ackson Family Memorabilia To Be Auctioned...Unless Michael Calls It Off
Michael Jackson's gold record award for the"Thriller" album, a "Victory Tour" program signed by Jackson family members, and handwritten lyrics for the 1970 Jackson Five hit "ABC" are among the items to be auctioned next month unless the entertainer moves to block the sale, officials said.
Arlan Ettinger, founder and president of Guernsey's Auction House, compared plans to sell more than 1,100 Jackson family items May 30-31 to an auction of Elvis Presley Graceland memorabilia he conducted in Las Vegas in 1999.
"It certainly is in that sphere of landmark, high profile, extraordinary auctions," Ettinger told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
A representative of Michael Jackson said the pop icon was considering legal action to stop the auction planned for the Hard Rock hotel resort in Las Vegas.
"Mr. Jackson was not aware and he is extremely upset that his memorabilia was included amongst the memorabilia that is being auctioned off," said Raymone K. Bain, Jackson's spokeswoman in Washington, D.C.
Ettinger said the collection was owned by luggage transportation company Universal Express Inc., of Boca Raton, Fla., which bought it last year from a New Jersey construction company owner.
The former owner, Henry Vaccaro, claimed a warehouse full of Jackson memorabilia after a failed business venture wound up in bankruptcy court. Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson sued to stop Vaccaro from taking ownership, but a Los Angeles judge threw out Michael Jackson's claim in 2006.
The status of Janet Jackson's claim was unclear Wednesday.
Messages left with her publicist were not immediately returned.
Vaccaro's lawyer, Edgar Pease III, claimed during the unsuccessful prosecution of Michael Jackson on child molestation charges that he turned over items from the warehouse in Oxnard, Calif., to the Santa Barbara County, Calif., district attorney's office that included skin bleach, soiled underwear, sexual videotapes and sexual paraphernalia.
Pease did not immediately respond Wednesday to a message seeking
comment.
Ettinger said parts of the warehouse collection -- mostly personal and performance belongings of Michael, Janet, Jermaine, Tito, La Toya, and other family members -- would be previewed to the media Thursday at Guernsey's Auction House in New York.
In poche parole la Bain dice che MJ non apeva dell'asta, ed è molto arrabbiato di sapere che ci sono cose sue.
Forse bloccherà l'asta.
Ma siamo alle comiche.
Pi vabbè un'avvocato del tizio che deteneva le cose ha detto che durante il processo che tra le varie cose c'erano della biancheria imbrattata, crema schiarenti, video porno e altra roba.. peccato che nulla di questo sia mai stato trovato. Ma cosa si inventano...