The family of Michael Jackson lost their wrongful death suit against AEG Live, but the story isn’t over. I am told that the family will not only appeal the jury decision, but they will file for a new trial as well. That’s right, there could be a Trial 2.0, dragging everyone and everything back through the courts.

The word is that the Jacksons’ lead lawyer, Brian Panish, already has a law firm that specializes in appeals writing the documents now. But it’s not just an appeal. They will also ask the court for a do- over based on the jury getting wrong marching orders or misunderstanding the questions they received to make their deliberations.

Separately Panish appeared on an internet radio this week where he talked a little bit about the case and the potential appeal. He doesn’t actually say anything, but I am told definitively that Jackson v. AEGLive is not over, at least not for the Jacksons. Panish says Katherine Jackson was happy that it was proved that AEG hired the doctor that killed Michael Jackson. But remember the jury decided that AEG hired a doctor. They didn’t know, and no one did, that he’d kill Jackson.

Shane Murphy is a real life crew member from the Maersk Alabama who was taken hostage in 2009 along with 20 others and Captain Richard Phillips. When I met Murphy, Chief Mate under Phillips, a captain with the Merchant Marine, he told me that the movie “Captain Phillips” was accurate, albeit compressed from five days to two hours.

That was when we shared a cab from Lincoln Center over to the Harvard Club on opening night of the New York Film Festival. He and his wife were a lot of fun, also quite serious. Murphy told me that night that he was glad the Somali pirates came off as sympathetic.

Flash forward to news that Maersk is being sued by nine former crew members from the incident. We didn’t know that at the premiere. The lawsuit was filed in April 2012, and it’s coming to trial soon in Florida. Who’s not suing? The officers on the Maersk Alabama, all of whom are characters in “Captain Phillips” and have been accorded a higher status than the crew that was in the hold.

I spoke to Shane Murphy earlier this week, wondering about the lawsuit to which is not a party. “I can’t talk about it because of testimony and depositions,” he said. “But I can talk about the movie, and I liked what they did. I told you that then. The movie is accurate.”

By the way, all nine of the men who are suing are from the Seafarers Union, and they are listed as ‘unlicensed crew.’ Phillips didn’t mention any of them in his 2011 book upon which the movie was based except for a passing reference to Andy Brzezinski, 62, as an “old salt.” Phillips may have been a great captain but he wasn’t very diplomatic.

We’re sorry, World. We have nothing to do with this. Please don’t forget, he’s Canadian. When the Beatles went to India, it was a cultural turning point.

Faced with ever dwindling prospects, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has finally been forced to acknowledge the 1970s. Their list of possible inductees includes Linda Ronstadt and Hall & Oates, each if not for the first time, for the first time in a long time.

As I wrote several weeks ago, the group immediately put Nirvana up for induction. We knew that would happen. They will get in on the first ballot, case closed. But they also put up NWA, a rap group that has no business being in this Hall of Fame certainly. That’s some kind of joke.

Other nominees include The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Yes, Link Wray, The Zombies, The Replacements, Cat Stevens, KISS, LL Cool J, The Meters, Chic, Deep Purple, and Peter Gabriel.

Snubbed again: Sting, Bon Jovi, Chicago, The Moody Blues, Carly Simon, the late Billy Preston, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, Todd Rundgren, Sonny & Cher, and so on. The J Geils Band and Peter Wolf have also finally vanished, sadly, after many years of hoping they’d get in.

They’ve waited so long now to induct Ronstadt, by the way, that she can’t sing because of her Parkinson’s Disease. Just FYI.

This year the public can vote along with the 600 members of the Rock Hall. I’m not sure it would count, but you’ll feel like you said your piece.

http://www.rockhall.com/