New Jackson Single No Classic

'This Is It' was written in 1991 but left off Dangerous

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson's first posthumous single premiered this morning on his website, featuring backing vocals by his brothers. "This Is It" was written for the 1991 album Dangerous, but was cut before the album was released; it will be the only new song on a double CD coming later this month. The midtempo ballad is a plea to a lover, but the late King of Pop begins on a grander scale: "This is it, here I stand, I'm the light of the world." Click the link at left to listen. More»

Michael Jackson was in surprisingly good shape in dazzling footage

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson didn't live long enough to take the final bow he had planned in London, but critics agree This Is It is a fitting swan song, proof that the King of Pop really did have a comeback in him:

• "This Is It is quite extraordinary. If there was any doubt that Michael was in control of the shows or his decisions, those fears are allayed here," writes Roger Friedman for the Hollywood Reporter. "It is truly amazing, considering the last 16 years of total lunacy, to see him so capable."

It's not a concert film—but King of Pop 'very much alive' for 111 minutes

(NEWSER) - This Is It opens this week, but most, if not all, fans still have no idea what to expect of the Michael Jackson film, which has not been aired for critics. It’s not a concert film, says director Kenny Ortega, who also choreographed Jackson’s ill-fated London shows, but fans will get “wall-to-wall music. You see Michael onstage rehearsing many of the songs that would've appeared in the concert,” he tells USA Today. “But there's no one there watching except for a handful of dancers. And 18,000 empty seats.” More»

Album sales up 90% from first week

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson is still dominating the Billboard charts, with his solo albums selling 800,000 copies in the first full week after his death and 2.2 million songs downloaded. His Number Ones collection is the top-selling album in the US as well as No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Comprehensive Albums chart, with Thriller coming in second. More»

Plus: Michael Jackson's last words

(NEWSER) - In a Today interview airing tomorrow and Friday, Dr. Conrad Murray finally explains why he didn’t call 911 as soon as Michael Jackson stopped breathing—although his explanation may still leave you with a few questions. Emergency responders wouldn’t have been able to come through the gate, the doctor claimed: "No one is allowed to come upstairs except for Mr. Jackson." When Savannah Guthrie pointed out that Murray could have called Jackson’s bodyguard and asked him to meet them at the gate, Murray said he didn’t want to "leave a full explanation on the phone" and started CPR instead. More»