14 DAY TRIAL // Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston are the two celebrities that are currently being courted by organizer AEG Live to take over Michael Jackson’s residency at London’s O2 Arena in a bid to recoup part of the massive loss it suffered by refunding tickets for Jackson’s “This Is It.” Both singers are reportedly willing to go ahead with the series of shows, especially since it would also accompany the release of new materials, The Telegraph says.
Whitney Houston, it seems, has been on AEG’s wish-list for a very long time, but conflicting schedules have always prevented any plan from coming to fruition. Given that she has a new album coming out in just a few weeks, approaching her to take with Robbie over Michael Jackson’s residency would seem like the logical step at this point. Speaking of which, Williams is reportedly the safe bet of the two at the moment, especially since his career has reached a standstill in recent years.
Williams’ last album not only did not manage to make him a star in the US as well as he tried to, but it also failed to impress anyone else but music critics, who hailed it as nothing short of a masterpiece that was as commercially unviable as it was well accomplished. Following a stint in rehab and plenty of rumors of joining Take That again, the British star quietly retired from the spotlight and worked on his upcoming album, “Reality Killed the Video Star,” set to drop this October.
In this sense, doing the O2 shows would come extraordinarily in handy for Williams, as it would help him promote his album. According to sources in the industry, the London stint would also mark the beginning of a European tour that Williams is said to kick off later next year, also in support of the album. The only thing that is missing right now is official confirmation from Houston’s and Williams’ publicists, or directly from AEG, reports in the British media are saying.
“AEG refunded all tickets after the King of Pop’s death last month and faced a bill of up to £300 million for the cancelled concerts. Yesterday a source at the US entertainment giant indicated that Williams and Houston were ready to step in. ‘Robbie’s eagerly-awaited album will be out soon and he is likely to be touring Europe next year. It will be perfect for him to start with shows at the O2,’ they told the Evening Standard. ‘Whitney Houston has been on our wish-list for a while – she has the voice and the hits to sell the arena out several times over.’” The Telegraph writes.
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