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Michael Jackson Legacy Lives On In “The Ultimate Thriller” Tour

ORLANDO, Fla. - (Business Wire) Michael Jackson’s signature moves are being revived in The Ultimate Thriller’s world tour choreographed by one of Jackson’s principle dancers and world famous choreographer, Mic Thompson. The show is booked in 50+ European venues through March 2010, complete with an uncanny Jackson look-alike.

This tribute to the musical phenom has what it takes to be an ultimate thrill for fans. As The Ultimate Thriller plans their 2010 US tour, fans are invited to go to www.theultimatethriller.com and “Demand It” to come to their town.

The Ultimate Thriller’s show is based on Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” and “Bad” concert tours and will perform iconic songs like “Black or White”, “Beat It”, and “Billie Jean”.

The show is live and electrifying thanks to a world-class group of musicians, dancers and singers. Vocalist and Jackson double Tej’ai Sullivan has been mastering Jackson’s vocals and dancing for 20 years and was the unquestionable winner of the 2007 Michael Jackson United Nation International Fan Club MJ Pop Idol Contest. No lip-syncher, Sullivan’s performances are 100% live. Choreographer Mic Thompson spent 9 years on stage with Jackson and that intimate relationship shows from Tej’ai’s first pop and lock. This cast truly has the talent to capture the memory of the King of Pop.

Show producer Robert Hyman was working on bringing tribute bands to the forefront in Florida when Michael Jackson died. At that moment, he realized they needed to pursue a fitting tribute to pay respect to the artist genius.


“There is a great demand for tribute shows,” says Hyman, The Ultimate Thrilller show producer. “Once we received the news of Michael Jackson’s passing, we felt we should put this show to the forefront. Michael’s music spans so many generations. His passion, spirit and love are something that we gravitate toward. I could think of nothing better than to pay respect by playing his music to the world so we can keep his spirit alive.”



For all the artists involved, this tour is about more than nostalgia… it is about carrying on the magic, music and energy Jackson brought to the world.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/...the-ultimate-thrillerrdquo-tour,1074268.shtml





RAP ON THRILLER: "Michael Jackson Had A Big Impact On My Life" -Rakim

In recognition of this week's Thriller anniversary, SOHH spoke with rap veteran Rakim to get his thoughts on the late Michael Jackson's iconic album.

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For Rakim, it was the album's content which served as a blueprint for what an entertainer should provide fans.
"I grew up off Mike, man, being a young music lover," Rakim told SOHH. "The Thriller album, man, was like a prototype of what an entertainer is supposed to bring to the table. And we all know Mike was a real -- a big entertainer. So he always did it big. But the way he put it together and the vision that he had and the way he brought it to the videos, to me, it was like a prototype to how an entertainer could really bring a project to the table. Mike had a big impact on my life, you know what I mean? Coming up when I was small, there was no rap, it was just R&B. My family was musically orientated, I love music man and Mike was like, he was a teenager's star. He was a young kid star...The kid's had Michael Jackson. We had the Mike Jackson cartoons, I feel like he [was for] the kids, grown-ups loved his music too but we related to him." (SOHH)

For more go here http://www.sohh.com/2009/12/rap_on_thriller_michael_jackson_had_a_bi.html





Kehinde Wiley’s Painting Michael Jackson Commissioned but Never Saw



In 2007 artist Kehinde Wiley received voicemails saying that Michael Jackson was trying to reach him.
“I ignored them because quite honestly I thought it was a prank” says Wiley.
After some further research it turned out the calls were real. Michael Jackson was actually interested in a commissioned piece by Kehinde Wiley.

Wiley mixes images of classical royal portraiture with images of contemporary black culture. In an interview with Anthem Magazine, Wiley described his style and subjects:
I try to recognize the sacred in the most common places; I just start with an African American community that I belong to. You know, much of what I do is I quote old paintings, and the old paintings are repopulated with young African American men who follow a very straight ahead demographic, between the ages of 18 and 25. It’s obviously a comment on youth culture and it’s a comment on consumption patterns, but it’s also a comment on who gets to be in those sort of important moments in picture making.
​
Jackson’s commissioned piece was still in early stages when Wiley learned about his death but chose to move forward with the piece to honor the King of Pop.



The Art Newspaper describes the details:
"The portrait is a compilation of six paintings, including works by David and Rubens. When asked why he felt obliged to complete the work, Wiley said: “Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much input as I would have hoped for, but I think it’s something he would have been proud of. Michael was an extraordinarily talented person with a team who could realize his ideas as much as his performances, and I think that his idea of collaborating with me was something that he really wanted to see through…I felt a responsibility to him to get it done.”
​
Yesterday Deitch Projects, Wiley's gallery, unveiled the Jackson commissioned piece at Art Basel Miami. It's definitely one of the biggest pieces there and one of the most memorable for me. The Miami Herald even referred to it as the "King of Art Basel"

http://www.racewire.org/archives/20...chael_jackson_commissioned_but_never_saw.html





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Happy Birthday
amygrace
(25)​










Today in
Michael Jackson History​

1989 - Michael Jackson's single "Thriller" was certified Gold and Platinum. ​

1995 - Michael Jackson appeared with legendary mime Marcel Marceau at New York news conference promoting a Jackson special airing on HBO. ​

1999 - Michael Jackson's interview with TV Guide was released. ​

2002 - Michael Jackson appeared in court fifth day concerning Jackson not performing at two millennium concerts planned for December 31, 1999. Jackson was using a crutch and claimed his foot was swolen from a spider bite. ​

2004 - Police went to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and asked him to submit a DNA sample. The sample was requested in connection to the child-molestation case against Jackson. The previous day police had raided the property a second time in search of evidence in the same case. ​

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Jacksons talk about life without Michael in 6-hour series

NEW YORK — As the old saying goes, “If you like this kind of thing, you’ll like this.”
Mirroring too many other celeb-reality shows that come pledging a personal glimpse at their subjects, “The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty” is stagey, self-conscious and, most of all, self-serving on the part of its participants.
But if you’re a fan of Michael Jackson (always offstage but seldom out of mind), or even the observable members of the Jackson 5 — Marlon, Tito, Jackie and Jermaine — you might enjoy this time spent with them.
The six-hour A&E series premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, with back-to-back episodes. The high point of those first two hours comes when Jermaine Jackson cries.
Tearfully, he recalls the dark days of 1976, when the rest of the group leaped to CBS Records while only he stayed behind at Motown, being loyal, he says, “to where we started.”
“Do you know what it is to be alone? Just to be alone?” says Jermaine, choking up. “I’m out in the streets and kids are saying, ‘We don’t want your autograph, ‘cause you’re the one that broke the group up.“’
“When you came back to the group, it was one of the best, favourable memories of my life,” says Tito as the foursome shares hugs all around.
It’s hard to believe this is really the first time Jermaine has ever expressed his hurt from that rift with his brothers, as he claims. And it’s hard to overlook the fact that, during this scene of high emotion, all of them seem carefully arranged on their sectional sofa for maximum visual effect.
Even so, there’s something real going on here. It’s a nice break from all the canned, rote stuff.
The premise of the miniseries (at least when filming started last January) seems to centre on the Jackson 5, including Michael, reuniting for their 40th anniversary.
The other four brothers start planning a tour and a new album — “the best album we ever made!” Jackie crows.
They exchange lots of stock dialogue like, “I think we owe it to the fans” and, “We’re family. We’ll be the Jackson 5 till the day we die.”
They make self-pitying remarks about the way the media abuse them, for example, “Your fans will be there for you. You have that marriage with them from day one. It’s the media that tries to come between that.”
That darn marriage-wrecking media!
They also get on each other’s nerves. In the studio last May, Jermaine records a vocal track, then heads off to lunch. Jackie decides it’s unacceptable and erases it.
“You won’t believe what happened in the studio today,” Jermaine tells his wife back at home. “I did these vocals, I was very excited about them, and the next thing I know, they were erased.”
The first hour (which includes a sentimental, staged-for-TV journey to their childhood home in Gary, Ind.) ends with the news of Michael’s death in late June.
Even before his shocking death, it’s hard to discern from the miniseries what Michael thought about his brothers’ plans for the reunion. His involvement is apparently assumed. But he is only seen in archival footage and heard singing on the soundtrack.
And he’s regularly mentioned.
“Your brother was the biggest artist in the world,” the Jacksons’ attorney, Virgil Roberts, tells them in the second episode, a month after Michael has died. “It’s put a special spotlight on you. You’re the living legacy.”
As Roberts speaks, the Jacksons’ album and tour seem to still be in the picture, at least for the sake of justifying this miniseries.
But Jermaine isn’t in the image (and his commitment to the group is called into question) when he misses the official photo shoot. He later tells his brothers he had an eye infection.
Some reunion. And four more episodes to fill.

http://news.therecord.com/arts/article/638948
 
Grammy Nominations: "2" Things You Didn't See On T.V.

From the KOP (thanks):

Grammy Nominations: 10 Things You Didn't See On T.V.

4. The pressroom was full of queries about how the upcoming Grammy show would honor the late Michael Jackson. Rapper/actor LL Cool J suggested that the program should coordinate an extended version of the song "Billie Jean," featuring verses and dance moves performed by artists who were influenced by the King of Pop, including Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and even Bobby Brown. "That's what I think would be hot," LL Cool J said.

8. Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow says his team will "start the process of building the [52nd Grammy Awards] tomorrow." Many are curious if the telecast will include some kind of tribute to the late Michael Jackson. "Michael Jackson is important to us," Portnow said. "Michael is iconic and we like to recognize people that way." A tribute sounds like a pretty sure bet.:cheeky:

http://www.billboard.com/news/gramm...nations-10-things-you-didn-t-1004050399.story
 
Thanks for the news! Many interesting articles today. I would love for a sole MJ art exhibit somewhere so we can see all of these great art pieces in one place.
 
THIS IS IT’ EARNS OVER $250 MILLION WORLDWIDE
3rd December 2009
Sony Pictures on Thursday said global ticket sales for its movies have neared $3.4 billion, beating a studio record with a range of films such as Michael Jackson's "This Is It," which raked in more than $250 million worldwide.
The Jackson film, which was put together from video footage of the late pop star rehearsing for a series of concerts that would have taken place had he not died in June, debuted in theaters in late October and ended its run outside the United States this week with $180 million internationally, Sony said.
The movie finishes its domestic -- United States and Canada -- run on Thursday night, where it already has generated some $72 million, according to ticket sales tracker http://www.facebook.com/l/931b4;Boxofficemojo.com.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, a unit of giant Sony Corp, said it had raked in a total of $3.357 at global box offices as of Wednesday, surpassing the studio's own previous box office record of $3.334 billion.
In domestic markets, Sony said its box office total has reached $1.37 billion, while in international markets the total will surpass $2 billion after this coming weekend.
Helping fuel the studio's record year have been current hit "2012," which has earned $620 million worldwide, thriller "Angels and Demons," surprise sci-fi smash "District 9," and action-filled "Terminator Salvation."
Source: Reuters
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MICHAEL JACKSON SET TO THRILL ON X FACTOR
2nd December 2009
X Factor hopefuls are allegedly set to sing Michael Jackson this week - while Janet Jackson will also perform on the show.
Semi-finalists Danyl Johnson, Olly Murs, Stacey Solomon and Joe McElderry will each choose a track from Michael Jackson's catalog of hits.
The late singer's sister Janet is rumored to also give her views on the previous night's performances on Sunday's show.
An insider told The Sun: "The Michael Jackson numbers will be huge crowd pleasers - and each contestant will want to do Janet and the Jackson family proud."
Before he died in June, show bosses had planned to bring the King Of Pop himself to perform on the show, according to the newspaper.
Janet, 43, who recently released her greatest hits compilation Number Ones, will take to the stage on Sunday's results show.
Source: The Press Association/ The Sun
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MICHAEL’S CAR HAS NEW HOME
24th November 2009
One of Michael Jackson's cars has a new home nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains and will be displayed along side legendary automobile icons like the Batmobile, Herbie the Lovebug and the Flintmobile.
The 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL arrived at Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg on Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving. It has been displayed in the lobby along with one of Jackson's Suits of Light, one of his many costumes he wore performing on stage.
Charlie Moore, owner of the museum, bought the car for $100,000 Saturday online at Julien's Auction, which was held at the Hard Rock Cafe at Times Square in New York City. Moore said he expected to pay $50,000 to $60,000 for it, but that the car was worth its hefty price tag.
Moore says that he is a Jackson fan and that he bought the car because of Jackson's popularity. He says, "He [Jackson] is gonna be an Elvis of this generation." Moore's collection of more than 40 vehicles also includes a 1975 Lincoln Town car that once belonged to Elvis.
Moore sets the cars up in scenes that are reminiscent of the movies or shows in which they were featured. The 1982 Jeep pickup that starred in the movie "Twister" is set in a thunderstorm, while a dinosaur keeps watch over the "Jurassic Park" vehicle.
Of all the vehicles in his collection, the car from "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the hardest to get, he said. The Twister Jeep was the least expensive. In fact, the set on which the Jeep is housed was more expensive than the actual vehicle, said Moore.
Moore said when the museum runs out of room to hold cars, they sell or trade their cars out for new ones. Jackson's car will replace Dolly Parton's 1997 Cadillac D'Elegene as the newest addition to Moore's collection. He hopes it will draw a crowd.
The Hollywood Star Cars Museum is open 7 days a week 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Admission is $11.99 for adults and $6.99 for children age 6-12. Children under 6 are free.
Source: http://www.facebook.com/l/931b4;knoxnews.com
 
Michael Jackson Impersonator-Ernest Valentino Live w/MJ's best dancers

http://michaeljacksonlastsong.info/...ichael-jackson-obsession-bille-jean-official/

Livia@ Obsession. Live Show MJ Tribute of Ernest Valentino, Michael Jackson double – impersonating Michael Jackson @Obsession – performing: Bille Jean – Ernest Valentino in Romania impersonating Michael Jackson in Obsession Club. Perfect imitation of MJ dance and singing. Ernest Valentino @ Cluj for the first time as Michael Jackson with two of Michael Jackson’s best dancers. Live performing MJ show
 
Re: Michael Jackson Impersonator-Ernest Valentino Live w/MJ's best dancers

Thanks, we should just delete this one.
 
Michael worked on Sonic 3: Confirmed

I haven't seen this posted, so, it has been confirmed that Michael worked on Sonic 3 but wasn't credited not because of the 1993 allegations, but because he wasn't happy with the way the sound came out.

B&W: Can you clarify the rumor that Michael had in 1993 composed the music for Sonic 3 video game, for which you havel 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. [...]
 
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