The Jackson trial is about Sony getting the Beatles catalog

[skjpm]

If you were wondering why so much effort was being put into this when there is so little direct evidence, it is because Sony is trying to put Jackson in a position where he has to sell the Beatles song catalog. This is not a defense of Jackson, though I think he is more guilty of terrible judgment than actual molestation, but it might help put things in perspective.

[hollywood926]

1. Jackson bought the catalog from under McCartney's nose...

you should hear McCartney tell the story. It's sad - all the songs HE wrote that he doesn't even get royalties for. It really shows what a scumbag Michael Jackson is - the man doesn't have a "childlike" bone in his body and I definitely believe he is a pedophile. He'll walk, though. You can do anything in this country if you're rich.

[Zuni]

6. not true

a lot of rich people do face justice, but often they do get away with murder

[Taverner]

2. I think Jacko is guilty

Hands down. Yeah yeah yeah, he does deserve a fair trial - and I would have hoped they would have disqualified me if I were a potential juror for that reason alone.

But I think he's guilty. And he stole the Beatles catalogue from McCartney plain and simple. McCartney never wanted Beatles tunes to hawk products, and soon after Jacko got the music rights, Nike launched their "Revolution" ads.

[WI_DEM]

3. well if Sony does get it

Jackson will get what he deserves afterall he stole it from Paul McCartney. I think Jackson will walk though because I think the defense will be able to muddy the mother's reputation enough for some reasonable doubt. But to my way of thinking Jackson is one disturbed human being and quite possibly is a molester.

[Zuni]

5. He is going to get by because of his vicious legal team

and their strategy of smearing everyone accusing him.

I read a book about the 1993 case, and I firmly believe that he was guilty then and he is guilty now.

[skjpm]

8. Just like Clinton did to Paula Jones?

Both sides have equal smear campaigns.

[hollywood926]

13. WHAT?

Paula Jones had the backing of the entire RW. This mother and her kids and have the equivalent of what Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman had - a couple of lawyers from the DA's office. Michael Jackson has an entire team of lawyers who have nothing else to focus on but him.

This is hardly equal.

[skjpm]

17. They have Sony behind them, IMHO. n/t

[hollywood926]

24. What evidence do you have of this?

It doesn't even make any sense. Jackson could sell a million things before he would have to sell the song catalog. That would be the very last thing he would have to sell and even then, he would probably not do it. It's his nest egg.

The theory makes zero sense.

[skjpm]

27. It came up in the trial yesterday

The witness said that there was a conspiracy underway to destroy Jackson's career. Read the transcripts of the cross-examination. I'm not making this up.

[Zuni]

4. I think Michael jackson is guilty

he should have a fair trial, but I believe he is a pedophile (I have very little doubt about it)

Besides, why don't McCartney and the survivors of John Lennon have the rights to the songs?

[skjpm]

7. Sony would sure like you to think he's guilty

I think that's why the media coverage is a bit skewed against him. I haven't see a bit of hard evidence suggesting molestation, but you'd think, based on the coverage, that boys were lining up to accuse him.

[hollywood926]

10. The coverage I have seen bashes the mother of the accused...

the coverage doesn't seem anti-MJ at all, to me.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

23. the mother of the accused tried to sell Leno her story..she called Jay and

told him she would come on his show for a large ammount of money...that is why Leno is on Michael's witness list

this is a case of GREED!

[hollywood926]

29. Oh well if the mother tried to sell her story,

then child is obviously lying about being molested. :eyes:

[Zuni]

15. What does Sony have to do with it?

Do you have any evidence this case has anything to do with Sony or is this just another conspiracy theory?

[skjpm]

16. Sony is the record label Jackson recently sued

Remember the interview with Al Sharpton at his side? That was all against Sony. Now Sony is fighting back by trying to destroy his career.

[Zuni]

20. and your proof is?

I don't even think Sony took MJ seriously on that---his claims were beyond absurd.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Is this some sort of psychotic conspiracy theory?

Sony executive to kid + parents: "Help us set this freak up, and we'll see there's something in it for you."

Sorry, I don't buy it.

[skjpm]

12. Well, uh, yeah--you don't think Sony would do that?

Pay off a mother who has lied in the past so they can get Jackson to sell off his stuff? Sounds like a plan to me.

[noonwitch]

11. I think Jackson is crazy, but I'm not so sure he's guilty

It's hard to know what the evidence is when the media is in such a feeding frenzy. It sounds like the family of the alleged victim is shaking down Jacko for cash. On the other hand, the man is such a freak. Even if he's not a pedophile, he is a seriously disturbed man who thinks he's a child.
There's a part of me that hopes that somehow, he loses custody of his kids. Whether he's a pedophile or not, he's crazy and those kids are going to be totally messed up if they remain in his care.

[skjpm]

14. Jackson's brothers had sex while he was in the room

when he was eight or nine. I doubt if he has any idea the boundaries he's crossing. I don't think he's a molester, I think his own childhood was so warped that he doesn't know what normal people do. If he called himself "queer" everyone on this board would be defending his rights--what's wrong with being different? He looks better than Joan Rivers. There's a difference between extremely poor judgment and committing a crime.

[hollywood926]

18. If he called himself "queer,"

and inappropriately touched children, I would hope no one on this board would defend him.

The man is pushing 50 years old. It's time he learns wrong from right.

[skjpm]

26. Being different does not make you a pedophile

The gay community has been fighting this stereotype for years. Being a drag queen does not make you a pedophile. Just because someone accuses a gay man of molesting their children, as they have accused many Scout leaders and camp counselors, doesn't make it true. It means people accuse people who are different because they are afraid. I'm surprised this board isn't more skeptical about accusations thrown at someone who enjoys being different.

[hollywood926]

30. Michael Jackson is not on trial for being different....

He is on trial because a child reported to authorities that he was touched inappropriately by Mr. Jackson. He is not the first child to say such a thing and, if MJ gets away with it and doesn't get help, he won't be the last.

Pee Wee Herman is different...and weird....and was caught with kiddie porn in his house....but he is not on trial for child molestation because he didn't molest a child.

[Zuni]

31. but by Jackson's own admissions

he fits very closely into a classic pedophile profile

His behavior and his obsession with young boys is very pedophiliac. His Peter Pan fetish and neverland ranch are also classic signs of pedophiliac behavior

[progmom]

19. I never heard that.

With each other? With women?

[skjpm]

25. with groupies n/t.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

21. i've been screaming this for years!...also Jackson owns all the Elvis's...

catologs and many many other stars catalogues...and they all have to kowtow to Michael and pay BIG $$'s to use any of it...they(Sony & others) intend to break Jackson finacially by making him pay BIG $$ defending himself with law fees hoping it will force him to sell them

[noonwitch]

22. Yeah, but Paul owns the rights to Buddy Holly's songs.

Not quite as lucrative as the Beatles' catalogue, but not too shabby.

[hollywood926]

28. Buddy Holly is dead and Paul didn't steal the rights from under his nose.

In the mid-80s, Michael and Paul were chatting backstage at (possibly the We Are the World thingie) when Michael asked Paul for advice regarding investing. Paul told Michael that song rights are the only way to go and that he was in the process of buying the Beatles publishing rights so no one could exploit them in commercials. According to Paul, it was literally the next day when MJ bought the rights from out from underneath him and he started hearing Beatles songs on TV commercials not too long after that. It's something a manipulative asshole would do.

BTW - Sony Corp. paid Michael Jackson $95 million in 1995 to merge ATV with Sony and form Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a 50-50 joint venture, so it's probably more correct to say that Jackson now owns half the rights to the Beatles catalog.