Michael Jackson's Legacy, Two Years Later, By the Numbers

Legendary singer's impact continues to blossom in the two years since his death; MTV News breaks down the figures.
By Gil Kaufman


Michael Jackson
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Like Elvis, Bob Marley, Notorious B.I.G. and Frank Sinatra before him, Michael Jackson's influence has continued, and grown, since his untimely death on June 25, 2009.

On the second anniversary of the King of Pop's passing, MTV News took a look at the enduring appeal of MJ's music, videos and imagery, which continue to fascinate and attract fans across the globe thanks to a series of posthumous albums, a movie, video games and two upcoming Cirque du Soleil live shows.

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$72 million: According to Box Office Mojo, Jackson's posthumous concert film, "This Is It," has grossed more than $72 million to date domestically and $189 million in foreign markets for a worldwide take over more than $261 million. It ranks as the #2 music documentary of all-time behind Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never." The film has also generated nearly $45 million in DVD sales in the U.S.

16: In May, Jackson lodged his first #1 on the Billboard magazine Dance/ Club Play Songs chart in 16 years with the latest single from his posthumous Michael album, "Hollywood Tonight."

2: Number of posthumous albums that have been released since Michael's death in June 2009. Last year's Michael has sold just over 510,000 copies to date, while the This Is It collection has moved nearly 1 million copies to date in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

15,000: The number of videos submitted by fans since March for the crowdsourced video for "Behind the Mask." After they were edited down by a five-person team over two months, the resulting clip used submissions from more than 1,600 participants from 103 countries.

3 million: The amount of copies sold of the Ubisoft "Michael Jackson: The Experience" video game worldwide.

$57 million: The reported cost of Cirque du Soleil's traveling MJ show, "The Immortal World Tour, which is slated to kick off on October 2.

$1 billion: That gaudy figure is the reported amount the Jackson estate had generated by last June on the first anniversary of the singer's death. According to Billboard, the revenue was generated by a combination of music sales ($429 million), film/TV revenue ($392 million), music publishing ($130 million), licensing ($35 million) and a $31 million recording contract. (A spokesperson for Jackson's estate declined to provide updated figures for this story.)

$310 million: The amount of gross earnings reported by the executors of the estate in a December 2010 court filing detailing the progress made in paying off the $400 million in debt run up by the spendthrift singer during his lifetime.

16.1 million: MJ was always a big singles artist. Yes, Thriller is one of the best-selling albums of all time, but even in death, fans can't resist cherry-picking some of Michael's best songs. That explains why he's sold more than 16 million digital tracks since June 28, 2009, the first sales week following his passing, according to Nielsen SoundScan. To put that in perspective, from the time Nielsen began counting digital tracks in 2004 until the week before Jackson's death, the singer had sold just over 8.1 million digital tracks, a figure that has doubled in just the past two years.

2013: The projected launch for a second, non-touring Cirque show celebrating Jackson. The yet-untitled show is slated to open in the spring of 2013 at a new theater being built at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

$25 million to $50 million: That's how much Jackson's estate takes in on an annual basis thanks to his stake in the half-million-song Sony/ATV catalog, which includes titles by Elvis, Lady Gaga, Eminem, Beyoncé and Bob Dylan.

Share your memories of Michael Jackson in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1666426/michael-jackson-anniversary.jhtml

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Robert Pattinson to Release Album, Sources Claim


He makes us swoon on screen. But can he do the same through our iPods?

Multiple insiders tell Us Weekly that Robert Pattinson is in the recording studio, laying down lyrics for his first-ever album.

Photograph of Robert Pattinson

"Rob has been kicking a few original songs around for a long time, but his schedule didn't allow it," said one friend of the actor. "Now he's got some weeks to get everything in line before going back to promoting Breaking Dawn."

But can Pattinson actually sing?!? Check out this video and decide for yourself.

Pattinson doesn't need fame or fortune, of course, which is why the source says "the album Rob will make will be guitar-based and drums, very organic-sounding, nothing pop,' opposed to anything commercial.

A second insider, meanwhile, compares Rob's sound to a "stripped-down Ray LaMontagne meets Van Morrison" and adds:

"Music is his first love! He's tortured because he avoids it. When he's sitting around jamming in the studio, it's his favorite moment of life."

So, would you buy a Robert Pattinson CD?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/09/robert-pattinson-to-release-album-sources-claim/

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Brad Pitt on Jennifer Aniston Comment: Pure Spin!


Brad Pitt is in full-fledged movie promotion mode, but still finds himself fielding questions about his personal life - specifically select comments he made last week regarding his pretend marriage to Jennifer Aniston.

"That was never my intention for it to be spun that way," he said of those who interpreted his remarks that way, insisting it wasn't what he meant.

"People read things into it that just weren't there."

Brad Pitt, GlassesJennifer Aniston, Great Hair

Saying he once used film to fill a void in his life, Pitt told Parade last week:

"It became very clear to me that I was intent on trying to find a movie about an interesting life, but I wasn't living an interesting life myself."

"I think that my marriage had something to do with it," he says, noting that he was "trying to pretend the marriage was something that it wasn't."

While we certainly don't think Brad meant to overtly slam Jen, it's also easy to understand how someone could interpret it as such. Tough one.

However he may have meant it, there's no arguing that critics and fans are eagerly anticipating his new film Moneyball, opening this weekend.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/09/brad-pitt-on-jennifer-aniston-comment-pure-spin/

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Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry Nab MTV EMA Nods

Gaga leads Europe Music Awards nominees with six nods, including Best Video and Biggest Fans at November 6 show.
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga
Photo: MTV

Lady Gaga is ruling the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards nominees list.

Mother Monster, who nabbed six EMA nominations, is followed by Katy Perry and Bruno Mars with four noms; Adele, Justin Bieber and Thirty Seconds to Mars are each up for three.

Gaga is up for Best Female, Best Live Act, Best Pop Act, Best Song and Best Video for "Born This Way." She scored the sixth nom in the Biggest Fans category, an honor she'll share with her Little Monsters if she wins.

American and Canadian audiences can vote for the North American nominee for the Worldwide Act award, who will represent the continent at the EMAs against contenders from across the globe.

So, who will go head-to-head with the superstar? Adele's unstoppable "Rolling in the Deep," Bruno Mars' "Grenade," Jennifer Lopez's "On the Floor" (featuring Pitbull) and Katy Perry's "Firework" will go up against Gaga for Best Song.

For Best Pop, Britney Spears, Bieber, Perry, Rihanna and Gaga are set to face off, while Adele, Beyoncé, J.Lo, Katy and Gaga also made the final cut for Best Female.

Battling it out in the Best Male category are Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Bieber, Kanye West and Eminem, who's also up for Best Hip Hop alongside Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Kanye West (a.k.a. the Throne), Pitbull and Snoop Dogg.

Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Kings of Leon and Red Hot Chili Peppers are up for Best Rock. And the night's big prize, Best Video, features the most eclectic mix of nominees: Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," the Beastie Boys' "Make Some Noise," Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)," Justice's "Civilization" and Gaga's "Born This Way."

On Monday morning (September 19), Bieber reacted to the nods on Twitter, writing, "Just got word that we got 3 MTV EMA Nominations for Best Male, Best Pop, Biggest Fans!! THANKS SO MUCH! LEt's VOTE!!!"

Well, those fans better take note. Beliebers voting in the Biggest Fans category will face off against his girlfriend Selena Gomez's followers, Thirty Second to Mars' devotees, Paramore's biggest admirers and, of course, Lady Gaga's Monsters.

The MTV Europe Music Awards air live on November 6 from Belfast, Ireland. For a complete list of nominees and to vote for your favorite artists, check out the MTV EMA website. Stick with MTV News as we roll out more information on performers and presenters.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670981/european-music-award-nominees-lady-gaga-justin-bieber-katy-perry.jhtml

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