Reports in MediaWeek suggest that before Michael Jackson’s premature death at the age of 50, his management was planning a musical revue based on his work to have been staged in Macau and Las Vegas.
The Macau revue would reportedly have contributed to the singer’s efforts to clear debts described in other US media outlets as amounting to half a billion dollars. Whether Mr Jackson would have personally starred in the revue isn’t clear from the report.
Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) a Los Angeles-based conglomerate, was promoting Mr Jackson’s 50 London concerts via its business unit AEG Live. The company is probably best known in North America for its ownership of the Staples Center, the home of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, and of the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer franchise; while in Europe AEG operates the O2 arena. AEG also has links to the gaming industry. In 2007 it announced plans to build–in partnership with Harrah’s Entertainment a 20,000-seat arena on the Las Vegas Strip. AEG was also an unsuccessful bidder for the now-shelved plan by the United Kingdom government to build a ‘super casino’.