WHAT’S IN A TITLE?

Nearly lost in the recent announcement about Michael Jackson’s business partnership with his longtime friend, the international financier Prince Alwaleed, was that the singer seems to be testing out a new title. In a press release about the new venture, the erstwhile King of Pop is billed as--fanfare, please--”The World’s Most Famous Man.”

Jackson’s representatives offered no explanation for the new appellation, but we have a couple of theories:

While “The World’s Most Famous Man” sounds no less fatuous than King of Pop, it’s a lot harder to dispute--Jackson possibly is the most recognized figure around the globe. But it could be that Jackson was merely suffering from a case of title envy, jealous of his partner, whose full name is His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.