Month: May 2007

Sony/ATV Music Publishing To Acquire Famous Music LLC – PRESS RELEASE Famous is one of the largest independent music publishers in the U.S. NEW YORK, May 30 /PRNewswire/ — Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Viacom Inc. today announced that they have signed an agreement for Sony/ATV to acquire Famous Music LLC from Viacom. Sony/ATV Music Publishing is co-owned by Sony and trusts formed by Michael Jackson. “The Famous Music catalogue is a world-class asset filled with evergreen songs that people know and love,” said Martin N. Bandier, Chairman and CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing. “The depth and breadth of the catalogue is what truly makes it great, and I strongly believe that the addition of the Famous catalogue and its songwriters to Sony/ATV is another step in our long-range growth plans. In addition, we are pleased to be entering the production music business through Famous’ Extreme division. Extreme’s valuable creative team and unique business model will be a terrific complement to our core music publishing business.” “Famous Music is one of the iconic names in music publishing,” said Philippe Dauman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom. “We are very pleased that Sony/ATV Music Publishing has recognized its great value and potential. We have benefited greatly from the talent and experience of the very able management team at Famous Music, particularly its long time CEO, Irwin Robinson, as well as Ira Jaffe, President and Chief Operating Officer; and Margaret Johnson, Executive Vice President Finance and Administration. We know that Famous and its fine executives have many great days ahead and want to thank them for their tremendous accomplishments.” “Famous Music is one of the world’s largest independent music publishers, and this acquisition, following on the heels of the Leiber Stoller acquisition, further enhances Sony/ATV’s position in the global music publishing industry,” said Rob Wiesenthal, Chief Financial Officer, Sony Corporation of America. [b]”This is a milestone event for Sony/ATV Music Publishing,” said Michael Jackson. “The diverse collection of songs in this catalogue range from timeless classics to contemporary hits, and I am pleased to add the acquisition of Famous Music to Sony/ATV.”[/b] (Read on)

Sony/ATV, the music publishing company owed both by Michael Jackson and Sony, is growing…again! Check out this new article, “Viacom to Sell Music Publishing Unit”, from the Wall Street Journal below:

Many new pics of Michael Jackson at a private party have been added to the photo gallery! Check ’em out:

Thomas Mesereau gave an interview last week about “Celebrity Criminal Cases”. [i](shout out to TSCM)[/i] Check out the transcript and link to the 30 minute audio file below:

“What Would Greta Say?” – MediaBistro Celebrity lawyers Tom Mesereau and Mark Geragos don’t like Nancy Grace. At a Loyola Marymount Law School event recently, Mesereau labeled “Nancy Dis-Grace” as one of the “absolute monstrosities” among TV pundits.

Wednesday, May 23 [b]Aphrodite Jones: “Shame On Us”[/b] One of the gazillion reporters assigned to the Michael Jackson trial has a tell-all book about how the media got the story wrong. On June 10, she’ll be in L.A. to be honored by the Brookins Community A.M.E. Church for her work — and, presumably, to hock some books. Aphrodite Jones, wrote Michael Jackson Conspiracy, after two years of reviewing official transcripts and evidence provided by the court.