Michael Jackson Video Game Announced

By BEN SISARIO

Get your “Thriller” avatar and moonwalk keystrokes ready: Planet Michael will soon be ready for virtual exploration. The Michael Jackson estate will announce on Tuesday that it has made a deal with the company SEE Virtual Worlds to release Planet Michael, a 3D computer environment that will be part of the Entropia Universe game platform.

In the game, which is expected to be released late next year, fans can dance in a recreation of the “Billie Jean” video, visit Neverland and explore continents drawn from themes in Jackson’s music and life, as well as “the global issues that concerned him,” the estate and SEE Virtual Worlds, the game’s publisher, said in a joint statement. As a massively multiplayer online computer game, Planet Michael will allow huge numbers of users to interact at the same time; it’s free to download and play but users can convert their real dollars into play money in the game for virtual transactions. There will also be virtual advertising.

Complete on  >>  http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/michael-jackson-video-game-announced/?partner=rss&emc=rss

James Brown & Michael Jackson, Live

Jackson delivers on `This Is It,' early fans say

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment – Wed Oct 28, 3:00 am
LOS ANGELES – "Michael Jackson's This Is It" premiered to high praise from fans who applauded at each number as though they were at a concert and marveled as the singer stepped nimbly through his moonwalk and other signature moves. Jackson, 50 when he died last June, kept pace with backup dancers half his age during rehearsals for such hits as "Thriller," "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Human Nature." The film was shot as Jackson prepared for a marathon concert stand in London that never happened.

"He looked better than he did when he was 30," said Jessica Childs, a 21-year-old aspiring dancer who caught the Los Angeles premiere. "His voice stood out." Four of Jackson's brothers — Jermaine, Marlon, Tito and Jackie — attended, saying afterward that seeing their brother on film filled them with love and pride. "It's amazing to see him up there doing his thing," Jackie Jackson said. "To see him up there doing his performance like that has brought a lot of tears to my eyes, sitting there watching him. Because I love him so much. That's why I keep this with me at all times in my pocket. It's a little token of him," he said, pulling out a white-glove key-ring fashioned after one of his brother's best-known accessories.

"It was closure for me," said Marlon Jackson. "And it was a moment where I just felt his spirit inside of me. And that made me feel good." Performances in the film included a medley of Jackson 5 hits the singer originally performed with his siblings.
Full on http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091028/ap_en_ot/us_film_michael_jackson_movie

'Michael Jackson Tapes' details star's obsessions

By VICTOR EPSTEIN, Associated Press Writer Victor Epstein, Associated Press Writer

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. – Pop superstar Michael Jackson feared the ravages of old age, sought the company of sycophants and appeared to be abusing prescription drugs and cosmetic surgery nearly a decade before his death, according to a new book by a former adviser. "The Michael Jackson Tapes" breaks little in the way of new ground but the book by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, based on 30 hours of taped interviews, provides firsthand detail about the performer's excesses and obsessions. "I don't want to be seen now," Jackson confessed. "Because I am like a lizard. It is horrible."

Jackson died June 25 at age 50. His death is being treated as a homicide. The self-described "King of Pop" seemed to sense during the interviews in 2000 and 2001 that his life was winding down. "I would like some way to disappear where people don't see me anymore at some point," Jackson said. "I don't want to grow old. I never want to look in the mirror and see that." "He lost the will to live," Boteach said Friday on NBC's "Today" show. "I think he was just going through the motions of life toward the end."

Boteach is an orthodox Jewish rabbi who has written self-help books with names like "Kosher Sex" and "Shalom in the Home." He was introduced to Jackson in 1999 through Uri Geller, a British entertainer, and acted as his confidant for many years. At times, the transcribed tapes sound like counseling sessions. Boteach said he and Jackson recorded the tapes with the idea of giving the public a more accurate image of the reclusive entertainer. Boteach said he soured on the book — originally slated for release in 2003 — after Jackson failed to adhere to the recovery programs they had worked out for his public image and private self. Those improvements included waking up at a decent hour and not being alone with children other than Jackson's own three kids.

The friendship ended with Jackson's second arrest on charges of sexually abusing a child. Boteach said he resurrected the project after Jackson died because attitudes toward him had softened. In conversations, Jackson is quick to see himself as a victim and quick to criticize relatives — especially his father, who, Jackson said, beat him with an electric cord. "He was rough," Jackson says of his father. "The way he would beat you hard, you know, was hard." Ken Sunshine, a spokesman for the Jackson family, said Friday: "We will not dignify this with a comment."

The book makes it clear Jackson was interested in women sexually but very shy. He tells Boteach he had never asked a woman out on a date, although he acknowledged having sexually charged phone conversations with Madonna. In recounting one conversation, he said: "Madonna laid down the law to me before we went out," saying, "'I am not going to Disneyland, okay? That's out.'" Jackson said Madonna was jealous of him because his female fans screamed and swooned while her male fans were less demonstrative. He recalled her crying in admiration at one of his concerts.
When contacted Friday, Madonna's spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg, said, "Madonna has very fond feelings for Michael Jackson, and I don't think anything in the book is going to change that."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_tapes

Family, Friends Honor Michael Jackson At Funeral

Photo: Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Jackson and Randy Jackson attend Michael Jackson's funeral service held at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Sept. 3, 2009 in Glendale, California.


More than two months after his sudden death, Michael Jackson has been laid to rest. Friends and family gathered for the private funeral at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, Calif., Thursday night. Under a full moon, hundreds of fans screamed Jackson's name as the motorcade drove by. The black hearse was followed by two dozen identical SUVs carrying Jackson's family. They all passed through the ornate front gates, up a gently winding road toward the Great Mausoleum. "There is no access," admirer De Marco De Leon says. "Nobody can go and visit. You have to have a key to get in." De Leon stood outside the entrance to the cemetery wearing a single, silver, beaded glove, like his idol. De Leon grew up in Sudan, and learned to speak English by listening to Jackson's songs. Holding up a California license plate that read "Love 4MJ," De Leon says Forest Lawn shouldn't be the final resting place for Jackson.

"It's very private and Michael Jackson is a public figure, loved by millions," De Leon adds. "I will love to see him move ... to Neverland. I have a feeling that's going to happen." But Jackson's Neverland Ranch could never offer the star-studded setting provided by Forest Lawn. It's the eternal address for such Hollywood royalty as Clark Gable, Walt Disney, Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Jackson's crypt lies next to replicas of Michelangelo statues and beneath a stained glass window picturing Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." The service was so private, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted the airspace to stop news helicopters from buzzing overhead.
Pictures provided by the family showed longtime friends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Stevie Wonder. Ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley was there, too. Jackson's five brothers were his pallbearers. And his three children placed a crown on his coffin to signify he was the King of Pop. Down the street, behind police barricades, fans mourned from a distance.
Angel Villegas, 11, danced on the sidewalk, imitating Jackson. "I feel bad that he died," Villegas said. "Michael Jackson. Gone too soon."
by Mandalit del Barco
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112546464&ft=1&f=1039

Jackson's Death Officially a Homicide

Michael Jackson's death has officially been ruled a homicide, as the Los Angeles County Coroner has released a partial report on the King of Pop's death. The report cites "acute propofol intoxication" as the main cause of Jackson's death, officially linking the powerful anesthetic to his demise. The report also lists "benzodiazepine effect" as another factor that contributed to his death, due to the drugs midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine and ephedrine being found in his system as well. In unsealed warrant documents that were released this week, it was noted that Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, admitted to giving the pop star 50 milligrams of propofol a night for a long period of time, but cut his dose to 25 milligrams.
According to TMZ, someone of Jackson's body size would need about 400 milligrams of propofol to sleep for 8 hours, which would amount to 16 times the dosage that Murray claims he gave Jackson.

Though the death has been ruled a homicide, that doesn't technically mean a crime was committed or that charges against others are guaranteed. It simply means that someone else's involvement played a role in the death. Others causes of death a coroner can use are: natural, suicide, accident, and "could not be determined."
http://www.popeater.com/2009/08/28/michael-jackson-death-homicide/

Warrant: Jackson family told cops about drugs

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, Associated Press Writer Anthony Mccartney, Associated Press Writer
Police who searched Michael Jackson's home the day after he died were acting on information from family members who said they'd found a bag of heroin in his bedroom, but a person with knowledge of subsequent test results on the substance said it turned out not to be the drug. The search did, however, turn up a number of other drugs including marijuana, the generic form of Valium and other sedatives. A detective also indicated Jackson's body showed signs of injections.

The disclosure came in an affidavit supporting a search warrant that was executed June 26, three days earlier than any previously reported search of Jackson's rented mansion in Bel-Air.
Two warrants came to light Thursday after several media outlets including The Associated Press asked to unseal four search warrants Los Angeles police detectives served in the early days of the Jackson death probe. The judge ordered two of the documents to remain sealed. The unsealed warrants provide a glimpse into how police were directing their investigation immediately after Jackson's death. The warrant served at his rented Bel-Air mansion the day after he died lists "PC 187," the California penal code for murder, in the box labeled "probable crime."

That warrant states family members told a coroner's official "they had located a quantity of tar heroin in a bag in the decedent's bedroom," though the person with knowledge of tests on the substance said heroin was quickly ruled out. The person was not authorized to speak to the media and asked for anonymity. Detectives also secured a search warrant for the car of Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician with Jackson when he died. The affidavit states detectives spoke to Murray in the hospital after the singer's death but he only gave a short summary of what had happened then left the hospital over detectives' objections. In the intervening two months, investigators have pieced together a much fuller picture of how Jackson died and Murray has emerged as the central figure in a manslaughter probe. Investigators believe he was negligent in administering the powerful anesthetic propofol and other sedatives to Jackson and that those drugs killed the singer.

Murray's attorney Edward Chernoff has said Murray never administered anything that "should have" killed Jackson. The coroner has not officially released autopsy results but a law enforcement official who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing told the AP the death has been ruled a homicide. The search of Murray's car turned up some documents, but no additional drugs. Also Thursday, an attorney for Jackson's longtime dermatologist does not plan to petition for a role in the upbringing of the singer's three children. Mark Vincent Kaplan said Dr. Arnold Klein is satisfied that a judge appointed an attorney to oversee their interests.

Kaplan surprised many by saying Klein wanted a role in the children's lives during a court hearing earlier this month. Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, was granted permanent guardianship of the children at the hearing, and a judge ruled that Klein didn't have legal standing to intervene, but told the doctor he could file a motion later if he still had concerns.
Kaplan said Klein got involved because he was concerned about the children having a normal upbringing not related to show business. Jackson told Klein repeatedly that he wanted his children to have a formal education and not be subjected to the rigors of traveling and performing, Kaplan said. Klein's involvement in the case raised questions about the whether the doctor could be the father of Jackson's two oldest children, a rumor fueled by tabloid reports and Klein's own cryptic answers when questioned on the matter.
Associated Press Writer Thomas Watkins contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090828/ap_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_investigation

Time gap in Jackson death could prove key to case

LOS ANGELES – A key point of contention has emerged in the case investigators are piecing together about the death of Michael Jackson: Exactly when did Dr. Conrad Murray realize that his patient had stopped breathing?
There are currently two accounts of that moment on June 25, and about an hour separates them.
According to police documents, Murray told detectives he put Jackson to sleep with drugs just minutes before he found the singer not breathing around 11 a.m., then let nearly 90 minutes go by — much of that time on his cell phone — before an ambulance was called. But Murray's lawyer says the doctor didn't discover a stricken Jackson until around noon. Investigators have ruled Jackson's death a homicide, based on tests showing he was killed by the combination of the anesthetic propofol with at least two sedatives, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the finding has not been publicly released. The homicide designation does not necessarily mean a crime was committed, though it's a helpful starting point should prosecutors choose to seek criminal charges. Police have said Murray is the target of an investigation into manslaughter, defined as a homicide without malice or premeditation.

Murray told police he spent the morning of June 25 administering various sedatives to Jackson in an attempt to get him to sleep, according to an affidavit for a search warrant served last month on Murray's clinic in Houston. Unsuccessful in inducing rest, the doctor ultimately gave in to the singer's demands for a dose of propofol around 10:40 a.m. By 11 a.m., after a short trip to the bathroom, Murray said he saw Jackson was not breathing and began trying to revive him, both with a "rescue" drug and by performing CPR, according to the documents. An ambulance was not called until 12:21 p.m. and Murray spent much of the intervening time making non-emergency cell phone calls, police say. That timeline is flawed, said Murray's attorney, Edward Chernoff, who was present when investigators spent three hours interviewing the doctor June 27. Chernoff said Murray never told police he found Jackson not breathing at 11 a.m. — instead, it was more like noon.
"Their theory is he came back and wasn't breathing. That's not what Dr. Murray told them," Chernoff said Tuesday. "They are confusing the time Michael Jackson went to sleep with the time he stopped breathing."
Chernoff did not provide additional detail about what Murray had told police.

Home use of propofol is virtually unheard of — safe administration requires lifesaving equipment and a trained anesthesiologist monitoring the patient at all times. While the 25 mg dose Murray said he gave Jackson was relatively small, its combination with the sedatives lorazepam and midazolam proved deadly.
Even if Murray found Jackson around noon, he still waited too long to call an ambulance, said one medical expert, adding that anyone — including doctors — should make calling an ambulance their first priority. "In a situation like that, time is life," said Dr. Douglas Zipes, an Indiana University heart specialist and past president of the American College of Cardiology. "It's got to be immediate or you are going to lose the individual." Phone records show Murray spent 47 minutes between 11:18 and 12:05 making three personal calls. One of the calls was to one of Murray's offices, Chernoff said, adding that the doctor never told investigators about the calls because he wasn't asked about them.

At 12:13 p.m., Murray made a four-second call to Jackson's personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams, pleading for help, Williams' attorney Carl Douglas said. Within two minutes, Williams called Alberto Alvarez, Jackson's bodyguard, with a similar plea. Douglas, who also represents Alvarez, said the bodyguard hurried to the top floor of Jackson's rented mansion, a private sanctum where staff were not normally allowed, and assisted a confused-looking Murray as he frantically tried to revive Jackson. It was Alvarez that placed the 911 call at 12:21 p.m. Douglas said Alvarez might be able to shed some light on Murray's actions but, two months after the death, police investigators had still not formally interviewed his client and had only spoken fleetingly with him at the hospital immediately after Jackson was pronounced dead.
Douglas said he was "dismayed at the seeming haphazard manner investigators have gone about obtaining information." Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck declined to comment, citing the continuing investigation.
Chernoff did not provide additional detail about what Murray had told police. Early on in the case, the lawyer released a statement saying his client didn't give any drugs that "should have" killed Jackson. Asked to elaborate on the statement, Chernoff said: "I stand by that assertion and I believe that will be borne out in time."
By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer Thomas Watkins, Associated Press Writer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090826/ap_en_mu/us_michael_jackson_investigation

Report: Michael Jackson's Death Ruled Homicide

A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that the Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide. The finding makes it more likely criminal charges will be filed against the doctor who was with the pop star when he died. The official says the coroner determined a fatal combination of drugs was given to Jackson hours before he died in his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been publicly released. Forensic tests found the powerful anesthetic propofol in Jackson's system along with two sedatives, the official says.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, is the target of a manslaughter probe headed by Los Angeles police. Murray acknowledged that he had administered the drug to Jackson on a nightly basis as a treatment for insomnia, according to court records unsealed today in Houston and obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

According to a report on the Times Web site, the search warrant affidavit states that Murray told Los Angeles police detectives that he had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol every night using an intravenous line for about six weeks. Murray claimed, however, that he feared Jackson was becoming addicted to the medication and was trying to wean him off the drug. He said he lowered the dosage to 25 milligrams and mixed it with two other sedatives — lorazepam and midazolam, according to the court document. According to the Times report, Murray told investigators that on the morning of Jackson's death, he tried to induce sleep without using propofol, using a variety of drugs at various times throughout the morning instead. When those medications failed, Jackson repeatedly demanded the propofol, and Murray administered 25 milligrams of the drug, according to the court document. Murray discovered Jackson not breathing around midday June 25 at his rented Holmby Hills estate. He administered CPR until paramedics arrived and took the singer to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about two hours later.
Although autopsy results have not been released, the Houston search warrant affidavit notes that coroners found lethal levels of propofol, the Times reported.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112183149&ft=1&f=1039

BILLIE JEANS Best Ever Moonwalk

Keep 'moonwalking'

Michael Jackson & Britney Spears The Way You Make Me Feel

Michael Jackson Spent His Final Night Alive in His Favorite Spot on Earth: The Stage

Onstage at Staples Center, associates say, the performer radiated joy as he prepared for his comeback tour.
At Staples Center Wednesday night, the performer did a full run-through of his planned comeback concert. He and his company -- dancers, musicians, singers, aerial performers, choreographers and costumers -- planned to fly to England early next week for final dress rehearsals at London's O2 Arena, the site of the pop superstar's 50-night sold-out run.

By lunchtime Thursday, Jackson was in cardiac arrest. But in Staples Center's spotlight, he was in high spirits and totally engaged, according to a number of his collaborators. Energetic, optimistic and focused, Jackson gave no indication of what was to come, they said.
The show's director, Kenny Ortega -- a journeyman choreographer and movie director whose career highlights include “High School Musical," the “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" and “Dirty Dancing" -- began work with Jackson on the intricate staging four months ago. On Thursday, Ortega recalled Jackson as bursting with enthusiasm and personally invested in the production's most minute details.

“There were a couple of times when Michael stood at my side and we looked at the stage together and were just beaming with gladness that we had arrived at this place," Ortega said. “And he was happy. We all felt that and shared that. We were four or five days from finishing in Los Angeles and heading to London and feeling in really good shape."
Ortega said he had no knowledge of the singer taking any drugs or medication. He also denied that the slender performer had physically overextended himself by working out four hours a day, six days a week in preparation for the physically taxing concerts.

“He was dancing, training, working every day with our choreographer Travis [Payne]," Ortega said. “Michael has always been slight. That was his fighting weight. He was getting rest time, coming in and working with the band, guiding the singers, working on orchestrations. He was enthusiastically involved in every creative aspect of this production."
Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live, the concert promoter that will forfeit the more than $20 million it put into staging Jackson's comeback, was also among those at Staples Center on Wednesday. He recalled Jackson being in ebullient spirits.

“It was fantastic, he was so great. I got goose bumps," Phillips said. “It made me realize why I got into this business.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=38375