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WORD FROM THE STREETZ

Updated Monday December 21st, 1998.... There are only 5 days left until Christmas....I'd like to take this opportuinity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, and a THRILLER of a new year. The Janet tour has officially finished for 1998. Janet and her crew returned home on Saturday to spend christmas with their families. The tour will resume on January 12th in Tokyo, Japan. U.S. marshals have seized several items from the home of Michael Jackson's father, including the baby grand piano used to write songs for the Thriller album and a 1963 Rolls Royce. The seizure is an attempt to collect a $1.3 million judgment entered in 1996 after Jackson Communications Inc. filed bankruptcy in New Jersey. Brian Oxman, a lawyer for the Jackson family, said the piano and the car belong to Michael Jackson, not his parents. "Michael wants the piano and the automobile back and he's going to get them back", he said. "These people have no right to them whatsoever." [source: Reuters / AP / ABC News ] Wednesday December 16th, 1998.... Janet performed in Melbourne last night, and I can personally say that Janet turned Melbourne upside-down. Last night's performance was one of the best I've seen in a long time, I'd even go as far as saying it was just as good (if not better) than the HBO concert. I'll put up some pictures from the concert within the next couple of days, I'm just waiting for the Thursday show....I'll choose the best photos from my collection, and you should expect to see them in the image gallery before the weekend. At last night's show, Shawnette did not take her part, and she'll probably be going home tomorrow afternoon after she injured her neck during the final concert in Sydney on Saturday night. Teresa has been taking Shawnette's part in the show. I saw Shawnette at the hotel walking around wearing a neckbrace yesterday. We all wish Shawnette a speedy recovery! Fans who were at Janet's concert in Sydney on Saturday night were exposed to something special! After the concert finished, Janet returned to the stage along with Ricky Martin for the filming of the first of Janet's PEPSI commercials. Janet has been nominated for the VH-1 ARTIST OF THE YEAR. You can vote for her online by clicking here. Michael Jackson was just one of the stars who were at a party over the weekend to celebrate the opening of Sol Kerzner's latest casino resort, the Royal Towers in Atlantis, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. "The star who stole the show - even from the Sun King himself - was Jackson. His bodyguards shuffled around guests and celebrities to make a clear path for the ever-shy singer. Jackson made his entrance arm in arm with South African Prudence Solomon (the former SABC presenter who married Kerzner's right-hand man, Jerry Inzerillo, in Cape Town this year). But Jackson stayed only five minutes, dashing out under the protective arms of his bodyguards, with Solomon in tow." Other stars who were at the celebrations were Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Puff Daddy, Donald Trump, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, and Denzel Washington [source: MJJ Online] Saturday December 12th, 1998.... Janet has been nominated for 2 NAACP Image Awards. The categories Miss Jackson has been nominated for are; "Outstanding Perfomance in a Variety Series/Special" and "Outstanding Variety Series/Special". Both these nominations are for the HBO special, Janet: The Velvet Rope LIVE. The NAACP Image Awards will take place in Pasadena, California on February 13-14th. [source: E! Online] Marlon Jackson turns 41 today. Happy birthday Marlon! Friday December 11th, 1998.... Ginuwine has recorded a version of MJ's She's Out Of My Life, which will appear on his upcoming album, 100% Ginuwine, due for release in March. [source: The Beat] Tatyana Ali, MJJ Music's latest signing, will be appearing on the Disney Christmas Special which will be shown throughout December on the Disney Channel. Jermaine Jacksons turns 44 today. Happy birthday Jermaine! Thursday December 10th, 1998.... The latest issue of Black & White Magazine is now available. There are some juicy news articles in the news section regarding upcoming releases by Michael and his family: Michael's new album is still schedule for an April 1999 release. However, if the album is to be released without delay, Michael would have to have completed recording all of the tracks for the album by February, to enable SONY Music sufficient time to promote the album. The highly anticipated reuinion album by the Jackson brothers, J5, is actually stuck due to a disagreement between SONY Music and A&M regarding the distribution of the album. And finally we have some news about the long awaited album by 3T, Deja Vu. Michael Jackson and his nephews recorded two songs in September which will appear on the album. Deja Vu is schedule for release in March 1999. Wednesday December 9th, 1998.... Karen Ramirez has recorded a version of Michael Jackson's classic, People Make The World Go Round. The track, which originally appeared on Michael Jackson's BEN album, can be found on Karen's debut album, Distant Dreams. Janet won the award for FEMALE R&B ARTIST OF THE YEAR at the BillBoard Awards on Monday. She didn't win the other award she was nominated for, Shania Twain took out the award for FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR. Janet's latest single, Everytime, is now available in Canada and the U.S. Janet will perform at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney tonight. She has already completed her Brisbane part of the Australian tour, next stop is MELBOURNE!!!! Friday December 4th, 1998.... Janet has been nominated for the category of FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR at this years' Billboard Music Awards. The awards ceremony will be held at the MGM in Las Vegas on December 7th. As Janet is curerently completing her tour of Australia and New Zealand, she won't be attending the awards, but you can expect a video link-up if Janet wins the award she's nominated for. Thursday December 3rd, 1998.... Bob Jones, Vice President of MJJ Productions, has denied the reports that Michael Jackson has shown interest in a British boarding school for his son's schooling. "No-one knows anything about this, they make this stuff up", said Michael's spokesman Bob Jones. I guess it's another case of: just because you read it in a magazine don't make it factual!!!! Janet has been nominated for the category of Favourite Female Soul/R&B singer for the American Music Awards which are held on January 11th. Tuesday December 1st, 1998.... Michael Jackson has been nominated for a category in the upcoming People's Choice Awards in the U.S. The nominees in the category of ALL-TIME FAVORITE MUSICAL PERFORMER are Michael Jackson, Elton John, Garth Brooks, George Strait, and Barbara Streisand. The awards will be held on January 10th at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. For the first time this year, anyone with internet access can vote for the ALL-TIME FAVOURITE categories between December 1 - 14 at the CBS website Monday November 30th, 1998.... Janet's new single was released today in Australia. The tracklisting for the Australian edition of Everytime is: 1. Everytime - album version (4:17) 2. Everytime - Jam & Lewis Disco Remix (4:10) 3. Accept Me (4:07) The Sunday Telegraph in the U.K. reported that Michael Jackson wants his son, Prince, to have a British education. Michael is said to be keen to place his 21-month-old son at Stowe School, near Buckinghamshire. The newspaper reported that Michael had one of his reprasentatives make inquiries about putting Prince's name on an early entry list at the school. When asked to confirm the reports, a spokesman replied "We don't release details of people who are here, or who may be coming here. It doesn't seem appropriate." Friday November 27th, 1998.... As previously mentioned, EMI Music Australia have released the official Velvet Rope Tour video. The video was released on Monday November 23rd, but was not available in stores until today. Although I won't be able to tell you about what's on the video (I don't intend on watching it until after Janet performs in Australia), the running time is approx. 2 hours, and it seems as though it might be the same concert that was aired live on U.S. television from Madison Square Garden in New York. Thursday November 26th, 1998.... A business man has been convicted and sentenced to 15 years prison after he was found guilty of the second degree murder of Delores "DeeDee" Jackson, mother of the 3T brothers. Donald Bohana, 61, claimed at trial that Ms. Jackson died in a swimming pool accident, but prosecutors said she had been beaten and choked. Donald Bohana and Delores Jackson had been dating for about three months when she drowned in the swimming pool at his house. After the trial, a relieved Tito Jackson, ex-husband of Delores, said "She was just a well-caring mother and these kids were actually robbed of something that nothing can bring back". Donald Bohana said in court that Delores, who did not know how to swim, fell into the pool and was injured when he tried to pull her out with a pool-cleaning net. When police arrived, Ms. Jackson was found propped up, nude, and against a tree. Originally the death was ruled an accident, however the case was reopened after a coroner's report revealed someone may have "assisted" in the drowning. This court case was the reason for the delay of 3T's sophmore album, Deja Vu. The boys said in an interview earlier this year that the album is already complete. They don't want to release it until this case is over, so that they can promote the album properly. I'd expect their album to be released very soon, maybe sometime within the first couple of months of 1999. The Janet conert that was aired LIVE on HBO earlier last month will be shown in Australia on channel 10 on December 5th ay 9:30pm. EMI are also planning on officially releasing this concert on video some time in the future. Janet fans in England should note that BBC's Radio 1 will be broadcasting a Janet special on the radio on December 6th. The program is called RHYTHM domiNATION and contributors include Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam, Roger Sanchez and Vanessa Mae. The double CD tour edition of The Velvet Rope is now available in Australia. The bonus disc contains 5 club mixes of the singles released from the album. The tracklisting for the bonus disc is: 1. Got 'Til It's Gone - Armand Van Helden Bonus Beats (5:05) 2. Together Again - Tony Humphries 12" Edit Mix (9:57) 3. I Get Lonely - Janet vs Jason - The Club Remix ( 8:10) 4. Go Deep - Vocal Deep Disco Dub (8:12) 5. Everytime - Jam & Lewis Disco Remix (4:10) Tuesday November 24th, 1998.... Janet is in Australia!!!!  She flew in at Sydney airport this morning, two weeks ahead of her first concert on the Australian leg of the Velvet Rope Tour. Janet has just completed the South African leg of the world tour, and she flew into Australia fresh after her meeting with President Nelson Mandela. In an interview with an Australian news channel, Janet commented on her meeting with South Africa's president, " He's just an amazing man. One thing he said to me which I thought was awesome...he said to me 'Don't ever forget that you have a grandfather here in Africa that you can always visit'. I though that was very sweet, very wonderful." Janet doesn't have any official committements until the tour officially kicks off. "We just wanna relax, hang out in the hotel and go to a club and release some energy that has not been choreographed....maybe meet some cute guys...haha" Well, whatever Janet decides to do during her 2 week break, she's sure to have her loving fans chase her every move around Sydney.   The limited edition tour edition release of The Velvet Rope has been delayed in Australia until November 27th. Also released on the same day will be the latest single, Everytime. Saturday November 20th, 1998.... Another day, another Janet appearance on another artists' album. Janet will be featured on one track on the new album by Timbaland, Tim's Bio, due for release on November 24th. Timbaland is most popular for his work with Missy "Misdeameanor" Elliott, and his recent remix of Janet's Go Deep. Timbaland has recently said that he would like to work with Michael Jackson. "I want to do a Michael Jackson album and go back to the Thriller days". Friday November 20th, 1998.... Every Time has been released in Europe. The CD single contains an unreleased b-side track called Accept Me. This song was originally planned as a b-side for Together Again. It's quite possible that the track will also appear on the tour edition CD being released in Australia on November 23rd. It turned out that You wasn't to be the next release from The Velvet Rope, as mentioned earlier. You is only available as a promo single at the moment.   Home & Away actress Belinda Emmett has recorded a version of Michael Jackson's classic Off The Wall. The single is released in Australia tomorrow. Belinda was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, and all the proceeds from the CD sales in Australia will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Institute of Australia. Thursday November 19th, 1998.... Michael Jackson visited Zimbabwe this week to meet with President Robert Mugabe and discuss investment possibilities, according to the Associated Press. Michael arrived on Monday as a guest of the Zimbabwe Defense Industries with a group from the U.S.-based United Pacific Holdings Group, in which he reportedly has a financial interest. Michael discussed investment ideas for a hotel development at Victoria Falls, one of Zimbabwe's most popular tourist attractions. Michael's visit to Zimbabwe was unexpected, but it wasn't too long before word hit the streets....and Michael's hotel was mobbed by hundreds of fans. Michael signed autographs for a waiting fans, but refused to speak to reporters. [source: Reuters] EMI Music (the company that runs all operations for Virgin in Australia will be releasing a few Janet items in the next few weeks. Firstly, the double CD tour edition of The Velvet Rope will be released. At the moment, I am unaware of what tracks will be included on the second disc. I am sure there'll be a couple of unreleased tracks on the bonus disc aswell as maybe a few live performances. As soon as I get the information, I'll post up the track listing right here, so stay tuned....The new single, Every Time, will be released on November 30th, just in time for the Velvet Rope Tour of Australia. EMI have also confirmed their plans to release an official Janet tour video of the Velvet Rope Tour. I was told by a staff member at EMI that the upcoming video should be released before Janet's tour of Australia in 5 weeks. The video will feature backstage and concert footage of Janet's Velvet Rope tour. Once again, as soon as I find out more info about this release, I'll be sure to let y'all know 'bout it. Janet appeared on the cover of the October issue of Jane Magazine. The magazine also includes an interview Janet did backstage at her Denver concert. I'll add the entire article within the next couple of days, so check back for that soon.... Michael Jackson has written, composed and produce 4 songs for a new CD by Japanese group J-Friends. Michael wrote the original lyrics for the tracks and they were changed into Japanese lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto. Michael was asked in May '98 to write and compose some songs for the CD, and by October '98 the group received a demo tape made my Michael including vocals, piano arrangement and a children's choir. The CD will be released in Japan on January 13th, 1999. Kiss The Sky, the debut album from the latest MJJ Music artist, Tatyana Ali, has been released in Australia this week. Also included with the CD album is a multimedia element which includes the video clip to the first single, Daydreaming (available now), and an interview with Tatyana and her manager, Will Smith, among other famous celebrities. Michael Jackson has really signed himself a very talented artist in Tatyana. If she is presented in the right way, she should conquer the international charts with this album. Monday November 16th, 1998.... More rumours are floating around some reliable websites about the remake of Prince's 1999. The official Prince website organised a press conference in association with Paisley Park (P's label) and confirmed that Prince will be releasing a remake/remix of 1999 and it should be released sometime early 1999. As reported earlier, Michael Jackson has asked Prince if they could record it as a duet. When a spokesman for Epic Records was asked about the possibility of MJ working with Prince, he could neither confirm or deny the rumour. Thursday November 12th, 1998.... Janet has teamed up with Busta Rhymes on the track What's it Gonna Be? The track will appear on Busta's upcoming album Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front.) The album drops worldwide on December 8th. [source: Electra Entertainment Press Release] Janet has contributed the track God's Stepchild to the soundtrack of Down in The Delta, the directorial debut of poet and novelist Maya Angelou. God's Stepchild was originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of The Velvet Rope. The soundtrack CD will be instores from December 8th. A rare track by The Jackson 5 can be found on the recently released Ultimate Rarities Collection 1: Motown Sings Motown Treasures. The track that is featured on this Motown release is You've Really Got A Hold On Me. Sound familiar?  Well, it is actually the same song that Michael Jackson recorded and released on his Farewell My Summer Love LP in 1984. J5's version sounds like a vintage Jackson Five recording. Tuesday November 10th, 1998.... British newspaper The Daily Mirror has settled out of court with Michael Jackson over the photos they published in 1992 labelling his face as "hideously disfigured by plastic surgery." At the time, the Mirror firmly stood by their photographs. The Mirror apologized and acknowledged that Michael Jackson was not hideously disfigured or scarred: Mirror lawyer Kevin Bayes told the court: "The photographs were taken honestly and were not tampered with, but the "Mirror" has since met with the plaintiff in person and acknowledges that the photographs do not accurately represent the plaintiff's true appearance." Mr Bayes goes on to say, "The Mirror wishes, through me, to express its sincere apologies for the plaintiff's distress which it has caused and is pleased to have resolved its differences with him." Game, Set and Match Mr. Michael Jackson! [source: Reuters] Motown Records has recently released it's Frank Sinatra tribute album, Motown Celebrates Sinatra. Among other artists from the Motown label, Michael Jackson has co version of Sinatra's early hit All The Things You Are appears on the album. Monday November 9th, 1998.... It seems that everyone is jumping on the "let's try to sue Michael Jackson" bandwagon. This time Michael is being sued Yves Svolfes, a Belgian comic strip artist, and composer, for a copyright infringment. Svolfes claims that Michael stole parts of his song "Boulevard Des Rêves Brisés" (Boulevard of Broken Dreams) and used them as the main theme for his 1991 hit song, Give In To Me. Over the years, Michael has made countless appearances in court defending copyright charges, and has not been found guilty once. Polygram (the company who runs all the operations for A&M Records in Australia) have informed me that at this stage, the upcoming Jacksons reunion album will be released sometime around March 1999 and the album title is simply J5. SONY MUSIC Australia have also informed me that the HISTORY Tour video will be released in April 1999. Let's just hope that this doesn't get delayed again. Saturday November 7th, 1998.... The official website for The Artist Formely Known As Prince has reported that Michael Jackson has requested to work with Prince for a remake of P's classic 1999. No official word has been given from Michael's publicist, although the "Love 4 One Another" website stated that the news was given to them by a record executive from Epic Records. Janet will team up with Foxy Brown for a remake of What have you done for me lately. The track will appear on Foxy's album "Chyna Doll". The album is schedule to be released on December 8th. Wednesday November 4th, 1998.... Sean Lennon, son of Beatles legend John Lennon, is featured in the November issue of US magazine. Sean is basically talking about his influences over the years, and also talks about his debut album, which was released in May 1998. Sean goes on to say, "If it wasn't for Michael Jackson, I probably wouldn't make music now. Thriller changed my life completely." Wednesday October 28th, 1998.... At the VH-1 Fashion Awards on Friday October 23rd, Janet won the award for Most Stylish Music Video for "Got 'til It's Gone". To check out the pictures of Janet's performance and award acceptance, click here Tuesday October 27th, 1998.... The month of November should please Australian Michael Jackson fans who subscribe to Foxtel. Channel V will be playing 2 hours of back to back video clips by the King of Pop On Sunday November 18th, at 7:30pm. Also during the month of November, TV-1 on Foxtel will be screening episodes of "The Jacksons" television show every Sunday night at 7:00pm. And finally during November, Encore will be having regular screenings of "The Wiz"....check program guides for that one. Friday October 23rd, 1998.... Wu Tang Clan's Method Man has a new CD coming out on November 17th called Tical 2000. Janet is featured on an interlude skit for the album.  Janet is featured in the November issue of Details Magazine. The interview is titled "Sex on The Beach". In this candid interview, Janet discusses her piercings, the tour, the album, and of course her sensual side. To view the full interview click here. Thursday October 22nd, 1998.... U.S. R&B trio 98 Degrees have recently recorded an acapella version of MJ's classic "She's Out Of My Life". The track will appear on their forthcoming album. Tuesday October 20th, 1998.... An interesting article appeared in the Herald-Sun newspaper today in Melbourne Australia. The full story goes like this: "Now if you thought Elvis, during his black-belt karate phase, looked lethal, consider this: Michael Jackson, the million selling megastar, will show us how Dangerous he really is with a kickboxing exhibition next Sunday. Sadly, it will not take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. MJ will give his world debut demonstration of Shidokan Karate Kata as part of a Tokyo show, according to the entirely reliable Blitz Australiasian Martial Arts magazine. Blitz says MJ has been in serious Kata training mode for 18 months, furthering a lifetime interest in linking his dancing with martial arts. Also, note the way his name is spelled in the mag - Jakson: did somebody chop out the "c" or did he lash it out himself?" Monday October 19th, 1998.... Well, it's now official!!!! "We Are The World 2" charitable concert, which Michael originally planned to hold on October 11, at the Chamsil Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, has officially been postponed indefinately. The MJIFC reports that "The concert's promoter, Cheil Communications, informed us that - as of today - no new date has yet been set for the rescheduled concert." It seems that the next Janet single will be different in the U.S. as to the rest of the world. The next single has been confirmed, for Australia and Europe, to be "You". Click here to check out what the cover of the new Janet single, "You", will look like. In the U.S. MTV and HBO have already started playing the video to "Everytime", which will be the next release for the States. No release dates have been given for the new singles, so "watch this space...." Janet will perform at the VH-1 Fashion Awards on October 23rd. Janet is also nominated for the category of Most Stylish Music Video for "Got 'til it's Gone". The VH-1 Fashion Awards will be broadcast on October 27th around the globe on VH-1. STARTED Friday October 16th, 1998.... Welcome to my news page....this will be updated on a regular basis and will not contain any rumours or beliefs, only true factual information regarding Jackson related events. Sony Music Australia have informed me that a possible release by Luciano Pavarotti and Michael Jackson titled "What more can I give" definately WON'T be released by SONY MUSIC. However they have also informed me that it is quite possible that Pavarotti's label, DECCA RECORDS may be releasing it as either a single or an album track from an upcoming album Pav has coming out. The video clip to Janet's next release "You" has recently been added to the playlist of Channel V and MTV around the globe. The new single will be released in Australia in November, to coincide with Janet's highly anticipated Velvet Rope Tour. The Australian tour will include shows in Brisebane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide aswell as numerous television and radio appearances. Stay tuned for more info in the upcoming weeks.... Also Janet fans should check out the lastest offering from Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the soundtrack to the film "How Stella Got Her Groove Back". Janet is featured on the reggae pop number, "Luv me, Luv me" along with Shaggy! The track is only available on the soundtrack at the moment, however it has been that it will be the second release from the soundtrack. No date has been set for a release as yet. Janet is on the cover of the October issue of Rollong Stone Magazine - U.S. Edition. "Work is part of my genetic code: work is in my blood. My response to adversity's always the same: work harder." The latest artist to be signed to Michael's label, MJJ Music, Tatyana Ali will have her debut single titled "Daydreaming" released in Australia this week. D*Influence have had their version of Michael's classic "Rock with you" released in Australia this week.