Jackson Resurfaces With Plan for Charity Song

As Michael Jackson watched the destruction of New Orleans from a palace in the distant desert kingdom of Bahrain, he saw an opportunity to help others -- and has since been trying to organize an all-star charity recording that just may end up helping his flagging career as well.

Jackson, who has kept a low profile since his acquittal on child molestation charges four months ago, said through his publicist that his planned single to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina would include vocal contributions from Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, James Brown, Lenny Kravitz, R. Kelly and others. Representatives for Brown and Kelly said they had agreed to take part; efforts to confirm the participation of the others were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Jackson, who has been a houseguest of Sheik Salman ibn Hamed Khalifa, the crown prince of Bahrain, will record the song on the prince’s record label, 2 Seas Records. The track’s working title is “From the Bottom of Our Heart.” The undertaking is in the mold of “We Are the World,” the 1984 tune that Jackson co-wrote to help famine victims in Africa. Not only did that No. 1 single help raise $50 million for famine relief, it added to Jackson’s career luster at a time when he towered over pop music.

This time, Jackson might be getting a career boost by standing with Jay-Z, Carey and Kelly. Jackson’s last album, 2001’s “Invincible,” was a middling success compared with the singer’s glory days of the 1980s.

“He is still Michael Jackson and he will always get attention for what he does. But those are some people who are hot right now and that wouldn’t hurt him to be part of,” said Emmanuel “E-Man” Coquia, music director of Power 106, the top L.A. hip-hop radio station.

The project may raise some eyebrows simply because it has Jackson’s name on it.

“To be fair, he has a personal history of charitable works like this so it’s not as if this is some person making a desperate effort to rehabilitate his career by suddenly reshaping himself as a philanthropist,” said Allan Mayer, managing director of Sitrick & Co., a crisis public relations firm that has worked with Rush Limbaugh, Paula Poundstone, Halle Berry and other celebrities with legal troubles.

“The problem is, we live in such a cynical age that it really doesn’t matter what his intentions are; this will be viewed in cynical terms.”

Although “We Are the World” was a memorable music moment, Jackson misfired with another charity single; after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Jackson announced that he would lead an all-star collective on the song “What More Can I Give.” That project unraveled, in part because of revelations that its guiding hand, Jackson confidant F. Marc Schaffel, had been a filmmaker in the porn industry.

As for the current undertaking, “the where and when are not determined yet,” Jackson spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain said. “Those decisions are being made as we speak.... We’re trying to find a place that is the most convenient for all of these people that are ready to be part of it.”