Details released on Michael Jackson memorial

Los Angeles, July 3 (DPA) Organisers Friday released the first details of Michael Jackson’s public memorial service, confirming that it will take place at the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday.

A total of 17,500 tickets will be available via lottery for fans who register online at Staplescenter.com. But police will not allow any mass gathering around the venue for fans without tickets, and announced plans to close off a wide area of downtown Los Angeles on the day of the event.

The event is expected to be one of the most viewed in history, and organisers are making available free live video feeds to broadcasters and websites around the world.

Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine said there would be no memorial procession and that no details of the memorial service itself would be released prior to the event.

Jackson virus and spam spreads on Internet

SAN FRANCISCO: Security researchers warned Thursday of the increasing levels of viruses and spam using Jackson’s name to snare unsuspecting users.

One e-mail carries the subject line “Remembering Michael Jackson” was circulating with a worm in tow. The e-mail has a zip file attached that infects victims if downloaded.

“The e-mail, which claims to come from sarah@michaeljackson.com, says that the attached ZIP file contains secret songs and photos of Michael Jackson,” Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, wrote on a blog. “However, the reality is that opening the attachment exposes you to infection – and if your computer is hit you will be spreading the worm onto other Internet users.”

Cluley said that the malware also spreads via USB memory sticks. Another e-mail promises an exclusive look at a YouTube video of the “last work of Michael Jackson,” but instead installs a malicious program that steals passwords.

Source –

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Jackson-virus-spreads-on-Internet/articleshow/4731724.cms

Bet Awards 2009 Janet Jackson – Michael Jackson – Janet Jackson honors Michael Jackson at BET Awards 2009

Bet Awards 2009 Janet Jackson – Michael Jackson – Janet Jackson honors Michael Jackson at BET Awards 2009

Michael Jackson’s sister Janet Jackson and her father Joe Jackson attended the BET Awards on Sunday night in Los Angeles, in order to be on hand for a tribute to Michael Jackson.

Janet, took to the stage last night at the BET Awards in Los Angeles and spoke out about death of her brother, only three days after the announcement that Michael had tragically died after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Michael Jackson died in debt – Despite record-breaking sales, Michael Jackson died in debt

Michael Jackson died in debt – Despite record-breaking sales, Michael Jackson died in debt

Washington, June 27 (DPA) He recorded the best selling album in history. For a time, he pulled down $50 million a year, with an overall worth reported at $750 million. Yet when he died Thursday, Michael Jackson was deeply in debt.

Three decades of extravagant living and legal fees from two high-profile scandals left the pop superstar owing as much as $500 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Jackson, who passed suddenly at age 50, sold more than 750 million records worldwide. He generated enormous wealth from his concert tours and catalogue holdings, but didn’t know how to spend wisely.

‘There was no planning in terms of allocations of how much he should spend,’ Alvin Malnik, a lawyer and former financial adviser to Jackson, told The New York Times in 2006. ‘Millions of dollars annually were spent on plane charters, purchases of antiques and paintings.’

Jackson did make one very shrewd business decision: in 1985 he paid $47.5 million to acquire ATV Music, which owned the rights to 251 songs John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote with The Beatles.

In 1995, he sold half of the catalogue ownership to Sony for $150 million, but both halves remained under joint management by Sony/ATV, including Jackson’s own music.

Jackson’s stake in the catalog at the time of his death was estimated at 1 billion dollars, Ivan Thornton, a private-wealth adviser who has worked with Jackson and his family, told Bloomberg financial news service.

The Sony deal had helped the King of Pop maintain financial security through the late 1990s and into the 21st century, The Wall Street Journal reported, despite an expensive lifestyle that included high-class hotel fees for the singer and his entourage, impulsive purchases of art and antiques and lavish gifts for friends like actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Diminished album sales took their toll as well. His 1982 album Thriller sold more than 100 million copies. By 2001, Invincible sold only 6 million copies, and cost Jackson $25 million to produce.

Jackson also incurred massive settlement and legal fees stemming from two separate accusations of child-molestation.

In 1993, a 13-year-old boy claimed Jackson molested him while he had been a guest at the singer’s Neverland ranch in California. Jackson vehemently denied the accusations, but is believed to have paid a $20-million out-of-court settlement to the boy accuser to head off a criminal case against him.

In 2003, Jackson was charged with intoxicating and sexually abusing a boy who had said in a documentary that he would sometimes share a bed with Jackson. He was cleared of all charges in 2005 after a high profile four-month trial.

Reports of Jackson’s financial troubles began to surface in 2006. He closed the main house of Neverland ranch as a cost-cutting measure, but repeatedly failed to pay interest on the $24.5 million he owed on the property.

A last-minute re-financing agreement narrowly saved Neverland from public auction in 2008.

In April, Jackson abruptly cancelled an auction of his personal memorabilia, including the crystal-covered glove he wore in the hit music video for Billie Jean and numerous musical awards. Auctioneers estimated that the 1,390 items could have raised between $10 to 20 million to help Jackson pay down the debt on Neverland.

In March the singer announced a comeback with a series of ‘curtain call’ shows that were to be held at the O2 Arena in London in July.

Some doubted whether the former superstar could still draw the crowds, but enormous demand for tickets eventually extended the run from 10 shows to 50 shows.

Critics claimed that Jackson would only perform in London to rebuild his battered finances. It just might have worked.

Michael Jackson’s Recordings – Michael Jackson’s Albums – Michael Jackson recordings dominate the charts

Michael Jackson’s Recordings – Michael Jackson’s Albums – Michael Jackson recordings dominate the charts

Michael Jackson London, June 29 (DPA) Days after his sudden death, pop star Michael Jackson’s 2003 album of his greatest hits, “Number Ones”, has surged again to the top of the album charts in Britain, music industry market groups reported Sunday.

Altogether, 43 singles and 11 albums by Jackson and by the family group The Jackson 5 have also surged forward on the music industry charts of the top-200 titles.

A week ago, the Number Ones album with 18 number-one hits by Jackson had stood at 121.

Sunday, besides the top ranking for that album, four further Jackson albums were now in the top-20, including Thriller (7), King of Pop (14), Off the Wall (17) and The Essential Michael Jackson (20).

Among the singles, the 1988 number Man in the Mirror had risen to 11th position, from 21st previously, with four other singles now in the top-40: Billie Jean (25), Smooth Criminal (28), Beat It (30) and Earth Song (38).

The British music store chain HMV reported that sales of Jackson CDs had surged 80-fold in the first 24 hours after the pop star’s death, a higher figure than, by comparison, the growth in sales after the deaths of Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Freddie Mercury.

Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson was secretly recording a new album: Deepak Chopra

Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson was secretly recording a new album: Deepak Chopra

London, June 28 (IANS) Michael Jackson had been quietly recording a new album that he hoped would move the world, says his longtime Indian-American friend Deepak Chopra.

The “Thriller” hitmaker passed away Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest at the age of 50. Hs friend of 20 years, doctor and writer Deepak Chopra, revealed that during a recent meeting, the star had shared with him the new material he had written, reports contactmusic.com.

“He was talking about this new song that he had done. He had shared that with me. I think I’m the only person who has the music right now… he was thinking really big,” said Chopra.

“He arranged a very elaborate way of getting these tapes to me, these CDs, with three bodyguards and a limousine with shaded windows. You would think he was transferring the secrets of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) to me. It took me a long time to open the package because it was covered in layer after layer after layer of plastic and cloth. He was very insecure about people knowing what he was up to in his music or his life because he had been hurt by the world,” he added.

Chopra further informed that Jackson was enthusiastic about his planned comeback concerts in London, but conceded that he feared the singer wasn’t fit enough for the gruelling residency.

“He was practising, he was fasting, yet he wasn’t physically in the position to do this,” said Chopra.

‘Jacko’s healthy body surprises investigators’

Washington, June 27 (ANI): Investigators conducting autopsy on Michael Jackson’s body were surprised at how healthy the King of Pop was, a source has claimed.

The source has told Fox News that Jackson’s body has been kept in its own crypt at a Los Angeles morgue under lock.

Such actions have been exercised so that no pictures of the body are leaked.
eanwhile, Craig Harvey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner, ruled out any signs of foul play in the autopsy and said further tests would be needed to determine Jackson’s cause of death.

No funeral plans have been made public. (ANI)

Michael Jackson Life History – Life History of Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson Dead – Michael Jackson Death – Michael Jackson Died

Michael Jackson Life History – Life History of Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson Dead – Michael Jackson Death – Michael Jackson Died

King of Pop, Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. When paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back. A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.

Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

Michael Jackson Life History :

1958

Born Aug. 29 to Katherine Esther Scruse and Joseph Walter Jackson, in Gary, Indiana as the seventh of nine children.

1963

Michael and his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon first perform together at a talent show when Michael is 6. They walk off with first prize. They form the Jackson 5. Their father is instrumental in shaping the group and promoting their talents in New York and Philadelphia.

March 1969

The Jackson 5 signs a recording contract with Motown Records. A year later, the band records some of its top hits including “I’ll Be There,” “I Want You Back” and “ABC.”

1972

Michael Jackson records his first solo album. The first hit, “Ben,” is a love song to a pet rat.

1979

Mr. Jackson’s album, Off the Wall, is produced by Quincy Jones and sells 11 million copies.

1982

Michael Jackson releases Thriller, also produced by Quincy Jones. The album yields seven top-ten singles including “Billie Jean” and “Beat it.” It sells 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million more worldwide.

1983

Mr. Jackson unveils his trademark “moonwalk” dance move while performing “Billie Jean” during an NBC special.

1984

Mr. Jackson’s head is burned while filming an ad for Pepsi. He begins to remodel his facial features, starting with the reduction of his nostrils. His skin colour also begins to lighten.

1985

Mr. Jackson writes the charity hit, “We Are The World,” to benefit the fight against hunger in Africa.

1987

Mr. Jackson’s album Bad is released, selling 26 million copies and marking the end of his collaboration with Quincy Jones.

1988

Mr. Jackson moves into the $17-million U.S., 2,700-acre Neverland ranch outside Santa Barbara, Calif. He turns it into a real-life Neverland, including a zoo, a video arcade and an amusement park with a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel.

1990

Mr. Jackson begins wearing surgical masks in public. Thriller reaches 21 times platinum, making it the highest-selling album of all time.

The video for “Black or White” is released, prompting discussion over Mr. Jackson’s strikingly different skin tone.

1991

Mr. Jackson’s album Dangerous is released, selling 22 million copies.

1992

Enters the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-paid entertainer in the music industry.

1993

Mr. Jackson reveals to Oprah Winfrey in a rare interview on her show that he has a skin condition called vitiligo, which causes the skin to lose its pigmentation.

The same year, Mr. Jackson is accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy and police raided his ranch.

He also announced in 1993 he was addicted to painkillers and cancelled a world tour.

1994

Mr. Jackson reaches an out-of-court settlement in the sexual molestation lawsuit arising from his friendship with a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler. The settlement was later reported to be $23-million. Mr. Jackson denied the allegations. No criminal charges were ever filed.

The same year, Mr. Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, in a secret ceremony on May 26. The marriage lasts 18 months.

1995

Mr. Jackson releases HIStory – Past, Present and Future, Book I.

1996

Mr. Jackson divorces Ms. Presley and marries Australian dermatology nurse Debbie Rowe the same year. He and Ms. Rowe have two children, a son, Prince Michael Joseph, and a daughter, Paris Michael Katherine. The couple divorced in 1999. They never lived together.

Ms. Rowe granted Mr. Jackson sole custody of the children, whose faces he often kept covered in public.

2001

Mr. Jackson releases his sixth solo album, Invincible, which reportedly cost $30-million U.S. to make. It flops. Mr. Jackson was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2002

In July, Mr. Jackson accuses record executive Tommy Mottola of exploiting African-American artists. Mr. Jackson fathers another son, Prince Michael II and nicknamed “Blanket” from a surrogate mother he reportedly never met. On Nov. 19, 2002, Mr. Jackson dangles the nine-month-old baby over a fourth-floor balcony at a hotel in Berlin, Germany, eliciting panic from fans and media gathered below and garnering widespread criticism. He said later he regretted the incident.

2003

In an interview with Martin Bashir, Mr. Jackson is pictured holding hands with an adolescent boy. In the interview, the singer said sharing a bed with a young boy was a “beautiful thing.”

“It’s very right, it’s very loving. Because what’s wrong with sharing a love?” he said in the interview. He also said he never abused a child.

Later that year, Mr. Jackson was accused of multiple counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo. He posts $3-million bail.

On November 18, police raid Mr. Jackson’s Neverland ranch. The same day, his Number Ones album is released.

2004

On April 30, Mr. Jackson is charged with 10 counts, including child molestation, extortion, child abduction, false imprisonment and giving a minor an intoxicating agent. He pleads not guilty.

February 2005

The prosecution accuses him of being a closet pervert who used wine and pornography to lower the inhibitions of a 13-year-old boy. The defence counters that authorities investigating the allegations of child molestation found no DNA from his accuser when they searched the pop star’s bedroom.

June 13, 2005

A jury finds Mr. Jackson not guilty on all the counts against him. A member of the jury later says in an interview that he believes Mr. Jackson “probably has molested boys,” but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him. Mr. Jackson subsequently spends time in Bahrain, Ireland and France with his children.

March 5, 2009

Mr. Jackson announces a comeback tour in London. He was set to start his slate of 50 concerts at London’s O2 Arena on July 13. The shows sell out within hours of going on sale in March.

Sources: [Reuters, AFP, National Post]