Epic Bets Jackson Still Has Appeal

Talk about strange timing.

A new Michael Jackson home video, “Dangerous: The Short Films,” is due out on Tuesday, on Epic Video, priced at $20.

Obviously, it’s not being released in a very positive atmosphere for the King of Pop. Currently in hiding, Jackson isn’t exactly Mr. Wholesome these days, what with those child-molestation allegations and his admitted drug addiction.

Is he the hero he used to be to his young fans? Do parents still want their kids to idolize him? Epic Video is betting that the answer to these questions is yes--that Michaelmania still lives.

Though originally scheduled to come out in January of this year, the release has been delayed continually because of changes Jackson kept making. Anxious to have the video on the market for the gift-buying season, Epic is clearly operating on the notion that any publicity is good publicity.

“We’re hoping Michael has a huge fan base that won’t judge him by what has happened,” said Dan Beck, vice president of product marketing for Epic Records, which is Jackson’s label. “We’re hoping fans will look at this strictly as an excellent entertainment package and that they won’t be swayed by factors outside of his status as an entertainer.”

The package, centered around seven videos of songs from his “Dangerous” album, is two hours of odds and ends, some never seen in this country (like the “Who Is It?” video) and some pieces never seen at all. It’s mostly music, with behind-the-scenes footage from the making of videos like “Black or White,” “Remember the Time” and “In the Closet.”

Also included are two versions of “Heal the World,” segments from his appearances on awards shows, his controversial “Black or White” video--featuring the notorious dance sequence, but with a new twist--and a featurette examining the furor over that video. Two Pepsi commercials are in the package, too.

Regarding advertising, Beck said so far most of it has been at the retail store level, but newspaper ads are scheduled to start appearing this weekend, with TV ads to come later.

“We’re in a situation that keeps changing from day to day,” Beck explained. “Some decisions about advertising will be made as we go along, based on Michael’s needs. But for the most part, it’s business as usual. We’re not going to do anything extraordinarily different.”

Though it’s possible some retailers might not want to stock the video in light of the scandal, executives from two of the nation’s top video outlets--Tower’s John Thrasher and Blockbuster’s Ron Castell--said their stores would carry it.

Added Thrasher: “It’s good business to stock this video. His other videos continue to sell even though music videos in general haven’t been doing that well. Most videos pretty much stop selling after a few months but his just keep on selling.”

But Thrasher doesn’t rule out the possibility of a backlash.

“Could be this one won’t sell like the others,” he said. “With the way this situation keeps changing, it could take a turn for the worse. But it could get better, too--who knows?”

Beck agreed that the scandal hasn’t really spurred a slide in sales of any Jackson product. “That’s why it made sense to go ahead with the video release,” he explained. “If people had clearly stopped buying Michael’s CDs and videos, we might have reconsidered putting out a new video.”

“Dangerous: The Short Films” is also being distributed in foreign countries in response to a demand that Beck described as enormous.

The laser disc, priced at $30, is due out Dec. 7.

What’s New on Video

“Free Willy” (Warner, $25): Relentlessly manipulative, sentimental hokum with strong appeal to kids--but also to adults primed to have their heartstrings tugged. A 12-year-old street kid (Jason James Richter) befriends a killer whale named Willy who’s a star in a marine park show but longs to be splashing free in the ocean.

“Cliffhanger” (Columbia TriStar, no set price): Some gripping sequences highlight this action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone as the head of a mountain-rescue team that tangles with crooks (John Lithgow plays the head thug) searching for lost loot. Smart to fast-forward from action scene to action scene to avoid what’s in between--one-dimensional characters trading banal dialogue. Action sequences not quite as dazzling on the small screen but still effective.

“American Heart” (LIVE, $93): Grimly realistic, downer of a drama about a surly ex-con (Jeff Bridges) who grudgingly grows close to his unhappy teen-aged son (Edward Furlong) in a seedy section of Seattle. Ignored by movie audiences because it’s so glum, but worth a look because Bridges--an expert at playing losers with big dreams--gives arguably the best performance of his career.

“Lost in Yonkers” (Columbia TriStar, no set price): A Neil Simon drama, which he adapted to the screen from his play, set in World War II New York. Predictable, often maudlin soap opera with some obvious messages. A child-like woman (Mercedes Ruehl) and two spirited youngsters (Brad Stoli and Mike Bamus) struggle against the oppressive control of a dictatorial matriarch (Irene Worth). Richard Dreyfuss co-stars as the kids’ gambler uncle.