HOLLYWOOD—It is hard to believe that June 25 marks the first anniversary of Michael Jackson. Just a year since his demise, the media empire of Michael Jackson has generated deals that are estimated to be worth an “are you ready” figure of $756 million. It’s incredible that dead celebrities earn so much money. According to Forbes magazine’s annual list of “Top Earning Dead Celebrities,” last year he ranked at No. 3, with a take of $90 million. It will be interesting to see how he will rank this year when the list comes out in October. Now $90 million doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was just three months following his demise. The monies include CD sales, the movie “This Is It” and DVD and Blu-ray sales of “This Is It.”
One of the interesting mentions of the piece of Michael Jackson’s pie includes Jackson’s 50 percent stake in the Sony/ATV catalogue, which contains the rights to songs from the “Fab 4” the Beatles to Taylor Swift. The catalogue rakes in about $80 million a year, according to published reports. To add in more moolah, the Jackson estate also owns most of Mijac Publishing. It is believed that the $756 million does not include merchandising. A new Sony deal also funnels money to the estate for years’ worth of future releases and projects. Jackson’s posthumous money bags will most certainly keep him on Forbes’s list of top-earning dead celebs.
The King of Pop passed away on June 25, 2009, after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home just weeks before he was due to headline his comeback concerts in London. To mark a year since the legend’s passing, a host of music stars teamed up for a TV tribute on CBS New “The Early Show” on June 25. The list includes Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Ll Cool J, James Morrison and Smokey Robinson.
His mother, 80-year-old Katherine Jackson, tells the Daily Mirror in Great Britain that his children spend hours listening to their father’s music, and that Paris has turned her room into a shrine to the King of Pop. It was the first interview since the death of her son a year ago. The story comes a week after Katherine’s estranged husband, Joe, gave an inflammatory interview to another British tabloid, the News of the World, saying that Katherine could have saved Michael by reaching out to him. The death of Michael Jackson was tragic and sent shock-waves across the globe. He was definitely too young to die. My personal opinion on Michael Jackson was that he never really recovered from the trial, which left him frail.
Rose’s Scoop: Now here’s a facebook group you can get behind. My good friend and colleague Tommy Garrett is on a mission to guest star on the HBO series “Big Love.” His fans and friends are all supporting him in this creative campaign on Facebook. Good Luck, Tommy.
