After only including releases from the previous 18 months to calculate the best selling albums on the Billboard chart, Billboard will now be incorporating catalog releases due to the massive sales of both Michael Jackson and The Beatles. The sales chart on November 25 will be the first tally of the comprehensive chart. In digital music news, 4 artists have already broken Rihanna’s track sales record of 9.9 million digital songs in 2008, including the late King of Pop, Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift. The biggest news is probably that the country singer is the only artist that outsold Michael’s album this year in sales. Congratulations!
A lot of celebrities had pretty good costumes for their Halloween gigs or whatnot but my favorite has to be Kelly Clarkson when she dressed up as ‘Family Guy’ character Stewie Griffin during the singer’s Halloween Concert at the Family Arena last weekend in St. Charles, Missouri. The 27-year old original American Idol champ performed a few of her songs dressed up as the cartoon and danced around on stage, shaking her Stewie butt. It’s a complete riot to watch! Kelly even danced to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ at one point. Kelly and ‘Family Guy’ ruled my Halloween world that’s for sure!
After being hyped to the extreme, the Michael Jackson documentary ‘This is It’ has shaped up to be a disappointment. The late singer’s film made $20.7 million over the Halloween weekend, which was much less than Sony had expected. Execs apparently thought that the initial talk of sold-out screenings during the pre-sale has kept fans from turning out to see the movie. I guess they were way off the mark when they calculated the public interest. Perhaps all the hype surrounding the King of Pop is dying down. It should serve as a lesson to all those money-hungry people who want to get a free ride off it.
This Is It director Kenny Ortega has revealed what Michael Jackson last said to the crew as he told them “this is the dream”.
The 59-year-old director was working with Jacko on his 50 London shows when he passed away in June and he has since created the movie This Is It out of 80 hours of footage from working on the shows.
Talking about their last meeting, he said to MTV News: “Michael stood out in front of the stage that night with me and looked up at the rehearsal and said: ‘This is the dream. We did it good, Kenny, We did it. Very good’.
“There was this anticipation of tomorrow, this anticipation of London and this great feeling about what we’d accomplished over the past couple of nights.
“He told me he was happy. He had nothing creatively or critically to say to anyone other than: ‘I love you, thank you, everyone’s doing a great job and I’ll see you tomorrow’.”
Michael Jackson’s final This Is It tour encompassed much more than 50 concerts in London.
Choreographer Kenny Ortega said Jackson had plans to take the O2 Arena tour of the UK around the world over a period of three years.
Ortega’s documentary of the same name has brought high acclaim in just 24 hours since opening, earning more than US$2.2 million on its first day in the US.
Ortega said Jackson talked a lot about a world tour that would have included Australia.
“We would just be hanging out on a rest break and sitting in the dressing room and he would say ‘Kenny, have you ever been to India?’ I would say, ‘No, I really want to go to India so badly. I haven’t been.’ He’d say, ‘You must. You must. When I take the show to India whatever you are doing you have to stop and come back and join the tour.’ He’d say, ‘What about Japan?’ I’d say, ‘Yes of course. I love Japan. I want to go to Japan.’ He’d say, ‘What about Africa?’ I’d say, ‘Yes, Africa’.”
Ortega said: “I realised he wanted the world. He wanted to take this all over the world.”
The choreographer of the late pop legend’s final concerts and the man behind the soon to be hit movie “This is It!”, Kenny Ortega, recently told the story of how he was helping Michael Jackson fight weight soon before he died. Kenny Ortega said: “He was thin, but he was at what he liked to call his ‘fighting weight.’ He didn’t like to eat, but we were always watching him and making sure he had plenty of protein drinks and fluids. We were there sliding chicken salads in front of him and making sure he was OK. But he was strong and he was getting stronger.” So, let’s try and clarify this: Michael Jackson was at the ideal weight for fighting or what exactly is Kenny Ortega trying to say here? Oh well, at least they were there with the chicken salads every now and again… that must’ve been a real help.
AllGood Entertainment is now after Michael Jackson’s estate in the battle over profits from the upcoming movie ‘This is It’, along with revenues from the Sony catalog. The company is suing for over $300 million. AllGood previously filed a lawsuit against the King of Pop, AEG Live and Frank Dileo for $40 million when the singer was still alive. Now the company filed an amended suit which includes the estate of Michael with the original defendants still named in the amended suit. AllGood sued because it claims that Dileo acted as Michael’s agent and agreed to a Jackson family reunion concert that got torpedoed when the London concerts were booked.
David Gest has donated some of his rare Michael Jackson memorabilia to raise money for charity.
The reality star has given up the items, which he collected during his years of friendship with the King of Pop, for an online auction.
The items include a rare signed photo of Michael wearing a veil as well as a signed Thriller record.
David said: “I am delighted to donate this rare Michael Jackson memorabilia from my personal collection to two very worthwhile charities, Liverpool Unites and the Variety Club children’s charity, which I strongly support.
“Liverpool has become a second home to me and my affinity for the people of this illustrious city has only grown stronger during the last three years when I left I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.”
It was originally reported that Katherine Jackson will receive 40 percent of son Michael Jackson’s estate with 40 percent going to the late singer’s children and 20 percent going to charity. However, it is ultimately up to the trustees to decide the amount of money to go to the beneficiaries. Regardless of not receiving her whole share from the get go, Katherine has plenty of cash as she’s getting a large allowance at the moment and once the trust is active, she will receive more. Whatever remains in her trust at the time of her death will automatically go to the King of Pop’s kids.
Three of the remaining Jackson 5 brothers have downplayed an Australian skit that has sparked a racism row.
US entertainer Harry Connick Jr, a guest judge on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, slammed the skit and gave the act a zero.
Marlon Jackson told an Access Hollywood correspondent: “We thank Harry for [speaking out], but we also understand that they weren’t trying to be disrespectful to the family. They probably weren’t trying to be offensive about it or anything of that nature with the family.”
He and his brothers Tito and Jackie were not aware of the skit. Jermaine Jackson, a frequent visitor to Australia, could not be reached for comment.
Introducing Orianthi, the guitar phenomenon who is featured prominently in the upcoming Michael Jackson concert documentary, This Is It. Already a renowned musician, Orianthi has been playing guitar since the age of eleven and was discovered by legend Carlos Santana. After playing with artists like Carrie Underwood, ZZ Top, and Prince, she received a MySpace message from Michael Jackson’s musical director asking her to audition for his comeback tour. Following a test run with the King of Pop himself, she was selected as his lead guitarist for his O2 arena dates in London – a crowning acheivement for the 24 year old from Adelaide, Australia.
Now Orianthi is preparing to release her solo debut album, Believe, on October 27th. In addition to her talent at guitar, Orianthi has a gorgeous voice and even sang at Michael Jackson’s Staples Center memorial service. Even before starting rehearsals for his tour though, she was hard at work writing and recording the album with her band. Believe is full of anthemic rock tracks with a sound reminiscent of Paramore or Evanescence, but entirely Orianthi thanks to her signature shreds and thunderous hooks. Her first single, “According to You” is a catchy tale of an ungrateful boyfriend, featuring a killer guitar solo.
To hear the story in her own words, watch Orianthi in this segment from Australia’s Today show. Visit Orianthi.com for updates on this rising star, and be sure to check her out in This Is It out on October 28th.
Orianthi Panagaris Interview On Today Show:
This Is It, the aptly named latest single of the late Michael Jackson, will be released on October 12.
The single’s title could be taken to denote Jackson’s reaching the pinnacle of his life and career.
No details are available on the Sony Music Entertainment release apart from a backing accompaniment by Jackson’s brothers.
Sony will follow up on This Is It two weeks later with a two-disc set timed to go with the movie of the same name, which will come from rehearsal footage captured in the last weeks of Jackson’s life. The king of pop was in rehearsals for a gruelling 50-date UK tour that he said was to be both his comeback and his finale.
The CD cover for This Is It featured on websites shows a dazzling multi-coloured Jacko silhouette with arms outstretched.
Michael Jackson’s mother is being paid more than $86,000 a month by the late singer’s estate.
The money covers her living expenses and the expenses of the King of Pop’s three children, legal papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court today reveal.
Katherine Jackson will receive $26,804 a month for her expenses.
In addition she will control an extra $60,000 a month for food, clothing, education and entertainment for the children – sons Michael Jr, 12, and Prince Michael, seven; and daughter Paris, 11.
The estate began paying the allowances last month, retroactive to the singer’s June 25 death. According to a budget for Katherine Jackson, the family matriarch’s monthly expenses include salaries for a housekeeper ($2,080), driver ($2,000), as well as $3,500 for clothing and $1,000 for grooming.
According to the papers, Jackson’s estate is estimated to be worth more than $500million.
Jackson’s father and siblings are not mentioned in the court papers.
The administrators’ lawyers said “no individuals other than the minor children and Mrs Jackson are entitled to a family allowance in this estate”.
Michael Jackson’s dermatologist Arnold Klein is suing a cosmetic surgeon for comments he made to a newspaper that allegedly imply he taught Klein to administer propofol.
The doctor in question is Steven Hoefflin, who was Jackson’s longtime friend and former doctor. Hoefflin emerged as a spokesperson for the Jackson family in the aftermath of his death. A multi-agency investigation into the homicide death of the king of pop is ongoing.
Klein filed his court paper on Monday, September 14. He claims Hoefflin’s remarks were intended to damage his reputation and amount to slander. He called them “wilful, fraudulent, malicious, oppressive and reckless”.
But Hoefflin has said: “They [The Sun] check their facts with an electronic microscope. There is factual evidence that the statements that I made are true. They have in their possession phone records, recordings, documents and other evidence that confirms facts in their stories before they’re published.”
The company that owns Neverland Ranch hasn’t gotten any permission to turn Michael Jackson’s old home into a tourist attraction but they filed a bunch of trademarks at the US Patent Office last week just in case they do. Sycamore Valley Ranch Company is attempting to lock down the following names to use with the property: Neverland Ranch, Neverland Valley, Neverland Valley Ranch and Neverland. The company also filed paperwork requesting to use the four names on several products and services including museum services, printed materials, games, toys, clothing, footwear and facilities. Don’t get too excited though because the Jackson family is reportedly not backing this up.
There has been a lot of talk about celebrities making a Michael Jackson tribute album and it seems that things are finally moving along. Some of the big performers planning on recording the tribute album include the likes of Madonna, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams, Whitney Houston, Usher, Shaheen Jafargholi, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. According to The Daily Star, Mariah will sing ‘I’ll Be There’, Shaheen will sing ‘Ben’, Madonna will sing either ‘Beat It’ or ‘Billie Jean’, and Robbie is lined up to sing ‘Man in the Mirror’. The album can prove to either be a success or just one big mess.
Check My Friends Blog:
One of the doctors who assisted the LAPD in Michael Jackson’s death investigation has written a letter to President Barrack Obama. The topic of the letter was to make it tougher for people to obtain controlled medication. In the letter, Dr. Susan Essien Etok, the doctor who claimed that the late King of Pop offered her £500,000 to supply him with drugs, urges the President to consider “harsher punitive measures” for unethical doctors who are willing to hand out strong drugs to anyone for the right price. Etok also said that “no individual Doctor is responsible for Michael’s death.” She also compared the singer’s passing to that of Elvis Presley, Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith – all of whom died with drug cocktails in their system.
Lawyers for Michael Jackson’s under-fire personal physician say police have twisted his account of the superstar’s final hours.
Attorney Edward Chernoff called much of the contents of the search warrant affidavit “police theory”. Los Angeles Police had filed the documents to search Dr Conrad Murray’s clinic in Houston, Texas, last month.
A statement released by Chernoff said: “Much of what was in the search warrant affidavit is factual.
“However, unfortunately, much is police theory. Dr Murray simply never told investigators that he found Michael Jackson at 11am not breathing. He also never said that he waited a mere 10 minutes before leaving to make several phone calls. In fact, Dr Murray never said that he left Michael Jackson’s room to make phone calls at all.”
The Los Angeles Coroner’s office has ruled Jackson’s death a homicide caused by a mix of drugs meant to treat insomnia, according to reports.
Michael Jackson’s doctor is expected to be charged with manslaughter within the next two weeks, according to a US report.
A law enforcement source had told Foxnews.com that Dr Conrad Murray is set to be arrested and charged within the next 14 days.
The news comes just a day after Murray posted a one-minute video online insisting: “I told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail.”
The source initially told Fox that Dr Murray could be arrested as soon as August 26.
But investigators have now reportedly decided to execute one more search warrant, likely at a Los Angeles pharmacy, next week in an attempt to gather more evidence against him and the arrest is now expected the following week. They have searched Murray’s offices in Houston.
And Murray is not the only doctor who faces criminal charges in connection with Jackson’s shock death on June 25. A law enforcement source told FOXNews.com that Jackson’s long-time dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, will also be hit with charges related to medical malpractice.
Investigators are still building their case against Klein, and he will not be arrested for at least another two weeks, the source said.
However Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, denied that prosecutors had decided to charge Jackson’s physicians.
She insisted: “Until police complete their investigation and bring it to our office, there is no way to know what charges may be filed and against whom.”
Law enforcement sources previously revealed that Murray admitted he gave the King of Pop the intravenous anaesthetic Propofol to help him sleep just hours before his death – and that Propofol was at least a contributing factor in the 50-year-old entertainer’s death.
