FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

The thing about having rich people do favours for you, as we imagine Bono has already discovered, is that they tend to have long memories and expect you to do favours in return. Which makes us even more concerned that Michael Jackson is throwing himself onto the kindness of strangers. He's had his debts renegotiated by Ron Burkle, it seems. Burkle could have done this out the kindness of heart; on the other hand, as the majority shareholder of the Alliance Entertainment Corporation, he could be suspected to having good reason to try and keep the man who co-owns the Beatles song catalogue sweet. Burkle also heads up the main supermarket company in the US and controls Golden State Foods, who are the main supplier of food products to McDonalds. (We're not sure what McDonalds does with the food products once it gets them).

Having helped Jackosn with his financial worries, Burkle has now spirited Jacko off to Switzerland to get some therapy, before plonking him down on a yacht:

“Michael is on his way to Switzerland for medical treatments, and then he’s off to spend time on Burkle’s yacht,” says a source close to Jackson. “Ron thinks that Michael needs time to relax and get away from all that kiddie porn and pedophile nonsense.”

You may, if you wish, insert your own "roger the cabin-boy" joke here.

music ron burkle michael jackson