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Tag: Michael Jackson estate

  • Is Singer Brandon Howard Michael Jackson’s Son?

    Brandon Howard is the son of Miki Howard and, some say, Michael Jackson. Miki was a musical artist managed by Michael’s father Joe Jackson in the 80s. Brandon is now 31. He is also said to be the “kid” referenced in Michael’s 1982 hit “Billie Jean.”

    A DNA test was done to examine the genetic relationship. The organizers of the test allegedly obtained Michael Jackson’s DNA from an orthodontic device of his that had been purchased at an auction. The results show that there is a 99.9 percent chance of a positive parental match.

    The match was announced at a press conference in Beverly Hills by Alki David, digital entrepreneur and heir to the Coca-Cola Hellenic shipping company. Dental surgeon Joseph Goodman revealed the results of the DNA test. He was the one who extracted a sample of the King of Pop’s DNA from the dental device he purchased at the auction.

    The alleged test documents were shown to some of the press conference’s attendees, but did not identify the laboratory that performed the analysis. The paperwork also did not contain the names of the test subjects. David said this was because DNA tests are usually done anonymously and other information was excluded for security purposes. “I’m sure that there will be doubters…but it is what it is,” David stated. Michael Jackson’s estate lawyer Howard Weitzman was skeptical. He said, “It sounds like a fraud,” and that they had never heard of Howard. “He’s never made any claims with the estate,” he said, adding that any deadline for claiming to be an offspring of Michael Jackson has long since passed.

    Howard confirmed in a Facebook post that he gave the organizers a sample of his DNA for the test. Corey Feldman, a former child actor and close friend of Howard, said that his friend agreed to give a sample for his own peace of mind. “His intention was to keep it for himself,” added Feldman. Feldman believes Howard is Michael Jackson’s son.

    In a Facebook video, Howard said he had nothing to do with the press conference and he had never proclaimed himself to be the King of Pop’s son. “I’m definitely not suing the estate,” he said, reasoning that he has been well taken care of, and that he has no need for others’ money because he makes his own.

    Brandon Howard’s music video

    Image via YouTube

  • Michael Jackson’s Estate Earns $600 Million In Revenue

    The King of Pop’s estate is now generating cash, sources say. When Michael Jackson died almost five years ago, he was overwhelmed with debt. He has made millions in his lifetime from endorsements, concerts, and his own music, but his earnings could not keep up with his luxurious lifestyle.

    Jackson lived an extravagant lifestyle and reportedly spent around $30 to $50 million annually on himself alone. By the time of his death in 2009, unpaid bills had piled up with his publicists, agents, and lawyers.

    One of his biggest purchases was the Neverland Valley Ranch, a private amusement park and Jackson’s home from 1988 up to 2005. The cost of the ranch alone was $17 million, and cost $5 million a year just to maintain the property. Along with that purchase, he also spent millions on a divorce settlement, lawsuits, antiques, clothes, Bentleys, and his diamond-encrusted gloves.

    Jackson was also known to spend millions of dollars on several video projects, which amount to about $65 million.

    After Jackson’s death, his executors planned a comeback to make the King of Pop’s finances shift to the positive side. This was carried out mainly by doing licensing and publishing deals, so that they did not have to sell the singer’s music portfolio. Jackson’s future music rights, which amounted to $250 million, were sold to Sony. His lawyers also joined several home videos to come up with the movie “This is It,” which to this day is said to have made more than $500 million.

    In new court documents filed under California, Jackson’s estate now has $600 million in revenue and $18 million in cash.

    Jackson’s three kids – Prince, Paris, and Blanket – are the chief beneficiaries. They get to spend $8 million yearly — $3 million on education, $28,500 monthly rental for a mansion, $600,000 in security, and $300,000 for a vacation.

    Michael Jackson’s Estate

    Image via Michael Jackson, Twitter

  • Quincy Jones Insists MJ’s Estate Owes Him Big

    Famed producer Quincy Jones is suing Michael Jackson’s estate, claiming that he is owed at least $10 million dollars. The claims are aimed at The King of Pop’s estate and Sony Music Entertainment, insisting that they improperly re-edited songs to deprive him of royalties and production fees, according to AP.

    The producer worked with Jackson on three of his most popular solo albums, “Off the Wall,” ”Thriller” and “Bad”, and more recently on the movie “This Is It”, for which he claims he should have received Producer credit. Jackson’s hits “Billie Jean,” ”Thriller” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” are among the songs Jones claims were re-edited to deprive him of royalties and his producer’s fee.

    The lawsuit states Jones’ belief that the Jackson parties “secretly entered into a venture agreement with Sony” where Sony and the Jackson Label would share profits according to The Hollywood Reporter. But Jones also alleges that rights to the master recordings “reverted from Sony to MJJ” and albums featuring the performances of Jackson were “distributed by the Jackson Label, instead of Sony, including albums embodying one or more of the Masters.”

    Therefore, the defendants are charged with an effort to “divert” revenues to MJJ and “disguise” the revenues as “profits” instead of “royalties.”

    According to the lawsuit, “By removing such Disguised Royalties from the pool of revenues upon which Jones’ royalties are calculated, MJJ purposely reduces the royalties … payable to Jones under both of the Agreements.”

    Jackson’s estate disagrees with Jones’ stance and wrote in a statement that it was saddened by Jones’ lawsuit. “To the best of its knowledge, Mr. Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael.”

    Jones’ attorney, Henry Gradstein, said, “Quincy has been frustrated with these matters for a number of years, felt he was not making any progress and needed to take more formal action.”

    Image via youtube