1976 - A week after Michael gave his deposition, the versatility in the appeal of the Jackson 5 was evidenced by two separate television appearances that happened to be broadcast on the same day, Saturday, January 24, 1976. In the afternoon, they could be seen as the featured guests in their fourth appearance on Soul Train.

That night, they made their third appearance on the Carol Burnett Show. Carol sings Anybody Named Jackson Is a Friend of Mine in this ninth-season episode of her long-running CBS variety show, only to be joined by five people named Jackson- the Jackson Five- who launch into Forever Came Today. Michael and his brothers return later in the show to perform Body Language with Vicki. Other highlights include the skit "Washington *****" (with Harvey as a senator, Carol as his unpredictable wife and Tim Conway as his campaign manager) and "Swiped Life" (a spoof of A Stolen Life, the 1946 Bette Davis-Glenn Ford movie about twins, one naughty, one nice). The closing number features Carol's Charwoman cleaning up a three-ring circus, pretending to be the star of various acts. She is joined in pantomime by legendary clown Emmett Kelly, who takes a seat while she signs "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "Look for the Silver Lining."

The group was still performing under the name "Jackson 5″ for the time being, while they waited for their contract to expire in March.

1979 - The Jacksons kick off the European leg of the Destiny World Tour in Germany with 3 concerts in Bremen.

The Jacksons performing Blame It On The Boogie

1984 - The shooting of the first Pepsi commercial began.

Michael & The Jacksons shoot a Pepsi commercial named Street directed by Bob Giraldi and featuring the group dancing in the street with a bunch of kids, including Alfonso Ribeiro & Siggy Jackson on a Pepsi version of Billie Jean.

One of the children is dressed as Michael from his Beat It video and is imitating moves when he moonwalks into the real thing. Young Alfonso Ribeiro looks absolutely astonished as he looks up into the eyes of the real Michael Jackson. The commercial ends with Alfonso and his friends joining Michael and the rest of the Jackson brothers in song and dance:

You're a whole new generation You're dancing' through the day You're grabbin' for the magic on the run You're whole new generation You're loving what you do Put a Pepsi into motion The choice is up to you Hey Hey you're the Pepsi Generation Guzzle down and taste the thrill of the day And feel the Pepsi way Taste the thrill of the day And feel the Pepsi way You're a whole new generation

The US$ 5 million endorsement contract was signed on November 11, 1983 between Michael Jackson, The Jacksons and Pepsi-Cola, involving sponsorship of the "Victory" tour and two TV commercials.

Michael lent his music to Billie Jean for use in the commercial, helped write the Pepsi lyrics, and performed the new jingle in the ad, but had it stated in his contract with Pepsi that he would not be filmed drinking, or even holding a bottle of Pepsi. It become a well known fact that Michael doesn't drink Pepsi. He has long been vegetarian and only eats and drinks natural foods. Bottled water, fruit juice, and carrot juice being among the few things he does drink.

1985 - After a day of rest, Jones shipped Richie and Jackson's vocal guide to all of the artists who would be involved in "We Are the World"'s recording. Enclosed in the package was a letter from Jones, addressed to "My Fellow Artists":

The cassettes are numbered, and I can't express how important it is not to let this material out of your hands. Please do not make copies, and return this cassette the night of the 28th. In the years to come, when your children ask, 'What did mommy and daddy do for the war against world famine?', you can say proudly, this was your contribution.

1989 - After only 2 weeks on release, "Moonwalker" is reported to have outsold "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller". With this, Michael broke his own record, pushing "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller" to the second position. Up to today, "Moonwalker" is the biggest-selling music video of all time followed by "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller" as the second biggest-selling music video of all time.

With this, Michael made history again. He holds the top 2 positions for the most selling music videos of all time.

1997 - Michael spends few days resting at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, France


2007 - Michael has dinner with casino mogul Steve Wynn in a private room at Alex restaurant at the Wynn in Las Vegas as speculation grows the King of Pop will launch a comeback in Las Vegas.

Michael's friendship with Wynn, who transformed Siegfried and Roy into international stars with a performance at The Mirage - dates back decades. Michael was often a guest of Wynn at The Mirage, there were even talks to him to bring the singer to Las Vegas.