The highly anticipated video for the second single from Michael, “Hollywood Tonight”, will premiere on March 10th.

Source: MJ Online Team

New York, NY – In the coming weeks, the Estate and Sony Music will be releasing “Hollywood Tonight” and “Behind the Mask” from the global hit album MICHAEL. “Behind The Mask” will be released as the radio single in countries including the United States, Canada, Japan and France. “Hollywood Tonight” will be the single released to radio in the rest of the world and videos for both songs will be released worldwide. Each Sony Music affiliate will also release more information on the plans in their respective territories.

Both “Behind The Mask” and “Hollywood Tonight” are fan and critical favorites from MICHAEL – the unique collection of Michael Jackson songs completed posthumously and released in December by Sony and his Estate. The album includes material Michael had been working on for future release prior to his passing along with other vintage work he planned to place on future albums. Joe Vogel, author of the upcoming book Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson, wrote that while “Posthumous works are notoriously tricky…This, ultimately, is the most important quality of Michael: it feels like Michael.”

“Behind the Mask,” which was recently completed by John McClain and Jon Nettlesbey, is praised by critics for infusing the spirit of Michael’s music from the past. Rolling Stone called it “a fiercely funky cousin to “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” The song is written by Michael Jackson, Chris Mosdell and Ryuichi Sakamoto and produced by Michael Jackson, John McClain and Jon Nettlesbey. The song’s recognizable hook is a sample of “Behind The Mask” as performed by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Yellow Magic Orchestra. And “Hollywood Tonight”, which USA TODAY said “pulsates with Billie Jean-esque energy, was written during the time of the Invincible album. In 2007, Michael pulled the track out of the archives to work on the song with producer Theron “Neff-U” Feemster. “Hollywood Tonight” was written by Michael Jackson and Brad Buxer and the track was produced by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson with co-producer by Theron “Neff-U” Feemster. Ellen DeGeneres debuted and danced to the song with her audience during her popular talk show.

MICHAEL was the #1 global album upon its release in December and has shipped over 3 million units worldwide making it one of the biggest albums of 2010. The album’s nonstop success continues to underscore Michael’s importance to his fans as a global icon and superstar, and shows how his music continues to transcend cultures and languages. The platinum status for MICHAEL has now grown to 17 countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, France (2x), Italy (2x), Spain, Denmark, Poland, Russia(2x), Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic (5x), Canada, India (2x), China, Taiwan, Korea and the Middle East. Michael is now Gold in 18 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

MICHAEL marks another release under the new agreement between The Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music announced in March 2010 that continues the label’s 35-year relationship with Michael and his music. During that time, Michael sold hundreds of millions of records, had 13 #1 singles and released the pop culture phenomenon “Thriller,” which remains music’s all-time bestselling album with more than 100 million copies sold worldwide.

Source: michaeljackson.com

We have been sent the following two photo’s as a sneak peak behind the scenes of the video shoots for the next singles from “MICHAEL”, Behind The Mask and Hollywood Tonight.

Source: Sony

Rumour has it Sony & The Michael Jackson Estate have a new MJ album planned before the year is out. Tentatively titled “Legacy”, the rumoured tracklisting is as follows:

The Gloved One
Blue Gangster
Burn 2night
Someone Put Your Hand Out
Color Of My Soul
Slave To The Rhythm
I’m Still The King
Water
Place With No Name
Peaceful Journey

This is yet to receive any official confirmation, but the tracklisting does look good if the project makes it to fruition.

Exclusive: Michael Jackson, even in death, remains in the middle of the current musical chairs deals in the declining record industry.

For all these years, Michael’s MiJac Publishing has been administered by Warner Chappell, part of what is now Warner Music Group. MiJac includes not only Michael’s hits that he wrote, like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” but a vast number of other hits including those of Ray Charles, Curtis Mayfield, and Sly and the Family Stone.

Warner Chappell doesn’t own MiJac but it administers the rights to it and collects hefty fees. With WMG for sale, and talk of Warner Chappell being sold off, MiJac would seem like an integral part of their story.

But there’s a hitch that I can reveal to you: MiJac is leaving Warner Chappell and going to become part of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the company that Michael Jackson’s estate co-owns with Sony and contains the Beatles catalog.

According to sources, this arrangement was written into the MiJac contract with Warner Chappell years ago. It would be triggered by the release of the next Jackson album–in this case, the recent “Michael”–and the repayment of loans.

The move by MiJac to Sony/ATV is a big deal for many reasons. With both WMG and EMI Music for sale Sony/ATV could be kicking the tires of each company’s publishing divisions for purchase. But Warner Chappell might be less interesting to Sony ATV considering they’re already getting Mi Jac. And without MiJac, Warner Chappell–which just had a down quarter–might not look so good to other potential buyers.

What may happen now: the newer, and very hot, BMG Music Rights will likely make a play for EMI Music Publishing. EMI Music–the record company, which has the Beatles albums in its catalog–the physical albums and box sets–could then be merged with another record company like Sony Music or, more horrifyingly, Warner Music.

Source: Showbiz 411

“Hollywood Tonight” has been confirmed as the second single from Michael in Australia, China, Italy & the UK!!

Written by Michael during the time of the INVINCIBLE album, Michael pulled the track out of the archives in 2007 to work on the song with producer Ron “Neff-U” Feemster. The track was written by Michael Jackson (spoken bridge by Teddy Riley) and produced by Michael with Teddy Riley and co-production from Neff-U.

It follows lead single “Hold My Hand”, a duet with Akon, which gave Michael his 55th UK top 10 smash hit single – extending his run of UK top 10 hits to 40 years. It is the second single to be lifted from the album MICHAEL which is the fastest selling new Michael Jackson studio album in the UK since 1991’s DANGEROUS and was certified platinum within one week of release.

“Behind The Mask” has been confirmed as the second single for France.

Source: Sony Music

The second official single from Michael Jackson’s album “Michael” has been confirmed as “Hollywood Tonight”. Teddy Riley has been vocal on Twitter about a number of remixes he has been working on but recently raised concerns about his doubts they would ever see the light of day. It now looks as though the path is set for fans to hear his anticipated mix as HT makes it’s assault on the charts.

Written by Michael during the time of the “Invincible” album, Michael pulled the track out of the archives in 2007 to work on the song with producer Ron “Neff-U” Feemster. The track was written by Michael Jackson (spoken bridge by Teddy Riley) and produced by Michael with Teddy Riley and co-production from Neff-U.

It follows lead single “Hold My Hand”, a duet with Akon, which gave Michael his 55th UK top 10 hit single — extending his run of UK top 10 hits to 40 years. It is the second single to be lifted from the album “Michael” which is the fastest selling new Michael Jackson studio album in the UK since 1991’s “Dangerous” and was certified platinum within one week of release.

With all the circus and “hackings” going on of the Michael Jackson sound–notsomuch’a-like, Jason Malachi’s websites and social networks, we came across this on YouTube.

This is by far the best comparison video we have heard to date. Finally solid proof it really is Malachi on Breaking News, Monster, Keep Your Head Up & Stay?

We’d love to hear form you if you still think not!

Falsetto Yoghurt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSLov7zYrSc

EDIT: It’s been pulled from YouTube – but listen here

Time to drop the bomb.

As if there weren’t already a HUGE stack of evidence suggesting that the Cascio family are liars who hired an impersonator (likely Jason Malachi) to imitate Michael on the songs “Breaking News”, “Keep Your Head Up”, “Monster”, and other unreleased but leaked songs like “Stay”, this new piece of evidence should seal the deal.

Now. We’ve heard since the beginning that Prince Michael Jackson and Paris Jackson did not believe the songs were real. One main argument by the people who do believe they are real is that we didn’t hear this directly from them, and the information may have been filtered through another family member who could be seen to have motives to sabotage the projects in order to try and get control of the Estate. I didn’t buy any of this for a second, because frankly, the songs to me are OBVIOUSLY not Michael singing. Furthermore I’ve spend much of the past few months debunking every argument these “believers” have made, from the people with no studio experience who still tried to claim to the vocals don’t sound like Michael because they are “processed” or were recorded in a “budget studio”. As I have extensive experience in these areas as an artist myself, I was able to thoroughly debunk every excuse.

Yet, despite an ever growing list of people like 3T, Randy Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Cory Rooney, Rodney Jerkins and more saying the songs were not real, despite the lack of any evidence from the Cascios, and despite the fact that Jason Malachi (a known impersonator)’s tone, pronunciation and vibrato are identical to the person on the Cascio songs, frustratingly there are STILL people who believe it’s Michael.

Now, this must be considered. Prince Michael and Paris stated DIRECTLY, ON CAMERA during the taping of their appearance on Oprah, that the songs were NOT Michael. And they were THERE. Prince was nearly 11 years old when the stayed with the Cascio family. More than old enough to know what’s going on and be observant of every aspect of what his father was doing.

For some reason – theories suggest Harpo TV’s close association with Sony – this was EDITED OUT of the broadcast. But unfortunately for Oprah, the contents of the interview were given to the media and reported worldwide, prior to the airing of the edited broadcast.

Three to five of the 10-12 tracks on Michael, out December 14 on Sony, were allegedly recorded at the New Jersey home of producer Eddie Cascio in 2007, when Michael and his children stayed there for four months working on remixes for the 25th-anniversary reissue of Thriller. Michael’s son, Prince Michael, said this week that none of what he heard recorded then matches what he hears now on Michael, and that he believes the Cascio cuts were recorded posthumously by a Michael soundalike. Prince’s sister, Paris, corroborated these claims—as did Michael’s mother, Katherine, during an Oprah interview. Joe Jackson, Michael’s dad, also protested the songs via a statement by his attorney.

This is significant, not just because the children WERE THERE during the stay at the Cascios, but also because they have absolutely zero motive for lying. It can be said that other family members, do. Particularly folks like Joe and Randy who have been accused of exploiting Michael in the past. However, the children are the primary beneficiaries of the Estate regardless, and always will be.

People will make up their own minds regardless. But my position since the first second I heard the vocals on “Breaking News” on the online stream, as a fan for over 20 years, were that it wasn’t Michael. My position as someone who makes a living with his ears is that Jason Malachi’s voice is identical to the imposter on the Cascio songs. But at the end of the day, nobody knows Michael’s voice better than his children. Add that to their presence during the time that Michael stayed with the Cascio’s, and that means their opinion of the songs holds more weight than anyone.

Will the perpetrators ever admit to the forgery? Perhaps not. But as far as I’m concerned – it is not difficult to see what’s going on. Shame on the Cascio family for selling out their friend, shame on them AND Sony for trying to deceive the world.

Source: S-Endz

Ever since the release of “MICHAEL” the new ‘Michael Jackson’ album last year rumours have circulated regarding the ’3 Cascio’ tracks; Breaking News, Monster & Keep Your Head Up. The tracks had the fan community divided over the fake vocals contained on the track.

Many fans suspected the imposter vocalist was Jason Malachi despite Jason, Sony, The Estate & producers such as Teddy Riley all denying the vocals were fake.

Today however, it seems we may finally have the truth!

On (what may be) Jason Malachi’s Facebook page, he posted the following status:

Jason Malachi finally admits what we already knew..

Sheesh guys, I guess it’s time to confess. I’ve lied to many people, including someone today, but…. It was me. It was me who sang Breaking News, Keep Your Head Up, Monster and Stay.

I had a agreement with the record company, but now the cat is out of the bag. Sorry to all my fans, and fellow Michael Jackson fans.

Jason Malachi

The real deal, or a fake FB account – what do you think?

Michael Jackson’s father is set to launch a fragrance collection dedicated to his late son.

Joe Jackson has teamed up with a French perfume company to create the male and female scents, called Jackson’s Tribute and Jackson’s Legend, which are inspired by plants grown at the late King of Pop’s Neverland Ranch.

The family patriarch signed the deal with bosses of the Julian Rouas Paris company last month (Dec10), and the fragrances have since gone into production ahead of a 7 March (11) release in the U.S. A portion of the proceeds will given to a number of the late singer’s favourite charities.

The firm’s chief executive, Franck Rouas, tells the AFP, “With Joe Jackson, we are 50-50 partners in world sales, television rights and advertising receipts (for the collection)… We did it very, very quickly. Usually it takes a year.”

A representative for Jackson’s estate has confirmed the project has not been authorised by them, branding it “a Joe Jackson deal”.

Source: Contact Music

If you happened to look at the official iTunes album chart yesterday morning, you would have seen Michael’s new album in a rather dull position of 95. By that afternoon it was at number 5, jumping a phenomenal 90 positions!

A number 1 spot is now looking likely, as the album currently sits at a comfortable number 2 spot. Watch out R Kelly, The King of Pop is coming up from behind in explosive fashion.

We’ll keep you posted…

Ex-Jason Malachi manager and producer, Tony Kurtis has recently set up a YouTube account and released statements confirming what the majority of the fan community already knows: that Jason Malachi IS featured on the new ‘Michael Jackson Album’, “MICHAEL”.

Specifically, on “Breaking News” as well as the suspected “Monster” too.

He has comprised in a video, raw Jason Malachi vocals along-side the Michael *cough*Jason Malachi*cough* Jackson raw / acapella vocals from “Breaking News”.

If you still beLIEve “Breaking News” is Michael, why not have a listen to the evidence here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRfzf8KT2sc

We think you’ll agree it sounds famiLIAR.

When it came to putting together Michael, the first posthumous album of material from late King of Pop Michael Jackson, everyone was working with half a playbook. The producers of the singer’s first studio album since 2001 had to figure out what the notoriously detail-oriented Jackson would want them to do with the grab bag of songs he was working on at the time of his death.

Even the artist behind the album’s iconic cover, a Renaissance-painting-like mash-up of iconic images from throughout Jackson’s career, was forced to go on his understanding of what Michael would have approved of.

That artist, Kadir Nelson, sat down with MTV News last week to walk us through the thicket of images on the cover and explain how he came to create the visual summary of the pop icon’s solo career.

Nelson said the ball started rolling in 2003, when Michael was working on songs for his Number Ones collection at Marvin’s Room, the legendary Los Angeles recording studio founded by R&B great Marvin Gaye in 1975. Jackson saw a pair of paintings Nelson had made chronicling Gaye’s life and fell in love with the images.

“As a result of seeing it, he called me one afternoon and he said, ‘I really like your Marvin Gaye painting … I want one, about me … but I want it bigger.’ Because Michael liked things to be big,” Nelson said. But, as with so many projects begun by Jackson, after Nelson followed the singer’s advice and read the autobiography “Moonwalker” and did some research on the painting that was to hang in Michael’s home, other things came up and the project fell through the cracks.

Then, following Jackson’s death in June 2009, his longtime friend and now estate co-executor John McClain rang Nelson up and said the gig was back on. “[He said], ‘It’s time for you to do that painting that Michael wanted you to do,’ ” Nelson recalled. ” ‘Don’t ask any questions, just do the painting and we’ll figure out what to do with it later.’ ”

The resulting image plays into Jackson’s lifelong belief that bigger is better, with a regal Michael staring out in the central image while wearing a prince’s Victorian blouse with a high, ruffled collar, a silver-gloved hand placed over his heart and a jewel-encrusted crown hovering over his head. Around that central image are painted nods to everything from such classic videos as “Beat It” and “Thriller” and a spaceship from one of his favorite movies, “E.T.” and MTV’s Moonman, a reference to the fact that Jackson’s videos helped make the channel the force it is today.

The sadness of Jackson’s death made Nelson a bit hesitant at first, but he said he realized he was getting a rare second chance to follow through on the abandoned project, so he was quick to say yes. “I did it because I felt that it would be a very important document … and a tribute to Michael’s life,” he said of the finished work, titled “The King of Pop.”

He described it as a “panoramic celebration of Michael’s life, music and career” and said he strode to make it as perfect as possible to match the level of perfection Jackson insisted on in his music and art. “I felt that I owed it to him, to his family, to his fans, to do the best job possible.”

Though Nelson only spoke to Jackson that one time in 2003 over the phone, he worked with the singer’s brother, Jackie Jackson, on the image over a five month period at the studio where the Michael album was being completed and said that Jackie gave some insight into his sibling’s thoughts. When the final image was produced, MJ’s brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson and McClain gave it a thumbs-up and said he did a good job.

Like the video for the first single, the Mark Pellington-directed “Hold My Hand,” it’s an artistic leap that attempts to tap into Jackson’s elusive magic, but Nelson feels like he succeeded.

He considers the final product — his biggest-ever canvas at more than 9 feet wide by 4.5 feet tall — his Sistine Chapel. And like Michelangelo’s signature work, Nelson labored long and hard on the painting, putting hours in from August 2009 until January 2010 and then again on and off until October.

Source: MTV

Sources connected with the Michael Jackson/Sony deal tell TMZ … among the 10 albums in the works is a remaster of “Off the Wall” — with the help of none other than Quincy Jones.

We’re told the plan is for Quincy to take charge of the project, which will include some never-before-heard outtakes.

Another album will feature the soundtrack to the upcoming Jackson-themed Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas.

There are reports circulating that Sony will release 10 original albums, but that’s not true. In addition to the release of “MICHAEL” on Tuesday, we’re told there will be at least one other album with original songs and at most two.

Source: TMZ