Hot Music Beat

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.

With the ultimate diva Whitney Houston making her comeback, it’s time for another diva to make a comeback too. Ricky Martin has reportedly begun recording his next album. And yes, I did go there. It will be the Latino singer’s first studio album since 2005’s English-language ‘Life’ and since becoming a single father to twin boys. His new album is being produced by Lester Mendez and contains both English and Spanish songs. Ricky’s comeback album is expected to drop under Sony next spring. I wonder if his music style will have changed or has been influenced by his being a father.

We’ve only just passed the middle of the year but it looks like Michael Jackson may posthumously become 2009’s top selling artist. Since the King of Pop’s sudden death, the singer’s record sales have skyrocketed. According to industry website Hits Daily Double, Sony Music has shipped over 8 million CDs globally since Michael died. Mind you, that count still doesn’t include downloads. Prior to Michael’s death, Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’ dominated the charts. And the King is sure to live on as there will certainly be “repackaged titles, possibly some previously unreleased material and the DVDs of the concert rehearsals” to follow.