Michael Jackson
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The A&E network reality show depicting the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death on his family, "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty," is slated to premiere on Sunday, December 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. According to an A&E spokesperson, the series will kick off a six-show run that night with two hour-long episodes.

The show will focus on the lives of brothers Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon Jackson as they make preparations for a reunion tour that was reportedly to include a performance by Michael at a concert in Texas next summer. Shooting on the series cranked up again following Jackson's death in June, and episodes will also reportedly focus on the brothers' reactions to the shocking passing of the King of Pop.

There have been conflicting reports about whether Jackson's three young children — whom the singer vigorously tried to hide from cameras and paparazzi during his life — will appear on the program. An A&E spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment on whether the children will be included in the show.

In a 30-second preview of the show, tagged "You only think you know them," the brothers can be heard in voiceover discussing their comeback. "It's been 20 years since we were in the studio," one says. "How are we going to make this happen?" another replies.

"I never wanted to hurt y'all; I never wanted to be separated," a third pleads over stock footage of their modest upbringing in Gary, Indiana, as the phrase "The wait is over" flashes on the screen. "We've never forgotten where we come from," another says. "What do we got? Each other. Let's show them who we are."

The second half of the clip shows the brothers rehearsing dance steps to the strains of the group's hit "ABC," as one of them intones, "We're family; we'll be Jackson 5 until the day we die."

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Michael Jackson
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In one of the more bizarre media events surrounding Michael Jackson's death, on Friday British television network Sky 1 will broadcast a live séance with the singer's spirit.

In a special "intimate and unique" hour-long event — dubbed "Michael Jackson: The Live Séance" — British psychic Derek Acorah will attempt to contact Jackson's spirit, with the hope of giving the King of Pop's fans the opportunity "to connect with their hero one last time."

"There is an insatiable appetite to find out more about Michael Jackson," Stuart Murphy, Sky 1's director of programs, told Yahoo UK earlier this month. "He was an extraordinary figure and the curiosity surrounding his life — and his death — stretches well beyond fans of his music."

Just how Acorah —best known to British audiences for his long-running paranormal TV series "Ghost Towns" — plans on contacting Jackson's spirit is a closely guarded secret, but according to Kirsty Howell, a publicist for Sky 1, the séance will be held "on an island ... in a secret location familiar to Jackson" before an audience of fans and friends, and will feature mementos from his life.

"We have chosen genuine Michael Jackson fans and people who knew him throughout his life to take part in this event," Howell added. "Derek will also have a personal item from Michael Jackson, and will invite everyone to sit quietly and channel positive thoughts ... he can't force Michael to appear, but he will try inviting his spirit by creating welcoming environment."

Howell added that Sky 1 was aware that some Jackson fans might object to the program, but that it's not meant to be exploitive. Rather, she views it as a tribute to the man and his legacy.

"There are so many Michael Jackson fans out there, people who celebrate his life and his music, and this show is another way for them to connect with him," she said. "We're huge fans of Michael Jackson, and this is a celebration of his life."

"Michael Jackson: The Live Séance" will air at 10 p.m. GMT on Sky 1, and is the second half of a progam examining the singer's life and death. From 9-10 p.m., the network will air "Michael Jackson: The Search for His Spirit," which, according to Sky's program guide, "takes fans on a journey celebrating the life of the troubled, but talented star." American psychic Bobby Marchesso and Jackson's "Thriller" video co-star, Ola Ray, are also featured on the show.

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"Michael Jackson's This Is It" soundtrack
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In death, as he was in life, Michael Jackson is still proving to be the King of Pop. In the same week that the documentary "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was the #1 movie in the land, the accompanying soundtrack will take the honors on the Billboard 200 albums chart. According to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, the "This Is It" soundtrack will assume the top spot with sales of 373,000, easily besting the week's other big debut, a #2 bow by reunited rockers Creed, whose Full Circle moved 110,000 units.

Thanks to the release of a deluxe edition last Monday, Taylor Swift's Fearless will move up four spots to #3 on sales of 109,000. While the more than 4 million in total sales for the album is impressive, Swift will also notch another major milestone this week, as her self-titled 2006 debut notches its 157th week in the top 200, beating out the previous record holder, Nickelback.

There are plenty of new entries in the top 10, including rock lifer Rod Stewart, whose latest covers album, Soulbook, slides in at #4 on sales of nearly 84,000. The holiday staples the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's latest snowy offering, Night Castle, debuts at #5 (83,000), and Sting's own holiday disc, If on a Winter's Night, comes in at #6 (80,000).

The rest of the top 10: Michael Buble's Crazy Love (#7, 71,000), the "New Moon" soundtrack (#8, 69,000), Tim McGraw's Southern Voice (#9, 59,000) and Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 (#10, 41,000).

Just outside the top tier, surfing troubadour Jack Johnson paddles in at #11 with his live disc, En Concert (39,000). Veteran rapper Tech N9ne hits #14 with K.O.D. (30,000). Oscar-winning former "Once" couple Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, recording as Swell Season, land at #15 with Strict Joy (28,000). Australian celestial rockers Wolfmother thunder to #16 with their second album, Cosmic Egg, and Train pull into the #17 spot with Save Me San Francisco (27,000).

Also debuting were the latest from thrashers Atreyu, Congregation of the Damned (#18, 26,000); soul smoothie Brian McKnight's Evolution of a Man (#20, 24,000) and Canadian twins Tegan and Sara's Sainthood (#21, 24,000). You can assume 50 Cent will have something to say about the so-so debut for Rick Ross' Triple C's crew, Custom Cars & Cycles, which lands softly at #44 on sales of just over 12,000.

The Bawse can perhaps take solace in those numbers by looking at the #125 debut by former Michael Jackson guitarist Orianthi, whose Believe barely sold 4,000 copies, despite her healthy screen time in the Jackson documentary. It was also a quiet open for freak-folk ringleader Devendra Banhart, whose major-label debut, What Will We Be, barely makes it into the top 200 at #139 on anemic sales of just under 4,000.

Look for another top-deck shuffle next week, thanks to the release of Carrie Underwood's latest, the soundtrack to hit TV show "Glee," the latest in the Now series, a live Nirvana album, a Foo Fighters greatest-hits compilations and Weezer's Raditude.

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Michael Jackson in "Michael Jackson's This Is It"
Photo: Sony/ AEG

As expected, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was the box-office champion over the Halloween weekend, taking in an estimated $21.3 million in the United States. The bigger news was that the documentary chronicling the King of Pop's final rehearsals for his planned 50-show comeback residency in London banked more than $101 million worldwide.

The totals easily made "This Is It" the #1 movie in America, beating out the still-strong thriller "Paranormal Activity," which was second with $16.5 million. Fans who didn't wait in line or rush out to see "This Is It" during its first few days in theaters also got a reprieve, as Sony Pictures — the studio that paid $60 million for the rights to release the film — announced that the planned two-week-only engagement will now be extended through Thanksgiving.

According to The Associated Press, "This Is It" had a strong debut all across the globe, taking in $10.4 million in Japan, $6.3 million in Germany, $7.6 million in Great Britain, $5.8 million in France and $3.2 million in China.

But despite the impressive open, "This Is It" still fell short of the $31.1 million domestic opening weekend of last year's "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert"; the film's total since its open on Tuesday was $32.5 million. Even with a slower opening weekend than the Cyrus movie — likely due to the plethora of other activities available on Halloween weekend — experts still predicted that "This Is It" has a very good shot at surpassing the $65.3 million take of the Cyrus movie, which currently holds the all-time record for music documentaries.

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Michael Jackson in "Michael Jackson's This Is It"
Photo: Sony/ AEG

LOS ANGELES — In life, Michael Jackson set records, sold out shows and entertained millions. Now he may be gone, but judging by the latest numbers from the smash documentary "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the iconic entertainer is continuing to astound.

Following on the heels of Tuesday night's $2.2 million haul at a series of midnight showings, "This Is It" took in another $7.4 million in its first full day of release — and another $12.7 million overseas. Overall, it gives the film a worldwide total of $20.1 million — impressive numbers for a midweek release, not to mention a documentary.

According to distributor Sony, Wednesday's total is the best daily gross for a film on a Wednesday in October. Placing nearly $1.5 million ahead of last weekend's box-office champ "Paranormal Activity," the movie about the King of Pop now seems poised to reign supreme at movie theaters nationwide on Halloween weekend. It will also almost definitely Moonwalk past such successful music-themed docs as "Madonna: Truth or Dare" ($15 million) and "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" ($19.2 million), setting its sights on the all-time champ "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert," which tops the list with $65.3 million.

The result of a massive bidding war that ensued in the weeks after Michael Jackson's June 25 death, "This Is It" was culled from more than 100 hours of the pop singer's rehearsal for a sold-out 50-date comeback tour in London. Filmed at the Forum and the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Sony paid $60 million for the rights to the footage, which was then compiled by Jackson collaborator and "High School Musical" director Kenny Ortega.

Featuring such memorable Michael Jackson hits as "Beat It," "Smooth Criminal" and "Thriller," the film debuted in 99 countries Wednesday and expands to 10 more on Thursday.

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Predictions were that "Michael Jackson's This Is It" could be the highest-grossing music film of all time, and the documentary chronicling the final concert rehearsals of the King of Pop got off to a good start. A series of late-night screenings pulled in $2.2 million in the U.S. on Tuesday, setting the film up for a possible #1 ranking at the box office this Halloween weekend, according to The Associated Press.

The fright-filled weekend could set up a showdown between the zombie-loving late pop star and the surprise success of low-budget horror flick "Paranormal Activity," which pulled in just $1.7 million on Tuesday after topping the box office last weekend. While "Activity" will expand to its widest release yet over the weekend when it unfolds on 2,400 screens, "This Is It" will be playing on more than 3,500 screens.

Pre-sales for "This Is It" Wednesday matinee screenings already surpass the total for the first night, according to Sony, the film's distributor.

The current record for the biggest concert movie is "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds," which last year banked a $31.1 million opening weekend and topped $65.3 million during its limited run. "This Is It" — culled from more than 100 hours of high-definition footage shot of Jackson rehearsing for his planned 50-date comeback residency at the O2 Arena in London this year — is slated to have a two-week engagement.

While "This Is It" had a healthy premiere at late-night showings Tuesday — in advance of its rollout on Wednesday in 99 countries — it did not come close to the best premiere-night bow ever. That achievement belongs to "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which raked in $13.2 million on a Thursday night before its official Friday release in summer 2006. Nor did it set a Tuesday night record — "Independence Day" holds that honor with $11.1 million in summer 1996.

Last year's "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" fell well behind Cyrus' box-office record at $19.2 million, followed by "Madonna: Truth or Dare" ($15 million) and last year's "U2 3D" ($10.2 million). Sony Pictures paid $60 million for the rights to the Jackson film, and experts predicted that the investment was likely worth it, given the intense interest in the film and anything Jackson-related in light of the singer's shocking death at age 50 on June 25.

Results for the film's first full day are slated to be released on Thursday (October 29).

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Mario Lopez
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It's no secret that Michael Jackson wanted his This Is It concerts to be a mind-blowing spectacle. With the release of the new documentary "Michael Jackson's This Is It," fans like "America's Best Dance Crew" host Mario Lopez can finally get an idea of what the world missed out on.

"Well, I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan. He can do no wrong in my eyes, so I was going to love it regardless," Lopez told MTV News on Wednesday (October 28) after seeing the film at the L.A. premiere. "But I thought it was awesome. I thought it was such a great preview of what could have been. ... I mean, it was really a huge spectacle. It was probably going to be the coolest concert, I think, that was ever around."

Lopez had high expectations for the film, but he was definitely floored by it, particularly Jackson's rehearsal performances. "He wasn't going full-out, but I didn't think it would look as polished as it did," he said. "And it was like we got to see the concert without actually seeing it. Every detail and aspect was pretty cool and pretty amazing. And to see that he was just marking it and not doing it full-out and it was still amazing performance, it's like, 'Man, I would love to have seen that live.' "

What surprised Lopez most about the flick was Jackson's tough demeanor. It was a side of MJ he didn't expect to see. "He came off as a perfectionist, involved in every aspect, every detail," Lopez said. "I don't know why I thought he'd be a lot more silly and goofing around, but he was very, very serious."

Describing the mood in the theater as "very festive," Lopez recalled how much he enjoyed some of the ideas that Jackson had come up with for the show. "I liked everything about it. It was very educating," he said. "And I know [director] Kenny Ortega pretty well and [choreographer] Travis Payne, and it was cool to see them in their element. I like the stuff when [Jackson] was with Humphrey Bogart and the 'Smooth Criminal' stuff. I thought it was very clever."

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Michael Jackson in "Michael Jackson's This Is It"
Photo: Sony/ AEG

A bevy of celebrities and critics have weighed in with their thoughts on "Michael Jackson's This Is It." And now fans are sharing their opinions about the film with MTV News.

"I loved the movie. The whole movie basically stood out to me," Cordet Van Zandt said. "It was phenomenal from beginning to end. It made me learn so much about him. He was so amazing. He was on cue of everything."

A fan from Switzerland named Christopher felt the film was sympathetic to Jackson. "We would like just to say it was very sensitive, and I feel very excited to see that," he said. "I think, about the movie, it was very sensitive. I appreciated when we saw the video about the nature, 'Human Nature.' I think that now were going to think of him in a different way."

"It's great. It's awesome. I highly recommend everyone see this movie," another fan raved. "There's so many good scenes. There's a scene he did with 'Smooth Criminal' and 'Thriller' that he did 3-D. I give it a 10. It's going to show a lot of people how true he was to his art form and how much humanity he had."

Clarence from Maryland agreed that the movie will remind fans and critics that MJ was a human being — and a considerate one at that: "The movie was a really nice movie. It showed Michael Jackson as a person, and he was thoughtful person."

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Michael Bearden
Photo: MTV News

"Michael Jackson's This Is It" is a celebration of the concerts that could have been. That's why when music supervisor Michael Bearden, along with director Kenny Ortega and choreographer Travis Payne, were putting the film together, they left out any scenes that address Jackson's untimely passing in June. Bearden revealed that while cameras were rolling when the tragic news was announced, you won't see that in the film.

"I'm glad we left some things out," Bearden, who also served as associate producer on the film, told MTV News after the premiere Tuesday night in Los Angeles. "Especially the announcement of his passing."

The crew involved in cutting together the film had very specific reasons why they didn't include that in the movie: They didn't feel it was the right place to address the issue. "That was filmed and we were gonna have it in, but we found we shouldn't have it."

Bearden went on to say when he knew that Jackson's three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, would most likely see the film, they made the executive decision to not include the footage of the announcement. "His children are going to watch this film and no one would want to relive that forever," he explained. "The world is already mourning, so we don't need to force it on them."

Instead, the film focuses on the positive aspects of that time in his life and how hard he was working to put on some amazing shows for his fans. "I think we have the great balance of his triumph and his comeback," Bearden continued. "And I'm very happy."

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Michael Jackson in "This Is It"
Photo: Sony

Though they participated in the rehearsals that comprise the footage of "Michael Jackson's This Is It," the dancers, musicians and producers working on Jackson's London concerts still find the movie moving.

"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, or if I even wanted to see it yet, but it was a big weight lifted off my shoulders," dancer Kaplow told MTV News. "It was beautiful. I'm so excited the world gets to see that Michael we saw. The Michael we knew, that we rehearsed with all the time. That's real. That's him."

Music supervisor Michael Bearden, who was also an associate producer on the film, says that it was incredible watching "This Is It" in a room packed with some of Jackson's closest friends and fans. Until then, he had only seen it with his colleagues, including director Kenny Ortega.

"It was amazing to hear the reactions and see that Michael Jackson was well received and loved," he said. "I'm just very happy. I've known him since 2001, so we had a genuine friendship and bond there. We both loved each other."

The team that worked on the film wanted to ensure that not only will fans see the pop legend on film, but also get an idea of what Jackson was setting out to do in his 50 concerts at the O2 arena. "One of the main things was his message for the world," Bearden said, adding that he felt the movie managed to get that message out.

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