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2000

August 27 : Michael invites Rabby Schmuley Boteach & his family to spend one week at Neverland so they can work on their projects for the children (a book and a new foundation). The same day, he invites 10 year old cancer victim Gavin Arvizo & his family (his parents Janet & David, his brother Star & his sister Davellin). Gavin & Star ask him to sleep over in his room, Michael offer them his bed and sleeps on the floor with Frank Cascio.

August 29 : The Arvizo and Boteach kids arrange a small party for Michael 42nd birthday at Neverland with the Cascios, Prince & Paris.

November : Michael, Frank, Grace & the kids go back to NYC and check in the Four Seasons Hotel.

November 21 : In the evening MJ attends the launching of his new foundation “Heal The Kids” with Shmuley Boteach & Frank Cascio at the Fifth Avenue home of public relations guru Howard Rubenstein. During this evening.

December 24/25 : Michael, Grace & the kids celebrate Christmas at the Cascio family home in Franlin Lake in New Jersey.

2001

March 4 : Michael arrives at London’s Heathrow Airport with a damaged leg in a plaster cast, following a fall at his ranch. He is accompanied by Frank Cascio & David Gest.

March 9-11 : Michael & Frank spend the week end in the Italian Alps before returning to New York. They meet Dr Jurgen Todenhoefer and his family.

March 19 : N’Sync induct Michael in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist during a special presentation at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Michael invites Frank Cascio and Shmuley Boteach as his guests. 

March 25 : Michael goes to Newark, New Jersey, with Frank & Schmuley to distribute books to children under Heal The Kids.

May : Michael, Frank, Grace & the kids check in the Sheraton Bel Harbour in Miami Beach where Michael completes the recording & mixing of Invincible with Bruce Swedien, Rodney Jerkins & Teddy Riley.

August 29 : Michael celebrates his 43rd birthday at the Cascio family home in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

September 7 + 10 : The Cascio family members attend Michael’s concert at the Madison Square Garden in NYC. Frank & Eddie Cascio are assistants of MJ on those shows.

September 11 : After hearing of the terrorist attacks in New York , Michael leaves New York with Grace, Prince & Paris and the Cascios. They go at the Cascio family house in New Jersey. The Jackson family rides back to California in a bus.

October 21 : Michael is in Washington DC where he participates at a TV concert for the victims of September 11. He performs “Man In The Mirror” and at the end, he sings “What More Can I Give” with all the artists of the night (including Usher & Mariah Carey) Prince, Paris, Macauley Culkin, the Cascios, Kenny Ortega & Marc Schaffel attend the concert backstage. 

November 7 : For the first time in his career, Michael makes an appearance at the Virgin megastore of Times Square in New York to promote and sign copies of Invincible. He is accompanied by Frank & Eddie Cascio + his make up artist Karen Faye. 

December 24/25 : Michael celebrates Christmas at Neverland with the Cascios, the Bhattis, Prince & Paris.

2002

February 21 : Birth of Michael’s new son Prince Michael II at the Grossmont Hospital in San Diego, California. Soon after Michael accompanied by Connie Cascio pick up the baby from the surrogate’s representative at an hotel and take in to Neverland on a private luxury bus. They soon nickname him Blanket!

Late March : Back to Neverland, Frank decides to take a break from working for MJ and he comes back to NYC.

August 29 : Michael goes to New York City to appear at the MTV Video Awards Ceremony, held at Radio City Music Hall, where Britney Spears presents him a birthday cake for his 44th birthday but Michael misundetstands and gives a thanking speech for the Artist of the Millenium award. The Cascio family attends the event as guests of MJ.

December 1 : Michael takes Prince, Paris & Blanket to Disney World in Orlando with the Cascio family.

December 9 : Live from Neverland, Chris Tucker presents Michael a special award to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Thriller during the Billboard Awards. Frank Cascio and 4 fans are present (including Joanna Thomae).

December 24/25 : Michael celebrates Christmas at Neverland with Prince, Paris, Blanket, the Cascio family, the Bhatti Family, the Schleiter Family & the Farshchian family.

2003

February 01 : The Cascios join Michael in Miami (Frank, Aldo & Marie Nicole). Mark Lester is also there. Wiesner & Konitzer try to block the airing of Martin Bashir’s documentary after obtaining the final transcript.

February 7 : Michael decides to cancel the press conference and return to Neverland to give an interview. He leaves Miami in a private Jet with Prince, Paris, Blanket, their nannies Grace & Patricia, his physician Dr Alex Farschian, Marie Nicole & Aldo Cascio, the bodygards Mike LaPerruque, Chris Carter & Danny Crawford as well as Gavin, Star, Davellin & Janet Arvizo.

February 9 : Gavin, Star, Davellin, Marie Nicole, Ann & Silvana Ruiz go shopping close to Neverland.

February 13 : Michel hosts a Spiderman theme party for Prince’s 6th birthday at Neverland with many kids (his cousins Rijo and Simone, the Cascios, the Lesters and the Brandos).

Franck Cascio arrives at the ranch and he calls Janet Arvizo on the phone (recording the conversation) to ask her to come back to Neverland in order to avoid the media frenzy.

February 19 : Hamid Moslehi goes to Neverland to pick up Gavin, Star & Davellin and take them to his house while Vinnie Amen (a friend of Franck) pick up Janet Arvizo & Jay Jackson.

February 25 : Franck & Vinnie take Janet Arvizo to the Laugh Factory where she has a second meeting with Dickerman. After that, they take the family to the Calabasas Inn where they stay for 5 days in order to obtain the Visas and look for a new appartment paid by Michael for the family.

March 2 : Franck & Vinnie take the family back to Neverland where they meet Michael & his children who are back from Miami.

March 9 : On his way back to Neverland, Michael invites several fans that he knows well (Joanna Thomae, Jen Winings, Souhil Giroud & Ahmad Elatab) to spend the day with him at the ranch and on a shopping spree at the local Toys ‘R Us with Franck Cascio and the Arvizo kids. They all witness the complicity between Michael & Gavin. Later Michael’s fans spend the night at Neverland’s theatre.

March 11 : Vinnie takes Janet Arvizo to the Los Angeles family court where she obtains an increase of her ex husband child support.

March 12 : Janet Arvizo calls Franck & Vinnie to ask them to take her children to their grandparent’s in El Monte because they are supposedly sick. The Arvizo family officially moves into Jay Jackson’s appartment and cuts every contact with Michael & his team..

May 17 : Wearing Seventies clothes and an afro wig, Michael attends a party at Miami’s Forge night-club for owner Al Malnik’s 70th birthday with Aldo Cascio, Chris Tucker, Brett Ratner & Wiesner among others.

August 29 : Michael celebrates his 45th birthday at Neverland with family & friends (The Cascios, The Bhattis & The Brandos).

August 30 : Michael attends a fan-club party for his birthday with the Cascio family, Omer Bhatti, Prudence Brando, Karen Faye & Dieter Wiesner among others. The show is hosted by Steve Harvey and at the end Michael gives a long speech to thank his fans and announce his future plans…

November 17 : Michael is shooting the video for “One More Chance” in Las Vegas with Aldo & Marie Nicole Cascio. He is staying at Villa One at the Mirage Hotel with Grace, Prince, Paris, Blanket & Dieter Wiesner.

November 19 : After destroying his hotel suite Michael is asked to leave the Mirage Hotel with Grace & the Kids. They move to the Green Valley Ranch on the southern outskirts of Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada. Aldo & Marie Nicole Cascio fly back home to New Jersey.

December 24 : Michael celebrates Christmas with Prince, Paris, Blanket, Eddie, Aldo & Dominic Jr at the Coldwater Canyon House.

2004

January 24 : Michael goes back to Neverland where he gets the visit of Dominic, Eddie & Frank. Because of the trial Michael & Frank are prohibited from having contact so that is the last time that they speak until the verdict day 18 month later!

2005

June 2 :  Michael goes to court with Katherine, Joe, Randy, Jermaine & Tito. Ron Zonen gives his closing statement followed by Tom Mesereau who doesn’t have time to finish. Frank Cascio speaks for the first time to defend MIchael in an interview to Prime Time Live on ABC.

December 23 : Michael spends $35 000 in Christmas shopping at the Panasonic Store. He has invited the Cascio and Lester families to spend the holidays with him in Bahrain and they all came except Frank Cascio who is still upset at Michael.

December 24/25 : Michael takes his kids, the Cascios & Lesters to see King Kong at the Seef Mall Movie Theatre. Later, they go the to the International Italian Circus and they spend Christmas’s eve all together.

December 30 : Michael & his guests return to the to the Seef Mall to see the new Harry Potter movie.

December 31 : Michael & his guests spend New Year’s eve at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain where they have rented 3 luxury villas.

2006

December 24 : Eddie “Angel” Cascio arrives in Vegas to spend Christmas and New Year’s eve with Michael and the kids and work on new music with MJ. Michael goes to the FAO Schwarz at the Forum Shop inside Caesars Palace with Eddie for a last minute shopping spree. At night he celebrates Christmas with Prince, Paris, Blanket.

2007

August 19 :  Michael, and the kids are the surprise guests of Connie Cascio’s 50th birthday at the Cascio family home in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.
Michael sees Frank for the first time since January 2004 and the they reconcile.
While there, Michael starts working on music in Eddie’s home studio with Eddie & James Porte. He also records new vocals for a “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” remix that will be featured on “Thriller 25”.

August 29 : Michael celebrates his 49th birthday with Grace and the kids at the Cascio family home.

October 31 : Michael and the kids celebrate Halloween at the Cascio family home in New Jersey.

November 5 : After three months Michael and the kids leave the Cascio family home in New Jersey and fly from NYC to Los Angeles with Grace, the school teacher and the three bodyguards.

2009

June 21 : Michael spends father’s day with Prince, Paris and  Blanket and he also calls the Cascio family and the Lester family. This is the last time Michael ever speaks to them.

July : Following Michael’s death, the Cascio family visit Prince, Paris & Blanket at Hayvenhurst.

July 07 : Frank Cascio gives an interview on Good Morning America. The whole Cascio family attends Michael’s public memorial at the Staples Center in downtown L.A. They also wrote a message of love in the souvenir program.

Following the memorial at Staples, the family has a lunch reception at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel ballroom with a couple hundred of their nearest and dearest including the Cascios.

December 24-25 : Prince, Paris, Blanket spend Christmas at the Cascio family’s house in New Jersey with Grace, TJ and Omer Bhatti.

1984

Michael befriends Dominic Cascio, a banquet manager at the Hemsley Palace Hotel. Dominic introduces Michael to his wife Connie and children Frank (5) and Eddie (3). Later Michael visits the Cascios at their family home in Hawthorne, New Jersey.

1988

March : Michael invites Dominic, Connie, Frank & Eddie Cascio to the concerts and he spends time with them at the Hemsley Palace.

1992

February 3 : Michael holds a press conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York to announce his new endorsement deal with Pepsi + his new world tour to raise funds for his newly formed Heal The World Foundation.

While in NYC, Michael spends time with the Cascio family.

1993

January  : Michael invites the Cascio family (Dominic, Connie, Frank, Eddie, Dominic, Marie Nicole & Aldo) to Neverland for the first time). They soon become regular guests of the ranch even when Michael is not there.

September 17 : Michael arrives in Tel Aviv, Israel. At Michael’s request, Dominic Cascio and his children Frank & Eddie arrive from NYC to support him.

November 12 : Michael leaves Mexico with Elizabeth & Larry, stopping off in Canada and Iceland and finally lands at Luton airport in England. Michael is first taken to the home of Elton John’s manager John Reid. rank & Eddie fly back to NYC.

December : Frank & Eddie visit Michael at his rehab center near London.

December 24/25 : Michael celebrates Christmas at Neverland with the Cascio family. A woman dressed up as Mother Goose reads nursery rhymes and sings as they drink tea and eat cookies around the fire.

1994

February  5 : Michael starts recording his new album at the Hit Factory Studio in New York City. He takes residence at the Helmsley Palace. Frank & Eddie Cascio visit him often as well as the 3T, Austin Brown (Rebbie’s son) & Deepack Choprah.

December 24/25 : Michael makes a break in the recording sessions to celebrate Christmas at Neverland with Lisa Marie, her children and the Cascio family.

1995

August 01 : Michael and the Cascios check in the Disneyland hotel in Paris.

December 18 : Michael arrives at Disneyland Paris with the Cascio kids and his cousin Anthony. They check in the Sleeping Beauty suite at the Disneyland hotel.

December 24/25 : Michael celebrates Christmas at Neverland with the Cascios.

1996

February 9 : Michael arrives at the airport in Salvador, in Brazil, accompanied by the Cascio kids.

February 18 : Michael & the Cascios arrive in London.

July 13 : Michael arrives in Brunei with the Cascios.

Early September : Michael goes to Disneyland Paris with Anton Schleiter, his sister Franceska and the Cascio family (Connie, Dominic, Marie Nicole & Aldo).

September 03 : Michael arrives in Prague, Czech Republic, to launch the History World Tour with the Cascio family (Connie and her children Domininc, Marie Nicole and Aldo). 

1997

December 24/25 : Michael celebrates Christmas at Neverland with Grace, Prince, the Cascios & the Bhattis. Debbie Rowe, who is five months pregnant, visits them.

1998

April 3 : Debbie Rowe gives birth to Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, second child of Michael, at the Spalding Pain Medical Clinic of Beverly Hills. Michael attends the birth and then takes his baby girl to Neverland where Prince is waiting with Grace, Pia, Omer & Connie Cascio.

December 24/25 : Michael celebrates Christmas at Neverland with Prince, Paris, the Cascios & the Bhattis.

1999

June 21 : Michael arrives in Seoul with Grace and the kids. Frank Cascio becomes Michael’s new personal assistant and he flies from NYC to Seoul.

June 29 : Michael, Frank, Prince, Paris and  Grace arrive in Paris and check in the Plaza Athenée Hotel.

July 5-13 : Michael Grace and the kids stay at Disneyland Paris where they are joined by Debbie & Anton Schleiter, Omer Bhatti and the Cascios kids.

Early August : After a few days at Neverland, Michael resumes the recording sessions of his new album in New York City . He moves into a beautiful Townhouse on the Upper East Side with Grace, the kids and Frank. 

August 29 : Michael is back at Neverland to celebrate his birthday with Grace, Prince, Paris, the Cascios & the Bhattis.

September 04 : Michael goes to Sun City with Grace, the Prince, Paris and the Cascios.

September 11-14 : Michael is in Disneyland Paris with Grace, Prince, Paris, Omer and the Cascios. Debbie joins them from Los Angeles.

December 24/25 : Michael & the kids celebrate Christmas with the Cascios & the Bhattis at Neverland.

2011

January 25 : LIFELONG FRIEND OF MICHAEL JACKSON, FRANK CASCIO, TO PUBLISH “MY FRIEND MICHAEL” WITH WILLIAM MORROW : “Most Candid, Detailed Portrait of Pop Icon to Include Many Never-Before-Seen Photos
New York, NY (January 25, 2011) – William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publisher today announced an agreement to publish the memoir MY FRIEND MICHAEL: Growing Up with the King of Pop by music producer, talent manager, and lifelong Jackson friend, Frank Cascio. The memoir, scheduled for Fall 2011, will chronicle Cascio’s relationship with Michael Jackson over 25 years and reveal the inside, behind-the-scenes story of the Michael that Cascio knew as the performer’s friend and closest confidante, offering the most candid, moving, and detailed portrait of the pop icon. The book will also include photos never before seen by the public.”

November 15 : Exclusive Audio: Frank Cascio Reads the Prologue to “My Friend Michael” : “Today Frank Cascio publishes his extraordinary book, “My Friend Michael,” about his life with Michael Jackson, from Harper Collins. The publisher has shared with this site exclusively Cascio reading the prologue of the book. (Official publication date is today.) Michael Jackson fans have almost as much trouble with the Cascio family as the Jacksons and co-executor John McClain. Dominic Cascio, his wife Connie, and their kids became Jackson’s second family some twenty years ago. Michael loved the Cascios. As far as I can tell, the family never took advantage of him.”. Frank Cascio goes on a press tour to promote his book. In all his interviews, he defends MJ’s innocence.

2012

June 05 : In Paris, Frank Cascio promotes the French version of his book and gives an interview to fan and journalist Fred Lebreton for MJ Backstage magazine. Once again, he defends Michael’s innocence.

2014

June 13 : Explosive Fraud Lawsuit Filed in ‘Fake’ Michael Jackson Songs Case

A Michael Jackson fan has filed a Class Action lawsuit in Los Angeles over the authenticity of three controversial songs included on the posthumously-released Michael album. The plaintiff, Vera Serova, alleges that Jackson’s longtime friend Eddie Cascio, his collaborative partner James Porte, and Cascio’s music production company Angelikson Productions LLC committed fraud by creating and selling fake songs, via The Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music Entertainment, to consumers on the Michael album – released on December 14, 2010 in the United States.

2016

May 03 : Paris shares a new picture of her with Dominic & Connie Cascio holding a framed photograph of Paris when she was a baby. This picture shows that Paris has remained in contact with the Cascio family.

2018

August 29 : Revealing Michael Jackson miniseries in the works : “As fans celebrate what would’ve been Michael Jackson’s 60th birthday, a revealing new miniseries on the King of Pop is making its way to the small screen, Page Six has exclusively learned. Sources told us that the project — an adaptation of the 2011 novel “My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship With an Extraordinary Man,” by Jackson pal and colleague Frank Cascio — is seeking a director and has been pitched to companies including Roc Nation’s new TV division, headed by Patrick Reardon. Said a source: “The series will focus on the 25-year relationship between Cascio and Jackson, and is expected to go into production this fall.”A source said that Jeff Farley is adapting the project as screenwriter and will be a producer, along with Cascio.”

2010

May 02 : Exclusive: Michael Jackson Recorded A New Album in 2007

Michael Jackson recorded a whole new album of material in the fall of 2007. The information about the album was only recently revealed by sources close to the late pop star. Readers of my old column will recall that I reported on November 19, 2007 that Jackson spent three months with the Cascio family in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey after decamping from a Northern Virginia home he’d been renting courtesy of then manager Raymone Bain. Jackson, his kids, nanny and tutor landed on the Cascio doorstep at the end of the summer of 2007 and stayed until November 7th. During that time Michael was not idle, as some thought. He recorded at least a dozen tracks with Eddie Cascio, who is also known as Angel.

June 25 : On the first anniversary of Michael’s death. The whole world pays tribute to the King Of Pop.Randy, Janet, Jermaine, Tito, Austin, Jermaine Jr, Autum, Jaimy, Jeremy, Frank Cascio, Tom Mesereau & Karen Faye attend a private memorial at the Forrest Lawn Cemetary.

ABC’s 20/20 airs a two-hour special featuring new interviews with Frank Cascio, Frank Dileo, Dr Tohme, Brian Oxman, Kai Chase, Randy Philips, Travis Payne, Ola Ray, Karen Faye & Michael Bush among others.

September 15 : Taryll Jackson tells Teddy Riley this is not Michael’s voice on the Cascio songs. Randy & Jermaine listen to them and say the same thing.

September 19 : Teddy Riley’s manager, Lawanda writes emails to Joel Katz, Sony Music and MJ Estate to warn them about the Cascio songs. She asks for the original files of the songs. Sony delivers the files nine days later. 

October 14 : Michael Prince delivers the track “Hollywood Tonight” to Teddy Riley to remix it. When Prince first hears the songs “Breaking News” , “Monster”, “Keep Your Head Up”, he has concerns over Michael’s voice…

October 15 : The tracklisting for the “Michael” album is selected during a meeting at Sony’s NYC headquarters. John McClain doesn’t want the Cascio tracks to be included beacause they are fake.

October 16 : In Los Angeles, Taryll Jackson starts working on the song “Hollywood Tonight” with Teddy Riley. During a meeting at the MJ Estate’s office, Taryll tells John Branca & Howard Weitzman that he Cascio songs are fake and asks for a listening session with Michael’s close music collaborators.

October 17 : In Los Angeles, a listening session of the Cascio tracks takes place at Encore’s Recording studio with 12 close collaborators of Michael including Teddy Riley, Jean-Marie Horvat,  Matt Forger, Michael Prince, Dr Freeze, Harrison Funk, Taryll and Cory Rooney. 

October 19 : Eddie Cascio and James Porte fly from New Jersey to LA to attend a meeting at the MJ Estate’s office with their attorney, Taryll Jackson, Michael Prince, John Branca and Howard Weitzmann. Cascio and Porte claim they have no other hard drives because MJ asked them to destroy “all of the outtakes”. 

November 4 : New York, NY – The much anticipated album of newly completed recordings from Michael Jackson entitled MICHAEL will be released on December 14 by Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson. Tomorrow, an exclusive teaser for the project will appear on http://www.michaeljackson.com/.

On Monday, November 8th the world premiere of “Breaking News,” a full track from the album, will stream on the site for one week only.

The creative process never stopped for the King of Pop who was always planning for his next album; unbeknownst to many fans around the world Michael Jackson was writing and recording songs continuously everywhere from a friend’s home in New Jersey to studios in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with a small group of handpicked collaborators. Now, through the unique stories that will be told about the songs that comprise MICHAEL, fans will get mind-blowing insight into how this artist worked and a chance to hear the songs he most recently created along with tracks that Michael had a desire to bring to fruition.

“Breaking News,” a never heard before song by Michael that appears on the new album was recorded in New Jersey in 2007 and recently brought to completion.

Fans can begin pre-ordering the album on http://www.michaeljackson.com in the next 24 hours.

November 8 : The song “Breaking News” is premiered on michaeljackson.com, members of the Jackson family took to Twitter to raise their voice against the track.

Taryll Jackson on Twitter : “I am shocked that things have gotten this far. This is ridiculous. I tried so hard to prevent this craziness, but they wouldn’t listen. I KNOW my Uncle’s voice and something’s seriously wrong when you have immediate FAMILY saying it’s not him … They can’t give me answers, yet continue to move forward with lies and deception. Sounding like Michael Jackson and BEING Michael Jackson are two different things.”

TJ Jackson on Twitter : “There’s many MJ vocal impersonators. Some better than others. But there is only ONE Michael Jackson. Why they would ignore the obvious, look the other way and rush a suspicious track that was NEVER on my Uncle’s radar is beyond me. I’m disgusted, disappointed and saddened … We know how much he valued his legacy and his fans. And cheating either is unacceptable. ‘Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons.’”

November 9 : Sony Music issues a statement over “Breaking News” controversy : “We have complete confidence in the results of our extensive research as well as the accounts of those who were in the studio with Michael that the vocals on the new album are his own.”

Teddy Riley on Twitter :“ The truth of this of it all [is that] no one knows [but] MJ and God knows. I have nothing more to say and I can’t prove anything. I did not original produce his vocals nor these songs. I’ve answered all that I can answer for MJ fans. The Cascios have a [Twitter] page. They have your answers.”

November 11 : Michael Jackson Estate issues a report: “Six of Michael’s former producers and engineers who had worked with Michael over the past 30 years – Bruce Swedien, Matt Forger, Stewart Brawley, Michael Prince, Dr. Freeze and Teddy Riley – were all invited to a listening session to hear the raw vocals of the Cascio tracks in question. All of these persons listened to the a cappella versions of the vocals on the Cascio tracks being considered for inclusion on the album, so they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals were sung by Michael. They all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael.”

Cory Rooney on Twitter : “I have read the statement from the MJ estate and I have to say that it’s just more bullshit! I was in that room, and the majority of the people mentioned did NOT agree that it was MJ! Some felt it sounded like him but all agree that there was nothing there that was consistent with any MJ habits like finger snaps, headphone bleeding, foot stomping or just simple things like his voice asking for another take. Both Dr. Freeze and Teddy Riley sat with Taryll Jackson and myself and stated that they felt what we felt.”

Taryll Jackson on Twitter : “There are many inaccuracies and omissions in that statement. For one, I was also in that meeting and that was not the outcome. You will hear my story because this is way too important for my Uncle’s legacy. The truth will prevail.”

November 18 : Randy Jackson on Twitter : “Obviously there has been a lot of questions concerning the vocals on the new album that I want to address. Me and my nephew were the first to say that it wasn’t his voice on some of the tracks. The family and the executers of the Estate, Branca and Mclain are not on the same page. John McClain insisted that no family members were allowed at his studio where the project was being completed. Teddy Riley was brought in just to mix and insisted on switching studios. At which he called me to come down and hear my brothers music, may he rest in peace. I heard the music and I immediately said it wasn’t his voice. Now McClain points the finger at Sony, when he got the tracks before it even went to Sony. I invited McClain to the burial, Ironically, he didn’t show up. Neither of the executors didn’t show up to pay their respects. Maybe they were too busy getting deals done. Some of the songs are him, and some aren’t. I would bet my life on that. I will miss his laughter. I will miss his silly jokes. I even miss our arguments.

December 6 : The entire Cascio Family, which has been called “Michael’s second family,” appears on the Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, to speak of their long-lasting relationship with Michael.

Teddy Riley also appears to refute the controversy over the fake songs. Riley claims that Michael would be loving the controversy regarding the album, while attempting to convince Oprah, and the world, that vocals on the Cascio tracks are authentic.

“This is Michael’s voice,” he said nervously.

The only problem with Riley’s statement, that ‘no one can do a strong scream like Michael Jackson’, was that the screams heard on the Cascio tracks, i.e. “aow!” and “hoo!” were actually stolen from previously released Jackson recordings – something that Jackson’s nephew TJ has addressed in an earlier statement:

“Deceptively merging shady vocals with MJ samples (from prior MJ records) will never fool me.”

“I’ve always admired the talent of Teddy Riley,” stated Taryll Jackson after the Oprah interview aired on television. “But after hearing him lie on Oprah I am terribly disappointed.”. I remember when Teddy and I were at Encore listening to ‘Keep Your Head Up’,” . We both knew it wasn’t my Uncle. [Teddy] stopped working on it because (and I quote) ‘it didn’t sound enough like Michael. Michael doesn’t swing like that.’ He also said he was only working on the Cascio records in hopes that he would eventually be given a ‘real Michael Jackson song.’ As he knows, I never agreed with that logic.”

December 13 : Producers Teddy Riley and Eddie Cascio attend a fan celebration of the new Michael Jackson album “MICHAEL” at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

2026

January 14 The 2026 Ruling: Why the Court Rejected Frank Cascio’s “Duress” Against the Michael Jackson Estate : “In a decisive victory for the Michael Jackson Estate this Wednesday, January 14, 2026, the Los Angeles Superior Court dealt a fatal blow to the narrative constructed by Frank Cascio. Judge Michael E. Whitaker issued a tentative ruling that not only remands the case to arbitration but surgically dissects and rejects the accuser’s central claim: that he was a helpless victim of corporate attorneys. The most revealing aspect of this decision lies in Judge Whitaker’s textual justification. In dismantling Frank Cascio’s victimization, the magistrate was surgical: “The immense pressure described by the Plaintiff [Cascio] came from his own family, not from the Petitioners [Estate] or their attorneys.”

Attorney Howard King : Cascio Kids Deserve $200M From MJ Estate!!!
Jackson Attorney Insists It’s Extortion : King explained Aldo’s breakdown, saying, “These kids are all damaged. One of the children in particular is severely damaged over what happened to him, and it’s only compounded by these ridiculous court proceedings where the estate publicly claims that he’s lying. He’s not lying.” King says the first thing he did when he was retained by the Cascio family in 2024 was record each of the 5 siblings detailing the abuse they claim to have suffered at the hands of Jackson. This allegedly resulted in 10 hours of video testimony.

Siblings Who Say Michael Jackson Molested Them Appear in Court to Fight Arbitration : Frank Cascio, his sister Marie, brothers Aldo and Dominic, and their parents also left the courthouse Wednesday without giving a statement. A follow-up hearing related to sealing documents in the case was set for March 5.

Michael Jackson’s ‘Second Family’ Shows Up in Court for Sex Abuse Settlement Hearing : Four siblings who allege they were abused by Michael Jackson as children were in the courtroom as a judge indicated that they likely won’t be able to sue the King of Pop’s estate due to an earlier settlement. Frank, Aldo, Marie-Nicole and Dominic Cascio, along with their parents, traveled to Los Angeles for a Wednesday (Jan. 14) hearing in their legal battle with the Jackson estate. Along with their brother Eddie, the four Cascio siblings spent much of their childhoods with Jackson and were considered his “second family.” Judge Michael E. Whitaker appeared likely to side with the Jackson estate, writing in a tentative ruling that the evidence submitted by Frank Cascio “does not support his characterization that he was forced to sign the agreement on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.” The judge said he’ll likely shut the door on litigation and order the parties into arbitration, though he wants to think it over some more before issuing a final decision. The Cascio family sat in the courtroom gallery throughout the arguments, and at least one sibling grew visibly emotional during the hearing. Speaking to the press afterward, Geragos said the family made the trip to Los Angeles because they “wanted to see for themselves the estate calling them liars.” Geragos said he’ll appeal if the judge ultimately enters an order compelling arbitration. Another lawyer working with the Cascios, Howard King, told the press that he has 10 hours of sworn video testimony from all five siblings about the alleged abuse. In a 2010 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, for example, the siblings said Jackson was “never” inappropriate with them. And in a 2011 memoir, Frank Cascio wrote, “Michael’s love for children was innocent, and it was profoundly misunderstood.”

Judge Signals Arbitration in Cascio vs. MJ Estate Case :” In short, Wednesday’s hearing did not determine guilt, innocence, or credibility. It did not evaluate evidence or hear testimony about the allegations. What it did signal is that the court believes the agreement Frank Cascio signed still carries legal weight and that this battle is likely to move out of the public courtroom and into private arbitration, away from headlines and public debate.”

TJ Jackson on X : “Those guys are absolute $nakes. My uncle did nothing but try to help them and support their family. When he passed the money stopped so they had to try multiple ways to leach off of him. First fake songs, then supportive books/appearances and now extorting the estate (all this as adults might I add). It’s always about $$$ with them and all these other frauds. Di$gusting. #MJInnocent”

2025

January 03 : Frank Cascio’s lawyer, Howard King, notifies Signature Resolution that Frank and other Respondents intended to assert counterclaims against MJC, Branca and other individuals and entities related to Michael Jackson, including presumably for defamation. Thus, the Respondents have clearly acknowledged through their then-attorney that any affirmative claims they may have against MJC and the released parties under the Agreement must be resolved pursuant to arbitration.

May 15 : The parties participate in a mediation at JAMS before the Honorable Dickran Tevrizian (Ret.). The matter does not resolve, but the mediation is not terminated, and settlement discussions continue.

July 08 : In a dramatic petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 8th, the Estate of Michael Jackson accuses Frank Cascio of masterminding a jaw-dropping extortion plot demanding up to $213 million, threatening to flip decades of fierce public support into salacious allegations about Michael. For over 30 years, the Cascios, Frank, his siblings Eddie, Dominic Jr., Aldo, and Marie Nicole, were by Michael’s side, vacationing with him, enjoying lavish gifts, and repeatedly defending his innocence on global TV.

July 09 :

Michael Jackson Estate Identifies ‘Extortionate’ Abuse Accuser as ‘My Friend Michael’ Author

Michael Jackson Estate Files Court Petition Alleging $213 Million Extortion Plot by Frank Cascio

Court document for the Estate to compel arbitration to Frank Cascio and his cohorts via The Blast.

Michael Jackson Story Takes Worst Turn Yet as Estate Files Extortion Law Suit Against Singer’s Closest Pal

July 10 : The Estate Goes Public About Frank Cascio

Michael Jackson Estate’s 34 Page Complaint Alleges Extortion Scheme by Singer’s “Second Family,” Reveals Poolside Negotiation in Bathing Suits

Taj Jackson : “My brothers and I tried to warn you guys over a decade ago about this family. They lost all respect from me when they chose to purposely scam the public with fake Michael Jackson songs, sung by a sound a like. Then even went on Oprah to help sell this lucrative lie to the world. Money and greed can do horrible things to weak people. I’m so disgusted but not surprised unfortunately. They sold their soul and integrity awhile ago. I’m just pissed that my uncle wasted so much time, energy and money with these vultures.”

TJ Jackson : “It disgusts me how deceitful vultures can be. They act like they are true and real but they aren’t. They only care about themselves and the money they can make off of their connection to achievers. I’ve seen this so many times it’s not even surprising anymore. #anythingformoney”

October 06 : Mark Geragos files a legal memorandum on behalf of Frank Cascio, opposing the Michael Jackson Estate’s petition to compel arbitration. In essence, Geragos argues that the supposed settlement and confidentiality agreement the Estate relies on is void and unenforceable under California law and public policy. He claims it was designed to silence victims of Michael Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse and therefore violates statutes prohibiting nondisclosure agreements related to sexual misconduct. The brief alleges the Estate coerced and manipulated the Cascio family—longtime associates of Jackson—into signing the agreement in 2019–2020 under emotional duress and without legal counsel. It accuses the Estate of breaching the agreement itself by publicly filing confidential details and misusing the court system to “smear” Cascio. Geragos asks the court to deny arbitration, void the agreement entirely, and stay any pending arbitration, framing the petition as a bad-faith effort to suppress victims and protect the Estate’s financial and reputational interests.

October 11 : The FIVE children from one family who claim Michael Jackson brainwashed and abused them for 25 years… without each other knowing: Siblings now suing the disgraced popstar’s estate for £160million

October 30 : Michael Jackson’s Alleged Victim Accuses Estate of Attempt to Smear Him After $44 Mill ‘Shakedown’ (Exclusive)

November 07 : Cascio Cries Pressure, Estate Cries Shakedown, Trailer Steals Spotlight : “In a declaration dated October 27, Frank Cascio, once part of Michael Jackson’s inner circle, claimed, “In late December 2019, I learned that [members of my family] had already signed a settlement agreement with the Estate but that the agreement would not become effective absent my signature.” According to him, chaos was already brewing at home: “At the time, my family was in severe turmoil, and the agreement appeared to offer them a sense of closure. Knowing that, I felt immense pressure to sign as well, to avoid causing more conflict within the family during this unbelievably difficult chapter.” Cascio said he has struggled with reading comprehension since being diagnosed with dyslexia in fifth grade and struggled to understand the contract: “I had difficulty understanding many of its terms, particularly the legal concepts.”

Cascio’s sister, Marie-Nicole Porte, backs his version, saying the estate rushed them into a single-copy, read-aloud agreement in a private room above their father’s restaurant. She describes feeling powerless and pressured: “I had no lawyer… It was a take-it-or-leave-it situation.” She also claims the family “realized” they’d had similar experiences with Michael Jackson and the Estate quickly tried to shut them down.

December 01 : The Cascio hearing has been rescheduled again; this time until January 14, 2026.

2024

July : After receiving consideration from MJ Estate pursuant to the Agreement, Frank Cascio’s lawyer asks for $213 Million more. Respondents threatens that unless they are paid hundreds of millions of dollars, they will go public with bogus, false accusations about Michael Jackson.

August 29 : Frank and the other Respondents try to pressure MJ Estate into submission with a menacing extortionate threat (communicated through his lawyer), asserting, “We expect a substantive response by end of day tomorrow. Otherwise, we will be forced to expand the ‘circle of knowledge’ so my team can prepare a complaint.” The email continues with an ominous rhetorical inquiry whether “the materiality of this claim has been revealed by the estate to the buyer of the catalogue.” This is a transparent threat to go public with spurious damaging accusations in the guise of a sham public lawsuit and to damage the value of the Michael Jackson music catalogue, unless MJ Estate agrees to satisfy the astronomical financial demands, notwithstanding that MJ Estate has already paid Respondents to put an end to the 2019 shakedown in exchange for terms including confidentiality, comprehensive releases, and agreement to mandatory arbitration of all future disputes.

September 17 : As a result of Frank’s threats to breach the Agreement’s binding and mandatory confidential arbitration provisions by threatening a public lawsuit, the MJ Estate files a Demand for Arbitration against Frank asserting claims for civil extortion, anticipatory breach of contract, and declaratory relief.

September 20 : EXCLUSIVE: Michael Jackson’s Thriving Estate Targeted in $213 Million ‘Shakedown’ Effort.

September 23 : Howard King, counsel for Frank, sends a demand letter to one of the Officers of MJC and Co-Executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson, demanding that he issue a public statement refuting certain information published by the media. Implicit in Frank’s legal demand was the threat that unless the public statement requested by Frank was issued, Frank would file a public lawsuit against one or more of the Co-Executors of The Estate of Michael Jackson in a transparent attempt to circumvent the mandatory arbitration provision in the Agreement and as a pretext to disclose confidential information in breach of the Agreement.

September 24 : A Supplemental Demand for Arbitration is filed, adding an additional claim for declaratory relief against Frank Cascio with respect to his alleged defamation claim against against one of the Officers of MJC and Co-Executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson.

October 01 : Frank Cascio’s attorney delivers an envelope to MJ Estate counsel, containing a pair of draft lawsuits riddled with outlandish scurrilous allegations that are completely inconsistent with what Frank and his cohorts had insisted
for years in their unyielding defense of Michael. Ominously, the envelope contains no cover letter or explanatory note. It was apparent that the delivery was a threat to file a public lawsuit in court (and not in confidential arbitration as contractually mandated) containing the incendiary accusations unless Respondents’ demand for hundreds of millions of dollars was satisfied.

2019

January : Frank Cascio defends MJ on Twitter : “Pro-a-gan-da information, especially of a biaised or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular point of view. Why didn’t Brett, myself or the thousands of others who had nothing to gain and have opposing views get a call for this “documentary”? @DanReed1000″

March : The MJ Estate lawyers contact Frank Cascio and his family to ask them for support. Despite having a decades-long friendship with Michael Jackson, and after years of passionately defending Michael against false and scurrilous allegations made by third parties, Frank and his family decide to exploit the negative publicity following the release of Leaving Neverland in order to try to profit from making their own specious allegations against Michael. To do so,
Frank’ representative insist on meeting with MJ Estate representatives at the Sunset Marquis Hotel swimming pool wearing only bathing suits so that MJ Estate representatives could not wear a “wire” to record the conversation.

Following this bizarre meeting, Frank’s lawyer informs MJ Estate lawyers that the Cascios intend to repudiate their prior support of Michael and manufacture false and specious allegations against him unless they were paid money, as well as to counter the negative press surrounding the film, MJ Estate sought to make a life rights and consulting deal to acquire content that the Respondents and other parties to the Agreement had accumulated during their decades-long close friendship with Michael, including home movies showing Michael’s warm and happy interactions over the years with his “second family” during Christmas, holidays, and other occasions. However, Respondents used the negative media frenzy as an opportunity to enrich themselves.

December 22 : A representative employed by attorneys for the Estate flies
to New Jersey to meet with the Cascios, where he read a purported settlement agreement aloud to them. The Cascio siblings sign rhe agreement. Franck is not present.

2020

January 10 : On the recommendation of counsel with respect to their obligation as fiduciaries, The MJ Estatate reluctantly enters into a Confidential Acquisition and Consulting Agreement with Frank Cascio and his family. Thereafter, the Agreement is modified by a Letter of Direction dated January 28, 2020, which adjusted the timing of certain payments to be made to the parties under the Agreement and directed where certain payments should be sent, but the Agreement remained the same in all other respects.

2022

June 29 : The Cascio tracks removed from all music platforms

The infamous Cascio tracks that were on the first posthumous album of the King of Pop released in 2010, have been removed from some music platforms. The tracks “Breaking News”, “Keep Your Head Up”, and “Monster” seems to not appear on certain platforms anymore Vera Serova has been taking on Sony Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson in court for years after the release of the album which included the 3 disputed songs.

June 30 : The Michael Jackson Estate has released its first statement on the removal of the Cascio tracks from streaming platforms, to @BTMSite. They have stated the removal has nothing to do with the song’s authenticity, but that the fan’s attention isn’t where it should be, on their new products.

August 11 : Michael Jackson Estate & Sony Settle Lawsuit Over Cascio Tracks

Sources : My personal research, Wikipedia, Michael Jackson: For The Record by Chris Cadman & Craig Halstead, Twitter account of Damien Shields and the amazing archives of the MJCast.

RECORDING DATE

“Ghosts” started as an instrumental track by Teddy Riley from the Dangerous era. The track was initially developed in June 1993 at Riley’s Future Records studio during work for the Addams Family Values soundtrack before the project was dropped.

“Ghosts” was updated in late 1994 during sessions for the HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album at The Hit Factory, with more overdubs and an unused operatic intro performed by Luciano Pavarotti. However, it was ultimately left off the album.

After HIStory, “Ghosts” was revisited in August 1995 by Bruce Swedien and René Moore.

Next, the track was worked on from March–April 1996 at Record One, and later during the summer at Record Plant. The song was completed a few months later for inclusion in the Michael Jackson’s Ghosts short film.

The final mix was done in March 1997 for “Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix” in 1997.

STUDIO(S)

Los Angeles

SONGWRITER(S)

Michael Jackson & Teddy Riley

PRODUCER(S)

Michael Jackson & Teddy Riley

RELEASE DATE :

Ghosts (1997 mix) : Released on May 20, 1997 (Blood On The Dance Floor).

It was released as a part of the “HIStory/Ghosts” double A-side single, on July 30, 1997, serving as the second single from the album.

LABEL

Sony Music

LENGTH

3:50 (radio edit)
5:13 (album version)

ALTERNATE VERSIONS RECORDED BY MJ (covers and remixes by other artists are not included)

Ghosts (Demo Guide Vocal) : Recorded in 1994. Full demo leaked in 2017 but remains unreleased.

Ghosts (1996 mix) : First version of the song used in the closing credits of the “Ghosts” short film in 1996. Different bassline, different backing vocals and different sound effects from the 1997 version. Remains unreleased.

MUSICIANS

???

PEAK ON HOT 100 BILLBOARD :

Not released in the US

SHORT FILM

The clip is a montage of scenes from the Michael Jackson’s Ghosts short film.

LIVE PERFORMANCES ON TV SHOWS

Never performed on TV

LIVE PERFORMANCES IN CONCERTS

Never performed in concerts

February 01 : Lionsgate, Universal, GK Films and the Michael Jackson Estate release a brand new movie poster of Michael Movie shared by Jaafar and Prince. A few hours later, they share a new teaser to announce that the official trailer for Michael will be released tomorrow! The same teaser is broadcasted during the Grammy Awaards.

Paris attends the 7th Annual Jam For Jamie GRAMMY Awards Viewing Party at Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Later, she attends the 68th Grammy Awards After Party hosted by Universal Media Group in Los Angeles.

February 02 : Lionsgate Teases Official MICHAEL Trailer Drop Today!

Lionsgate, Universal, GK Films and the Michael Jackson Estate release the trailer for Michael movie. They also release a 4th poster.

‘Michael’ Trailer: Michael Jackson Biopic Chronicles Rise From Child Star to King of Pop (Variety) : “The King of Pop is about to reclaim his throne on the big screen. Lionsgate has released a new trailer for “Michael,” its highly anticipated biopic tracing Michael Jackson’s journey from his early days with the Jackson 5 to his ascent as a global superstar. The film aims to capture both the spectacle and the contradictions of the artist who came to be known as the King of Pop.

La Toya attends the 25th anniversary Lambertz Monday Night 2026 (Schokoparty) at MMC Filmstudios in Cologne, Germany. She graces the catwalk on Michael Jackson’s song “Will You Be There”.