LOS ANGELES -
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Promoters of Michael
Jackson's planned 2009 comeback described in emails how they feared for
the megastar's stability, saying he was out of shape and consumed with
self-doubt.
The Los Angeles Times obtained some 250 pages of messages, most between executives at
Anschutz Entertainment Group, which was financing the ill-fated "This Is
It" concerts set for London. Some of the emails indicated that
executives were concerned that Jackson's planned 50-show stand at AEG's
02 Arena would be an expensive bust.
In one exchange AEG's Randy
Phillips wrote his boss that Jackson was "an emotionally paralyzed
mess." Phillips was writing from Jackson's London hotel suite just
hours before a press conference announcing the concert run.
"MJ is locked in his room
drunk and despondent," Phillips said in an email to AEG President Tim
Leiweke. "I (am) trying to sober him up."
In the end, the emails show, Phillips and Jackson's manager had to dress the pop star, the Times said.
"He is scared to death," Phillips wrote to Leiweke.
Jackson arrived 90 minutes
late for the press conference and made brief remarks that some of the
350 reporters described as odd and disjointed.
In an interview with the
newspaper, AEG's attorney Marvin Putnam suggested Phillips had
exaggerated in his emails and said Jackson's behavior appeared to be a
case of "nerves."
The Times said the messages
will probably play a key role in two lawsuits set for trial next year.
The shows' insurers are asking a judge to nullify a $17.5-million policy
that they say AEG got with false claims about Jackson's health and
readiness to perform. And Jackson's heirs filed a wrongful-death suit
that accuses the entertainment giant of pressuring the singer to carry
on with a comeback despite indications he was too weak.
Lawyers for AEG, which has
denied any wrongdoing, told the Times most of the correspondence was
produced as discovery in ongoing litigation. They said the messages
reviewed by the newspaper were incomplete and leaked to portray the
company in a negative light. The lawyers declined to provide additional
emails that they said would give a fuller picture, citing a protective
order imposed by a judge in the civil litigation.
Numerous emails show
Lloyd's of London unsuccessfully pushing for access to five years of
Jackson's medical records in order to expand insurance coverage for the
concerts.
The insurer also wanted the
singer to undergo a four-hour medical exam that would include three
doctors, heart monitoring and blood work. AEG's insurance broker tried
to persuade Lloyd's to drop the physical, according to the email
discussions. AEG suggested that Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray,
could give an oral recitation of Jackson's recent medical history
instead, the Times reported. Lloyd's refused.
A Lloyd's underwriter wrote
that repeated requests for written records and details about Jackson's
daily fitness program were met "always with no response."
Murray responded to the
last of the requests June 25 at Jackson's Southern California home,
according to emails presented at the doctor's criminal trial. He wrote
that he had talked to Jackson and "Authorization was denied."
Jackson died less than an hour later, according to a timeline Murray gave investigators.
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