Off The Sandwall: Michael Jackson Sued By Sheikh

It's been a heavy few months in the news. We had a big presidential race. Russia's foreign policy showed unnerving signs of boldness. The economy teetered on the brink of full collapse.

So you'll excuse us for briefly forgetting that a certain Michael Jackson has been faithfully continuing his bizarre lifepath while we were all too shellshocked to notice. The latest news from MJ-Land? He is being sued. Which, in itself, is not so bizarre.

Except that the plaintiff is a son of the King Of Bahrain.

Which makes this all far more interesting that it otherwise would be. Here's the gist: Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, a bigwig in Bahrain, became pals with Jackson following his 2005 acquittal on child abuse charges. He put up a grateful Jackson, allowing MJ to escape the watchful eyes of the US media. He also put up Jackson's kids, plus his personal staff. That's nice.

He also wrote some songs and presented them to Michael. That's right - the Sheikh wrote some jams, and wanted MJ to record them. One was a Katrina single meant to benefit victims. This recording made some news a couple of years ago but was never released. Why? Who knows. Probably, Jackson thought the song was a stinker.

But the Sheikh kept writing, in the hopes that Jackson would record the songs, revive his career, and elevate the Sheikh to Quincy Jones status in the United Arab Emirates. But it wasn't to be: Jackson split, and no new songs were recorded.

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