With Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic set to surpass $600 million at the global box office this weekend, you’d think they’d be popping champagne over at the late music icon’s estate. But a messy dispute between Jackson’s daughter, Paris, and his estate’s executors, entertainment lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain, has taken some of the fizz out of the celebration.
In “Michael,” which stars Jackson’s nephew Jaafar in the title role, Branca (Miles Teller) is a surprisingly important character, a feathered hair hero fighting for Michael’s artistic autonomy from his controlling father, Joe (Colman Domingo).
The portrait of the lawyer emerging from the probate dispute is a far more complex one, however. For months, Paris has been asking a judge to force Branca and McClain into more timely and transparent accounting, and to explain bonus payments the estate has made. A judge has now ruled in Paris’ favor on those issues, calling $625,000 in payments the estate made to three law firms in 2018 “arbitrary” and saying they should be returned, along with “reasonable attorneys fees” to Paris.
The $625,000 amount is a drop in the bucket for what is now a multibillion-dollar estate, which, Judge Mitchell Beckloff noted in the ruling, the executors have “transformed from teetering on the brink of bankruptcy in June of 2009 when Michael Jackson died to the financial powerhouse that it is today.
But the ruling suggests a tightening on what has so far been executors’ very long leash when it comes to making decisions about the Jackson family’s money.
Upon the release of the ruling, a spokesperson for Paris issued a statement saying that, “After years of delay, the Jackson family will finally get the transparency and accountability measures Paris has fought for. The Jackson Estate is supposed to be a prudent, fiscally responsible entity that supports the Jackson family — not a slush fund to help John Branca live out his Hollywood mogul fantasies. After months of engaging in sexist, scorched-earth tactics against a beneficiary, it’s time for John Branca to acknowledge his many missteps and act in the best interest of the family he has a fiduciary duty to protect.”
A spokesperson for the estate noted that the bonus payments were not made to Branca and Smith, but to other attorneys, and said in a statement, “While the Court has previously approved several other bonuses to outside counsel over the years for their extraordinary services, and this was the first time they were the subject of objections, the Executors have always understood that legal fees are subject to court approval and have always required outside counsel to agree to return any funds to the estate if the payments were not approved. Ultimately, while we disagree with the decision, we fully respect it and plan to move forward accordingly.”
One key issue still to be decided in the dispute is when Branca and Smith will have to file the estate’s accounting for 2025, the year it financed major reshoots on the “Michael” film. The box office success, and the film’s impact on Jackson’s catalog, will likely make those numbers go down easier.
Welcome back to ON THE LOT.
Also in today’s edition: Another mistrial in Harvey Weinstein’s New York case, Spencer Pratt‘s AI-enabled Los Angeles mayoral campaign and a look at two very different movie marketing campaigns.
Got tips (on the Rolling Stones’ de-ager or Cannes’ biggest rager)? You can reach me at rebecca.keegan@nbcuni.com or on Signal at thatrebecca.82.
THE NEVER-ENDING STORY
On Friday, yet another jury failed to reach a verdict on the question of whether Harvey Weinstein raped former aspiring actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
Like a tired franchise a studio keeps churning out, it was the third trial the disgraced Hollywood mogul has faced over the charge.
Weinstein, 74, was first convicted in early 2020 of third-degree rape involving Mann, but a New York state appeals court overturned the conviction in 2024, ruling that the judge had improperly allowed testimony about allegations not directly tied to the case. The jury in Weinstein’s second trial was deadlocked on the charge related to Mann.
After Judge Curtis Farber declared a mistrial in the third trial on Friday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said it would “consider our next steps.”
Weinstein remains incarcerated on his conviction of first-degree criminal sexual act for forcibly performing oral sex on former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.
He also faces 16 years in prison in California on a 2022 conviction for rape and sexual assault there. His legal team is appealing that case.
GASSING UP INDIE FILM
Nobody understands how to stretch a buck like someone pushing an independent film. This week, the award for thrift and ingenuity in the name of cinema goes to Neon, for its clever “I Love Boosters” takeover of a Shell station on L.A.’s Pico Boulevard, where co-stars Keke Palmer and LaKeith Stanfield pumped free gas for patrons.
Gas prices, as Palmer told our colleagues at NBC4 Los Angeles, are “high as hell” in California these days (averaging more than $6 a gallon, according to motor club AAA) and people are feeling the pain. The boosted gas giveaway is on brand with writer-director Boots Riley’s anti-capitalist fashion industry satire, which hits theaters May 22.
And — because the business of selling movies is as K-shaped as the U.S. economy — the summer movie season provides a contrasting example in Disney’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which opens the same day.
I expect any “Star Wars” film to be ubiquitous in the weeks leading up to its release, appearing everywhere from TV ads to merch. New in the galaxy this time around: a Mandalorian and Grogu Bath & Body Works collab, with items such as the “Bounty Hunter body spray,” “Force Flow Ultimate Hydration Body Cream” and the already sold-out Grogu loofah. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only soap.
FROM REALITY VILLAIN TO AI SUPERHERO
My colleague and fellow Angeleno Angela Yang dove into those viral AI-generated videos promoting Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign. Here’s what she learned.
Former “The Hills” star Spencer Pratt is being portrayed as L.A.’s superhero in a slew of fan-made promotional videos around his mayoral campaign that have gone viral online. The videos, created and shared by filmmaker Charlie Curran, cast Pratt in cinematic scenarios, including one in which he battles opponent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a lightsaber duel, and another in which he is depicted as a Batman-like figure opposite a Joker-esque Bass.
The dramatic clips have been viewed millions of times on social media, accruing widespread praise from viewers, as well as criticism from others who raised concerns about the ethics surrounding artificial intelligence content that uses real people.
Experts I spoke with for our article say that while conservatives are more likely to use AI-generated media for political messaging — the Trump White House has already set that precedent, after all — campaigns on both sides of the aisle are feeling the pressure to leverage AI tools to help them win the online meme wars that define politics today.
“There’s maybe a little bit of copyright infringement on some of these, but it tells a coherent story,” Eric Wilson, a political technologist for conservatives, said of the AI videos of Pratt.
The AI videos come in addition to some of Pratt’s growing human Hollywood buzz. A handful of celebrities, including businesswoman Paris Hilton, actor Taylor Lautner and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, have praised Pratt in social media comments on his posts. On Monday, Grammy-winning producer David Foster held a fundraiser for Pratt at his Brentwood home that featured a performance from his wife, Katharine McPhee Foster.
“You’re simply the best,” Foster sang, riffing off Tina Turner’s song. “better than Karen Bass… and Cynthia Raman.” Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman later shared a video of Foster’s unusual performance on X, poking fun at the singer for not knowing her first name.
THE DIALOGUE
“I unfortunately think there’s a lot of dark money in Hollywood. We, as artists, as individuals, don’t make those decisions. But what I can tell you is that I can and have and will continue to speak and advocate for a free Palestine. And Mubi knows that about me and they’ve been supportive of all of us.” —Actor Hannah Einbinder, when asked by Variety if Mubi, the distributor behind her new film “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” is aware she will be saying “Free Palestine” on the press tour.
“The whole tweet story now feels almost like a childish tale … With time and perspective, I’ve fully understood this fabrication, used simply to prevent an actress from winning an award because of what she represents.” —Actor Karla Sofía Gascón, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporteraddressing the social media controversy she faced during the “Emilia Pérez”awards campaign.
“Why should you have to defend late night? Why should that question even be asked?” — Late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel, during an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” He was joined by fellow hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver.
That’s a wrap, see you next week! And tune in to Here’s the Scoop’s special Supreme Court Edition, where Senior Legal Correspondent Laura Jarrett goes deep on major cases.
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