I can exclusively reveal that megastar producer-manager,
Simon Fuller, has held top-secret
strategy planning meetings in Vegas with Michael and
Emmy award-winning director-choreographer, Kenny
Ortega, who has created two of Michael's
previous smash, sell-out world tours. By the way, Kenny
won his first Director's Guild of America award on
Sunday for outstanding achievement with his 'High School
Musical' production for Disney.
They invited me to join
their dinner in a private room behind the watchful eyes
of 2 security guards at Steve Wynn's
Wing Lei Chinese restaurant at the mogul's
Wynn resort hotel and casino. It's Michael's fourth
visit to the Epicurean Award-winning restaurant since
moving to Vegas, ending his 18-month self-imposed exile
from the US, living in Dubai and at Michael
Flatley's castle in Ireland.
Ironically, Michael who normally shuns cameras, was
undetected just 100 feet away from the 200-strong media
mob reporting on Paula Abdul's
'Woman of the Year' award and star-studded
attendees. A bit later when I told Simon Cowell, who was
also in Vegas for Paula's award, that his partner was
just around the corner, he laughed and said, "Doing
another one of his world-shaking mega-deals, I suppose."
As manager to international soccer-star David Beckham,
Fuller, the extraordinary deal-maker, won him a five
year $250-million contract -- the largest sports
pay-package in history – to move with his 'Posh Spice'
wife, Victoria Beckham, to Beverly
Hills and play for the L.A. Galaxy Major League Soccer
team. Incidentally that was Beckham, with Martha
Stewart and LL Cool J, in one
of the high-priced $2.5 million
Superbowl ads on Sunday -- another coup for Simon
Fuller launching Beckham's bid for American stardom.
Michael, who was looking well, relaxed and very happy
told me, "I'm doing fine and am well and really enjoying
myself in Vegas. It's a great place to call home." His
handshake and voice were strong and firm. On Michael's
pending Vegas show and return to pop royalty, Kenny
added, "We're talking business and looking at lots of
different possibilities. This is a blue-sky time with a
lot of different scenarios up in the air. We're working
through all of them to find the best – the one that
makes the most sense that's good for everybody."
I was reliably told
that if anybody could transform Michael into a
box-office megastar all over again, it would be
entertainment mogul Simon Fuller, "This is the perfect
match: the world's biggest pop-star being looked after
by the most successful mogul-manager in the world."
Fuller is often confused with Simon Cowell --
particularly as they are close friends and so
intertwined with 'American Idol's' non-stop soaring
success including #1 ratings in 21 different countries.
Fuller though, is the brains behind its $1-billion haul
from advertising, merchandise and music. He is said to
have earned $60-million personally in 2003 alone and
that's a figure that grows annually. In addition, he
promotes and manages such 'American Idol' stars as
Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard
and Clay Aiken in addition to being the
longtime manager of Annie Lennox and
the now solo careers of Emma 'Baby Spice' Bunton
and Mrs. Beckham.
There's an incredibly unique tie-in with another Vegas
connection for Michael. Fuller (seen here with Kenny and
Michael) divides his time between London, Los Angeles,
and the French Riviera, and is also said to have
numerous growing investments in Lake Las Vegas real
estate ventures with Cowell. But it's the megadeal he
struck with American billionaire, Robert F X
Sillerman, that's worth noting in all of this.
Fuller's 19 Entertainment was purchased a year ago by
Sillerman for a whopping $190 million and Fuller wound
up a director of Sillerman's CKx and still running the
19 group. CKx is partnered with
Cirque du Soleil in an upcoming Elvis Presley-themed
show, planned for MGM's City Center. Sillerman, who owns
licensing and merchandising rights to numerous
celebrities and their estates, exploits the Presley
estate with authority by both Priscilla Presley
and Lisa Marie Presley who were in
Vegas this weekend celebrating the King of Rock's
daughter's 39th birthday! Gossip historians know that at
one time, Michael and Lisa Marie were a tabloid headline
romance item during their marriage!
As an added Vegas
twist, Sillerman bought a 20percent stake in the
Broadway version of Mel Brook's 'The
Producers' which is opening a
Vegas version of the musical with David
Hasselhoff. It's easy to see that all of
Michael's current financial asset entanglements could be
unraveled and made whole by the Sillerman-Fuller
brain-trust as super Svengalis – and then relaunch his
career bigger and better than ever before.
First stop though for Michael, who will celebrate his
49th birthday on August 29 this year -- the same birth
date as mine coincidentally -- is Japan. He'll fly from
Vegas next month for two fan-appreciation events on
March 8 and 9.
Says Michael, "Japan is one of my favorite places in the world and I am very grateful to my fans there who have always been my strongest supporters and have helped me achieve several historic milestones in my life." Some 300 VIPs, paying over $3300 each, will hold a meet and greet handshake photo-session with Michael on day one with general fans massing for a get-together on day two.
Michael, who last
performed a concert in Madison Square Garden back in
2001, is not expected to perform while in Japan,
although he has created charity fund-raising records and
TV specials with large groups of other pop stars in the
interim. Although he's had more than 12 #1 chart hits,
the last was in 1995 and he hasn't toured since the mid-
1990s.
He remembered that the last time he and I had met was
over breakfast as guests of Donald Trump
at his Atlantic City Trump Plaza hotel. But this visit
together was not the time or the place to discuss his
self-imposed 18-month exile after the Santa Barbara
acquittal of child molestation charges in 2005. Michael
lived for a while in the oil-rich nation of Bahrain
before moving onto Ireland as a longtime guest in the
sprawling castle of 'Lord of the Dance' creator Michael
Flatley.
Michael returned to the
States six weeks ago on Christmas Eve, as Luxe Life
reported here back on December 24. He moved into a
home on the west side of Vegas near Sahara and within
easy reach of the Strip. In addition to a long dinner
with Steve Wynn, which resulted in speculation about a
possible Jackson show there, Michael's also met several
times with Vegas deal-maker Jack Wishna
who said:, "Michael is poised to return to the top of
the entertainment world soon. He is one of the greatest
all-time entertainers in the world." Wishna is the
businessman who engineered Trump's Vegas debut with the
$2.8 billion Trump International Hotel Tower, which is
nearing completion on the Strip near the New Frontier
hotel across from Steve Wynn's resort hotel casino.
MAGIC MAN
Michael was happy to
discuss how he's been spending some of his first month
in Vegas. He told me he enjoyed taking his children to
see Lance Burton's
magic show at the
Monte Carlo. "I really love magic," he said. "I
really liked his show. It's amazing and very enjoyable.
I love getting caught up in the magic."
Protected by his own security and Monte Carlo security, Michael went in through a back security entrance rather than cause a scene with fans and sat in the lower mezzanine unnoticed in front of the sound booth – and just as the show was ending, he took off so the audience wouldn't be distracted from Lance's curtain calls.
Michael has only given
one quick telephone interview since returning to Vegas
although he did speak at the Atlanta funeral of the late
soul singer James Brown. He confirmed
officially to me a funny interview story about the
Associated Press reporter covering the 'King of Pop's'
return to the United States to live. The rules were that
the reporter could not disclose his Vegas residency and
was allowed only one question. When the AP reporter
asked how Michael was and he answered that he was fine,
that was considered the one question!!
So for me, it was an honor to be invited into the inner
sanctum. I found Michael relaxed and confident -- happy
that the troubled past was getting put all behind him
and happy that he's begun rebuilding his career again.
"It's a whole new Michael here in Vegas," I was told. "
He feels comfortable here. He loves being able to go out
and basically not get hassled. He likes the restaurants
here for the food but his favorites are the shows. I
think he'll get to see every one of them over the next
few months. It's the first time in a long time Michael
is feeling less pressured and much at ease. He is ready
to go to work again and is in a great space and a
wonderful sense of mind."
To celebrate, this weekend Michael was out and about
again -- enjoying
The Beatles LOVE musical at the Mirage. After the
late show, he visited the LOVE boutique to pick out some
Beatles show souvenirs – and surprisingly even happily
posed with fans for photos with his ever-watchful
security agreeing to relax the normal rules for his
safety. Then he went backstage to meet the cast and crew
of the show congratulating them on their performances
and thanking them for the spectacular show.
"They were in awe of
him and he the same about all of them. He was very
respectful and told them it was an incredible experience
that he'd remember forever. I think he's going to bring
his children into see it next," one of the company
staffers told me.
For now though, the only public outing of his
three children has been a visit to the
Circus Circus where they were spotted on a visit to
the hotel's attractions here on the Strip. Prince
Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II, also known by
nickname Blanket, didn't even bother with disguises when
they went on the amusement rides there -- naturally
under the watchful eye of their nanny and Michael's team
of bodyguards along with the Circus Circus security
staffers.
KEEP THE
BOOGIE ALRIGHT
Michael's friendship and professional relationship with
director and choreographer Kenny Ortega dates back many
years, and once again they are teaming up. "Be it a
concert tour or a show staged from Vegas they'll tackle
it together," said a friend. "They have complete trust
in one another so it will be their project going
forward."
The Emmy-winning
30-year career choreographer was responsible for the hit
'Dirty Dancing,' 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' and 'St.
Elmo's Fire' movies. He also staged over his 20-year
tour career world concerts for Michael, Barbra
Streisand, Cher, The
Pointer Sisters, KISS and
Diana Ross. His choreography on
Madonna's 'Material Girl' movie also won him
awards. Currently Kenny, who created the live Sirens
outdoor show spectacle at the Treasure Island, is in the
early stages of a secret project being created for Steve
Wynn's resort here and Luxe Life is sworn to secrecy! He
will helm the follow-up sequel to 'High School Musical'
being filmed in Utah this Spring.
MICHAEL'S
COMEBACK SPECIAL
With the triple-threat team in place for Michael's
return, he's already started work on a new album. Some
of the tracks have already been recorded at Flatley's
Irish castle with the help of will.i.am
of the Black Eyed Peas. Don't be
surprised if Michael and will are spotted when
BEP plays the Orleans Arena during NBA All-Star
weekend to work out the best way to finish the tracks
they've selected to go with. Says will, "I'm a real fan
of his. You get to work with just a couple of great
people during your life who shed light on the Earth and
Michael is one of them."
Michael, Simon and Kenny happily posed for our Luxe
Life photos. I told them all that everybody was
eagerly awaiting Michael's return to the limelight and
that Vegas was delighted he now called our city his new
home. " Its all going to be good, very good" said
Michael, and Kenny added: "We're going to get it done
and when it is you'll know it'll be the right way
working out for the best for everybody involved."
