**My Life With 16 Michaels**

Prompt: All 16 Michaels (eras) are Michael Jackson (Pre-Jackson 5), Michael Jackson (Steeltown), Michael Jackson (J5), Michael Jackson (Jacksons), Michael Jackson (Off the Wall), Michael Jackson (Triumph), Michael Jackson (Thriller), Michael Jackson (Victory), Michael Jackson (Captain EO), Michael Jackson (Bad), Michael Jackson (Dangerous), Michael Jackson (HIStory), Michael Jackson (Maestro from his short film Michael Jackson's Ghosts), Michael Jackson (Blood on the Dance Floor), Michael Jackson (Invincible), and Michael Jackson (This Is It). Each 16 looked and sounded exactly like Michael Jackson from their respective years. All 16 were the real Michael Jackson. All had soft-spoken voices. There were Michael Jacksons from 16 different years appearing together in the present day; but Michael Jackson had been dead for more than 10 years so how did it happen? even even even even even more detailed and even even even even even even longer Accurate Prologue. Wattpad fanfiction My Life With 16 Michaels Prologue, all 106 chapters (from March 11, 2020 to June 25, 2020), and Epilogue Everything Extinct and Lost Forever: permanent farewell (while all 16 Michaels are angry, screaming, and shouting) and during the 106-day journey, All 16 Michaels (past and future selves because of the perspectives of any Michael) (Pre-Jackson 5, Steeltown, J5, Jacksons, Off the Wall, Triumph, Thriller, Victory, Captain EO, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Maestro, Blood, Invincible, and This Is It) were always really constantly yelling, accusing, screaming, and shouting the loudest all the time constantly twenty-four hours every single day while always constantly awake twenty-four hours every single day (never really even playing instruments, stories to share, whimpering, singing, dancing, hugging, smiling, being proud, happy, sad, muttering, unexpected silence, unexpected exhaustion, trembling, laughing, whispering, easing of tensions, talking softly, swimming, taking showers, eating foods, imploring, pleading, laying down, crying, calming, murmuring, mediating, sleeping, mumbling, going to beds, going to sleeping areas, brushing teeth, going outside, muttering, trembling, talking softly, calming, murmuring, and whispering) even when they arrived during the first day of The Eras Mansion (March 11, 2020) and there were no attempts to interject at all and there were no signs of urging at all and there were no attempts to diffuse the tension at all and there were no attempts to establish semblance of leadership at all and there were no attempts to propose at all and there were no suggestions at all and there were no signs of enthusiasm at all and there were no signs of unexpected silence at all and there were no signs of relationships at all and there were no signs of bonding at all and there were no signs of proposing at all and there were no signs of suggesting at all and there were no signs of unexpected exhaustion at all and there were no attempts to restore semblance of order at all and there were no signs of conveying at all and there were no attempts to calm down at all and there were no hopes at all and there were no solutions at all and there were no attempts to plead at all and no one was sleeping at all and there were no signs of pleading at all and there were no signs of encouragement at all and there were no attempts to downplay at all and there were no signs of murmuring at all and there were no signs of breathing at all and there were no signs of muttering at all and there were no signs of sighing at all and there were no attempts to mutter at all and there were no signs of expressing concerns at all and there were no signs of going to quarters at all and there were no signs of laying down at all and there were no signs of unexpected pause at all and there were no signs of suggesting timidly at all and there were no signs of imploring at all and there were no signs of trembling at all and there were no attempts to regain some semblance of leadership at all and there were no signs of mumbling at all and there were no and never any plans, activities, playing instruments, stories to share, singing, dancing, discussions, hugging, peace, muttering, sadness, trembling, laughing, whispering, relationships, bonds, gentle voices, quiet voices, soft voices, easing of tensions, talking softly, quiet moments, solutions, hopes, eating foods, creating songs, imploring, pleading, laying down, sorrow, exhausting, crying, retreating, going to their quarters, meals, ideas, breakfast, lunch, dinner, calming, snacks, whimpering, murmuring, observing, silence, exhaustion, mediating, sleeping, going to beds, going to sleeping areas, brushing teeth, going outside, games, music, performances, concerts, songs, jam sessions, dance-offs, rehearsals, and nothing at all all the time every day and they will never see each other again and they will lose all memories of their time together and tensions were never eased and all 16 Michaels (now yelling and screaming and angry forever) were really grabbing and really destroying each and every single specific actual musical instrument that is brand new (except for all the microphones, all the batons, all the turntables, all the metronomes, all the headphones, all the microphone stands, all the amplifiers, all the speakers, all stacks of records, all the mixers, all the music stands, and all sheet music that all those things remained preserved and untouched during the destruction) in every single room of The Eras Mansion and no rehearsals at all even when they arrived at The Eras Mansion and no relationships at all even when they arrived at The Eras Mansion and no jam sessions at all even when they arrived at The Eras Mansion and no activities at all even when they arrived at The Eras Mansion and no dance-offs at all even when they arrived at The Eras Mansion and no performances at all even when they arrived at The Eras Mansion and no songs at all even when they arrived at The Eras Mansion and no farewells at all and they will never play instruments forever because they were always singers and dancers in all their original respective individual years and The Eras Mansion is demolished, disappeared, and gone forever on June 25, 2020 (the same day as the destruction) (the 11th anniversary of all 16 Michaels' deaths at age 50) and they will return angrily, while yelling and screaming, to just as singers and dancers in all their original respective individual years despite being the same respective ages and same respective eras as they were in all their original respective individual years using blue time travel Time Machine portals. Everything during their time together had been erased forever. All 16 Michaels arrived at The Eras Mansion (it was built today on March 11, 2020) on March 11, 2020 and they stayed for 106 days. It took place in Los Angeles, California. 8-year old Pre-Jackson 5 was 4'3", 9-year old Steeltown was 4'6", 11-year old J5 Michael was 4'10", 18-year old Jacksons Michael was 5'9", 21-year old Off the Wall was 5'9", 22-year old Triumph was 5'9", 24-year old Thriller was 5'9", 26-year old Victory was 5'9", 28-year old Captain EO was 5'9", 29-year old Bad was 5'9", 33-year old Dangerous was 5'9", 37-year old HIStory was 5'9", 38-year old Maestro was 5'9", 39-year old Blood was 5'9", 43-year old Invincible was 5'9", and 50-year old This Is It was 5'9". All 16 Michaels are Virgos and African-Americans. All 16 Michaels (past and future selves because of the perspectives of any Michael) (Pre-Jackson 5, Steeltown, J5, Jacksons, Off the Wall, Triumph, Thriller, Victory, Captain EO, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Maestro, Blood, Invincible, and This Is It) are the same exact person: the late Michael Joseph Jackson himself. In the present day, all 16 Michaels (past and future selves because of the perspectives of any Michael) (Pre-Jackson 5, Steeltown, J5, Jacksons, Off the Wall, Triumph, Thriller, Victory, Captain EO, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Maestro, Blood, Invincible, and This Is It) are the same respective ages and same respective eras as they were in all their original respective individual years because they come from blue time travel Time Machine portals and they never age at all despite the death of all 16 Michaels at age 50 on June 25, 2009. All 16 Michaels were African-Americans, Virgos, and were born on August 29, 1958 at The Jackson family's childhood home on 2300 Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana. The 16 Michael Joseph Jacksons: (Each Michael Joseph Jackson (age) (year) (songs and individual projects in his original individual year)) (Pre-Jackson 5 (age 8) (from 1966) (from the Pre-Jackson 5 era (1964-1967), covers (Climb Every Mountain (from The Sound of Music)/Barefootin' (Robert Parker cover)/My Girl (The Temptations cover)), Garnett Elementary School concert (March 22, 1967 in Gary, Indiana, United States), Theodore Roosevelt High School Talent Show (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (1966 in Gary, Indiana, United States), Chitlin Circuit tour (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (1967), and the Amateur Night Showdown (part of the Chitlin Circuit tour) (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (August 13, 1967 at Apollo Theatre in Manhattan, New York, United States)), Steeltown (age 9) (from 1967) (from the Steeltown Records era (1967-1968), Motown Audition Taping (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (July 23, 1968), The Signing of Motown Records (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (July 26, 1968), Chitlin Circuit tour (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (1968), and songs (Big Boy/We Don't Have to Be Over 21 (To Fall in Love)/You've Changed), J5 (age 11) (from 1969) (from The Jackson 5 era (1969-1973), Jackson 5ive Rankin/Bass animated TV show (September 11, 1971-October 14, 1972), American Bandstand appearance (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (February 21, 1971), The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (September 15, 1972), The Jackson 5 in Japan live album (October 31, 1973), Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (December 12, 1969), ABC studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (May 8, 1970), Third Album studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (September 8, 1970), Jackson 5 Christmas Album studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (October 15, 1970), Maybe Tomorrow studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (April 12, 1971), Lookin' Through The Windows studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (May 17, 1972), Skywriter studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (March 29, 1973), The Ed Sullivan Show performance (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (December 14, 1969), Got to Be There studio album (The title track and "Rockin' Robin," a Bobby Day cover, were released as Got to Be There's first two singles and became back-to-back hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number four and number two, respectively. Third single "I Wanna Be Where You Are" peaked at number 29 on the same chart on June 24, 1972. In the United Kingdom, J5's version of Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine" was issued as the album's third single. It reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. His first solo Motown studio album and the beginning of his solo career while still being a member of The Jackson 5) (January 24, 1972), Goin' Back to Indiana ABC TV special (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (September 16, 1971), The Flip Wilson Show appearance (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (November 4, 1971), Goin' Back to Indiana soundtrack based on the ABC TV special (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (September 29, 1971), Greatest Hits complication album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (December 9, 1971), Ben studio album (his second solo Motown studio album) (August 4, 1972), 45th Academy Awards ceremony (March 27, 1973), Music and Me studio album (Since J5 was on a world tour with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5, promotion on this album was limited. The Stevie Wonder cover, "With a Child's Heart", was released as a single in the United States, where it reached number 14 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two additional songs, "Music and Me" and "Morning Glow," were released as singles in the United Kingdom, but failed to chart. Another track, "Too Young", was released as a single in Italy, while the track "Happy" was issued as a single in Australia and "Doggin' Around" received a limited-release single in the Netherlands. Ten years after this album's release, "Happy" was released as a single in the United Kingdom to promote Motown's 18 Greatest Hits compilation album. For the compact disc issues of the album, the text on the album was changed and the shade of green was darker) (April 13, 1973), songs (I Want You Back/ABC/Sugar Daddy/All The Things You Are/It's Your Thing/Morning Glow/Too Young/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus/Maria (You Were The Only One)/Mama’s Pearl/You’ve Got A Friend (Carole King cover)/With A Child's Heart (Stevie Wonder cover)/La-La (Means I Love You) (The Delfonics cover)/The Love You Save/I’ll Be There/Who’s Lovin' You (The Miracles cover)/I’ll Bet You/I Wanna Be Where You Are/Doggin' Around/Frosty the Snowman/Little Drummer Boy/Someday at Christmas (Stevie Wonder cover)Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)/Never Can Say Goodbye/Happy/Goin' Back to Indiana/Maybe Tomorrow/Rockin' Robin’/Ben/Got to Be There/Music and Me), Save the Children concert (in Chicago, Illinois) (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (1972), The Jackson 5 First National Tour (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (May 2, 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States-December 30, 1970 in Jacksonville, Florida, United States), Soul Train TV show appearance (October 7, 1972), The Jackson 5 Second National Tour (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (January 2, 1971 in Miami Beach, Florida, United States-August 16, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States), The Jackson 5 US Tour (with Randy, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (December 27, 1971 in Des Moines, Iowa, United States-October 27, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois, United States), The Jackson 5 European Tour (October 30, 1972 in London, England, United Kingdom-November 12, 1972 in London, England, United Kingdom), Hollywood Palace episode (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (October 18, 1969), and Miss Black America TV pageant (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (August 22, 1969)), Jacksons Michael (age 18) (from 1976) (from The Jacksons era (1973-1979), American Music Awards of 1975, The Jacksons debut Epic Records studio album (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (November 5, 1976), Moving Violation studio album (final Motown The Jackson 5 studio album) (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (May 15, 1975), Dancing Machine studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (September 5, 1974), G.I.T.: Get It Together studio album (with Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (September 12, 1973), Soul Train TV show appearance (November 3, 1973), The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson appearance (with Randy, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (April 9, 1974), The Cher Show appearance (March 16, 1975), Soul Train TV show appearance (October 5, 1974), 1974 Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon (November 28, 1974), The 16th Grammy Awards (March 2, 1974), The Carol Burnett Show appearance (January 25, 1975), American Music Awards of 1974, Free to Be... You and Me TV special (March 11, 1974), The Rich Little Show appearance (February 16, 1976), The Sonny & Cher Show appearance (October 10, 1976), The Carol Burnett Show appearance (January 24, 1976), The Carol Burnett Show appearance (March 16, 1974), The Transfer from Motown Records to Epic Records (at Rainbow Grill in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States) (June 30, 1975), Forever Michael studio album (his final Motown solo studio album; The album helped return Jacksons Michael to the top 40, aided by the singles "We're Almost There" and "Just a Little Bit of You", both written by the Holland Brothers (Eddie and Brian) of Holland–Dozier–Holland) (January 16, 1975), The Jacksons’ Goin’ Places studio album (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (October 18, 1977), Alpha Bits cereal commercial (1974), The Jacksons’ Destiny studio album (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (November 1978), American Bandstand appearance (June 28, 1975), American Bandstand appearance (February 10, 1979), The Jackson 5 Final Tour (February 13, 1976-February 19, 1976 in the Philippines), The Jacksons Tour (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (May 19, 1977-May 24, 1977 in Europe), Goin' Places Tour (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (January 22, 1978-May 13, 1978 in North America and Europe), The Jackson 5 World Tour (March 2, 1973 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States-December 1975 in Mexico City, Mexico), the first leg of The Jacksons’ Destiny World Tour (Jaunting through European nightclubs and theaters throughout United Kingdom, West Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, & Spain. Some dates compose of 2 shows being an evening and night show) (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (January 22, 1979 in Bremen, West Germany-June 10, 1979 in Greenboro, North Carolina, United States), A Special Sesame Street Christmas TV special (December 8, 1978), ABBA Snowtime special (February 15, 1979), music videos (Enjoy Yourself/Blame it on the Boogie/Goin' Places/Even Though You're Gone), songs (Enjoy Yourself/Forever Came Today/Body Language/It All Begins and Ends With Love/All I Do Is Think Of You/Moving Violation/Blame it on the Boogie/Things I Do For You/Farewell My Summer Love/Push Me Away/All Night Dancin’/That’s What You Get (For Being Polite)/Cinderella Stay Awhile/Dreamer/One Day In Your Life/We’re Almost There/Think Happy/Just A Little Bit of You/Good Times/Killing Me Softly With His Song/Do What You Wanna/Heaven Knows I Love You, Girl/Bless His Soul/I Am Love/Style of Life/Destiny/Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)/Dancing Machine/Show You the Way To Go/Blues Away), and CBS The Jacksons variety TV series (with Janet, Randy, Marlon, La Toya, Tito, Jackie, and Rebbie) (June 16, 1976-March 6, 1977)), Off the Wall (age 21) (from 1979) (from the Off the Wall studio album (his first studio album produced by Quincy Jones and his first solo studio Epic Records album; crafted from disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock, and Broadway ballads; Its lyrical themes include escapism, liberation, loneliness, hedonism, and romance) (August 10, 1979), UNICEF Because We Care Gala (January 29, 1980), Kraft Salutes Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary special (March 6, 1980), the second leg of The Jacksons' Destiny World Tour (the second leg of this tour played arenas and auditoriums, after the release of Off the Wall's album Off the Wall, the brothers revamped their show for larger venues. For the third leg, additional songs were added to the setlist, most notably songs from Off the Wall's new album. The tour grossed an estimated 7.5 million dollars. On November 15, 1979, Off the Wall would end up with a kidney infection. This caused shows from November 15–21 to be cancelled from Fort Worth to Greenville. Some performances were cancelled for December for uncertainty for when Off the Wall would get better. These shows were initially planned to be rescheduled for 1980 but ultimately got cancelled overall. The tour picked up on November 22 in Savannah. The tour ended in Honolulu on January 13, 1980) (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (October 2, 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States-January 13, 1980 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States), his character of The Scarecrow in the movie adaptation of The Wiz based on the Broadway musical (October 24, 1978), The 22nd Grammy Awards (February 27, 1980), American Music Awards of 1980, songs (Burn This Disco Out/Get on the Floor/Off the Wall/I Can’t Help It/Girlfriend/It’s The Fallin’ In Love (with Patti Austin)/Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong/When You Wish Upon A Star/You Can’t Win/Working Day and Night/Ease on Down the Road (from The Wiz)/Sunset Driver/What a Lonely Way to Go), and music videos (Don't Stop ‘Till You Get Enough/Rock With You/She's Out of My Life)), Triumph (age 22) (from 1980) (from The Jacksons’ Triumph studio album (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (September 26, 1980), Diana television special (as a special guest for Diana Ross) (February 5, 1981), The Jacksons Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony (September 3, 1980), Suzuki commercials (Triumph signs a contract with the Japanese company Suzuki to promote their scooters, with the slogan “Love Is My Message,” which is linked to the name of the scooter, “Love.” Triumph makes many photoshoots all over Los Angeles (Hollywood, Vine Street, Sunset Boulevard, downtown, at Fisherman’s Village in Marina del Rey, close to Venice Beach. Santa Monica. He also films several commercial videos featuring the song “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”) (1981), The Jacksons Live! live album (recorded during the band's North American concert tour in fall 1981, known as the Triumph Tour. The live double album was culled from recordings made on the tour's stops in Buffalo, Providence, Atlanta, and New York City) (November 11, 1981), songs (This Place Hotel/We Love You/Night Time Lover/Everybody/Goin’ Back To Alabama/Your Ways/Give It Up/Save Me/This Is It (I Never Heard)/Time Waits for No One/Don’t Matter to Me (from Drake's 2018 album Scorpion)/Love Never Felt So Good (from posthumous 2014 album Xscape)/Wondering Who/Walk Right Now/Lovely One), music video (Can You Feel It), and Triumph Tour (By 1981, the Jacksons had regained success as a platinum-selling recording group with two albums, Destiny (1978) and Triumph (1980). Additionally, lead singer Triumph was in the final stages of promoting his 1979 multi-platinum album, Off the Wall. This tour allowed Triumph to bring in new show production ideas more to his liking. Inspired by Earth, Wind & Fire's live shows, Triumph created the costumes and designed the stage. It was on this tour that he first wore his sequined glove, which later became world-famous after his Motown 25 performance. He and his brothers also collaborated on an intro that signaled similarities to their "Can You Feel It" music video. As it had been for many years, the choreography was done by Triumph, Jackie, and Marlon Jackson. The shows included magical elements designed by Doug Henning—for example, Triumph disappearing in smoke during "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". Each show earned highly positive reviews, in part due to Triumph's leadership and showmanship. His brothers also earned praise, particularly for Randy's and Tito's musicality, and Marlon's dance ability. The tour marked the last truly integrated group effort, as Triumph's solo career would soon eclipse his success with his brothers. The tour was so well-received and popular that Epic had the brothers record a variety of shows, and compile them for an upcoming live release; grossed a total of $5.5 million, setting a record breaking four sold out concerts in Inglewood, California, just southwest of Los Angeles; The stage was dark and had three groups of strobe lights, all of them containing different colors of lights, facing the stage diagonally. The stage also had a spotlight that followed the main performers. In addition to the lighting, the musicians played their instruments on fixtures (the horn section to the left of the stage, the drums to the center, and keyboards to the right; with the exception of the guitarists and Randy Jackson who played the piano, keyboards, and different percussion) (with Randy, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie) (July 8, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States-September 26, 1981 in Inglewood, California, United States)), Thriller (age 24) (from 1982) (from the Thriller studio album (his first studio album engineered by Bruce Swedien and the best selling album of all time in the world; With the ongoing backlash against disco music at the time, Thriller moved in a new musical direction, resulting in a mix of pop, post-disco, rock, funk, synth-pop, and R&B sounds, and darker themes) (November 30, 1982), Budweiser Superfest (August 1, 1982), Entertainment Tonight interview (February 25, 1983), the surprise guest appearance at James Brown and B.B. King concert (August 20, 1983), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial audiobook (November 15, 1982), Michael Jackson's Thriller short film (In the 1950s, Thriller and a young woman (Ola Ray) run out of gas while driving in a wooded area. They walk into the forest and the woman accepts Thriller's invitation to be his girlfriend. He warns her that he is "not like other guys", transforms into a werecat and attacks her. In the present, Thriller and his girlfriend are watching the werecat film in a theater. The girlfriend leaves, scared by the film. Walking down a city street at night, Thriller teases her by performing the verses of "Thriller". They pass a graveyard, where zombies rise from their graves and surround them in the street. Thriller becomes a zombie and dances with the horde. Thriller and the zombies chase his girlfriend into an abandoned house. She screams and wakes up, realizing it was a nightmare. Thriller embraces her and takes her home, but turns to the camera and grins, revealing his werecat eyes) (December 2, 1983), Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special (a 1983 television special to commemorate Motown's 25th anniversary. The program was taped before a live audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California on March 25, 1983, and broadcast on NBC on May 16 to an estimated audience of 47 million, and the solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned Thriller his first Emmy Award nomination. This was the first time Thriller performed what would become his most famous signature move, the moonwalk) (May 16, 1983), songs (Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'/Got the Hots/Carousel/Behind the Mask (Yellow Magic Orchestra cover)/Slapstick/Starlight/What A Lovely Way To Go/Can't Get Outta the Rain/It's A Man's Man's Man's World/Human Nature/Nite Line/Who Do You Know/Hot Street/Say Say Say (with Paul McCartney)/The Man (with Paul McCartney)/Someone in the Dark/The Toy/Stuff Like That/P.Y.T. Pretty Young Thing/Baby Be Mine/The Girl is Mine (with Paul McCartney)/The Lady in My Life), and music videos (Billie Jean (directed by Steve Barron, was the first video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation on MTV. Along with the other videos produced for Thriller, it helped establish MTV's cultural importance and make music videos an integral part of popular music marketing; photographer who follows but never catches Thriller, as when photographed Thriller fails to materialize on the developed picture. Thriller dances to Billie Jean's hotel room and as he walks along a sidewalk, each tile lights up at his touch. After performing a quick spin, he jumps and lands, freeze framed, on his toes. Upon arrival at the hotel, he climbs the staircase to Billie Jean's room, lighting up each step as he touches it and illuminating a burnt-out "Hotel" sign as he passes it. The paparazzo then arrives at the scene and watches as Thriller vanishes under the covers of Billie Jean's bed, before the police arrive and arrest him for spying on Billie Jean. As the paparazzo is led away, he drops a tiger-print cloth that Thriller had left behind after polishing his shoe with it earlier in the video. (On both occasions, the cloth briefly transforms into a tiger cub.) Once the street is empty, the paving tiles again light up in sequence, reversing Thriller's earlier progress)/Say Say Say (with Paul McCartney)/Beat It (The video was Thriller's first treatment of black youth and the streets. The video opens with the news of a fight circulating at a diner. This scene repeats itself at a pool hall, where gang members arrive and the song begins to play. The camera cuts to Thriller lying on a bed as he contemplates the senseless violence. Thriller dons a red leather J. Parks brand jacket and dances his way towards the fight through the diner and pool hall. A knife fight is taking place between the two gang leaders in a warehouse. They dance battle for an interlude of music until Thriller arrives; he breaks up the fight and launches into a dance routine. The video ends with the gang members joining him in the dance, agreeing that violence is not the solution to their problems; The video had its world premiere on MTV during prime time on March 31, 1983)/Thriller)), Victory (age 26) (from 1984) (from The Jacksons’ Victory studio album (this album's genres are R&B, pop, synth-pop, and rock; with Randy, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie) (July 2, 1984), The Jacksons Fan Club Record (June 1, 1983), Victory Tour Announcement Press Conference (at the Central Park's Tavern on the Green in New York) (Exactly a year after Thriller’s release, the Jacksons held a press conference at Central Park’s Tavern on the Green in New York City, where they announced they would be releasing an album the next year, followed by an American tour. Promoted by boxing personality Don King, and sponsored by Pepsi, it was also revealed that the brothers would be taping television commercials for the soft drink in the new year) (November 30, 1983), His Diagnosis of Lupus (with Arnold Klein) (1984), Unauthorized Interview at Hayvenhurst (with La Toya Jackson) (early 1984), The Acquisition of ATV Music (August 10, 1985), Pepsi Commercial Shooting Hair Accident (In 1984, Victory would film a commercial for Pepsi alongside his brothers from the Jacksons, once again featuring "Pepsi Generation". They filmed six takes, the final one becoming one of the most tragic points in the life of the King of Pop. Due to faulty pyrotechnics, the fireworks went off too quickly and Victory’s head caught on fire. This happened due to gel in his Jheri curls. He initially didn't realize he was on fire, until his brothers helped to extinguish the flames, although the event still caused second-degree burns on his scalp. Due to the continuous pain the artist experienced, his addiction to taking painkillers has began, having a massive effect on his life and eventually leading to his unfortunate death. Additionally, his hair never grew back, having to wear extensions or wigs afterwards) (January 27, 1984), 1st Annual Black Gold Awards (January 11, 1984), 1984 Glen Wexler Photoshoot (March 1984), The 26th Grammy Awards (Victory, who had been recovering from scalp burns sustained due to an accident that occurred during the filming of a Pepsi commercial, won a record eight awards during the show. It is notable for garnering the largest Grammy Award television audience ever with 51.67 million viewers) (February 28, 1984), Katherine Jackson’s 54th Surprise Party (May 4, 1984), Guinness Book of World Records' record for top selling album ever made by a solo artist award ceremony (February 8, 1984), Walt Disney World Epcot Visit (1984), Michael Jackson Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony (November 20, 1984), Pepsi Generation commercials (In the first Pepsi commercial, a remix of "Billie Jean" titled "Pepsi Generation" was featured. In the advert itself, Victory comes across a group of kids, one of which he gives a can of Pepsi to. They then proceed to have a dance off with the Jacksons) (1984), Caribou Ranch Visit (September 1984), The Visit to the White House with Then President Ronald Reagan (May 14, 1984), The Unveiling of Wax of Michael Jackson at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (in London, England, United Kingdom) (March 28, 1985), Victory Tour Press Conference (July 5, 1984), American Music Awards of 1984 (January 16, 1984), music videos (Torture/Body), songs (State of Shock (with Mick Jagger)/Torture/Cheater (from The Ultimate Collection)/The Hurt/Dirty Diana (1983 Demo)/Another Part of Me (1984 Demo)/We Are Here to Change the World (1984 Demo)/Al Capone (1984 Demo)/Pepsi Generation (Pepsi Remix of Billie Jean)/Be Not Always/Dream Away/Chicago 1945/Scared of the Moon/Somebody’s Watching Me (with Rockwell)/Centipede/Surprise Song (from The Jacksons Fan Club Record)/Automatic (The Pointer Sisters cover)/Don’t Stand Another Chance/Without A Song/Eaten Alive/Tell Me I’m Not Dreamin' (Too Good To Be True) (with Jermaine Jackson)/We Are the World (with USA for Africa)/There Must Be More to Life with This (with Queen)/Song Groove (Abortion Papers) (from Bad 25)/Pyramid Girl/Buffalo Bill/Neverland Landing/Wait), and Victory Tour (his final tour with Randy, Marlon, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie as The Jacksons before his departure from The Jacksons on December 9, 1984 during the final show of The Jacksons' Victory Tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California; Of the 55 locations performed at, 53 were large stadiums. Most came to see Victory, whose album Thriller was dominating the music world at the time. Many regard it as his Thriller Tour, with most of the songs on the set list coming from his Thriller and Off the Wall albums. The tour reportedly grossed approximately $75 million and set a new record for the highest-grossing tour. It showcased Victory's single decorated glove, black sequined jacket, and moonwalk. The tour was choreographed by Paula Abdul, and promoted by Don King. Despite the billing of being a 'world tour', the shows were staged to the United States and Canada alone. Despite its focus on Victory, the tour was named after the Jacksons' album Victory. The album was released four days before the tour's first show in Kansas City and turned out to be a commercial success. However, besides some ad libbing during the show's encore, none of the album's songs were performed on the tour. Jermaine had a successful new album out as well (Jermaine Jackson, also known as Dynamite, which had been released in April 1984) and some material from that album was performed. According to Marlon, Victory refused to rehearse or perform any of the songs from Victory and was also reluctant on embarking on the tour himself; it took his mother Katherine and fans to persuade him before he finally agreed. Marlon also stated that Victory had only reluctantly joined his brothers, who needed the income while he himself did not. On the tour, tensions between Victory and his brothers increased so much that at the December 9 concert he announced that it would be the last time they would perform together, ending plans for an European leg of the tour in the spring and summer of 1985. The Jacksons and Don King still made money from the tour. It was the only tour with all six Jackson brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Victory, and Randy), even though Jackie was injured for some of it. The group performed 55 concerts to an audience of approximately 2.5 million. The tour sold what was then a record number of tickets despite the high price. Upon receipt the money was to be deposited into a standard money market account earning 7% annual interest; it would take six to eight weeks for the lottery to be held and money to be refunded to the unsuccessful purchasers. Since only one in ten purchasers would win the lottery and receive tickets, there would be more money in the bank for that time period than there were tickets to sell, and they expected to earn $10–12 million in interest. King, Sullivan and the Jacksons' father, Joe Jackson (who no longer managed any of his sons by that point), came up with a way to generate additional revenue from ticket sales. Those wishing to attend would have to send a postal money order for $120 along with a special form to a lottery to buy blocks of four tickets at $30 apiece, ostensibly to curtail scalpers. The opening shows were widely covered in the national media and sold out. "Anybody who sees this show will be a better person for years to come", King told the media before the first date in Kansas City. "Michael Jackson has transcended all earthly bounds. Every race, color, and creed is waiting for this tour. Tensions between Victory and his brothers increased during the tour. The other Jacksons also had grievances with Victory. He turned down a multimillion-dollar offer from Paramount Pictures to film one of the shows that his brothers had accepted, only to have a crew he had hired show up to shoot its own film several nights later (they subsequently blocked its release). Despite a pre-tour agreement that only the Jacksons themselves could ride in the van chartered to take them to shows, Victory began taking child star Emmanuel Lewis along with them. Later, after a similar agreement over a helicopter that took the brothers to a show at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Victory showed up with Sean Lennon (son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono), and his brothers glared at him for the entire flight. Before the tour was halfway completed, the brothers were taking separate vehicles to concerts, staying on different floors of their hotels and refusing to talk to each other on the way to shows. Meetings broke down among factions, with two lawyers frequently representing Victory's interests, another Jermaine's, and one more for Jackie, Tito, and Marlon. "It was the worst experience Michael had ever had with his brothers", said a longtime family friend. "Some were jealous, there was denial, the whole gamut of human emotions." Health problems affected the tour. Jackie missed the first half with a leg injury, supposedly sustained during rehearsals. At one point, Victory became so exhausted from the stress of quarreling with his brothers that he was placed under medical care. Victory stayed at his own hotels and flew between stops on a private jet while the rest of the family flew commercial. At one point he demanded that a publicist be fired and, when he found out right before a show that she had not been, he refused to go on until she was. Victory was also disappointed that his idol James Brown had declined his invitation to join the group on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City due to Brown's continued outrage about the ticket lottery. Victory donated his share to several charities as he had promised prior to the tour, but the rancor between him and his brothers had a deep and lasting effect on the Jacksons as a family, alienating him from them for most of his later life, and effectively ended the Jacksons as a performing group. The tour was also a financial disaster for promoter Chuck Sullivan and his father Billy; the losses from the tour eventually forced them to sell the New England Patriots football team they owned after Foxboro Stadium, the team's home field, lapsed into bankruptcy. The Jacksons and King had made money even though Sullivan had not, and near the end of the tour they began making plans for a European leg. When word reached Victory, he let them know through his representatives that he would not take part. At the rain-soaked tour finale at Dodger Stadium, after six sold out shows, Victory announced at the end of the show that this would be the last time they would all perform together, much to his brothers' surprise. As a result, the plans to go to Europe were ended. Things got worse as the tour reached its final leg on the West Coast. In late November, the shows at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, were canceled. Officially the reason was that Jermaine was too sick with the flu to perform, but there was some speculation that slow ticket sales played a role as well. Sullivan was so short of cash he stopped payment on a $1.9 million check to the group after the Vancouver dates. Immediately afterwards, he suffered a minor heart attack and left the hospital early to renegotiate with the Jacksons again, claiming losses of $5–6 million. By this time the parties were no longer meeting in person. The Jacksons agreed to waive the stopped payment in return for a greater share of revenue from the six final shows at Dodger Stadium. Sullivan's estimated profit was down to half a million dollars) (July 6, 1984 in Kansas City, Kansas, United States-December 9, 1984 in Los Angeles, California, United States)), Captain EO (age 28) (from 1986) (In the Captain EO movie, he is on a mission, along with the space crew, to save the world from the evil queen by giving her a song and dance) (from the Captain EO Buena Vista Productions 3D science fiction short movie/Epcot attraction (directed by Francis Ford Coppola and the executive producer was George Lucas; co-production between Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm, in collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering) (September 12, 1986), His Diagnosis of Vitiligo (with Arnold Klein) (1986), controversies unrelated to the Captain EO movie (Captain EO's rifts with his family and the Jehovah's Witnesses, broken friendships with celebrities, and the pressure of celebrity), tabloid speculation unrelated to the Captain EO movie (eccentric behavior, including the adoption of Bubbles the chimpanzee. Other rumors were false; this included the rumor that Captain EO slept in a hyperbaric chamber) (1986), Perth Channel 7 Telethon (October 19, 1985), American Music Awards of 1986, and songs (We Are Here to Change the World/Starlight Sun/Another Part of Me)), Bad (age 29) (from 1987) (from the Bad studio album (his last studio album produced by Quincy Jones; adopted an edgier image and sound, departing from his signature groove-based style and falsetto; incorporates pop, rock, funk, R&B, dance, soul, and hard rock styles, and incorporated new recording technology, including digital synthesizers; the album includes topics such as media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement, and world peace) (August 31, 1987), songs (Don't Be Messin' 'Round (1986 Demo)/Come Together (The Beatles cover)/Al Capone/Free/Get It (with Stevie Wonder)/Do You Know Where Your Children Are/Throwin' Your Life Away/Just Good Friends (with Stevie Wonder)/I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (with Siedah Garrett)/I’m So Blue/Speed Demon/Groove of Midnight/Fly Away/Someone Put Your Hand Down/Price of Fame/You Were There/Loving You), Promotion (The marketing strategy for Bad was modeled on that for Thriller. Like the first Thriller single, "The Girl Is Mine", the first Bad single, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", was a ballad duet, followed by two "more obvious modern pop knockouts" backed by music videos. A commemorative special on Bad's life, The Magic Returns, aired on CBS during prime time on the day of the release of Bad. At the end of the documentary, the channel debuted the short film for "Bad", directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring Wesley Snipes. The marketing strategy, mastered by DiLeo among others, also included Bad producing another mini-movie around the time of the Bad world tour. That film, Moonwalker (1988), included performances of songs from Bad, including "Speed Demon", "Leave Me Alone", "Man in the Mirror", and "Smooth Criminal", the latter two released as sole videos at the end of the film. The film also included the music video for "Come Together", with the song featuring seven years later on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It became the bestselling home video of all time.; Bad performed two songs – “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Man in the Mirror” – at the 1988 Grammy Awards, having declined to perform during the Thriller era in 1984 when he was Victory. According to Paul Grein of Billboard, Bad's performance at the show stands as "Exhibit A to anyone who wants proof of his artistry and command when he was at the peak of his powers." Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described it as "one of the most striking performances ever by a pop performer on national television", a performance that "overshadowed everything else" in the ceremony. "Man in the Mirror" was nominated for Record of the Year a year later at the 1989 Grammy Awards), music videos (Bad/Smooth Criminal/Speed Demon/The Way You Make Me Feel/Man in the Mirror/Dirty Diana/Leave Me Alone/Liberian Girl), Gardner St. Auditorium dedication (October 12, 1989), Fisk University Doctorate of Humane Letters Honorary Degree Ceremony (March 10, 1988), Michael Jackson Around The World NBC special (July 30, 1988), California Raisin commercials (1989), Pepsi "Chase" commercial (Another advert would come into fruition in support of Bad's new song, "Bad". It was devided into four parts and featured Bad performing on stage and afterwards getting away from paparazzi, all while a Pepsi-themed remix of the track follows the video. The remake features the Bad singing "Pepsi's cool, it's cool, you know it") (1987), Pepsi "The Magic Begins" commercial (with future accuser James Safechuck; Another ad featuring "Bad" would be released, this time featuring one of Bad's future accusers, James Safechuck. It features young Safechuck dressing up into Bad's stage outfit and finally getting to meet Bad near the end of the clip) (1987), The Acquisition of Neverland Ranch from William Bone (May 1988), Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration (November 13, 1989), American Music Awards of 1989 (January 30, 1989), The 30th Grammy Awards (March 2, 1988), Moonwalk autobiographical book (February 1, 1988), Moonwalker anthology movie (October 29, 1988), and Bad World Tour (had 123 shows; Beginning in Tokyo, Japan, the tour lasted for 1 year, during which Bad visited 15 countries and performed to 4.4 million people. Attendance figures for the first 14 dates in Japan totaled a record-breaking 450,000. The most successful of the European dates were those in London at Wembley Stadium, where demand for the five July dates exceeded 1.5 million, enough to fill the 72,000-capacity venue 20 times. Bad went on to perform seven sold-out shows at Wembley for a total of 504,000 people which entered him into the Guinness World Records, setting a new world record for playing more dates at the stadium than any other artist. The third concert was attended by Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles, and subsequently released as Live at Wembley July 16, 1988. The final European show was held in Liverpool at Aintree Racecourse, where 1,550 fans were reported injured among the crowd of 125,000, the largest show of the tour. Bad toured the United States for a second time between September 1988 and January 1989, with a return to Japan for nine sold-out shows in Tokyo Dome for a total of 450,000 people in December. The Bad World Tour grossed a total of $125 million, earning two new entries in the Guinness World Records for the largest grossing tour in history and the tour with the largest attended audience. It was nominated for "Tour of the Year 1988" at the inaugural International Rock Awards. The Bad World Tour was the second highest-grossing tour of the 1980s after Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour. Sponsored by Pepsi, the Bad tour began in Japan, marking Bad's first performances there since 1972 with the Jackson 5 when he was J5. Attendance figures for the first 14 dates in Japan totaled a record-breaking 450,000. Bad performed seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium, beating the previous record held by Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and Genesis. The third concert on July 16, 1988, was attended by Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles. Bad was entered into the Guinness World Records three times from the tour alone. The Bad tour was a major financial success, grossing $125 million. Bad performed 123 concerts in 15 countries to an audience of 4.4 million. The tour set records for both the largest grossing tour in history and the largest paid attendance) (September 12, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan-January 27, 1989 in Los Angeles, California, United States)), Dangerous (age 33) (from 1991) (from the Dangerous studio album (his first ever studio album produced by Teddy Riley and Bill Bottrell and the best selling New Jack Swing album in the world; Dangerous wrote 12 of the album's 14 songs; incorporates R&B, pop, and new jack swing, a growing genre at the time; Elements of industrial, funk, hip hop, electronic, gospel, classical, and rock are also present; the album has topics like racism, poverty, romance, self-improvement, multiculturalism, and the welfare of children and the world; has catchy pop hooks and choruses while also introducing underground sounds to a mainstream audience. The album's tone is noted by critics as gritty and urban, with sounds including synthetic basslines, scratching, and drum machine percussion, as well as unconventional sounds like honking vehicle horns, sliding chains, swinging gates, breaking glass, and clanking metal. Dangerous also incorporates beatboxing, scat singing, and finger snapping throughout the album) (November 26, 1991), songs (For All Time (from Thriller 25 album)/Someone Put Your Hand Out/Ghost of Another Lover/Don't Believe It/Happy Birthday Lisa/Monkey Business/Deep in the Night/Men in Black/What About Us (Earth Song demo)/Mind is the Magic/Keep the Faith/Work That Body/Slave to the Rhythm (from posthumous 2014 album Xscape)/She Drives Me Wild/Red Eye/If You Don’t Love Me/Serious Effect (with LL Cool J)/Can’t Let Her Get Away/If You'd Only Believe/Dangerous/Dig It/She Got It), Promotion (Similar to the way in which record label executives had approached Bad, expectations were set at a high bar for Dangerous. In September 1991, Dangerous netted a deal to have his videos air on FOX alongside regular music-video channels MTV, BET, and VH1. The 11-minute video for "Black or White" debuted on November 14, 1991, and was broadcast across 27 countries. 500 million viewers reportedly watched it—the largest audience ever for a music video. The music video and its controversy boosted the sale of Dangerous, as did the broadcast of videos for "Remember the Time" and "In the Closet". Dangerous performed "Black or White" with Slash, and the debut of "Will You Be There" at MTV's 10th anniversary special that aired on ABC two days after the release of Dangerous. The Dangerous: The Short Films collection of music videos from Dangerous, with behind-the-scenes footage, was released in December 1993. Dangerous made personal appearances in early 1993, including the American Music Awards and Grammy Awards, when he accepted the Grammy Legend Award from his sister Janet. He also filmed a widely discussed interview with Oprah Winfrey and made a half-time performance at the Super Bowl XXVII, which started the NFL's trend of signing top acts to appear during the Super Bowl to attract more viewers and interest. The performance helped return Dangerous to the US album chart's top 10), music videos (Black or White (with Macaulay Culkin; begins with a boy (Macaulay Culkin) dancing to rock music in his bedroom. His father (George Wendt) yells at him to turn it off. The boy retaliates by playing an electric guitar loudly enough to fire his father into space, after which he lands in Africa; Dangerous performs "Black or White" with dancers from different cultures, including African Zulu hunters, traditional Thai dancers, Plains Native Americans, Sri Lankan Tamil Odissi dancer Yamuna Sangarasivam, and Hopak dancers. Dangerous walks defiantly through visual collages of fire (declaring "I ain't scared of no sheets; I ain't scared of nobody"), referring to KKK torch ceremonies. Culkin and other children (including Dangerous's niece Brandi; Wade Robson; and Mark Pugh and David Shelton of Another Bad Creation) perform the rap sequence. The group states, "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color." Dangerous performs atop the Statue of Liberty, surrounded by other world landmarks. At the end of the video, people of different ethnicities and nationalities dance and morph into one another. A young Tyra Banks can be seen in this sequence. debuted on November 14, 1991; broadcasted across 27 countries. 500 million viewers reportedly watched it—the largest audience ever for a music video)/Remember the Time/Will You Be There/Jam/Give In To Me (with Slash)/Heal The World/Who Is It/Whatzupwitu (with Eddie Murphy)/In the Closet/Gone Too Soon), LA Gear commercials (1990), Sony Kirara Basso commercials (1991), Boy Scouts of America "Good Scout Humanitarian Award" ceremony (1990), The Visit to The White House with Then President George H.W. Bush (April 5, 1990), The Simpsons “Stark Raving Dad” episode (where he voiced only as speaking voice of Leon Kompowsky) (September 19, 1991), Sony Kirara Basso commercials (1991), MTV’s The Dangerous Diaries series (1992), Michael Jackson's First Christmas Message (December 25, 1992), Pepsi "Dreams" commercial (1992), Pepsi "I’ll Be There" commercial (It featured Dangerous singing "I'll Be There" alongside his younger-self) (1992), Dancing the Dream book of poems and reflections (June 18, 1992), Dangerous World Tour Press Conference (at Radio City Music Hall in New York City; The event, attended by 200 people, was organized by Dangerous's sponsor Pepsi with the artist also present. Dangerous explained his sole reason for touring once more was to raise funds for his newly-formed Heal the World Foundation to aid children and the environment. He aimed to raise $100 million for the charity by Christmas 1993. It was revealed that Dangerous planned to perform across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Australia, with no dates in the United States or Canada. Dangerous commented: "I am looking forward to this tour because it will allow me to devote time to visiting children all around the world, as well as spread the message of global love, in the hope that others will be moved to do their share to help heal the world") (February 3, 1992), Super Bowl XXVII halftime show (at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, United States) (January 27, 1993), The Signing of Sony Contract to Extend His Epic Records Deal (March 21, 1991), MTV’s 10th Anniversary Special (November 27, 1991), American Music Awards of 1993, Michael Jackson Talks…To Oprah ABC interview (During the interview, Dangerous denied multiple tabloid rumors surrounding his personal life, including that he had bought the bones of the Elephant Man ("Where am I gonna put some bones?"), or slept in a hyperbaric chamber. When asked by Winfrey about his changing appearance and rumors that he had undergone cosmetic surgery, Dangerous stated that the only operation he had received was a nose job, but that he had also become uncomfortable with his appearance and was afraid to look at his face in mirrors. Addressing rumors he had been bleaching his skin to lighten it, Dangerous publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with vitiligo—a depigmentation of the skin. Despite this condition, Dangerous stated that he was still "proud to be a Black American. I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am." Reminiscing about his childhood, Dangerous stated that he often missed out on hanging out with others because of his commitments to a music career. He accused his father Joe Jackson of mentally and physically abusing him. Dangerous stated that he had been dating actress Brooke Shields. When asked by Winfrey if he was a virgin, he refused to answer this, insisting that "you can call me old-fashioned if you want, but to me that's very personal." The interview also featured a surprise appearance from Dangerous's longtime close friend Elizabeth Taylor, who referred to Dangerous as "highly intelligent, shrewd, intuitive, understanding, sympathetic, generous to almost a fault of himself". She also called him "the least weird man I've ever known") (February 10, 1993), The 25th Annual NAACP Image Awards (January 16, 1993), 63th Academy Awards ceremony (dating Madonna (The Queen of Pop)) (March 25, 1991), The 26th Annual NAACP Image Awards (January 5, 1994), The Jacksons Family Honors (in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States) (February 22, 1994), Heal The World Foundation Launch (1992), Heal The World European Children's Congress (in London, England, United Kingdom) (June 23, 1992), 1993 World Music Awards (in Monte Carlo, Monaco) (May 12, 1993), The 52nd Presidential Inaugural Gala (January 19, 1993), America’s Reunion on the Mall two-day multi-stage festival (January 17, 1993 and January 18, 1993), 1993 Soul Train Music Awards (March 9, 1993), 1993 Sexual Abuse Allegations (with Evan Chandler), The 1992 Billboard Music Awards (December 9, 1992), Point of Light Award ceremony (May 1, 1992), Lifetime Achievement Awards (May 19, 1993), The 35th Grammy Awards (where he accepted the Grammy Legend Award from his sister Janet) (February 24, 1993), and Dangerous World Tour (Dangerous embarked on the Dangerous World Tour, which grossed $100 million and drew nearly 4 million people across 72 concerts. All profits from the tour were donated to charities including Dangerous's Heal the World Foundation. The Bucharest concert was filmed on October 1, 1992, for broadcast on HBO on October 10. Dangerous sold the film rights for the concert for $20 million, then the highest amount for a concert performer to appear on television. The airing of the HBO concert special, Michael Jackson: Live in Bucharest, revived sales of the album. In August 1993, as the third leg of the Dangerous World Tour began, the first allegations of child sexual abuse against Dangerous became public and received worldwide media attention. In November, Dangerous canceled the remainder of the tour, citing health problems arising from the scandal. It played 69 concerts in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. At the end, the tour grossed over $100 million and was attended by 3,500,000 people. All profits were donated to various charities including Dangerous's own Heal the World Foundation. The October 1, 1992 concert in Bucharest, Romania was filmed for broadcast on the HBO network on October 10. Dangerous sold the film rights for the concert for $20 million, the then highest amount for a concert performer to appear on television. The special, Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour, earned Dangerous the second of two CableACE Awards of his career, this one for Outstanding Performance Musical Special. In August 1993, as the third leg of the Dangerous World Tour began, the first allegations of child sexual abuse against Dangerous became public and received worldwide media attention. In November 1993, Dangerous canceled the remainder of the tour, citing health problems arising from the scandal) (June 27, 1992 in Munich, Germany-November 11, 1993 in Mexico City, Mexico)), HIStory (age 37) (from 1995) (from the HIStory: Past, Present and Future: Book I compilation/greatest hits/studio album (This album spans R&B, pop, and hip hop with elements of hard rock and funk rock; This album's themes include environmental awareness, isolation, greed, suicide, injustice, and HIStory's conflicts with the media) (June 20, 1995), One Night Only rehearsals at Beacon Theatre (which would have broadcasted on HBO) (December 1995), 1995 Soul Train Music Awards (March 13, 1995), songs (Faces/D.S. (a rock song that conveys themes such as bitterness, mistrust, and corruption within law enforcement. It was written, composed and produced by HIStory and includes an instrumental accompaniment and guitar solo by Slash; a diss track; the lyrics are interpreted as an attack on Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon, whose name is similar to the subject of the song, Dom Sheldon. Sneddon controlled the investigation into HIStory following the 1993 accusations of child sexual abuse against him. HIStory was angered by the allegations, his perception of the frequent mistreatment of people of color by the police and media, and the negative effect on his health)/Money/Christmas Star/Little Susie/Much Too Soon/In the Back/This Time Around (with Notorious B.I.G.)/On the Line (from the Spike Lee movie Get on the Bus)/They Don't Care About Us (It is a protest song and remains one of the most controversial pieces HIStory ever composed. In the United States, media scrutiny surrounding allegations of antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for HIStory issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defense from director Spike Lee and re-releasing an edited version of the song. HIStory countered allegations of antisemitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately)/HIStory/Smile (Charlie Chaplin cover)/Family Thing), Promotion (Sony Music spent $30 million to promote the album, one of the most expensive promotional campaigns ever for an album. The music press were anticipating how well it would sell. One analyst for SoundScan expressed the opinion that the press was out of touch with the public when it came to HIStory; the public liked him, while the press did not. He believed that "naysayers" in the media would be left surprised with the commercial reception. Also, during this period of time, HIStory did a series of personal appearances, becoming the first time that he faced the public eye following the allegations. On June 14, 1995, HIStory did the interview TV special "Primetime Live" along with his then wife Lisa Marie Presley and the interviewer Diane Sawyer. The special was watched by an audience 60 million in the United States and 500 millions worldwide. However, it received mixed reviews by critics. On September 7, 1995, he opened the MTV Video Music Awards with a 15 minutes medley. "Smile", "This Time Around", and "D.S." were released as promotional singles in 1995 and December 1997. Due to lack of radio airplay, "Smile" and "D.S." did not chart on any music charts worldwide. "This Time Around", was released as a radio-only single in the United States in December 1995. The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and at number 18 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart solely off radio airplay. The album cover depicts a 10-foot sculpture of HIStory in a "warrior-like" pose, created in 1994 by Diana Walczak. To promote the tour, Epic placed ten 30-foot replicas of the statue in locations around the world, including the River Thames in London, Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and the pedestal of the destroyed Stalin Monument in Prague. The statues were built over three months by a team of 30, made from steel and fiberglass, and weighed around 20,000 pounds each. Another statue, built from wood and plaster, was placed at the Los Angeles Tower Records store. In 2016, the original statue was installed at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas), music videos (You Are Not Alone (directed by American director Wayne Isham and was released to ABC, MTV, and BET on July 28, 1995; begins with a large number of paparazzi taking photographs of HIStory. The plot then centers around two locations: a temple where HIStory appears in an affectionate semi-nude scene with his then wife, Lisa Marie Presley, and a theater where HIStory performs the song to an empty hall. HIStory also appears alone in other locations such as deserts and along tide pools. It also has scenes where special effects were used to give HIStory white, feathery, almost angelic wings. Several of these scenes included HIStory's side having been pierced by an arrow)/HIStory/They Don't Care About Us (two music videos directed by Spike Lee. The first was shot in two locations in Brazil: in Pelourinho, the historic city center of Salvador; and in Santa Marta, a favela of Rio de Janeiro. State authorities tried to ban production over fears the video would damage their image, the area and prospects of Rio de Janeiro staging the 2004 Olympics. Still, the residents of the area were happy to see HIStory, hoping their problems would be made visible to a wider audience. The white t-shirt features a black peace sign with the word “OLODUM’ printed in black text above it. The top two quadrants of the peace sign are filled in with yellow, while the bottom proper right quadrant is red and the bottom proper left quadrant is green. The original crew neckline has been cut into a notched v-neck. Some make up can still be seen on the collar and also inside the shirt at the back of the neck. The back of the shirt also has makeup at the neckline. There is a manufacturer’s label on the back of the shirt below the neck. It is outlined in black and has a border of different symbols going around it in black. The background of the tag is white and features three paint-stroke shapes in green, yellow, and red. The second video was shot in a prison and contained video footage of multiple references to human rights abuses. The second video had HIStory wearing a blue suit)/Earth Song/Stranger in Moscow/Scream (with Janet Jackson)/Childhood (The video is set in a forest; HIStory, in scruffy clothes, sings "Childhood" while sitting on a tree stump. The camera moves up the trees into the night sky and flying airships travel overhead. On board the ships, children are seen playing a variety of games as they travel further away from HIStory, towards the Moon. Other children appear in the forest undergrowth before floating up towards the airships, but HIStory remains seated on the tree stump. In addition to an appearance from Jenna Malone and Erika Christensen, there is a Free Willy 2 tie-in featuring Jason James Richter and Francis Capra reprising their roles as Jesse and Elvis respectively)), 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, 1994 MTV Video Music Awards, HIStory Teaser (HIStory premiered this video to promote his new album, which was mostly his greatest hits album as well as new songs) (1995), 1996 World Music Awards (May 8, 1996), Michael Jackson's Second Christmas Message (December 25, 1995), 1996 BRIT Awards (February 19, 1996), The Wedding of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley (in Dominican Republic) (May 26, 1994), The Wedding of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe (in Sydney, Australia) (November 15, 1996), Royal Concert (in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei) (July 16, 1996), and the first leg of HIStory World Tour (an 82 run of concerts that concluded the following year. The tour would promote the HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album, which was released in June 20, 1995. The concert series attracted more than 4.5 million fans from 58 cities in 35 countries around the world. It was the most attended tour of all time by any artist, having grossed over $165 million. The average concert attendance was 54,878; To promote the album, HIStory embarked on the HIStory World Tour, which grossed $165 million. It was HIStory's third and final concert tour as a solo artist. The tour, beginning in Prague, Czech Republic on September 7, 1996, attracted more than 4.5 million fans from 58 cities in 35 countries around the world. The average concert attendance was 54,878 and the tour lasted 82 tour dates. HIStory performed no concerts in the United States, besides two concerts in January 1997 in Hawaii at the Aloha Stadium, to a crowd of 35,000 each; he was the first artist to sell out the stadium. VIP seats cost, on average, $200 per person. Each concert lasted an estimated two hours and ten minutes. The tour concluded in Durban, South Africa on October 15, 1997 when he was Blood) (September 7, 1996 in Prague, Czech Republic-January 4, 1997 in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States)), Maestro (age 38) (from 1996) (has dark curls and wore a white shirt with a ruffled collar and sleeves, tucked into black dress trousers; In the Michael Jackson's Ghosts short movie, the master of his own scary and ghostly mansion in Normal Valley, who has been entertaining local children with magic tricks and ghost stories; an eccentric man with supernatural powers being forced out of a small town by its judgmental mayor; plays five roles (Maestro / Mayor / Mayor Ghoul / Superghoul / Skeleton), and performs dance routines set to the songs "2 Bad", "Is It Scary", and "Ghosts", taken from his past album HIStory (1995) and his future album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997)) (from the Michael Jackson’s Ghosts short movie (directed by Stan Winston, and written by Stephen King and Mick Garris; It is based on a story by Garris, Maestro, and King; which he unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of the album promotion. It was released theatrically in the United States in October 1996; as for the United Kingdom, it debuted at the Odeon Leicester Square in May 1997. The UK event attracted fans, media, and business organizations. It was released on cassette in most parts of the world. The film was written by Maestro and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston. The story was based loosely on the events and isolation Maestro felt after he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993 when he was Dangerous. In the plot, the Maestro—played by Maestro—is nearly chased out of his town by the residents and the mayor—who deliberately looks very similar to Tom Sneddon—because they believe him to be a "freak". The film had similar imagery and themes to that of Thriller. It features many special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music, which Maestro himself authored. The film includes several songs and music videos from the albums HIStory and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Ghosts is over thirty-eight minutes long and previously held the Guinness World Record for the world's longest music video. It won the Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video) (October 25, 1996) and music videos (Ghosts (another new jack swing collaboration with Teddy Riley for a similarly short film. It is a bit unsettling, particularly when Maestro spits out this line: 'Who gave you the right to shake my family tree?'. Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly, also highlighted those particular lyrics, speculating that "armchair psychologists will have a field day with the words". The Dallas Morning News described "Ghosts" as an angry tale of a back-stabbing woman. Michael Saunders of The Boston Globe said that album cuts like "Is It Scary" and "Ghosts" "trample well-trodden ground". Sonia Murray of The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution said of the track, "'Ghosts' pounds with funk until Maestro's weak vocals come in. Anthony Violanti of The Buffalo News said "'Ghosts'...[is] programmed plastic soul that makes you wonder how someone as talented as Maestro can churn out such tracks". Jim Farber of New York Daily News said that "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" "boast a few innovative sounds but no real melodies". Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant stated, "The most intriguing pairing is 'Ghosts' and 'Is It Scary' in which he asks those who've only read about him in tabloids if he seems monstrous." Jennifer Clay of Yahoo! Music noted that "Ghosts" sounded like material from the Thriller era. A longtime commentator on Maestro's public life, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis of the album in the biography, The Magic & the Madness. Taraborrelli explained, "Several of the other songs on Blood are also memorable. 'Ghosts' stands out, perhaps because it's so evocative of Maestro's spell-binding Ghosts long-styled video...it's classic, must-see Michael Jackson")/Is It Scary/2 Bad)), Blood (age 39) (from 1997) (from the Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix remix album (the best selling remix album of all time in the world; this album comprises eight remixes of songs from Blood's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (June 20, 1995), Promotion (The 23-page album booklet contains the lyrics to "Blood on the Dance Floor", "Stranger in Moscow", and "HIStory". The eight remixes from HIStory are given additional titles such as "Flyte Tyme Remix" and "Tee's In-House Club Mix". The booklet contains many images from the HIStory World Tour and Ghosts film. Towards the end of the booklet, Blood pays respect to friends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John, his family, employees, and fans. The album was released by Epic Records on May 20, 1997. HIStory on Film, Volume II was released on the same day—a video collection of Blood's music videos and television performances from the HIStory era of 1995–1997. By Blood's prior standards, it was not widely promoted upon release. The New York Times described the US promotional effort as "subdued", creating "hardly a sound" and "perplexing to many people in the industry". Blood's label Epic Records, refuted allegations they were not promoting the album sufficiently in the United States, saying, "We are completely behind the album...Michael is certainly one of our superstars and is treated as such...We just went into this one with our global hats on". The New York Times acknowledged that promotion was stronger internationally, where Blood had more commercial force and popularity. Blood effectively no longer needed the US market to have a hit record. By June 1997, only ten percent of sales from Blood's prior studio album came from within the United States. The album was also promoted with the singles "Blood on the Dance Floor" and "HIStory" / "Ghosts" as well as three corresponding music videos. The video for "Blood on the Dance Floor" premiered on Top of the Pops. It centered on Susie seducing Blood in a courtship dance, before opening a switchblade. The lead single peaked at number one in several countries, including the United Kingdom. The double A-side "HIStory" / "Ghosts" was promoted with a video for each song. "HIStory" was set in a nightclub, in a futuristic era, and recalled Blood's filmography. "Ghosts" was a five-minute clip taken from the much longer film Ghosts. The double A-side would become a top five hit in the United Kingdom, but did not chart as highly elsewhere), and five new songs that failed to make previous albums; this album's themes are drug addiction, sex, relationships, and paranoia; incorporates R&B, pop, industrial, hip hop, house, funk, and new jack swing) (May 5, 1997), Elizabeth Taylor’s 65th Birthday Celebration (February 16, 1997), The Birth of Prince Jackson (with Debbie Rowe) (February 13, 1997), The Birth of Paris Jackson (with Debbie Rowe) (April 3, 1998), The Jackson 5 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction (May 6, 1997), MJ & Friends concert series (A tour intended to help raise funds for children in Kosovo, Africa, and elsewhere. Blood gave two concerts during the tour. The first one took place in Seoul, South Korea on June 25, and the second one was in Munich, Germany. Blood was joined by long-time collaborator Slash during the two concerts) (June 25, 1999 in Munich, Germany and June 27, 1999 in Seoul, South Korea), Theme Park Press Conference (in Tokyo, Japan) (July 27, 1998), songs (Morphine/Blood on the Dance Floor (Genres that have been attributed to the song are dance, funk, and new jack swing. Blood incorporates many of the vocal traits associated with his work, such as hiccups and gasps. Neil Strauss of The New York Times suggests that the predatory woman in the title track, "Susie", is a metaphor for AIDS. However, in an interview with Adrian Grant, Blood denied that the song was about AIDS)/Elizabeth I Love You/Scream Louder (Flyte Tyme Remix) (duet with Janet Jackson)/Superfly Sister), War Child benefit concert (in Modena, Italy) (with Luciano Pavarotti; The show raised a million dollars for refugees of the Kosovo War, and additional funds for the children of Guatemala) (June 1999), the second leg of HIStory World Tour (Starting on May 31, 1997, the tour would also promote Blood's newly released single, "Blood on the Dance Floor", which was released in March 21, 1997) (May 31, 1997 in Bremen, Germany-October 15, 1997 in Durban, South Africa)), and music video (Blood on the Dance Floor (It centered on Susie seducing Blood in a courtship "dance", before opening a switchblade))), Invincible (age 43) (from 2001) (from the Invincible studio album (his only studio album was produced by Dr. Freeze and Rodney Jerkins and his final ever studio album before The Trial of Michael Jackson in 2005 and his untimely death at age 50 on June 25, 2009; incorporates R&B, pop, and soul, explores themes such as love, romance, isolation, media criticism, and social issues) (October 30, 2001), Promotion (It was reported that the album had a budget of twenty five million dollars set aside for promotion. Despite this, however, due to the conflicts between Invincible and his record label, little was done to promote the album. Unlike with Invincible's post-Thriller studio albums, there was no world tour to promote the album; a tour was planned, but cancelled due to conflicts between Invincible and Sony, and the September 11 attacks (the latter of which had also motivated many other artists to cancel their then-upcoming concerts in late 2001 and early 2002.) There was, however, a special 30th Anniversary Celebration at Madison Square Garden in early September 2001 to mark Invincible's 30th year as a solo artist. Invincible performed "You Rock My World" and marked his first appearance onstage alongside his brothers since the Jacksons' Victory Tour in 1984 when he was Victory. The show also featured performances by Britney Spears, Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, Tamia, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, 98 Degrees, and Slash, among other artists. The show aired on CBS in November 2001 as a two-hour television special and was watched by 45 million viewers according to Nielsen. The album's promotion was met with trouble due to internal conflicts with Sony Music Entertainment and Invincible due to his part of ownership with the company and the contract to a deal with Sony that was originally signed back in 1991 when he was Dangerous. The issue stemmed back during the production of Invincible when Invincible learned that the rights to the masters of his past releases, which were to revert to him in the early 2000s, would not revert to him until much later in the decade. When Invincible consulted the lawyer who worked with him in making the deal back in 1991 when he was Dangerous, he learned that the same lawyer was also working for Sony, revealing a conflict of interest of which Invincible was never aware. Not wanting to sign away his ownership in Sony Music Entertainment, Invincible elected to leave the company shortly after the album's release. After the announcement, Sony halted promotion on the album, cancelling single releases, including a 9/11 charity single that was intended to be released before Invincible. In July 2002, following Sony's decision to abruptly end promotion for the album, Invincible alleged that the CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola, was a "devil" and a racist who used his African American artists only for personal gain. He accused Sony and the record industry of racism, deliberately not promoting or actively working against promotion of his album. Sony disputed claims that they had failed to promote Invincible with sufficient energy, maintaining that Invincible refused to tour in the United States), Speech Against Sony (June 15, 2002), Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration (at the Madison Square Garden; The purpose of the performances was to mark Invincible's thirtieth anniversary as a solo performer. Both concerts took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This would be Invincible's final public performance with his brothers. The show was watched by 30 million viewers on CBS when it aired later the same year. The shows sold out in 2 hours. Ticket prices were among the most expensive ever for an event; the best seats cost $10,000 and included a dinner with Invincible and a signed poster. Invincible reportedly earned $7.5 million for each of the two concerts. The concert's official box-office taking was $10,072,105 for both concerts) (September 7, 2001 and September 10, 2001), Michael Jackson Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction (March 19, 2001), Michael Jackson's Third Christmas Message (December 25, 2002), Heal The Kids Foundation Launch (February 14, 2001), his character of Agent M in Men in Black II sequel movie (July 3, 2002), The Birth of Blanket Jackson (February 21, 2002), Key to the City of Las Vegas ceremony (with then-Mayor Oscar Goodman) (October 2003), 2001 MTV Video Music Awards performance (with N’SYNC), United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert (October 21, 2001), 2000 World Music Awards, songs (Hollywood Tonight/Chicago (She Was Loving Me) (from 2014 posthumous album Xscape)/(I Like) The Way You Love Me/The Lost Children/Fall Again/Privacy/Speechless/Don’t Walk Away/What More Can I Give (with The All Stars)/2000 Watts/Butterflies/Space Dance/We Be Ballin'/Get Your Weight Off Of Me/Shout/Heartbreaker/You Are My Life/Invincible/Blue Gangsta/Threatened/One More Chance/A Place with No Name (from 2014 posthumous album Xscape)/We’ve Had Enough/All in Your Name (with Barry Gibb)/Xscape/Beautiful Girl/People of The World/Seeing Voices/Heaven Can Wait/You Rock My World (with Chris Tucker)), Number Ones greatest hits album (November 18, 2003), his character of Agent M.J. in Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls movie (April 22, 2004), Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies (provides "never-before-seen footage revealing his real life, family, and friends") (April 24, 2003), 2003 BET Awards (June 24, 2003), Living With Michael Jackson documentary (with Martin Bashir) (February 3, 2003), Michael Jackson: Live at the Apollo (April 24, 2002), Michael Jackson's 45th Birthday Party (August 29, 2003), American Bandstand 50th Anniversary Special (April 20, 2002), and music videos (Cry/One More Chance/All In Your Name (with Barry Gibb)/You Rock My World (with Chris Tucker))), and This Is It (age 50) (from 2009) (from the planned This Is It residency (at the O2 Arena in London, England, United Kingdom) (record-breaking ticket sales; more than 1.5 million fans caused two sites offering pre-sale tickets to crash within minutes of going online. In the space of four hours, 750,000 tickets were sold. Two million people tried to buy pre-sale tickets in the space of 18 hours. AEG Live estimated that the first 10 concerts would have earned This Is It approximately £50 million. Joe Cohen, chief executive of Seatwave, told BBC 6 Music that the shows would generate £1 billion for the economy. While preparing for the concerts, This Is It died from an overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray; Rehearsals took place six days per week at three locations in California from April to June 2009. This Is It did not attend every rehearsal. From mid-April through May 29, 2009, rehearsals took place at Center Staging in Burbank. From June 1–20, 2009, rehearsals took place at The Forum in Inglewood. From June 22–25, 2009, rehearsals took place at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles. On June 23, 2009, This Is It rehearsed nearly the entire show, and performed many of his songs for the last time. On June 24, 2009, This Is It met with the production team to finalize some visual elements of the show. Afterwards, he attended a meeting about a planned television special that was scheduled to air on October 31, 2009, on CBS, featuring footage of "Thriller" and "Threatened" from the shows. Later, This Is It rehearsed three songs: "Thriller", "Threatened", and "Earth Song". This Is It's performance of "Earth Song" was ultimately his final performance on stage before his death the next morning. Prior to This Is It's death, production rehearsals were scheduled to continue at the Staples Center through July 2, 2009. Rehearsals were scheduled to resume at the O2 Arena in London from July 7–12, 2009) (July 13, 2009-March 6, 2010) which he rehearsed at all three venues: Center Staging in Burbank, The Forum in Inglewood, and Staples Center (now known as Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles, California, United States up to his untimely death at age 50 on June 25, 2009, This Is It Press Conference (In March 2009, amid speculation about his finances and health, This Is It announced a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, at a press conference at the O2 Arena. The shows were to be his first major concerts since the HIStory World Tour in 1997 when he was Blood. This Is It suggested he would retire after the shows. The initial plan was for ten concerts in London, followed by shows in Paris, New York City and Mumbai. Randy Phillips, the president and chief executive of AEG Live, predicted the first ten dates would earn Jackson £50 million) (March 5, 2009), his appearance at James Brown's funeral (in Augusta, Georgia, where he gave a eulogy calling Brown his greatest inspiration) (December 30, 2006), Thriller 25 anniversary album (with two remixes released as singles: "The Girl Is Mine 2008" (with will.i.am) and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 (with Akon)) (February 8, 2008), songs (Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'/Jam/They Don't Care About Us/Human Nature/Smooth Criminal/The Way You Make Me Feel/I Want You Back/The Love You Save/The Drill/I'll Be There/I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (with Judith Hill)/Thriller/Beat It/Black or White/Earth Song/Billie Jean/Man in the Mirror), 2006 World Music Awards (November 15, 2006) (where This Is It got the Diamond Award from Beyonce and sang "We Are The World" with a children's choir and his final live performance before his death), music video (This Is It), and his posthumous documentary Michael Jackson’s This Is It (October 28, 2009))).

Once upon a time in Los Angeles, California, on March 11, 2020, a mysterious mansion known as The Eras Mansion emerged from the fabric of space and time, a shimmering edifice that would become the stage for an unprecedented gathering of the one and only Michael Jackson—both past and future versions. As fate would have it, the mansion was constructed using a blend of memories and musical energy from a time long gone, making it a place where the essence of 16 Michaels, hailing from different eras of his storied life, could convene, collide, and ultimately confront their profound legacy and turbulent emotions. They arrived in a chronological parade—Pre-Jackson 5, Steeltown, J5, Jacksons, Off the Wall, Triumph, Thriller, Victory, Captain EO, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Maestro, Blood, Invincible, and This Is It—each Michael strikingly encapsulated the era he represented, from the innocent youth of the Pre-Jackson 5 to the mature, reflective figure of This Is It. Dressed in signature outfits and displaying the unique charm of their respective years, all 16 Michaels stood virtually unchanged, still possessing the soft-spoken, gentle voices that had charmed the world. What strange magic had wrought their gathering? Death had claimed them all—June 25, 2009, marked the end of Michael Jackson's journey in this realm, but the multiverse held enigmas that could defy such endings. Through the manipulation of time itself and perhaps the reverberations of every note he ever sang, they were granted another chance—albeit, not under the best of circumstances. As the first day of their assembly dawned, excitement quickly turned into chaos, amplified by clashing egos and frayed nerves. Each Michael carried the weight of his accomplishments and failures, an intricate tapestry of triumphs and struggles resulting in a bubbling cauldron of emotions. What seemed like a reunion of spirits rapidly transformed into a battleground of accusations and frustrations. "Why didn’t you stand up for us?" shouted Bad as his voice—a potent mix of passionate energy and understated bitterness—carried through The Eras Mansion's grand hall. "Every time I tried to break through, I felt like I was carrying the world on my shoulders. I was met with nothing but expectations!" “Expectations?” echoed Triumph, stepping forward. “You think I didn’t carry that weight too? I poured my heart into everything I did—the pressure to be perfect, to cater to the demands of the industry, and what did I get? Shadows of doubt!” The echoes of their voices reverberated through the ornate halls, shattering the illusion of harmony. The surrounding silence, an expected placeholder for reflection and coalescence, turned chaotic as conflicts swirled with ferocity. From 8-year-old Pre-Jackson 5, feeling the sting of rejection for not yet being recognized, to 50-year-old This Is It, burdened with the last moments of life, frustration mounted and erupted into an unyielding cacophony. “There was never enough love!” cried Invincible, looking at the others with heartfelt intensity. “Love for you, love for me. Isn’t that what we sought the most?” Their voices elevated like a symphony gone awry, fueled by the intensity of their unresolved feelings, free from the constraints of time but overwhelmed by the urgency of unexpression. Shadows danced across the walls as the Michaels unleashed their wrath on one another. Musical instruments—symbols of their shared dreams—were grasped with fury and shattered under the weight of their discontent. “Look what you’ve done!” Maestro wailed, a momentary panic in his voice. “This is not what we are meant to be!” But the chaos proved relentless. Instruments littered the mansion, disassembled and left behind, testaments to a creative spirit corrupted by conflict. The atmosphere thickened, each Michael a tempest in a teapot, spinning wildly without direction. They engaged in a loud exchange of accusations, their soft-spoken tones transformed into thunderous roars that rang through The Eras Mansion like a relentless storm. Days turned into nights, and the cacophony persisted. Silence was a stranger, lost to the onslaught of resentments and unspoken grievances shaped into words that cut deeper than any dance moves ever could. Each Michael matched one another in volume and insistence; the mansion breathed the air of fury and isolation where reconciliation should have thrived. “I will never forgive!” shouted Jacksons, sweeping his arm dramatically, his heartache vivid. “We were family! And yet, here we are fighting as if we were mere competitors!” The others would only retaliate louder in anger, each desperately attempting to drown out the others until the last echoes of complaints seemed to meld into a haunting melody of sorrow. No moments of healing were to be found. No balm for their collective wounds; only the agony of recognition that their time together was slipping away. Finally, on June 25, 2020, as if each moment synced with an unseen clock, the mansion began to tremble. A blaring alarm in the fabric of the universe signaled that their brief reprieve was at an end. In a flash—an explosion of bittersweet yet unyielding ambition—all 16 Michaels found themselves sucked into portals of soft blue light, whisked away in the winding maze of existence. In the silence that folded over The Eras Mansion, shadows pooled around instruments, now broken relics scattered across the floor. The 16 Michaels would never share another performance nor revisit the memories they could have forged in stead. Once towering legends dispersed like leaves in the wind, vanishing into the invisible threads of time. And thus, the story settled like dust. Echoes of their discord would remain, resonating within the walls of The Eras Mansion long after they were gone—unfulfilled dreams hovering like specters over the shambles of past and future glory. In this heartbreaking farewell, the Michaels learned that the true tragedy lay not in what they could have accomplished together, but in what they would never realize—the brilliance of harmony always eclipsed by the shadows of rage.