Jackson’s Will Doesn’t Give Beatles Songs To McCartney
July 9, 2009 by Dave Parrack
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson were, at one time, good friends and collaborators. They worked together on a number of songs, including duets Say Say Say and The Man. However, their friendship fell apart after Jackson bought a 50 percent stake in the publishing rights to The Beatles back catalog. He did this by outbidding both McCartney and Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono.
When Michael Jackson died at the tender age of 50, rumors abounded all across the Web that he’d left McCartney the Beatles songs he effectively stole from under his nose in 1985. However, the will has been examined and there is no mention of Paul McCartney in it anywhere, which is a little bit disappointing as it would surely have been the right thing to do.
Is McCartney upset at the news? The press says yes, he says no.
Jarvis Cocker Talks Michael Jackson, Brits Stage Invasion
July 6, 2009 by Dave Parrack
Michael Jackson’s life and death has now been discussed ad nauseam by both the people who knew him and the people who didn’t. I must admit to being a little bit bored of the whole thing now. Michael Jackson was a great singer, songwriter, dancer, and performer. But he was not the second coming. It’s very sad that he has died at the tender age of 50, but since his death on June 25, thousands of other people have died around the world, many of them younger than Jacko, and all of them having had less of a privileged life.
However, there is one man’s opinion I still wanted to hear regarding the life and death of Michael Jackson. That man is Jarvis Cocker, who had a brief but very famous connection to the King of Pop. Cocker, formally a member of the Britpop band Pulp, appeared on the British television show Question Time last week and was asked for his opinion on the passing away of the once-great music artist.
Michael Jackson ‘This Is It’ Tickets - Refund Or Sell?
July 3, 2009 by Dave Parrack
This is the dilemma facing 750,000 people right now. They’ve all bought tickets to see Michael Jackson make his comeback in a series of concerts at the London O2 Arena this summer, concerts which will now never take place in light of Jackson’s death last week. So what to do? Claim the refund from the concert promoter AEG Live or choose to still be sent the ticket and either keep it as a piece of music memorabilia or sell it on eBay?
February saw Michael Jackson making plans for a comeback tour. Called This Is It, the tour would begin in London, with the ten dates initially announced becoming 50 in March when the first run of concerts sold out. In the end, all 50 concerts sold out completely, meaning 750,000 people had paid £75 or more to see the singer make his comeback.
When Jackson died, AEG Live announced it was giving fans the chance to either claim a full refund of the asking price of the ticket they had bought OR get the ticket sent as a souvenir. The ticket was reportedly designed by Jacko himself and comes with a 3D holographic image on the front. Many fans were sickened that they wouldn’t be allowed to claim the refund AND keep hold of the unusable ticket as a souvenir as well.
Michael Jackson Dominates Charts From Beyond The Grave
June 29, 2009 by Dave Parrack
Michael Jackson was always popular in the U.K. in life, and the same can now be said of him in death. Just three days after Michael Jackson died, the latest British charts have shown what a massive effect his passing has had on people. It seems as though most of the population went out and brought his music in the days following his death from cardiac arrest on Thursday (June 25).
Michael Jackson had, prior to his death last week, been kind of out of the news for a while. There were, of course, the 50 shows he’d promised to perform at the London O2 Arena, of which we still don’t know the fate. But apart from that, no one was really that interested in him, his life, or his music. His death changed that completely overnight.
Not only has the death of Michael Jackson provoked an outpouring of grief and been the biggest media event for years, it’s also had a huge effect on sales of his records. Retailers around the U.K. are now reporting they’ve sold out of all his albums. Jackson’s albums occupied the top 15 slots on Amazon’s Bestsellers list, while HMV “experienced an 80-fold increase in demand for his music,” according to Digital Spy.
Tinchy Stryder Feat. N-Dubz - ‘Number 1′ Music Video Review - Hits Number One
April 26, 2009 by Dave Parrack
I think I may be getting too old for this job. Tinchy Stryder is currently sitting at number one in the British singles chart with this song, appropriately titled Number 1. Great, except I hadn’t even heard of him until this week.
I try my hardest to keep up-to-date with all the new music which comes through, but it’s hard, and at my age you tend to get stuck in your ways and stick to what you like and what you know. However, I am open-minded (except when it comes to Michael Jackson and U2).
Stryder is a grime/UK garage artist, although this song is very commercial. There’s nothing wrong with that but he will have to deal with the fact he’s leaving his roots behind in order to sell records - never an easy thing to do.
Michael Jackson’s Comeback Tour Is A Disaster Waiting To Happen… Probably
April 24, 2009 by Dave Parrack
When Michael Jackson announced he was going to make a live comeback at the London O2 Arena, I wasn’t surprised as it had been rumored for ages, but I was shocked and stunned. Could Wacko Jacko really pull this off?
What better way to answer that question than to ask the readers of Brit Music Scene, some will who no doubt be going to see the once-great man and some who (like me) wouldn’t do so if it were the only live music event all year.
The result was actually a lot closer than I thought it would be, with ‘A disaster’ only just pipping ‘Brilliant’. However, if you combine the numbers for the negative answers and compare those to the number of votes for the one positive answer, it seems Michael Jackson still has work to do to convince us he’s capable of a comeback.
Michael Jackson Wants Leona Lewis… For Duet During London O2 ‘This Is It’ Concerts
March 30, 2009 by Dave Parrack
I still can’t quite believe it but Michael Jackson is forging ahead with his This Is It concert tour, regarded as the finale to his career. What’s more, he’s beginning the world tour with a residency at the London O2 Arena for 50 gigs. Is this a train wreck just waiting to happen?
For a man who hasn’t sung live for over a decade, is a shadow of his former self, and has been a virtual recluse for the last four years, this should be fun. With 50 nights of performances now sold out, Jacko needs all the help he can get.
There have already been rumors that Jackson is seeking to secure the services of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, although I can’t see why they’d give up their own tours to be bit-part players for This Is It.
Michael Jackson Extends London O2 Residency Into 2010 | Proposed Setlist Leaks
March 12, 2009 by Dave Parrack
As expected, Michael Jackson has extended his residency at the London O2 Arena, although the length of the commitment has taken me by surprise. Jacko initially announced a run of 10 shows but the number is now 37 and likely to grow even more.
The dates will be broken into two halves, the first happening between July 8 and September 29. The second will then take place between January 7 and February 18. Whether any more London dates will be added is not yet known.
Meanwhile, the setlist for the upcoming shows has supposedly been leaked although the British tabloids could be just making it up based on what are Jackson’s biggest hits. The proposed setlist is reportedly:-
Michael Jackson At O2 Arena Gigs - Why I Won’t Be Going To See ‘The King Of Pop’
March 6, 2009 by Dave Parrack
Michael Jackson has finally announced a residency at London’s O2 Arena, two weeks after I reported on the rumors that these concerts were about to be announced. Jackson, Wacko Jacko, or The King Of Pop depending on your point of view will play 10 dates in July, with tickets going on sale on March 13.
The ‘This Is It’ tour is set to kick off on July 8, and Jacko claimed this would be the last time he ever played in London. But that doesn’t mean the tour won’t continue, and a I suspect other countries will be visited if England reacts well.
However, I will not be going to see the 50-year-old Michael Jackson’s apparent live swan song even though I can afford it, I live close enough to the venue to get there easily, and it’s sure to be a much talked about event.
Michael Jackson Comeback Tour - On Brink Of 30-Date Run Of Gigs At London O2 Arena
February 22, 2009 by Dave Parrack
Michael Jackson is now 50 years old and not getting any younger. The chances are that he has just one chance left of making a comeback, and if it flops, that’s the end of his career.
Jacko has been a virtual recluse since the child molestation charges against him were heard in 2005. The court case was shown around the world, and despite being cleared of the charges, his reputation has never really recovered.
Since then, the singer has been declared a virtual bankrupt, with debts piling up around him. His Neverland Ranch, where he built his own theme park and kept a menagerie of animals, has also reportedly changed hands and isn’t now owned by Michael himself.
The last four years have seen him make one appearance on stage to perform, and that was at the ‘World Music Awards’ held in London in 2006 where he failed to sing as expected. Can anyone say train wreck?
But now, it looks as though Michael Jackson could be preparing to make his long-awaited comeback, and he’s reported to have chosen London to make it. The Daily Mail claims the singer is looking to perform a 30-date tour at the O2 Arena.