Can all the king’s men put Michael Jackson back together again? Even as the 45-year-old superstar and onetime King of Pop faces charges of child molestation that could land him in prison for more than 20 years, discord has erupted in the ranks of his management team.Sources say the arrival several weeks ago of top Nation of Islam official Leonard Muhammad has touched off a series of internal disputes, leaving a number of close advisers unsure of their future with the star. But uncertainty has become the standard for Jackson’s management. Since his recording career and public image began declining more than a decade ago, the pop singer has run through a slew of accountants, lawyers and other advisers as he searched for strategists who could return him to his commercial and creative 1980s peak.In his wake, he has left a series of lawsuits and disenchanted associates, while finding his remaining lieutenants paralysed by infighting. Jackson ‘‘is his own worst enemy’’, said one longtime friend who spoke on condition of anonymity. The parade of advisers to drift in and out of Jackson’s circle in the last decade runs from entertainment veterans (manager Sandy Gallin and business adviser Marshall Gelfand) to more fringe figures (spoon-bending psychic Uri Geller). Many have been terminated by Jackson, but some quit because he turned a deaf ear to their advice.Either way, none has had much success in bolstering his public image or album sales since 1993, when he was sued for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old boy — a suit that was settled out of court. — (LAT-WP)
