Fans To Create New Michael Jackson Video - Behind The Mask

 Michael Jackson fans are invited to participate in the making of a new video titled "Behind The Mask". The song was originally penned in 1979 and was included in his posthumous album "Michael".

How will fans be able to contribute to this project? On March 7th, fans should refer to a dedicated website where they will be able to select a move, lyric or crowd reaction to incorporate into the video. They may also use their own webcams to submit their own dance moves.

Director Dennis Liu will then proceed to pick the best videos and include them into the final video, which will be released in the first week of April.

This project is being led by Radical Media and Sony Music.

What are your thoughts on this project, are you looking forward to a crowdsourced Michael Jackson video?

New Michael Jackson Video - Hollywood Tonight

A new music video is currently being shot for Michael Jackson's single "Hollywood Tonight". The track which was released on February 11th, is the second single from his posthumous album "Michael".

The music video for the Ted Riley produced track will be released soon, it is currently being filmed in LA. It features a female dancer who is dressed and dances like Michael Jackson. She is joined by 60 other dancers.

Here's a teaser of the music video:

In case you haven't heard "Hollywood Tonight", listen to it below:

What are the Best Super Bowl Halftime Performances?

In my opinion Prince did the best Super Bowl Halftime performance ever. Who else can perform like THAT in the pouring rain?! Here are the songs which Prince performed “We Will Rock You,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “1999,” "Baby I’m a Star," "Proud Mary," "All Along the Watchtower," "Best of You," "Purple Rain.” He truly showed what a musical genius can do! Check out what my other top 9 performances of the Super Bowl halftime are below.

My Top 10 Best Super Bowl Halftime Performances:

1. Prince

2. Michael Jackson
3. U2
4. Diana Ross
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. Janet Jackson
8. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

9. No Doubt, Sting, Shania Twain

10. Aerosmith

What's your top 10 and where do you think the Black Eyed Peas will be placed?

Who do you think is going to win the XLV Super Bowl? The Green Bay Pakers or the Pittsburgh Steelers? I'm leaning towards the Green Bay Pakers.

New Michael Jackson Album Coming out this November

Michael Jackson's first posthumous album will be released through Sony Music in November. The album will include 10 previously unreleased tracks. A representative for Michael Jackson's estate has revealed that over 100 songs that were recorded in the 80s along with collaborations with Ne-Yo, will,i.am and Akon have never been released.

Another album should also be released by Hip-hop producer Rodney Jerkins who worked with Michael Jackson on his "You Rock My World" single. "I worked with Michael for years," Jerkins said. "It was definitely a goal of mine as a kid."There still hasn't been an exact date set for the release of this album.

Another Sony project for Michael Jackson's music will be the release of the dance-karoke game featuring his music. The Ubisoft game, "Michael Jackson: The Video Game"will be released around the same time as the new album. Gamers will be able to sing along and try to imitate Michael Jackson's famous dance moves.

Cirque du Soleil and Michael Jackson Come Together

Cirque du Soleil has announced that they will put on a live touring show featuring the songs of Michael Jackson, and a second show in partnership with MGM Mirage which will open in Las Vegas. The tour will start in the fall of 2011 and will travel throughout North America, and the Vegas show will start in 2012.

Michael Jackson was a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil and would have surely been very enthusiastic about the show. "He said he was an acrobat himself," Cirque du Soleil’s CEO Daniel Lamarre said in an interview. "As an artist he had this amazing way of bringing some visual element to his performances." Michael saw several shows himself, including “Love”, the show based on the music of the Beatles. He wanted to do his own version, said Jack Wishna, the president of consulting firm CPAmerica Inc. and a prospective business partner.

"The expectations of Michael Jackson fans around the world are going to be huge," he said. "And we have to deliver." Says Lamarre.

Unreleased recordings may become part of the shows' musical numbers, and his biggest hits will likely be remixed and mashed up so fans will hear his music in a new way. Katherine Jackson released the following statement regarding the shows: "Our family is thrilled that Cirque du Soleil will pay tribute to my son in such an important way."

See and read more about these incredible shows on Cirque du Soleil’s official Michael Jackson page, click here.

Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin – Apollo Legends

 

Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin are both set to be inducted into the Apollo Theatre's Hall of Fame in New York, on June 14th. Both singers will be named Apollo Legends during the gala. The Apollo was an important time in the launch of Michael Jackson’s career, as he appeared with the Jackson Five in the late 1960s for the Apollo’s Amateur Night.

Others to be honored for their humanitarian work include Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis. They will receive the Arts and Humanitarian Award.

Jamie Foxx will host the gala, which will start at 6:30 p.m. with a red carpet event, followed by the Benefit concert and awards ceremony.

New Michael Jackson Documentary

Author and filmmaker Ian Halperin has made an 88 minute documentary from his best selling book titled “Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson”. The documentary will be called “Gone Too Soon”.

It will cover the final days of Michael Jackson’s life, and interviews with his friends, colleagues, personal manager, chef, spiritual adviser, hairstylist, trainer, and family attorney. Michael Jackson’s family wasn’t involved with the making of this documentary.

The premiere will be at the MIPTV conference in Cannes, France next month, and will also be released in theatres across Canada and France on June 25th. Additional international release dates haven’t been revealed yet.

Are you looking forward to seeing a documentary about Michael Jackson’s last days and life, or would you rather focus on his music?

Michael Jackson Lands $250 Million Record Deal

Michael Jackson fans are going to be delighted to hear that he’s still going to be around for the next 10 years or so. His music will live on, in the most expensive deal ever made in music history. Michael Jackson’s estate has made a deal with Sony which eventually could be worth up to $250 million. The actual deal is worth $200 million, but by 2017 it could be worth up to $250 million.

The deal stipulates that there will be seven projects over the next 10 years which include never before released Jackson music. The first album should be released by November 2010.

"By all objective criteria, this agreement with Sony Music demonstrates the lasting power of Michael's music by exceeding all previous industry benchmarks," John Branca, the co-executor of the Jackson estate, said in a statement, according to the AP.

"We're dedicated to protecting this icon's legacy and we're thrilled that we can continue to bring his music to the world for the foreseeable future," Sony Music's Columbia Epic Label Group chairman Rob Stringer said of the negotiations.

Future projects may will most likely include a video game, a DVD compilation of videos and a rerelease of "Off the Wall," Jackson's fifth studio album, which first came out in 1979, accompanied by some unreleased material.

Michael Jackson Tribute – London This June

Jermaine Jackson has lined up some of the best stars to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, in a concert which is expected to take place at Wembley Arena in London on June 8th.

 

"The best way and most suitable way is to assemble the world's largest tribute in history that is only fitting to a man who moved the hearts and souls of an unimaginable amount," Jermaine said as quoted by Undercover.

It has been suggested that Prince, Janet Jackson and the Jackson 5, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Earth Wind and Fire, Usher, Nelson Mandela, Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston, Jabbawockeez, Seal and Ne-Yo will perform.

Sources say that the show will be filmed with 12 HD cameras and will air globally on June 25th, 2010. However, nothing has been completely confirmed yet. The tribute was originally planned to be held in London before then moved to Vienna and postponed until 2010 after organizer struggled to get stars to perform at short notice. The gig was then canceled after its main sponsor decided to back out of the project.

Celine Dion - To Honor Michael Jackson at Grammys

Celine Dion has taken time away from singing to make another addition to her family. On January 31st, she will re-appear at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards to pay tribute to Michael Jackson along with Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher.

During this tribute, the five stars will sing alongside with Michael on a unique video of the "Earth Song" in 3-D. Target will provide viewers with free 3-D glasses starting this Sunday, those without glasses will still be able to see the presentation, but not in 3-D.

The 3-D video for the "Earth Song" was supposed to be one of the most important pieces of Michael Jackson's line of concerts at the O2 Arena in London. It has never been seen before, and a small part of it was shown on the film documentary "This Is It.

Michael Jackson will be honored with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.