April auction of Michael Jackson memorabilia is still a go

Jim Hill

16 years ago

Okay. You undoubtedly saw all those newspaper stories last
week that said that the King of Pop was suing to stop the sale of his personal
possessions.

Well, I’ve just checked with the folks at Julien’s Auctions.
And as far as they’re concerned, next month’s event is still a go. Darren
Julien (who was Ireland when this story broke last Thursday, showcasing some of
the items that will be up for bid in April) assured me that this is strictly a
paperwork problem. More importantly,
that his firm “ … will sort things out with Mr. Jackson and his manager this
week” and that everything will then proceed accordingly to plan next month.

Mind you, there are those who work the public relations
field who are saying think it wasn’t exactly a coincidence that this lawsuit
got filed just a day or so before Michael announced that series of concerts
that he’ll be presenting at London’s O2 Arena in July. That Jackson – being the
canny self promoter that he is – deliberately timed the filing of this suit so
that his name would then be in the papers on the very same day that Michael revealed
that he’d be doing these 10 shows. As they say, there’s no such thing as bad
publicity.

And speaking of publicity … To help with today’s release of
the 2-disc Platinum Edition of “Pinocchio2-Disc Platinum Edition of “Pinocchio,” The Walt Disney Company is hyping
the heck out of this little wooden boy right now. So that puppet’s picture
seems to be everywhere these days. Though – that said – I doubt that you’ve
ever seen Pinoak depicted like this.

This is a painting that Mr. Jackson personally commissioned,
which depicts many of his heroes appearing together on the same stage at the
same time. As you look over this heavily airbrushed piece of artwork, you’ll
see the Three Stooges, Kermit the Frog, Shirley Temple and Charlie Chaplin. Not to mention Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse, Tinker
Bell, Peter Pan, Stitch. Jiminey Cricket and – of course – Pinocchio.

I’m not sure what it was about C. Collodi’s creation that
struck a chord with the King of Pop. But Michael Jackson clearly had a thing
for this character.

A thing that – I might add – goes ‘way back. “How far back?,”
you ask. Well, when Mr. Jackson appeared on a CBS TV special celebrating
Disneyland’s 25^th anniversary, Michael insisted that Pinocchio be
one of the characters that appeared on camera in his segment of the show.

And then – in June of 1993 – when the King of Pop was
offered the opportunity to appear on the cover of “Disney Adventures” magazine,
Jackson again insisted that this little wooden boy share the spotlight with
him.

The same thing happened whenever Michael went to the Disney
Parks. While management would always trot Minnie & Mickey out for that
photo op, it was always Pinocchio that Jackson would eventually gravitate to.

As you can see by the many Pinocchio-related items that are listed
in Julien’s Auction catalog, Michael collected
this character in many styles & forms. Be it a model puppet …

… cookie jar ..

… statuette …

… or sericel …

… Jackson had to have it.

The King of Pop seemed to have a particular interest in collecting
scenes that showed Geppetto and Pinocchio together. He had the old wood carver
and his little wooden boy as depicted by Capo Di Monte …

… and Lladró …

… and – of course – by the artists at Disney.

If you’d like to get your hands on one of the Pinocchios
depicted in today’s story … Well, there’s only one way to do that. Which is to
register for the “King of Pop: a Once in a Lifetime Auction.” Which will be held April 22nd -25th 9900
Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA. If you’d like to view these items
before you place a bid, there’ll be an exhibition of Michael Jackson’s personal
possessions at that same address April
14th – 21^st.

Please note that there will be a $20 per person entrance charge
for the exhibition and auction. But a portion of the proceeds will be donated
to MusiCares®.

Mind you, if you can’t actually make it out to Beverly Hills
over those dates but still want to take part in the “King of Pop: a Once in a
Lifetime Auction,” Auction Network will broadcast live streaming video of this
event and will provide its viewers with real-time opportunities to bid.

Or if you just think that you’re never ever going to have a
chance of picking up any of Michael Jackson’s Pinocchios, you can always
commemorate this event by picking up the five volume color catalog for the
“King of Pop: a Once in a Lifetime Auction.”

For further information about the “King of Pop: a Once in a
Lifetime Auction” and/or to check many of the items that will be up for bid,
please head on over to the Julien’s Auctions website.