The King of Pop is still dead, but long live the King… in the inky pages of newspapers and magazines and the vast world of cyberspace.
Since his tragic death last week, tributes, stories and rumours inspired by the late singer have dominated the news agenda.
So,to save you the trouble of trawling from one story to the next, The Quietus brings you JackoWatch: the choicest selection of Michael Jackson related news in one handy article.
Tickets
The debate surrounding the mammoth string of gigs Jacko had planned at the O2 Arena in London is dominating MJ related news today. The Guardian have revealed that concert promoters AEG Live have offered fans the chance of having a "specially created" souvenir ticket "inspired and designed by Michael Jackson for the fans". Graphic design from beyond the grave!
Randy Phillips, the president and chief executive of AEG Live, said: "Since he loved his fans in life, it is incumbent upon us to treat them with the same reverence and respect after his death."
Admirable sentiments, although the article also does state that fans have to choose between a souvenir ticket and a refund; they can’t have both…
Both The Times and The Independent also ran stories about the special souvenir tickets.
Custody
Poor Michael Jackson’s children. The unfortunate recipients of rather bizarre names – Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (or to his friends, Prince Michael), Paris Michael Katherine Jackson (Michael? For a girl?) and Prince Michael II (in his older brother’s limelight) as well as being forced to live under the media spotlight, now they find themselves the subject of a custody battle.
NME.com reported yesterday that his mother, Katherine, had applied for guardianship of the three children as well as applying to "take over the children’s estate". The whereabouts of Debbie Rowe, mother to the two older children, is listed as "unknown".
Subsequently, The Independent revealed today that Katherine has been made temporary guardian of the three children, but "the application set the stage for showdowns on 6 July and 3 August, when a judge will consider her application to administer the estate, and weigh up the pros and cons of candidates" who have volunteered to bring up the children.
Posthumous Popularity
The surge of popularity Jacko has received since his death shows no sign of abating. NME.com reports that Michael Jackson radio play is up by a whopping 1735 per cent as "his biggest hits have been on rotation since his passing last Thursday". Plays of his songs jumped from 3,671 plays the previous week, to 67,383 plays of 143 songs after his death.
Elsewhere, The Guardian reveals that, according to HMV, sales of Jackson’s singles and albums had outstripped the demand it experienced after the death of Elvis Presley in 1977 or John Lennon in 1980 as sales of his greatest hits album rocketed 80-fold following his death. HMV chief executive Simon Fox confirmed: "Across the industry we reckon something like 125,000 albums Jackson albums have been sold."
And the rest…
NME.com report that, according to Michael’s father Joe Jackson, the singer won’t be buried at his Neverland Ranch… The Guardian reveals that footage of a Jacko rehersal may get released on DVD as a "final performance"… and The Independent claim that bags of pills have been seized from Jackson’s mansion amidst rumours that his death may have been caused by an overdose.
