There will be a Michael Jackson line of perfumes, but it won’t be coming from Michael’s father, Joseph. I can tell you exclusively that the Michael Jackson estate is in negotiations right now to market its own brands through a conventional big time cosmetics company. The perfume has been created, the bottles are being deisgned, and a name is being decided upon. It will not be called “Thriller,” says a source who’s working on the project.
But it’s not a bad idea. Neither are “Bad,” “Dangerous,” “Invincible” or “Off the Wall” (the latter could be body spray!). What’s NOT happening: a line of perfumes from Michael’s father, Joe Jackson.
Indeed, the estate is spending extra time shutting Jackson senior down as he makes pronouncements about new businesses he’s dreaming up to exploit his late son’s likeness. Recently, Jackson proclaimed on his website that he and a German firm–UD Group International–a firm with ties to Michael’s one time manager Dieter Wiesner–had somehow gotten the rights in that country to Michael’s name. However, the Jackson estate insists this isn’t true, and that they are contacting their German lawyers to set matters straight.
On the website, Joe Jackson can be seen hocking his own line of “champagne,” and carrying on about his new ventures. He tried to launch his own perfume line during the Cannes Film Festival, but that’s been scotched. He also told this reporter about his plans for Neverland style hotels. “That will not be happening,” said an estate source. “We think Joe knows all these things are pipe dreams. He just likes to do the traveling and get the attention,” said my source.
Meanwhile, the Estate is looking forward to opening night in Montreal on October 2nd, when Cirque du Soleil unveils its Michael Jackson show. Tickets are on sale in several cities. After Montreal, the show heads to Las Vegas. What’s happening here is really interesting: in death, Michael Jackson is now becoming a big, big business, bigger than he could have envisioned.
