Henrick Vartanian
Since his death, Michael Jackson has almost never left the news, and lately the “gloved one” is back in the spotlight, with a new album, a new tribute show, and in true MJ fashion, a new controversy. Here is a re-cap of recent Michael Jackson buzz, proving the man to indeed be immortal.
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour – Michael Jackson’s tours were the greatest events in modern music history… And now, The Estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil unveil Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour; a once-in-a-lifetime production that unfolds inside the creative mind of the King of Pop. The show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of the King of Pop, celebrating a legacy that continues to transcend generations.
The Oprah Winfrey interview – In an interview to air on Monday Nov. 08 on “Oprah Winfrey Show,” Katherine Jackson (Michael’s mom) told Oprah that she did try to talk to her son about his addiction issues, the same issues which were later exposed after the media revealed that her son, MJ died of acute Propofol intoxication.
‘Michael’ – the new Michael Jackson album: a new batch of the artist’s songs, are ready to hit the market next month, but his family, friends, and even his fans have already condemned them. ‘Michael’, contains tracks that the superstar recorded before his death in June of 2009, and was post-produced recently without Michael’s in-person participation or approval on the finished tracks.
Family, friends and fans protest – This news of an upcoming single from the album, titled “Breaking News” was quickly met by protests from his family. “If Michael had wanted this music released he would have done so before his death,” ABC News quoted Joe Jackson’s attorney Brian Oxman as saying in a statement. “The songs which are being released on the new Michael Jackson album were unfinished and incomplete tracks that Michael said over and over many times he never wanted released,” Oxman said.
Will.i.am – Even pop star Will.i.am, with whom King of Pop was collaborating before his death said, “He was a perfectionist and he wouldn’t have wanted it that way. “Because he was a friend of mine, I just think that’s disrespectful. What’s wrong with what he already contributed to the world?”
According to TMZ, Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, and his two eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris, have gone so far as to calling the new tracks fakes, claiming a Jackson impersonator sang them. TMZ claims the children were present when their father recorded some songs and that the tracks on the new album don’t match what they heard.
In fact to overcome the confusion of all this authenticity talk, Katherine Jackson has released a brand new song “Opis None”, from JacksonSecretVault.com, where she is a partner with Howard Mann, and in which they hold approximately 300 unreleased Michael songs along with video and memorabilia offerings. “We want to give an actual authentic Michael Jackson track to the world … for free,” tells Mann to TMZ.
Sony’s Epic Records has guaranteed the album is authentic.
Well, with such huge number of fans loving everything MJ, we all need to see how big a part the curiosity factor will play in making or breaking this album’s success.