Mike Smallcombe's Blog, page 5

EXTRACT: The making of 'Human Nature'

In tonight's extract from Making Michael, Toto band member Steve Porcaro tells us how 'Human Nature', from the Thriller album, came to be.  By the fall of 1982, it was certain that Michael’s three songs, ‘The Girl Is Mine’, ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’’ and ‘Billie Jean’, were going to make the final cut, as well as Rod Temperton’s ‘Thriller’. At this stage these songs were considered to be the cornerstones of the album. Songs such as ‘Carousel’, ‘Got the Hots’ (written by Michael and Quincy),

MAKING MICHAEL: BOOK PROLOGUE

 Prologue from Making Michael: Inside the Career of Michael Jackson, available now. It was a Friday evening in January 1984, a little over a year since Michael Jackson released his blockbuster Thriller album. Michael was at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles filming a commercial for drinks company Pepsi with his brothers, in front of three thousand people who were seated in the venue to simulate a live concert. At the start of the fateful sixth take Michael began dancing at the top of the

MIKE SMALLCOMBE DISCUSSES MAKING MICHAEL

 Making Michael: Inside the Career of Michael Jackson is a true labour of love, the product of over five years of exhaustive research into Michael’s career, personality and professional relationships. Here is what you need to know about how it all started, and the long journey that followed.  WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGES OF WRITING SUCH A BOOK AND INVESTING MORE THAN FIVE YEARS TO RESEARCH IT? First off I was a fan; in truth, I couldn't have written this book if I wasn't inspired

NEWS: Michael Jackson estate to sell half of 'Beatles catalogue' to Sony for $750m

 The Sony Corporation will pay $750 million for the estate of Michael Jackson's half of Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, it was announced on Monday. The deal will give Sony full ownership of the world’s biggest music-publishing company, which represents artists such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen and newer artists such as Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.     Talks on a deal began in September, when Sony exercised its right under their joint venture to buy out Michael's estate. In

NEWS: Making Michael to be released in April 2016

Making Michael, a revealing new biography on the career of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, will be released on April 5, 2016 by Clink Street Publishing. The book was originally set to be released in October 2015, but was delayed for scheduling reasons. Making Michael will be released in both print and e-Book format and will be available to pre-order soon from retailers online including Amazon, Waterstones and iBooks Store.  Making Michael: Inside the Career of Michael Jackson For decades,

REVIEW: Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall

Considering Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall covers a ten-year period of the King of Pop’s career plus an entire album in only 90 minutes, director Spike Lee can be pleased with his work. Originally Lee’s version of the film ran for two hours, but his co-producer, estate executor John Branca, insisted they edit it down. Unfortunately, the product suffers as a result. The first 45 minutes, which focus on the early days of The Jackson 5 and leaving Motown up to the release of

NEWS: Off the Wall album reissue/documentary bundle to be released

 A CD reissue of Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album will be released in a special bundle next month together with the DVD of Spike Lee’s eagerly awaited new documentary.  The documentary, titled Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, will first make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on January 24. The U.S television premiere will then screen on Showtime at 9pm ET/PT on Friday, February 5. After the Showtime premiere, the doc will be broadcast in other

NEWS: Thriller becomes first album to reach 30 million U.S sales

 Michael Jackson's Thriller album has become the first to sell 30 million copies in the United States, it was announced today. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Estate of Michael Jackson and Epic Records have officially declared Thriller as the first album in RIAA Gold & Platinum Program history to be certified 30X Multi-Platinum for U.S. sales. Thriller was released in November 1982, and by the end of 1984 it had sold more than 35 million copies, taking the record for

NEWS: Spike Lee's Michael Jackson 'Off the Wall' documentary to premiere next month

Spike Lee’s eagerly awaited new documentary on Michael Jackson’s first major solo album, Off the Wall, is set to premiere at next month’s Sundance Film Festival in Utah. The documentary, titled Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, follows Lee’s 2012 two-hour film on the making of the Bad album. Bad 25 premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August 2012, before showing on television networks in Germany, the UK and America three months later. The Off the Wall film is set to

NEWS: Captain EO to close forever on Sunday

 Michael’s 1986 science fiction short-film, Captain EO, will say its final farewell on Sunday at Walt Disney’s Epcot resort in Orlando. The 3D space mini-opera will be replaced by a new 4D experience featuring Pixar animated shorts. Captain EO closed in 1994 to make way for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, but was revived in 2010 after Michael’s death. “To make way for this new offering, Captain EO, the current occupant of Magic Eye Theater will say its final farewell December 6,” a Disney