Michael Jackson - Making Money

[Rob McCow]

They all come crawling out of the woodwork eventually. Whether it's lies or truth they're telling, we'll never know.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

They all come crawling out of the woodwork eventually. Whether it's lies or truth they're telling, we'll never know.

But that's how every nutter and his uncle manage to keep this spinning for years in a never ending series of books of coverups "Michael Jackson: The Absolute Neverbefore Heard Truth".

Though it's hard to imagine anything about MJ that's not been speculated about - whether he was a child molester, alien, now is a ghost, is really still alive and in hiding etc ...

[Stuart Wallis]

The Jackson phenomenon may end up being another Beatles/Elvis cottage industry if we're not careful - just when you think everything's been said, here's yet another book/interview/article/jam sandwich recipe...

[Si Hunt]

"may"?

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

Alright, even more so. I mean in the sense that Elvis and Lennon have been dead now for over 30 years, and they've never really gone away, partly because people always seem to come up with a new angle they think some herber's going to buy by the shedload because they can't tell the fleece from the shoddy.

[Si Hunt]

The difference with Jackson is that his horse was flogged for many years while he was still alive. He was notoriously a perfectionist in his last decade of life, and refused to finish any project he started between 2001 and 2010 (this is why there is allegedly so much unreleased material). But trading on the legendary status of his biggest hits, his poor fans were subjected to re-issue after re-package after continual thrashing of "Billie Jean", "Beat It" etc. The result is that, sadly, most people are throroughly sick of those songs and, if the truth be known, Jackson himself.

Working of past glories has in truth been going on since the late eighties, the difference was Jackson always managed to come up with enough new tracks, videos and visual innovations every couple of years to make people fall in love with him all over again; I was around in 1995, and contrary to what the media likes to say, most of his fans were new. He endeared himself to the CURRENT pop audience, not people who had bought "Thriller" a decade earlier. Now there is new material but no Jackson around to sell it via new videos, tours and groundbreaking "short films". And there's nothing left to discover of the old stuff, because it's all been so mercilessly overplayed already. Where-as Lennon and Elvis peaked saleswise post-death, "Michael" and its singles did noticably LESS well than previous new Jackson albums thanks to the lack of its star to publicise it. Jackson's catalogue flogging may never emerge (as suggested by the quiet chart performance of even the first postumous album) as it largely happened while he was still alive. And people can only buy things so many dozens of times.

Si.

[Stuart Wallis]

I expect you're right, in the context that Beatles albums continue to sell to new generations in new formats, even though you're still selling the same piece of pork - whether it be ham sandwich, sausage, crispy bacon, it's still from the same pig. Probably the difference being eg. HIStory - the gratest hits plus a few less well-received new stuff, as compared with, well 1 and the recent Fab Four remasterings were much the same that has happened with michael recently, but fans had been kept waiting for them; and the Cirque du Soleil tie-in and Anthology at least trying to do something different with it all.

That said, I still agree with Mike; after Mark Lester's claim about his being Michael's kids' dad, and now what Aaron's saying, expect more whackos (no pun intended) to crawl out of the woodwork sooner or later.

[Rob McCow]

Leaked legal documents have revealed Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray told a paramedic the singer was "fine" as he lay dead.

LA paramedic Richard Senneff claims in a statement the doctor stood in front of Jackson and said: "He doesn't have a problem. He is fine. He was practising all night. I'm just treating him for dehydration."

Senneff, who was first on the scene after a guard called 911, also believed Murray lied to him about what drugs he had given Jackson.

Initially he said when he asked Murray if Jackson was on medication the doctor said he "wasn't taking anything". But he then backtracked and said he had given the singer the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam to "help him sleep", reports the Daily Mirror.

Senneff also claims that he later saw Murray clearing bottles from the room and he found him performing CPR on the bed after 911 operators had told him to move Jackson to the floor.

The paramedic will be a key player in the LA Supreme Court trial which is due to start next week.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

He's not dead - he's pining for the fjords!

Any worries that the MJ trial will be a complete farce are clearly overstated.

[Stuart Wallis]

Welcome to Clown Court!

[Si Hunt]

At least he's kept his musical integrity!

A new posthumous Michael Jackson album will be released next month, it has been confirmed.

Immortal will be available from November 21 and features a collection of the late star's original tracks that have been "reimagined" by musical designer Kevin Antunes.

Antunes said: "Michael's legacy as the greatest entertainer of our lifetime is inspiring beyond words. From the studio to the stage, there's an undeniable integrity and resolute truth in Michael's vocal performances that are highlighted in the Immortal arrangements.

"It was built with love and respect for Michael's music, his family, and his millions of fans around the world."

The redesigned tracks include newly-discovered outtakes from Jackson's back catalogue, mashups and the choir that he used for his 1996 hit 'They Don't Really Care About Us'.

The release also coincides with the Cirque Du Soleil 'Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour', which kicked off in Montreal this week.

Immortal marks Jackson's second posthumous album after last year's Michael, which included the Akon-assisted single 'Hold My Hand'.

A Michael Jackson tribute concert also takes place on October 8 at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium, and will include performances by Leona Lewis, Black Eyed Peas and Craig David.

The full Immortal tracklisting appears below:

1. Working Day and Night (Immortal Version)
2. The Immortal Intro (Immortal Version)
3. Childhood (Immortal Version)
4. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Immortal Version)
5. Shake Your Body Down To The Ground (Immortal Version)
6. Dancing Machine/Blame It On The Boogie (Immortal Version)
7. Ben (Immortal Version)
8. This Place Hotel/Smooth Criminal/Dangerous (Immortal Version)
9. The Mime Segment: I Like The Way/Speed Demon/Another Part Of Me (Immortal Version)
10. J5 Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save (Immortal Version)
11. Human Nature/Speechless (Immortal Version)
12. Is It Scary/Thriller/Ghost/Somebody's Watching Me/Threatened (Immortal Version)
13. You Are Not Alone/I Just Can't Stop Loving You (Immortal Version)
14. Beat It/Jam/State Of Shock (Immortal Version)
15. Earth Song/Planet Earth (Immortal Version)
16. Scream/Little Susie (Immortal Version)
17. Gone Too Soon (Immortal Version)
18. They Don't Care About Us (Immortal Version)
19. I'll Be There (Immortal Version)
20. Immortal Megamix: Can You Feel It/Don't Stop Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black Or White (Immortal Version)
21. Man In The Mirror (Immortal Version)
22. Remember The Time/Bad (Immortal Version)

[Rob McCow]

20. Immortal Megamix: Can You Feel It/Don't Stop Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black Or White (Immortal Version)

WOW! I thought they gave up on Mega-Mixes after Jive Bunny!

[Stuart Wallis]

Michael Jackson's estate has made a fortune since the singer's death, almost paying off the $500 million debt the King of Pop left behind.

Executors for the estate filed legal documents which show the property has generated gross earnings exceeding $475 million as of the end of May.

TMZ obtained the docs, telling the world that according to the paperwork, all of MJ's debts have been paid, with the exception of a rather large debt involving Michael's publishing catalogue.

The estate's executors are said to expect that all debts will be fully paid off by the end of the year.

This is great news for the small army of lawyers who have been handling all of MJ's legal and business affairs. Their fees from May, 2010 through to November, 2011 exceeded $13.6 million!

I was expecting it to take a bit longer, considering $half a billion was involved - and a bit more expensive, legal fees-wise!

[Nyder]

Death is clearly good for business!

[Si Hunt]

Because he's not around spending it all on stupid things!!

Si.

[Perry Vale]

True, but it also shows that the obvious way to have paid the debt of while he was alive would have been to make and release some records.