Being Michael Jackson has never been wonkier than now.
Jackson, whose latest attempt at a musical comeback at the World Music Awards in London this month was met with so much negative energy (and boos) from the media and some of his fans, has lined up a new gig Dec. 19 in Tokyo.
But the show, for 1,600 fans who have shelled out an extraordinary $3,400 a head, will lack elements previously considered important to a Jackson show --his voice, his dancing, and even his moonwalking. Although musicians and dancers will be at the event, the show won't showcase the singer, but Michael as Persona: Michael the Hero.
Your three grand simply gives you the pleasure of being in the same space as Michael (and 1,599 other fans).
Pay extra, and you can get autographed photos or a two-second meet and greet.
AND FOR MY NEXT APOLOGY: Michael Richards appeared on the Rev. Jesse Jackson's nationally syndicated radio program to discuss his racist rant at a Los Angeles comedy club.
Richards' participation in the "Keep Hope Alive" program is a chance to reach out and apologize to the black community, Jackson said.
"He is embarrassed," said Jackson, who spoke to Richards by telephone after being contacted by the actor's publicist. "I think he wants to recover from the pain he now feels and the pain he's caused others.
"
While he called Richards' words "hateful," "sick," and "deep-seated," Jackson said his inclusion in the radio show, which aired Sunday, would be a chance for a broader discussion about black actors, writers and directors' "cultural isolation" in the entertainment industry.
"We might turn this minus into a plus," Jackson said.
Richards, who played Jerry Seinfeld's wacky neighbor Kramer, was performing at West Hollywood's Laugh Factory when he lashed out at hecklers with a string of racial obscenities and profane language.
A cell phone videocamera captured the outburst, and the incident later appeared on TMZ.com.
Richards appeared via satellite on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on Monday, where he said the tirade was fueled by anger at being heckled, not bigotry.
He also apologized to the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Jackson said Richards apologized to him, but his "public meltdown" showed he needs psychiatric help.
"I asked him, 'Why do you hate blacks? Have you been robbed or accosted or molested in some way?'" Jackson said.
"He said, 'No, I can't quite explain it.' I said, 'That's why you need to talk it out.'"
Richards' publicist Howard Rubenstein said Saturday that his client has begun psychiatric counseling in Los Angeles to learn how to manage his anger and why he made the racist remarks.
"He acknowledged that his statements were harmful and opened a terrible racial wound in our nation," Rubenstein said. "He pledges never ever to say anything like that again. He's quite remorseful.
"
Richards has been trying to locate the two men he insulted so he can apologize, Rubenstein said.
DIGITAL-AGE GROUPIE: A woman is accused of using a computer at a national laboratory to hack into a cell phone company's Web site to get a number for Chester Bennington, lead singer of the rock group Linkin Park.
According to an affidavit filed by the Department of Defense Inspector General, Devon Townsend, 27, obtained copies of Bennington's cell phone bill, the phone numbers he called and digital pictures taken with the phone.
Investigators said she also hacked into the e-mail of Bennington's wife, Talinda, and at one point called her and threatened her.
Talinda Bennington told federal authorities last month that someone had accessed their Verizon Wireless account online, according to the affidavit, and expressed concern that a "stalker" had access to personal information.
"This is the Internet version of a groupie hiding in Mick Jagger's dressing room," Townsend's attorney, Ray Twohig, said.
"We're in a different age, and fans have more skills than they used to."
RODRIGUEZ WON'T BE 'THAT DUDE': Freddy Rodriguez has gone from undertaker to A-lister.
The 31-year-old actor, who played embalmer Frederico "Rico" Diaz on the HBO hit "Six Feet Under," has two movies opening this month.
Rodriguez plays the best pal of a former Army ranger gone wrong in the gritty crime drama "Harsh Times." In "Bobby," about the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, Rodriguez plays Jose, a compassionate busboy who came to the aid of the fallen senator.
Both films are in theaters now.
In his next role, Rodriguez plays a tattooed bad guy in Quentin Tarantino's "Grindhouse," due next year.
The youngest of three sons of first-generation Puerto Rican immigrants, Rodriguez says it's important for him to mix things up and not play into stereotypes.
"As long as there is truth, there's going to be stereotypes in films, and actors who are going to play them. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that," he said. "But I always felt like my game plan was different.
There just needs to be somebody who stands up and says, 'I'm going to take a stand and not be that dude.'"
SOUL FOR SALE: An auction of 160 pieces of rock memorabilia Wednesday in London by the Fame Bureau will feature such timeless finds as a Madonna bustier, the original Rolling Stones "tongue" painting, a Jimi Hendrix guitar, and mohair donned by John Lennon.
"Our job is to find those rare articles, those holy grails," Fame Bureau investigator Ted Owen told the BBC's Web site.
"We search for items that we believe are lost." The reason to subject yourself to the rest of the auction is a sheaf of Marvin Gaye's annotated manuscripts of musical arrangements for 20 of his greatest hits, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Mercy Mercy Me."
Birthdays: Actor James Avery (58), TV host Bill Nye of "Bill Nye, the Science Guy" (51), actor William Fichtner (50), Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (49), rock musician Charlie Burchill of Simple Minds (47), rock musician Charlie Benante of Anthrax (44), rock musician Mike Bordin of Faith No More (44), actor Fisher Stevens (43), actress Robin Givens (42), actor Michael Vartan (38), rapper Skoob of DAS EFX (36), rapper Twista (34), actor Jaleel White (30).
News RSS