9:13 PM - Jackson of Arabia
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ããMichael Jacksons descent
toward death could be pegged to any number of dates, but a certain
1 was June 13, 2005, the day he was acquitted of all costs in his
child-molestation case. Inside a week, he had bolted California for
the oil-rich island nation of Bahrain, where his friendship with
Prince Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the 33-year-old second son of
the king, began an odyssey of odd behavior that eventually ended
upas did numerous other post-trial Jackson relationshipsin court,
and raised much more questions concerning the singers state of
thoughts and feasible deepening drug use.Jackson was encouraged to
go to Bahrain to escape the crushing media scrutiny in the urging
of his brother Jermaine, who had converted to Islam in 1989, after
his own go to to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and has company dealings
there. At only 300 square miles, Bahrain is smaller than New York
City and has just over 500,000 citizens. Past its capital of
Manama, with its wide palm-tree-lined boulevards, contemporary
substantial rises, and sprawling luxury malls, the country features
a sleepy village ambiance. In March 2006, Jackson dressed as a
Muslim lady, covered from head to toe inside a black abaya, with
black gloves and big sunglasses, and took his children through the
Marina Mall in the Bahrain capital.With the kings blessing, Jackson
instantly had access to each and every essential power broker. And
over the next year, Prince Abdullah spent about $7 million
bankrolling Jackson's lifestyle in Manama. He gave the singer
$500,000 in investing money and $350,000 for a vacation to Europe,
in addition to spending for Jackson's eight bodyguards and giving
him using his familys fleet of private jets.I saw the payments as
an investment in Michael's potential, Abdullah later stated as part
of a lawsuit he filed against Jackson in London. He said he'd spend
me back via our function together.That work together was a deal
Jackson inked in which he promised, by 2012, to deliver to Abdullah
two albums, a Broadway musical in the style of AbbasMamma Mia!
along with a ghosted autobiography. Also, Jackson signed on like a
consultant on matters ranging from theme parks to music academics
to Bahrains AAJ Holdings, founded by in 1988 by architect Ahmed
Abubaker Janahi; AAJ was a primary partner in what turned out to be
a failed fresh-from-the-sand multibillion-dollar city in the
sultanate of Oman.A former security worker for Jackson told me that
Prince Abdullah fancied himself a talented songwriter and that
Abdullah and Jackson recorded a song in 2005 in a Bahrain studio.
The never released song, according to the security executive, was a
cause for concern because Jackson looked emaciated and strung out.
The Every day Beast was not in a position to verify the existence
of this kind of a recording, even though another Jackson employee
from 2007 and 2008 claimed to possess seen it, and said it was an
utter embarrassment.By that time, Jacksons personal idiosyncrasies
had been proving an occasional embarrassment for Abdullah and also
the royals in the conservative Muslim nation. In November 2005, 5
months after his arrival, Jackson was spotted re-applying his
makeup in the ladies' toilet of a Dubai purchasing mall. An Arab
lady who photographed the scene on her cellphone was confronted and
held by Jackson's bodyguards before becoming apprehended from the
police and her phone confiscated. Jacksons publicist said the
singer did not understand the Arabic sign around the door and left
the bathroom when he recognized his error.In March 2006, Jackson
dressed as a Muslim lady, covered from head to toe in a black
abaya, with black gloves and large sunglasses, and took his kids
through the Marina Mall in the Bahrain capital. All three children
were wrapped in black scarves and wore yellow shirts and sweatpants
with out robes.Some salespeople noticed he wore men's footwear and
they believed the presence of bodyguards was strange. Even the
royals move throughout the almost-crime-free capital with out
security.These forbidden activities prompted a leading conservative
Muslim cleric and lawmaker, Adel al-Maawda, to say Jackson was an
undesirable envoy of the iniquities of Las Vegas. We do not want
him turning Bahrain into Las Vegas. He should keep his concerts and
his effeminate manners away from us.But using the protection of
Prince Abdullah, Jackson stayed in the kingdom. Michaels monetary
troubles had mounted through his pricey criminal trial. In April
2006, certainly one of Abdullahs attorneys, Ahmed al Khan, was
instrumental in arranging a deal with New York-based Fortress
Investment Group, which refinanced Jackson's loans for $300
million. It brought the singer about $28 million in cashspending
money for the shopaholic Jacksonbut meant he place up his personal
music-publishing business, Mijac, as collateral, and gave Sony the
choice to purchase half of his stake in the Sony/ATV publishing
business, for a fixed cost. It was an enormous victory for Sony,
which had long needed to wrest control of Sony/ATV from the
singer.Jackson left Bahrain within the fall of 2006. He traveled to
Japan exactly where he pocketed a million-dollar charge for hosting
a Japanese awards show, after which went to Ireland exactly where
he stayed at Castlehyde in Cork with his buddy, the dancer Michael
Flatley. The singer was back full-time in the U.S. on December 23,
2006. Six months later, Prince Abdullah sued Jackson in London
demanding a return of a master recording, and looking for $7
million in damages for Jacksons failure to produce the book,
albums, or play to which he had committed. Jackson denied he had
signed something. By the time the situation reached the High Court
in London in November 2008, a monetary settlement was reached
around the eve of when Jackson was due to take the stand. Although
the settlement is sealed, a legal source acquainted using the
proceeding says that Jackson paid the prince a minimum of $4
million.Jacksons American advisers have only venom for Abdullah,
calling him a fawning wannabe who needed to use Jackson to
additional his personal unrealistic dream of a pop profession.
Meanwhile, Baharanian sources close to the royals describe Jackson
like a freeloader whos lavish spending and outrageous behavior
eventually broke even the patience and bankroll with the prince.
Each sides agree, nevertheless, that Jacksons remain around the
Arabian peninsula was a disaster for the downward-spiraling pop
superstar.UPDATE: This article continues to be updated to clarify
some details about the recordings allegedly made by Abdullah and
Jackson.Gerald Posner will be the Every day Beast's chief
investigative reporter. He's the award-winning author of ten
investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political
assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. He
lives in Miami Seaside with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.The
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