Michael Jackson Interviews and News #2 ~ Because He Was a Genius and We Will Always Have News About Him
Latest News:
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Having already received multiple nominations for the Grammys, CMAs and MTV VMAs, Taylor Swift can now add a few more accolades to her collection.
On Tuesday, the country star, 19, received five American Music Awards nominations – including favorite female country music artist, favorite female pop artist and artist of the year.
Michael Jackson was another top nominee, with five nominations, followed by rapper Eminem who nabbed four. Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon and T.I. each received three.
Paula Abdul, American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert and Snoop Dogg revealed the nominees and the show's performance lineup, which includes Lambert, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys and the Black Eyed Peas.
For the first time in the show's 37-year history, fans will be able to determine the final four nominees of the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Award by voting on ABC.com. Among those considered for the category are Kings of Leon, Lady Gag, Gloriana, the Zac Brown Band, Keri Hilson and Jermiah.
The AMAs will air live from Los Angeles's Nokia Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Michael Jackson for Soul Train Entertainer of the Year
Late King of Pop, Michael Jackson will be honored posthumously at the forthcoming 2009 Soul Train Awards.
Slated to be honored for his contributions to music through exemplary showmanship, Jackson will be recognized with a special Entertainer of the Year Award during a November 3 ceremony in Atlanta.
No More Debt For Jackson's Estate
Sunday November 29,2009
Mike Parker
MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEBT IS PAID OFF This Is It has raised over £150m for the Jackson estate.
THE debts that plunged Michael Jackson's life into turmoil have been cleared, barely five months after his death.
Music royalties and box-office takings for the film This Is It have brought in almost half-a-billion dollars to the King of Pop's estate.
The phenomenal flow of cash, which does not include income from Jackson souvenirs and memorabilia, more than covers the estimated 250 million pounds he owed. Administrators John Branca and John McClain still face at least six lawsuits, originally filed against the singer but now transferred to his estate.
These include a 180 million pound action by New Jersey based company AllGood Entertainment that claims Jackson reneged on a planned pay-per-view TV reunion concert with his brothers in Texas.
Hollywood director John Landis, who made the singer's 1983 Thriller video, is also suing for an undisclosed sum over alleged non- payment of his share of the profits.
A spokesman for the administrators said yesterday: “Our attorneys are in negotiations with various parties on a number of unresolved issues. We expect these to be amicably resolved by early in the New Year.”
Even hefty out-of-court settlements and legal fees won't make much of a dent in Jackson’s posthumous fortune and future earning potential, according to financial experts.
Jackson was already No3 on Forbes Magazine's annual list of highest- grossing dead celebrities, behind fashion icon Yves St Laurent and composers Rodgers and Hammerstein, before This Is It was released last month. By yesterday, the film had raked in almost $240million worldwide, according to online monitor Box Office Mojo, with eventual income from DVD sales expected to double that. Sales of the spin-off double CD, which has made the top 10 in more than 120 countries, as well as re-releases of Jackson's classic albums, are conservatively expected to top £180million by Christmas, according to Sony Music.
Forbes senior editor Matthew Miller believes the Jackson phenomenon will continue to dominate the magazine's dead celebrity chart for years to come. His posthumous earnings already dwarf those of Elvis Presley, whose estate made only 34 in the current financial year. Mr Miller said: "In life, Michael sank into uncontrollable debt, raising enormous loans to pay for other ones he couldn't afford. He was, basically, a multi-millionaire living a billionaire lifestyle."
Now, in an ironic twist, financial experts predict Jackson's estate could be as much as a billion dollars in profit by the end of next year, with plans to launch as many as six new CDs.
The cash bonanza removes any financial uncertainty there may have been over the future of the singer’s three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II.
Mr Miller said: "If they chose, none of them would have to work a single day in their lives."
CONFIRMED: Michael Jackson wrote Sonic the Hedgehog 3 soundtrack
"Rumor no more! Are you standing? Then sit down. Are you sitting down? Then stand up, then sit down again, for there’s huge news to share: Michael Jackson is now confirmed to have written the music for Sonic The Hedgehog 3. There’s a magazine in France called Black & White. It’s Michael Jackson’s official magazine over there.
In the latest issue, composer Brad Buxer said the following:
B&W: Can you clarify the rumor that Michael had in 1993 composed the music for Sonic 3 video game, for which you have been credited?
Buxer: I’ve never played the game so I do not know what tracks on which Michael and I have worked the developers have kept, but we did compose music for the game. Michael called me at the time for help on this project, and that’s what I did. And if he is not credited for composing the music, it’s because he was not happy with the result sound coming out of the console. At the time, game consoles did not allow an optimal sound reproduction, and Michael found it frustrating. He did not want to be associated with a product that devalued his music…
B&W: One of the surprising things in this soundtrack is that you can hear the chords from Stranger in Moscow, which is supposed to have been composed later…
Buxer: Yes, Michael and I had composed those chords for the game, and it has been used as base for Stranger in Moscow. [...]
So there you have it, Michael Jackson did, in fact, write the music for Sonic The Hedgehog 3, as the rumor had gone for so many years."
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Captain EO Returns to Disneyland
Twenty-three years ago, at the height of his phenomenal entertainment career, Michael Jackson joined forces with Disney to create “Captain EO,” a groundbreaking 17-minute 3D film experience.
We are excited to confirm that the classic musical spectacular that thrilled Disneyland park guests from 1986 – 1997, will return for an exclusive, limited engagement at Disneyland park beginning in February 2010!
The attraction’s return to Tomorrowland will provide new audiences the opportunity to experience the original 3D production for the very first time, as well as a nostalgic look back for longtime fans wanting to see “The King of Pop” in a rare performance created for the big-screen, just one more time.
“Honey I Shrunk The Audience” will be closing sometime in the next few weeks to make way for the Captain’s return.
Check back Here for more details on “Captain EO.”
Source: MJFC / Disney Parks Blog
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MJ Sold the Most in '09
Michael Jackson never got the chance to make his stage comeback, but his untimely death made him more popular than ever.
The King of Pop reclaimed his throne, ranking as the top-selling artist of 2009 with 8.2 million albums sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That's nearly double No. 2 finisher, Taylor Swift, who rang up 4.6 million in sales.
Rounding out the top five were the Beatles (3.2 million), Susan Boyle (3.1 million) and Lady Gaga (2.8 million).
* Boyle's I Dreamed a Dream just missed being the top album of 2009, falling 100,000 copies behind Swift's Fearless (sorry, Kanye). Jackson's Number Ones (2.3 million) edged out Gaga's Fame (2.2 million) for the No. 3 slot
* Boyle's Dream did rank as the top-selling Internet album, with 405,000 copies, while Gaga's The Fame was the overall top-selling digital album, selling 461,000.
* The Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" was the biggest digital track, with 4.7 million downloads, followed by their "I Gotta Feeling," with 4.4 million.
* Soulja Boy Tell'em's "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" was the top-selling ringtone, followed by T-Pain and Jamie Foxx's "Blame It" and T.I. and Justin Timberlake's "Dead and Gone."
* The Beatles, meanwhile, had bragging rights for the biggest album of the Aughts, selling 11.6 million copies of 1, beating out 'N Sync's No Strings Attached (11.1 million)
* In total sales of the 2000s, Eminem finished just ahead of the Fab Four (32.2 million to 30.2 million). Tim McGraw (24.8 million), Toby Keith (24.8 million) and Britney Spears (23 million) round out the top five.
2009 Top-Selling Artists:
1. Michael Jackson, 8.2 million
2. Taylor Swift, 4.6 million
3. Beatles, 3.2 million
4. Susan Boyle, 3.1 million
5. Lady Gaga, 2.8 million
6. Andrea Bocelli, 2.6 million
7. Michael Bublé, 2.2 million
8. Eminem, 2.1 million
9. Carrie Underwood, 1.8 million
10. Black Eyed Peas, 1.8 million
2009 Top-Selling Albums:
1. Fearless, Taylor Swift, 3.2 million
2. I Dreamed a Dream, Susan Boyle, 3.1 million 3. Number Ones, Michael Jackson, 2.3 million
4. Fame, Lady Gaga, 2.2 million
5. My Christmas, Andrea Bocelli, 2.2. million
6. Hannah Montana Movie Soundtrack, Hannah Montana, 1.8 million
7. E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), Black Eyed Peas, 1.7 million
8. Relapse, Eminem, 1.7 million
9. Blueprint 3, Jay-Z, 1.5 million
10. Only by the Night, Kings of Leon, 1.3 million
Top Artists of the 2000s:
1. Eminem, 32.2 million
2. The Beatles, 30.2 million
3. Tim McGraw, 24.8 million
4. Toby Keith, 24.5 million
5. Britney Spears, 23 million
6. Kenny Chesney, 22 million
7. Linkin Park, 21.4 million
8. Nelly, 21.3 million
9. Creed, 20.6 million
10. Jay-Z, 20.4 million
Top Albums of the 2000s:
1. Beatles 1, Beatles, 11.6 million
2. No Strings Attached, 'N Sync, 11.1 million
3. Come Away With Me, Norah Jones, 10.6 million
4. Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem, 10.2 million
5. Eminem Show, Eminem, 9.8 million
6. Confessions, Usher, 9.73 million
7. Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park, 9.7 million
8. Human Clay, Creed, 9.5 million
9. Oops!...I Did It Again, Britney Spears, 9.2 million
10. Country Grammar, Nelly, 8.5 million
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Posthumous German award for Michael Jackson
DRESDEN, Germany — The late pop legend Michael Jackson will be awarded a posthumous prize for his global charity work at an opera gala in Germany this week, organisers said Wednesday.
The director of Friday's Semper Opera Ball Hans-Joachim Frey, said the King of Pop would be recognised for his humanitarian efforts at the glittering society event in the restored Baroque city of Dresden.
Jackson's elder sister La Toya, a guest of honour at the ball, would receive the award.
"Michael Jackson supported 39 foundations and charity projects, started his own foundation and donated a total of more than 300 million dollars," Frey said.
At the same event, where more than 2,000 guests are expected, Spanish tenor Jose Carreras will accept a prize for artistic achievement.
Jackson died suddenly last June at the age of 50. His humanitarian work focused heavily on children's charities.
Michael Jackson: The shocking truth in the FBI files
The recently released FBI files debunk the myth of Michael Jackson as child molester. Is it time to ask who is really responsible for his death - Dr Conrad Murray or the media?
By Deborah Ffrench
January 13, 2010, (Sawf News) - The one question I hear no-one asking in the press or blogland in general is:- 'why' was Michael Jackson taking an extreme drug? What made a relatively fit man known for abstention from the early part of his career until the mid-1990's, end his days in a made-to-measure trauma room?
A star by the age of 10, catapulted into superstardom after the success of his first two solo albums, his dominance in the music industry coincided with the multimedia explosion of the late 1980's. One of the first of the new breed of artists to fully explore the potential of synergistic promotion of product as a vehicle to reach new audiences, by 1991 Michael Jackson - the brand, had penetrated the consciousness of the entire developed and most of the undeveloped world.
With such unprecedented accessibility came also unprecedented pressure. Pressure to maintain and exceed his own standards, constant deconstruction by the press, and emotional isolation as the gilded chains of a life lived under the microscope bound ever tighter. There is no room here to list the enormous contribution he made to the lives of children all over the globe. His efforts are a matter of public record and the information regarding them is easily obtainable on the web.
Suffice it to say, Michael saw children not as 'people-in-waiting', but as bonafide, sentient personalities whose process and concerns were worthy of respect and protection. Using his fame and wealth to radically benefit the lives of such young people was something Michael believed to be his ultimate purpose here, and it is in this light that we can perhaps understand the catastrophic, internal damage the public cauterization that came from 1993 onwards must have done to him.
Something rotten has been decaying at the the heart of our media for some time now, but it took the death of one of its favorite page-fillers to expose the reality of what the cumulative effect of deliberate mental and emotional attack on a person actually looks like. It must surely now be apparent that the existing regulatory checks and balances within the media are totally inadequate –and further, that those monitoring capabilities are unable to prevent the now standard 'take aim' and 'destroy' default position the media now typically seems to operate from in relation to the subjects it 'goes after.'
Michael's early death was not a given. Only the most imperceptive would deny that the anesthetic that killed him was, in reality, just a formality. What killed Michael Jackson was the sustained agony of being put through a baseless, protracted trial in full view of the world's lens - knowing if found guilty, he would be removed from his children's lives. And even after his acquittal, facing relentless vilification by a media that chose to simply disregard a verdict they found economically inconvenient.
- Thomson's point by point breakdown of the files reveals not only the inability of both the FBI and the LAPD to provide any evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Jackson in an investigation that spanned over a decade, but also the continuing inference by the media of exactly the opposite of this.
It is important to note that there is a profound difference between the FBI stating that X and Y were alleged, and the FBI saying they investigated X and Y – and found X and Y to be proven. Thomson's review of the files is thus required reading for any who wish to separate the facts from the soundbites which have largely dominated the media reporting on them.
Because the truth is, after the most thorough investigation the American taxpayer's money could buy, one of the world's foremost intelligence gathering agencies and the LAPD came up with precisely – nothing. Instead we were served a collage of cut-out articles from a UK tabloid, the dubious recollections of an unverifiable woman on a train, and two ex-employees who only came forward after the 1993 allegations broke and who, coincidentally, were also hawking a tell-all book to anyone who would listen.
Long before Dr Murray ever wrote his first 'feel-good' prescription, a lie of epic proportions would set in motion a cataclysmic series of events that would bring Michael to the state of profound depletion we saw in 2005. Evan Chandler - a known brutalist, and Janet Arviso, a proven welfare cheat and compensation chaser, manipulated the American criminal system and a willing media to bury Michael under the worst label society has determined exists. No proof was required, the suggestion was enough. And the world watched on the edge of their seats, as the obvious perjury of the witnesses was overlooked in the stampede to crucify a man previously so celebrated.
The inevitably, frenzied media coverage of Dr Murray's impending trial which will replay the details of Michael's dying moments for months to come, has now already begun its crescendo. It is more than a little disturbing to observe how quickly those same people who actively colluded in the degradation and erosion of Michael's spirit and dignity for over 15 years, have regrouped to focus on Dr Murray as the 'fall guy' for the part he may have played in Jackson's death. Murray's culpability cannot be denied, but he was far from alone in his opportunism.
Where were the voices now wailing about 'wasted resources' and the 'rights' of taxpayers when Tom Sneddon authorized the use of millions of dollars of federal money to pursue Michael in his deeply personal and blinkered 'takedown' of the, then – biggest pop star on the planet?
Michael Jackson didn't bankrupt the City of Angels; they fell all by themselves. For a country that can shine so bright when it chooses to – what America did to this man stands as one of the most shameful examples of engineered cruelty and unmitigated persecution to be witnessed in modern times.
__________________
I remember everything
I remember all your moves
I remember you ♥
"This is it," Michael Jackson told his fans in London, announcing his forthcoming concert tour. "This is the final curtain call." The curtain fell sooner than expected. What is left is this extraordinary documentary, nothing at all like what I was expecting to see. Here is not a sick and drugged man forcing himself through grueling rehearsals, but a spirit embodied by music. Michael Jackson was something else.
The film has been assembled from rehearsals from April through June 2009 for a concert tour scheduled for this summer. The footage was "captured by a few cameras," an opening screen tells us, but they were professional high-def cameras and the sound track is full-range stereo. The result is one of the most revealing music documentaries I've seen.
And it's more than that. It's a portrait of Michael Jackson that belies all the rumors that he would have been too weak to tour. That shows not the slightest trace of a spoiled prima donna. That benefits from the limited number of cameras by allowing us to experience his work in something closer to realistic time, instead of fracturing it into quick cuts. That provides both a good idea of what the final concert would have looked like, and a portrait of the artist at work.
Never raising his voice, never showing anger, always soft-spoken and courteous to his cast and crew, Michael with his director, Kenny Ortega, micro-manages the production. He corrects timing, refines cues, talks about details of music and dance. Seeing him always from a distance, I thought of him as the instrument of his producing operation. Here we see that he was the auteur of his shows.
We know now that Michael was subjected to a cocktail of drugs in the time leading up to his fatal overdose, including the last straw, a drug so dangerous it should only be administered by an anesthesiologist in an operating room. That knowledge makes it hard to understand how he appears to be in superb physical condition. His choreography, built from such precise, abrupt and perfectly-timed movements, is exhausting, but he never shows a sign of tiring. His movements are so well synchronized with the other dancers on stage, who are much younger and highly-trained, that he seems one with them. This is a man in such command of his physical instrument that he makes spinning in place seem as natural as blinking his eye.
He has always been a dancer first, and then a singer. He doesn't specialize in solos. With the exception of a sweet love ballad, his songs all incorporate four backup singers and probably supplementary tracks prerecorded by himself. It is the whole effect he has in mind.
It might have been a hell of a show. Ortega and special effects wizards coordinate pre-filmed sequences with the stage work. There's a horror-movie sequence with ghouls rising from a cemetery (and ghosts that were planned to fly above the audience). Michael is inserted into scenes from Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart movies, and through clever f/x even has a machine-gun battle with Bogie. His environmental pitch is backed by rain forest footage. He rides a cherry-picker high above the audience.
His audience in this case consists entirely of stagehands, gaffers, technicians, and so on. These are working people who have seen it all. They love him. They're not pretending. They love him for his music, and perhaps even more for his attitude. Big stars in rehearsal are not infrequently pains in the ass. Michael plunges in with the spirit of a co-worker, prepared to do the job and go the distance.
How was that possible? Even if he had the body for it, which he obviously did, how did he muster the mental strength? When you have a doctor on duty around the clock to administer the prescription medications you desire, when your idea of a good sleep is reportedly to be unconscious for 24 hours, how do you wake up into such a state of keen alertness? Uppers? I don't think it quite works that way. I was watching like a hawk for any hint of the effects of drug abuse, but couldn't see any. Perhaps it's significant that of all the people in the rehearsal space, he is the only one whose arms are covered at all times by long sleeves.
Well, we don't know how he did it. "This Is It" is proof that he did do it. He didn't let down his investors and colleagues. He was fully prepared for his opening night. He and Kenny Ortega, who also directed this film, were at the top of their game. There's a moving scene on the last day of rehearsal when Jackson and Ortega join hands in a circle with all the others, and thank them. But the concert they worked so hard on was never to be.
Let me just say one thing. I know it was proved he was taking prescribed drugs, BUT I just thought I should add that MJ has always used long sleeves, most of the time he would be wearing long sleeves.
Other then that, I absolutely love the review and can't wait to see the film. I'm glad it's getting such amazing reviews. I'm counting the hours now.
__________________
I remember everything
I remember all your moves
I remember you ♥
Five Reasons You Should See Michael Jackson's 'This Is It'
By: Mike Ryan
An auspicious start, to say the least. Last night at the New York City world premiere of Michael Jackson's 'This Is It,' a sarcastic snoring sound by a blasé attendee summed up the pre-screening mood. True, after watching the live feed of the hour and a half long red carpet ceremony from L.A., featuring such immense star power from the likes of Ian Ziering(!), the crowd was understandably antsy. A muted applause greeted the video of director Kenny Ortega's introduction of Michael Jackson; civic pride, though, seems to be alive and well as Ortega's mention of New York City was met with thunderous applause. That momentum was short lived as something resembling Windows 95's blue screen of death appeared informing us that a "video alarm has been detected" while, of course, unleashing an obnoxiously loud noise --we assume a "video alarm" -- onto the crowd. The alarm stops, the lights finally go down, then quickly back up, then, finally, down for good. This Is It had started, and you know what? It was well worth the wait. If you're on the fence, here are five good reasons why Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' is worth your time.
"You Got to Feel the Heat, and We Can Ride the Boogie"
The music: From the opening performance of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", everything sounds fantastic. Hey: It is a concert, after all. Michael's voice sounds shockingly good. Is the singing shown always from these rehearsals? Doubtful. There are times there's no question that it's him singing; especially when he intermittently switches from song to speaking for adjustments. Again, he sounds fantastic and his dancing is, surprisingly, as good as it has ever seemed. Other times, well... Take "Thriller" for example. Between the stage direction, costumes and singing, this was a spectacular performance. No question. Though, it might have been too spectacular; almost album cut perfect. The words didn't always match up with Michael's mouth. Perhaps bad editing but, more likely, enhanced music. Regardless, the crowd didn't seem to mind.
They'll Kick You, Then They Beat You, Then They'll Tell You It's Fair"
The heartbreak: For the sadists out there, watching the wide-eyed, fresh-faced back up singers and dancers give their teary eyed "no one believed in me/chasing my dream" monologues that would make American Idol cringe, while looking forward to "getting on that stage in London," will be fulfilling as all of their hopes and dreams are ruthlessly crushed. Now, to the non-sadists, it can be quite heartbreaking. The beginning of the film gives us an abbreviated look at the auditions. We don't spend any time with the eventual cast offs, which is just as well since the eventual winners' stories are sad enough considering the work they're putting in for a show that will never happen. Plus, though the introductions are necessary, it's not really their story (no matter how much the pre-show interviews tried to make us believe that).
"As He Came Into The Window, It Was The Sound Of a Crescendo"
The "Smooth Criminal" video: Did you really think you would see a documentary about Michael Jackson and not see a cameo by Humphrey Bogart? Yes, what sounds ludicrous is by far the highlight of the film and what would have been the show stopper of this concert. In a pre-song film, Jackson inserts himself into the 1946 classic, The Big Sleep, sharing scenes with Bogart and being shot at by Bob Steele's Lash Canino -- "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a gun before? What do you want me to do, count three like they do in the movies?" -- as Jackson finally jumps through a window to escape "safely" to the stage to perform "Smooth Criminal."
"No one understands me, they view it as such strange eccentricities...'Cause I keep kidding around, like a child, but pardon me..."
Michael Jackson's Demeanor: This alone is worth the price of admission, alone. Most people are familiar with the circus of his life but, assuming, few were familiar with his day-to-day behavior. More is learned in This Is It's 1:51 running time than, perhaps, in all footage or interviews complied before. There's a calm to the man that probably only exists when he's off camera. Or, in this case, on film that he believes will will never be shown to the public. At times, this is a guy actually in charge. Barking out changes (always, as he says, "with love") in the musical arrangements with a leadership quality that was not known to exist. This certainly does not look like a man that will die in the next few weeks. At other times, when he's in a different mood or mindset, he comes across as an easily distracted ten year old. Still a pleasant enough human, but a human that has to be coddled by the guidance of Ortega's directing -- which leads to the biggest laughs of the film (pre-film snoring noises and Ian Ziering sightings aside).
"Pretty Young Things, Repeat After Me: I Said Na Na Na"
The crowd: Admittedly, our crowd was muzzled due to the aforementioned pre-screening problems and the large media attendance (never defined as "uproarious") in the theater. Even so, the film won most the crowd over, even generating some applause after each performance. Having that been said: The crowd waiting for the midnight screening on the wet pavement of 42nd St... Now that's a crowd we would have liked to party with. It can only be compared to the premiere of a Star Wars film only with no coordination and everyone comes dressed as the same character. A white glove wearing, black hat wearing, circa 1983 dancing Star Wars character. What that crowd seems to realize is that This is It could have been a sad look back on a man that died just four months ago. It's anything but that. The mood is always, somewhat surprisingly, celebratory and those fans, the ones who dreamed of seeing Michael Jackson perform one last time... Well, they're going to get something that's very close.
I'm counting the hours now. 
^ That is following me everywhere 
I'm far too anxious.
maybe I should stop bringing the reviews here 
I'll keep all the reviews and just bring them all on Sunday 
