Michael Jackson, Madonna Passed On Tribute

Michael Jackson was apparently negotiating to be part of "America: Tribute to Heroes," but ultimately passed, according to the New York Daily News. It appears that although Jackson feels he was snubbed, he wanted to perform "Cry" from his forthcoming album Invincible to help promote it while the producers wanted him to perform an older song.

The real problem came down to the inclusion of the song on the forthcoming album from the tribute, where all artists donated their song to help benefit the victims' families. The News reports that Jackson did not want the relief CD's versions of "Cry" "cannibalizing profits from Invincible.

The album will be released on Universal in the United States and on Sony internationally.

The paper also states that Madonna passed on being on the program; she did however, donate proceeds from three Los Angeles concerts held after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.

The News further reports that Destiny's Child and Backstreet Boys were politely rejected possibly due to time constraints for the two-hour telethon which ran just a few minutes over two hours.