Jackson already eyes world comeback tour
John Harlow, Santa Maria


BY 5am each day, long before the sun rises over his fairytale home Neverland, Michael Jackson has finished his daily dance workout and settled down to choose armbands and trinkets for the day ahead in court.
He pores over 100 secondhand medals, ranging from the Order of Vienna to a chunky golden orb minted by a former king of Swaziland. He tells the staff who help him to dress that the medals “make me strong for the battle to come”.

As an aide makes sure the beleaguered 46-year-old pop star’s tie is perfectly knotted, Jackson is already speaking on his gem-encrusted mobile phone. The first call is often to a New York-based music mogul, Charles Koppelman, with whom Jackson is planning a world tour — provisionally entitled Celebration — to start a few months after the acquittal he prays for on child sex charges.

Forbes magazine estimates that over his 40-year career the former child star has earned $500m (£260m). Other magazines have estimated his wealth at between £75m and £150m, including £10m in record royalties last year. However, he is also paying off a £105m loan from Sony, secured against the Beatles’ back catalogue, in which he owns a half share.

US lawyers estimate that the trial could cost him up to £50m. Larry Feldman, who once represented Jordan Chandler — a boy who was paid $15.3m in 1993 not to press abuse charges — said the cost of employing up to 100 legal advisers over the past two years and through a possible appeal next year could reach £40m.

“You have to think of Michael as a corporation fighting for survival,” he said.

On top of that there are extra security teams, including private detectives, and public relations advisers such as Ann Kite, his former consultant, who said in court last week that she was paid £12,000 a month.

Mounting concern about Jackson’s finances has prompted alleged creditors, from Sotheby’s to local suppliers, to start legal action against him.

Koppelman, meanwhile, is working in the background to disentangle his finances and vet offers on the long-mooted sale of the 3,000-acre Neverland estate.

Business associates say he is buoyed by the belief that music will provide his pathway to redemption in the public eye. His last album, Invincible, sold 8m copies but failed to recoup the costs to his record label, Sony. Jackson is nevertheless determined to stage a lucrative blockbuster tour.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20...12652_2,00.html

The article forgot to mention that his brothers will be joining him on the tour.
Also, Joe Jackson (his father) has made plans for Michael to perform at the 2006 football world cup.

Can't wait for the British leg...

I hear the crowd at HMP Wormwood Scrubs are a nice lot...!!

:DI would promote it as the jacksons,rather than as Michael Jackson.

:DI would promote it as the jacksons,rather than as Michael Jackson.


No, it's a Michael Jackson tour. The Jacksons will sing about two or three of their hits (probably I Want You Back, I'll be There and Shake Your Body) and the rest of the show will be Michael singing new and old stuff. If you've ever seen Michael's CBS 30th Anniversay Special, then that's what this tour will be like without the guest singers at the start.

Hopefully he will bypass Colorado...if not, thanks for the warning! ;)

Hopefully he will bypass Colorado...if not, thanks for the warning! ;)

I think he will tour majoritly aroud Europe (when I say Europe I also mean UK and Australia). He'll pay in almost every country in Europe itself. A few cities in England, only one or two shows in Ireland and he'll probably do Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in Australia. He might do Las Vegas in American because that a place I know he wants to perform. New York and Hollywood are also two possiblities.
After his promotional tour he'll do a charity tour in Africa and visit 3rd world countries and do free shows for them.
These 2 tours (the promotional and charitable) will be accompanied by a new album. The last show would probably be 2007. After all this is finsihed (2007) I'm not sure if Michael will continue making music or retire. I think it's in his blood to die as a performer. He'll be going until he's 90.