MJcool

A brand new figure of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was revealed this morning, 9th July 2009. Depicted in the classic performance pose of his 'This is It' tour poster – arms outstretched, pelvis thrusting forward, on tip toes with his trade-mark fedora pushed forward – the figure is a celebration of his extraordinary career. We created the new figure to mark Jackson’s return to the stage and decided to proceed as planned in tribute to the icon. ‘As the response to his tragic death has shown, Michael Jackson was one of the most powerful forces in contemporary music and culture and he has remained one of the most popular personalities at Madame Tussauds throughout his career,’ said PR Manager, Liz Edwards. ‘We enjoyed a very special relationship with Michael and this is the 13th time we have portrayed him - a reflection of that popularity. It was always our intention to make this new figure a celebratory one, signalling his much anticipated return to the stage but also acknowledging all of his incredible achievements. We hope it will still be a celebration - and a tribute to one of the most innovative and influential entertainers the world has seen.’ Matt Blank, spokesperson for the World Michael Jackson Network said: 'The new wax figure will undoubtedly be very popular among the general public and fans alike. It is in this sad time that people need to share their grief, not just through tears but also through celebrating the life and legacy of the King of Pop.' He continued: 'This new figure is a great focus for those to enjoy everything about Michael Jackson, his career and the immense happiness he brought to millions all over the world.' Jackson’s new figure was created using information gathered at a sitting the singer gave in 1989, together with extensive photography and research to reflect the ‘This is It’ image. Dressed in trade mark black Fedora, white v-neck t-shirt, sparkly black jacket, white glove, black ankle length trousers, white socks and black loafers, the figure will be situated in a dedicated area in the Music Zone which will also feature some archive materials depicting the long relationship between the singer and the attraction. http://www.madametussauds.com/London/NewsA...on/Default.aspx

According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), ?Thriller? has now been certified 28 times Platinum just in the United States alone! While originally released in 1982 ?Thriller? has been re-released in various special editions, most recently with 2008?s ?Thriller 25′. However, in spite of the different special editions, the original album continues to fly off the shelves; proving that it truly is the greatest album of all time! RIAA, MJFC-USA

We have recieved the following information from AEG: We know that many of you have experienced frustrating delays today and we apologise for these problems. If you have not yet been successful in purchasing tickets with your code, it WILL still work. Please dont worry if you managed to log in, but didnt get any further. The codes can still be redeemed tomorrow. We have now sold out of the presale ticket allocation for 30 shows. Michael Jackson has agreed to add more shows, so you still have a chance to get tickets on presale. We will be back in action at 7am (GMT), tomorrow 12 March. Demand for tickets is unprecedented, so please be patient and do keep trying. And remember if you miss out on the presale there will be tickets available on every show at the public on sale from 7am (GMT) 13 March. KOP/AEG Live

Pop superstar Michael Jackson has doubled his run of comeback shows in London this summer - after more than a million fans tried to get tickets. The Thriller hitmaker announced his return to the stage last week at a press conference in the capital, unveiling a residency of 10 shows at the city's O2 Arena in July. More than a million fans registered to buy tickets for the 10 shows at the 20, 000-capacity venue, with pre-sale seats snapped up within minutes of going on sale on Wednesday. Websites went into meltdown as Jackson fans across the globe desperately clamoured for tickets - prompting organisers to extend his run for another 10 shows. Jackson hasn't played a full concert since 2001 and insists these shows will be his last in London. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday. The new dates are: Jul 30, 2009 Aug 1, 2009 Aug 3, 2009 Aug 10, 2009 Aug 12, 2009 Aug 17, 2009 Aug 24, 2009 Aug 26, 2009 Aug 28, 2009 Aug 30, 2009 Yahoo..

Michael Jackson has sent his "love" to Jade Goody and asked if he can visit her in hospital, her publicist has said. The terminally ill reality star was "exhausted" and under 24-hour security protection after being confronted by a woman with a hammer, said Max Clifford. But he added that cancer-stricken Goody had been cheered by messages of goodwill from the Thriller singer, who recently announced plans to perform in London. Clifford said: "Michael Jackson phoned her over the weekend but couldn't get through. "He wanted to pop in and see her but instead sent her his love and said he was thinking about her. " The Big Brother star spent the majority of Monday sleeping with husband Jack Tweed at her bedside, he added. Goody had woken up on Sunday to find the woman leaning over her clutching a hammer at London's Royal Marsden Hospital. Police were called and arrested the 41-year-old suspect, but she was eventually released from custody with no further action. Goody, who has been told she has only weeks to live, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in August last year. Yahoo...

yeah i thought is voice was much deeper too and he looked great.. The King Is Back for sure....

Pop Superstar Michael Jackson causing hysteria outside the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London, on March 6th 2009.When he goes to see the Musical 'Oliver'... Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl-GCCdi5fA MJSTAR/MJJPICTURES...

Michael Jackson?s London gig announcement has sent sales of his classic albums soaring higher than his high-pitched voice. Web retailer Play.com saw a 110 per cent increase in purchases of ?Bad? overnight with ?Dangerous? up 165 per cent. It follows Jackson?s revelation that he?ll perform 10 gigs at The O2 Arena this July. The 25th Anniversary version of ?Thriller? was also flying off the virtual shelves up 155 per cent while 1979?s ?Off The Wall? recorded the biggest increase of 200 per cent. A Play.com spokesman said: ?With the King of Pop back in the UK it seems that music is back in the hearts of British MJ fans. ? Play.com

Michael Jackson has announced a series of comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London. These will be the 50-year-old?s first shows 12 years. Music industry insiders give their verdict on whether it will be landmark or lacklustre. LEMAR - MUSICIAN ?It?s great that he?s announced the tour. Whether he?ll do it or whether he?ll finish it is another thing. I will definitely be buying a ticket. Whenever you see him nowadays he looks quite fragile, but at the same time it?s an exciting prospect. Obviously the moves aren?t going to be him doing Thriller. It?s not going to be the exact same Michael. But people wonder what is it going to be, so you?re going to buy the ticket because you need to know. He?ll probably be moonwalking in slow motion. You?ll probably have to tape it and then take it home and speed it up again. I want to see everything - I want to see him do all the tricks that he can still do without injuring himself. I want to see all of the old tracks. When you get to a certain age and you?ve had the type of hits he?s had it?s not about bringing out a new album. He?s done the best of his work, so just celebrate it. ? AMANDA GHOST - HEAD OF JACKSON?S RECORD LABEL EPIC ?I met Michael Jackson a few weeks ago. He helped build Epic. Why does he mean so much? He?s the consummate artist. He?s so talented - as a writer, as a dancer, as a singer, as a performer. He?s a star. We?re not making stars any more. His legacy is great music, incredible image and an important message. It got corny towards the end. He?s a child star and he paid a heavy price to be Michael Jackson. I don?t know anybody in the world that hasn?t got a Michael Jackson song that they love. He?s universal. He?s an icon. I used to dress up as Michael Jackson when I was a kid. ? KANYA KING - MOBO AWARDS FOUNDER ?I think at the heart of Michael is a showman. If you look at the earlier performances they were a huge spectacle and it wasn?t just about his vocal ability. It?ll need more than hardcore Michael Jackson fans buying tickets but you only need look at some of the nostalgic tours recently - they haven?t been half as big as Michael Jackson but they?ve sold out. The fact that he?s committed to a huge series of gigs means he needs to be fully prepared. But as long as he rehearses, performs and gives the people what they want to hear, no-one will come away disappointed and I for one will be in the front row. ? PETE WATERMAN - RECORD PRODUCER ?I actually think it?s about money and I can?t blame him. But it?ll also please the fans. My son is a Michael Jackson fanatic and left home at eight o?clock on Thursday morning to queue up to see him. That says it all. ? PAUL GAMBACCINI - BROADCASTER ?There will be such a big demand. There used to be this phenomenon of the ?harvest? tour which was when your stars from the 60s and early 80s would go out, without the benefit of a new record, and just harvest what they deserve from their past records. In the last year we?ve had Madonna, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles and The Police raise over ?150 milion from tours. Michael is 50 this year. There were reports in the last couple of years of serious illness. Any ex-athlete will tell you it?s harder to move around at speed at 50 than when you?re 25. I saw Michael and the Jackson Five at Wembley Arena and Michael as an adult at Wembley Stadium. He was moving fine and famously then but the problem, if there is to be one, would be his health. ? BBC News

The best male pop category was won by U.S. singer Kid Rock, who released the album "Rock N Roll Jesus" late in 2007.Michael Jackson was Nominated,but didnt win this time..

Michael Jackson (Thriller 25) has been nominated as the "World's Best Pop Male Artist" for the 2008 World Music Awards, set to take place in Monaco on November 9, 2008. Other nominees in this category include Kid Rock (Rock 'N Roll Jesus), Enrique Iglesias (95/08), and James Blunt (All the Lost Souls). If the winner is determined based strictly on worldwide sales for each artist's top-selling album or compilation in 2008, Michael Jackson will rightfully be named the winner since Thriller 25 has indeed sold more, worldwide, in 2008 than any of the other mentioned albums. The event will broadcast in the USA December 2nd on MyNetworkTV--and will air live in the Middle East and Africa. It will air in Ireland on Sunday, November 16th on RTE 2, and will air on Channel 4 in the UK, November 21st (with a repeat on T4). Michael Jackson: Thriller 25 (2,238,500 Worldwide Sales) - #12 Kid Rock: Rock'n'Roll Jesus (2,153,000 Worldwide Sales) - #13 James Blunt: All the Lost Souls (1,047,000 Worldwide Sales) - #37 Enrique Iglesias: 95/08 Exitos (~800,000 Worldwide Sales) - Not in to 50 There has been no word yet with regards to Michael Jackson's plans for this event. WMA

The brains behind the Spice Girls reunion tour and Prince's recent London concert run are trying to lure Michael Jackson to the capital for a string of shows. Promoters AEG Live have offered the King of Pop a "standing offer with no expiration" to play at the O2 arena, where Prince performed a run of shows and Led Zeppelin reformed to pay tribute to music mogul Ahmet Ertegun last December (07). The news comes as Jackson's 1982 album Thriller returns to the top of the US charts - the Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart that is. The album rocketed up the charts from 41 to one, thanks in part to ongoing stories about a musical based on the pop star's 14-minute Thriller video. The album is 2008's top-selling catalogue album in America, according to Billboard. com. Yahoo...

Michael Jackson's Thriller - The World's Best-Selling Album of All Time - Is Back on The Top of America's Charts!!! NEW YORK, Nov 07, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Coast-To-Coast Zombie Dance Tributes & Halloween Sales Frenzy Drive 25th Anniversary Edition of Thriller To #1 On The Billboard Catalog Albums Chart & #1 On iTunes. Michael Jackson's Thriller, the world's top-selling album of all time, is back at the top of the charts this week following a Halloween-inspired surge in sales and coast-to-coast zombie dance tributes to the album. The Legacy Recordings' 25th Anniversary CD/DVD edition of Thriller has rocketed back into the #1 slot on the Billboard Catalog Albums chart. A specially-priced Halloween digital edition of the standard Thriller album on iTunes, bundled with a bonus video of the award-winning Thriller zombie music clip, spent much of the week at #1 before settling in as iTune's #2 album of the week (topped only by John Legend's Evolver). More than 34,000 Thriller ringtones were sold during the same week. A perennial best-seller since its original release in November 1982, Thriller, and Michael Jackson's iconic zombie dance music video, have, over the past quarter century, launched thousands of Thriller-themed events while inspiring countless zombie-based costumes for Halloween and other spooky occasions. A group of hardcore Thriller "grisly ghouls" gathered at Madame Tussauds wax museum in Times Square this past October to successfully break the Guinness World Record for most "zombies" dancing the signature choreography from Michael's video in a single location. The record-shattering Thriller Dance Re-enactment was previewed in a USA Today Lifeline item (October 27, 2008) and covered in depth in the Halloween editions of both the New York Post and the New York Daily News. Zombie-attired Thriller fans gathered en masse to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the album at Greenwich Village's annual Halloween Parade. Outside the Big Apple Thriller events, Miami's hot spot Opium Garden hosted an official Michael Jackson Thriller 25 Halloween bash highlighted by Live in Color, an MTV dance crew, performing the Thriller zombie dance. Zombies also descended on the Fox Network's "Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" as well as "The View," where lucky audience members were given complimentary copies of Thriller 25. Released in February 2008, Thriller 25 -- the newly-expanded deluxe 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller, the world's best-selling album of all-time -- became America's #2 Top-Selling Album more than a quarter century after the album's original release. One of the hottest albums of 2008, Thriller 25 rocketed into the Top 5 (or better) in a variety of territories across the planet following its worldwide release the week of February 11 while entering the Billboard Top Pop Catalog chart at #1. With more than two million copies of Thriller 25 sold around the world the new edition of Michael Jackson's classic collection hit #1 in France; #1 in Belgium; #2 in Germany; #2 in Australia; #2 in the Netherlands; #2 in Norway (Thriller's highest position ever in that country); #2 in Sweden; #2 in Switzerland; #3 in the UK; #3 in Denmark; #3 in New Zealand; #4 in Spain; #5 in Austria; #5 in Ireland; #6 in the Czech Republic; and #6 in Italy. Global response to the release of Thriller 25, the newly expanded deluxe 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller, the world's top-selling album of all-time, reached a fever pitch across the planet with surprise hit singles, a 29-episode "ThrillerCast" podcast series, the premiere of the "Thrillicious" Sobe Life Water ad campaign at the Super Bowl, the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael Jackson at the NRJ Music Awards at Cannes and a host of events and surprises. The Michael Jackson Thriller 25th anniversary celebration runs throughout 2008 with a multi-faceted global marketing campaign featuring high-profile television, radio and online events around the world and the major re-launch of Michael's official website, http://www.michaeljackson.com/ Originally released in the US on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records, Thriller, Michael Jackson's sixth solo album and second with producer Quincy Jones, first entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart at #11 in December 1982. The original Thriller went on to spend an astounding 80 consecutive weeks in the American Top 10, 37 of those at #1, while making history as the first and only record to be America's top-selling album two years running (1983 and 1984). Thriller has been certified 27x platinum by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond Award status in the US. In 1985, the Guinness Book of Records named Thriller the Best Selling Album of All Time, an achievement which remains unsurpassed to this day. THRILLER - 25 The World's Biggest Selling Album of All Time Thriller - original track listing - US Billboard Chart Peaks 1. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" -- (#5 Hot 100, #5 R&B) 2. "Baby Be Mine" 3. "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) -- (#2 Hot 100, #1 R&B, #1 Adult Contemporary) 4. Thriller" -- (#4 Hot 10, #3 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks) 5. "Beat It" -- (#1 Hot 100, #1 R&B) 6. "Billie Jean" -- (#1 Hot 100, #1 R&B, #9 A/C) 7. "Human Nature" -- (#7 Hot 100, #2 Adult Contemporary) 8. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" -- (#10 Hot 100) 9. "The Lady in My Life" Bonus Material: 10. Vincent Price Excerpt From "Thriller" Voice-Over Session Previously Unreleased Tracks for 25th Anniversary Edition 11. The Girl Is Mine 2008 with will. i. am 12. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008 with will. i. am 13. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 with Akon 14. Beat It 2008 with Fergie 15. Billie Jean 2008 Kanye West mix 16. For All Time (unreleased track from original Thriller sessions) DVD The Short Films 1. BILLIE JEAN 2. BEAT IT 3. THRILLER 4. BILLIE JEAN -- The Legendary Performance from Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever 25th Anniversary Executive Producer: Michael Jackson Original Album Produced by Quincy Jones for Quincy Jones Productions MJSTAR..

Producers have announced open auditions to find an unknown to play a young Michael Jackson on the West End stage. The wannabe star, aged between 11 and 15, will be cast as the lead in the musical Thriller - Live when it opens in London in January. The show, which has been seen in Germany, Holland and Scandinavia and travelled on three UK tours, is billed as a tribute to the hits and career of pop star Jackson and The Jackson 5. Producers are looking for a "young black, African-American or dual heritage boy aged 11 to 15 with an excellent unbroken pop/rock voice with a high range, who is exciting, confident and energetic. " Open auditions take place on November 23 at the Lyric Theatre, where singers will be asked to sing either Ben, I Want You Back, or I'll Be There. Pop legend Jackson is not involved in the musical, but Sony, which owns the back catalogue of his songs, is backing the show, a spokesman for the musical said. There has been speculation that The Jackson 5, who last performed together in 2001, will be reuniting next year with the former King of Pop among them. Jermaine Jackson recently said of the reunion: "This has been a long time coming for the Jackson family to get back together. It is going to be more like a family affair. Janet's going to open and, of course, the original Jackson 5..." "We're in the studio and we're planning on being out there next year. " Thriller - Live opens on January 2 at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. MJSTAR...

The New York Post's PAGE SIX is reporting that James Nederlander is producing a musical version of Michael Jackson's video for his hit song ?THRILLER'. Jackson's album of the same name is the best-selling record of all time. It spawned such hits as ?Billie Jean', ?Beat It', ?The Girl Is Mine' and of course ?Thriller'. Not much else is known other than a production is being planned. In an age where films are making the leap to the Broadway stage, it doesn't surprise that classic music videos might be thrown into the mix, Thriller in many ways resembled a musical with its dancing zombies and dynamic visuals. Hey, if vampires could take a bite out of the Rialto, why not singing zombies? The release became the first album to reach number one in the United States and the United Kingdom simultaneously, becoming the first album to ever have that honor. 'Thriller', at the height of its success was selling a million copies a week worldwide. In little over a year, Thriller became the best-selling album of all time. Sales are estimated to be somewhere between 47-108 million copies sold worldwide. Seven of the album's nine songs were released as singles, and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album won a record-breaking seven Grammy Awards in1984. Michael Jackson was one of the first artists to embrace the music video format, and with ?Thriller' he took it to a level rivaling theatrical releases of the time. The 14-minute music video for the song of the same name was directed by John Landis who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson. ?Thriller' was broadcast on MTV three weeks before Christmas 1983. It was the most expensive video of its time, costing $500,000 to make, and the Guinness World Records in 2006 list it as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million copies. 'Thriller' featured choreographed zombies performing with Jackson as he danced his way through a spoof of the classic Night of the Living Dead and Universal Studios Horror films. Co-starring with Jackson was former Playboy centerfold Ola Ray. The video was choreographed by Michael Peters with major contributions by Jackson. The two had worked together before with great success on ?Beat It' The video also contains incidental music by legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein, who had previously also worked with Landis on An American Werewolf in London. Thriller also spotlighted a spoken word performance by horror film icon Vincent Price. Hollywood make-up master Rick Baker assisted in prosthetics and creatures for the production. 'Thriller' debuted at a special theatrical screening, in hopes to qualify for an Oscar along with the 1940 animated motion picture Fantasia. Thriller is still a successful seller to this day. The video is still considered a classic, Jackson of course has gone on to become both a figure of enormous creativity and scandalous infamy. BroadwayWorld.com