andPOP » King of Pop

Michael Jackson Video Game Coming

Sara Harowitz — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:06:47 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

It seems that the Moon Walk is the new black as more and more Michael Jackson merchandise is in the works.

According to TMZ, the King of Pop is set to star in a new video game that will essentially be a “dance karaoke.” Unlike many other ventures surrounding the deceased Jackson, apparently the pop singer’s estate is totally on board for this plan. Basically, gamers will see Jackson dancing on screen and then will be challenged to imitate his movements.

The game, currently untitled, will be available on multiple gaming platforms including Wii and Xbox 360. The Xbox version will include Microsoft’s new Kinect motion capture technology which will allow players to participate in the game without holding a controller.

Also in the Xbox version, the player will be judged based on full body moves; the game will process the player’s movements and display them on screen, dancing alongside Jackson.

If that wasn’t spectacular enough for aspiring Princes of Pop everywhere, the game also includes a karaoke feature which will allow players to sing along to Jackson songs and even funk up their voices with an autotune feature.

The game is being developed by Ubisoft (the same company behind Assassin’s Creed and Ghost Recon) and they have apparently secured permission from Jackson’s estate, so this is sure to go ahead. The game is scheduled to be released sometime before Christmas.

Randy Jackson Upset With Court Treatment At Doctor Murray Hearing

Jeremy Singer — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:18:56 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Part of the Jackson family was present at the Los Angeles Superior Court in downtown LA today for Dr. Conrad Murray’s hearing over his plead of not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter related to the death of legendary pop singer Michael Jackson.

But as they endured the almost two-hour hearing, younger brother Randy Jackson was a bit upset with the way the Jackson family was treated in the court room.

According to Access Hollywood, Jackson was rattled by the fact that the press recieved better treatment over the Jackson family members that were present- including Katherine, Joe, Jermaine, Janet and himself.

“Inside the courtroom,” he tweeted. “The press is getting preferential treatment and seating over us. They seem to have forgotten that we are a family.”

“The court informed us there’s nothing they could do,” he added.

The hearing was to determine the judge for the case, the preliminary hearing date and if Murray’s medical license will be revoked.

After the case was assigned to Judge Michael Pastor -for his experience handling “more complex cases”- Pastor announced that the time of the next hearing for Murray will be on June 14, 2010, at 12:30 p.m. If convicted, Murray would face a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at 50, when he was found unconscious at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Hombly Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by Murray, his personal physician were unsuccessful. However on February 8, 2010, Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in LA, after finding certain drugs in Jackson’s body at the time of his death- including propofol, lorazepam and midazolam.

Michael Jackson’s Doctor Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter

Sara Harowitz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:20:17 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Almost eight months after the death of the King of Pop Michael Jackson, the artist’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, reports rollingstone.com.

The charge, issued by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, is based on Murray’s role in Jackson’s sudden death due to “acute Propofol intoxication” on June 25, 2009. In a press release, the D.A.’s office says that Murray “did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson … in the commission of an unlawful act, not a felony; and in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death, in an unlawful manner, and without due caution and circumspection.” If he is found guilty, Murray will face up to four years in prison.

Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide when a toxicology report found that Propofol, a powerful sedative, and other sedatives ultimately caused the singer to go into cardiac arrest. Investigators have continuously accused Murray of using “gross negligence” in assigning Propofol to Jackson, because the sedative is supposed to be used strictly in hospital settings for patients who are recovering from surgery. In interviews with the police, Murray admitted giving Propofol to Jackson after the King of Pop himself requested it, which he called “milk” because of its cloudy white appearance, to help his insomnia.

Charges in the case were expected to be filed last week, but a conflict between the District Attorney’s office and the Lost Angeles Police Department delayed them until today.

Prison Inmates Tribute Michael Jackson

Sara Harowitz — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:26:30 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Back in July, inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines released a video of them dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” according to perezhilton.com. Since its online post, it has received over 10 million views.

To celebrate the DVD release of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson documentary This Is It, Jackson’s choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid went to the detention center and staged a dance tribute to the star. It features 1,500 inmates dancing to “They Don’t Really Care About Us.”

It seems that these are not the only two videos done by the Cebu inmates – Youtube shows that the group has done videos to songs by such other artists as Soulja Boy, Black Eyed Peas, Queen, as well as songs from the musical Grease.

Advance Clips for Michael Jackson’s Documentary Released

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:08:46 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

Michael Jackson was in the midst of planning his sold-out comeback shows in London when his untimely death shocked the world. But thanks to a film crew that documented the rehearsals, the world will once again be able to fall in love with the King of Pop. And now fans can start to get excited, because Sony Pictures has released four preview clips from “This Is It” to the media, reports MTV News.

The clips have been released to help promote the documentary, that will be out on Oct. 28.

MTV News describes the four clips:

“‘Human Nature’ — Making comments like ‘something there,’ Michael choreographs his dance moves for a performance of ‘Human Nature,’ the fifth hit single off his 1983 Thriller album. As he points and does some of his signature footwork, the band kicks in behind him with the beloved tune.

‘Human Nature Extended’ — A longer version of the earlier clip, this one cuts Michael’s footage with shots of his backing musicians, then extends into a shot of MJ performing in front of a lit stage, making it seem as though we’re in the crowd watching the legendary performer in concert.

‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ — ‘I’ve gotta cue that; I’ve gotta cue that,’ Michael insists to the people helping him design the stage show. ‘That can’t trigger on its own.’ The footage then cuts to shots of silhouetted backup dancers as ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ kicks in on the soundtrack. Wearing a hat and black armband, Michael watches a female backup dancer strut past, then begins singing out the love song to her. His exaggerated motions invoke the playful, quick-on-his-feet MJ we all remember from his ’80s heyday.

‘They Don’t Care About Us’— ‘There’s the man,’ you can hear a crewmember’s voice saying as MJ walks onto a soundstage. ‘There’s Michael.’ Looking over a storyboard, Michael says, ‘That’s a cool move — we spread out at the end.’ We then see Michael teaching his backup crew some basic steps, as sound effects sneak in to beef up the action. The effects carry us into a cool, ‘Unplugged’-like version of ‘Bad’ that is cut with footage of MJ and the dancers on various stages, banging out the routine. The number then flows into a rap-like take on ‘They Don’t Care About Us,’ from MJ’s HIStory album.”

“This Is It” could very well turn out to be the comeback that originally died with Jackson. The film is one last hurrah – one last chance for the world to embrace, and say goodbye, to one of the most legendary performers of our time.

“This Is It” opens in limited engagement on Oct. 27 and everywhere on Oct. 28.

Unreleased Michael Jackson Song To Be Unveiled On October 12

Joelle Tomlinson — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:01:19 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

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.”

If you’re one of those people who thrive on anticipation, you can wait for the full release, when Sony Music Entertainment’s Columbia/Epic Label Group will release the two-disc album Michael s This Is It internationally on October 27th in North America, to coincide with the release of the Motion Picture on the 28th.

For more information about the film, fans are encouraged to visit www.thisisit-movie.com.

New Michael Jackson Single to Hit Airwaves in October

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:08:56 +0000

Posted on andPOP:

A new Michael Jackson song called, “This Is It,” will be released on Oct. 12, according to The Globe and Mail. The single, sure to give thirsty Jackson-lovers a much-needed quench, will hit airwaves two weeks before Jackson’s label, Sony Music’s Columbia/Epic Label Group, releases a two-disc album of the same name. The “This Is It” album is due out internationally on Oct. 26 and in North America on Oct. 27.

The much-hyped Jackson movie, also entitled, “This Is It,” is set for a simultaneous global release of Oct. 28. The $60 million (U.S.) movie deal, between Jackson’s estate and concert promoter AEG Live and Sony Pictures, is based on footage from Jackson’s final concert rehearsals in London. Before his untimely death, Jackson was scheduled to play a set of 50 sold-out shows in the city. The tour, said to be his comeback, proved that the world is still in love with the King of Pop.

Jackson died on June 25 of a prescription drug overdose. Record sales skyrocketed after his death, adding more value to his already large estate of approximately $400 million. The LA Times reported that in the first three weeks after his death, more than 9 million of Jackson’s albums were sold worldwide. In the U.S. alone, 2.3 million albums were sold in those three weeks.

Sony Music said the first disc of the “This Is It” album will include some of Jackson’s greatest hits, plus two versions of the new single of the same name. The track features back-up vocals from Jackson’s brothers.

The second disc, along with some unreleased versions of Jackson’s classic songs, will also include a never-before-heard poem spoken by the singer and entitled, “Planet Earth.”

The new song, sure to excite Jackson fans around the world, will not be available for purchase as a single, but will be accessible for radio play starting Oct. 12.