Evidently off the case — and all cases — is Brent Ayscough, partner of loose cannon Brian Oxman.
Also out is Michael Sydow of Houston,
who was helping Thomas Mesereau in some of Jackson’s
lawsuits. All of them were “finds” of Randy Jackson, Michael’s brother.
In, at least for now: Thomas C. Mundell
of Westlake Village, Calif.
I’m sure Mr. Mundell is a very good attorney, but for
a pop superstar he’s not exactly Century
City. Alas, Jackson
has used everyone in Century City,
Beverly Hills and its adjacent
areas, so Westlake Village
was next.
Mundell looks like a tough
customer. He’s already filed a motion in court mocking all of Jackson’s
previous reps. He writes that Ayscough has been
“uncooperative” and refuses to turn over Jackson’s
files.
He also says that certain points so far in Marc Schaffel’s lawsuit with Jackson
were Ayscough’s fault and that Sydow
“has been hard to reach.” Sydow, Mundell
says, “has been absolutely no help in filing this motion.”
And what of Jackson?
Yesterday he left Hamburg for Munich
as we predicted, but is not expected back in Bahrain
until Feb. 10. None of his people have been able to reach him at all and no one
knows where he is, exactly.
Certain papers have to be signed by him in these ongoing
cases. A hopeful Mundell writes to the judge:
“Because Jackson lives in the Middle
East, it can sometimes take a little longer to reach him that it
would to reach a local party.”
R&B World: Scandals and Sadness
The often self-defeating world of soul music took another hit
this weekend, and in tragedy new questions must be asked.
Famed R&B performer-songwriter Gene McFadden died on
Friday after a long battle with cancer. The 56-year-old co-authored many
classic hits from the world of Philly soul, including those memorable songs
sung by Teddy Pendergrass as lead singer with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes:
“If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “Bad Luck,” “Back Stabbers,” “Where Are All My
Friends” and “Wake Up Everybody,” as well as the Intruders’ “I’ll Always Love
My Mama,” and the famous record McFadden recorded under his own name with his
late partner, John Whitehead: “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us
Now.”
It’s kind of shocking that McFadden died on the same day
that another great, Wilson Pickett, was buried at age 64 in Louisville, Ky. The
R&B world has the worst mortality rate of any in show business, and I wish
I knew why. It’s tragic. We are all the losers in the steady stream of early
deaths.
R&B is also the most ripped-off of all the show biz
genres. I do hope that the heirs of McFadden and Whitehead are getting their
proper royalties. Who knows what deals they made over the years, but thanks to
a 1927 law, all rights now automatically revert to their heirs.
It isn’t easy to collect. Several years ago, another
Philadelphia International artist, Billy Paul, of “Me and Mrs. Jones” fame, won
$500,000 in unpaid royalties when he sued the two owners of that label, Kenny
Gamble and Leon Huff.
Because there was a statute of limitations, Paul was only
eligible for royalties dating back to 1994. Everything prior to that had been
lost to him.
The judge in the “Me and Mrs. Jones” case concluded that
other PI artists were eligible to do the same if they hadn’t been paid.
Unnecessarily, Billy Paul wound up paying Artists Rights bounty hunter Chuck
Rubin 50 percent of his winnings.
That’s 20 percent more than an attorney would have charged
on contingency — a reputable attorney takes only a third of winnings.
Ironically, somehow, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation — which
all but went bankrupt in the last couple of years and may be in violation of
its charter — is now in the hands of Gamble and Huff, who are said to be
planning some kind of event in June similar to the lamented Pioneer Awards, the
old event that went belly up under a since-fired extravagant administrator.
Putting the Foundation in the hands of Gamble and Huff now
does seem like letting the foxes watch the hen house.
What’s happened to the Rhythm and Blues Foundation is a
mystery that requires some kind of investigation on the part of the state of New
York. But New York State Attorney General Elliot
Spitzer’s office also has to unravel what’s happened over the last seven years
to the fund balances, say critics of the Foundation’s leaders, and it should be
done immediately before any more money is collected or disbursed.
Among those who may have some answers: Atlanta
attorney Kendall Minter and Long Island attorney L. Benet McMillan, who have held the books for several years.
The Foundation first ran aground under poor management after
a blowout 1999 awards show in Los Angeles
and it has never recovered. By the 2003 ceremony, winners of the Pioneer Awards
went home with empty envelopes and no promised honorariums. The money had to be
made up by sympathetic superstars who donated funds to make up the difference
and ease the embarrassment.
According to its 2003-2004 federal tax filing, the last one
available, the errant Foundation said it gave “grants” to R&B artists
totaling $137,999 — almost the same amount it paid its administrator, Cecilia
Carter. It gave $119,900 in "specific assistance" to needy artists
(usually emergency funds for healthcare).
Yet salaries and compensation (it’s unclear whether Carter’s
was included in this amount) came to $232,752. They spent just under $400,000
on “meetings and conferences” that were separate from the Pioneer Awards.
Despite their incredible achievements, McFadden and
Whitehead are not in any halls of fame. If you believe in karma, though, it
doesn’t matter. Their music is played non-stop on radio, and right now, as
you’re reading this, you’re humming one of their memorable songs. God bless.
Posted: 1/31/06
Source: foxnews.com
Return to: Black Music Archives