Orianthi was working in-studio when she got the email from Michael Jackson.
“I remember being in a room writing a song with a bunch of people and I got the email and was like, ‘Is this for real?’ It was really crazy. He wanted me to come in and learn Beat It. I was super nervous,” Orianthi told andPOP from her L.A. home.
The 24-year-old female electric guitarist was personally invited by Jackson to play lead guitar in his final tour “This Is It.” The King of Pop spotted Orianthi’s prodigious talent in a video guitar solo posted on her MySpace account.
However anxious, Orianthi didn’t let her nerves shake her at the audition. Jackson selected the fresh-faced Australian to join him and a group of some of the most talented musicians across the globe for 50 shows that have been dubbed “the greatest concerts that never happened.”
Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered the fatal dose of Propofol to Michael Jackson through an IV leading to his leg, and this may be a cover-up, according to TMZ.
Dr. Murray claimed that he only administered 2.5ml of Propofol to Jackson before he died, which is a very small amount. But Dr. John Dombrowski, a well known anaesthesiologist and board member of the American Society of Anaesthesiologists, received the LAPD file for detectives and told that 2.5ml couldn’t even put Jackson to sleep, never mind killing him. However, the level of Propofol found in Jackson’s body was equivalent to amount one would have during general anaesthesia for major surgery.
In Jackson’s room, a 20ml bottle of Propofol was found along with numerous empty bottles stored secretly in a compartment of the closet. Among the bottles, an empty 100ml bottle was found with a large tear in the rubber stopper.
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.
The city of Page, Arizona is causing a stink over Michael Jackson’s dead giraffes.
The two animals, Rambo and JJ, died last November and were buried at the Banjoko Wildlife Preserve, reports TMZ.
Two months later, locals living near the reserve complained that the carcasses created a rancid smell and needed to be moved. As more and more complaints were received by the City of Page, the city finally ordered the preserve owner Freddie Hancock to excavate the graves of Rambo and JJ and relocate the bodies to a new resting ground.
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.”
Michael Jackson’s three children will take the stage during a planned tribute to the pop icon during the Grammy Awards on Sunday, reports E! News. Several other family members will also be in the audience.
Entertainment company The Machine Management is requesting $285,000 from Michael Jackson’s estate, claiming the late singer hired them to develop commercial relationships in the animation world, reports TMZ. He was reportedly looking to create a Michael Jackson film label to do original films.
Howard Weitzman, the estate’s lawyer, says he is mulling the claim over.
Yes you read that title correctly – Joe Jackson wants an allowance from Michael Jackson’s estate. TMZ is reporting that Joe Jackson feels he is entitled to a “maintenance” allowance out of the estate, however Michael Jackson specifically did not include his father as a beneficiary over concerns he would waste the money on lavish expenses.
Michael Jackson’s three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, have had their allowance for living expenses increased, reports TMZ. The three were receiving a total of $60,000 a month before. It is not reported how much they are going to get now.
Sources say the amount was increased because lawyers and guardians previously underestimated living costs for the three children.
This is absolutely hilarious! MTV is reporting that on Monday an Iranian dissident hacked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s website, and then posted a message addressed to God.
“Dear God, in 2009 you took my favorite singer — Michael Jackson, my favorite actress — Farrah Fawcett, my favorite actor — Patrick Swayze, my favorite voice — Neda [a reference to Neda Agha-Soltan, an Iranian who was killed during last year's protests of the country's presidential election],” the message read. “Please, please, don’t forget my favorite politician — Ahmadinejad, and my favorite dictator — [Iranian cleric Ali] Khamenei in the year 2010. Thank you.”
Michael Jackson almost released a new song today, before Sony Records got in the way.
Earlier today, a demo for a track called “Another Day” featuring Jackson and Lenny Kravitz leaked online today. It didn’t take long before Sony and Jackson’s estate took notice and are demanding the 90-second snippet be pulled from the Internet.
Although the song doesn’t audibly feature Kravitz, it does resemble a verse from his song “Storm” off his 2004 album Baptism. After Jackson’s death, Kravitz wrote a letter to Spinner describing his experience working with the King of Pop as they prepared a number of studio tracks for release.
“I got to work with Michael on a track that has not been released and it was the most amazing experience I’ve had in the studio. He was funny. Very funny and we laughed the whole time.”
Kravitz posted a video today claiming he has no idea how the leak occurred and that the song is not complete.
Will the Michael Jackson saga ever end? Well it won’t end until Michael Jackson’s debts are all paid up. TMZ has done some digging and a group of creditors are claiming they are owed $20 million.
Sources tell TMZ the creditors come from a variety of different groups. The claims include $5 million from a memorabilia collector, $1 million from someone who wants a cut of the “Thriller” music video, a $2.3 million claim from Dr. Tohme Tohme and a $1.5 million claim from a law firm (there are a number of other law firms that want a piece of the estate). Although all these cases need to be presented to a judge, we can guarantee you another group of lawyers will be making a fortune figuring this all out!
Isn’t America a great country? Be investigated for the death of the World’s biggest pop star and get your own TV special. According to TMZ, Dr. Conrad Murray has landed a deal with a British documentary producer to film the Doctor’s first day back at work in Houston. A spokesman for Dr. Murray told to TMZ that the production company was “interested in the reaction of patients to his return.” The footage has actually already been shot, but will not air until the investigation of Jackson’s death is completed.
As Christmas rolls around, and people around the world tune into the Jackson 5′s version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause,” featuring a young Michael, it quickly becomes obvious how long the King of Pop was in the business.
Perhaps the perfect way to honor that is a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. This is what Jackson will receive the day prior to the Grammy Awards on January 30, according to mtvnews.com. There are only six other musicians that have been honored with this award, including Bobby Darin, Leonard Cohen, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Loretta Lynn, Andre Previn and Clark Terry.
Country singer Taylor Swift topped the American Music Awards leader-board with five wins, including Artist of the Year, reports E! News. However, the 19-year-old was not present at Sunday’s ceremony in Los Angeles because she was rehearsing for a show at London’s Wembley Arena .
Michael Jackson received four posthumous awards, rounding out his career total to 25. His brother, Jermaine Jackson, was present to accept on his behalf.
“We love you, Michael,” said Jermaine, who sported a sequined glove for the event. “It’s not just about the winnings, the awards, it’s mainly the message. The message that Michael had will live on forever and he saw good in everyone and he wanted them to do good. To start with love and let’s love each other.”
Bravado International Group is suing Dollar Days International, Alan Shrem and Kennedy-Shrem International for millions, claiming they are illegally using the names of Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, reports TMZ.
Bravado says they have the exclusive right to merchandise related to these artists, and the other companies have violated this right by selling shirts, watches, posters and other items. They are seeking $2 million per violation.
Billboard will now be including catalog releases when calculating the best-selling albums, which were previously decided based on record sales from the past 18 months, reports Perez Hilton. The Nov. 25 chart will be the first to reflect these changes.
Taylor Swift is the only artist who sold more albums this year than Michael Jackson. Rihanna previously held the record for digital songs, selling 9.9 million, but Swift, Jackson, Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas have all broken that this year.
What better way to honor the prince?
“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” made motion picture history as the highest grossing concert film of all time. That’s not all. The two-disc companion to the movie released by Sony Music’s Epic Records makes its first week debut in the #1 spot on Canada’s Nielsen SoundScan Top 200 album chart, the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart, as well as the Soundtrack album chart in both countries.
Sales totaled 44,441 in Canada and 373,100 units in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and this figure does not include significant sales from non-traditional retailers. In Canada, “This Is It” is Jackson’s first number one album since the establishment of SoundScan in 1997. With over 40,000 in first week sales, the album claims the third best sales week of 2009, trailing only behind U2 and Eminem’s releases. It’s no surprise that “This Is It” also claimed the #1 spot in 15 other countries, including Japan, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Middle East and Colombia. It was also top-3 in the UK, Australia, Argentina, Austra, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain. Furthermore, a simultaneous #1 album and #1 documentary film as not happened since 1971 when the Rolling Stones did it with the album “Sticky Fingers” and movie “Gimme Shelter.”
Michael Jackson albums now occupy the top five spots of Billboard catalog album chart at #1, #3 and #4; his Number Ones album is this year’s best-selling overall album year to date. Michael Jackson’s accomplishments continue in Canada with eleven albums charting in Nielsen SoundScan’s Top Catalogue Albums including Thriller (Remastered), Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition, Essential Michael Jackson, and Number Ones. Throughout his career, Michael Jackson has spent a total of 51 weeks at #1 on the Billboard album chart. Only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have spent more weeks at the top.
Though Michael Jackson may have passed on, his ability to entertain and astound certainly has not.
Following on the heels of Tuesday night’s $2.2 million haul at a series of midnight showings, “This Is It” took in another $7.4 million in its first full day of release and another $12.7 million overseas. According to mtvnews.com, overall the film tallied a worldwide total of $20.1 million, a jaw-dropping amount for a midweek release, specifically a documentary.
According to distributor Sony, Wednesday’s total is the best daily gross for a film on a Wednesday in October. Placing nearly $1.5 million ahead of last weekend’s box-office champ “Paranormal Activity,” the movie about the King of Pop now seems poised to reign supreme at movie theaters nationwide on Halloween weekend. It is setting its sights on the all-time champ “Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert,” which tops the list with $65.3 million.
Dunno if you heard, but a concert documentary, starring a little-known performer who died recently, opened across the country at 12:01 this morning.
This performer, Michael Jackson, would likely have been plagued by scandal through much of his adult life had anyone actually heard of him, so perhaps it’s just as well.
To Sony’s credit, This Is It does not feel like a quickie cash-in on Jackson’s death. A bit over-adulatory perhaps, but that’s to be expected. It must be said, however, that Jackson’s death casts a pall over the movie’s early proceedings; to me, his fake cleft chin and overly manufactured nose make his face look like melted wax, his voice occasionally lilts – not in a good way – and some of his dance moves look robotic.
But as time passes, the rehearsals have an obvious effect on him; his dancing becomes smoother, his singing becomes stronger, and he appears to become younger. Performing came as naturally to Jackson as breathing, and while his voice occasionally disappears, he’s never off-key (and explains more than once that he’s trying to save his vocal cords), and every number yields enthusiastic applause from the gathered technicians and back-up dancers.
