Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ Dublin

brad sundberg dublin in the studio with mj

Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ
Dublin Seminar October 2016

Bring Brad Sundberg To Dublin Campaign

In the summer of 2016, over coffee and chats, Megan mentioned to me how amazing Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ seminars are and that it was her dream to bring him to Dublin. She had never had the chance to go to Brads seminars before but knew about them from the on-line fan community. She also had friends in other countries who had been to previous seminars who told her they are an amazing experience.  She told me how she had been in contact with him through social media and that he was open to the idea, if there was enough interest.  So one day in a coffee shop the campaign to get Brad to Dublin began.

Let me make this clear from the start, this was Megans idea, her dream and I just gave her the support and encouragement behind the scenes to make her dream reality.

A Facebook event page was created to start the campaign. We started spreading the word in the fan community, contacting first our friends and then let it ripple out on social media. We encouraged people to show their support for Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ Dublin seminars by registering on the event page. Megan kept a track of the numbers and names and gave Brad regular updates, letting him see that she was serious and that Irish people would come to the event.   As word spread fans from Europe heard about it and contacted Megan.

Eventually the news we had been waiting for, Dublin was officially put on the Fall Seminar Tour.

Organising the Dublin In The Studio With MJ Seminars

There was a bit of a complicated and stressful time for a few weeks, as Brad in Florida worked out his schedule, trying to fit in everything he wanted to do. Dates got changed unexpectedly and now the Dublin seminars would be during the week, spread over 3 nights.

Megan was amazing, keeping on track of everything, dealing with the questions and problems with the fans, keeping Brad informed and getting information from him, while at the same time keeping the ripples going and spreading the word about the seminars.

As the days and weeks rolled by and the event got closer, things got more frantic. Now Megan had to try and get some proper promo for the event, try to get Irish media to take an interest, keep fans happy with all their issues and so much more that goes into an event like this.

In The Studio With MJ Dublin Seminar

Finally it was Monday 17 October and Brad was actually really in Dublin and everything came together, well sort of. The first night was amazing but circumstances beyond Brads control meant that the venue had to be changed for the second and third night.  Both Brad and Megan had a frantic 12 hours trying to source an alternative venue at the last minute AND make sure that ticket holders were informed and had transport information to the new venue.

Back to Monday night, as I walked in and took my seat, I was struck by how little seats there were and how few Irish fans were actually there.  It just made me really sad that Irish fans can not differentiate between the real genuine people in Michael’s life who share their memories and experiences out of a pure and respectful love for Michael and those who want to cash in and use their connection to Michael for their own financial gain and social status.

Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ Dublin 2016
Brad Sundberg is the real deal.  These seminars are not his job, he does not rely on them to pay his day to day bills. This is his hobby, he is not doing the seminars to further his career, he has a proper real job.

Over the last week so many people who didn’t buy tickets want to know what the Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ Dublin seminars were like.  This is what you missed out on…..

Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ Dublin 2016
A small room of less than 20 people sitting on hard chairs

A dark room light only by the images and videos being projected onto the wall

A softly spoken unassuming American man in his 50’s sitting with a laptop hooked up to a projector and a portable sound system, the most home-made looking  cobbled together set-up, kinda like just being in someone’s sitting room.

And then he starts talking and the room disappears, the people around you disappear, you forget about the hard chair and the surroundings. You get transported back in time, to the private world of Brad, Michael, a recording studio and the work they did together.   Brad takes you on a journey, to a time and place away from the cameras, away from the general public and the media and allows you see the real person Michael.

Going to Brad Sundberg In The Studio With MJ  seminars is just like the old seanaches, that very old Irish tradition of story telling around a fire, sharing secrets and memories,  passing on to the next generation the stories that need to be recorded and kept alive.

It is such an honour and privilege to go to Brads seminars, what you hear and see is priceless, a magical world so few really truly understand.  It was even more special that fans from Spain Germany and Scotland travelled to Dublin just for Brads seminar. Some of these fans I had last spoken to in 2009, in happier times outside Michaels hotel in London.

As each year goes by, we are slowly losing those like Brad who understand the importance of passing on the memories and experiences of the real Michael.  Don’t let your ego, jealousy, fan politics, family pressures, or any other stupid excuses make you miss out on this very very special experience.  …Do this for Michael….

Thank you  Brad

Michael Jackson Sony Mobile Phone Collaboration

xperia-z2-hero-white-

Michael Jackson and SONY Xperia Mobile Phone, a Musical Partnership

When Michael Jackson was alive, he had a very special relationship with his fans.  Unlike many famous people he welcomed the attention from the fans and was often very involved with fan clubs.

He was a SONY Music artist and when he had a new album release, the fan clubs and fans were often involved in the pre-release promotion.  Sony Music would give the fan clubs promotional items or get fan club members to take part in promotional events. Before the internet became main-stream, before the age of digital downloads, when music had to be physically bought in shops

Sony Music would hold special listening parties where fans could hear a new Michael Jackson album before it went on sale in the shops.

After his death, when John Branca took over the running of The Michael Jackson Estate, he continued this special relationship and communication with fans and fanclubs.  John Branca created the MJONLINE Team, a group of people who would be the link between the fans and The Michael Jackson Estate and Sony Music. All official communications would come from the MJONLINE Team; they have a Twitter account where fans can directly talk to them for example. The MJONLINE Team also have a mailing list of fans and fan clubs, which they send press releases and any other information they want the worldwide fan community to know about.  The Michael Jackson fan community are very active on social media and fan websites.  Within minutes of the MJONLINE team sending an email to the fan club mailing list, the announcement will be circulated on social media and posted on the fan sites.

This is a two way line of communication; fans also regularly contact the MJONLINE Team about issues regarding Michael Jackson’s music or personal life. Even in death, the fans are fiercely loyal and protective of Michael Jackson.

Back in 2014, The Michael Jackson Estate partnered with SONY Mobile. Both had a new product release scheduled for that year.  The Michael Jackson Estate released a new posthumous album called XSCAPE and Sony Mobile released the Xperia Z phone.

In August 2013, there was an unauthorised leak of a new Michael Jackson song called Slave To The Rhythm.

This very quickly removed from circulation and the MJONLINE team sent out the following email.

This song had been circulating in the fan community but this was a different version and many fans began speculating that maybe it was being worked on for a new album release.

In 2014 the GSMA Mobile World Congress was held in Barcelona from 24 to 27 February.This is the main trade-show of the mobile phone industry, where all the major mobile phone company’s launch their new products.  On Sunday 23 February the Michael Jackson fan-clubs received the following email.

On Monday 24 February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Sony Mobile officially announced the partnership and that a new Michael Jackson song would be used in the promotion for the Xperia Z phone. This was part of the “One Sony “collaboration which  Kunimasa Suzuki, President and CEO of Sony Mobile Communications  explained was about about bringing the best Sony technology and content together, and taking it further to create absolutely unprecedented, evocative and unique user experiences. He also spoke about the integrated global marketing campaign for the new Sony Xperia mobile phone. The campaign is centered upon a 90 second brand film, depicting a day in the life of French dancer & choreographer Jeremié Bélingard, using the music of Michael Jackson.

Sony Mobile accelerates into 2014 and continues to deliver the “best of Sony”

4 new products and one surprise collaboration later…

The announcement was posted on the Official Michael Jackson Sony Music website http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/estate-michael-jackson-enters-partnership-sony-mobile and the video was uploaded to official Sony Xperia YouTube Channel

After the announcement the Michael Jackson fan community went crazy, everyone was so excited about the new music and the first official hint of a new album.

The media and fan community speculation went crazy, the media even going as far as suggesting that the album would ONLY be released through the Sony Xperia phone. Again the MJONLINE team were very quick to communicate with the Michael Jackson fan community and denied this story.

7 March 2014

At the end of March we received another email from the MJONLINE Team, telling us to prepare for another announcement.

31March2014

Later that day the full press release about the new album was released.

The announcement was  posted on the Official Michael Jackson Sony Music website http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/xscape-new-album-coming-may-13th Details about the new album were also announced,

A teaser video was uploaded to the Official Michael Jackson YouTube channel

Celebrating Michael Jackson’s new album XSCAPE, with Xperia Z2

As part of the partnership, Sony Xperia users would be able to receive a free copy of the new album on day of its digital release, through the Xperia™ Lounge app.

On 23 April the official track listing for the new Michael Jackson album was released on http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/xscape-standard-version-tracklist-revealed

Slave To The Rhythm, the song being used to promote the Sony Xperia phone was song number five on the new album.

As the album release date came closer, the MJONLINE team continued to communicate with the fanclubs  sending this email on 2 May.  The fanclubs were also given access to the official images and graphics for the new album.

2 May 2014

On 2 May TV promotion of the new album started

As part of the pre-release promotion, Sony Music released a series of YouTube videos called The Collaborators Series. https://www.youtube.com/user/michaeljacksonVEVO/videos  These videos gave a behind the scenes look at the new Michael Jackson album. On 5 May background information about Slave To The Rhythm was released http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/behind-xscape-slave-rhythm

On the same day, the song was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a high profile chat show in America.

Finally on 13 May 2014, the album XSCAPE was released. http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/todays-day-xscape

Owners of Sony Xperia phones could download the album for free and stream it using Sony Musics Unlimited service.  The promotion was available until the end of May 2014 and the download had to be redeemed by the end of June 2014.

Michael Jackson’s XSCAPE available now for select Sony customers through Xperia Lounge and Music Unlimited

 

where did the money William Wagner Collected Go

Now that Neverland is officially onsale again, William Wagner is yet again soliciting fans to donate money for yet another buy Neverland project. But wait, a few years ago he wanted fans to donate to fund a film about the 2005 Santa Maria Trial. It was all over the fan sites, groups, Twitter and Facebook and he took some trips to Europe and made appearances at fan events. But it is now 2015 and still no sign of the film.

Finally, here, in William Wagners own words, on Facebook, is what happened to all the money he collected from fans

what happened to the money William Wagner collected

Michael Jackson Leaves London March 2009

Sunday 8 March 2009.

We had heard late the previous night, rumours that Michael was leaving on Sunday. Going on past experiences, Michael usually leaves early in the morning, so unlike previous days when we usually got to the hotel around mid day, on the Sunday, we decided to get there early.

As usual, when Michael was in London, my flat ended up being a fan hostel. On this day, Elusive Moonwalker and another fan were staying with me. Myself and Elusive decided to get to the hotel at about 8 am.

When we arrive we see no fans but there is a car parked at the back of the hotel. We recognise PAPS in the car and decide to just stand to the side, where we can see the hotel door and the car. After about 10 minutes, one of the PAPS gets out of the car and comes over to us. He tells us that he was told by hotel employees that Michael is definitely leaving around 10 am. We chat for a while and then he goes back to his car.

We take a walk around the hotel, and decide to take a chance and call our friends, as we are the only fans there. By now it is nearly 9 am so we start ringing and texting fans we know who can get to the hotel within the hour.

Around 9.30 am we see movement, the cars are driven from the underground car park and parked beside the hotel door.

By this stage more fans start arriving as word spreads that Michael is leaving.

Up till now we have just been standing around casually, but when the cars are parked and more fans arrive, we all pick our spot at the barriers. I decide to stand at the end of the barrier, next to the wall, directly infront of the car. The other fans spread out along the barriers. Somehow the paps ended up being beside me.

Its now 10 am, and there are about 20 fans at the barriers.

At about 10.15am, we can feel something in the air, OMG, here we go.

First the driver comes out and puts some hand luggage bags in the boot of the car and opens the the back passenger door so that it is touching the hotel pillar.

By now everyone is screaming and shouting.

Suddenly Michael comes out of the hotel, and sees us all screaming and waving. He is smiling and waving and starts to come around the car over to the barrier but then he sees the PAPS and stops. Instead he steps up onto the car and waves and blows kisses to us before getting into the car.

Hotel security come over and move the barriers to let the cars out. As they are doing this Michael winds down the car window and starts waving at us. We all go over to the car and many fans are able to give Michael gifts and letters and to wish him well. As I was at the other end of the barrier I end up at the back of the group around the car. I see Michael smiling, blowing kisses and taking the gifts and letters and I hear the fans wishing him a safe journey and saying see you in July.

The car slowly moves out of the hotel carpark and into the main road. The traffic lights are red so the fans are still around the car, talking to Michael n the middle of the road. I stay back, just watching everything, waving. The lights change and then the driver speeds up and drives off. About 5 fans immediately jump into a taxi and follow the car.

Any other time, when Michael is out and about, I have no problem following him in a taxi. When he leaves it is always the one time that I dont. For me, I just have to a cut off point, something which means closure for that particular trip. Michael leaves me, I don’t leave Michael.

That was the last time I saw him. My last memory of him is waving and smiling as he left the hotel to return to California to prepare for the London concerts.

We didn’t know it at the time, but we were the last fans to see him in London, and the photos we took are the last photos of him in London.

This is the last photo of Michael in London

Michael Jackson Leaves London 8 March 2009

Official Michael Jackson Website To Get A New Look

NEW UPDATES COMING SOON TO WWW.MICHAELJACKSON.COM

The following information was sent by The Estate on Saturday 6 December 2014

We are happy to share with you that there are upgrades to the MichaelJackson.com site coming soon that we think will make for an even better and smoother experience. The Estate and Sony Music have taken fan feedback into consideration and are excited to announce the following changes will occur in the next few weeks:

A faster-loading site across all devices
The developers have been working to ensure that the site remains robust while also allowing for the best experience for all visitors, regardless of whether they are using a computer or mobile device.

New, sleeker design
The new site will feature brighter accent and background colors to improve the graphic display as well as to make the text easier to read.

Facebook comments integration
Fans have previously been able to log into the website using their Facebook account, but now that functionality will be expanded to make integration throughout the site more seamless and allow easier participation in fan-to-fan communication, comments, and discussion threads. It will also integrate discussions with the rest of the content on the site more organically, rather than pushing them off to a separate forum section. As a result, the separate forum section will be eliminated from the website, so it is important that if you communicate with anyone solely through the website forums, you should reach out and exchange other contact information with them in order to stay in touch.

Fan art that has been previously submitted will still be available in the fan galleries, and users will no longer have to create an account to participate in discussions or submit original fan art.

The new site will be a significant improvement to the user experience on MichaelJackson.com, and we look forward to seeing you on the site!

 

The Reality Of The Sale Of Neverland

and now the crazies appear, the fan petitions, the fan donation pages to get money to buy Neverland, demonstrations outside Colony offices in New York… Is is any wonder they want to sell it , and be done with the Michael Jackson Fans!!!

Looking at this from a purely practical, emotionless side. The estate of Sycamore Valley / Neverland totaling around 3,00 acres is in a rural agricultural area. Whoever owns it needs to make it financially viable. Before Michael bought it, as well as the working ranch, it was also used as a filming location. Remember this is how Michael first saw it, as a location for the Say Say Say video. This is a very normal practice in California; many large rural estates allow filming on their land for a price, to bring in extra income.

Over the last 5 years, Colony have been using the estate for private hire. I very much doubt that when they took on the property they realized the full extent of the conditions of the zoning laws. They have put alot of money into the renovation and maintenance over the last 5 years and it looks like they have made a decision that the money coming in does not cover the money going out. Remember Colony are an investment company, they buy and sell emotionlessly all the time. To them this is an investment that is not viable, so they offload, nothing personal, just business.

It is very likely Colony wanted to open the property to the public. They know that like Graceland, people would pay to see the famous Neverland, especially after June 2009, with all the huge media hype and public interest. When they realized that this was not possible, I believe they have tried to keep money coming in the best they can, but now 5 years later they have had enough.

I really think the fan community are building this sale up too much, with wanting a superfan to buy it, so that it can stay the same. The reality is, that it will most likely become a vineyard or other profitable agricultural business, just like the rest of the area of Los Olivos / Santa Ynez.

It is possible that whoever buys the land around the main entrance may totally change the entrance and may not want fans visiting.

This sale will go ahead, and instead of burying their heads in the sand and petitioning Lady Gaga, or trying to club together to buy it, fans need to understand the reality of a 3,000 acre estate in a rural area owned by an investment company.

There is just so much mis information in the fan community, many fans not understanding the zoning laws or even knowing anything about the area and what the land in Los Olivos Santa Ynez is used for. Many fans twisting things to suit an agenda, who have never even been on Figueroa Mountain Road and seen how rural it is.

The fact remains; it is a property which is not making profit so the company which owns it wants to sell it. No amount of fan petitions will stop the sale. Fans cannot club together to buy it. It will be sold just like any other property in the Los Olivos area.

My Memories Of Joanna On Michael Trips

Joanna  is French fan who I met on my travels to see Michael and is another fan who became one of the “Follower Fans”. I met her a few times between 2000 and 2002 but I wasn’t friends with her. To me she was just another fan, a face I saw whenever I traveled to see Michael.

Whenever I saw her, she was always like us, hanging about outside Michael’s hotel. She always had a book of photos with her, photos of her and Michael at different places and events. To me that wasn’t anything unusual, as by this stage I knew many many fans like that. Almost everyone I knew had met Michael, or had some sort of personal experience.

When she was old enough she began like the rest of us to travel to see Michael. As she traveled alot to see Michael, he began to recognise her and whenever he saw her outside hotels or at events he would make sure to meet her. That’s how she has soo many photos of her and Michael. When the other fans saw that Michael recognised her they would get to know her so that they could get close to Michael too. And because her English at the was soo bad she wasn’t able to communicate well with other fans and was often left behind or excluded from things.

One thing I noticed about her was that she always seemed to be on her own. She never seemed to have close friends, and every time I saw her she was with different fans. Also she didn’t speak very good English, she is French and when I met her she spoke with a very heavy accent and didn’t understand us English speakers very well.

In November 2001 I traveled to New York for the Invincible CD signing. We joined the queue about 7 pm the night before the event. When we joined the queue we saw Jonanna about 20 people ahead of us. She saw us too and came to talk to us. She was relieved to see familiar faces in the queue as she had come to New York from France on her own. She was upset because the fans she had arranged to meet and share a hotel room had not turned up and she wanted to know if she could share our room. We didn’t have a spare bed but at the same time we didn’t want to leave her stranded in New York with no where to stay. As we were all sleeping on the street that night, in the queue, we told her to wait till the morning and if after the event she still had no where to stay we would squeeze her in somehow. Luckily her friends did turn up eventually and she wasn’t left with no hotel room!

The next day, we all went to the CD signing. We were not filmed and our time with Michael remains private. Joanna was not so lucky. Her time with Michael was filmed and has caused such huge controversy and speculation.

The CD signing was 7 November 2001, only around 6 weeks after the terrorist attacks. The city of New York was still very unstable, there were still funerals from the victims being held. Joanna, like many of us was at both MSG concerts and as a result was caught up in the events of September 11 and in the aftermath, was stranded in the city until the airports were reopened. 

That is why when Michael saw Joanna he was really happy to see her. That was the first time he had seen her after September 11. He was concerned for her safety in an unstable city, 6 weeks after the terror attacks. That’s why he asked for her phone number and wanted to know where she was staying. He wanted to make sure that while she was in New York she was safe. In no way was it anything sexual or because he fancied her. Think of it like Michael being a friend of your family, and how that friend would look after you if they met you in a foreign country and you were on your own. 

The fan community exploded when they saw this. What was meant as a private conversation was suddenly the subject of huge controversy. Who was this girl, was she Michael;s girlfriend, why did he ask for her phone number??? Endless speculation which even now years later is still such a hot topic with fans.

The last time I saw Joanna was in Berlin in November 2002, outside Michael’s hotel. Again she was on her own, and her English was just as bad as ever. Just like the rest of us, she spent hours in the November cold outside the hotel. One night I remember there was a group of us taking shelter from the sub zero weather in the hotel garage entrance and Joanna, just like everyone else was huddled against the wall trying to keep warm. 

What happened to her after that has also caused alot of controversy. Yes she did an interview with American media during the trial. I haven’t seen it but I have heard alot about it. In my opinion, she was treated the same way as Bashir treated Michael. I believe that she was naive and innocent about the purpose and outcome of that interview and just like Michael was made out to be something she isn’t.

I don’t believe she had any type of romantic or sexual relationship with Michael.

The truth about Joanna Thomae is that she  became a follower fan, got to know Michael, somehow along the way wanted more, tried to get closer to him but ended up losing her connection to him.

She did like the attention, even back before 2004, she was always showing everyone all the photos of her and Michael, which she carried around all the time.

All she wanted was like the rest of us, to be close to Michael and to have him know us, but she went about things the wrong way and instead of getting closer to him, actually lost her connection to him.

This interview she did was during the trial and maybe in her mind she wanted to do something for Michael, to tell a fans story, to show that he was innocent and to let people see the real Michael.At the time I think she was innocent and naive and didn’t really fully understand how the media would try to twist her story and ask her leading questions. Maybe also she didn’t understand what they were asking her, you have to remember that English is not her first language. 

Maybe back in 2004 she was naive and just wanting to do something good for Michael. But now I am not so sure. Since Michael has died so many have decided to sell their stories and make money from their times with Michael.

Joanna it seems is just like everyone else. After all these years of creating this fantasy romance in her head she now seems to have convinced herself it was real. To then take part in a reality TV program and make money from this fantasy lie is just astounding.

Losing Michael was a shock that affected so many people. We all grieve differently and so many may never heal. Those of us who were lucky enough to be around Michael in those final years have a duty to Michael’s legacy to record and preserve the TRUTH about Michael. Every time false information about Michael is created and spread, the real History about Michael and who he really was is slowly being destroyed. How will people find out the truth about Michael, when those who WERE around him create fantasy stories….

MJJSTREET Review of MJONE Las Vegas

The Teaser

Okay. So prior to entering Mandalay Bay (where this show is an exclusive resident of) – We boarded the tram from the Luxor Hotel taking us directly to the Mandalay Bay Hotel. We were greeted with a tram car extravagantly decorated in ‘MJ One’ vinyl. All ready excited about the show – this piqued our excitement yet again.

We arrive at the hotel, and enter on the floor the show resides on. We pick up our tickets, and then go through the lobby. To our immediate right – the MJ Store. Take my advice – if you think you’ll spend a lot of money, then you’ll easily spend double that amount. Even the casual fan will come out feeling a lot lighter in terms of pocket change. The store has many exclusive items, and a lot of other items already commercially available.

Having already visited the MJ Store, we gathered toward the opening doors. The doors which take you through to the lobby – they’re ornately decorated in gold leaf – very regal and fit for a king. The ushers greet you as they ask for tickets, and are dressed from top to bottom in black, with gold embroidery throughout – topped off and completed with a black fedora.

MJJSTREET MJONE Las Vegas

The whole experience thus far is very impressive, and nothing like I have ever experienced before – despite going to a good number of shows.

Okay – so our tickets have been scanned, we’ve entered the lobby. We’re immediately surrounded by.. paparazzo? Taking our photos – being extremely energetic in the fact that they -must- get our photo, and already this appears to be a circus – much like the life that our dear King of Pop was more often than not surrounded in. Although this sounds a tad extreme – it was done in a very tasteful way – much unlike I’m sure Michael was ever subjected to back in his day.

The walls were covered with wallpaper featuring a collage of classic and well known song titles – again, gold and very ‘royal’ feeling.

MJJSTREET MJONE Wall Las Vegas

The walls also featured two silhouette motifs – one on each opposite side of the concession counter. The concession counter featured several speciality cocktails all having a general MJ theme. Some of those include;

  • ‘The One’ – Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka, Grand Marnier, Passion Fruit Puree, Fresh Orange Juice
  • Never Enough – Absolut Mango Vodka, Fresh Lime Juice, Agave Nectar, Sierra Mist
  • Zombie! – Bacardi Wolf Berry Rum, Cointreau, Fresh Sweet & Sour, Orange Juice
  • Moon Walk – Herradura Silver Tequila, Lemonade, Pomegranate Juice
  • Pop Royalty – Crown Royal Maple Whisky, Disaronno, Fresh Sweet & Sour
  • Off The Charts – Absolut Orient Apple, Funkin Green Apple Puree, Red Bull Silver

Showtime!

Okay, we enter the theatre – surrounded on the walls are ‘fake’ tabloids, featuring none other than the guests who had their photos taken by the paparazzo on the way in through the lobby. Their faces plastered on a fictional daily ‘rag’ with an absurd tabloid style headline beneath or above – again, keeping in theme with the circus. The edge and mantle of the stage decorated in a Dangerous album themed motif. We take our seats, and beckoning through the theatre is a slowed tempo mix of Privacy. It cuts deep, and the hard hitting lyrics resonate through the crowd of casual and hard-core excited fans.

As you know – Michael loved to tell a story in his art – Beit with lyrics, or through his short films. Cirque have definitely gone to some lengths to keep the same premise on ‘One’. So, already there are 3 kids getting chased up and down the theatre by paparazzo, seemingly doing a very bad job at getting away from the clutches of ‘evil’. This sets the stage for what is to become an all-round story of these 3 kids discovering Michael’s world through an abundance of ‘art’ left behind.

‘Ladies and Gentleman – Michael Jackson One – By Cirque Du Soleil’ – ‘Don’t Touch.. The Glove’

Starting with a very haunting laugh of Michael, the mix of audio builds up – and literally implodes into a vast mix of Michael’s popular hits – accompanied by stunning visuals on screens surrounding the theatre. The set list goes through around 30 tracks all in all – with a hefty mix of classic Cirque and an even bigger dose of ‘Michael Jackson’. My favourite part? Dangerous/Dirty Diana. An exotic dancer clambers a pole and seductively dances to the gritty bass of Dirty Diana. The temperature rises, and for sure keeps the attention of the audience for the remainder of the performance.

You Thirsty For More?

I’m personally new into the Cirque World – but thoroughly enjoyed their craft and talent throughout the show – Through this experience, should another show catch my eye that involves Cirque through any means – I will definitely give it a go! As for MJ One – It’s off the wall. From the whole experience, right down to the finer details – It’s a must see. The costumes are second to none – and by far the best asset of the show in my opinion is the audio and visuals. If you’re a diehard fan like myself, even if you’re interested in Michael Jackson as an artist? You will not come away disappointed. Prepare to save up those pounds, euros, dollars or whichever currency you use again for another visit. MJ One will leave you thirsty for more!

On exiting the show – we were confronted with once again, a huge wall covered in Michael

MJJSTREET MJONE Exit

Around the MJ Store, there are little Michael Jackson treasures, preserved for your enjoyment. Those include, Shoes worn by Michael – including he’s Swarovski Crystal Socks and another display with various tickets, show memorabilia and handwritten notes.

MJJSTREET MJONE MJ Shop

MJJSTREET MJONE MJ shop

Written by Greg Spinks

MJJSTREET MJONE Sop wall

So How Do Songs Get Leaked

ok, so yet another song has leaked and the fan community has gone into meltdown sharing download links. And with it comes all the usual crap about how this happens and who is to blame. So lets get all those urban myths out of the way and talk about the reality of these songs leaks.

People need to stop being so naive to think songs are kept in a mythical giant safe in Brancas office.

In this digital age, songs can be stolen and illegally recorded in seconds and in many cases the artist may not even be aware their work is being compromised. All it takes is for a studio tech or friend of a producer to press record on their phone. Before smart phones, they made secret copies of master tapes, or had hidden recording equipment.

So what happens next? Well the studio tech walks out with his secret recording, while the master original song is kept by the artist or recording company.

The studio tech then shares their illegal copy of the song, either for profit or as a trade.

Now we come into the secret world of traders and collectors. Despite what many may think, the Michael Jackson fan community has many layers and sections. One of those sections is the traders and collectors. These are the fans who spend their money and time gathering rare songs and footage. The songs and footage loose value every time they are shared, so the goal among the traders is to keep sharing to a minimum.

But over time, songs and footage get shared and traded and the group of people who now own an illegal copy grows and grows. Some where in the chain there is a weak link. Someone in the chain gets a copy and decides to make it public. Maybe the song has been uploaded to a public file sharing site and someone  accidently finds it. Suddenly it appears on YouTube. It only takes seconds for someone to download it from YouTube and share it. Emails are sent, omg, you have to listen, a rare song… someone else uploads it to YouTube, and within hours the song is viral.

So there you have it, thats how all these song leaks happen. There is no conspiracy, there is no big plot, it is simply that songs are in the possession of the traders. The songs are illegal copies made by people in the studio when the songs are recorded or remixed or by people who make illegal copies from the masters. The songs have been stolen from the artist or from the record company.

It amazes me that the Michael Jackson fan community can scream and shout and make all sorts of noise about protecting Michael’s legacy, yet when a new song leaks it goes viral. Do people not understand they are stealing from Michael?? Do people not understand that with every song leak they are devaluing Michael’s music and thereby harming his legacy.