Wassup with Michael Jackson? Okay, we know there are lots of things amiss in Wacko’s World, but now he’s freaked out over the auction of all the loot at his Neverland ranch in California that’s being handled by an Irish auctioneer that we told you about a couple of weeks back.
Michael contracted with the very respectable, LA-based Julien’s Auctions, run by Irishman Martin Nolan, to sell his stuff in an effort to raise cash. Julien’s has handled many top-flight entertainment auctions before, so there’s no question about the firm’s respectability.
But what did Michael turn around and do last week? He filed suit to stop the auction from happening as scheduled in April, claiming that he never authorized the sale.
Problem is, someone in Wacko’s camp gave the okay, as a whole bunch of his personal mementoes, including the iconic white crystal glove, are currently on display at the headquarters of Newbridge Silverware in Co. Kildare!
“We’ve been very reasonable and accommodating. We were hired to do the auction. We cleared the property from Neverland. But something got lost in translation and this lawsuit apparently has hit and we’re really anxious to know what it’s all about and to sit down and resolve it,” Nolan said.
There were reports that Michael would travel to Ireland to attend the Newbridge exhibit, given that he was in London last week to announce his comeback shows set for July. Though that didn’t happen, there were plenty of folks on hand to see his possessions up close and personal.
“It brings back a lot of memories to us,” said Frances O’Neill, a 56-year-old from Dublin who took her picture next to Michael’s glove. “You see them on the videos and never think you will actually see them.” The Newbridge show is currently scheduled to end on March 21, at which time the items will presumably be shipped back to LA to be sold, or kept by Jacko if the suit proceeds.
“It was important for Michael to hold (the exhibit) here because Ireland happens to be one of his favorite countries,” Darren Julien, founder of Julien’s Auctions, said.
“We have a very good relationship with the museum in Newbridge and have staged exhibitions here before such as one on U2. Michael told me he wanted to auction off all this stuff from Neverland because it would end a chapter in his life.”
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