Michael Jackson seems to be settling in to the Persian Gulf. The pop star has shopped for real estate here, been spotted in glitzy malls — and now appears to be interviewing for a job.
Jackson, who was acquitted on child molestation charges in California last year, is negotiating a position as a consultant with a Bahrain-based company that plans to set up theme parks and music academies in the Middle East, according to a press release.
AAJ Holdings Ltd., owned by Ahmed Abu Bakr Janahi, said it wants to hire 47-year-old Jackson to give advice on setting up entertainment businesses.
Jackson’s publicist, Raymone K. Bain, couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
AAJ, which focuses mainly on urban development projects, played a key role in designing Bahrain’s ongoing Financial Harbor development and Oman’s Blue City, a multibillion-dollar tourist resort with golf courses, hotels and several dozen miles of sandy beaches.
“Stagnant architectural structures need content in the form of entertainment to revive them and that’s where Michael Jackson will play an integral role,” the statement said.
Jackson is reportedly building a home in Bahrain, an island nation in the Persian Gulf linked to Saudi Arabia by a bridge.
News reports out of Manama, the Bahraini capital, have quoted Jackson’s publicist as saying the pop star is in the process of finalizing his Hurricane Katrina relief song, which will be released on 2 Seas Records.
Keisha Cole, Ciara, Snoop Dogg, Babyface and R. Kelly are among those taking part in the song, “I Have This Dream,” reports said.
The record label belongs to Sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, a regional governor and the Bahraini king’s son, who is reportedly spearheading the project.