Peoplereports that Britains Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle has recorded the first song for her upcoming album. Simon Cowell says the first track sounds great. He also says they are going to take time to make the album great.
"She sounds fantastic on record," says Cowell. "She's so good, the album is not just going to be show tunes. We're going to take our time with this."
Boyle, 48, also visited the Sony Music offices in London last week to meet with executives, who are treating her gently. Mindful of the pressures and subsequent hospitalization after she finished second in the Britain's Got Talent final, the label says she could walk away from the project any time she wants.
The intial YouTube clip of Susan Boyle's first Britain's Got Talent performance now has over 70 million views.
There will only be 8,750 people who get selected to attend the memorial service for Michael Jackson next week but that isn't stopping hundreds of thousands of people from registering for a chance at at ticket on the Staple Center's website. CNN reports that over half a million people had registered for tickets by Friday evening. They have also opened up registration to non-U.S. residents. Michael Jackson has fans around the world and many would be willing to fly to the U.S. for the memorial service.
By 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET) Friday, seven hours since the lottery's announcement, more than half a million people had registered to snag a pair of tickets to the ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, according to Jackson family spokesman Ken Sunshine.
The overwhelming response prompted organizers to open up the lottery to non-U.S. residents as well, he said.
"When you grow up with Michael Jackson's music pretty much your whole life, you feel like you lost a family member and you have to go to the funeral," said Add Seymour of Atlanta, Georgia, who registered soon after the announcement Friday morning and planned to fly out if he was picked. "I got some frequent flier miles just in case I wanted to do something wild and crazy -- and this is wild and crazy."
With so many people registering it is going to make the odds of getting a ticket very low. Registering ends at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, July 4, 2009. The Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service will take place on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Staples Center in downtown Los
Angeles.
A Reuters story says merchants expect the Michael Jackson sales spike to continue for weeks or even months.
"With the around-the-clock coverage and questions about his death, this story will keep going, with every development giving it a new bit of life," says Kerry Fly, vice president of purchasing and marketing at wholesaler Eurpac.
Jackson's solo album sales in the United States skyrocketed from 10,000 copies in the week before his death to 422,000 in the week ended June 28, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
During the same period, U.S. track downloads surged from about 48,000 copies to 2.6 million. The week of his death, the best-selling track was "Thriller" at 167,000 copies, and the top-selling album was "Number Ones" at 108,000.
In the United Kingdom, Jackson held 11 of the top 200 album positions and 43 of the top 200 singles based on sales monitored by the Official Charts Co. for the week ended June 27. Despite the inclusion of only two full days of sales after Jackson's death, "Number Ones" topped the OCC album chart after selling 46,400 physical copies and 10,000 downloads. "Thriller" also reached the top 10 for album at No. 7, with combined physical and digital sales of 14,900.
The Michael Jackson story is certain to garner headlines for months to come but it won't remain the top story. Limited supply of some of Michael Jackson's albums is also hurting sales. One way to gauge how long Michael Jackson's music stays popular is with YouTube. The homepage of YouTube's music section is currently filled with Michael Jackson videos meaning is still very hot about a week since the news of his death.
Organizers of the Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will be giving out 17,500 free tickets using an online lottery. The tickets will be given randomly to people who register here on the Staples Center's website. Peoplesays a live video feed of the memorial service will also be streamed on tv and online.
Those who can't get the precious tickets – 11,000 in the Staples Center and another 6,500 to watch on big screens at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live across the street – can watch a live worldwide television feed being provided free to networks or on streaming video on the Web.
Organizers are using a wristband system to crack down on scalpers.
"This is a memorial. I'm hoping that people have dignity. We're doing our best to accommodate the worldwide demand," said Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG, which owns the Staples Center. "For those who would try to take advantage of this, shame on them."
The registration for tickets will end at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Madonna just posted exclusive dress rehearsal photos from her upcoming London concert at the O2 Arena. Madonna is doing a number that pays homage to her friend Michael Jackson. The next leg of her Sticky and Sweet tour kicks off tomorrow night and has new numbers and costumes. We wish were going to be there. You can get more tour information here.
Billboardreports that Michael Jackson was working on two albums at the time of this death. One album was to be a pop album and the other was an instrumental classical composition.
Billboard has learned that the singer was working on two albums at the time of his death: one in the pop vein that made him famous and another that would consist of an instrumental classical composition. And while some believe the star wanted to recapture his '80s glory days -- or escape financial trouble -- those who worked with him recently say he was motivated by his fans and his children.
Jackson was working on the pop album with songwriter Claude Kelly and Akon, who says that Jackson was motivated by the ticket sales for his performances. "He said, 'My fans are still there. They still love me. They're alive,'" Akon says. "His kids are like his first priority, and they had never seen him perform live. He was trying to create the most incredible show for his kids."
If the albums were far enough along it is possible they could be released posthumously. There have also been reports that Michael Jackson has a library of 100 songs.
Here's a video of Michael Jackson's rehearsal performance for his concerts at the O2 Arena that would have been. The date is June 23rd, two days before Michael Jackson's death. The clip was given to CNN by AEG Live.
The Black Eyed Peas have another number one single on iTunes with their latest song, "I Gotta Feeling." The song debuted on #2 on the Billboard chart and was beaten only by Black Eyed Peas other hot song, "Boom Boom Pow." The feel-good music video for the song features the Black Eyed Peas dancing and singing at party. You can watch the music video here and here.
RadarOnline.com reports that fans attending Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will have to pay $25. T-shirts will also be sold outside as fans enter.
Family, friends and VIPS will have seats on the main floor for The Tuesday, July 7th Staples service, first reported by RadarOnline.com, while the general public will be plucking down $25 to sit in the stands.
The memorial service will feel like a concert production featuring guest speakers, a lot of music and video screens inside and outside of Staples, a source close to the planning tells RadarOnline.com.
Michael Jackson's close friend Elizabeth Taylor is expected to attend, along with Diana Ross.
The memorial service will be held at the Staples Center from 10am to noon. Radar says the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus is on standby and elephants and circus performers will enter once the memorial service ends. The circus must be rehearsing because the Staples Center website says they don't open until July 8th.
Update 7-2-09: CNN reports that there are 11,000 free tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial. Fans will have to register to get the free tickets. Radar says the Jackson family dropped plans to charge a fee.
This is a promotional video that was made from rehearsals for Michael Jackson's This Is It tour. The clip includes dancers who tried out to be backup dancers at the London 02 Arena concerts that would have been. Michael Jackson meets some of the dancers at the end of the clip. Tkae a look:
Michael Jackson is selling lots of records posthumously. Billboard reports that Michael Jackson has eight of the top ten positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart - although the Black Eyed Peas remain #1 on the Billboard 200. The Michael Jackson album that is currently selling the best is called Number Ones.
Jackson himself has a record eight out of the top 10, while a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier.
The King of Pop's "Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with 108,000 (an increase of 2,340%) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.
Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set "Off the Wall" re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album "Bad" returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5's "The Ultimate Collection" debuts with 18,000. Jackson's fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991's "Dangerous," re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000 while his 2001 compilation "Greatest Hits: HIStory -- Volume 1" also comes back to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson's 2004 box set "The Ultimate Collection" charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.
It's not the only report of strong sales for Michael Jackson's music. Bloombergreported that U.K.'s largest music retailer, HMV Group Plc says Michael Jackson outsold John Lennon and Elvis Presley in the week after their deaths. Other articles about Jackson's posthumous sales spike can be found here, here, here and here.
One Jonas Brother down, two more to go: Kevin Jonas is engaged to be married.
Kevin is engaged to Danielle Deleasa, 21, who he has been dating for two years.
Deleasa, 22, met Kevin—the JoBro who has managed to have a private life—in May 2007 while their families were vacationing in the Bahamas.
"Our hearts are filled with joy today and we are happy to share with you that our son Kevin has asked Danielle for her hand in marriage," parents Denise and Kevin Jonas Sr. said in a statement. "Her answer was yes, and it is such a blessing that she will be joining our family. Kevin and Danielle have not yet set a date."
A rep for Kevin confirmed that he showed up at Deleasa's New Jersey home this morning with a ring he codesigned with Jacob & Co., and popped the question at her doorstep.
But while thousands of girls would love to be in Deleasa's shoes—or at least also in a position to attend a wedding where Joe and Nick Jonas will be—the former hairdresser tells People she didn't know who Kevin was when she first met him.
Way to play coy, honey.
This definitely has a Hanson vibe about it. Why get married so young? In any event, we wish them all the best.
AEG Live has offered to refund the Michael Jackson concert tickets but also said people could keep their tickets if they forego a refund. ITN offers a look at what these Michael Jackson concert tickets look like. The holographic tickets were designed by Michael Jackson himself. They contain a holographic image of Michael Jackson dacing. Some think keeping the tickets is worth while others would prefer a refund. Take a look:
AEG Live announced in a message on the Michael Jackson "This Is It" concert website that full refunds will be available to fans who purchased tickets through authorised agents for any of the 50 Michael Jackson "This Is It" concerts which were to take place at The O2 Arena in London. AEG Live says these refunds will include all ticket service charges.
Ticket holders requiring information about receiving a full refund should go to michaeljacksonlive.com from Wednesday, July 1, 2009. The refunds will be processed by each of the authorised ticket agencies (e.g. Ticketmaster, Viagogo, See or Ticketline).
The BBC says people can also keep the tickets if they forego a refund.
The tickets feature lenticular images, which give them a 3D moving effect.
Eight different versions of the tickets were printed and AEG Live said fans had been contacting authorised booking agencies to ask whether they could keep them.
The concert promoter didn't really have a choice but to offer a refund.