Whatever happened to Jermaine Jackson’s book proposal?
Three years ago I wrote in my old column about a stunning document that Jermaine had put together with Stacy Brown, a family friend and co-author of an amazing memoir with Michael Jackson’s late, longtime PR man, Bob Jones.
Jermaine often protested that such a proposal existed, but he talked about it with Larry King on TV. New York literary agent Laurie Liss sent the proposal around to three publishers, but no one bit. Maybe they’ll be more interested now that Michael is gone.
I was so interested in Jermaine’s 2003 proposal that I called around to find the actual document. Sure enough, there still were copies to be found.
Here are excerpts from it, in Jermaine’s own voice, circa early 2003:
‘My brother is a superstar, yes. My brother is wealthy. He owns shares in Sony music. He drinks, he does drugs, he lies, he cheats, he changed his skin color and mostly, he’s human. He attracts gay men and wards off women like the plague.’
‘He married a woman because she was pregnant and he was doing business with Muslims (which I am a Muslim) and Muslims won’t do business with someone who is engaged in having children without being married.
“He paid this woman, who nobody would ever look twice at, several million dollars. My brother purchased children. It is like a sanctioned black market. He is very powerful; he picked the sperm donor by using information provided by a sperm bank. Now, who can do that? Michael Jackson, that’s who, my brother.
‘I have maintained my residence by my mother’s side at the family’s Hayvenhurst estate in Encino, California because I know how much I am needed there. Michael counts on me to be there as does the rest of my family.’
[Columnist note: this would verify the long-held belief that Katherine and Joseph Jackson, who have filed for divorce in the past, do not live together. Joseph’s fathering of an illegitimate child, reported and documented in several places, could have contributed to this.]
‘It was my little brother, he conceived the whole idea behind DreamWorks. The logo is still proudly the official logo of Neverland. Unfortunately, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen all stole the idea from him. That’s one reason why Michael hates Jewish people so much. But he plays the game with them. There is a game that all in Hollywood play. But the Jews are the powerful ones and they have done a lot to put my brother in his place’.just another nigger. That’s what Don King told Michael at the start of the “Victory” tour. No matter what Michael, you’re just another nigger.
‘My brother doesn’t always learn the valuable lessons life teaches. He is stubborn, hard-headed and, at times, harsh. He is cold, calculating and devious. The blood of his father runs freely through him. We were all afraid that the blood of Joseph Jackson would eventually contaminate all of us.
‘But this is still my family and I love every one of them and I won’t sit by and let my brother go to prison. Prison would kill him. I’ve thought about doing the time for him, if he’s convicted. Michael wouldn’t survive in prison for one day. He’d commit suicide.
‘Joseph did some disgusting things to LaToya and Rebbie, especially. If it weren’t for Mother’s loyalty to him, he’d probably be in prison for what he did to our sisters.’
Jermaine, meantime, has some explaining to do about the big upcoming charity event he’s planning in Vienna for brother Michael.
Since yesterday when I started asking questions about where the money was going for “The Tribute,” produced by Jermaine and awards show producer’George Kindel, the event’s website has been heavily edited.
Previously, it claimed ‘ and Jermaine claimed on TV ‘ that three organizations would benefit from this circus:’Larry Jones’s children’s group that you always see flogged on middle of the night commercials; Larry King’s Cardiac Foundation, and Jermaine’s own Earth Care Foundation.
The problem is that Earth Care, which Jermaine has touted for years, does not exist. There is an Earth Care Foundation in New Mexico. They have nothing to do with him. They don’t even know who he is.
Twice in 2003 and at least once in 2001, Jermaine said in television interviews that he was behind something called EarthVision International. The organization does not exist, except maybe in Jermaine’s imagination.
Back on Sept. 8, 1997, Jermaine told Larry King that the’Jackson 5 was getting back together for a benefit extravaganza called Earthvision ‘98. He said the 90-minute program would benefit a group he named as the Sunshine Foundation of Feasterville, Pa.
Jackson announced that the small group that grants wishes for ill children would get money by honoring ‘Muhammad Ali,’Sophia Loren,’Stevie Wonder and’Bishop Desmond Tutufor their humanitarian achievements.’
Jermaine said Earthvision ‘98 would be broadcast live July 2, 1998, from the Heridon Theater in Athens, Greece.
The whole thing never materialized.
UPDATED: A representative for Liss denied ‘her involvement in the book proposal. ‘Ms. Liss represented Jermaine Jackson ‘at one time related to a very different book concept, but never received a ‘proposal from him concerning the material outlined by Mr. Friedman in the ‘article.’
The word from one of my favorite groups (I say this facetiously) the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: David Geffen is set to be inducted next spring.
Jennifer Hudson is at home today with her new baby son, David Daniel Otunga, Jr. The baby is truly a bundle of joy for Jennifer and David Sr., who are planning to marry soon. The baby, and the order of these events, “just happened,” Jennifer says.