Just to keep us all caught up:
Here’s a real irony. The Michael Jackson estate is bailing out Sly Stone, aka Sylvester Stewart. Follow this if you can: Michael’s publishing company MiJAC was always separate from the Sony-Beatles mess. For years, MiJAC was handled by Warner Chappell publishing. But it moved over to Sony ATV after that company bought out Michael on the Beatles catalog. MiJAC had been publishing Sly’s music for years and still does.
But now they’ve taken an ownership position. That bails out Sly, who needs the money after being ripped off for years by his old manager. Details are unknown but hopefully it’s a good deal for Sly. The irony is that Michael was in so much financial trouble while he was alive, and now his estate is rich enough to bail someone else out. Michael would be “thrilled.” And, of course, Sony ATV is really happy because this keeps Sly in the family. His hits like “Dance to the Music” and “Hot Fun in the Summertime” are very, very valuable.
Other reports refer to Sly living in an RV. Well, it’s parked in front of his home, and it’s very fancy. He’s doing okay, which in itself is an irony considering he’s always on the brink of disaster. He is a genius. Prince, Michael Jackson, dozens of artists have been influenced by him…
ELLEN DEGENERES is getting the Carol Burnett Lifetime Achievement Award from the Golden Globes. She’s the second recipient, after Carol herself. Ellen should get the award, she’s had an amazing run on her syndicated show.
ELTON JOHN has the number 1 bestselling non fiction book on the New York Times list. “Me,” his autobiography, is a great read. And it beats Ronan Farrow’s book, “I’m Determined to Ruin Everything,” which is number 2.