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Surprise! Richie Sambora Drops Clip of New “Born to Rock” Solo Single as a Birthday Gift to Us! We Need More!

Roger Friedman
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Surprise! Richie Sambora Drops Clip of New “Born to Rock” Solo Single as a Birthday Gift to Us! We Need More!

Happy Birthday, Richie Sambora!

The great ex-Bon Jovi guitarist and underrated vocalist turns 66 today.

He’s posted a 1:12 sound clip of a new solo single called “Born to Rock.”

It’s absolutely great! We need more, like the whole song, and an album would be nice.

A Richie comeback is as welcome as can be. Bring it on! Happy Birthday to one of rock’s unsung heroes!

Who wants to hear the rest of this song?

“Superman” Previews Sell Out, Eyeing $22 Mil Thursday, Audience Rating Skyrockets to 95%, Repeat Business Ahead

Roger Friedman
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“Superman” Previews Sell Out, Eyeing $22 Mil Thursday, Audience Rating Skyrockets to 95%, Repeat Business Ahead

Warner Bros.– aka DC Comics — has a massive hit in “Superman.”

The James Gunn directed reboot is looking at a $22 million Thursday in previews.

A $100 mil weekend is predicted.

Reviews are good — at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But the RT audience rating is 95%. The people who saw it tonight loved it.

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan star in what will be the first of three movies with this gang.

Back when Richard Donner directed the first two “Superman” Movies in 1978 and 1980, sequels were not a “thing.” The third and fourth installments had no quality control.

But now, all the chapters should have a pretty great consistent pedigree with Gunn and his DC Comics co-chief Peter Safran.

Kudos to Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy at Warner Bros. They’ve had a banner six months. This is the cherry on top of the sundae.

BOLD MOVE Justin Bieber Drops “Swag” First New Album in Four Years, Written By Teams of Grammy Winning Songwriters

Roger Friedman
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BOLD MOVE Justin Bieber Drops “Swag” First New Album in Four Years, Written By Teams of Grammy Winning Songwriters

Justin Bieber has dropped his first album in four years, it’s called “Swag,”

In a bold move, Bieber is singing songs written and produced by Grammy nominee Carter Lang and a group of professionals including Tobias Jesso, Eddie Benjamin, and Dylan Wiggins.

Lang won Grammys with SZA in 2024 and 2025.

Jesso has had hits with Adele.

Rather than write his own music during a time of personal upheaval, Bieber has turned to the experts.

It’s a bold move. He’s reviving his career with carefully crafted pop songs.

The only reveal of Justin’s inner life are interstitial “interviews” with a comedian named Druski. One of them is called “Therapy Session.”

Lang has written hits for Post Malone, SZA, Doja Cat, and Lil Nas X and other current pop stars. I have to say these songs are very, very good for top 40 pop. They will get a lot of airplay.

Lang is about 40 years old, and has real musical training. By morning, everyone will want to talk to him. A star is born, after two decades!

Lang’s name is listed as “writer” on all the YouTube videos released tonight by Universal Music. On the Wikipedia page, there are teams — from 8 to 12 collaborators — for each song.

Here’s the title track:

All I Can Take– written by Carter Lang

Joaquin Phoenix, A24 Walking into a Buzzsaw with Reaction to Next Week’s Two and a Half Hour “Eddington”

Roger Friedman
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Joaquin Phoenix, A24 Walking into a Buzzsaw with Reaction to Next Week’s Two and a Half Hour “Eddington”

While “Superman” soars high this weekend, next weekend may bring disappointment for another film.

Ari Aster’s “Eddington” is coming from A24, and it looks like a big problem.

Despite an all star cast with Joaquin Phoenix and the ubiquitous Pedro Pascal, “Eddington” looks like it will follow Aster’s “Beau is Afraid” into the abyss.

Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are not friendly. The score so far is 68%. The movie is also two and a half hours long.

The bad reviews are bad.

The Hollywood Reporter: If Hereditary and Midsommar got under the skin with genuinely scary storytelling and startling imagery and Beau is Afraid was equal parts squirmy and maddening, Eddington is just annoying and empty.

Vanity Fair: A better film would tightly synthesize the macro with the micro, but Aster instead lets them hang discordant next to one another, clanging in the desert wind.

Even the ‘fresh’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes have a kick to them.

New York Magazine: “I didn’t love it — I’m honestly not sure I’d even say I liked it — but it gets at the way our shared reality fractured in ways that may be irreparable, leaving a situation ripe for grifters and opportunists to step in and take over.”

South china Morning Post: “Eddington can be a slog at times, but there’s no doubting Aster has an abundance of ideas about what to say about his nation.”

I’m told by spies that “Eddington” wastes a lot of potential, not to mention name actors, on a social satire about COVID and the lockdown.

Yikes! A24 Studios is very adept at creating cult of personality type following for its indie films even the movies themselves are not good. Ari Aster had two intellectual horror films — “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” — but “Beau is Afraid” fell flat and then some. “Eddington” seems to be going in that direction.

“Scrubs” is Back: Those Zach Braff- Donald Faison T Mobile Ads Pay Off in Revival of 2000’s Sitcom

Roger Friedman
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“Scrubs” is Back: Those Zach Braff- Donald Faison T Mobile Ads Pay Off in Revival of 2000’s Sitcom

Bill Lawrence’s “Scrubs” ran from 2001-2010.

The half hour sitcom about zany doctors in a hospital starred Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, and John C. McGinley.

Since then, Braff and Faison have appeared together in many T Movie commercials and promoted their friendship endlessly.

All that work pays off. ABC is reviving the show this fall. We didn’t ask for it, but there it is.

Braff, Faison, and Chalke have signed on. Most certainly, Lawrence’s actress wife Christa Miller will return as well.

All the actors are approximately 50 years old, which means there will have to a new batch of young, irreverent people who will annoy the now old formerly young whippersnappers who will find themselves suddenly forced to be mature. Yikes.

Will there jokes about Medicare and Medicaid being removed? Illegal aliens snatched from the ER waiting room? COVID deaths? Vaccine discussions?

It doesn’t seem to matter that every revival of a 2000s sitcom has failed, from “Frasier” to “Night Court” to “Murphy Brown.” The only exception I can think of is “Will and Grace,” which did marginally better.

During its run “Scrubs” won no major Emmy Awards, although it did have some nominations. It squeaked by as a show you forgot was on the air, and didn’t bother anyone.

And yet, it’s back. Maybe T Mobile is the sponsor.

Couldn’t they have come back as a similar but different show, a la “The Pitt” and “ER”?

This is why the networks are dying.

Justin Bieber: Billboards Go Up for New Album Called “Swag,” Including Song “Therapy Session” — Release Tonight?

Roger Friedman
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Justin Bieber: Billboards Go Up for New Album Called “Swag,” Including Song “Therapy Session” — Release Tonight?

Well, well.

While smoking dope until his eyes are glazed, posting messages about his depression and his belief in fake churches, Justin Bieber seems to have made a new album.

“Swag” appears to be the title. It’s his first album since “Justice” was released in March 2021. A tour following that album was cancelled before it got started, with Bieber incurring a lot of debt.

“Swag” will most certainly go to number 1 immediately on iTunes. But will it have legs? Are there hits? Does anyone care anymore? I guess we’re going to find out.

Tracks include “Therapy Session” and “All I Can Take.” One title is “405,” which may be about getting stuck on life’s highway. Or just getting traffic tickets.

Justin has also launched a merch website called skylrk.com. He’s selling really ugly sunglasses for $200, uncomfortable looking slippers for $180, and $160 hoodies — because there aren’t enough of any of those items in the world.

Keep refreshing…

Larry David Coming Back to HBO with Comedy Sketch Show Featuring “Curb” Actors: What About Cheryl Hines?

Roger Friedman
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Larry David Coming Back to HBO with Comedy Sketch Show Featuring “Curb” Actors: What About Cheryl Hines?

This sounds pretty, pretty good.

Larry David is coming back to HBO with a 30 minute comedy sketch series.

The twist? Beloved former president Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are executive producers.

The logline: President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion.
…But then Larry David called.

Jeff Schaffer, who ran “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is back, too, along with many of the hit series’ actors like Jeff Garlin and Susie Essman.

Obama says, ““I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”

But Cheryl Hines? Now complicitly a Trumper and married to crazy Robert Kennedy Jr., it seems doubtful that Hines will be welcome by the cast and crew, let alone the audience. Of course they could do sketches about measles, or the color of M&Ms.

Larry says: “Once ‘Curb’ ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party. After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow. Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.”

Larry says the untitled show will just be six episodes. But that’s what he said 25 years ago when he started “Curb,” and it lasted 12 seasons.

No word yet if the show will be live on tape, live period, or on film like “Curb.” I wish he’d bring in Tracey Ullman. Then it would be perfect!

Daytime Emmy Noms: Near Complete Snub of CBS’s “Bold and Beautiful,” Plus Jennifer Hudson Finally Gets Respect

Roger Friedman
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Daytime Emmy Noms: Near Complete Snub of CBS’s “Bold and Beautiful,” Plus Jennifer Hudson Finally Gets Respect

The Daytime Emmy nominations are out.

Completely snubbed in every category (with two minor exceptions): CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

All they got was two nods for young actors in Best Emerging Talent.

No Best Drama or any major acting prizes, directing, writing, or anything else.

Did they forget to submit names? Or were their preposterous retreads of the same stories finally too much?

The weird part is that they’ve won in the past. But the committees turned on them like rabid dogs.

Elsewhere in the noms, Jennifer Hudson and her talk show got noms for Best Host and Best Show. JHud should win and so should the show. Respect, at last! JHud’s show is refreshing, relaxed, and a lot of fun. Also, unlike with Kelly Clarkson, there’s no drama. Just dancing!

In acting, “General Hospital” got supporting actor noms for one actor — Tajh Bellow — whose character simply vanished one day, and Jonathan Jackson, who split the show. Only one of the 5 nominees for Best Supporting Actor is still on their show.

Only two Black actors were nominated — Bellow, and Valerie Pettiford from “Young and the Restless.” There were plenty to choose from. Next year the new Black soap, “Beyond the Gates,” will be eligible. Tamara Tunie will be in that mix.

Very strange stuff, but befitting soap operas, I guess!

Best Drama Series
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

Best Talk Series
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
The View

Best Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
E! News
Entertainment Tonight
Extra

Best Culinary Instructional Series
Be My Guest With Ina Garten
Delicious Miss Brown
Emeril Cooks
Lidia’s Kitchen
Selena + Restaurant

Best Culinary Cultural Series
BBQ High
Chasing Flavor With Carla Hall
Ingrediente: Mexico
TrueSouth

Best Legal/Courtroom Program
America’s Court With Judge Kevin Ross
Divorce Court
Hot Bench
Judy Justice
Justice for the People With Judge Milian
We the People With Judge Lauren Lake

Best Travel and Adventure Program
Expedition Unknown
Field Trip With Curtis Stone: Hong Kong
The Good Road
How I Got Here
Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out
Mexico Made With Love

Best Science and Nature Program
Living With Leopards
National Parks: USA
The Secret Lives of Animals
Secret Lives of Orangutans
Secrets of the Neanderthals

Best Instructional and How-To Program
Dime Como Hacerlo
The Fixers
Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse
Going Home With Tyler Cameron
Married to Real Estate
Martha Gardens

Best Lifestyle Program
George to the Rescue
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut
Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward
Homegrown
You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment

Best Arts and Popular Culture Program
Black Barbie
Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame
Off Script With “The Hollywood Reporter“
The Swift Effect
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

Best Daytime Special
Bob Newhart: A Legacy of Laughter: An “Entertainment Tonight” Special
Dinner Party Diaries With José Andrés
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers

Best Short Form Program
Ballin’ Out
Billboard Presents
Catalyst
Eat This With Yara: The Chef Preserving Gaza’s Cuisine Amid a Genocide
Live Like A Champion

Best Drama Actress
Sharon Case as Sharon Newman, The Young and the Restless
Eileen Davidson as Ashley Abbott, The Young and the Restless
Melissa Claire Egan as Chelsea Lawson, The Young and the Restless
Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis, General Hospital
Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers, The Young and the Restless
Laura Wright as Carly Spencer, General Hospital

Best Drama Actor
Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott, The Young and the Restless
Eric Martsolf as Brady Black, Days of Our Lives
Greg Rikaart as Leo Stark, Days of Our Lives
Paul Telfer as Xander Kiriakis, Days of Our Lives
Dominic Zamprogna as Dante Falconeri, General Hospital

Best Drama Supporting Actress
Linsey Godfrey as Sarah Horton, Days of Our Lives
Courtney Hope as Sally Spectra, The Young and the Restless
Kate Mansi as Kristina Corinthos Davis, General Hospital
Emily O’Brien as Theresa Donovan, Days of Our Lives
Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins Abbott, The Young and the Restless

Best Drama Supporting Actor
Tajh Bellow as TJ Ashford, General Hospital
Blake Berris as Everett Lynch, Days of Our Lives
Michael Graziadei as Daniel Romalotti, The Young and the Restless
Gregory Harrison as Gregory Chase, General Hospital
Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer, General Hospital

Best Emerging Talent
Olivia d’Abo as Fifi Garrett, The Bay
AnnaLynne McCord as Cat Greene, Days of Our Lives
Ashley Puzemis as Holly Jonas, Days of Our Lives
Christian Weissmann as Remy Pryce, The Bold and the Beautiful
Lisa Yamada as Luna Nozawa, The Bold and the Beautiful

Best Drama Guest Performer
Linden Ashby as Cameron Kirsten, The Young and the Restless
Clint Howard as Tom Starr, The Bold and the Beautiful
Jacqueline Lopez as Blaze, General Hospital
Alley Mills as Heather Webber, General Hospital
Valarie Pettiford as Amy Lewis, The Young and the Restless
Avery Kristen Pohl as Esme Prince, General Hospital

Best Talk Series Host
Drew Barrymore, The Drew Barrymore Show
Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb, Today With Hoda and Jenna
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa, Live With Kelly and Mark
Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show

Best Culinary Host
Kardea Brown, Delicious Miss Brown
Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table With Joanna Gaines
Ina Garten, Be My Guest With Ina Garten
Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Cooks
Michael Symon, Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out

Best Personality (Daily)
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith, and Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover, and Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood
Star Jones and Corey Jovan, Divorce Court
Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose, and Judge Judy Sheindlin, Judy Justice

Best Personality (Non-Daily)
David Attenborough, Secret Lives of Orangutans
Brad Bestelink, Living with Leopards
Andi Sweeney Blanco, Courtney Dober, Rob North, and Kirin Stone, The Fixers
Anthony Mackie, Shark Beach With Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast
Martha Stewart, Martha Gardens

Best Drama Writing Team
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

Best Non-Fiction Writing Team
Black Barbie
Modern Pioneering With Georgia Pellegrini
National Parks: USA
Secret Lives of Orangutans
Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers

Best Drama Directing Team
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

Best Non-Fiction Directing Team (Single Camera)
Living With Leopards
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild
The Secret Lives of Animals
Secret Lives of Orangutans
Shark Beach With Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast

Best Non-Fiction Directing Team (Multiple Camera)
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Good Road
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The Wizard of Paws

Best Music Direction and Composition
Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors
National Parks: USA
The Secret Lives of Animals
Secret Lives of Orangutans
Secrets of the Neanderthals

Best Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
The Drew Barrymore Show
Neighbours
The View
The Young and the Restless

Best Cinematography
Living With Leopards
Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors
National Parks: USA
The Secret Lives of Animals
Secret Lives of Orangutans

Best Single Camera Editing
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut
Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors
The Secret Lives of Animals
Secret Lives of Orangutans
Secrets of the Neanderthals

Best Multiple Camera Editing
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
The Fixers
How I Got Here
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Resurrected Rides

Best Live Sound Mixing and Sound Editing
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The Talk
The View
The Young and the Restless

Best Sound Mixing and Sound Editing
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut
Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out
Living with Leopards
National Parks: USA
The Secret Lives of Animals
Secret Lives of Orangutans
Secrets of the Neanderthals

Best Lighting Direction
Days of Our Lives
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The View
The Young and the Restless

Best Main Title and Graphic Design
Car Masters: Rust to Riches
The Drew Barrymore Show
Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut
Reconnecting Roots
Tex Mex Motors

Best Casting
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
Making Good
Start Up
The Young and the Restless

Best Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors
The Young and the Restless

Best Costume Design/Styling
The Drew Barrymore Show
General Hospital
Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors
Sherri
The Young and the Restless

Best Hairstyling and Makeup
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Drew Barrymore Show
General Hospital
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Secrets of the Neanderthals
Sherri

Best Regional Content
Chicagoland’s Best Bites
Createid | Sara: A Life in Dreams and Symbols
Danzando Para Sanar
Hidden Homicide
Relish

News & Predictions

Michael Jackson Estate’s 34 Page Complaint Alleges Extortion Scheme by Singer’s “Second Family,” Reveals Poolside Negotiation in Bathing Suits

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson Estate’s 34 Page Complaint Alleges Extortion Scheme by Singer’s “Second Family,” Reveals Poolside Negotiation in Bathing Suits

This is Part 2 of what will be many.

The lawsuit filed July 8th by the Michael Jackson Estate comes from Hollywood powerhouse firm Lavely and Singer. They do not fool around. Martin Singer is a killer. If you’re up against him, it’s war.

The lawsuit alleges that Frank Cascio (as described in my previous story) saw an opportunity after “Leaving Neverland” aired on HBO. The documentary was about two of Michael’s other “kids,” Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck, who waited years after Michael’s passing to say they were abused.

“Leaving Neverland” aired on March 3rd and 4th, 2019. Frank and I discussed it at the time. Based on his views, and material I’d otherwise collected, I took the position that Robson and Safechuck were liars, and had filed lawsuits to grab money before the probate door closed.

In the new lawsuit. the Estate alleges that Frank Cascio saw an opportunity to make money. If Robson and Safechuck were getting a payday, he should, too.

The lawsuit says that Frank and unnamed others
insisted on meeting with MJC’s representatives at the Sunset Marquis
Hotel swimming pool wearing only bathing suits so that MJC’s representatives could not wear a “wire” to record the conversation. Only someone engaging in extortion or other unlawful conduct would be worried about their conversation being recorded.” The complaint observes: “A truthful person asserting legitimate
legal claims should have no objection to being recorded.”

The Estate says this was a shakedown, but they agreed to it. (Why? Every movie and TV show says never give in to blackmailers.) They say they did to protect Michael’s children — Paris, Prince, and Blanket — from further embarrassment. The amount, I was told some time ago, was $3.3 million each for the five Cascio siblings.

But then says the complaint, Frank Cascio wanted more. This was laid it for me by sources months ago. This is the first time I’ve seen it expressed by lawyers. They say:

“After receiving monies paid to them pursuant to the Agreement, Frank, through
Respondents’ then-lawyer, demanded that Respondents be paid hundreds of millions of dollars more, otherwise, Respondents would file a bogus public lawsuit containing outlandish accusations against Michael that are completely contrary to their prior statements supporting and defending Michael. Respondents’ lawyer also warned that they “expect a substantive response by end of day
tomorrow. Otherwise, we will be forced to expand the ‘circle of knowledge’ ” and alluded to their claims being revealed “to the buyer of the catalogue” if their demands went unsatisfied.”

The catalogue referred to was Michael ownership of the Beatles’ songs, which was being sold to Sony Music. Additionally, the Estate had a successful Las Vegas show and was preparing the Broadway musical “MJ.” A $16.5 million payoff probably seemed like the lesser of evils.

What followed was the Estate’s move to accuse Cascio of extortion. The details become complex, but the Estate basically says that Cascio’s insistence on getting more money got worse and worse. They were not going to be blackmailed. A private legal war raged. Until we got to this complaint.

There’s a strange twist here. The Cascios hired attorney Howard King, who’d been involved with various aspects and participants in the Jackson case cira 2003-2005. Cascio eventually moved onto Mark Geragos, who’d represented Michael in 2003 — before Tom Mesereau — in the Arvizo arrest. (Isn’t this a conflict of interest somehow?)

The complaint says:

“Since taking over the representation of Respondents in this dispute, Attorney Geragos has menacingly warned that his clients are poised to file a public lawsuit in court against one of the Officers of MJC and Co-Executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson and the attorneys involved in the Agreement…”

“Geragos,” the complaint alleges, “reduced Respondents’ previous
outlandish demand for $213 Million to $44 Million, which Geragos demanded on behalf of Respondents be paid in order to avoid a public lawsuit including Respondents’ scurrilous and fabricated claims.”

There’s more, of course, which we’ll deal with on Thursday afternoon.

Again, I’ve been writing about these people — all of them — for 25 years. I use the word ‘tragic’ because it is — for everyone involved.

Michael Jackson Story Takes Worst Turn Yet as Estate Files Extortion Law Suit Against Singer’s Closest Pal

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson Story Takes Worst Turn Yet as Estate Files Extortion Law Suit Against Singer’s Closest Pal

It’s late so I’m going to do a quick story tonight and more tomorrow.

The Michael Jackson estate has filed suit against Frank Cascio for extortion. This is Earth-shattering but it’s been coming for a while.

Cascio, 45, is part of the family closest to Michael especially before he had children. Dominic Cascio, the father, met Michael at New York’s Helmsley Palace Hotel in the 1990s. As he and wife Connie had children, they made Michael part of the family.

The five Cascio children are Frank, Eddie, Dominic Jr., Aldo, and Marie Nicole.

The Estate says that in 2020 it quietly paid off Frank and his siblings to the tune of $15 million after Frank alleged abuse. The Estate was in the middle of doing deals to enrich itself. Rather than get in a public fight they acquiesced. Only they say that Frank turned around and demanded more money — $213 million. Now they’ve gone public against Frank and the Cascios as — they claim — Frank is threatening to release damaging information.

It’s a horrible, tragic mess.

Michael lavished the Cascios with gifts and trips. They took him in the summer of 2007 when Michael arrived with his kids in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. During that time, Eddie Cascio said Michael added vocals to songs Eddie had written. Michael died in June 2009. In June 2010, I broke the story that the songs existed.

In fact, earlier I’d heard the demos without Michael’s voice. They were sung by a James Porte, who is now the husband of Marie Nicole Cascio.

Sony and the Estate accepted the songs as Michael’s and put three of them on his posthumous “Victory.” Die hard Jackson fans refused to believe the vocals were Michael’s. They boycotted the release, and filed a class action lawsuit against Sony and the estate.

Frank went to work for Michael when he was 18. I met him officially when he was about 20. There was a gathering in 2000 at the home of prominent PR maven Howard Rubenstein. Frank was there with Michael, I was there, and that was when we connected.

Three years later, Michael was accused of molesting Gavin Arvizo and kidnapping his family. The alleged kidnapper was Frank, carrying out Michael’s wishes.

But Frank had another story. He came to me with a suitcase full of actual paper receipts showing that he’d simply entertained the Arvizo’s. Nothing had happened to the children. Frank’s evidence was a key factor in Michael being acquitted in 2005.

Because Michael died with an old will, the Cascios were not left anything. They had been a solid foundation for Michael, but they had no financial reward. Dominic Cascio — I reported exclusively — had borrowed $600,000 from Michael a decade earlier to build a restaurant. Eventually, Il Michelangelo went into business, but not for a long time. It’s unclear how much more money Michael gave the Cascios.

When Michael was arrested in 2003, part of a story came out. Michael had earlier flown to Miami to meet financier Al Malnik. Among the people in his group were Marie Nicole and young Aldo. They all returned to Los Angeles together.

Aldo was 12 going on 13 at the time. His nickname in the Jackson-Cascio group, given to him by Michael, was “Baby Rubba.” He went to Miami and other places with Michael, with sister Marie Nicole two years older. Later, it came out that Marie Nicole felt like a third wheel. She wrote to Michael:

“I am stupied (sic) and I don’t think I deserve to be in your Applehead Club. Those are all the reasons I get this way. I am very sad because I am a faget (sic). I know that you don’t really like me because I am a girl. You don’t like me because I get this way. I get in this (sic) for many reasons. One reason is because I am a girl and I know you don’t like girls as much as boys. Baby Rubba, Dom, Angel, Frank were all your babies and since I am a girl I can’t be. They get whatever they want whenever they want. Golf carts quads they all got to sleep with you and I never did. Face it I know I am not liked by you all.(Applehead Club) Maybe I should not come on any trips so I can make everyone happy. Not even my brothers like me instead they just talk about me and assume I won’t care. But I do! I’m sensitive and I have to run away or something. I am so ugly and nobody likes me. Please don’t tell anyone because if you do I will be really upset. I do have 1 question that I want to ask you. Well I hope this tells you why I get this way and will probably never get out of it.

Remember I first reported all of this in real time. There was barely an internet and no social media. On many occasions over the last 20 or so years, I asked Frank point blank, Did anything happen between Michael and him or any of his brothers? He was adamant: No. He even wrote a book praising Jackson called “Michael and Me.” He was paid a $300,000 advance, which we then discussed as his “inheritance.”

You can read my 2011 story about the book by clicking here.

There’s a lot more, this is only the tip of the iceberg as I know it. Tomorrow I will address some of that material. Suffice to say, if Frank and the Cascios are lying, it’s a terrible story. Is this a shakedown? If Michael did do something to them, the tragedy is overwhelming.

More on the actual lawsuit filed by the Estate here.

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