Icon vs. Icon

After much anticipation, Playmates Toys is planning to unveil its highly sought after Michael Jackson Collectibles for the first time as part of the Diamond Comics display at San Diego Comic Con, July 21st – 25th.

Playmates Toys earlier this year signed a deal with Bravado, the world’s leading global music merchandising company, to create collectibles based on the most successful entertainer of all time, Michael Jackson.

“We are delighted to expand our successful line of Michael Jackson collectible memorabilia by working with the innovative team at Playmates Toys,” stated Tom Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Bravado. “This new line truly celebrates Michael’s unmistakable style and irreplaceable talent. Bringing in Playmates as a licensee only further cements Michael’s retail visibility and helps commemorate and preserve the legacy that is Michael Jackson.”

Michael’s incomparable style comes to life as Playmates rolls out the unique new 10″ scale collectible which captures his likeness and the incredible fashions which have become legendary. The first 10″ style will be Billie Jean which captures the bold and flashy outfit worn in the short film.

The second 10″ collectible is Thriller featuring the iconic red with black trim outfit from the most famous short film of all time. These two styles will launch in Fall 2010 followed by additional styles shortly after. The Michael Jackson Billie Jean and Thriller collectibles will be on display at the Diamond Comics booth #2401 at San Diego Comic Con for the duration of the show.

About Playmates Toys:

For over 40 years, Playmates Toys is among the most well respected and innovative marketing and distribution companies in the global toy industry with a proven history in the creation of innovative and imaginative products as well as the development and management of profitable, long-term brand franchises, including TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, iCARLY and Michael Jackson. From its offices in Hong Kong and California, Playmates designs, develops, markets and distributes its products in over 60 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.playmatestoys.com Playmates Toys Inc.

On the anniversary of his death, Fuse, Madison Square Garden’s national music television network, will celebrate Michael Jackson’s life with two days of non-stop MJ.  Friday, June 25th and Saturday, June 26th between 11am – 6am, Fuse will pay tribute to the King of Pop with programming that includes two world-premiere documentaries, a biography highlighting the pop star’s wildly successful career and some of his most iconic music videos.

Michael Jackson: The Inside Story – WORLD PREMIERE

Premieres Friday, June 25th at 8pm ET

The death of Michael Jackson shocked the world, devastating his fans.  Now, a year since his passing, this 90-minute documentary takes a closer look at his controversial life and conspiracies surrounding his mysterious death.

Michael Jackson: A Tribute – WORLD PREMIERE

Premieres Friday, June 25th at 9:30pm ET

This hour-long documentary takes a look at how Michael Jackson’s music changed the world and how his charity work made it a better place.  Filled with interviews with loved ones, this exclusive premiere takes an intimate look into the life and legacy of the King of Pop.

Tune-in all day Friday and Saturday for additional programming that includes:

Michael Jackson: Devotion

From his musical debut at the age of four to his sudden, tragic death in 2009, Michael Jackson remains one of the world’s most successful, influential, and beloved pop stars. This biography takes a closer look at the singer’s controversial life and career through interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, delving into such topics as his charity work, his moving memorial service, and his permanent spot as a tabloid fixture.

Michael Jackson: Remember His Time

Fuse takes a look back at the King of Pop though some of his most memorable and iconic music videos including Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, Remember the Time, Black or White and more.

The Michael Jackson Chronicles

This half-hour, Fuse original series, chronicles Jackson’s rise to the top, showcasing his greatest moments and videos from the beginning to the end.  “The Michael Jackson Chronicles” airs in a two-part sequence.

Michael Jackson

A new Michael Jackson song, which features Lenny Kravitz, has leaked to the web. A sample of the track, entitled ‘Another Day’, can be heard below.

‘Another Day’ is one of the first posthumous tracks by the singer, who died earlier this year, to be heard by fans since This Is It was leaked onto the web.

Last autumn, another previously unheard Jackson song, ‘This Is It’, was released alongside a documentary about his ill-fated comeback shows.

It is thought the star also recorded tracks with Akon and Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am.

Michael Jackson’s new single “This Is It” has began streaming online and hitting the collective airwaves, nearly four months after the “king of pop” died of a prescription drug overdose aged 50. The track, which features backing vocals by Jackson’s brothers, opens with a soft, soulful introduction and the lines: “This is it, here I stand/I’m the light of the world, I feel grand.”

It will be available to buy as part of the two-disc album “This Is It” which hits the shelves internationally on October 26 and in North America on October 27 to coincide with the global release of the Jackson movie of the same name on October 28.

Disc 1 will feature the original album masters of some of Jackson’s biggest hits arranged in the same sequence as they appear in the film. The disc ends with two versions of the never-released, “This Is It,” which is featured in the film’s closing sequence and includes backing vocals by Jackson’s brothers.

Disc 2 offers previously unreleased versions of some of the artist’s classic tracks. This disc also features a touching spoken word poem from Jackson titled “Planet Earth” that has never been heard before, Sony said.

The film offers Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer, his career, and the stage spectacular that would have been. The film will provide moviegoers with an unforgettable front row experience compiled from extensive footage that shows Jackson’s meticulous preparation for his 2009 London shows.

Check out the new track below and weigh in with your thoughts:

The trailer for the upcoming Michael Jackson concert rehearsal film ‘Michael Jackson: This Is It’ debuted during the MTV Video Music Awards on September 13th, 2009. Check out the trailer below.

The film offers Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer, his career, and the stage spectacular that would have been. The film will provide moviegoers with an unforgettable front row experience compiled from extensive footage that shows Jackson’s meticulous preparation for his 2009 London shows.

Hard drives containing Michael Jackson‘s unreleased works are currently unaccounted for. The drives which were in the Jackson’s rented Holmby Hills, CA, mansion when he died suddenly in June, went missing hours after his untimely death in June. Michael jackson’s manager, Frank DiLeo, revealed to Rolling Stone that hours after Jackson’s death, the family descended on the house to claim all its contents.

LaToya Jackson reportedly took possession of computer hard drives that contain a trove of unreleased songs he recorded with A-list singers such as Ne-Yo, Akon, and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

“They backed up trucks, removing everything,” DiLeo was quoted as telling the magazine in its issue that hits newsstands on Friday. “They thought Michael owned it all, so they took even the rented furniture. That’s who’s going to run his estate?”

In a follow-up interview conducted with Reuters, DiLeo stated that he was “pretty sure” the hard drives were at the family’s Hayvenhurst compound in Encino, CA. DiLeo added “The estate lawyers will send out letters” to recover the drives so that the contents can be logged.”

DiLeo told Rolling Stone that there were at least 100 songs — including many recorded at Jackson’s 1980s peak — that were never released, including a few “sensational” tracks that were left off “Bad,” the 1987 follow-up to his blockbuster album “Thriller.”

For much more regarding the fight over Jackson’s estate, plus DiLeo’s insight over Jackson’s addiction, check out the whole story in the new issue of Rolling Stone.

On January 27th 1984, Michael Jackson was shooting a Pepsi commercial in front of thousands of fans at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium when something went horribly wrong.

The incident occurred when the pyrotechnics were set off too early on the shoot’s sixth take, igniting Jackson’s hair and causing second and third degree burns to his face and scalp.

To relieve the second and third-degree burns on his scalp and body (and later to help him tolerate multiple surgeries on the scorched spot on his head), Jackson was prescribed several medications — which kicked off his addiction to painkillers and obsession with plastic surgery, multiple sources tell Us Weekly.

For the first time, Us Weekly exclusively reveals video from the accident. Fans be warned, the video is graphic.

A public memorial service for The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has been set and will take place on Tuesday, July 7, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, according to multiple media outlets.

Randy Philips, president and CEO of AEG, which runs the facility, told KNBC that the service, which will be open to the public, will begin at 10 a.m. Arrivals are set to begin at 8 a.m.

According to Philips, the overflow crowd will be accommodated at Nokia Plaza outside the venue, where widescreen TVs will broadcast the proceedings inside.

The Jackson family themselves have not yet confirmed the plans, and a Jackson spokesperson declined to comment. How fans could get one of the 20,000 tickets, or how much tickets would cost, was not answered in either report.