsprachigen Raum DSDS ähnlich ist und auch vom öffentlich-rechtlichen welschen Fernsehen RTS adaptiert wurde. Rolle ist eine Gemeinde im Bezirk Nyon im Kanton Waadt in der französischsprachigen Schweiz. Dies wird somit der 1. öffentliche Auftritt von Jermaine Jackson als Solokünstler auf Schweizer Boden überhaupt sein, da er bisher lediglich zusammen mit The Jacksons 2016 im Rahmen von Art On Ice in der Schweiz aufgetreten ist, im selben Jahr einen spontanen Kurzauftritt an der Baselworld hatte und in den 80ern zusammen mit Pia Zadora den Hit When The Rain Begins To Fall für das Schweizer Fernsehen performte. In nächster Zukunft wird Jermaine Jackson auch noch in Zürich auf einer Bühne zu sehen sein, und zwar am Donnerstag 29. November 2018 um 20.00 Uhr im Hallenstadion als Stargast von Michael Jackson -The Symphony Experience. Tickets für diesen Event, bei dem Songs des King of Pop Michael Jackson live mit Orchester vorgetragen werden, sind hier erhältlich. Quelle: jackson.ch, ticketcorner.ch, kidsvoice.ch, srf.ch
Weiterlesen unter http://www.jackson.ch/jermaine…kids-voice-in-rolle-vdch/
Copyright © jackson.ch
Video von Paris 20.Geburtstag
Übersetzung der Passagen, in denen es um Michael geht
Wie ist das alles passiert?
Phil Anschutz erhielt einen Anruf von Tom Barrack, der ein Freund von Phil war. Er erzählte ihm, dass er NL gekauft habe und dass Michael wieder zurück zur Arbeit wollte. Ich hatte tatsächlich Michael repräsentiert für ein Sponsoring und eine Produktlinie von LA Gear Mitte der 90er. Und das war der Beginn des Abenteuers das TII wurde.
Wie war Ihre Beziehung zu Michael?
Ich war ihm nahe zu der Zeit. Ich glaube, die einzige Person, die Michael näher stand, war seine Mutter Katherine
Haben Sie Anzeichen gesehen, was kommen würde?
Nein, weil ich während des Tages mit ihm arbeitete. Wenn ich Meetings mit ihm hatte, ging es ihm immer gut und er war aufmerksam. Ich wusste nichts von seinen Schlaf Problemen. Er hatte ein Ess Problem und er würde vergessen zu essen und er war dünn.Ich heuerte jemanden an, der für seine Ernährung zuständig war. Ich war besorgt, er würde nicht genügend Nährstoffe erhalten. Ich traf seinen Arzt drei Mal. Ich hatte keine Ahnung, dass er ihm nachts Propofol gab, um zu schlafen. Hätte ich es gewusst, hätte ich versucht, es zu stoppen. Aber ich habe nie gesehen, dass er es getan hat.
Es muss für Sie der schlimmste Albtraum gewesen sein, als er starb
Es war schrecklich. Und wir hatten 36 Millionen Dollar Ausgaben als er starb zwischen seiner Security, für seinen Lebensunterhalt, die Produktion mit Kenny Ortega, den Aufbau der Show, Proben, das ganze Ding.
Wie kam es zum Film?
Als Paul Gongaware und ich die Vorsprechen für TII starteten, stellte ich eine Firma an um eine Konzert DVD zu filmen. Aber es kostete 20000 Dollar am Tag, nur um zu filmen, so kaufte ich zwei HD Kameras und heuerte zwei Kameramänner an, die das filmen über nahmen. An einem gewissen Punkt, vergass Michael die Kameras und das ist der Grund,
dass Michael so unbeobachtet wirkt und der Film so menschlich ist. Als Michael starb,
begannen wir mit John Branca das Material anzuschauen und wir realisierten, welchen realen Wert wir da hatten.
How did the film happen?
When Paul Gongaware and I started the auditions for “This Is It” at Nokia Theater [now Microsoft Theater], I hired a company to film b-roll for a concert DVD. But it cost $20,000 a day just to shoot it so I bought two HD cameras with a credit card and hired two documentary cameramen and they just started shooting. At some point Michael forgot the cameras were there and that’s why he’s so unguarded and why the film is so human. When Michael died we had all of that stuff put in a vault in the Staples Center. We started looking at it with John Branca, who became the executor of the estate, and realized we had something of real value.
What did you learn from that entire episode?
On a humanistic level life is fragile and things can change at the drop of a dime and you have to be prepared for change and adapt and think on your feet. Two weeks after he died, I produced the memorial service with Ken Ehrlich and Kenny Ortega that was broadcast into 2 billion homes. I never really had time to mourn the loss of my friend. I had to go into super business mode because we were so deep in debt and figure a way to claw out of it. This Is It became that vehicle. It really tested my mettle both as a human being and as an executive with fiduciary responsibility for the company and to the owner. That probably for me was the most pivotal point in my career.
And what happened post-AEG?
I left AEG in November of 2013 and went to work for Global Entertainment, which is like the iHeartRadio of the UK, and the owner Ashley Tabor wanted to try and get a foothold on the label business in America. I worked for him for about two years. I got a call from Andrew Axelrod at Axar Capital shortly after who was one of the new owners along with Allianz – the German insurance company – and they asked if I could write a reorganization plan for the corpse to get them out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
How did you come on board?
Part of my job was to find new management for the company and it was really hard because anyone good was either under contract at AEG and I had hired them years ago – like Paul Tollett or Skip Page or Quint Davis – or they were at Live Nation and under contract like Gary Richards who I have now. So the owners came to me and made a deal I couldn’t refuse. I brought in Chuck Ciongoli who was Doug Morris’ CFO at Universal Music. He and I have cleaned up this company. And I hired Gary Richards to be the president of North America and we’re doing some amazing things.
It’s interesting you have such deep roots in live entertainment and also worked on the label side.
I used to marvel that the recorded music industry and the live entertainment industry were two separate things, even though the brands they were promoting were the same. The biggest interaction between the labels and a promoter was when labels would buy tickets for radio or retail and that was it. It never made sense to me because the underlying brand we were selling, whether it was music or a live experience, were the same thing. They never work together, but that’s a bridge I always want to make.
https://www.pollstar.com/article/from-p ... eer-134448
From Prince To Michael Jackson To Why Don’t We: Randy Phillips’ Extraordinary Career
5:00 AM, Tuesday, 2/06/2018 By: Andy Gensler
MJ Kim/Getty Images
This Is ItMichael Jackson and Randy Phillips backstage at the London’s O2 Arena before a press conference to announce Jackson’s residency on March 5, 2009.
To hear veteran music exec Randy Phillips discuss his illustrious five-decades career in the music business and the veritable music hall-of-fame artists whose careers he’s touched is to induce head-spinning.
How does one go from booking shows as an undergrad to managing Rod Stewart, Prince, Sublime, Lionel Richie and Toni Braxton? Or promoting tours by Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, Cher, Usher and Justin Bieber among many, many others?
“I’m a type-A Jew and a workaholic,” says Phillips, 63, who hasn’t slowed down a millisecond. He’s now running LiveStyle, formerly SFX, a festival production company he joined in the fall of 2016. He continues to manage artists like this week’s cover subject Why Don’t We with his company Signature Entertainment
Fittingly, he cites attending George Harrison and Ravi Shankar’s 1971 all-star benefit Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden with his older brother as an early influence. Perhaps it was that legendary show, featuring all-star performances by Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Badfinger and Ali Akbar Khan among others, that led Phillips to work with such a luminous amalgamation of superstars.
Pollstar: When did you start working in music?
Randy Phillips: I transferred to Stanford in 1972 where I was the director of special events. I was actually named Billboard’s college talent buyer of the year.
Really? Which artists did you book?
A lot of Bay Area bands, Crosby Stills & Nash and Boz Scaggs. We had Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart who became a client. Then I went to the University of Santa Clara for law school because they had opened an air-supported 5,000-seater and gave me a scholarship to book the building. I was a building manager when I was still in college. I had bands like Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, Elvin Bishop and Bruce Springsteen.
What was your first job in L.A.?
I co-produced a show on NBC called the “Rock Palace.” I was one of the partners. I did a show out of there that followed “SNL” for three seasons. I made a deal with K-Rock and we had all the New Wave artists, Haircut 100 and Modern English. I was very much into New Wave.
What was your defining moment there?
I booked Rod Steward to perform and his new manager [Arnold Stiefel] was so impressed with my presentation he hired me to join his management company. Within a year we had signed Billy Squier and Prince and I was offered a full partnership after the first year. Arnold’s a character and he still has Rod Stewart.
How did you land Prince?
Rod had become a massive arena touring act and Warner Bros. Records was desperate to find Prince a manager. Mo Ostin, Lenny Waronker and Michael Ostin couldn’t deal directly with him and Steve Fargnoli, Prince’s original manager, had died. He had a lawyer at the time named Gary Stiffelman from John Branca’s firm – so Gary set up a meeting for Arnold and I at Prince’s Paisley Park.
Oh my God, how’d that go?
Prince made us wait in his conference room for most of the day and then he summoned us. In Paisley Park you got in an elevator and went up three stories to this apartment where he lived on the top. The doors were like church doors with stained glass and there was this massive white room. We walked in and to the left was a golden heart-shaped satin bed. Laying on the bed, and this was for a meeting after we had waited for six hours, was Kim Basinger.
You’re kidding.
Arnold and I are sitting there and Prince is behind the desk and no one is saying anything – not a thing. And Kim Basinger is reading a magazine. So I said, “Hey Prince don’t you want to ask us anything? Get to know us, the whole thing?” And he said, “No. Are you managers?” And I said, “Yes, that’s what we do for a living.” And he said, “Okay then manage me.” And that was the end of the meeting.
Randy Phillips
Randy Phillips
So this was mid-’80s after Purple Rain, was he massive then?
He was massive, but it was uneven. Like in Europe we could go from one city and do 60,000 in a stadium and then go into another town and he’d only do 30,000. Unfortunately Arnold and I got the honor, or dishonor, of executive producing “Graffiti Bridge.” Which was shot all at a Paisley Park soundstage and looked like “H.R. Pufnstuf.”
How long did you work for Prince?
About a year and a half. We were able to turn his finances around. When I met him he was hemorrhaging money and he could have lost Paisley Park, which was dear to him. I was known as a touring manager, someone who knew the road and the touring business really, really well. Paul Gongaware and I made that deal with the Sunday Mail with the bundled tickets and he made about 3 million pounds from that. We were also his promoter for 21 nights at the London O2 and the first one to package his CD into the tickets for his Musicology Tour.
How and why did it end?
He got into the war with Warner Bros. and painted his face and changed his name and that was it. We never got fired, we just never heard from him again.
Who was on the Stiefel-Phillips roster?
We had Prince, Rod Stewart, Simple Minds, Morrissey from the Smiths, Matthew Broderick. We produced the film “Midnight in the
Garden of Good and Evil.” It was a very
active period.
When did you pivot to record labels?
In the late-’80s I made a deal with Al Teller who was chairman of MCA which is now Universal Music Group. Teller made a deal for a label called Gasoline Alley, which was a Rod Stewart album title. The second act I signed was Shai, which went on to sell 4 million albums and 6 million singles. They had the No. 2 single that year behind Whitney Houston called “If Ever I Fall in Love,” which is a
classic.
Who else did you sign?
Around 1993 we signed Sublime. Actually, my nephew found the act, he was working for me in A&R (he now manages Slightly Stoopid). I kept their first two albums, 40oz to Freedom and Robbin the Hood, independent of MCA and we formed an independent label called Skunk Records. I went down to see them, they were crazy wild. It was everything music and rock and roll are supposed be.
You were doing the management company at the same time?
Yes, we signed Toni Braxton. We had her during the massive hits.
“Un-Break My Heart”?
That was a song Clive Davis brought Arnold and I from Diane Warren and we played it for Toni and convinced her to cut it with David Foster and it became a massive hit.
When did you start Red Ant Records?
That was from about 1994-1996 which was another label with Al Teller who had left MCA. I left the management company, but we remained partners on Toni Braxton. We had a hit with Divine called “Lately” and also signed Cheap Trick and Salt-N-Pepa.
How did you transition to running AEG Live?
I get a call in 1999 from Irving Azoff who had just brokered the sale of a boutique concert company called Concerts West that Paul Gongaware and John Meglen owned to Tim Leiweke who was the CEO of AEG [and current CEO of Oak View Group, Pollstar’s parent company] and who had just opened Staples Center. Apparently, John and Paul were having a hard time buying talent. I’m close to David Zedeck and Larry Rudolph who worked with Britney Spears and was able to help make that happen. The company started with a Britney Spears arena tour which was hugely successful. And then we got Tom Petty and Paul McCartney and we were off and running and that was the beginning of AEG. I wrote a 33-page business plan and proposed changing the name to AEG Live and became the new company’s CEO
What were some of your tentpoles during your 13-year career at AEG?
I brought over Chuck Morris and Brent Fedrizzi who were at Clear Channel. We bought Goldenvoice and got 100% of the company and 50% of Coachella. I opened a New York office and took the New York staff of Metropolitan Entertainment after Live Nation bought it from Mitch Slater and moved into new offices with Debra Rathwell. I opened The O2 arena in London and hired Rob Hallett to run booking for us. We opened it with Bon Jovi and Justin Timberlake and Bocelli. We were able to save the New Orleans Jazz Fest with Quint Davis and George Wein. John Meglen and I changed the paradigm in Las Vegas when Celine Dion opened the Colosseum at Caesars and started her multi-year residency. And then the big one was going to be 50 nights with Michael Jackson.
How did that all happen?
Phil Anschutz got a call from a business associate named Tom Barrack who was a friend of Phil’s and who told him that he bought the note on Neverland and that Michael Jackson wanted to go back to work. I had actually represented Michael for an LA Gear sponsorship and product line deal in the mid-’90s with Arnold. And that was the beginning of the adventure that became “This Is It.”
What was your relationship like with Michael?
I was close with him at that time. I think the only person closer to Michael then was probably his mother, Katherine.
Did you see signs of what would come?
No, because I worked with him during the day. When I had meetings with him he was always fine and alert. I didn’t know he had sleep problems. He had an eating problem and would forget to eat and he was thin. I hired someone just to feed him and be his food monitor because I was concerned he wasn’t getting enough nutrients. I met his doctor three times. I had no idea he was given Propofol at night to sleep. Had I known, I would have tried to stop it. But I never saw him like that.
It must have been your worst nightmare when he passed?
It was horrible. And we were $36 million into it when he died between his security, living expenses, production with Kenny Ortega building the show, rehearsals, the whole thing.
