Who will fill Michael Jackson’s moonwalking shoes now that he’s left behind 50 nights at London’s O2 Arena?
Michael Jackson’s untimely death last Thursday came less than three weeks before he was set to embark on a 50-night residency at the 20,000-capacity arena. The "This Is It" comeback concerts were set to kick off July 13 with dates through March 6.
The over the top show, at a cost of up to $20 million, was set to include pyrotechnics, mutant spiders, a hovering orb, 20-foot puppets, a flaming bed and 3D effects, according to USA Today.
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"At the moment we're just waiting for the funeral to be out of the way and we'll let people know in due course," Lucy Ellison, a spokeswoman for O2 operator AEG Europe, told the Associated Press. "We're thinking about Michael Jackson now. We're just a very small part in this very tragic story."
One rumor bouncing around the Internet is that Justin Timberlake and his own brand of smooth dance moves could fill in for Jackson by performing MJ's hits.
U.K. tabloid The Sun suggests that Swedish pop group ABBA might be persuaded to once again strap on their platform boots and belt out ’70s hits such as “Super Trouper,” “Dancing Queen,” “Take A Chance On Me” and “Waterloo.” The band called it quits in 1983.
The Associated Press wrote that a reunion isn’t in the cards as AEG said the tabloid’s story didn’t hold merit and that ABBA has long vowed to never perform on stage together again.
AEG Live chief executive Randy Phillips told Britain’s Sky News one possibility is a MJ tribute concert featuring Jackson siblings and other artists influenced by the King of Pop as well as dance routines, sets and costumes from the “This Is It” show.
"At some point the world needs to see this production and I would imagine it could be done as a tribute with the family, with the brothers performing, some sisters, and the stars that were influenced by him," Randy Phillips told Sky News.
"It would have been, which is the tragedy here, one of the most amazing shows ever, so at some point we want the world to see that. We are discussing with the family so the sooner, the better."
Music writer John Aizlewood told the AP there’s no way the proposed tribute show could fill in for all of Jackson’s 50 dates.
"Fifty nights is absolutely out of the question. Nobody in the Jackson family is capable of selling out the O2 for even one night, not even Janet.
AEG Live is refunding tickets to Jackson’s “This Is It” shows or fans can instead choose the option of being mailed the physical tickets as mementos.
I don’t think any one artist is up to the task of perform 50 nights at The O2. I think it makes much more sense to book the shows with a number of artists rather than having one star take on the entire run. Leave a comment and tell us who should step into MJ’s sequined white socks and black loafers.
As the gang here at Pollstar prepares for the holiday weekend (stocking up on barbecue supplies, libations and tranquilizers for nervous pets), I thought I’d give you a quick rundown of July 4th celebrations on the tube this weekend.
First up at 8 p.m. EST is PBS, with “A Capitol Fourth,” featuring host Jimmy Smits and the musical stylings of Barry Manilow,Aretha Franklin, Natasha Bedingfield, the cast of Jersey Boys, Michael Feinstein and some of your favorite “Sesame Street” characters.
Over at NBC, they’ll be airing the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular from New York City, beginning at 9 p.m. EST. The celebration, which will take place over the Hudson River this year in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s exploration of the region, features performances by Rob Thomas, Jewel and Broadway superstars Audra McDonald and Idina Menzel.
And finally, American icon Neil Diamond headlines the Boston Pops’ annual celebration at the Hatch Shell on Boston’s Esplanade, with some help from emcee Craig Ferguson. The shindig will be televised live (on the East Coast) from 10 – 11 p.m. on CBS.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, has a busy fall planned that includes a co-headlining run with fellow jack-of-all-trades Andrew Bird.
Clark will hit the road next month for a series of headlining appearances that includes stops at the All Points West Festival in Jersey City, N.J., and the Virgin Mobile Festival in Columbia, Mo., as well as a handful of club dates in the Northeast and Canada.
The singer’s month-long run with Andrew Bird kicks off September 29 at The Murat Theatre in Indianapolis and will make its way across the East Coast and Midwest before wrapping October 28 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
St. Vincent’s road trip is in support of her latest release, Actor, which has earned praise from places like NPR, which called it “a surreal sonic wonderland,” and the New York Times, which said it “defies categories.”
Clark made her national television debut last week, when she appeared on “Late Show with David Letterman.”
To check out her performance of the genre-bending “Marrow,” the first single from Actor, click here. (For an extra kick, listen to it with headphones on.)
AEG Live has released a short clip of Michael Jackson rehearsing with his dancers. The video, which was shot at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 23 shows the artist interacting with his dancers and musicians. At the end of one number you can hear an off-screen director instructing “hold for applause, hold for applause … fade out.”
In what is one of the more fascinating copyright infringement cases involving the Internet, the Recording Industry Association of America has won its lawsuit against Usenet.com.
First of all, Usenet.com is not the same as Usenet, the decentralized system of message boards no one owns or controls. Instead, Usenet.com acts as a front end, archiving Usenet posts and selling access to customers for just under $20 a month.
Here’s how it worked. Although most Internet service providers also give their customers access to Usenet, rarely do the same providers archive Usenet posts. Plus, many providers pick and choose which Usenet groups they’ll allow access to.
While many of those groups only contain text messages on various subjects, a large section of Usenet is devoted to binary postings of music, video, photos and software that often are infringement cases themselves just waiting to happen.
However, many Internet providers give their customers only limited access to Usenet groups. Because most providers don’t bother archiving Usenet postings, a Britney Spears song today may not be there tomorrow.
Plus, many providers have download limits when it comes to Usenet which are so low that downloading even a single large media file would max out a user’s monthly allowance.
But Usenet.com was different. By selling Usenet access, Usenet.com archived postings so that a Metallica track someone posted last month, or even last year, was still available for downloading today. Plus, Usenet actively promoted itself as a portal to copyrighted music.
The RIAA filed an infringement lawsuit against Usenet.com in 2007. Earlier this week U.S. District Judge Harold Baer ruled in favor of the organization. Furthermore, the judge also nixed Usenet.com's “Betamax” defense – the landmark U.S. Supreme Court 1984 decision in Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios – that ruled makers of home video recorders were not liable for copyright infringement, and that viewers had a right to record TV programs for later viewing.
According to CNET, Baer said Usenet.com’s position wasn’t the same as Betamax-maker Sony because Sony’s relationship with the customer ended with the purchase of the VCR, and the company was not responsible for whatever the customer did with the video recorder after the purchase.
However, Usenet.com’s relationship with its customers is ongoing. Customers pay monthly for the service, and because Usenet.com acts as a gateway to Usenet, the company does have some control over what its customers may download.
The judge also noted several instances of misconduct by Usenet.com, including destroying or failing to produce evidence. According to CNET, Usenet.com also prevented employees from giving depositions by sending them to Europe.
Although the court found Usenet.com guilty of facilitating infringements, it did not rule on how the company should be punished. Instead, any disciplinary action has been left up to a court magistrate, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Predictably, the RIAA was happy with the outcome. The organization posted a short message on its Web site essentially saying the verdict should be taken as a warning by anyone trying to build a business based on copyright infringing activity.
“This decision is another example of courts recognizing the value of copyrighted music and taking action against companies and individuals who are engaging in wide scale infringement. We hope that other bad actors who are engaging in similar activity will take note of this decisive opinion.”
Nearly two out of three Americans say the media has gone overboard on Michael Jackson coverage.
The Pew Research Center released its findings on July 1, saying 64 percent of those polled have pretty much overdosed on Michael Jackson stories. The same poll reports 29 percent are happy with coverage and 3 percent say the late King of Pop has not received enough attention.
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Along the same lines, Associated Press ran an article stating the media had begun to cut back on Jackson coverage. The AP cites other new stories, such as Bernie Madoff’s sentencing and U.S. combat troops withdrawing from Iraqi cities, as reasons to discontinue wall-to-wall MJ coverage.
But AP’s report about reduced Jackson coverage was released two days ago, leading to speculation that the news organization might have been a tad optimistic when it published it.
However, the amount of media coverage devoted to Jackson isn’t just an American phenomenon, but a world-wide explosion of news stories, reports and rumors.
Even communist China acknowledged Jackson’s death. Official government mouthpiece The People’s Daily ran with the headline “Michael Jackson – A Generation’s King of Song, Passes Away.”
MTV Japan designated a week of mourning and in Indonesia a current affairs radio network that usually doesn’t air music, began playing Jackson’s catalog while taking calls from fans.
How big is the King of Pop’s death? That is, as a news story?
Although many have compared the King of Pop’s death with Elvis Presley’s 1977 demise, some are now saying the situation is more like Princess Diana’s death in a 1997 car crash.
Said Glenn Dyer, media correspondent for Australian news Web site Crikey: “I just wonder when the funeral happens, who is going to be the first idiot announcer to say they’re together in heaven.”
New Yorkers and other East Coast residents saddened by the closing of Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool because it meant the end of its popular music-filled pool parties now have reason to celebrate; The parties have found a new home.
The 2009 season of the Jelly Pool Parties will kick off July 12 at the Williamsburg Waterfront (aka East River State Park), a strip of land along the East River between North Eighth and North Ninth Streets.
The move means the events will have a body of water close by for the first time, as well as a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline.
Aside from the killer lineup, music fans can play dodgeball, three-on-three basketball and engage in other healthy outdoor activities.
Oh yeah, did I mention all of this is absolutely stinkin’ free? So pack a cooler, gather some friends and head over to Brooklyn for a rockin’ good time. But don’t bring any of these things, or it’ll be a bummer.
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Get complete info on the fourth season of the Jelly Pool Parties, including lineups for each of the eight Sundays in the series here.
Media reports indicate a public tribute to Michael Jackson may take place at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Citing five sources “familiar with the planning process,” the Los Angeles Times reports a memorial service could be held at Staples on Tuesday, but cautions that the Jackson family has yet to green-light the event that could draw multitudes of fans to the sports arena.
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However, several media sources are reporting the memorial is nailed down. Entertainment Tonight Online even has a start time – 10:00 a.m.
Memorial service rumors have been circulating all week, and were focusing on a July 3 tribute at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. In fact, media reports about a Neverland tribute were so numerous, that county officials had already started planning for such an event despite no official word from Jackson’s family. However, the family denied the rumors on July 1.
According to the Times, financing a memorial service at Staples would probably be costly. For example, security and crowd control for the Lakers’ victory parade cost $2 million.
If there is a Tuesday service at Staples, something is going to have to be done about the elephants. That’s right. Pachyderms. The Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus is scheduled to take over Staples starting July 8. The traditional circus parade through downtown to the arena – including the always-popular elephant walk – is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The Times also reports the family is not considering burying the King of Pop at Neverland. Earlier this week a Santa Barbara County attorney said the process to obtain permission for a burial on private land could take weeks. However, now that same attorney says the county is willing to fast-track the application process.
To read the articles in the Los Angeles Times, please click here and here.
Click here to read the entire Entertainment Tonight Online article.
Looks like a cyber virus making the rounds is gaining entry to computers by invoking the King of Pop’s name.
AFP reports computer security company Sophos issued a warning stating an e-mail bearing the somewhat misspelled subject header “Rememebring Michael Jackson” and promising secret songs and photos actually contains a computer worm in the attachment that not only replicates itself but is capable of spreading to USB memory sticks.
The solution? Don’t click on the attachment. Of course, it’s never a good idea to open attachments sent from unknown sources. You should also update your anti-virus software.
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The computer worm is the latest Internet nasty masquerading as a Jackson-related communiqué. One mass e-mail message promised a YouTube video depicting “the last work of Michael Jackson,” but instead delivered a password-stealing virus.
Evil computer code riding on the backs of celebrity names isn’t all that new. Even before his death, Jackson’s name was often used to entice recipients to click on harmful attachments.
And there's more where that came from. Internet scammers began capitalizing on the moonwalker’s death mere minutes after the first news announcements, sending infected e-mails as well as messages directing recipients to virus-laden Web sites.
Then there’s the virus attacking all media outlets instructing editors to cover nothing but Michael Jackson news until further notice. So far, no one is predicting a quick fix for that one.
After winning the best live band award and best single at the 2000 Kerrang! Awards, Slipknot showed their appreciation by wrecking the stage and setting their table on fire. Organizers might be in trouble because this year the nine-piece masked band has earned six nominations.
The 2009 Kerrang! Awards takes place at a “top secret” London location Aug. 3. The event is put on annually by Kerrang!, the U.K. weekly music magazine. (Kerrang! refers to the sound made when smashing a guitar.)
"I am thrilled," Slipknot singer Corey Taylor said in a statement, according to Reuters. "It is just another reason (why) this has been the best time of our career."
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Taylor is co-hosting the event along with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.
Slipknot was nominated for best live band, best video (“Sulfer”), best album (All Hope Is Gone), best international band and twice for best single (“Dead Memories” as well as “Psychosocial”).
Metallica earned five noms for best live band, best single (“All Nightmare Long”), best video (“The Day That Never Comes”), best album (Death Magnetic) and best international band.
The fate of the bands is in your hands as fans can cast their vote for their favorite artists on the Kerrang! Awards website. One lucky voter will win a pair of VIP tickets to the award ceremony.
Slipknot took home the Icon Award in 2008 and the best band on the planet award in 2001.
Fans who purchased tickets to Michael Jackson’s O2 Arena shows have missed the opportunity to witness his return to the stage, but new details regarding the King of Pop’s over-the-top final production have emerged.
Pyrotechnics, mutant spiders, 20-foot puppets and 3D effects are just some of the visuals that were to be featured in Jackson’s final dates, according to people involved in the production.
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Magician Ed Alonzo, who was developing an illusion for the performances, told USA Today the show was “just days away from being perfected. It was incredible … Every song he was doing was not just singing, but surrounded by huge production – gigantic spiders and 20-foot puppets. I feel I was so blessed to see the only performance of this concert.”
A crew of roughly 80 people worked to fine-tune the production during Jackson’s final rehearsal at the Staples Center June 24, the paper said.
“He was trying, and succeeding, in structuring the biggest, most spectacular live production ever seen,” Johnny Caswell, co-owner of CenterStaging in Burbank, told USA Today. Jackson used the facility to polish the performance from March to early June.
“By the time he left my facility, he had graduated through several studios and was on a soundstage taking up 10,000 square feet,” Caswell said. “They moved to The Forum, outgrew that and needed the height at Staples. The show was getting so damn big, they couldn’t finish it in time. That’s why they had to delay.”
The show also included a hovering orb and a flaming bed, according to the article.
While the rehearsal was filmed, it’s still unclear whether the performance will be released publicly.
Akon has postponed his planned July tour of South Pacific and Asia countries, blaming the sudden change in plans on “unforeseen circumstances.”
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However, Malaysian and Chinese organizers asked for the delay, citing worries over swine flu.
Akon’s tour was originally planned to start July 4 in Manila. Now the singer’s tour of Asia is tentatively scheduled to begin Oct. 23 in the Philippines capital and run through Nov. 7.
ABS-CBN ran a taped message from the singer stating the tour was postponed because of “unforeseen circumstances,” and that tickets purchased for the original dates would be honored at the rescheduled shows. At no time during the message did Akon mention swine flu.
He may not be the ugly-duckling-into-swan the world discovered in Susan Boyle, but self-described “chicken catcher” Kevin Skinner took a lot of people by surprise last night.
Skinner, who elicited chuckles from “America’s Got Talent” judges David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan, the audience and host Nick Cannon as he described his job in a thick Southern drawl, had everyone singing a different tune by the time he finished his performance of Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Never Comes.”
But don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself:
So what do you think? Is Skinner America’s Susan Boyle (minus the caterpillar eyebrows and a cat named Pebbles)? Does he have what it takes to win?
Tune in to NBC to see if any of tonight’s auditions yield competition.
America’s favorite talking cleaning supply, SpongeBob Squarepants, is turning 10 and Pink is among the celebs wishing him many happy returns.
The singer has recorded “We’ve Got Scurvy,” a rollicking tune about – well – scurvy, for a 17-track CD marking the 10th anniversary of the insanely popular Nickelodeon show.
Earlier this year, NPR reported that one week in March, nine of the top 20 shows on cable were episodes of “SpongeBob” and Nickelodeon estimates 45 million people over the age of 18 watch the show each month.
And the network’s vice president of animation, Brown Johnson, admitted to NPR Nickelodeon is not above using the little yellow guy to wipe up the competition. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
"If we are sort of down in the ratings we sort of put it everywhere," Johnson said. "Sometimes it's on eight times a day."
So why are the adventures of a hyperactive sponge and his dim-witted starfish best friend Patrick, sour-tempered squid neighbor Squidward, greedy crab boss Mr. Krabs and meowing pet snail Gary so wildly popular? Like all the best cartoons, “SpongeBob” plays on multiple levels.
"You watch when you're a little kid and you like it because it's pretty and it's funny and they do goofy things," Syracuse University professor Bob Thompson told NPR. "You watch it again when you're 10, and suddenly all of the new mysteries of life begin to pop up in here as well. And then you watch it when you're a 21-year-old in a frat house and suddenly there's a whole other quality that appeals to you."
In case you’re one of the 10 people in the United States who hasn’t seen the show, here’s a clip of SpongeBob and Patrick tormenting Squidward with slide whistles.
Pink, who is among other well-known fans like President Obama, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie and Johnny Depp, will also make a guest appearance as an animated version of herself in an upcoming episode of the show.
Also drafted for the celebration is Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo Green, who has remixed the show’s theme song for a brand-new opening sequence that will debut later this year, as well as recorded the track “Don’t Be a Jerk (It’s Christmas).”
