soundtrack tops U.S. album chartto Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's the companion soundtrack to worldwide No. 1 movie claimed the top spot on the U.S. pop albums chart Wednesday with the fifth best sales week this year.
"This Is It" sold 373,000 copies during the week ended November 1, according to Nielsen SoundScan, exceeding expectations of an opening in the 300,000 and 350,000 range.
It marks Jackson's sixth No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and it arrives with his best sales week for an album since 1995's "HIStory" opened at No. 1 with 391,000 copies.
Jackson collected his first No. 1 with "Thriller" in 1983 and later notched toppers with "Bad," "Dangerous," "HIStory" and "Invincible." His 2003 greatest hits set "Number Ones" is the biggest seller in the United States this year.
The "This Is It" film, which consists of rehearsal footage for a planned residency in London, earned $104 million during its first weekend of worldwide release.
Elsewhere on the Billboard 200, reunited rockers Creed debuted at No. 2 with "Full Circle," which sold 110,000 copies. It's the band's first studio release since 2001, when "Weathered" started at No. 1 with 887,000 copies.
Taylor Swift's "Fearless" soared four places to No. 3 with 109,000 copies. The set was reissued in a "platinum" deluxe edition last week, with additional bonus tracks and a DVD.
Rod Stewart's latest covers set, "Soulbook," debuted at No. 4 with 84,000 copies. His previous release, "Still the Same ... Great American Rock Classics of Our Time," debuted at No. 1 in 2006 with 184,304 copies.
New holiday themed releases claimed the next two spots: Trans Siberian Orchestra's "Night Castle" at No. 5 with 83,000 copies, and Sting's "If On A Winter's Night" at No. 6 with 80,000 copies.
Last week's No. 1, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" soundtrack, fell to No. 8 with 69,000 copies. Michael Buble's former chart topper "Crazy Love" dropped four to No. 7 with 71,000. Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice," slid seven to No. 9 with 59,000 in its second week, and Jay-Z's "The Blueprint 3" was down six to No. 10 with 41,000.
Overall album sales rose 10% from last week to 6.31 million units, but were down 9% from the year-ago period. Year-to-date album sales stand at 287.6 million, down 13% compared to the same total at this point last year.

'Thriller' movie, Michael Jackson was planning

Michael Jackson late pop legend was planning to make a feature length big screen version of his hit 'Thriller' video when he died, it has been revealed. Close friend and Jackson's return tour director Kenny Ortega reveals he had discussed several movie projects with the star including a 'Thriller' movie, and a film version of Peter Allen musical 'Legs Diamond', reports starpulse.com.'He told me he wanted to create a partnership with me to do films. We were talking about doing 'Legs Diamond'. And we were talking about doing a full length, 3-D feature of 'Thriller',' said Ortega. Sony Pictures boss Amy Pascal has also revealed Jackson approached her to discuss movie ideas, including a musical fantasy called 'Midknight' and a remake of British musical 'The Red Shoes', based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a 'ballet dancer whose compulsion to dance ultimately destroys any hope she once had of a normal life, leading to her tragic death'.

Memorabilia set to thrill fans to Michael Jackson

From Rolls-Royce for his sequined gloves, Michael Jackson's personal memorabilia is going on gig at the London venue where he would have performed his comeback concerts.
"The Official Exhibition, Michael Jackson", which opens Wednesday at the O2 arena, has more than 250 items from the late King of Pop's private collections, allowing fans an up close look at some of his most treasured possessions.
"We don't have the concerts, we don't have the man any more but what we do have is his legacy and that's what this celebrates," exhibition curator Robert Santelli told AFP.
Jackson died on June 25 aged 50 after taking a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs. He had been rehearsing for his "This Is It" run of 50 shows at the O2, formerly the Millennium Dome, in southeast London.
The glittering exhibition features clothes, jewellery, paintings, awards, instruments, props and iconic memorabilia such as his sequined white left-hand glove, first worn in 1983.
The collection, drawn largely from warehouses where Jackson resolutely kept costumes and props, also includes the singer's patented anti-gravity lean shoes, plus handwritten lyrics to his 1983 hit "Beat It", written without corrections in black felt tip pen.
Items from his Neverland ranch in California are on show, including the entrance gates and the 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom luxury car he used for driving round Los Angeles with actress Elizabeth Taylor.
Also on display are the costumes prepared for the "This Is It" shows, including a variety of sequined jackets, his favoured loafer shoes with MJ monogrammed inside and ghoulish outfits for the "Thriller" routine.
Hats, jewellery, paintings, a throne, a crown, an ornate golden antique piano, a 1984 letter from US president Ronald Reagan and an original Jackson 5 contract are among the other items featured.
The exhibition ties in with Wednesday's launch of the film "Michael Jackson's This Is It", taken from rehearsal footage of the star preparing for his O2 dates, and the tie-in album.
"It actually was an attempt to allow fans to connect to the memory of Michael Jackson and we couldn't have picked a better place than to open it here," said curator Santelli, executive director of The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
"This is something that will be emotional for some fans because not only does it seek to honour and illustrate his creative genius, but also there's an emotional connection here that fans will find very touching.
"There will be a few tears shed in this exhibition, I'm sure."
Rather than chronicle Jackson's life, the exhibition galleries show off aspects of Jackson, such as his dancing, home life, awards and fashion.
The musician's close friend Miko Brando, son of Oscar-winning US actor Marlon Brando, helped pick out the exhibition items.
"It's great that we're here with his memorabilia stuff where he would have performed the 50 shows," Brando told AFP.
"I think he'd like his fans to see what he had, to show off his stuff. You see another side of Michael: his taste in art, his wardrobe and cars.
"He kept almost everything. He didn't believe in throwing anything away, thank God. This is just a fraction of the pieces he has."
Jackson, Brando's best man and the godfather to his daughter, is sorely missed, his friend said.
"I'm still numb. I don't think I'll ever come to terms with it," said Brando.
"It's been horrendous. It's not something I'd want anyone to go through. Nothing can bring him back. It's still a shock."
The exhibition runs for three months in London, and will then visit two other cities outside Europe, yet to be announced. Tickets cost 15 pounds (24.50 dollars, 16.50 euros).

Michael Jackson's Money suddenly

Michael Jackson's finances weren't exactly sterling before died. Now, everything he—or rather his legacy—touches is gold.
The latest example: Last night's Dancing With the Stars.
A Tuesday the result gig scored season-high audience of 14.2 million, ABC said, based on preliminary Nielsen estimates. So either people actually wanted to look swimmer Natalie Coughlin take a dive—or they really, really wanted to see Derek Hough et al. do the "Thriller" line dance.
The show's much-anticipated Jackson tribute drew not only viewers but Jacksons, too—including mother Katherine, who appeared onstage.
Somehow, CBS' M.J.-free NCIS managed to maintain its top-flight status as the night's No. 1 show (20.6 million viewers).

New Single Released Michael Jackson's

"This Is It" Michael Jackson's posthumous single debuted the late singer's website and began hitting airwaves Monday, ahead of an upcoming album and film of the same name.
Reportedly recorded by Jackson in 1991, the mid tempo lay features backing vocals from his brothers, a sweeping orchestra and finger snaps. A sample lyric: "This is it, here I stand/I'm the light of the world, I feel grand."
Jackson's the song is off two disc album, This Is It, which hits U.S. stores Oct. 27, a day before the release of his concert film, This Is It. A vinyl version of the album will be released Nov. 10.

Movie Will Make Its Debut Online Song From Jackson

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 -- Michael Jackson the first song from the upcoming music documentary will make its debut online.
Sony Music says "This Is It" will have its premiere late Sunday, at midnight, on MichaelJackson.com.
The song plays during the closing sequence of "Michael Jackson's This Is It" and will be included on a companion two disc CD set.
The unreleased single features backup vocals by the late singer's brothers.
The documentary opens Oct. 28 for a two week limited run and was built around rehearsal picture for Jackson's planned London concerts.
The controversial pop star died in Los Angeles on June 25.
The CD features original album masters of some of Jackson's biggest hits, including "Thriller" and "Billie Jean."

Michael Jackson's This is It, China welcomes

Michael Jackson's , the concert film This is it showing rehearsals for his 02 arena gigs, will screen across China later this month after securing official blessing from the Chinese authorities, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Each year, only 20 or so films made outside China are allowed into the country, though there is a roaring trade in pirated DVDs. This Is It has obviously taken one of the last slots available for 2009, and will open on 28 October, in line with the rest of the world.
A digest of interviews, rehearsals and backstage capture of Jackson as he prepared for his series of sold out shows in London, High School Musical's Kenny Ortega This Is It is directed, a long time collaborator with the late singer. Jackson suffered a heart attack at his home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, on 25 June.
While only a few Western films screen legally in China each year, the number of cinemas in the country is mushrooming, and appetite for Hollywood fare is enormous. Earlier this year Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took over 400 million Chinese yuan to break the box office record previously held by James Cameron's Titanic.
But a homegrown epic, China's Foundation of the great cause, released last month to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic of China, looks on course to challenge that figure.

JACKSON EXECUTORS WIN LEGAL AUTHORITY

A U.S. judge overseeing MICHAEL JACKSON's estate has handed power of attorney to the executors of the star's will.At a hearing on Friday (02Oct09), Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff gave Jackson's administrators lawyer John Branca and music executive John MCClain the authority to consider challenges to the singer's will. The group can also enter into business deals that Katherine Jackson, the King of Pop's beloved mother, does not oppose. They also have the right to represent Jackson's estate in a number of cases that were pending at the time of his death in June (09). Beckloff declared Branca and MCClain will retain their control until the end of the year (09), despite objections from an attorney representing Katherine. The pair is said to have raised $90 million (£60 million) in posthumous profits by negotiating merchandising and film deals, and predict they will earn another $90 million before the end of the year (09). The Thriller legend died with debts amounting to approximately $398 million (£265 million).

At Time Of Death Michael Jackson Was Reportedly Healthy

Despite reports that he was painfully thin and frail and allegedly had a unhurt addiction to prescription medications, a Los Angeles County coroner's office report on Michael Jackson claims the 50 year old singer was in excellent health at the time of his death in June.
According to a copy of the report obtained by The Associated Press, Jackson's arms were covered with puncture wounds and the autopsy showed that his lungs were chronically inflamed and had a reduced capacity that might have left the once energetic performer short of breath. But the result claims that the singer was in fairly good condition at the time that he died of an overdose of the anesthetic propofol in June. Though some stories claimed he was around a skeletal 105 pounds at the time of his death, the autopsy document says he weighed 136 pounds, which is in an saticfactory range for a 5 foot 9 man. The report also said his heart was strong with no sign of plaque buildup.
The official results of the autopsy on Jackson have not been released, pending the completion of the police investigation into his death, but officials have concluded that he died of "acute propofol intoxication." The AP claimed it had obtained a copy of the autopsy report but did not reveal how it came into possession of the document, which coroner's officials told MTV News is under a security hold until police finish their probe. It was unclear from the AP story if the document is the final autopsy report or a preliminary document. The spokesperson for the L.A. County coroner's office could not be reached for comment at press time, but an employee told MTV News the office would not be making any comment on the report.
The report said Jackson's kidneys and most of his other major organs were normal and that the lung condition, while notable, wasn't serious enough to be a direct or contributing cause of death. Jackson did have some other chronic conditions that were notable but also not life threatening, including arthritis in the lower spine and some fingers and mild plaque buildup in his leg arteries.
Jackson died at a rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 shortly after his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, gave him propofol and two other sedatives to help the singer get to sleep. Murray is at the center of a manslaughter investigation by the Los Angeles police that has included raids on his home and offices in Las Vegas and a storage unit and clinic in Texas. Murray's attorney has stated that the doctor did not give Jackson anything that "should have" killed him.
The autopsy report detailed the heroic efforts employed to try and revive Jackson, including chest bruising and cracked ribs from CPR and the use of a mechanical device called a balloon pump that was inserted into Jackson's heart to try and restart it, according to the AP.
The autopsy findings appear to head off a potential defense for Murray should he be charged in the case: that Jackson had serious pre-existing conditions, which increased his risk of death from the drugs he willingly took. Jackson was in the midst of vigorous rehearsals for a planned series of 50 comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London at the time of his death. While some reports claimed the singer was too frail and unhealthy to pull off the shows, the autopsy results indicate that, aside from the lung issue, Jackson did not have any serious physical problems that might have hampered his ability to perform.
Among the other details in the autopsy report:
» Jackson had a 3/4-inch scar behind his left ear and another apparent scar behind his right ear, a scar beside each of his nostrils and another 4-inch scar on his right shoulder. He also had a pair of scars about 3 inches long at the base of his neck and smaller scars on his arms and wrist, a small scar in the region of his naval and a 2-inch scar on the right hand side of his abdomen. A doctor not affiliated with the case told the AP that most of the scars appeared to be from plastic surgery, though some, such as the one on the knee, could have been from a different medical procedure.
» The medical examiner found numerous punctures on both arms and on a knee and ankle.
» Jackson had a number of cosmetic tattoos, including dark tattoos around his eyebrows and under his eyes and a pink tattoo around his lips.
» The singer was going bald at the front of his head, with his remaining hair described as short and tightly curled. The bald portion of his scalp was darkened with what appeared to be a tattoo that stretched across the top of his head from ear to ear.

Ticket Sales Break International Records 'Michael Jackson's This Is It'

Even in death, Michael Jackson continues to be a guaranteed superstar. Just as the initial run of his planned concerts at the O2 arena in London sold out almost right away earlier this year, the posthumous documentary about the King of Pop's preparations for that residency, "Michael Jackson's This Is It," has broken advance ticket sales records for a movie.
According to Reuters, hundreds of screenings in North America have already sold out, a month before the film's October 28 opening.
Among the cities with the strongest sales are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and New York. Records were also set in Japan, where more than $1 million in tickets were sold on the first day they were available. In London, fans bought more than 30,000 tickets on the first day, eclipsing the advance interest in the "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" films, which were wildly popular in Britain. Record sales were also reported in Holland, Sweden, Belgium and New Zealand.
The documentary will have a limited two week run, which might explain the rush on tickets. On Sunday, all 3,000 spots for a Los Angeles advance screening of "This Is It" on October 27 sold out within two hours.
The film follows Jackson as he rehearsed and prepared for a 50 date run of concerts, which were scheduled to begin in London just weeks after his death on June 25. Sony Pictures Entertainment paid $60 million for the more than 100 hours of hi-def rehearsal picture. The film, which was directed by Kenny Ortega, will feature behind-the-scenes capture as well as Jackson and his band and dancers rehearsing for the tour.
Last week, it was confirmed that a two disc album featuring a new song, "This Is It," will be released on October 27 to concur with the movie's theatrical release. The new single drops on October 12.

'Michael Jackson Tapes' details star's obsessions

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. – Pop superstar Michael Jackson feared the ravages of old age, sought the company of sycophants and appeared to be abusing prescription drugs and cosmetic surgery nearly a decade before his death, according to a new book by a former adviser.
"The Michael Jackson Tapes" breaks little in the way of new ground but the book by Shmuley Boteach, based on 30 hours of taped interviews, provides firsthand detail about the performer's excesses and obsessions.
"I don't want to be seen now," Jackson confessed. "Because I am like a lizard. It is horrible."
Jackson died June 25 at age 50. His death is being treated as a homicide.
The self-described "King of Pop" seemed to sense during the interviews in 2000 and 2001 that his life was winding down.
"I would like some way to disappear where people don't see me anymore at some point," Jackson said. "I don't want to grow old. I never want to look in the mirror and see that."
"He lost the will to live," Boteach said Friday on NBC's "Today" show. "I think he was just going through the motions of life toward the end."
Boteach is an orthodox Jewish rabbi who has written self-help books with names like "Kosher Sex" and "Shalom in the Home." He was introduced to Jackson in 1999 through Uri Geller, a British entertainer, and acted as his confidant for many years. At times, the transcribed tapes sound like counseling sessions.
Boteach said he and Jackson recorded the tapes with the idea of giving the public a more accurate image of the reclusive entertainer. Boteach said he soured on the book — originally slated for release in 2003 Boteach said Jackson began pushing him away as he criticized his departure from the recovery program they had set up — improvements that included waking up at a decent hour and not being alone with kids other than Jackson's own, for public relations purposes.
The friendship ended with Jackson's second arrest on charges of sexually abusing a child. Boteach said he resurrected the project after Jackson died because attitudes toward him had softened.
In conversations, Jackson is quick to see himself as a victim and quick to criticize relatives — especially his father, who, Jackson said, beat him with an electric cord.
"He was rough," Jackson says of his father. "The way he would beat you hard, you know, was hard."
Ken Sunshine, a spokesman for the Jackson family, said Friday: "We will not dignify this with a comment."
The book makes it clear Jackson was interested in women sexually but very shy. He tells Boteach he had never asked a woman out on a date, although he admitted to having sexually charged phone conversations with Madonna.
In recounting one conversation, he said: "Madonna laid down the law to me before we went out," saying, "'I am not going to Disneyland, okay? That's out.'"
Jackson said Madonna was jealous of him because his female fans screamed and swooned while her male fans were less demonstrative. He recalled her crying in admiration at one of his concerts.
When contacted Friday, Madonna's spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, said, "Madonna has very fond feelings for Michael Jackson, and I don't think anything in the book is going to change that."
___
Associated Press Television Writer Frazier Moore in New York contributed to this report.

Jackson's This Is It Album Set for October Release

This is it or at least the beginning of it. Sony Music announced on Wednesday that on Oct. 12 it will release the single "This Is It," the first of what promises to be an onslaught of posthumous Michael Jackson songs, followed by a full two-disc album, Michael Jackson's This Is It, supposedly "inspired" by the Sony film of the same name. The album will be out internationally on Oct. 26 and in the U.S. on Oct. 27, a day before the worldwide release of the movie.
From Elvis Presley to Tupac Shakur, posthumously released music has long been a record industry staple, and with good reason: death sells. Tupac has had five Top 10 albums since his shooting death in 1996, while the Elvis catalog is among the most valuable assets in entertainment. Of course, most music bearing the description "previously unreleased" was kept in a storage locker for a reason. But the words still have a seductive power for fans who are desperate for a little more music from a departed favorite and for record labels that are looking for one (or more) final cash cow.

Deep voice Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson "talked tough" and had a deep voice.
According to one of the late pop superstar's closest guys, concert promoter David Gest, Jackson's real voice was heavy and powerful and nothing like the high-pitched whimper he used when speaking publicly.
Gest said: "I'm showing an interview I did with Michael that shows him talking in his actual voice, like, 'C'mon David, let's get it done now.' "
Mimicking Jackson's famous high pitched tone, he added: "You know he doesn't talk like, 'Hi, how are you?' He talks very, very tough. I'm telling you the truth."
Fans were shocked earlier this year when Jackson announced his This Is It London residency in an unusually deep voice which prompted speculation as to whether an imitatory had appeared instead of the 'King of Pop'.
Gest, 56, is making a documentary called My Best guys Michael which he promises will gig this actual side of the Thriller singer.
Since his untimely passing in June, Gest has been in regular contact with the Jackson family, and revealed Jackson's mother Katherine is struggling with the loss of her son.

Appearing on British TV show Live From Studio Five, Gest who had Jackson as his best man when he married Liza Minnelli in 2002 said: "I went to the funeral about two months ago and I speak to his mother about every week.
"It's very hard on Mrs Jackson, to bury a son when a son's supposed to bury a mother. She's trying to cope, but she's a very strong woman, she helped raise me when I was a kid."

Michael Jackson admitted: I took painkiller medication' in lawsuit evidence

Michael Jackson spoke about his alleged addiction to prescription drugs during video evidence taken during a lawsuit involving his ex manager Dieter Wiesner, it has been reported.

In the video, Jackson is said to have talked about how a doctor had prescribed medicine throughout 2003.
The video was shot by a lawyer who was interviewing him on behalf of Mr Wiesner, who managed Jackson for seven years to 2003.
Wienser had filed a £45million civil case, claiming fraud and breach of contract, according to The Sun.

The date of video is unknown but in it he reportedly talks about how a doctor had prescribed medicine throughout 2003.
Wearing a black jacket, reading glasses, reading glasses, Jackson looked distracted during the interview, according to the paper, which had viewed the exchange.
During one exchange, the lawyer asks him: “Were you under the influence of drugs or alcohol that impaired your ability to understand what you were doing?”
Jackson replied: “It could have been medication, yes.”
The lawyer responded: “OK, what medications were you taking in about January of 2003?”
Jackson replied: “It could have easily been pain medication because I had some serious injuries on tour.”
The lawyer then asked: “And so is it your testimony that you gave power of attorney to Dieter Wiesner and Ronald Konitzer when under the influence of prescription medication?
Jackson then responded: “Could have been probably. Probably, yes.”
According to the paper, he could not recall how long he had been taking the drugs, adding that he used them to numb the pain caused by injuries suffered while performing and at home.
“I had a serious fall,” he said.
“I am not sure it was a tour. It was a show we did, a benefit. And I had an accident also at home.” Mr Wiesner has said Jackson’s drug use increased after he saw Martin Bashir's 2003 television documentary, in which the pop star revealed he slept in a room with children.
The video emerged a day after Jackson fans were given their first look at the trailer for This Is It, the movie featuring footage from his final days.
The film is a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals for Jackson's London comeback shows, which were scheduled to take place this summer.
He died on June 25, shortly before the run was due to commence at the O2 Arena.

Michael Jackson's cause of death 'within hours'

The Los Angeles County Coroner will release details of Michael Jackson's cause of death within hours, a leading entertainment website is reporting.
TMZ, which broke the story of the pop star's death in Los Angeles on June 25, claims that the autopsy report will not be depatured, but that the world will learn what the coroner believes killed Jackson, who had become addicted to a lethal standard of a hospital grade anaesthetic known as propofol as an insomnia medication.
The coroner is also anticipated to announce whether Jackson's death should be classed as homicide, news of which will be of specific interest to Conrad Murray, his Grenada born personal physician, who faces the expectation of pursuance for his part in the singer's decease.
At the heart of an ongoing police investigation are questions of where the drug was obtained, where Dr Murray was at the time Jackson was dying telephone records are said to show him being on the phone for 47 minutes after the singer stopped breathing and why it took 82 minutes for him to call an ambulance.

For Dr Murray, who was struggling with heavy debts before taking the job with Jackson, the result of tonight's revelations could be dire. Even if he is charged with involuntary manslaughter one of the mildest forms of homicide he would become the star suspect in one of the trials of the century and could face a protracted prison sentence.