Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 93

Why Kid Rock And Kenny Chesney Won’t Get Paid For Thanksgiving Halftime Gigs

Kenny Chesney (and Kid Rock): Not turkeys.

Kid Rock and Kenny Chesney don’t do many concerts for free, and with good reason. According to concert data provider Pollstar, the former grosses over $400,000 per night, while the latter draws more than $2,000,000.

Yet for their halftime shows on Thanksgiving—Rock in Detroit, Chesney in Dallas—neither will receive a fee, multiple sources confirm. But that doesn’t make them turkeys. Like much-maligned Nickelback at last year’s Lions’ game and Madonna a...

Michael Jackson’s Personal Debts Paid Off, Just In Time For Bad 25

Bad is Good: Michael Jackson's personal debts have been paid off, as of this week.

On the eve of the Thanksgiving debut of Spike Lee’s Bad 25 documentary, the late Michael Jackson has a lot to be thankful for.

Yesterday a representative of the singer’s estate confirmed to FORBES that, on Monday, the estate paid off the last dollars on a loan connected to Mijac Music, the catalog that’s home to many songs composed by the King of Pop, including hits like “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.”

The payment me...

Pharrell Williams’ Next Gig: Internet Talk Show Host

Pharrell Williams: The future is now.

It’s probably fair to call Pharrell Williams a futurist.The singer-songwriter-producer-designer-authornamed his record label Star Trak, selected the image of an astronaut to be the logo for his Billionaire Boys Club clothing line, and even named his son Rocket.

So perhaps it should come as little surprise that he released the first episode of his show “ARTST TLK” on the web through a YouTube-based outfit called Reserve Channel, and not on an Earth-bound cab...

Power of Music Part 3: Emmanuel Jal And The Business Of Peace Music

Power Of Music: Emmanuel Jal and the Dalai Lama.

When Emmanuel Jal first tried to get a record deal, he was met with a reaction all too familiar to many socially-conscious musicians.

“I had record labels wanting me to change my style, they wanted me to be more ‘hard,’” he says. “I was being told, ‘You’re soft, you’re not like a real soldier.’”

The executives dispensing that advice had no idea how wrong they were—Jal has been fighting all his life. He grew up in what is now the independent nation...

Jay-Z, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney And The Politics Of Music

99 Problems But Mitt Ain't One: Jay-Z stumps for Obama in Ohio.

Mitt Romney hasn’t gotten much love from the music world over the course of his campaign. Just today, Jay-Z introduced Barack Obama at a campaign event in Columbus, Ohio. Beforehand, the rapper performed his hit “99 Problems,” modifying the chorus to end with the words “but Mitt ain’t one.”

Jay-Z’s got plenty of company in Obama’s corner. Fellow rappers ranging from Young Jeezy to Common have voiced their support for the president,...

The Top-Earning Dead Musicians of 2012

see photosAFP/Getty Images

Click for full photo gallery: The Top-Earning Dead Musicians 2012

Michael Jackson may not be the top-earning dead celebrity anymore–last week he ceded that title to his friend, Liz Taylor, on FORBES’ annual list–but he’s still the world’s best-paid musician, living or dead. The King of Pop pulled in $145 million in 2012, the third straight year of nine-figure earnings for the “Thriller” mastermind.

Jackson isn’t the only musician raking it in from beyond the grave. In...

Hurricane Sandy: Ten Ways To Prepare Last-Minute Without Spending A Dollar

Hurricane Sandy: There's still time to prepare -- and ways to do it for free.

Hurricane Sandy, better known in some circles as the “Frankenstorm,” is already bringing strong gusts of wind, driving rain and flooding to the Northeast. If you’re in a low-lying area, there’s still time to get out and head to higher ground–and you should, given the 6-to-11-foot storm surge that’s expected for the areas in Sandy’s path.

If your home is located safely above that level and you’re hunkering down and mak...

Michael Jackson’s Personal Debts To Be Paid Off By Year’s End

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Michael Jackson: Nearly back in the black.

When Michael Jackson passed away in June 2009, his departure was met by the grieving of millions of fans around the world—and by a great deal of discussion and speculation over the fate of the half-billion dollars he owed to creditors ranging from big banks to “Thriller” director John Landis.

Many questions have been answered over the past three years as the King of Pop’s estate has continued to pull in nine figures on an annual basis, most recently $1...

Top Earning Dead Celebs: The Ones Who Didn’t Make The List

see photosAssociated Press

Last year hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen sold a portrait of Elizabeth Taylor for $27 million dollars. The late actress didn’t earn anything from the sale of the piece, nor did its creator, Andy Warhol. But both are doing quite well in the afterlife, regardless.

Taylor tops this year’s list of the highest-paid dead celebrities, pulling in a remarkable $210 million. That’s an order of magnit...

Why Whitney Houston Didn’t Make Forbes’ List Of Top Earning Dead Celebs

Whitney Houston: Earning back her advance in the afterlife.

Whitney Houston’s death on the eve of last year’s Grammy awards cast a shadow over music’s biggest night, and that was clear from the ceremony’s opening moment. As the industry’s top stars looked on in silence, hip-hop legend LL Cool J opened the proceedings with a prayer. Others, from Bruno Mars to Alicia Keys, offered tributes of their own.

“I would not be up here as a nominee or as a winner without her influence in my life,” singer...