Wednesday, May 05, 2004
TheStar.com - A day in the life of Janet
A day in the life of Janet
Jackson shows flogging a new CD is a lot of work
Morning radio, night TV concerts, even a short nap
ASHANTE INFANTRY
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
Last time Janet Jackson was in town, three years ago, it was on the heels of the demise of her secret eight-year marriage to Rene Elizondo. She spent about nine hours here trying to dodge questions about her personal life while promoting her CD All For You, which debuted at No. 1 and sold more than 600,000 copies in its first week.
This time around, the elephant in the room is her right breast — the one outed at the Super Bowl. In addition, there's her brother Michael. It's all got to make it tough to face the media.
But she has no choice: Critics haven't been kind to her new CD Damita Jo, which only hit No. 2 on the charts and sold about 381,000 copies out the gate. So she's flaunting her wares in T.O. in a 45-hour PR blitz. Here's a minute-by-minute account of yesterday.
7:45 A.M.: Most entertainment reporters worth their salt haven't even cracked the blinds at this forsaken hour, but the day's biggest prey, pop singer Janet Jackson is already out the door of her posh Yorkville hotel.
Less than 10 hours after arriving from New York in a private jet, the 5-foot-2 singer and her personal bodyguard hop into a black SUV for the drive to CHUM-FM, where she is expected on Roger, Rick and Marilyn's morning show.
Her manager and a pair of record company publicists follow in another vehicle, and an advance security man is already in position at the Yonge St. station.
Although Jackson has been known to travel with a makeup artist, hairstylist, wardrobe stylist and trainer, this morning she applied her own lipstick and powder and selected loose jeans, a tight white crop top, black boots and sunglasses.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:03 a.m.: Half a dozen admirers — earnest fans and professional autograph seekers — are gathered behind the CHUM-FM building. They shout her name and she waves before slipping through the back door.
The banter with the trio of radio personalities centres on her new album Damita Jo, but not about how its sales have lagged behind 2001's All for You.
There are no probing questions about Michael, despite fresh reports about items seized by prosecutors in his child-sex case. Instead the hosts discover that in addition to older brother Jackie, it's also her mother Katherine's birthday.
The singer ducks when girls' girl Marilyn Denis tries to get the scoop on her current beau, producer Jermaine Dupri.
"You guys are embarrassing me," she begs off in a soft mewl, but later reveals that she met Dupri when he completed a remix for her previous album.
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8:41 a.m.: Jackson acknowledges that she occasionally forgets her song lyrics, but considers the teleprompters used by some artists "tacky."
In between calls from fans, Rick tells her about Canada's legalization of gay marriage and relaxing of marijuana laws and asks her to comment on America's current swing to the right.
"Instead of moving ahead we seem to be moving back," she opines.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:13 a.m.: Jackson and her group arrive at Mix 99.9 FM where she makes a restroom stop and tapes a 15-minute segment with morning show mavericks Humble and Fred.
Although this appearance wasn't publicized, the groupies have managed to find her. They keep a hopeful vigil in the back laneway, waving albums and posters as her vehicle pulls off.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10:20 a.m.: At Flow 93.5 FM, there are four paid duty officers to keep fans at bay.
Ms. Jackson plays the word association game with the Morning Rush and responds to a caller who wants to know when the turning-38-later-this-month Jackson — sporting a gigantic yellow diamond on the marital digit — is going to have children.
"When I was younger I wanted a big family, like 10 kids, then came at time when I didn't want any," she says. "Now it's changed again."
While the station's senior staff hover in the distance with faux nonchalance, she slips on a black Flow T-shirt and poses for snaps with the on-air hosts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1:30 p.m.: Jackson rises from a nap, orders room service and summons makeup artist Tym Buacharern, who has worked with her for seven years. (His clients include Cher, Annie Lennox and Tina Turner.)
"She has amazing skin and with a face like that you don't need much," says Buacharern whose half-hour regime ends with an application of her "favourite, favourite" lip colour — orange by Stila.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3:55 p.m.: When Jackson arrives at MuchMusic to co-host MuchOnDemand, her entourage has swelled to include her aesthetic team, five dancers and a half-dozen local security guards.
Hundreds of screaming teens and a line of media photographers wait for her to enter the TV studio for the interactive program that will meld her music videos with questions from the hosts and audience.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5:15 p.m.: Dressed in jeans, an orange top, distressed denim jacket and cap, she blushes and giggles, chewing gum and rarely breaking out of a whisper.
She comes off more like a naive schoolgirl than who she really is — a savvy, twice-divorced businesswoman who has a pierced nipple and coos the MF word on one of her new songs.
"I feel more comfortable onstage, I'm not fond of speaking," explained Jackson, whose most startling revelation was that her rippling abs were courtesy of three sets of a mere 15 sit-ups every other day.
Finally she escapes to the stage, where she is joined by her dancers to perform Damita Jo's "Just A Little While."
Then it's dinnertime.
A day in the life of Janet
Jackson shows flogging a new CD is a lot of work
Morning radio, night TV concerts, even a short nap
ASHANTE INFANTRY
ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
Last time Janet Jackson was in town, three years ago, it was on the heels of the demise of her secret eight-year marriage to Rene Elizondo. She spent about nine hours here trying to dodge questions about her personal life while promoting her CD All For You, which debuted at No. 1 and sold more than 600,000 copies in its first week.
This time around, the elephant in the room is her right breast — the one outed at the Super Bowl. In addition, there's her brother Michael. It's all got to make it tough to face the media.
But she has no choice: Critics haven't been kind to her new CD Damita Jo, which only hit No. 2 on the charts and sold about 381,000 copies out the gate. So she's flaunting her wares in T.O. in a 45-hour PR blitz. Here's a minute-by-minute account of yesterday.
7:45 A.M.: Most entertainment reporters worth their salt haven't even cracked the blinds at this forsaken hour, but the day's biggest prey, pop singer Janet Jackson is already out the door of her posh Yorkville hotel.
Less than 10 hours after arriving from New York in a private jet, the 5-foot-2 singer and her personal bodyguard hop into a black SUV for the drive to CHUM-FM, where she is expected on Roger, Rick and Marilyn's morning show.
Her manager and a pair of record company publicists follow in another vehicle, and an advance security man is already in position at the Yonge St. station.
Although Jackson has been known to travel with a makeup artist, hairstylist, wardrobe stylist and trainer, this morning she applied her own lipstick and powder and selected loose jeans, a tight white crop top, black boots and sunglasses.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:03 a.m.: Half a dozen admirers — earnest fans and professional autograph seekers — are gathered behind the CHUM-FM building. They shout her name and she waves before slipping through the back door.
The banter with the trio of radio personalities centres on her new album Damita Jo, but not about how its sales have lagged behind 2001's All for You.
There are no probing questions about Michael, despite fresh reports about items seized by prosecutors in his child-sex case. Instead the hosts discover that in addition to older brother Jackie, it's also her mother Katherine's birthday.
The singer ducks when girls' girl Marilyn Denis tries to get the scoop on her current beau, producer Jermaine Dupri.
"You guys are embarrassing me," she begs off in a soft mewl, but later reveals that she met Dupri when he completed a remix for her previous album.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:41 a.m.: Jackson acknowledges that she occasionally forgets her song lyrics, but considers the teleprompters used by some artists "tacky."
In between calls from fans, Rick tells her about Canada's legalization of gay marriage and relaxing of marijuana laws and asks her to comment on America's current swing to the right.
"Instead of moving ahead we seem to be moving back," she opines.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:13 a.m.: Jackson and her group arrive at Mix 99.9 FM where she makes a restroom stop and tapes a 15-minute segment with morning show mavericks Humble and Fred.
Although this appearance wasn't publicized, the groupies have managed to find her. They keep a hopeful vigil in the back laneway, waving albums and posters as her vehicle pulls off.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10:20 a.m.: At Flow 93.5 FM, there are four paid duty officers to keep fans at bay.
Ms. Jackson plays the word association game with the Morning Rush and responds to a caller who wants to know when the turning-38-later-this-month Jackson — sporting a gigantic yellow diamond on the marital digit — is going to have children.
"When I was younger I wanted a big family, like 10 kids, then came at time when I didn't want any," she says. "Now it's changed again."
While the station's senior staff hover in the distance with faux nonchalance, she slips on a black Flow T-shirt and poses for snaps with the on-air hosts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1:30 p.m.: Jackson rises from a nap, orders room service and summons makeup artist Tym Buacharern, who has worked with her for seven years. (His clients include Cher, Annie Lennox and Tina Turner.)
"She has amazing skin and with a face like that you don't need much," says Buacharern whose half-hour regime ends with an application of her "favourite, favourite" lip colour — orange by Stila.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3:55 p.m.: When Jackson arrives at MuchMusic to co-host MuchOnDemand, her entourage has swelled to include her aesthetic team, five dancers and a half-dozen local security guards.
Hundreds of screaming teens and a line of media photographers wait for her to enter the TV studio for the interactive program that will meld her music videos with questions from the hosts and audience.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5:15 p.m.: Dressed in jeans, an orange top, distressed denim jacket and cap, she blushes and giggles, chewing gum and rarely breaking out of a whisper.
She comes off more like a naive schoolgirl than who she really is — a savvy, twice-divorced businesswoman who has a pierced nipple and coos the MF word on one of her new songs.
"I feel more comfortable onstage, I'm not fond of speaking," explained Jackson, whose most startling revelation was that her rippling abs were courtesy of three sets of a mere 15 sit-ups every other day.
Finally she escapes to the stage, where she is joined by her dancers to perform Damita Jo's "Just A Little While."
Then it's dinnertime.
