I was in the store today and I seen a XXL Magazine dedicated to Michael Jackson (Special Collector's Issue). I bought it. Just wanted to let everyone know. It might be old anyway.

seeingvoices12 said:

Keep thinking that sony , won't be getting all my money can't speak for others lol

I love this!

what do you guys expect from new' music ( even older 90s 80s ) do you think it will enhance his legacy or will it hurt his legacy. eg do you expect songs of the caliber of earthsong or remember the time. or more of songs like love never felt so good ?

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/classicalmusic/2009/07/more_details_on_instrumental_a.html

More details on instrumental album Michael Jackson started before his death, and his love of classical music

TV and film composer and conductor David Michael Frank may have been one of the last persons to collaborate with Michael Jackson on an artistic project. The pop singer’s untimely death left that project in an uncertain state. Initial reports suggested that Jackson planned to do an album of “classical music” he had written; the pieces were to be orchestrated by Frank. Actually, Frank says, the pieces were closer to film music and would have gone into an all-instrumental album had Jackson lived. The Baltimore-born Frank, interviewed by phone in California, gives an account here of his experience with the King of Pop:

Four or five months ago, I received a call from Michael Jackson’s longtime personal recording engineer, Michael Prince, who told me Michael was looking for someone to arrange some music for orchestra. I thought it was going to be for the tour he was going to do. For the next month or two, he would call, saying, ‘Michael Jackson says he’s going to call you.’

At the end of April, another Michael, Michael Jackson’s personal assistant, called me and asked me to come the next day at 10 a.m. and asked me the make and model of my car. I drove to the Holmby Hills home. I drove up to the front door, and was met by an assistant who told me to go inside. I was met there by a woman dressed like a housekeeper, but with a white turban on her head. She said, ‘Michael Jackson will be with you shortly.’ About two minutes later, he came down the stairs.

I was reluctant to shake his hand because I had heard that he was concerned about germs, but he immediately stuck his hand out and gave me a very firm handshake. He was very skinny, but not the least bit frail. He was wearing a suit and a hat. He was going to rehearsal later for the tour. He said, ‘You look familiar.’ I told him a long time ago I worked on a TV tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr. at Shrine Auditorium . I told him I had met him briefly there.’ He said, ‘I never forget a face.’

He told me, ‘I have three projects going on simultaneously.’ One was the tour that the whole world knew about. The other two I believe no one knew about. One was to be an album of pop songs. Then he said, ‘The other one is that I want to record an album of classical music’ — what he called classical music.

He said he listened to ...

classical music all the time; it was his absolute favorite. I was impressed with the pieces he mentioned: Aaron Copland’s Rodeo, Fanfare for the Common Man and Lincoln Portrait; Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. I mentioned Bernstein's On the Waterfront. Then Michael mentioned that he loved Elmer Bernstein's film music, too, and he specifically mentioned To Kill a Mockingbird.

I realized that almost all the classical pieces he mentioned are childlike, very simple and pretty, like Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. He also mentioned Debussy several times, specifically Arabesque and Clair de lune. He was very soft-spoken when were talking about music, but when he got animated about something, he was very changed. When he mentioned how he loved Elmer Bernstein, and I said I liked the Magnificent Seven score, Michael started singing the theme very loudly, almost screaming it.

He said, ‘I’m making a CD.’ Then his son, Prince Michael, came in, and Michael asked him to find a CD player. Paris found one and brought it in with Prince. Michael played the CD. It was very pretty music. He said, ‘But a section is missing.’ He played a second piece. And he said, ‘But a section is missing, too. But I can hum it to you.’ I asked if there was a piano in the house, and he said there was one in the pool house. We headed out there, but Michael stopped when he saw the dog was outside, soaking wet from being in the pool. He didn't want us to get splattered. It was kind of funny. Michael got another assistant to hold the dog while we went to his pool house.

I sat at the piano and Michael hummed the missing part of one of the pieces. I had taken a little digital recorder with me and asked if I could record him. He was in perfect pitch. I tried to figure out chords to go with it as he hummed. He said, ‘Your instincts are totally right about the chords.’

We talked about classical music some more. I played some Debussy pieces. Michael seemed very happy and I think he felt very comfortable with me. He mentioned Leonard Bernstein again, and I played some of West Side Story. He told me he had met Bernstein once and that Bernstein had said he was a big fan of Michael’s.

Back in the house, whenever he’d go from room to room, you’d hear, ‘I love you, Daddy.’ ‘I love you, Paris.’ They all seemed pretty normal and happy.

Michael was very anxious to get the pieces orchestrated and record the music with a big orchestra. I suggested we record it at the Fox, Sony or Warner Brothers lot. I asked if he could have someone call me to discuss the budget and he said he would take care of it. When I left there were several fans outside the gate.

I talked to Michael on the phone. He asked me how the project was going and I said I was waiting to hear from someone so we could set the deal. I suggested we could record the music in London while he was doing the show there. He liked the idea. He again brought up Arabesque.

I laid the music all out on my computer and started on the orchestrations. Finally, a week before Michael died, his manager, Frank Dileo, called and asked me for an email with the budget and an electronic mock-up of the music, the costs of orchestration.

Now I have no idea what’s going to happen with this. I’m hoping the family will do something to get this done. I will not bring it up until after what I think is an appropriate time.

My guess is that each piece would be seven to ten minutes long. is more substantial than a song. It’s very pretty music. One piece had an Irish quality about it. I suggested that we could use a Celtic harp. The pieces sound like pretty film score music, with very traditional harmony, and definitely very strong melodies. One of them was a little John Barry-ish, like in Out of Africa-- that kind of John Barry score. I could hear sweeping strings and French horns in unison.

I told Michael I was going to use one of Leonard Bernstein’s batons I had bought at auction when we did the recording. I knew he would have gotten a big kick out of that. I guess I still will use that baton if I ever get to conduct the music.

You Not Me (1979)
M. Jackson

"You Not Me"

Why can we see eye to eye
She thinks she right, he's wrong
He thinks he's right, she's wrong

Yesterday I set you free
or is it that you walked out on me
Too blind to see the truth that be
the hurt's on you walk carefully
open your eyes if you cannot see
my love's so right

I blame you you blame me
The truth, the truth will set you free
A life for me, no more we

You purt the rest on yourself
I hope you'll see
it's living in love for me, it's living in love

You took the car, but I hold the key to happiness

that's what for me

Material things don't mean much to me

Musicslave said:

I think the supposed 60 unreleased songs sounds about right. There are no doubt dozens on top of that but they are probably just demo vocals that are no doubt unfinished. Iam not interested in that.

Iam hoping these 60 songs are completely finished/mixed and I hope nothing gets added to them (like "for all time", which was much better in its leaked almost finished demo form for example).

thesexofit said:

It's confirmed thaT THOSE 60-65 ARE FINISHED/MIXED....

The rest are demos and unfinished....I love those too.
[Edited 3/18/10 11:43am]

Next Up: Michael Jackson's Last Years, the Documentary

We've seen the onstage version of Michael Jackson's last days in last year's box-office hit "This is It." Now a very different documentary of Jackson's final years is heading to the big screen.

Ian Halperin, the author who wrote the Jackson book "Unmasked," is behind the new documentary "Gone Too Soon," according to Variety.com. The 88-minute picture was culled from more than 300 hours of footage inside the Jackson's camp.

Halperin spent 5 years investigating Jackson and proved his sources were solid as he accurately predicted that Jackson was not long for this world long before the pop-star perished last year. His book came out directly in the wake of the actual death and shot to No. 1.

Right now, only deals for Canada and France are set with a theatrical run beginning on the anniversary of Jackson's death -- June 25.

Footage in "Gone Too Soon" includes video and audio of Jackson shot before his death. It also includes interviews with Jackson's personal manager, chef, spiritual adviser, hairstylist, trainer, protective agent and attorney. While Halperin's book was not exactly warts-and-all, it certainly will provide a more realistic picture of Jackson than any put forward by official channels.

While Jackson family members are not part of the film, they were aware of it and Jackson family confidante attorney Brian Oxman is among the interviewees featured.

Halperin calls this documentary "a balanced tribute to the King of Pop."

"This is the film Michael and his fans deserve," Halperin said.

seeingvoices12 said:

who confirmed this?

motownlover said:

An insider on MJJC who has connections with the estate and sony music , He is not lying, he said many things and they were true, he is very credible.

motownlover said:

*facepalm*

bboy87 said:

co-facepalm times 3. Seriously...And who gives a fuck about Brian Oxman?

NMuzakNSoul said:

See, I didn't read that part

Oxman?!

SERIOUSLY?!

bboy87 said:

I know! I had to re-read it myself! Damn. That prick is everywhere. Bet it's gonna feature a lot of people no one cares about. Hope it doesn't make it...

Next Up: Michael Jackson's Last Years, the Documentary

We've seen the onstage version of Michael Jackson's last days in last year's box-office hit "This is It." Now a very different documentary of Jackson's final years is heading to the big screen.

Ian Halperin, the author who wrote the Jackson book "Unmasked," is behind the new documentary "Gone Too Soon," according to Variety.com. The 88-minute picture was culled from more than 300 hours of footage inside the Jackson's camp.

Halperin spent 5 years investigating Jackson and proved his sources were solid as he accurately predicted that Jackson was not long for this world long before the pop-star perished last year. His book came out directly in the wake of the actual death and shot to No. 1.

Right now, only deals for Canada and France are set with a theatrical run beginning on the anniversary of Jackson's death -- June 25.

Footage in "Gone Too Soon" includes video and audio of Jackson shot before his death. It also includes interviews with Jackson's personal manager, chef, spiritual adviser, hairstylist, trainer, protective agent and attorney. While Halperin's book was not exactly warts-and-all, it certainly will provide a more realistic picture of Jackson than any put forward by official channels.

While Jackson family members are not part of the film, they were aware of it and Jackson family confidante attorney Brian Oxman is among the interviewees featured.

Halperin calls this documentary "a balanced tribute to the King of Pop."

"This is the film Michael and his fans deserve," Halperin said.

Seriously. Ian is full of it. I have no interest in seeing this at all.