Michael's Death May Kill Jacksons' Reality Show, Not Their Ability to Profit

A&E mulls fate of Jackson family reality special, filmed prior to King of Pop's death, while La Toya cashes in with British tabloids

By Gina Serpe Jul 13, 2009 5:52 PMTags
Rebbie Jackson, Janet Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson, MemorialKevin Mazur/MJ Memorial/Getty Images

It would appear that nothing—not even an internationally mourned death—can stop the Jackson promotional machine from marching on. Though in one (and maybe only one) instance, it may be moving to a slightly less sensationalistic beat.

A&E is currently mulling whether to go ahead with plans to air The Jackson Family, an hour-long reality special that followed Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy Jackson in the months prior to Michael's death, sometime next year.

"We are discussing the direction of the show with the family," a rep for the network told E! News.

No additional footage has been shot since the King of Pop's sudden death last month, though network reps acknowledge that, should the show make it to broadcast, some tonal tweaks may be required.

Well, fingers crossed—after all, if there's one thing the cable airwaves are in dire need of, it's more coverage of the Jacksons.

At any rate, while A&E is holding off on any firm programming decisions just yet, what's clear is that airing the special as is will almost certainly not happen. As the footage was well in the can prior to Jackson's death, zero mention of the headline-grabbing tragedy would be included in the current incarnation of the show.

A narrative problem, if ever there was one.

But should the special make it to air and garner a respectable number of viewers, it could signal the beginning of yet another windfall of Jackson family airtime.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the special, which followed the five brothers as they recorded a new album and prepped for a reunion tour, was originally intended to serve as a backdoor pilot to a possible new reality series chronicling the infamous clan.

Meanwhile, even if the family is unable to parlay the A&E special into a regular prime-time gig, they are already making headway on finding the silver lining in other forms of media.

Over the weekend, La Toya Jackson gave at least one bombshell interview to a British tabloid, not only revealing that Michael's body had fresh needle marks on his neck and arms, but airing her suspicions as to the real cause of her brother's death.

"I believe that Michael was murdered, I felt that from the start," she told the Mail on Sunday.

On the Today show this morning, Mail reporter Caroline Graham said she spent more than four hours interviewing the bereaved sister, but was quick to note that being privy to La Toya's mourning didn't come free of cost.

Graham said the tabloid paid Jackson, who ironically bemoaned her brother's handlers as being "motivated by money," an undisclosed amount for her story.

It remains unclear whether the News of the World, which touted an equally "world exclusive" interview with La Toya over the weekend, offered similar compensation.

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