Mixed signals for Michael Jackson album sales

The new Michael Jackson record “This Is It” hits stores around the world on Monday, kicking off a week of money-spinning events dedicated to the “king of pop,” but the outlook for the two-disc album is decidedly mixed.

Experts predict that it will top charts in several key countries, most notably the biggest U.S. market, but with album sales in seemingly terminal decline, even relatively modest returns can secure the coveted number one slot.

The fact that fans have bought nearly six million Jackson albums in that country alone since the singer died suddenly in June of a prescription drug overdose is likely to temper demand for what is essentially another greatest hits collection.

Much depends on whether millions of people expected to flock to the accompanying “This Is It” movie, which hits theatres on Wednesday, feel moved to buy the record too, experts said.

“It’s very hard to pinpoint what it will do, particularly due to the fact that a lot of these songs have already sold well this year,” said Silvio Pietroluongo, director of charts at Billboard magazine which compiles the weekly rankings.

“Talking to the labels and industry insiders there is a huge sweep of opinion of anywhere between 200-300,000 and 500,000 albums sold in the first week,” he told Reuters.

Pietroluongo predicted that should be enough to guarantee Jackson another Billboard number one in the United States.

Autopsy Shocker: Michael Jackson Was Healthy

An autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press shows Michael Jackson was not the sickly skeleton of a man portrayed by tabloids.

The report says Jackson’s arms were covered with punctures, his face and neck were scarred and he had tattooed eyebrows and lips. But overall he was a fairly healthy 50-year-old.

Jackson’s 136 pounds were in the acceptable range for a 5-foot-9 man. And his heart was strong. He had some arthritis and his lungs were damaged, which may have left him short of breath.

But the report said none of those health issues were life-threatening and that the pop star died from the potent anesthetic his personal physician gave him to sleep.

SO what happened?!!

DJ AM’s Death Ruled Accidental Drug Overdose

(AP) – The New York City medical examiner’s office says DJ AM’s death was accidental. It blames a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and cocaine.

The toxicology report released Tuesday shows the 36-year-old had cocaine, OxyContin, Benadryl and another drug used to cut cocaine in his system.

The medical examiner says the death was acute intoxication.

The celebrity, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, was found Aug. 28 in his apartment in New York City’s trendy SoHo neighborhood after a friend called 911. Paramedics had to break down the door before they found him, shirtless and wearing sweat pants, in his bed around 5:20 p.m.

A crack pipe and prescription pill bottles were discovered scattered around the apartment.

Michael Jackson Sneak Peek Screenings Sell Out In 2 hours

Michael Jackson is still playing to sellout crowds.

Advance screenings to the music documentary “Michael Jackson: This Is It” sold out within two hours early Sunday as fans who began lining up three days earlier snapped up all 3,000 tickets to the Los Angeles shows.

The documentary opens nationwide Oct. 28, but fans will get a sneak peek the night before in screenings at the new Regal Cinemas Stadium 14. For the theater’s grand opening, the cinema will show “This Is It” on all 14 screens that night.

Directed by longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega, “This Is It” draws on hundreds of hours of footage as Jackson prepared for a series of London concerts for which he was rehearsing before his death on June 25.

People are obviously excited, can’t wait to see what people thought of it.

AEG President Says Movie Should Clear Michael Jackson’s Name

Tim Leiweke president of AEG feels that the new movie, “This Is It” will clear Michael Jackson’s name.

Here’s what he had to say:

”You know, we finished rehearsing at quarter to midnight the night before Michael died, and he was energetic and up and doing his thing, as you’ll see in the movie.”

”You see the music, the studios, the rehearsals, the dancers, the auditions, the costumes,” said Leiweke.

”You see all of the behind the scenes, and the you finally see the last few days of the dress rehearsals, and you begin to see the genius of Michael: the dancing, the singing, the choreography, and his concept of creative a one-time performance that no one would ever forget.”

Leiweke said the movie also will provide proof that AEG had Jackson’s well-being in mind.

”I think we still are hurt,” Leiweke explained. ”Some of the things that people have said about us, which are so untrue, this movie’s going to restore his legacy, and prove that we, in fact, gave Michael a second chance here. And an opportunity to make the kind of comeback here was dreaming of. And that we created an environment for him that was probably the best environment that the guy had the last 10 or 15 years of his life. And I’m very proud of the way we treated Michael, and very proud of the partnership that we had with him. And this movie is an opportunity to celebrate that, and we could get past all of the gossip and all of the innuendo.”

”This is It” is set to open in cinemas worldwide Oct. 28. I am excited to see the film! What about you guys??

Michael Jackson Thinks Madonna is Jealous And Not Sexy

Michael Jackson was convinced Madonna was madly in love with him – but he didn’t return her feelings because she was “not sexy at all.”

The King of Pop befriended the singer in the early 1990s and several dates followed, but Jackson revealed he never had any romantic interest in her during a taped conversation with his close friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.

Jackson told Boteach, “I think she (Madonna) likes shock value and she knows how to push buttons on people. I think she was sincerely in love with me and I was not in love with her. She did a lot of crazy things. I knew we had nothing in common. She is not sexy at all. I think sexy comes form the heart in the way you present yourself.”

The “Thriller” icon believed Madonna was one of several stars who envied his fame: “They admire you and know you are wonderful and great because they are jealous, because they wish they were in your shoes. Madonna is one of them. She is jealous. She is a girl, a woman and I think that’s what bothers her…I get the fainting and adulation and she doesn’t.”

Global Premieres Planned For Michael Jackson Movie “This Is It”

‘This Is It’, a film based on Michael Jackson’s rehearsals and behind the scenes work in preparation for what was to be a 50-date concert series at London’s O2 Arena, will debut with twenty-five worldwide premieres !

According to Sony Pictures, the film will also have 15 simultaneous premieres Tuesday, October 27.

“Michael Jackson has an army of fans everywhere around the world. By rolling out this film simultaneously worldwide, we are giving audiences an incredible opportunity to join together in celebration of Michael Jackson’s incredible career,” says SONY chairman Jeff Blake.

Kicking off with a 6pm PT Los Angeles premiere, ‘This Is It’ will also coincide with a 1am Wednesday launch in the UK.

As previously reported, ‘This Is It’ will run for two weeks beginning October 28.

Tokyo, New York, Rio De Janeiro, Berlin, Johannesburg, Moscow, Paris, Sydney and Seoul will also participate in premiering ‘This Is It’.

New Michael Jackson Footage! (VIDEO)

New footage of Michael Jackson, The King Of Pop has just been released! I think he sounds pretty solid. I am excited to see more!

What do you think of the footage?? Watch the video below!

Janet Jackson Opens Up About Michael Jackson

In her first interview since her brother Michael’s June 25 death, Janet Jackson says she been unable to watch television.

“It will drive you crazy,” she tells October’s Harper’s Bazaar. “People can have rhinoceros skin, but there’s a point when something’s going to hurt you. Not everyone is stone, stone. I haven’t watched the news in weeks. I had to ask my chef, ‘How’s Obama doing?’ I haven’t read a newspaper. On top of that, [we've lost] a family member.”

See photos from Michael Jackson’s funeral

At times during the interview, Janet – who will perform a tribute to her late brother at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards – was at a loss for words.

“My brother is, I mean was…” she stammers when talking about Michael’s style. Shifting on the couch and staring at the floor, she adds, “You have to forgive me, because it’s really hard to believe he’s passed.”

Michael Jackson Finally Laid To Rest

It took almost 90 minutes longer than expected, but the Jackson family has finally arrived at the burial service for Michael Jackson. The King of Pop is finally being laid to rest in a private mausoleum burial on Thursday evening 70 days after his death. Among the high-profile guests attending the private service are Elizabeth Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Macaulay Culkin, Al Sharpton and many other friends of Jackson and his family.

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