Radio Interview About Michael - Help Needed

TheChosenOne

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Hi everyone. A radio station here in Barbados is featuring Michael's music all week. And I have been invited to come in to the studio tomorrow (Friday) to talk all things MJ - fun facts and figures and my fave songs.

The latter I have sorted (kinda).

But I am struggling with the funs facts and figures part. I need help. I have been a fan for over 30 years and I have forgotten so much MJ trivia over that time (LOL) that I cannot think what might be of interest to the general.

Please help!

Thanks in advance.
 
Most charitable pop star ever
Most earnings in a single year by a musician, living or dead
Coolest person to ever live (may have made that one up ;))
 
Hope this can help a little (if you are not already on the radio). Some fun things I can think of:

-His nick name is Apple Head
-First black artist played on MTV with Beat It. '' 'Beat It' was something that MTV just couldn't deny and certainly opened the door for Prince and others to be on MTV." said Gail Mitchell, Billboard's R&B senior. Rock stations were playing 'Beat It.' Michael showed that music can be universal and incorporate all these elements, that you can be a mainstream artist and be creative."
-The music video for Beat It was financed by Michael Jackson himself ($150.000) and the video features some real gang members of Bloods & Crips
-Thriller was release late 1982 and saved Epic (CBS) and the music industry. Billboard reported that record shipments had declined by 50 million units between 1980 and 1982. As of Aug. 13 1982 it was Black Friday at CBS. 300 people got fired that day alone. "Half of the marketing department was let go at Epic. It was very upsetting because nothing like that had ever happened before." according to Epic/Portrait/CBS Associated Labels VP of merchandising Dan Beck.
Then Jackson changed everything. "There is no question that 'Thriller' was the driving force behind what became the hottest span in Epic's history," Beck says.
- The Making of Thriller VHS changed the home video market. Michael released it to finance the whole film production, cause CBS didn't want to invest in a music video cause the album Thriller already was a big succes in late 1983. Before this release VHS & Betamax were only sold to rental stores and not directly to consumers. The high sales of this home video made Hollywood see the potential of the home-video business.
they remixed the entire album over a marathon weekend, says Ron McCarrell, VP of marketing for Epic/Portrait/CBS Associated Labels.
-January 31 1993, Jackson performed at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in Pasadena, California. Jackson's performance started the NFL's trend of signing top acts to appear during the Super Bowl to attract more viewers and interest.
- Michael Jackson was Jehova Witness and was afraid the Jehova community would condemn him for making the Thriller video. That's why there's a statement before the short film starts.
- Blood on the Dance floor is the biggest selling remix album over 6 million discs sold.
-The sequin jacket of Michael Jackson Motown 25 Billie Jean perfomance was a jacket out of his mothers closet. He made it his own with the trademark hat, single glove and moonwalk
-Michael wore band aid on his fingers to emphasize his movement.
-Michael Jackson already wore a single glove during some performances of the Destiny Tour in the late 70s
-Michael Jackson coudn't read music, but beatboxed/sang his music layer for layer to musicians.
-Coco Cola also offered Michael Jackson an endorsement deal after Thriller (1 million dollar), but Pepsi-Co would over more (5 million dollar) and would sponsor his US tour with his brothers. Later he partnered again with Pepsi for his Bad and Dangerous Tour.
-Michael Jackson made people do the Pepsi challenge at his Neverland Ranche (for instance the mother of Ryan White, Jeanne)
-In 2014 Michael Jackson became the first artist with Top 10 singles over 5 decades. Love Never Felt so peaked at #9 and his previous hit You Rock my World reached #10 in 2001.
-Michael Jackson secretly Co-Wrote the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but Jackson wasn’t happy with how the music turned out after Sega compressed his tracks into a series of bloops and bleeps. You can recognize a little bit of his song Stranger in Moscow in some tracks.
-At first Michael Jackson had a desert video in mind for Smooth Criminal.
-Michael Jackson sang background vocals on songs as State of Independant by Donna Summer and All I do by Stevie Wonder
-Michael Jackson is heard as a singer and narrator on the audiobook and soundtrack album of 1982 blockbuster movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The release was well-received critically and he won a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children. He felt most proud of this award in comparison to the other 7 Grammys he won that night for his album Thriller.
He felt a strong connection to the character E.T. because of feeling alienated when he was in a new strange place where he didn't know anyone (because of traveling/touring), the need to be accepted and E.T. was also most comfortable with children around. He felt he could trust children the most.
-Michael Jackson's Ghosts of 1996 was co-written by horror novelist Stephen King alongside Mick Garris.
-Michael Jackson first crotch grab that ever was recorded on film can be seen in outtakes of Disney's 3D Themepark Movie Captain Eo. In the final cut the moment of the grab is replaced with a close up of co-star Anjelica Huston. Here's the signature grab move. https://youtu.be/rKZbQnLAGpA?t=12m7s
 
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