Jermaine's plans don't exactly rock city of Gary

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Next up for Jacksons - Armenia? Jermaine's plans don't exactly rock city of Gary February 8, 2006 GARY | Tuesday's news that Jermaine Jackson plans to build an entertainment complex in the rugged mountain nation of Armenia was not seen locally as, well, germane. Gary Mayor Scott King said the announcement didn't appear to affect the long-running but idle plans to build a performing arts center in the Jackson family's native city in cooperation with Jermaine Jackson's more famous brother, Michael. "Everything ... is on hold," King said. "(Jermaine Jackson's announcement) is really of no impact either way." The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Jermaine Jackson revealed plans to build an entertainment complex in the former Soviet republic of Armenia, which borders on Iran and Turkey in the Caucusus Mountains. Jermaine Jackson's proposed complex may include a hotel, restaurant and television company. The 51-year-old solo entertainer said he hoped that Michael Jackson would join him for a reunion concert marking the opening of the center, the news service reported. Jermaine and Michael were two of the five members of the Jackson 5, a group formed by their father Joe in Gary in the 1960s. The group peaked in popularity in the early 1970s and released its last album, "2300 Jackson Street," in 1989. That address was the site of the Jackson family home, which would have been moved to the south side end of Gary in the 1990s to anchor a 400-acre Jackson family museum and theme park along the Borman Expressway. The plan never came to fruition. But in 2003, Michael Jackson appeared in Gary to announce his intentions to cooperate with the construction of a Michael J. Jackson Performance Arts Center in Gary. King said Jermaine Jackson never included in serious talks on that project. Michael Jackson signed a letter of agreement, but details like the cost and location of the project were never released. Progress toward building the center halted when its namesake was charged with molesting a 13-year-old cancer victim. Jackson was eventually acquitted of all 10 criminal charges against him in the trial. King said Tuesday he wasn't sure where the performer stood on the project, especially in light of news reports speculating that the trial may have seriously depleted his financial reserves. King said that Jackson has been living in seclusion in a small Middle Eastern state since the life-changing trial. "We'd be receptive to any conversations, but I'm not going to try to track him down in Dubai," King said. Source Indiana Times