Phillips Testifies In MJ Trial

Randy Phillips, co-CEO of AEG Live and producer of what would have been Michael Jackson’s 50-show London residency, testified about preparations for the extravaganza and MJ’s health Oct. 25 as a witness in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray in Los Angeles.

In about two hours on the stand, Phillips laid out a timeline of the ill-fated “This Is It!” concert series beginning with his first conversations with Jackson about reviving his touring career and ending at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center with MJ’s death.

Phillips recounted his last words with Jackson, as the pair walked to the superstar’s car in the loading area of Staples Center after one of his final rehearsals.

“He put his hands on my shoulders as we were walking out and he said to me, ‘You got me here, now I’m ready. I can take it from here.’ And that’s the last I saw him,” Phillips testified.

Questions about AEG’s contract with Jackson were disallowed in a ruling by Judge Michael Pastor prior to Phillips’ testimony. It was a blow to Murray’s defense, which had hoped to portray Jackson as fearful of having “the plug pulled” on the residency.

“No one on our end was ever contemplating pulling the plug,” Phillips said.

In what was portrayed as a blow to the defense, Phillips said Dr. Murray told him that Jackson was healthy, and Phillips had no reason to think otherwise. Also, in what could be a major blow to Joe Jackson’s wrongful death lawsuit against AEG, Phillips mapped out how Jackson was insistent upon having Murray as his doctor even though Phillips – and previously AEG’s Paul Gongaware – testified that they preferred Jackson use a doctor based in London.

Jackson’s motivation for doing such a massive residency was in part to break Prince’s record for a single residency series at London’s O2 Arena, but primarily in order to achieve family stability after years of “living like vagabonds,” Phillips said.

“He was very specific,” Phillips testified. “He wanted 16-plus acres, running streams, horses. He wanted to give them a pastoral country vibe.” Jackson’s only other conditions for the residency were that Phillips have the run documented by the Guinness Book of World Records, and bring Murray to London as MJ’s private physician.

While the defense suggested that AEG and Phillips pressured Jackson into agreeing to more than 10 shows originally scheduled, Phillips pointed out that only 10 shows were initially announced, but 31 shows were always planned. He added that Jackson agreed to 19 more shows “in 20 minutes.”

Murray assured Phillips that Jackson was in excellent health, but director Kenny Ortega had expressed concerns about MJ’s lack of “focus” in rehearsals. In one discussion with Murray, Phillips informed the doctor that Jackson was also being treated by dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein.

Phillips recounted a production meeting with Jackson during which the superstar seemed distracted and unfocused. Jackson’s personal assistant later informed Phillips that the singer had just seen the dermatologist.

However, Jackson appeared to have regained that focus in the June 23-24 rehearsals just before he died, Phillips said.

“I had goose bumps,” Phillips said of watching Jackson’s final rehearsal. “And I am as cynical as you can be about this business.”

Testimony was interrupted several times with prosecution objections to questions related to AEG’s 42-page contract with Jackson. In Pastor’s earlier ruling he said discussion of the contract would distract and confuse jurors.