Michael Jackson’s music dropped the world over after abuse claims

Agencies
March 7, 2019

Radio stations in Australia, Canada and New Zealand are refusing to play Michael Jackson's music in the wake of fresh allegations against him of child sex abuse. Sydney's Nova Entertainment on Thursday became the latest radio group to announce they are taking the late ‘King of Pop’ off the air in response to public opinion.

The move comes after the broadcast of a US documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ that featured two men who claimed Jackson sexually abused them for years. "In light of what is happening at the moment, SmoothFM is not currently playing any Michael Jackson songs," local media quoted Nova's programme director Paul Jackson as saying.

The documentary has not yet been broadcast in Australia. A second major Australian radio network, ARN, said it was "closely monitoring audience sentiment in relation to individual artists". In New Zealand, the star's songs are now almost totally absent from the airwaves, after being pulled by the country's two biggest radio networks, MediaWorks and NZME.

The two companies between them dominate commercial radio. "We aren't deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty of paedophilia, we're just making sure our radio stations are going to play the music people want to hear," MediaWorks director of content, Leon Wratt, told Magic FM.

He said the decision was "a reflection of our audiences and their preferences". NZME group director of entertainment, Dean Buchanan, confirmed Jackson's material was off the air, though he shied away from talk of a ban. Meanwhile, public broadcaster Radio NZ said Jackson's songs did not feature on its playlists anyway.

The HBO documentary, which aired in the United States on Sunday, has rekindled long-running questions about Jackson's relationship with children. Two men, James Safechuck and Australian-born Wade Robson, say Jackson sexually abused them when they were aged 10 and seven.

There had been persistent rumours of throughout Jackson's life, but no allegations were ever substantiated. The four-hour, two-part documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year, has made sure those allegations continue a decade after he died of an overdose.

Jackson's estate has denied wrongdoing and filed a USD 100 million lawsuit against HBO. The 53-page complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims HBO was violating a "non-disparagement" agreement by airing ‘Leaving Neverland’. "Ten years after his passing, there are still those out to profit from his enormous worldwide success and take advantage of his eccentricities," the suit claimed.

The decisions not to play Jackson's music will no doubt further tarnish his brand and could result in a loss of radio royalties. But it is far from clear that listeners on digital platforms are abandoning the singer in the same way, and ‘The Essential Michael Jackson’ is still the 65th most downloaded album in Australia.

Earlier, a chain of dozens of Canadian radio stations said they would not play Jackson mega hits such as ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Bad’ for the time being. "We are attentive to the comments of our listeners and the documentary released on Sunday evening created reactions," Christine Dicaire of Cogeco, which operates radio stations in Quebec and Ontario, said in a statement to AFP.

In Britain, where ‘Leaving Neverland’ was set for release Wednesday and Thursday, reports said the BBC had also shelved his music. While a spokeswoman for the network told AFP it does not ban artists, the organisation said in a statement: "We consider each piece of music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind."

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News Network
June 27,2020

Kochi, Jun 27: The Kerala government on Friday submitted an application in a local court requesting to stop the prosecution of ivory possession case against Malayalam film actor Mohanlal.

In the application for withdrawal of prosecution, the government has requested the court to stop the prosecution "immediately for the interest of justice".

''The legality of the possession of two elephant tusks by Mohanlal was accepted by the competent authority under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 by issuing him a certificate of ownership. The possession and custody of the elephant tusks thus become legal after the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW) issued him the certificate," the state government said.

"Further conduct of the criminal trial may go against the good faith amongst the parties as far as the certificate of ownership issued to Mohanlal is concerned. One cannot go back from that ownership certificate and it was stopped from contradicting, deny or declare to be false the previous statement made by the actor in the court," it added.

"The government should not be allowed to revert from its promises in order to keep the faith of the people and in the interest of good governance," the government further said.

The case was registered by the forest department in 2012. The state government submitted the application in Kuruppampady Judicial Magistrate Court, which will hear the matter on July 24.

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News Network
March 10,2020

Washington, Mar 10: British adventurer Bear Grylls on Monday shared the power-packed trailer of `Into The Wild` episode featuring South Indian superstar Rajinikanth.

The video captures Rajinikanth driving through the forests of Bandipur in Karnataka, where the episode has been filmed. The 45-year-old adventurer shared the daredevil video on Twitter featuring Rajinikanth amid the woods and in the background, Grylls is heard saying "He`s faced a lot of fears, but he never gives up. He`s relentlessly positive."

He captioned the post on Twitter and wrote: "Superstar @Rajinikanth`s relentless positivity and never giving up spirit was so visible in the wild as he embraced every challenge thrown at him. Respect! Watch Into The Wild with @BearGryllson March 23 at 8:00 pm. @DiscoveryIN#ThalaivaOnDiscovery."

The video shows the Padma Bhushan actor and Grylls climbing hills and wading through gorges and ravine. The duo is seen driving through the Deccan forest. Amid the video, Grylls is seen addressing Rajinikanth as a "superhero." The actor is seen pulling off his signature `sunglass` move.

Earlier in February, the adventure show host shared an intriguing motion poster marking superstar Rajinikanth`s blockbuster TV debut in Discovery`s `Into the Wild`. Grylls also shared that it was a special experience for him to work with the Rajinikanth.

In January, Rajinikanth suffered minor injuries while shooting for the special episode of `Man vs Wild` Bandipur forest in Karnataka.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajinikanth becomes the second Indian personality to be featured on Grylls` survival show.

The episode with Prime Minister Modi was aired last year in August and became quite an attraction among viewers.

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News Network
February 19,2020

New Delhi, Feb 19: Deepika Padukone on Wednesday shared her much-awaited first look from the upcoming sports-drama '83' as Romi Dev, wife of cricket stalwart Kapil Dev. The actor also penned a message expressing gratitude for the iconic role.

The 'Chhapaak' actor shared the still on Twitter along with a caption that reads, "To play a small part in a film that captures one of the most iconic moments in sporting history has been an absolute honour!83 for me is an ode to every woman who puts her husband's dream before her own..."

In the absorbing first look, Deepika is seen sharing a smile along with Ranveer Singh, she is also seen sporting short hair. The star is seen wearing a high-neck top, while Ranveer is wearing team India's official blazer.

Previously, Ranveer shared the teaser of the flick in an event, which gave a glance of the lead characters of the flick featuring Tahir Raj Bhasin as Sunil Gavaskar, Jiiva as K Srikkanth, Saqib Saleem as Mohinder Amarnath, Jatin Sarna as Yashpal Sharma, Chirag Patil as Sandeep Patil, Dinker Sharma as Kirti Azad and Nishant Dahiya as Roger Binny, Harrdy Sandhu as Madan Lal, Sahil Khattar as Syed Kirmani, Ammy Virk as Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Addinath M Kothare as Dilip Vengsarkar, Dhairya Karwa as Ravi Shashtri and R Badree as Sunil Valson along with Pankaj Tripathi as PR Man Singh.

'83' is being co-produced by Madhu Mantena, Sajid Nadiadwala, and Reliance Entertainment. Helmed by Kabir Khan, the movie is slated for release on April 10.

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