The posthumous career of Michael Jackson began at midnight (Eastern time) Sunday with the release of a new single, This Is It. Shortly thereafter, Paul Anka reminded them that the song was the same song he cowrote with Jackson called I Never Heard, which was recorded by Safire. Anka was promptly given his share. Now nothing stands in the way of our seeing Michael Jackson's posthumous last concert.
posted by twoleftfeet on Oct 14, 2009 - 25 comments

He wasn't even supposed to perform, but when Michael Jackson took the stage solo at the Motown 25 in 1983, magic. Billie Jean. The moonwalk. The glove. It was one of those moments to remember. So a few years ago a coupla data dancers started The White Glove Tracking Project to commemorate the performance by analyzing the height and size of MJ's iconic white glove throughout, crowdsourcing the project frame by frame for 10,060 frames. Now the dataset is complete, and the Proce55ed magic is thrilling:
Slinky (75mb QT), Stretchy (45mb QT), and Shapely (33mb QT) by MeFi's own James Seo
Speed=Height (QT) by Zach Lieberman
Giant White Glove by Tim Knapen
and more in the gallery.
posted by carsonb on Oct 9, 2009 - 28 comments

Don't Stop Till You Get To Bollywood
posted by vronsky on Oct 7, 2009 - 14 comments

Beatin' it in Seattle
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Sep 1, 2009 - 37 comments

10 mgs of Valium. 2 mgs of Lorazepam. 2 mgs of Midazolam. Another 2 mgs of Lorazepam. Another 2 mgs of Midazolam. During a futile, nine-hour intravenous marathon, the insomniac Michael Jackson received a near-continuous cocktail of meds, culminating in the Propofol that killed him. The County of Los Angeles releases its Search Warrant and Affidavit. [more inside]
posted by Gordion Knott on Aug 25, 2009 - 107 comments

There's a new Tron movie coming out, and it promises to be kind of rad. In other news, the trailer seems to mash-up perfectly with Michael Jackson's Beat It. [more inside]
posted by Afroblanco on Jul 27, 2009 - 138 comments

Ron Artest--now wearing #37 for the LA Lakers in honor of Thriller's 37 weeks at #1 on the charts--has dropped what should only be described as the definitive Michael Jackson tribute song. (audio possibly NSFW) [more inside]
posted by pokermonk on Jul 9, 2009 - 39 comments

Was Michael Jackson A Pedophile? No! Jackson Was A Homosexual Autohebephile! [more inside]
posted by Sova on Jul 7, 2009 - 121 comments

Perhaps it was bound to happen eventually, but it seems Michael Jackson's ghost is already haunting the halls of Neverland Ranch. Whether or not the spirt was moonwalking is currently inconclusive. [more inside]
posted by zardoz on Jul 6, 2009 - 61 comments

Eternal Moonwalk: A Tribute to Michael Jackson
posted by arcticwoman on Jul 6, 2009 - 55 comments

Michael Jackson penned and recorded lots of songs, many of which remain unreleased. Perhaps the most infamous, and rarest recording, is his version of Behind the Mask. Legend has it that upon hearing Yellow Magic Orchestra's original track, somewhen around 1979, Quincy Jones fell in love with the track, and he and Michael worked together on their own version. Jackson wrote new lyrics for it - adding to those of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Chris Mosdell - and eventually recorded it during his Off The Wall sessions. For unknown reasons the track never made the final cut of, arguably, Jones' and Jackson's greatest work. Not long afterwards Greg Phillinganes, Jackson's keyboard player, released his own version of the song, which was later taken up and re-recorded by Eric Clapton for his 1986, Phil Collins produced album, August. The track has since been recorded/remixed by Human League, Senor Coconut, Orbital and others. Does an original Jones/Jackson recording of the song even exist? Perhaps, as the world continues to mourn the star's sad death, someone will finally allow us a listen.
posted by 0bvious on Jul 1, 2009 - 31 comments

We had a great Obit post yesterday and a great post on the music video work of Michel Gondry. Why not join the two? After all, he was one of the great pioneers and innovators of the format and worked with some of the great film and art directors there were... Here's The complete videography of Michael Jackson to enjoy for your weekend. Actual videos inside: [more inside]
posted by Lacking Subtlety on Jun 27, 2009 - 64 comments

Michael Jackson, the undisputed King of Pop, has died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, California. He was 50 years old. [more inside]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing on Jun 25, 2009 - 853 comments

Photos from the Neverland Ranch auction A while ago, Michael Jackson was short of cash, and decided to auction off the contents of Neverland Ranch, his combined palace/fun park, down to the last vanity painting and statue. A guy named Paul Scheer went along with a camera, took photos of some of the more peculiar items and put them online. It's certainly a unique collection.
posted by acb on Apr 27, 2009 - 56 comments

“Mamase mamasa mamamakusa” or “Mamaku mamasa makumakusa”? Michael Jackson is sued for copyright infringement – again – by Cameroonian singer Manu Dibango (Flash homepage with autoplaying audio). Dibango’s Duala-language original phrase mutated into something else (Swahili?) in “Wanna Be Starting Somethin’.” They settled out of court – but then Jackson licensed that phrase to Rihanna, a right that Dibango claims Jackson never had. [more inside]
posted by joeclark on Feb 15, 2009 - 40 comments

Fun, funky fingerstyle arrangements from Adam Rafferty: Superstition, I Wish, Billie Jean, The Chameleon. He's clearly having a great time and I think you will too.
posted by tomcooke on Dec 9, 2008 - 19 comments

When a top black entertainer reaches 50, of course he's going to want to add The Moor to his repertoire... [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry on Aug 30, 2008 - 14 comments

"Beat It," as reenacted by the Pedal Pusher Society, Milwaukee's finest all-girl-and-tranny bike gang. Oh, did I mention the co-founder is Metafilter's Own™ binocularfight?
posted by designbot on Aug 22, 2008 - 35 comments

Fred Astaire makes "Smooth Criminal" classy. SYTL, but man, what a SYTL.
posted by WCityMike on May 27, 2008 - 32 comments

Justice "live" on Jimmy Kimmel -- An interesting solution to the problem of 'performing' electronic music.
posted by empath on Oct 24, 2007 - 53 comments

"Thriller" performed by inmates in the Phillipines
posted by exogenous on Jul 20, 2007 - 38 comments

Free to Be... You and Me
posted by thirteenkiller on May 22, 2007 - 56 comments

The White Glove Tracking Project is to Michael Jackson's white glove as Distributed Proofreading is to books. (Partially inspired by the Clickworks Project and the work of artist Paul Pfeiffer)
posted by gwint on May 2, 2007 - 9 comments

Michael Jackson is in discussions about creating a 50-foot robotic replica of himself to roam the Las Vegas desert [firing laser beams!] , according to reports.
posted by Artifice_Eternity on Apr 16, 2007 - 88 comments

Cause This is Thriller, Thriller Night. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" has always been a classic. Everyone's seen the original. MeFites have seen the Lego version, the Bollywood version, and from the streets of Lexington, KY. But you might have missed it at a University of Washington talent show. In a kid's closet. Or performed by a cute 2 year old. Or even from the cast of Final Fantasy. Regardless, you simply can't miss the rendition by some bored workers in an office parking lot and break room. Or my favorite, bride, groom--an entire wedding party--at the reception.
posted by kenneth on Jan 28, 2007 - 50 comments

It's a thriller, thriller night. [youtubefilter]
posted by EarBucket on Oct 31, 2006 - 21 comments

We live in a weird time. via plasticbag.org
posted by cgc373 on Oct 16, 2006 - 17 comments

Beat it. (Google clip)
posted by madamjujujive on Mar 19, 2006 - 46 comments

michael jackson takes the stand!! (flash - rather suggestive)
posted by pyramid termite on May 8, 2005 - 19 comments

Michael Jackson's Thriller...in Lego form! This must have taken days and days to put together. For those of you who remember the video well, you'll be amazed. I love the Internet!
posted by braun_richard on Dec 19, 2004 - 35 comments

Like Michael Jackson? Amazon customers recommend...
posted by Mwongozi on Dec 5, 2003 - 31 comments

If Michael Jackson hadn't undergone any plastic surgery, today he would look like this.
posted by Mwongozi on Nov 30, 2003 - 29 comments

Michael Musto on Michael Jackson ("We couldn't get Rosie or Martha to melt—and we can't even find bin Laden or Hussein—but if Jacko would just agree to be a pedophile, we could have our kook and eat him too.") Sarah Hepola on Michael Jackson ("In my life, I have spent many years wishing I were someone else, but I have never wanted to be anyone – ever – more than I wanted to be Michael Jackson. Do you remember? Help me sing it.") Michael Jackson on Michael Jackson ("You are right to be skeptical of some of the individuals who are being identified in the mass media as my friends, spokespeople, and attorneys. With few exceptions, most of them are simply filling a desperate void in our culture that equates visibility with insight.")
posted by adrober on Nov 29, 2003 - 6 comments

Can Jackson buy his way out AGAIN? Ok, I agree that EVERYONE (including drug dealers and supposed terrorists) is innocent until proven guilty, but for christs sake how many hush up bribes can "wacko jacko" pay before the "pedophile of pop" lands where he belongs...IN JAIL!
posted by hoopyfrood on Nov 19, 2003 - 153 comments

I'm Michael Jackson - No, I'm the real Jackson. All you other Michael Jacksons are just imitators. So won't the real King of Pop please stand up please stand up please stand up.
(Warning: Angelfire and Geocities links = extreme pop-up action)
_{With apologies to Eminem. Deep apologies.}
posted by Joey Michaels on Sep 9, 2003 - 9 comments

MJ pro-tech, anti-jail: "I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans -- mostly teenagers -- in jail for downloading music," he said in a statement from his Neverland Ranch in the western state of California. "It is wrong to illegally download, but the answer cannot be jail. Here in America we create new opportunities out of adversity, not punitive laws, and we should look to new technologies ... for solutions. This way, innovation continues to be the hallmark of America. It is the fans that drive the success of the music."
posted by allaboutgeorge on Jul 22, 2003 - 23 comments

Jacko wants to make a run for the border. What happens when you want more fast food? Make democracy work for and contact your Congressman. Yikes! Two threads about Michael Jackson in one day? It must be Friday!
posted by Bag Man on May 23, 2003 - 1 comment

Here is the Michael Jackson Nasal Exchange Mechanism: Now name that nose! And, if you don't like it, go ahead and make a face of your own ! [First link via Bifurcated Rivets. Usual Flash restrictions apply.]
posted by Carlos Quevedo on May 23, 2003 - 0 comments

"Ben" - The Michael Jackson song revisited by Crispin Glover.
posted by boost ventilator on Mar 13, 2003 - 24 comments

Neverland : The testimony that Michael Jackson paid between $15 and $40 million to suppress.
posted by lagado on Feb 13, 2003 - 27 comments

Selections from My Name is Blanket, © 2046 Blanket Jackson

"It was Geller who worked with my father to arrange for the design of the device which became known as the “Soul Harvester,” and who arranged for the shipments of orphans."

An excerpt from Michael Jackson's son's future autobiography.
posted by GriffX on Feb 11, 2003 - 21 comments

Michael feels betrayed and I'm kind of with him on this one. I thought I would just check in on the Jackson special for a few minutes, but I stuck around, mainly because I literally could not believe what I was seeing. What I was waiting for never actually happened: some concession that what was being exploited was not so much a celebrity as someone who is mentally ill. The interviewer's questions (often repeated emphatically for shock value) and Barbara Walters' snarky commercial-break comments seemed a bit on the cruel side when discussing someone who has so little grounding in reality. I can understand the concern about children, Jackson's and others; there is clearly a cycle of abuse (though clearly unintended on Jackson's part), and it is something legal authorities should address; however, I would question opening those issues up on television and trying to assign Jackson motives he is clearly not mature enough, sexually or otherwise, to comprehend, not to mention their own exploitation of the children for ratings.
posted by troybob on Feb 7, 2003 - 67 comments

Be a hero! That big bad Michael enjoys dropping his kids off balconies, and it's up to you to stop him... just don't get hit by falling vinyl!
posted by adamms222 on Dec 6, 2002 - 11 comments

Gasp! The mask comes off.
posted by Espoo2 on Nov 15, 2002 - 77 comments

The strange history of Michael Jackson's face. Kind of like the Anna Nicole show -- unbelievably frightening, yet you can't look away. Anyone catch the VH1 special the other day where they electronically blurred his cheeks? wonder why... (Link courtesy of Slate.com's "In Other Websites" featue.)
posted by Vidiot on Aug 15, 2002 - 32 comments

Is this the reason for Michael Jackson attacking Sony Records et al? Perhaps money woes are the cause of Jackson making really weird accusations recently: Here and here.
posted by jordanbrock on Jul 30, 2002 - 6 comments

Michael Jackson keeps finding ways to shoot himself in the foot. The last thread about this is only 5 days old, but there he goes again.
posted by swell on Jul 13, 2002 - 20 comments

Michael Jackson: the music industry is racist.
The erstwhile Agent M made some interesting claims about the record industry as a whole while in the midst of a dispute with his record label, Sony. He mentioned such paupers as Little Richard, Mariah Carey and Sammy Davis, Jr. as "vistims of the industry," and singled out Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola. In other news, Al Sharpton and Johnny Cochran have formed a coalition to investigate financial profiteering off black recording artists.
posted by me3dia on Jul 8, 2002 - 43 comments

Michael Jackson Wants Global Children's Holiday ``It would mean a lot. It really would. World peace. I hope that our next generation will get to see a peaceful world, not the way things are going now.'' Uh-huh. Does he have any comprehension of his public image about the fixation with children?
posted by McBain on Jan 31, 2002 - 24 comments

The Michael Jackson Real Beer Tour. Rock.
posted by lostbyanecho on Jan 15, 2002 - 9 comments