ByMariam

Special Administrators for the Estate of Michael Jackson, John Branca and John McClain, and Sony Music will continue the label’s 30-year relationship with Michael Jackson and his music with a landmark recording deal, it was announced this week.

With this new agreement, Sony Music’s Columbia Epic Label Group and Legacy Recordings will continue their term of rights to his catalog and also create new projects for Michael Jackson featuring the never-before-released Jackson recordings.  The first project featuring unreleased music is expected for release in November 2010.

Rob Stringer, Chairman of the Columbia Epic Label Group comments, “Michael has always been a treasured member of the Sony Music family. We’re dedicated to protecting this icon’s legacy and we’re thrilled that we can continue to bring his music to the world for the foreseeable future.”

John Branca comments, “During his life, Michael’s contracts set the standard for the industry, reflecting his unique vision and talents that inspired and excited people in every corner of the world. By all objective criteria, this agreement with Sony Music demonstrates the lasting power of Michael’s music by exceeding all previous industry benchmarks. Each new generation produces countless new fans who appreciate Michael’s artistry, requiring a partner that has Sony’s wherewithal, business acumen and foresight to properly and respectfully showcase his genius well into the future.”

As a solo artist with Epic Records spanning three decades, Michael has sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide and released thirteen #1 singles. Jackson became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award. Sony’s Legacy Recordings has also created a number of successful projects such as the “Thriller” 25th anniversary album. The best selling album of all time worldwide by wide margin, “Thriller” showed the lasting power of Michael’s music by returning to #1 on the weekly sales charts in 2008.

John McClain comments, “Nowhere did Michael set the bar higher than he did with ‘Thriller,’ which nearly three decades after its release by Epic remains by far the best-selling album in history worldwide with music that transcends generations. We believe we have a partner in Sony that knows and appreciates Michael’s artistry as well as the passion of his fans. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Sony to preserve and enhance his remarkable musical legacy.”

This past fall, Sony Music released the #1 two-disc album companion to the motion picture Michael Jackson’s This is It, which has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.  Released by Sony Pictures, the film made history as the highest grossing concert film of all time and the recently released DVD took the #1 spot in DVD sales, breaking the record for first-week’s sales of a music film.

“HOPE FOR HAITI NOW: A GLOBAL BENEFIT FOR EARTHQUAKE RELIEF” ANNOUNCES LINEUP OF SUPERSTAR MUSICAL PERFORMANCES

Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting will appear in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; Coldplay and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in London

All Performances to be Available for Purchase from Apple® iTunes® Store with Proceeds Benefiting Select Haiti Relief Funds

More than One Hundred of the Biggest Names in Film, Television, and Music to Appear on “Hope for Haiti Now,” Along with Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper in Haiti

Additional Television, Online, and Mobile Partners Make “Hope for Haiti Now” the Most Widely Distributed Global Telethon in History

“Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” announced its lineup of superstar musical performances.  The global telethon will feature performances by Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in a newly added London location.  All musical performances will be available for purchase for $.99 per song through the Apple® iTunes® Store beginning Saturday, January 23, with all proceeds benefiting Haiti relief funds managed by “Hope for Haiti Now” charities.

In addition to musical performances, Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti, “Hope for Haiti Now” will feature more than one hundred of the biggest names in film, television, and music supporting the cause with testimonials and by answering phones during the telethon.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and United Nations World Food Programme have joined the list of relief organizations that will benefit from “Hope for Haiti Now,” which also includes Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Yele Haiti Foundation.  Proceeds from “Hope for Haiti Now” will be split evenly among each organization’s individual funds for Haiti earthquake relief.

“Hope for Haiti Now” will be the most widely distributed telethon in history, both internationally and across media platforms.  The two-hour telethon will air on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, and CMT on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and 7:00 p.m. CT.   “Hope for Haiti Now” will also air on newly added networks including PBS, TNT, Showtime, COMEDY CENTRAL, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, and Canadian networks including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television, and MuchMusic.  The event will be live streamed online globally across sites including YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com, MTV.com, VH1.com, and Rhapsody and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and FloTV. “Hope for Haiti Now” will also air internationally on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic, and MTV Networks International, which is available in 640 million homes worldwide.  “Hope for Haiti Now” will be the first U.S.-based telethon airing on MTV in China.  Facebook and Twitter have signed on as official social media partners to help drive donations and tune-in to the telethon.

Based on production needs and venue sizes, all “Hope for Haiti Now” studio locations will be closed to the media.  Photos, pool video footage and talent interviews from “Hope for Haiti Now” will be serviced to news outlets immediately following the event.

“Hope for Haiti Now” is produced by Joel Gallen and Tenth Planet Productions, in collaboration with Viacom’s MTV Networks and George Clooney.

El actor que enamoró a cientos con sus películas “Dirty Dancing” en 1987 y “Ghost” en 1990 falleció este lunes a los 57 años de edad tras una batalla contra el cáncer de páncreas.

Swayze anunció en marzo de 2008 que padecía de cáncer de páncreas; pero eso no lo detuvo, ya que continuó con una nueva serie televisiva titulada “The Beast”, donde interpretaba a un agente del FBI.

The 57 year old main actor of “Dirty Dancing” (1987) and “Ghost” (1990) died last Monday due to a pancreatic cancer.

Swayze announced on March 2008 that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer, but it did not stop him because he started a new television series named “The Beast” as an FBI agent.

We’ll sure miss him!