Tag: Michael Jackson

  • Fans pay tribute to MJ at auction

    Fans pay tribute to MJ at auction

    MUMBAI: Scores of Michael Jackson fans left behind tributes to the departed entertainer at an auction of items from the singer‘s home, where he breathed his last died in 2009.

    “This means a lot because we don‘t have a place to go [to leave things for the family],” said Christine Tucker, a spokeswoman for the Official Michael Jackson Fans of Southern California is reported to have said.

    It also encouraged fans to leave pictures, flowers and other handmade trinkets that will be delivered to the Jackson family.

    About 25 members of the fan club spent the weekend making handmade Christmas ornaments for the tribute.

    On Sunday, Julien‘s Auctions invited fans to preview its exhibit of the home‘s art and furnishings before it opens to the public. The latest auction will be held coming Saturday.

  • MJ doctor gets four years in prison

    MJ doctor gets four years in prison

    MUMBAI: Dr Conrad Hunt, who was convicted in the overdose death of Michael Jackson, has been sentenced to a maximum of four years in prison.

    The doctor was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after a six-week trial that presented the most detailed account yet of Jackson‘s final hours but left many questions about the doctor‘s treatment of the superstar with an operating-room anesthetic as he battled chronic insomnia.

    It may be noted that Hunt told detectives he had been giving the singer nightly doses of propofol to help him sleep as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts. Propofol is supposed to be used in hospital settings and has never been approved for sleep treatments, yet Hunt acknowledged giving it to Jackson then leaving the room on the day the singer died.

    The doctor declined to testify during his trial but did opt to participate in a documentary in which he said he didn‘t consider himself guilty of any crime and blamed Jackson for entrapping him into administering the propofol doses.

    In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors cited Hunt‘s statements to advocate that he receive the maximum term. They also want him to pay restitution to the singer‘s three children Prince, Paris and Blanket.

    However, it‘s unlikely that Hunt would be able to pay any sizable sum including the $1.8 million cost of Jackson‘s funeral.

  • Unseen footage of MJ’s Dangerous remains unsold

    Unseen footage of MJ’s Dangerous remains unsold

    MUMBAI: Unseen footage of Michael Jackson‘s 1993 Dangerous tour that was expected to fetch 4-5 million pounds failed to sell at an auction last Saturday in Britain.

    Around two hours long, the footage was shot by Jackson‘s own production crew and meant to be an intimate portrait of Jackson on tour. But the singer was unhappy with the quality and gave the only copy to his driver who was now trying to sell the footage, auction house The Fame Bureau said.

    Said a spokesman of the auctioneer who specialises in pop memorabilia, “We are still talking to people, but online it did not sell.”

    He was however confident that a buyer would be found, although nothing is a certainty. The auction house said that it had been forced to remove a brief clip of the video from its website before the online auction after Jackson‘s record label made a copyright claim.

    The fact that a successful buyer may not be able to use the film for commercial purposes may have dampened demand given the hefty asking price, but the spokesman played down the copyright dispute. “I don‘t think that was a problem at all,” he said, adding that any serious potential buyer would be fully aware of the issue.

    Items related to Jackson have skyrocketed in value since his death in 2009. The red and black leather jacket he wore for the Thriller video sold for $1.8 million in Los Angeles in June.

  • Jacko doc Murray convicted for pop star’s murder

    Jacko doc Murray convicted for pop star’s murder

    MUMBAI: Dr Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson‘s doctor has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star‘s death for supplying an insomnia-plagued Jackson with a powerful operating-room anesthetic to help him sleep as he rehearsed for his big comeback. He was handcuffed and immediately led off to jail without bail to await sentencing on
    November 29.

    The verdict marked the latest chapter of the 2009 drug-overdose death of the King of Pop as he was about to mount a series of heavily promoted concerts in London that he hoped would turn his career around after a slide prompted by child-molestation allegations and years of bizarre behavior.

    However, Defense attorney Ed Chernoff said that the verdict was a disappointment and would be appealed.

    Jackson‘s death marked the end of an incredible rise to fame from his humble beginnings in Gary, Ind. The tiny powerhouse singer and dancer with the magnetic smile enchanted audiences and elevated the Jackson Five to the top of the pop music world.

  • Orange partners with record labels to extend its music portfolio, offer unlimited music videos

    Orange partners with record labels to extend its music portfolio, offer unlimited music videos

    MUMBAI: To coincide with the Midem music trade show, mobile firm Orange is bringing out a new unlimited subscription plan for video-on-demand, available on Orange TV in France.

    A catalogue of music programmes will be on offer for 4.99 euros a month with more than 300 long clips like concerts, documentaries, TV programmes, etc and 2,000 video clips.

    The new offer is the latest addition to the extensive Orange music portfolio which covers nine countries and allows customers to access an international catalogue of 1 million titles following agreements with both major international and independent record labels.

    The new offer gives Orange TV subscribers in France unlimited use of a wide choice of music content. They can enjoy on-demand access to the entire catalogue of music programmes with leading artists including Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Shakira.

    Subscribers can select a title from more than 300 longer clips (concerts, documentaries, TV programmes, etc.) and 2,000 video clips from any musical genre. These titles are made available through partnerships with:

    * Sony BMG

    * EMI Music

    * I-Concerts

    * Eagle Rock

    The forthcoming arrival of two new partners, Warner Music and Universal Music, will further enhance the offering.

    A portfolio of music services available in nine countries.

    This latest addition to Orange’s impressive line-up of music services is available to Orange mobile customers in nine countries (Belgium, France, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Spain, Slovakia, Switzerland and the UK) and internet customers in three countries (France, Spain, and the UK):

    Orange customers can access music through the following services:

    * Orange Music Store: gives access to an international catalogue of 1million titles,

    * Orange Music Player: a multimedia player for downloading music or videos;

    * Orange Music Cast: personalised mobile and internet radio. Launched in May 2006, Orange Music Cast is a mobile application that gives customers (with a compatible phone), access to a package of theme-based radio stations, which users can adapt to their own musical tastes (Urban, Pop/Rock, Latin, Jazz,…) as well as access their own favourite radio stations. Orange Music Cast is available both in a subscription service (EUR9.99) or in a 24 hour service (EUR2) ;

    * Live Radio: This the firm says is the first independent wifi radio, lets users listen to thousands of radio stations from around the world and on the web, as well as podcasts and audio books, even without turning on your computer;

    * SMS Jukebox, a new service which is being premiered at the Wifi Café Orange during Midem 2007. A playlist of songs is presented in a menu with a code for each one. All customers have to do is select a song and send the corresponding code by SMS. They then receive a message specifying the waiting time before the song is played… in the restaurant or cafe. Orange is looking to reinvent the jukebox, with a new mobile dimension.

  • Musicnotes inks deal with Sony

    Musicnotes inks deal with Sony

    MUMBAI: The online digital sheet music, Musicnotes.com, has announced a new, long-term distribution agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. 

    According to an official release, Musicnotes.com will produce and sell digital sheet music and guitar tablature for songs from throughout Sony/ATV’s extensive catalog.

    Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a joint venture between Sony and Michael Jackson joins an impressive list of music publishers and administrators already offering sheet music for their artists on the Musicnotes.com web site. These publishers include Alfred Music Publishing (encompassing the Warner/Chappell catalog), BMG, Zomba, EMI Christian, Word Music and dozens of additional publishers.

    Musicnotes.com will offer digital sheet music downloads for songs from Sony/ATV’s impressive roster of songwriters. This sheet music includes songs written by Beck, Sarah McLachlan, Richie Sambora, Gretchen Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Oasis, KT Tunstall and Fall Out Boy — as well as the seminal rock and roll group, The Beatles.

    “As a music publisher, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to promote our songs and songwriters,” said Sony/ATV chairman and CEO David Hockman. “We are delighted to work directly with Musicnotes.com, whose expertise and large, loyal customer base makes them the clear leader in the digital sheet music marketplace.”

    As a result of the agreement, the official release adds that Musicnotes will also be offering guitarists a wide selection of interactive lessons for Sony/ATV’s songs in Musicnotes’s popular Guitar Guru Sessions(TM) format.

    “The addition of Sony/ATV’s song catalog to our site is wonderful news for our customers,” said Musicnotes CEO, Kathleen Marsh. “These songs represent some of the best-known and adored works of all-time, and we are extremely excited to work with Sony/ATV in allowing musicians to learn to play these works using our market leading format.”