Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” companion album — really just an album of hits — sold a little over 200,000 copies last week and went gold. That means it’s sold over 500,000 copies in two weeks.
The really weird thing is that another greatest hits album from Jackson, “Number Ones,” sold about 33,000 copies, too. Are people just buying and rebuying the same songs? Hey, why not?
Meanwhile, some interesting news from the live performance front: Cirque du Soleil is heavily courting the Jackson estate for a Las Vegas-style show featuring Michael’s music. The Canadian-based company is said to be working hard to convince all the parties that they can do for Michael what they did for the Beatles with the “Love” show at the Mirage Hotel.
The money involved is said to be astronomical.
Right now, Cirque du Soleil is prepping an Elvis Presley show, “Viva Elvis,” which will start performances next month at the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas. Once that show is off the ground, the Jackson estate will confer with the Cirque folks. Meantime, AEG Live is also hoping to get its “This Is It” show, featured in the movie, on tour in some way as well.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:43 am
I will support MJ’s estate as long as none of the Jacksons are at the decision table.
Katherine Jackson redeemed herself somewhat yesterday by putting an end to Joe Jackson’s shenanigans.
God bless MJ’s 3 childre and may HE protect them from greed.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:49 am
Yes,the majority of songs on the album This Is It may have the same songs as other albums but the reason I bought it was because it was the last time Michael sang those songs.For that reason alone,this album will always be special to me.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:28 am
I’m sure fans rose to the call when they heard back in July or August that Number Ones was slated to be the #1 selling album of the year. I purchased several extras for gifts and stocking stuffers. This is It had the new song he CO-wrote with Anka– but making a habit of reselling the same tracks? No. The Estate should now work on the music we know is out there that we haven’t heard. (Janet ok but NO J5 backups from now on).
I polled my friends after the movie and we would pay to see it in a concert like experience, just as Michael made it. Hard part is who would stand in Michael’s place for the dancing? I vote Travis Payne. Singing? Figure out how to have Michael sing and show clips of him on the screen too. Sell out crowds? If done right, you betcha! It is still Michael’s dream project.
Cirque show? Not yet. Later maybe. For me, the disdain for Joe and his Vegas locale makes me think he’d hijack the show somehow for his own celebrity just as he did the premier of TII. Don’t give him that option.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:37 am
The concert without Michael? No.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:47 am
This is all kind of macabre to me….Elvis, Beatles, MJ….all dead or next to being dead…however, if this is how you preserve artistry then sobeit. I just wish I was one of the heirs of one of the above. The money is endless.
Now we see why Joe wants some of it.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Michael would have loved the idea of Soleil using his music to their shows. He loved Soleil and saw it so many times its unreal.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:50 am
I have not yet bought this is it CD cos I was angry with paul anka for saying MJ stole his music[they wrote it together],am tired of people bad mouthing MJ,i would still buy it cos it was mj’s last work
A part of me would want to see the this is it show live and a part knows there is no magic without mj
we wolud keep on buying the’ number one cd’ to make it best selling album of the year.pls mj fans do it for him ,he deserves it
November 11th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Yes, Soleil is another matter. They add to whatever art they revere.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:25 am
AEG needs to go away. They recouped their loss now move on and let the estate do their thing.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:30 am
I’d pay to see the This Is It show on the road. It has to be done. They can NOT let that staging and preperation just go to waste. Have Travis stand in for MJ and have MJ singing his own songs. I had tickets to the second show in London (first row), was gonna travel from Chicago. The movie was off the chain and I’d love to see it live. I HAVE to see it live. L.O.V.E. you MJ, always and forever.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:35 am
That would be amazing, I would go see a Cirque du Soleil MJ style in a second.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:58 am
One night of Beatles Love
and
One night of Michaels L O V E
That would be fantastic
November 11th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Michale Joseph Jackson a gift that will never stop giving. I am proud to call you my friend. RIP dear
November 11th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Barb, that makes no sense: “This Is It” is a compilation of his STUDIO tracks, not the live versions of songs he sang in the movie! I mean, did you actually LISTEN to the “soundtrack”? Did you not notice this?!
November 11th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Michael will be getting the Vegas show that he at one time wanted. I think a Cirque du Soleil show would be interesting, but having someone “stand in” for Michael? Not for me. I couldn’t imagine anyone in his place.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Music expert,it doesn’t matter to me if these songs were studio tracks,it is still the songs he would have sang in his upcoming concerts. And yes I did LISTEN to the soundtrack!!
November 11th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Just imagine what Cirque du Soleil can make of “Stranger in Moscow”.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Roger, The MPAA’s rules are a bit opaque on this, but two CD sets need to sell only 250,000 copies to go gold. (Similarly a 4-CD set need only sell 125,000 copies. They add up all the single CDs sold to decide when a project has gone gold.) Of course, the second CD here is an EP with only 4 tracks and less than 15 minutes of music so perhaps they discount that in this case?
November 11th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Umm…Roger, WE LOVE MICHAEL. Why is this so surprising? We, his fans, plan to keep him in the minds and hearts of EVERYONE…Even the haters…So yes, even if the songs are duplicates or re-releases or whatever, WE DON’T CARE…IT’S MICHAEL !!! AND WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE AND SUPPORT HIM!!! ALWAYS!!!
November 11th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
[...] Want to hear the MJ music you love, only infinitely more expensive and with a bunch of weird golden sh*t happening? Get ready for a Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show!!! [...]
November 12th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I hope this is true!! I would LOVE to see a Michael Jackson based Cirque du Soleil show and would fly to Las Vegas from Maryland JUST to see it.
I would also buy a ticket for “the” This Is It concert tour and I know at least 10 other people that would as well. To see Michael’s concert come to fruition would be awesome! I know Kenny would do right by Michael as he did with the film. I would go in a heart beat. AEG LIVE – Please DO IT.
I am one of the many that also bought the Number Ones and the This Is IT cd. I bought the companion cd because of Michael’s Earth Poem that isn’t on the Number Ones and because the songs are in order of the film. When listening to it, it takes me back to the film that I’ve seen 10 times and counting.
I’m a huge Michael fan if you haven’t gathered. I will always love and miss him. What a sweet heart of a person!! He makes by heart burst!
November 12th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
[...] According to a scoop from Showbiz411, Cirque producers are confident that a Jackson-inspired production would have the same success as “Love,” the Beatles-themed show, which is currently heating up the Vegas strip at the Mirage Hotel & Casino. [...]
November 12th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
[...] du Soleil used The Beatles music for “Love,” Michael Jackson’s hits could be the next to inspire a Las Vegas-style [...]
November 13th, 2009 at 12:37 am
[...] interested in producing a live performance show featuring the music of Michael Jackson. It was reported yesterday that Cirque du Soleil has approached the Jackson estate for collaboration on a Las Vegas-style show [...]
November 13th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Well, he sold 569K…he is Gold…otherwise he would have write Platinum.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:00 am
[...] According to a scoop from Showbiz411, Cirque producers are confident that a Jackson-inspired production would have the same success as “Love,” the Beatles-themed show, which is currently heating up the Vegas strip at the Mirage Hotel & Casino. [...]
November 13th, 2009 at 11:23 am
[...] original here: Cirque du Soleil Wants bMichael Jackson/b; “This Is It” Goes Gold b…/b [...]
November 13th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I am a big Cirque fan and a huge MJ Fan. That is a show I would not miss! Do it in Vegas as a permanent show and I’ll be there!!
November 14th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Michael Jackson was a fan of Celine Dion’s show in Vegas and had seen it many times….and I believe her show involved some of the creative team of Cirque du Soleil. So I think he would approve and be happy about this.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Hay Roger, have Prince, Paris, and Blanket seen “THIS IS IT”?
November 17th, 2009 at 1:43 am
I hope they won’t exploit Michael forever, and that they leave his children to have the childhood he wanted them to have. The children have already been exposed so much that Michael would have hated it. With regards to any concerts, you don’t want an impersonator trying to recapture Michael Jackson. Please note that Elvis has already performed concerts for the past 12 years, since 1997. Thanks to the miracles of having his voice isolated on recordings, and film of Elvis from his concerts. With the music from his own musicians and backing singers being live, it feels as if you are seeing Elvis in person.
Check out the Elvis In Concert shows being held in the UK in February 2010. This will show you how it should be done. But if they do the same with Michael, just remember: ELVIS did it first.
November 17th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
[...] Cirque Du Soleil Pursuing Michael Jackson Estate To Build A Show Around His Music http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/cirque-du-soleil…. [...]
December 1st, 2009 at 2:21 pm
[...] http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/cirque-du-soleil-michael-jackson-this-is-it/ [...]
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:45 pm
yes,i think so