Michael Jackson is settling in to his new life in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. He seems to be enjoying the freedom he never had in the celebrity goldfish bowl of Los Angeles. He has kept a low profile for many months, after surviving his emotional and exhausting court battle last year. He has invested in property in Bahrain and regularly goes shopping at glitzy boutiques and malls. He is also in the process of applying for a regular job. He is currently having interviews to get the position of entertainment consultant with a company based in Bahrain that is connected to the Bahraini royal family.

The company, AAJ Holdings, plans to create theme parks and music academies in the Middle East. CEO Ahmed Abu Bakr Janahi wants to make Bahrain one of the world’s leading entertainment and leisure centers. He believes Jackson could play a vital role in making his ambitious plans work. A company press release suggests Jackson’s talent would be essential in adding the necessary creativity to the project. It says, “Michael Jackson will play an integral role.” Jackson is also still sticking to his singing roots by recording a Hurricane Katrina relief song. It will be released on a Bahraini record label.

WARM-UPS

1. MICHAEL JACKSON: Talk to other students to find out what they know about Michael Jackson. After you have talked to lots of students, sit down with your partner(s) and share your information. Tell each other what you thought was interesting or surprising. What else would you like to know?

2. CELEBRITY JOBS: With your partner(s), decide on new jobs for these people. Do you think they’d be good at the jobs?

Michael Jackson Brad Pitt Kofi Annan Mariah Carey Venus Williams

Pervez Musharraf Condoleezza Rice Fidel Castro Ronaldo Kate Moss

3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Settling in / Persian Gulf / goldfish bowls / Los Angeles / court battles / luxury / glitz / consultants / royal families / theme parks / ambitions / roots / entertainment

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. SPECULATE: In pairs / groups, speculate on the story in the article. Use the words in the “Chat” section to help you. Change partners and compare your stories. Try to agree on how each of the above words relate to the story in the article.

5. SENTENCE STARTERS: In pairs / groups, agree on endings to the following sentence starters. Change partners and talk about your sentences.

1. Michael Jackson is _________________________________________________.
2. Michael Jackson should _____________________________________________.
3. Michael Jackson promotes ___________________________________________.
4. Michael Jackson did ________________________________________________.
5. Michael Jackson must ______________________________________________.
6. Michael Jackson can’t ______________________________________________.

6. ENTERTAINMENT: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “entertainment”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Michael Jackson is interviewing people to find a new Michael Jackson.	T / F
b.	Los Angeles can be like living in a goldfish bowl for celebrities.	T / F
c.	Michael Jackson never goes shopping.	T / F
d.	Jackson may work as a consultant for a Bahrain-based company.	T / F
e.	The company wants to open a Michael Jackson museum in Bahrain.	T / F
f.	The company plans to make Bahrain an entertainment center.	T / F
g.	The company said Jackson would add necessary management skills.	T / F
h.	Michael Jackson is currently recording a Hurricane Katrina relief song.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	settling in	beginnings
b.	seems	expensive
c.	exhausting	essential
d.	glitzy	hubs
e.	connected	adjusting
f.	plans	issued
g.	centers	linked
h.	vital	appears
i.	roots	intends
j.	released	tiring

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	settling in	at glitzy boutiques
b.	the celebrity goldfish	profile for many months
c.	He has kept a low	entertainment and leisure centers
d.	regularly goes shopping	for a regular job
e.	in the process of applying	to his singing roots
f.	one of the world’s leading	to his new life
g.	believes Jackson could play	bowl of Los Angeles
h.	essential in adding the	on a Bahraini record label
i.	Jackson is also still sticking	necessary creativity
j.	It will be released	a vital role

WHILE READING / LISTENING

WORD ORDER: Put the underlined words back into the correct order.

Michael Jackson in job interview

Michael Jackson is in new to settling life his in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. He seems to the freedom be enjoying he never had in the celebrity goldfish bowl of Los Angeles. He has low a profile kept for many months, after surviving his emotional and battle last court exhausting year. He has invested in property in Bahrain and regularly goes shopping at glitzy boutiques and malls. He is also in for applying the process of a regular job. He is currently having interviews to get the position of entertainment consultant with a company based in Bahrain that is connected to the Bahraini royal family.

The company, AAJ Holdings, parks theme to create plans and music academies in the Middle East. CEO Ahmed Abu Bakr Janahi Bahrain wants one to make of the world’s leading entertainment and leisure centers. He believes Jackson could role in a vital play making his ambitious plans work. A company press release suggests Jackson’s talent adding would be the essential in necessary creativity to the project. It says, “Michael Jackson will play an integral role.” Jackson is also still sticking to his singing roots by recording a Hurricane Katrina relief song. It released on a will be Bahraini record label.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Michael Jackson in job interview

Michael Jackson is _________ in to his new life in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. He seems to be enjoying the freedom he never had in the celebrity _________ bowl of Los Angeles. He has kept a low ________ for many months, after surviving his emotional and exhausting court battle last year. He has invested in property in Bahrain and regularly goes shopping at ________ boutiques and malls. He is also in the process of applying for a regular job. He is currently having interviews to get the ________ of entertainment consultant with a company based in Bahrain that is __________ to the Bahraini royal family.

The company, AAJ Holdings, plans to create theme parks and music __________ in the Middle East. CEO Ahmed Abu Bakr Janahi wants to make Bahrain one of the world’s leading entertainment and __________ centers. He believes Jackson could play a _______ role in making his ambitious plans work. A company press release suggests Jackson’s talent would be essential in adding the necessary ___________ to the project. It says, “Michael Jackson will play an integral role.” Jackson is also still sticking to his singing _______ by recording a Hurricane Katrina ________ song. It will be released on a Bahraini record label.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘gold’ and ‘fish’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. WORD ORDER: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers.

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “NEW LIFE” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about starting a new life in another country.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

new bowl battle process position connected

create centers vital necessary roots label

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Do you like to know what’s going on in Michael Jackson’s life?
3. What do you think life as Michael Jackson would be like?
4. Do you think he made a good decision by moving to Bahrain?
5. Do you think it’s possible for Michael Jackson to have a normal life?
6. What things do you think superstars miss about living normal lives?
7. Do you think you would miss those same things?
8. How do you think Michael Jackson would do in a 9-to-5 consultancy job?
9. Are you looking forward to hearing Michael Jackson’s new song?
10. Have you ever been an integral or essential part of something?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. Do like Michael Jackson?
4. Would you like to see him make a musical comeback?
5. Would you like to move overseas and start a new life?
6. What do you think of the idea of Bahrain rivaling Hollywood or Bollywood as an entertainment center?
7. Do you think Michael Jackson will be successful in the AAJ Holdings business venture?
8. What questions would you like to ask Michael Jackson?
9. What do you think his answers would be?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
2. Was there a question you didn’t like?
3. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
4. What did you like talking about?
5. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

FAMOUS CAREERS: You are a famous person career adviser. It is your job to put famous people into new careers. Discuss which career would suit the people below (or those of your own choosing). Decide on their strengths in doing the job and the things they are likely to achieve.

FAMOUS PERSON	CAREER	STRENGTHS	ACHIEVEMENTS
Bono (U2 singer)
Kate Moss (supermodel)
Fidel Castro
Kofi Annan
Condoleezza Rice

Change partners and talk about your career guidance choices. Give each other feedback on your choices. Decide which of the careers you chose for the famous people is best.

Return to your original partner(s) and talk about what you discussed with your other partner(s).

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on Michael Jackson’s job hunting. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson. Did you all find out similar things?

3. NEW LIFE: Write an essay about the new life you would like to have in a new country. Show your essay to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all write about similar things?

4. A DAY IN THE LIFE: You are Michael Jackson. Write an account of one day in your life. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Did everyone have similar days?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. T

c. F

d. T

e. F

f. T

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	settling in	adjusting
b.	seems	appears
c.	exhausting	tiring
d.	glitzy	expensive
e.	connected	linked
f.	plans	intends
g.	centers	hubs
h.	vital	essential
i.	roots	beginnings
j.	released	issued

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	settling in	to his new life
b.	the celebrity goldfish	bowl of Los Angeles
c.	He has kept a low	profile for many months
d.	regularly goes shopping	at glitzy boutiques
e.	in the process of applying	for a regular job
f.	one of the world’s leading	entertainment and leisure centers
g.	believes Jackson could play	a vital role
h.	essential in adding the	necessary creativity
i.	Jackson is also still sticking	to his singing roots
j.	It will be released	on a Bahraini record label

WORD ORDER:

Michael Jackson in job interview

Michael Jackson is settling in to his new life in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. He seems to be enjoying the freedom he never had in the celebrity goldfish bowl of Los Angeles. He has kept a low profile for many months, after surviving his emotional and exhausting court battle last year. He has invested in property in Bahrain and regularly goes shopping at glitzy boutiques and malls. He is also in the process of applying for a regular job. He is currently having interviews to get the position of entertainment consultant with a company based in Bahrain that is connected to the Bahraini royal family.

The company, AAJ Holdings, plans to create theme parks and music academies in the Middle East. CEO Ahmed Abu Bakr Janahi wants to make Bahrain one of the world’s leading entertainment and leisure centers. He believes Jackson could play a vital role in making his ambitious plans work. A company press release suggests Jackson’s talent would be essential in adding the necessary creativity to the project. It says, “Michael Jackson will play an integral role.” Jackson is also still sticking to his singing roots by recording a Hurricane Katrina relief song. It will be released on a Bahraini record label.

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