Jan.11 in history

21 Years Ago --- Jacksons Set For European Tour The Gazette January 11, 1985 Michael Jackson and his musical brothers are planning to take their highly successful Victory Tour overseas, and to ensure maximum publicity Michael will sponsor two cars in this year's Le Mans 24-hour race. Jackson will put his money behind two Rondeau-Porsche racing cars in the classic race planned for June 16-17, team owner Jean Rondeau announced Wednesday. --- --- Big Earners New York Times January 11, 1985 What do Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express, and Michael Jackson, the spectacularly popular singer, have in common? Each made more than $50 million in 1983, according to Forbes magazine, and that puts both at the top of a new category of workers. It's been a long time since anyone has been impressed by a five-figure income. The double-comma barrier is far more imposing, and much more likely to last. A one-comma income, ranging up to $999,000, can mean real money. But compare that with the $999,999,000 stratosphere of the second comma. --- 19 Years Ago --- Michael Jackson Threads For Kids Chicago Sun Times January 11, 1987 Pop stars and eccentric clothing have always gone hand in hand, and Michael Jackson is a particularly flamboyant example of the union. Militaristic jackets, ankle-length trousers, and the ubiquitous jeweled glove are all part of his signature style and became instant trends as a result. Now, the talented performer who brought the world "Thriller," "Beat It," and moonwalking is introducing his very own "Michael Jackson Collection" - a line of clothing for boys and girls ages 7 to 14, complete with jumpsuits, skirts, sweaters, pants, and shirts. Designers Agnes Lee and Caroline MyGlynn created most of the collection, which will infiltrate stores from coast to coast beginning December 1, but Jackson's hand is also present. "Michael designed five articles himself, which he'll wear in the first of three new videos debuting in January, when he goes on tour," says Warren Hirsh, president of Entertainment Properties, which owns the licensing rights for all Michael Jackson products. "And," continues Hirsh, "he approves every design in the collection personally . . . " Anyone who anticipates dressing just like Jackson might be in for a surprise, since the collection reflects his daytime taste, rather than his nighttime, stage persona. While there are two semi-militaristic jackets designed by the star himself, the overall look is "contemporary, similar to Esprit and Guess, but with some pure Michael Jackson overtones," according to Hirsh who, along with the two designers, spent many hours with Jackson observing his dressing habits. "He doesn't wear the costumes during the day. We saw him in jeans, in sweaters, in button-down shirts," Hirsh reveals," which is all part of the funky/preppy look Michael has always favored. Don't forget, this is the guy who created a trend with short pants and white socks with loafers!" Besides a black leather and a black denim jacket, the reclusive singer also designed two pairs of pants (one in denim, one in khaki) and a shirt (also khaki), all of which are described as "an updated, more macho look for Michael, since he's trying to appeal to an older group, in their late teens and twenties, besides the ten-year-olds. And Michael does wear the clothes in the collection. He chooses to - he doesn't have to." With prices ranging from about $20 (for children's shirts) up to roughly $100 (for the leather jacket) the Michael Jackson Collection is competing with other trendy clothing lines for the young crowd. But whether or not the clothes will catch on remains to be seen. As Hirsh points out, "The clothing industry is the closest thing to the entertainment world, with changes every season that can be failures or hits. Of course Michael hopes this collection will be as big a success as his music and videos - and he plans to keep designing portions of future collections himself." And, while America's youth is busy trying on selections from the all-new Michael Jackson Collection, Entertainment Properties will be busy negotiating a Michael Jackson shoe line, lunchboxes, keychains, sleepwear, and perfume. How does Captain Eo feel about the use of his name in such a marketing blitz? "Well, Michael really loves the fashion aspect," admits Hirsh. "He's very involved with it, and it's not just licensing to him. This something he's very proud of." --- 16 Years Ago --- Statistics Fill In The Blanks Star Tribune January 11, 1990 Salaries - On an average day, the president earns $547.95; the estate of Elvis Presley earns $41,095.89; Charles Schulz earns $87,671.23; Bill Cosby earns $95,890.41, and Michael Jackson earns $164,383.56. --- 13 Years Ago --- Michael Jackson To Be On Oprah special Boston Globe January 11, 1993 Michael Jackson won't be gyrating onstage in concert, but he will meet the public on TV in early February, ABC executives announced here yesterday. Jackson will appear live on a special hosted by Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 9:30 to 11 p.m., said Ted Harbert, president of ABC's entertainment division. Jackson and Oprah will chat from his California home, Harbert said, calling the special a "coup" for Oprah. He said that Jackson's manager approached the talk-show host about the idea, and that he is not being paid for the hour-and-a-half interview. --- 11 Years Ago --- Woman Must Pay To Refile Jackson Suit The Fresno Bee January 11, 1995 A Superior Court judge on Tuesday called Michelle Flowers an annoying litigant and ordered her to pay a $15,000 bond if she wishes to pursue her suits against pop superstar Michael Jackson. The Modesto woman has said through several lawsuits that she had Jackson's love child. Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Glenn A. Ritchey Jr. told Flowers that if she fails to post the bond, the court will dismiss the cases with no possibility of refiling them. He also set limits on any future filings by Flowers against Jackson, Kenneth Cochrane, who represented Jackson, or Paul Giudice, who represented Flowers' son. Future actions in California, whether in state or federal court, will have to be approved by the presiding judge of that county. Ritchey dismissed a suit in November that named Jackson as the father of Flowers' 10-year-old son and ordered her to get special permission from the court before filing more paternity suits. Blood tests that showed another man is the father would have made a trial pointless, Ritchey said. Flowers sued Jackson for $20 million a year and a palatial house on behalf of her son, whom she said now lives in poverty while the pop singer makes millions of dollars a month. In December 1993 a judge dismissed Flowers' paternity lawsuit and blocked her from refiling it. The next month she filed the case that ended in November, naming her son as the plaintiff. Her actions against Jackson date back at least to 1991 and include four cases by Ritchey's count. She has kept her crusade alive with two more lawsuits filed in recent weeks. In the first, she sued Jackson for sexual battery based on what she said were attacks in 1982 and 1983 in Southern California. --- 6 Years Ago --- King of Pop Fuming Over Coming Book Chicago Sun Times January 11, 2000 As if Michael Jackson hasn't had enough bad press the past few years, now comes word his former manager is writing what may be the ultimate tell-all book about the pop superstar. Frank Dileo, who managed Jackson's career for five years in the late 1980s, is busily scribbling chapters about the man he calls "complex, often misunderstood, frequently paranoid, yet a shrewd businessman... Not adverse to taking advantage of his friends." Jackson is said to be furious about the proposed Dileo project, something Jackson's lawyer Brian Wolf tells the New York Daily News, "is a breach of a strict confidentiality clause he signed as part of his termination and settlement agreement," when he was canned by Jackson in 1989. In the ensuing decade, Dileo has turned to acting - finding work as a character player in such films as "GoodFellas," both "Wayne's World" flicks and "Kiss of Death." --- 3 Years Ago --- Bee Gee Hit With More than Night Fever New York Daily News January 11, 2003 Pop singer Maurice Gibb was reunited with his Bee Gee brothers at a Miami hospital last night as he recuperated from a severe stomach ailment that nearly turned their famous three-part harmonies into a duet. The 53-year-old musician, whose backing vocals helped drive disco megahits from "Saturday Night Fever" like "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever," also was visited by Michael Jackson. Jackson was in Miami recording songs with the bass-playing Bee Gee when Gibb was stricken at his palatial home near South Beach and taken to a hospital. The diagnosis was intestinal blockage. "It was completely out of the blue," said Gibb's manager, Carol Peters. "No pains or anything beforehand. Just all of a sudden, boom." Gibb was listed in critical but stable condition after emergency surgery, a nursing supervisor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami said. He "opened his eyes, wiggled his toes and feet, so it's good," Peters said. ---