On December 10, 1957, a late-night radio DJ in Portland, Oregon named Al Priddy did something that got him sacked on the spot. He didn’t swear on air. He didn’t insult anyone. He played a Christmas song. The station, KEX, had banned it — and the song was Elvis Presley singing “White Christmas.” Priddy played … Read more
Most people know Elvis Presley loved animals. Almost nobody knows that for a while, live peacocks roamed the lawns of Graceland, strutting around the most famous house in America with their tails fanned out. It looked magnificent. It lasted right up until the birds noticed something shiny parked in the driveway — and declared war … Read more
Around 600,000 people a year walk through the gates of the most famous private home in America. It is the second-most-visited house in the United States, beaten only by the White House. Almost every single one of those visitors assumes the name means something spiritual, or that Elvis chose it himself. He didn’t. The house … Read more
On October 3, 1945, a small, shy ten-year-old boy stood on a chair at a county fair in Tupelo, Mississippi, because he wasn’t tall enough to reach the microphone. He was wearing glasses. He had no guitar and no band. He sang an old, sad song called “Old Shep” completely on his own, and then … Read more
It sounds like something invented for a science-fiction movie, but designers once developed plans for a 50-foot robotic Michael Jackson as part of proposals surrounding a Las Vegas comeback. The enormous figure was supposed to appear in the Nevada desert, where people flying into the city could spot it from their planes. Even stranger, reports … Read more
In 1989 Michael Jackson released the short film for “Liberian Girl” from the Bad album. At first glance it looks like a simple gathering of A-list friends waiting for the King of Pop to arrive on set. Steven Spielberg, John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Whoopi Goldberg, Quincy Jones, Paula Abdul, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, David Copperfield … Read more
Years before the finished short film reached audiences Michael Jackson was developing a horror project tied directly to Addams Family Values. He wanted something genuinely frightening and reached out to Stephen King. Original director Mick Garris later explained that the early concept was meant to accompany a song Michael was writing for the movie’s end … Read more
In 2006, Michael Jackson arrived in Ireland with his three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, searching for privacy after one of the most turbulent periods of his life. Yet according to biographer Randall Sullivan, Jackson was looking for something else too. He reportedly told his children to keep their eyes open for leprechauns because he … Read more
At fifteen Michael Jackson already carried the weight of global fame as the young star of the Jackson 5. According to accounts in Randall Sullivan’s book Untouchable drawing from sister Rebbie Jackson and other family reports a male relative arranged for two adult sex workers to take his virginity. He was locked in a hotel … Read more
Michael Jackson was already one of the world’s biggest entertainers when he made an extraordinary purchase in 1999. By telephone, he bid on the Best Picture Oscar awarded to producer David O. Selznick for Gone With the Wind and paid about $1.54 million. The price stunned the auction world. Years later, the story became stranger … Read more
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