Michael Jackson

The ten most noteworthy music publicity stunts

Sometimes flawless technique, inspired lyrics and a devoted fan base aren't enough. Sometimes you've gotta do something outlandish to step up your game and grab the world's attention. Some would say that getting on a stage and saying, "Hey! Watch what I'm doing!" might be considered attention-seekin ... More >>

The five best concerts in Denver this weekend

In most towns, going out the weekend after New Year's is probably as deflating and anti-climatic as showing up a week after the Broncos have won the Super Bowl -- after the impromptu revelry in the streets and the work-stopping weekday parade makes its way through the streets of downtown -- and expe ... More >>

Twenty fabled moments in Denver music: #19: Michael Jackson hides out here in 1984

Over the course of the next few weeks, Backbeat will be counting down the twenty most fabled moments in Denver music history. Today, a look back at Michael Jackson's week-long stay here in Mile High City in 1984 and the secrecy surrounding it. Long before Michael Jackson's name became shorthand for ... More >>

Michael Jackson songs stolen by hackers

Remember last year when the hacker group Lulz Security nabbed credit card data and other personal information from Sony PlayStation Network? Around the same time, two British hackers lifted unreleased songs by Michael Jackson from the Sony Music Entertainment computer system. The two hackers are so ... More >>

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: Remembering the greatest performer of all time

Lauded as the greatest performer of all time, Michael Jackson was a dancing, singing, performing phenomenon, and we are not likely to see another performer of his caliber ever again. The life of Michael Jackson is well documented, his struggles, imperfections and sometimes bizarre behavior, but one ... More >>

Michael Jackson's shocking recording in Conrad Murray trial: Bad press for Phil Anschutz?

If you haven't yet heard the recording of a doped-up Michael Jackson played in the Dr. Conrad Murray trial (check it out below), you'll be shocked. But while Murray's the man in the hot seat, will the case's revelations splash back on Denver's Phil Anschutz, who stood to profit handsomely had Jackso ... More >>

The 27 Club? More like the posthumous platinum club: Albums sales spurred by death

​You can go on for days debating the musical mysteries of the so called 27 Club -- which includes Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and now Amy Winehouse -- but one thing is certain: The death of these artists had a profound impact on their subsequent sales. Pearl, for example, was rele ... More >>

Visions of Michael Jackson, the holy clothespeg and more from The Church of Surrealism

​Give anyone who wants it access to unlimited bandwidth, and people are bound to come up with some weird shit. Consider: though there is no real available count, the number of videos currently posted to YouTube by some estimates is in the multiple billions. Some of these videos go viral, of co ... More >>

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson show: Finally, something scarier than Circus Circus

Three zombie fashions for March of the Zombies III

Zombies: So hot right now.​As Summer Jackson, organizer of the third annual March of the Zombies Fashion Show, observes, there's a certain logic to zombie fashion: "You're sort of frozen in time when the zombie attacks happen" -- in effect, a stylish person makes a stylish zombie. And since bo ... More >>

Tonight: Who's Bad The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute at The Bluebird

​There's nothing like the real thing. But sometimes, the real thing isn't available, and a fake version of Michael Jackson will more than do -- especially for under twenty bucks. Even before The King of Pop passed away, North Carolina's Who's Bad has been putting jaw-dropping shows (since 2004 ... More >>

Mochipet spins on December 10 at City Hall

Michael Jackson, and why we liked him so much more after he was dead

​ Since time immemorial, we've liked our artists deceased. The fame, the money, you may experience those in your lifetime. But the respect, that only comes after you die--preferably young and in an unexpected way. From Vincent van Gogh to Robert Johnson, the list on artists who passed on to ... More >>

Top Ten Best Chiptune Pop Demakes

As you may or may not be aware there is an entire scene of people demaking popular songs into 8-bit blips and bloops. While chiptunes, in general, have always attracted the most circuit-minded of musicians, the demakes themselves are a genre all their own. As the Tron clip above demonstrates, they ... More >>

Top five TV themes ripe for mashup

Have you heard "Office Musik" yet? It's Clockwork mashing Lil' Wayne's "Hustler Musik" with the theme from The Office. It's good. So good that we listened to it about fifteen times yesterday. So good that it was Hype Machine's number one track at the same time that Entertainment Weekly wrote it up ... More >>

MTV sheds the "Music Television" portion of its identity

Jeremyville.com​In terms of startling revelations, news that MTV has dropped "Music Television" from its brand ranks right up there with the results of Michael Jackson's recent autopsy revealing that the King of Pop was indeed rather gaunt at the time of his death. Anyone who's caught even t ... More >>

Ten things not reported in Michael Jackson's autopsy

The Los Angeles coroner's office released Michael Jackson's autopsy report this week, and the King of Pop proved he still had a few surprises up his red-leather sleeve. To note: He was thin (136 pounds), nearly bald (he wore wigs), and had tattoos (hairline, eyes, and lips). But these were only t ... More >>

Michael Jackson top seller at Bart's CD Cellar

​Michael Jackson's This is It came in first at Bart's CD Cellar for the week ending November 15 while Gov't Mule's By a Thread and Triple C's Custom Cars & Cycles grabbed the second and third spots respectively. Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 and Creed's Full Circle rounded out the top five ... More >>

Phil Anschutz's profits on Michael Jackson's This Is It film: Ka-ching!

The planet still loves little Michael.​Denver mega-buckser Phil Anschutz has reportedly recouped his entire investment in the late Michael Jackson's aborted "This Is It" tour (after seeming on the verge of multi-million-dollar losses) thanks to the sale of rehearsal footage that makes up the j ... More >>

Things you see on the Fox 31 morning show

​For reasons that remain unclear, I worked this morning with Fox 31 morning show playing silently on the nearby TV. Just so you don't worry that you missed something while driving to work, here are some of the stories I caught: - An update on the Michael Jackson death investigation with a TMZ ... More >>

DJ Chonz MJ tribute mixtape is one of the best so far... and it's free!

Since Michael Jackson's death, DJs worldwide have been putting together different mixtapes honoring the King of Pop's music and legacy. While there have been some a good ones, a majority of them aren't mixed and you can get the same effect by selecting shuffle on the MJ music in your iPod. But DJ Ch ... More >>

Michael Jackson memorial: More money out of Phil Anschutz's pocket

A Flickr photoThe Staples Center, where Michael Jackson's memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. Mountain time today. The throng already descending on Los Angeles this morning to attend the Michael Jackson memorial service is being estimated in the seven-figure range, and as the Los Angeles Ti ... More >>

Michael Jackson's death helping Denver's economy, too

Next stop, Jacko. Although Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz may not be adding to his bankroll as a result of Michael Jackson's death, folks associated with Denver International Airport stand to make a few extra bucks. A report posted on the U.K.-based Cheapflights website notes that so many Brits a ... More >>

Michael Jackson tribute planned tonight at Film on the Rocks

Just received word from our friends over at Theaters and Arenas that the Denver Film Society is planning some sort of special Michael Jackson tribute tonight after the Rouge's set, which kicks off at 6:45, and just before the screening of Jaws at dusk. Despite our dogged persistence, our peeps simpl ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, July 7 edition

Photo by Cajun BoyMongo meets meat. Everyone form a line. Today in Cafe Society: • Hot Diggity Dog: Denver's Mongo Marquez joined the big leagues at Nathan's on July 4. • Civic Center Eats: Sweet Revenge cookies. • Tonight: Frasca wines paired with small plates from MiniBAR. • Where am I d ... More >>

Jeremih grabs top spot at Independent Records

After six weeks in the number one spot, Eminem was finally knocked down to the third slot by new albums by Jeremih and Killswitch Engage for the week ending July 5. Michael Jackson's 25th anniversary edition of Thriller grabbed the number four slot and Wilco's Wilco (the album), released last week o ... More >>

Wilco top seller at Twist and Shout

Wilco's latest effort, Wilco (the album), grabbed the top spot while Meese's Atlantic debut, Broadcast, nabbed the second slot at Twist & Shout for the week ending July 5. Three Michael Jackson albums were in the top ten and Regina Spektor's Far was knocked down to the seventh slot from number ... More >>

Remembering the King of Pop

Analyzing MJ's influence on hip-hop.

We stumbled across this enlightening graphical breakdown yesterday as we made our way across the Twitterverse. Somebody named Ethan Hein, a cat who evidently has a great deal of time on his hands, took the time and painstaking effort to deconstruct and then chart Michael Jackson's influence on the h ... More >>

The legacy of the Michael Jackson-Crystal Cartier lawsuit

The cover of the 1991 Michael Jackson album "Dangerous." While TV networks aplenty have rehashed the late Michael Jackson's various legal battles over child-molestation allegations, they've neglected his early '90s court appearance in Denver, when he defended himself against accusations from singer ... More >>

Michael Jackson's single, bedazzled glove: What's up with that?

In all the wall-to-wall coverage and rampant speculation in the wake of Michael Jackson's passing -- over the cause of his death, his sexuality, the true paternity of his kids -- we couldn't help but notice that there's one aspect of Jackson's persona that been completely overlooked, an eternal burn ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 30 edition

See you next month. Today in Backbeat Online: • Rabbit is a Sphere giving away entire discography. • Michael Jackson's single, bedazzled glove: What's up with that? • MP3 Freeloader: The Nautical Mile Sunday, July 5 at hi-dive. • CacheFlowe's "Computer World" video. • Download a track f ... More >>

How much will Michael Jackson's death cost Phil Anschutz?

A lot of people stand to make a lot of money from Michael Jackson's death -- record labels, iTunes, memorabilia manufacturers and more. But don't count Phil Anschutz among their number. The Denver-based billionaire is among the sharpest businessmen ever to call Colorado home, yet he's all but guar ... More >>

Eminem keeps dominating charts at Independent Records

For the sixth week in a row, Eminem grabbed the top spot at Independent Records for the week ending June 28. Mars Volta's new album, Octahedron, and Mike E. Clark's Psychopathic Murder Mix V. 1 compilation came in second and third while four Michael Jackson albums, including the 25th Anniversary edi ... More >>

Regina Spektor top seller at Twist and Shout

Regina Spektor's latest release, Far, was the top seller at Twist & Shout for the week ending June 28. Local faves Paper Bird's new EP, Sky Underground, nabbed the number two slot and brand new albums from Dinosaur Jr. and Mars Volta also grabbed slots in the top five. See the full breakdown aft ... More >>

Vintage radio ad for Michael Jackson's Denver tour from 1988 and 911 call

As expected, it's been all-Michael Jackson-all-the-time at most news outlets today, including ours. Over the course of our surfing this morning, we came across several items of interest that we thought we'd post. First, a vintage recording of radio commercial from 1988 touting Jackson's Bad tour tha ... More >>

Michael Jackson's real legacy: A compilation of bad local moonwalk videos

I could talk about how Thriller was my first cassette and what it felt like listening to those foreboding synthesizers and Vincent Price monologue coming out of my dinky one-speaker tape player. Or I could talk about what it's been like watching my two-year-old son grooving to "Billie Jean" on his ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 26 edition

Photo by Aaron ThackerayBy the time you get to see Phoenix.... So far today, all of America's remaining pop-culture icons seem to be hanging in there.... Today in Backbeat Online: • Last Night's Show: Phoenix at The Bluebird. • Polytoxic drummer Chadzilla hitches a ride with Slim Cessna's Auto ... More >>

How I missed my chance to see Michael Jackson live

An image from the Jacksons' 1984 Victory tour. Regrets: I've had a few. And one of them is not going to see Michael Jackson in concert when I had free tickets to do so. The year was 1984, and to make money while attending UCLA, I worked at the famous (and now long gone) Tower Records branch on L.A ... More >>

Remembering Michael Jackson's legal faceoff against Denver's Crystal Cartier

Crystal Cartier. Along with tributes to Michael Jackson's music following word of his death yesterday, news reports have (rightly) gone into detail about his assorted legal troubles -- particularly those involving accusations of child molestation. But none that I've seen have recalled a trial that ... More >>

New media and Michael Jackson's death

MJ. Like most people, I didn't learn about Michael Jackson's death yesterday via traditional media outlets. Instead, I heard from a much more reliable source: Westword receptionist Christina Salazar, who was announcing the news to a gaggle of co-workers as I walked toward the front desk. At first, ... More >>

L.A. Weekly speaks with MJ's lawyer

Last night, our counterparts over at the L.A. Weekly posted an exclusive interview with Bob Sanger, Michael Jackson's attorney for sixteen years. It's a good read. A candid conversation, the exchange offers some interesting insights about Jackson, like how well read he was, and is fully worth checki ... More >>

R.I.P. Michael Jackson, 1958 - 2009

By now you've heard that Michael Jackson died today at his home in California. Evidently, he had rented a place out in Belaire and was rehearsing for fifty sold out shows at O2 in London, the first four of which he had already reportedly postponed. Dubbed "This Is It," the shows were supposed to rev ... More >>

Mister Lonely

Harmony Korine creates a Neverland for celeb impersonators in the singular and sincere Mister Lonely.

Rush Hour 3

The third time's the guilty pleasure for Tucker and Chan's buddy cop franchise.

Critical Fatwa

Michael Jackson

Off Limits

Walk softly and carry a big shtick

Best Large Venue

Gothic Theatre

Beer Here

Brew fans gather will gather at the Colorado Convention Center.

DANGEROUS LIAISONS