Who Is Philip Anschutz?
by Matt Haber Portfolio.com Aug 07 2009 The shadowy billionaire, who hasn’t spoken on the record since 1974, is trying to lock in Jackson film and keep the Weekly Standard in print. Throughout his career, Michael Jackson surrounded himself with unusual characters, from Marlon Brando to Bubbles the chimp. As his life was subsumed in controversy and financial difficulties, Jackson took on surprising advisers, like members of the Nation of Islam, orthodox-rabbi-turned-reality-show-host (and advocate of something called The Kosher Sutra) Shmuley Boteach, and Saudi prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Late in life, Jackson may have found his most mysterious—and lucrative—partner in Philip Anschutz, the Denver-based billionaire who has made money in everything from oil to telecom to movie-making and -distribution. The two men couldn’t be more different: One a child star who grew up to become possibly the world’s most flamboyant and famous performer, but whose life imploded amid
