andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Michael Jackson fans rejoice.

No, the King of Pop has not been resurrected, but his presence can be felt on October 12 at midnight through his latest never-released single, entitled “This Is It.”

The single will be unveiled to the world on www.MichaelJackson.com. According to Sony, the press release states that “This Is It” marks “yet another exciting moment in music history for one of the world’s most revered artists; featuring backing vocals by Michael’s brothers The Jacksons, the song plays during the closing sequence of Sony Pictures’ forthcoming film MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT and is on the 2-disc CD set Michael Jackson’s This Is It, which is the stand-alone companion to the motion picture.”

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It looks as though the King of Pop will live on, not just in spirit, but in a documentary entitled “Michael Jackson’s This Is It.” Less than a week after the trailer for the eagerly anticipated production debuted during the VMAs, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has approved a deal to release a soundtrack to the film.

According to the LA Times, Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved a deal on Thursday afternoon that gives Jackson’s longtime label home, Sony Music Entertainment, permission to release a CD to accompany the film, which chronicles Jackson’s rehearsals for what was to be his comeback residency at the O2 arena in London.

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For a minute there, the entire history of pop music was hanging in the balance of some very unsteady hands. Michael Jackson’s esate, now in the control of his family, is famously known to include the entire Beatles discography but TMZ assures us the Fab Four’s musical history will not be included in a massive auction scheduled for April.

Jackson’s personal effects, many from his fabled Neverland ranch, will be auctioned to boost the assets in order to pay off the debt claimed by a number of creditors, according to the Guardian UK. But the Beatles catalogue, and the rest of Jackson’s publishing catalogue, will stay in the trust of his kids who can expect to profit more from it in the long-term than any immediate return if it were sold now.

In financial reports released in August, Jackson’s bottom line net worth was calculated to be $1,360,839,979, according to TMZ who viewed the documents. Of that, though, $1,150,000,000 is the Sony-ATV Publishing Trust holding the Beatles catalogue. The Jackson trust purchased ATV in 1985, after McCartney turned down the opportunity, and merged it ten years later in a deal with Sony. Now the third-largest music publishing company in the world, it owns the rights to music by Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Eminem, Willie Nelson and Taylor Swift, to name a few.

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The poster for Michael Jackson’s This Is It has officially been released by Sony Pictures, who are producing the film. This Is It hits theatres on October 28th and features the legendary singer preparing for his last performance which would have taken place beginning this summer starting at London’s O2 Arena. The Estate of Michael Jackson is in full support of the release of the film.

This news might be a few days old, and it might involve a totally irrelevant celebrity, but it just had to be reported on.

R. Kelly (famous for the one-liner in “Ignition” and a criminal pedophilia lawsuit a few years back) wants to finish the album Michael Jackson had started recording before his death. No lie. You gotta give this guy credit for trying but I think you would agree this is a little tasteful and way too soon.

Michael Jackson’s death was officially ruled a homicide by the L.A. County Coroner, according to TMZ.com.

The cause of death was said to be acute Propofol intoxication. While Propofol and Lorazepam (Ativan) were said to be the cause of Jackson’s death, a host of other drugs were found in Jackson’s system including Midazolam (Versed), Diazepam (Valium), Lidocaine (topical anesthetic) and Ephedrine (used to treat hypotension associated with anesthesia), as listed on TMZ.

Although Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide at the hands of his doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, it does not necessarily mean criminal charges. Murray is the target of a manslaughter investigation, according to the Los Angeles Times, but Jackson’s history of drug dependency will factor largely into any criminal trial.

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Michael Jackson’s death was caused by a lethal dose of Propofol, a sleep aid his doctor, Dr. Conrad Murrary, administered for insomnia, according to a series of reports from the L.A. County Coroner on TMZ.com.

Dr. Murray told the LAPD he gave Jackson a 25 mg dose of Propofol the morning of Jackson’s death, along with a cocktail of other anti-anxiety medication and sleep aids, as reported in a search warrant affidavit. But the L.A. County Coroner says there were only trace levels of other drugs in Jackson’s system, while they confirm a lethal level of Propofol in his system.

TMZ.com posted some helpful figures: it takes 400 mg of Propofol to induce sleep in someone of Jackson’s size, which is 16 times more than the amount Dr. Murray said he administered to Jackson. Dr. Murray also claimed Jackson had become dependent on the drug in doses of 50 mg.

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After weeks and weeks of speculation and waiting, the official word from the Los Angeles corner is MJ’s death was a homicide. The report reveals that a dangerous amount of propofol was found in Michael’s blood. Propofol is a extremely powerful anesthetic that is generally used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. According to the Los Angeles Times, Michael’s doctor Conrad Murray admitted to giving Mr. Jackson 25 milligrams of propofol prior to his death. Additionally upon the arrival of the Los Angeles Police to Michael’s house, police found a variety of drugs for inducing sleep within the home. There has been no official statement from the Jackson family regarding these recent developments.

Ok I agree this story is getting a little tired (no offense to Michael Jackson) but did anybody else just feel awkward watching this interview? And I can’t comment if Joe Jackson beat Michael or not, however I am sure Joe Jackson is not all there. Additionally anybody else notice Larry King is starting to act more like TMZ than CNN?