Dancers lined the Atlantic City boardwalk last Halloween to re-create the famous steps from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video, while a DJ named Prashant taught Bollywood versions of the King of Pop’s moves at the Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle.

The executors of the late singer’s estate have caught on to what disc jockeys and party planners have long known, that “Thriller,” released 34 years ago, means Halloween fun for a lot of folks. And now they’re looking to grab a share of the estimated $8.4 billion Americans spend on costumes, candy, decorations and other items. After all, even Barack and Michelle Obama shimmied to the hit single at their final White House Halloween party.

On Sept. 29, Sony Corp. will release “Scream,” a compilation of 13 previously issued Jackson songs, such as “Thriller” and “Dangerous,” as well as a new, remixed version of “Blood on the Dance Floor” by the producer duo known as White Panda. Next month, CBS will air a new, hour-long animated spooky special in prime time. More videos and remixes are on the way.

“We’re planting the Halloween flag,” said John Branca, the Los Angeles attorney who serves as co-executor of the singer’s estate, along with former music industry executive John McClain. “Michael loved Halloween!”

There’s a lot of whimsy in the marketing. The album comes in glow-in-the-dark vinyl. A related poster and cover include an augmented reality Jackson experience. The TV show, “Michael Jackson’s Halloween,” features the voices of Alan Cumming, Lucy Liu and Jim Parsons. It follows a young couple who meet at a mysterious hotel on Halloween night. There are Jackson’s songs, of course, and an appearance by an animated version of the star, who died in 2009 at age 50. It’s designed, in part, to draw a younger generation to his music.

Branca and McClain have already made Jackson’s heirs a considerable chunk of change. “This Is It,” a documentary about the singer’s preparations for his ill-fated 2009 tour, went on to be the highest-grossing concert movie of all time, with $261.8 million in worldwide sales, according to researcher BoxOfficeMojo.com. Last year, the estate sold Jackson’s half of the Sony/ATV music publishing business to Sony for $750 million.

Some fans are sniping online that the “Scream” compilation -- with no new songs -- seems like nothing more than a money grab. With two albums of unreleased Jackson music already put out posthumously, Branca says there aren’t plans for more.

Even if the album doesn’t sell well, it could increase sales of the Jackson catalog, according to Geoff Mayfield, a Los Angeles-based music industry analyst.

“It’s possible the regular album will sell more than the new version,” he said.

Interest in the pop singer remains high. A 3-D version of Jackson’s 14-minute “Thriller” video screened at film festivals in Toronto and Venice, Italy, this year, and Branca is searching for the best way to distribute it in theaters. Another Jackson short film, the 40-minute “Ghosts,” released in 1996, could be updated for new audiences. And if the animated show is a hit, there could be more.

“You see Charlie Brown Christmas every year,” Branca said.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/09/21/why-michael-jackson-is-going-to-be-even-bigger-this-halloween.html

And yet Ghosts (1996) get no love

Goddess4Real said:

And yet Ghosts (1996) get no love

tell me about it.



Anyways, Cool tidbit. I ran into John Landis in Hollywood at a screening. (I guess it was associated with the Golden Globes)....asked him about it...and yeah. Inconclusive. Very pleasant "jolly" guy. He was cool enough to sign my ticket (which was for next month's showing of Night Of The Living Dead)...I told him "you'd probably appreciate the oddity of signing a ticket for another movie, but I have nothing to sign. IF i'd known etc..."

Anyways... Looking forward to it.


The Stephen King film THINNER was screening in Santa Monica... I don't know if they showed "GHOSTS" along with it...but I seriously doubt it.

I have that on a VCD somewhere...pretty good film. Ever notice that the evil MJ looks a lot like Joe Jackson?


I dont' think it's a coincidence

Anyways. That's beside the point; but!(!) If they have not figured out distribution yet for THRILLER 3-D then they're wasting fucking time!

[Edited 9/26/17 6:52am]

Goddess4Real said:

And yet Ghosts (1996) get no love

Big Mike was running out of original ideas by the time he did Ghosts.

Dasein said:

Goddess4Real said:

And yet Ghosts (1996) get no love

Big Mike was running out of original ideas by the time he did Ghosts.

KInda.... He was a MAD 'brotha" by then. I also believe there may be some truth to the rumors about some kind of lung issue he'd had. Possibly the result of the "treatments" he'd get (MJ goes UP, MJ goes DOWN, MJ GOES UP, MJ goes DOWN)

Aside from "Morphine" a telling story came out in a princess DIANA coffee table book I'd bought second hand (to sell)...I browsed the index and found some Quote again about MJ: something to the effect of how he found out about her passing (they were friends and kept in touch via phone often)

something about "I first heard about it from my doctor. I woke up and he gave me the bad news"...

which is telling, but ...any performer giving his all to the extent of Michael Jackson or Angelo Moore (Fishbone) would realize that you've got your adrenaline levels "up to 11" and coming down off that is something that could keep u up till 10am the next day.

So getting back to music. He wasn't spent of ideas. I think he just had angry stuff, and was no longer going to record any of it. Listen to the "New Gangster"/Blue Gangsta" stuff... "don't know what I've done(!) everything I've got" etc...

it's malicious and the scowl sounds pretty aged at this point. The guy just sounds plain angry. I'll bet he was very hurt and isolated (duh).

Either way. I think the ups and downs did their wear and tear on his lungs, suppressing them long enough. Who knows...purely speculation

BUT things that disprove that are the great songs I'd heard (rejected and otherwise one offs)

Beautiful Girl

Scared of The Moon (no telling when this originated prob mid 80's)

We've Had Enough
What More Can I Give

Break of Dawn

Heaven Can Wait

now we also don't even have a clue about the stuff he did with that Black Eyed Peas guy... nor other projects. Admittedly he'd shunned the spotlight for a while to focus on his kids. ....err Miko's, and that other guy.

I thought blanket looked a bit like him...but Who am I to say. Regardless, he raised them with love.

[Edited 9/26/17 12:10pm]

Goddess4Real said:

And yet Ghosts (1996) get no love

Thriller the song was a hit single and the video was shown a lot on TV video shows and MTV. There's a remake on Party City commercials show every Halloween. None of the songs on Ghosts were hits, they were songs on a remix album. Like how many people bring up Spotlight by Madonna, which is another song exclusive to a remix album?

MickyDolenz said:

Goddess4Real said:

And yet Ghosts (1996) get no love

Thriller the song was a hit single and the video was shown a lot on TV video shows and MTV. There's a remake on Party City commercials show every Halloween. None of the songs on Ghosts were hits, they were songs on a remix album. Like how many people bring up Spotlight by Madonna, which is another song exclusive to a remix album?

THriller didn't get on the big screen that I can recall however.

Didn't help GHOSTS that THINNER was a pretty big flop....and that GHOSTS didn't show with every film screening.

(COUGH::COUGH::::thoseaccusationsdidnthelpeither::::cough:::cough)

It's telling that Michael released some of his strongest material alonside a compilation(!) in HIStory which pretty much guaranteed that I didn't hear it until the 2000's. (I was a kid and wouldn't shelve out $40 for a greatest hits set with songs I already had)

THAT was a lack of confidence, both by artist and label.

Beginning of the end, recording wise..

GHOSTS was a collective project to try to retain his tracks he'd been writing for the Addams family film. Instead, he one upped them (in my opinion- I don't like those films, they're weak) recruiting Stan Winston and Stephen King.

I thought he played a pretty good mayor.

[Edited 9/26/17 14:49pm]

2045RadicalMattZ said:

MickyDolenz said:

Thriller the song was a hit single and the video was shown a lot on TV video shows and MTV. There's a remake on Party City commercials show every Halloween. None of the songs on Ghosts were hits, they were songs on a remix album. Like how many people bring up Spotlight by Madonna, which is another song exclusive to a remix album?

THriller didn't get on the big screen that I can recall however.

Didn't help GHOSTS that THINNER was a pretty big flop....and that GHOSTS didn't show with every film screening.

(COUGH::COUGH::::thoseaccusationsdidnthelpeither::::cough:::cough)

It's telling that Michael released some of his strongest material alonside a compilation(!) in HIStory which pretty much guaranteed that I didn't hear it until the 2000's. (I was a kid and wouldn't shelve out $40 for a greatest hits set with songs I already had)

THAT was a lack of confidence, both by artist and label.

Beginning of the end, recording wise..

GHOSTS was a collective project to try to retain his tracks he'd been writing for the Addams family film. Instead, he one upped them (in my opinion- I don't like those films, they're weak) recruiting Stan Winston and Stephen King.

I thought he played a pretty good mayor.

[Edited 9/26/17 14:49pm]

Thriller premiered in theaters. It played in late November '83 in theaters for Academy Award consideration before Showtime and MTV aired it in December 83.

I like Ghosts. The original featuring the Addams Family cameos seemed interesting, unfortunately it was never finished

[Edited 9/26/17 19:22pm]

2045RadicalMattZ said:

Ah thanks Bboy I wasn't aware of that. BUT* still it's just the industry minimum for consideration. I saw BAD 25 at the Chinese in Hollyweird under similar circumstances (1wk here and in NY, 2 cinemas) It still looks as if it didn't get a general release (it wouldn't warrant its own ticket, unless as a cheap ticket, with 12 showings an hour) [Edited 9/26/17 20:25pm]

Yeah I saw a ticket for it and it was shown before Fantasia and it was for $5

Hell, I saw the prices for the Triumph tour and they were $9.50

About Ghosts, I wouldn't say it was MJ running out of ideas, but it he was obviously revisitng the whole scary theme. I think it's one of his greatest films, not as iconic as Thriller, but great choreography, interesting story and it gave him a chance to actually put some of his acting on display. It's still interesting how he took the 1993 allegations to revamp the story when he returned to the project.

It's being shown at the Scream album release parties (Thriller 3D was shown by surprise too at the London party) and the full version has been pulled off Youtube so maybe they do have plans for it.

It was advertised on TV here tonight, which means I am off the wrekka stow tomorrow.

.

Have heard it is just another play list of his more "freaky" songs. Still I am a mugu who will buy any Jackson related thing.

I guess I'm not a very good fan cause I don't have plans to buy this compilation though it sounds cute

You know what would be dope? Ghosts in 3D, imagine those different characters he plays and those special effects like they're happening in front of you? Maybe if it gains a little bit steam following this upcoming project, it wouldn't be a bad idea to relaunch it starting small and then based on popularity do that.

alphastreet said:

I guess I'm not a very good fan cause I don't have plans to buy this compilation though it sounds cute

You know what would be dope? Ghosts in 3D, imagine those different characters he plays and those special effects like they're happening in front of you? Maybe if it gains a little bit steam following this upcoming project, it wouldn't be a bad idea to relaunch it starting small and then based on popularity do that.

even a Ghosts dvd would be nice

THRILLER 3 pack socks

$55.00 Stance

We honor one of the most creative and visually compelling masterpieces of our time, Michael Jackson's Thriller, which still remains the all-time best selling album in record history. So grab your red leather jacket and turn the volume up. Stance presents Michael Jackson’s Thriller collection.

more milk for the cash cows...no thanks

MickyDolenz said:

THRILLER 3 pack socks

$55.00 Stance

We honor one of the most creative and visually compelling masterpieces of our time, Michael Jackson's Thriller, which still remains the all-time best selling album in record history. So grab your red leather jacket and turn the volume up. Stance presents Michael Jackson’s Thriller collection.

Extreme;ly overpriced for what look like very flimsy and cheaply made socks. Probably cost 30c to make in China, by a 12 year old girl chained to a table 18 hours a day for 500 Yuan per year.

.

Look, I am a big MJ fan, but even I understand the number of MJ threads has gone nuts since the mods stopped the Single MJ thread rule a few months ago. Seriously there is a lot of MJ on a Prince forum board. On all the MJ ones I know, Prince talk is restricted to one thread in the "Music and Me" section.

alphastreet said:

more milk for the cash cows...no thanks

I'd guess anybody selling something is trying to get money or they'd give it away.

Adorecream said:

Seriously there is a lot of MJ on a Prince forum board. On all the MJ ones I know, Prince talk is restricted to one thread in the "Music and Me" section.

That's not so at MJJC. I posted the links to Prince threads here reply #63. There's over 30 threads.

MickyDolenz said:

Adorecream said:

Seriously there is a lot of MJ on a Prince forum board. On all the MJ ones I know, Prince talk is restricted to one thread in the "Music and Me" section.

That's not so at MJJC. I posted the links to Prince threads here reply #63. There's over 30 threads.

I stand corrected (Aow!)

.

But on Maximum Jackson and the new super forum MJJFORUM we like to have just one. I have no problem with it, but love to go into my Michael Jackson fanzone on those forums and get totally Princed here.

.

It is quite strange, I have always loved both and been more pro Prince than Michael most of the time, but seem to have gone more Michael in the past year and now I think I might be becoming a bigger Michael Jackson fan than a Prince one.