Michael Jackson Documentary Changes Direction, Katherine Jackson Refunds Fans Who Donated
A Michael Jackson documentary has changed gears, prompting the late pop star’s mother to issue refunds to scores of fans who helped crowdsource the two-hour movie.
Katherine Jackson issued full refunds to fans who had helped finance the two-hour documentary Remembering Michael. A rep for Jackson released documents this week showing more than 60 credit card refunds after Katherine pulled her proposal off the site Fundanything.com.
Katherine said she thought that crowdsourcing the Michael Jackson documentary “sent the wrong message to fans.” She will now seek a new source of funding with overseas investors.
“Mrs. Jackson’s motive for this project is to present a side of Michael Jackson no one has ever seen. She put a stop to the crowdsourcing financing plan the moment she saw Michael’s fans felt it was misguided,” producer Kirk Schenck told The New York Daily News.
“She has plenty of other options from international distributors and U.S. television networks,” Schenck added.
Katherine Jackson had kicked off the fund-raising efforts with an announcement in December on ABC’s Good Morning America. She also brought all three of Michael Jackson’s children along for the announcement, which was noteworthy because 11-year-old Blanket has made very few public appearances.
The children also remembered their father in the appearance.
“He promised me he would teach me how to moonwalk. Never got around to it,” Paris said. “I will definitely never forget him, ever. He was amazing.”
The change in the Michael Jackson documentary comes just days before the 2nd District Court of Appeals in L.A. is set to hear arguments for the case of Michael Jackson’s former physician.
Though it has been close to four years since his death, Michael Jackson still carries a large place in the pop music landscape. A concert documentary released shortly after his death titled This Is It earned a worldwide box office revenue of $261 million, and just this week Britney Spears paid tribute to Michael Jackson in a concert in Las Vegas.
