Jan. 30 in history

22 Years Ago --- Michael, Lucky Boston Globe January 30, 1984 The physician for America's favorite soprano, Michael Jackson, looked at blurry videotapes and came away surprised that the superstar's injuries weren't more severe. "Everyone was surprised that his whole head and clothes did not catch on fire," Dr. Steven Hoefflin said. "He is very fortunate not to have been burned more seriously." The doctor said yesterday that the tapes indicate the accident, in which Jackson suffered scalp burns during the filming of a commercial in Los Angeles, was caused when fireworks went off at the wrong time. Hoefflin said he, Jackson and others reviewed the videotapes - used by camera operators to set up shot angles and not for the actual commercial - Saturday night. Jackson "was happy that he was not more severly injured," Hoefflin said at a news conference. "His reaction was one of surprise and relief." Jackson, 25, was reported "resting comfortably" at home and will receive outpatient treatment but the doctor didn't say where. No plastic surgery is being considered yet, and films of the accident are expected to be released in "several days," Hoefflin said. --- 21 Years Ago --- Music Awards Only a Prelude 45 Top Artists Join For One Single Los Angeles Times January 30, 1985 About 45 artists participated in the recording of a song, "We Are the World," written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. The royalties from this single will benefit USA for Africa, a foundation set up to aid the millions starving in Africa. Harry Belafonte, Lionel Richie and Ken Kragen, who manages Richie and Kenny Rogers, are the principal organizers. Many of the artists involved in the awards show, which ended about 8 p.m., went to the recording studio to participate in this historic gathering of American pop music talent. Winners and presenters interviewed by the media backstage talked nearly as much about this event as they did about the awards. The singers on "We Are the World,"produced by Quincy Jones, include Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Hall and Oates, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers and Billy Joel. This was the first time that so many top singers had gathered to make a record. Even the star-studded British single, "Do They Know It's Christmas," released last month, didn't feature as many high-powered artists. "We Are the World" is expected to be released in early March. There will also be an album, probably a two-record set, apparently featuring previously unreleased material by various artists. Further details, such as which label is releasing the records, will be announced at a press conference this morning. ... Prince, who went to the awards show, was expected at the session to sing one of the solo parts, but he never showed up. (One of his protegees, Sheila E., who also attended the show, was at the session). According to reports, Prince went to a West Hollywood disco after the awards show. (See accompanying story on Page 1.) His well-known feud with Michael Jackson may have been a factor in his decision not to participate. Prince was scheduled to sing his lines standing next to Jackson in the circle of soloists. The big joke at the awards show was the awards themselves. Most people there, both artists and media, obviously regarded them as insignificant. The awards are merely an excuse for the TV show. Some interviewers tried to bait artists into knocking the awards but the artists were too cagey to fall into such a trap... --- 18 Years Ago --- A Pearl Of An Auction At Michael Jackson's San Francisco Chronicle January 30, 1988 Need a little bauble for the wife, maybe your girlfriend, perhaps the mistress? Then maybe you'd better drop by Michael Jackson's pad in Encino April 10, where folks will be bidding on a 577-carat pearl the size of a snowball. Bidding on the pearl, donated by an anonymous New Yorker, will start at $2.1 million. Michael's father, Joe, with the help of Lia Belli, wife of San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli, is opening the Thriller's home for a benefit auction that goes under the name of "A Bid for Human Rights." The proceeds will go toward aiding humanitarian efforts in South Africa. None of the money, reports Lia, will go toward the overthrow of the Pretoria government. But the cash will go to medical aid, legal fees and funerals. Apart from the pearl, there will be works on the block by artists including Andrew Wyeth, Keith Haring, Sam Francis, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Moses and Christo. --- 17 Years Ago --- Victory! Auction Is A Thriller Los Angeles Times January 30, 1989 Donna Frieden, 34, went shopping Sunday and paid $1,400 for a black fedora. "This was my birthday present, my Christmas present and my anniversary present," the Sherman Oaks voice-over artist said. "I'm not going to buy any clothes for a long time." This was not just any hat, mind you. This particular headpiece belonged to superstar Michael Jackson, and Frieden had long coveted one. Several times she came close to catching the trademark fedora that the performer tossed into the audience after singing "Billie Jean" in his concerts. "I have always wanted to catch the hat at his concerts, but it always went to the person in front of me or next to me. I've always wanted it so badly," said Frieden, who attended two concerts in Jackson's 1984 "Victory" tour and three during his just concluded "Bad" tour. "I'm not normally star-struck. I don't usually go after things like this, but Jackson is such an incredible performer." Frieden was able to buy her heart's desire at an auction in a North Hollywood warehouse where Enid Jackson sold some of the clothing and memorabilia she won in a divorce settlement with her ex-husband, Jackie Jackson, Michael's older brother. Enid Jackson said she has "warehouses and warehouses full of stuff," belonging to members of the Jackson clan that she plans to sell because she no longer wants to pay for its storage and maintenance. Though Frieden admits that $1,400 is a lot of money to pay for a hat that she will be "too afraid to wear in public," she said she and her husband agreed she could bid as high as $1,500 for it. Most of the Jackson-related items at the auction-including a silver lame suit, blue and gold brocade vests, an iridescent jumpsuit, a black and white, tiger-skin patterned spandex leotard, a turquoise and rhinestone spandex leotard, a number of belts, pairs of boots, and several gold and platinum records-were snapped up by businessmen who hope to capitalize on people's attraction to stars. "A lot of people love anything associated with their favorite artist," said Paul Scharfman, who purchased several costumes worn by Michael Jackson's brothers during the Victory tour. Scharfman hopes to resell the items at The Rock House, a boutique he plans to open on Melrose. He said he has been planning to open the boutique for 10 years and will feature clothes and memorabilia from musical stars. The biggest purchaser of Jackson memorabilia was Brian Murphy, director of memorabilia artwork and display for the Hard Rock Cafe. Murphy spent about $12,000 for more than a dozen Jackson items, which he said will be used to decorate the cafe's London restaurant, and branches under completion in Washington and Boston. Murphy said he attributes much of the famous restaurant chain's success to the power of music memorabilia to draw large numbers of people. As she watched strangers bidding for costumes she helped design for her ex-husband and former brothers-in-law, Enid Jackson took it all in stride. "I have pictures and I have memories that no one can take away," she said. --- --- Jackson and Nelson Get Honors Tonight The Gazette January 30, 1989 Now here's an odd couple: Michael Jackson and Willie Nelson. But the pop pair, each of whom is scheduled to receive special honors at tonight's 16th annual American Music Awards show, illustrates the breadth of the music industry that makes this awards show the most-watched of its kind. In fact, ABC says that the three-hour show's scope is widening even farther than the gap between Jackson's slick- hip style and Nelson's country crooning, with the addition of new categories for heavy metal and rap music. Jackson is the scheduled recipient of the Award of Achievement in recognition of his international impact with Last year's Bad album as the best-selling disk in the world. Nelson is getting the Award of Merit, given annually to artists for longtime contributions to music. --- --- Michael Gets a Starry Send-off USA Today January 30, 1989 Fans at Michael Jackson's concert Friday - his last, he says - got two shows at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. One was Jackson's exhaustive, two-hour musical offering, and the other was the parade of celebrities that prompted gawking and applause as they entered, escorted by security. In the swarm: a healthy-looking Elizabeth Taylor in purple leather jacket, Raquel Welch, Phil Collins, George Michael, Dionne Warwick, Anne Bancroft, Cheryl Tiegs, Gregory Peck, Jackson sisters Janet and La Toya - Playboy's hot cover girl - and Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., to whom Jackson dedicated a medley of tunes. Reclusive Marlon Brando and Jackson brothers Marlon, Jackie and Jermaine showed up at the Thursday show. Jackson donated $100,000 from the show to Child Help USA, an organization for abused kids. His chimp, Bubbles, is their mascot. The 17-month Jackson tour pulled in more than $125 million, making it the highest-grossing tour in history. But not everyone is convinced it was really the last time Jackson will take the stage. Said L.A. fan Mary Colen, 50: "After a three- or four-year rest he'll get bored and come back." --- 16 Years Ago --- L.a. Gear Los Angeles Times January 30, 1990 Sneaker maker L.A. Gear bounded to new financial heights Monday, but it didn't leap high enough to please Wall Street. ... Gil N. Schwartzberg, the company's chief administrative officer, said increased advertising expenses moderated the company's earnings increase in the fourth quarter. He said that L.A. Gear, which last year signed pop singer Michael Jackson as a commercial spokesman, aired its first network television commercials as well as its first commercials aimed at men during the quarter. Schwartzberg said the company, which is aiming for revenue of $1 billion this year, expects the ad campaign to translate into significant gains in sales of men's sneakers. The company traditionally has sold its trendy footwear and other apparel products mainly to teen-age girls... --- 14 Years Ago --- Michael Jackson Lands In Egypt This Video 'Time' USA Today January 30, 1992 "This is going to be Michael like you've never seen him before," promises John Singleton, director of Michael Jackson's next video, Remember the Time, premiering 8:26 p.m. EST/PST Sunday on MTV and the Fox network and 11:26 p.m. EST/8:26 p.m. PST on BET. "It's going to be funky." Singleton, 24, says he and Jackson collaborated on the idea for Remember, the second video from Jackson's album, Dangerous.. Set in Egypt, it stars Eddie Murphy as the Pharaoh and supermodel Iman as Queen Nefertiti. Also in the six-minute film: Magic Johnson, who announces the Pharaoh's visitors, and Singleton in a cameo. Jackson chose Singleton after he was "touched" by the director's critically acclaimed urban drama, Boyz N the Hood. So why an Egyptian rather than a street scenario? Egypt has "never been done right," Singleton says. "I've seen movies on Egypt and everybody looks like they don't come from Egypt." In the video, Queen Nefertiti is bored. When a juggler and flamethrower fail to entertain her, Jackson arrives. "Michael tries to take the Pharaoh's woman away," Singleton says. The Pharaoh gets angry. Cut to a chase scene, with Jackson racing through the marketplace, singing and dancing. Finally, he's cornered and escapes with movie magic. Singleton and Jackson became friends during two months working on the video. Between shots, they sat in Singleton's car listening to music. "Nobody really knows the real Michael," he says. "He's truly an enigma, but he's a very nice man. He's real. "He lives like kind of a kid. He likes video games and comics. So do I." Singleton is starting work on his next film, Poetic Justice. "It's a street romance, an urban experience through the eyes of a woman." --- 13 Years Ago --- Saturday Celebrity Boston Herald January 30, 1993 Wilma Allums of Minden, La., knows that going to Tokyo is easy as sweet potato pie. In December, Michael Jackson flew Allums and a case of sweet potatoes to Japan so she could make pies for the singer and his crew. Now she is home hoping the eccentric Jackson will ask her to do it again. "I am on a natural high," Allums says. There's a chance she will get that opportunity. "Michael thought the pies were excellent," said Bettye Bailey, operations director for MJJ Productions in Los Angeles and Allums' cousin. "All the guys on the staff want to see her again." Allums pie-capade began with a telephone call Dec. 22. "It was Bailey. She asked how would I like to go to Japan and make sweet potato pies," Allums said. Jackson and his executive director, Bill Bray, wanted to serve Christmas dinner to the crew while on the "Dangerous" tour in Japan. A key ingredient was sweet potato pies, and Jackson's personal chef did not know how to make them. Jackson called Bailey, who told him about Allums. Allums couldn't immediately get a passport. Not to worry; Jackson simply postponed the dinner until New Year's Eve. On Dec. 28, Allums hopped a flight to Tokyo with a 20-pound box of sweet potatoes grown by J.P. Fields and Sons of Gibsland. "I had a limousine and a roundtrip, first-class flight on a Japanese airline," Allums says. According to Delta Airlines, a first-class flight from Shreveport to Tokyo costs $6,404. Allums cooked up 11 sweet potato pies. They also fried up 10 chickens and 10 pounds of french fries. A Canadian cooking student translated for Allums. Allums followed a recipe learned from her great-grandmother. One cook suggested that they would learn how to make the pies and call them "Michael Jackson pie." But Allums wouldn't reveal her recipe. Jackson didn't attend the dinner. Instead, they took a pie up to his room. "He likes to keep to himself," Allums said. --- --- Charity Calls For Hollywood's Help Los Angeles Times January 30, 1993 Except for mammoth donations from Michael Jackson and Garth Brooks, Hollywood celebrities have donated little to the effort to rebuild Los Angeles following the riots. United Way of Los Angeles officials are critical of the Hollywood entertainment figures for ignoring the cause. --- --- Thousand Oaks Sisters To Sing With Pop Star At Super Bowl Los Angeles Times January 30, 1993 Two budding entertainers from Thousand Oaks will be among those performing with pop superstar Michael Jackson during the singer's Super Bowl halftime show at the Rose Bowl on Sunday. Dana and Davida Williams, ages 3 and 6 respectively, will be two of the six "V.I.P. children" who will stand in front of Jackson singing his "Heal the World" anthem. The girls will sing along with Jackson and some 3,500 other young people who will also take part in the performance, said David Williams, the children's father. David Williams has been a guitarist for Jackson for the past 12 years. Although the audience for the Jackson fete will be the children's biggest, it will not be their first. The sisters have modeled, appeared in national commercials and recently, Davida finished filming "Younger and Younger," a soon-to-be-released movie starring Donald Sutherland, said Debra Williams, the siblings' mother. To keep on top of things, Davida has a manager and an agent as well as an acting coach, Debra Williams said. "This takes a lot of time and a lot of commitment for them," Debra Williams said Friday afternoon before she shuttled Davida from her elementary school to an audition at Warner Bros. in Hollywood. "But they have fun or else they wouldn't do it." The Super Bowl and halftime show will be held in front of a crowd of 102,000 people and a television audience estimated at 1 billion worldwide. --- 11 Years Ago --- 'World' Song Salute Tonight Times Picayune January 30, 1995 When Ken Kragen began gathering a superstar cast for "We Are the World," he aimed to lure 15 top singers. He wound up with 45. "I had a very simple system," said Kragen, who organized the effort with Harry Belafonte. "I took the record charts and I worked my way down. I wanted 15, but when I got Bruce Springsteen, the floodgates opened." Many of those artists will attend the 22nd annual American Music Awards tonight to salute the song and subsequent album that raised more than $60 million for African famine relief... Over 10 years, the song, through USA for Africa, has provided $61.8 million to 18 African nations, said Marcia Thomas, head of the organization, which will close its doors by summer. The tribute will cap a busy night of song and dance including Madonna and Babyface backed by a 25-piece band for "Take A Bow," Little Richard singing "Tutti Frutti" with The Go-Gos, and the musician formerly known as Prince offering a medley of hits before receiving the Award of Merit... --- 10 Years Ago --- American Music Awards The Sacromento Bee January 30, 1996 ...Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and Pearl Jam were multiple winners as well. Carey was named the favorite soul/R&B female artist and favorite pop/rock female artist while Boyz II Men captured the soul/R&B album honor for "II" and the top soul/R&B group award. Pearl Jam won for heavy metal-hard rock act and alternative group. Michael Jackson was named the top pop/rock male artist over Elton John and Seal. The 23rd annual awards program was broadcast on ABC from the Shrine Auditorium, with comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Sinbad hosting... --- 8 Years Ago --- Youngsters Given A Chance To Have Mardi Gras Fun Advocate January 30, 1998 Mardi Gras is a topsy-turvy time with parades, parties and more. Certainly much of the partying is aimed at adults. Yet, Mardi Gras is for kids too. It's a wonderful time to teach children Carnival traditions and introduce them to the fun. Best of all, there are plenty of activities that parents, youngsters and grandparents can enjoy together. Daytime truck parades in New Orleans neighborhoods are far more family oriented that those downtown. In addition, there are numerous events planned especially for youngsters. Here are a few to consider in the New Orleans area. Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World in Algiers is fascinating any time of year. During Carnival, the massive float-building studio becomes a hub of activity. Huge warehouses, called dens, are filled with giant props and familiar "heads," such as the 20-foot head of Michael Jackson. The gift shop is filled with hundreds of Carnival souvenirs and beads... --- 7 Years Ago --- Flu Symptoms Sideline Prince Florida Times Union January 30, 1999 Michael Jackson's 2-year-old son was treated for flulike symptoms after being taken to a hospital by ambulance with his father at his side, a family attorney said. Prince Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. was examined Thursday in the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was treated for a viral infection accompanied by fever and dehydration, attorney Iris Joan Finsilver said on behalf of Jackson and his wife, Deborah Rowe Jackson. "Prince was evaluated by the hospital staff and his personal pediatrician and found to be safe for discharge and home care. His doctors expect a speedy recovery from this illness at home under his parents' care," the statement said. --- 6 Years Ago --- The Tale of Two Cities Sunday Mail January 30, 2000 ...If you're flush and want to rub shoulders with the A-List stars the place to eat is Spago. Owned by famed chef Wolfgang Puck, it's the place to see and be seen. Madonna, Michael Jackson and Liz Taylor are all Spago regulars and Puck's wafer thinpizzas are famous the world over... --- 4 Years Ago --- Aaron Carter Has Michael Jackson Pop-star Dreams Pittsburgh Post January 30, 2002 ...Being that he came to fame so early in life, and he has a Backstreet brother and a sister, Leslie, who is also a teen star, the celebrity life is not much of shock to him. "Well, I mean, this is a normal life for me," he says. "To other kids it might be un-normal. But their life to me is un-normal. I don't know anything else." When he thinks about the transition into being an adult star, Aaron thinks about one guy who pulled it off: Michael Jackson. "I'm actually pretty good friends with him," Aaron says. "He's a nice guy." "I think I may be able to pull that off. All it takes is the talent and the heart. That's all you really need..." ---