Joe Jackson, the father of pop star Michael Jackson is seeing dollar signs in the aftermath of his son's death. In interviews, he's showing his flair for salesmanship by promoting his new record company. Outwardly he shows no signs of grief.
Joe Jackson, the father of Michael Jackson, seemed rather jovial in an interview Sunday night with CNN's Don Lemon at the BET Awards. He has a weird way of showing his grief. When asked by Lemon how he and his family were coping, Joe Jackson ignored the question in order to promote his new record company. He plugged a Blu-Ray disc of his son's music that he's selling.
Joe Jackson and the Reverand Al Sharpton held a press conference on Monday to discuss the pop star's shocking death. Why Sharpton was there was not explained, but he is reportedly a family friend. As for his new record label, a way to capitalize financially on the tragedy, Joe Jackson was heavily criticized. Rev. Sharpton explained it like this: "He wanted to send a signal to the world that the Jackson family's going to continue doing what Michael did...give music and love to the world across all boundaries."
"I wish that Michael could be here to see all this," Joe Jackson said at the press conference, "instead of waiting for something to happen like this." As he spoke, he was smiling and looking over the large crowd outside his Encino residence. He could see dollar signs.
Michael Jackson's financial empire is a total mess. He made millions during his career, but he spent more. Now he's dead, and according to Amazon.com and other music news sources, his sales are going through the roof. In death, Michael Jackson has made the comeback he so much desired. Like Elvis Presley, he will surely continue to make money, and for now, bundles of it.
What Joe Jackson knows, and maybe the reason his grief seems to be tempered by relief, is that finally his son's spending habits have come to an end. You can't spend millions of dollars a month on rare animals, oxygen chambers, golden toilets and mummified bodies when you're dead. When asked about his seemingly happy demeanor, Joe Jackson told CNN: "I'm grieving on the inside." On the outside, he's making plans to cash in on his son's popularity.
"Michael is a superstar all over the world," Joe Jackson said. That much is true. He's grieving all the way to the bank. Ka-ching!
