1996 – “TDCAU”, “Stranger In Moscow”, HIStory Tour, “Ghosts”
- January :
Michael recorded the Prison version of the “They Don’t Care About Us” video directed by Spike Lee in New York .
Michael’s nurse & friend Debbie Rowe offers to bear his child. She got pregnant but had a miscarriage.
- January 18 :
Lisa Marie officially filed for divorce.
- January 25 :
Michael went to Motown Café in New York with his make up artist & friend Karen Faye.
- February 10-17 :
Michael went to Rio in to shoot a second version of the “They Don’t Care About Us” video directed by Spike Lee.
- February 18 :
Michael arrived in London .
- February 19 :
Michael performed “Earth Song” at the Brit Awards in London and he received the award of Artist Of A Generation presented by Bob Geldof.
- February 20 :
Controversy began over the “Earth Song” performance. Michael went to Disneyland Paris to spend a few days.
- March :
The single of “They Don’t Care About Us” was released.
Michael discussed working on a three year old new short film project named “Ghost” for the song 2 Bad, directed by Stan Winston and co-written by Stephen King.
- March 14-20 :
Michael was in Paris to visit castles. He stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and at the George 5 Hotel.
- March 19 :
Michael was at a press conference in Paris to announce the launch of Kingdom Entertainment, a Paris based multimedia corporation jointly owned with Saudi Prince Al Walid.
- April :
Michael started filming the “Ghosts” short film in Van Nuys studios, California
- April 28 :
Michael attended a performance of Sisterella, the play he produced in Pasadena, California
- May :
Debbie Rowe was pregnant again with Michael’s baby.
- May 8 :
Michael attended the World Music Awards. He performed “Earth Song” and received 5 awards. At the end of the ceremony he was on stage to hug Diana Ross. He also addresses the controversy over “They Don’t Really Care About Us” claiming to never have been anti-Semitic.
- May 11 :
Michael visited the amusement park Fantasialand near Cologne.
- May 12 :
Michael in London .
- May 13-15 :
Michael visited Castes before flying back to the to resume work on the Ghost short film.
“They Don’t Really Care About Us” was finally released in the US.
- June :
Michael started rehearsing for the History Tour with Kenny Ortega. He also rehearsed for a special concert in Brunei based on the Dangerous Tour concept.
- June 6 :
Michael appeared on MTV Asia’s Channel 5.
- June 7 :
Evan Chandler sued Michael, Lisa Marie, Sony Music, Diane Sayer & ABC Television for breaking the confidential agreement of their 1994 settlement.
- June 24 :
People magazine published a picture of Steven Spielberg visiting Michael on the set of Ghosts.
- Early July :
In Van Nuys, California, Michael recorded the video for “Stranger In Moscow” (directed by Nick Brandt) & “Why” (with the 3T)
- July 13 :
Michael arrived in Brunei
- July 15 :
Michael attended the 5Oth birthday of the Sultan of Brunei.
- July 16 :
For the Sultan’s birthday celebrations, Michael performed his first ever free concert before 60 OOO people at the Jerudong Amusement Park .
- July 18 :
Michael arrived in Johannesburg, where he attended a private birthday for President Nelson Mandela.
- July 19 :
Michael gave a press conference in Sun City to announce concert plans.
- July 20 :
Michael visited Nelson Mandela.
- July 21 :
Michael went to Casablanca, Marocco for concert plans.
- July 22 :
Michael goes to Budapest, Hungary
- July 23 :
Michael went back to the Budapest Hospital with Bela Farkas, the little boy whose life-saving operation was financed by Michael in 1994.
- August :
Michael resumed the History Tour rehearsals in San Bernadino, California .
- Early September :
The singles “Stranger in Moscow” & “Why” were released in Europe .
Michael went to Disneyland Paris with Anton Schleiter, his sister Franceska and the Cascio Kids.
Michael organized the wedding of his Niece Stace Brown (daughter of Rebbie) to Rex Salas in Neverland.
- September 4 :
Michael arrived in Prague to launch the History World Tour.
- September 7 :
Michael performed concert for 130 000 people in Prague .
- September 8 :
Michael arrived in Budapest where he was welcomed by 4000 fans
- September 10 :
Concert in Budapest .
- September 12 :
Michael arrived in Bucharest. He went to a post-revolutionary tour of monuments and orphanages
- September 14 :
Concert in Bucharest .
- September 16 :
Michael arrived in Moscow where he was greeted by the City Mayor.
- September 17
Concert in Moscow .
- September 19 :
Concert in Warsaw
- September 24 :
Concert in Zaragoza
- September 28/30 + October 2 :
Concerts in Amsterdam
- October 2 :
In Holland, Michael launched his own soft drink named Mystery with help from german business man Dieter Wiesner that was introduced to Michael by his longtome bodyguard Wayne Nagin.
- October 3 :
Michael arrived in London to complete work on the soundtrack for the “Ghosts” Short film.
- October 4 :
Michael attended a performance of Oliver at the London Palladium.
- October 6 :
Michael arrived in Tunis where he was welcomed by hundreds of fans. While in Tunis, Michael met and befriends Omer Bhatti, a young Norwegian fan that he decides to take on tour with him.
- October 7 :
Concert in Tunis .
- October 11/13 :
Concerts in Seoul .
- October 18 :
Concert in Taipei
- October 20 :
Concert in Kaoshung
- October 22 :
Concert in Taipei
- October 25 :
Concert in Singapore
- October 27/29 :
Concerts in Kuala Lumpur
- Halloween :
The short film “Ghost”s was premiered in 11 selected Sony cinemas.
- November 1 :
Concert in Bombay
- November 5 :
Concert in Bangkok
- November 6 :
Media learned about Debbie Rowe’s pregnancy.
- November 9/11 :
Concerts in Auckland .
- November 10 :
Michael gave an interview to VH1 answering selected questions by viewers.
- November 14 :
Concert in Sydney. After the show, just after midnight (on the 15th) , Michael married Debbie Rowe in the presidential suit of the Sheraton-on-the-Park Hotel.
Michael denied in a press release the news reports claiming that Debbie had been artificially inseminate
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- November 15 :
Michael & Debbie attended the Australian premiere of Ghosts.
- November 16 :
Concert in Sydney (attended by Debbie)
November 17 :
Michael made an appearance at the Sydney opera house
- November 19 :
Concerts in Bribane
November 22/24 :
Concerts in Melbourne
- November 25 :
Michael visited with sick children at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne .
- November 26 :
Concert in Adelaide
- November 30 + December 2/4 :
Concerts in Perth
- December 5 :
Michael arrived in Manila, Phillipines
- December 8/10 :
Concerts in Manila.
- December 12 :
Michael went to Tower Records in Tokyo to set his hand and signature in plaster for a plaque to be displayed in the store permanently.
- December 13/15/17/20 :
Concerts at the Tokyo Dome.
- December 19 :
Michael attended the Japanese premiere of Ghosts.
Later he received a platinum disc award from Sony Music Japan chairman.
- December 26/28 :
Concerts in Fukuoka .
- December 29 :
Michael left Japan for Brunei
- December 30 :
Michael went to the Jerudong amusement park in Brunei
- December 31 :
Michael spent new years’s eve by performing a free concert in Jerudong Park paid by the Sultan of Brunei.
* This was the last live performance of “I Just Cant Stop Loving You”
Michael Jackson Tribute 