LOVE ANGELES

Michael Jackson's 'Michael' Projected to Sell 400,000 Copies In First Week

Source: Rolling Stone - Sony Music Entertainment, which is distributing the first the first posthumous album from Michael Jackson, is expecting big numbers from the Epic Records release Michael when it hits stores on December 14.

Billboard reports that the company will ship 900,000 copies of the album to retailers around the country, and that Sony expects to sell some 340,000 units at physical retailers during the album's first week. That, plus a projected digital-sales total of 60,000 albums, adds up to a grand total of 400,000 first-week sales, which would make Michael one of the better-selling chart debuts of 2010.

Taylor Swift's Speak Now, which sold more than a million copies in its first week, is the best-selling chart debut so far this year; 2010 albums by Eminem (Recovery), Sade (Soldier of Love) and Drake (Thank Me Later) have also sold more than 400,000 copies in their inaugural debut weeks.

Second-week projections estimate that total sales will slip to 280,000 units, with digital sales making up 8 percent of that total (22,400 copies) as opposed to the previous week's 15 percent. That second week starts December 21 and coincides with the height of holiday shopping season, and Jackson's enduring popularity means that Michael could be a popular last-minute stocking stuffer or office grab bag item.

"Breaking News," a teaser track from Michael, was released online earlier this week to controversy over whether or not Jackson was actually providing vocals for the track. The first official single from the album, the Akon-assisted "Hold My Hand," will go on sale at digital retailers this Monday.

Michael's list price will be $13.98.

New Jackson Family Performing Arts Complex

Source: ecorazzi - With the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson’s untimely death right around the corner, whether you were a fan or not, it’s still hard to believe that his candle has truly burned out.

On June 25th, fans will be able to access the Forest Lawn Memorial Park’s cemetery grounds where the King of Pop was laid to rest along with other fellow entertainment icons like Nat King Cole, John Ritter, Sammy Davis Jr., David Carradine, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, George Burns, Ed McMahon, Walt Disney, and Jean Harlow – the only hitch is that they won’t be allowed anywhere near his actual mausoleum.

In the meantime, the music legend’s father, Joe Jackson, revealed that a $300 million Gary, Indiana-based Jackson Family Performing Arts Center and Museum is in phase one of construction and following its estimated 3-5 year completion, additional global satellites will be built.

Sited on 300 acres of land, the arts center will document the rags-to-riches story of the Jackson family and feature every conceivable entertainment facility including on-site transportation, accommodations, housing, a conference center, television studio, concert hall, movie theater, nightclub, retail shops/restaurants and even an eco-friendly golf course.

If you consider all of the water and chemicals typically used to keep turf alive and kicking, the seemingly innocuous pastime of putting a few balls ends up being an eco no-no.

Hopefully, the Jackson family will emulate what Justin Timberlake did with his Audubon-certified Mirimichi course by sticking with native grasses, using organic fertilizers and rallying around the good old fashioned yet effective practice of tackling weeds with a little elbow grease!

Cirque Show Based on Michael Jackson

Source: Yahoo - First the Beatles and Elvis, now Michael Jackson. The acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil announced Tuesday that it will put on a live touring show featuring the songs of the King of Pop starting late next year.

That will be followed by a permanent production in Las Vegas in 2012 at a property owned by MGM Mirage Inc. The casino company did not say which venue will host the show. A nightclub in Las Vegas will also open with the show.

Cirque and Jackson's estate will each own 50 percent of the projects and share equally in the cost of putting them on. The estate will also receive royalties from the use of Jackson's music and other assets.

Jackson, who died at age 50 last June after a drug overdose, was described as a "huge fan" of the French Canadian performance group.

He saw their first tent show in Santa Monica, Calif., many years ago with longtime lawyer and now estate co-executor, John Branca. And he visited their Montreal headquarters in 2004, Cirque CEO Daniel Lamarre said.

"He said he was an acrobat himself," Lamarre said in an interview. "As an artist he had this amazing way of bringing some visual element to his performances."

The touring show, which will begin in North America before branching out around the world, will be a simulation of a Jackson concert, while the Las Vegas show will be more theatrical and more technologically advanced, Lamarre said.

"The expectations of Michael Jackson fans around the world are going to be huge," he said. "And we have to deliver."

There are no plans for other members of Jackson's family to perform.

Before Jackson decided on a series of comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London, he was seen several years ago in Las Vegas and considered performing there.

Branca said Jackson would have approved of a Cirque tribute.

"I'm not convinced he would have gone to Las Vegas and performed like Celine Dion did," he said in an interview. "But this is something Michael would be very excited about."

Unreleased Jackson recordings may become part of the shows' musical numbers, and his biggest hits will likely be remixed and mashed up so fans will hear his music in a new way, Branca said.

The other co-executor, John McClain, a Jackson friend and music producer, has discovered more than 60 songs that Jackson recorded but never released. They form the backbone of a seven-year deal with Sony Music Entertainment worth up to $250 million. A new album from the recordings is set for release in November.

Jackson's mother, Katherine, said in a statement, "Our family is thrilled that Cirque du Soleil will pay tribute to my son in such an important way."

Jackson died after overdosing on propofol and other sedatives. He was about to start a series of comeback concerts he called "This Is It." The concert movie based on rehearsal footage went on to gross $252 million worldwide.

His personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He is expected to go to trial this summer.

Michael Jackson's Custom Furniture Up for Sale

Source: Yahoo (LOS ANGELES) – The 22 pieces of custom-made furniture Michael Jackson commissioned for his London home are going on the auction block.

Darren Julien of Julien's Auctions says a gilded red velvet sofa that seats nine, a leopard-print chair trimmed with ostrich feathers and a pair of velvet armchairs embroidered with gold eagles are among the offerings.

Jackson intended to use the furnishings during his "This Is It" comeback concert run in London.

Fans can visit a re-creation of the home at Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood casino from June 14 to June 25 before the items are sold at auction.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit two charities: MusiCares, which provides health care and other services for struggling musicians, and Joshua's Heart, which aims to end world hunger.

Grammys to Show Michael Jackson "Earth Song" 3-D Movie

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood and Usher will take part in a tribute to Michael Jackson at the Grammy awards next week that will also showcase a movie created by Jackson for his 1995 hit "Earth Song."

Grammy organizers said on Wednesday that Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson would also join in the Jackson tribute, singing along with the voice of the "Thriller" singer.

The January 31 Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles will also feature the first complete showing of a 3-D mini movie for "Earth Song" created by Jackson before his death in June.

The song and the movie, about the future of the planet, were intended to be the centerpiece of Jackson's planned series of 50 "This is It" comeback concerts in London last summer.

"It was one of the most important portions of the concert tour to Michael and when Michael saw the film for the first time at his last rehearsal, there were tears in his eyes," Ken Ehrlich, a longtime Jackson associate and who is producing the Grammy telecast, said in a statement.

Jackson, who won 13 Grammys and whose 1982 album "Thriller" is the biggest-selling album of all time, is to get a posthumous lifetime achievement Grammy this year.

Ehrlich said the five singers would perform along with Jackson's voice while the 4 1/2 minute film is projected on a screen behind them.

"Each and everyone of (the artists) said they were honored to be asked to do this," he told reporters.

The "Earth Song" film features a young girl who goes to sleep in a verdant forest and awakes to find it destroyed by environmental changes.

Ehrlich said Grammy organizers had given much thought to how best to remember Jackson, whose last rehearsals were in the same Staples Center arena where the Grammys will be held.

"It just didn't feel like it was something we should try to do with one those songs you don't want ever want to see anyone but Michael doing.

"The idea of honoring him by doing something that really meant something to him while he was alive, and now with his passing can continue the message that he wanted to deliver, was really an opportunity we didn't want to miss," he said.

Organizers said 3-D glasses will be provided to the Grammy audience in Los Angeles and U.S. TV viewers will be able to get free 3-D glasses through a partnership between broadcasters CBS and retail store Target.

Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy which awards the Grammys, said the Jackson tribute "promises to be an emotional highlight of this year's show".