PepsiCo Inc. is going on a reunion tour with The King of Pop.

I’m excited to see what they are going to do with this whole thing.  It’ll be nice to see and hear new things from Michael.  I miss him, so any chance I get to see him would be great.  A lot of people feel different about posthumous promotions of any fashion, but more people are all for it.  I think it’s going to be huge.  I’m hoping they wont forget us diet drinkers when they’re making those new cans.  Nicki Minaj is also teamed with Pepsi with her song Moments for Life.

The Purchase, N.Y.-based company on Thursday announced its deal with the estate of Michael Jackson to use the late pop star’s image for its new global marketing push. The nature of the promotion will vary by country, but will include special edition cans bearing Jackson’s image, a TV ad in some markets and chances to download remixes of some of Jackson’s most famous songs.

Pepsi, which first partnered with Jackson in 1983, did not disclose the terms of its deal with the singer’s estate.

The promotion is part of a global marketing blitz planned for the year ahead by Pepsi, which is looking to revive its brand and win back market share from The Coca-Cola Co. Next week, Pepsi is also launching a TV ad featuring singer Nicki Minaj and announcing details of its partnership with Twitter to stream concerts online.

The broader “Live For Now” campaign is intended to amplify the company’s longstanding ties with pop culture, said Brad Jakeman, who oversees the creative strategy for Pepsi’s carbonated drinks around the world.

Pepsi has a lot riding on its new push. Although the company has a diverse portfolio of brands including Frito-Lay, Quaker Oats and Tropicana, it’s often judged by the performance of its namesake cola. And in 2010, Pepsi was knocked out of the No. 2 spot among sodas in the U.S. by Diet Coke, with Coke remaining in the No. 1 position, according to the industry tracker Beverage Digest.

Last month, Pepsi also reported that volume in its key Americas beverages unit slipped by 1 percent in the first three months of the year.

The Jackson promotion is one aspect of Pepsi’s strategy to reverse that slide. Consumers in the U.S. and China will be the first to get a taste of the campaign in coming weeks, which is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of “Bad,” the singer’s multi-platinum album. The campaign will spread to about two dozen countries by fall.

In the U.S., the company is rolling out collectible 16-ounce blue cans that bear an image of Jackson striking one of his iconic poses. Consumers will be able to scan codes on the cans with their phones to download remixed tracks from “Bad.”

In the Chinese market, consumers will also see a TV ad featuring Jackson’s music. Contests will also let consumers win tickets to a Michael Jackson-inspired show by Cirque du Soleil and leather jackets inspired by the singer’s style. The global campaign builds on Pepsi’s deal with the singer’s estate last year to use his image in a commercial that premiered during the “The X Factor” TV show last year.

Although Pepsi is banking on the nostalgia Jackson can evoke, the partnership also resurrects painful memories.

In 1984, Jackson’s hair famously caught fire while filming a commercial for Pepsi at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The blaze happened after a spark from a pyrotechnics display landed on the singer’s head. Jackson suffered severe burns and many trace his addiction to painkillers to the incident. Pepsi gave Jackson $1.5 million as a result.

Other music partnerships have led to controversy for Pepsi as well. In 2002, conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly ran a segment criticizing Pepsi for an ad featuring the rapper Ludacris. The company pulled the ad the next day, but ran into trouble a few months later when it ran ads featuring Ozzy Osbourne, who is known for peppering his speech with swear words. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons urged a boycott and the issue was resolved after Pepsi agreed to donate $3 million to charity.

The partnership with Nicki Minaj hasn’t yet raised many eyebrows, even though her lyrics also contain profanity and sexual content. Jakeman noted that Minaj’s song “Moment for Life” was selected for the ad because of specific lyrics that perfectly captured the Pepsi ethos of living in the moment.

 

It wont be an immediate try for an appeal. They are going to wait until after sentencing on November 29th.  I’m not sure why, but he and his lawyers feel confident that they will get Murray a new trial.  Conrad’s lawyer Ed Chernoff said, “what matters most right now is trying to keep Dr. Murray from taking up a prison cell in this community, that’s what we’re focusing on right now and we’ll deal with an appeal after that.”

Conrad Murray is being kept in a section of the Los Angeles County jail where high-profile prisoners are kept….”medical area.” This is where they keep prisoners who are on suicide watch. They say he is in that section because there are more guards in that area then any other area.

Murray’s license to practice medicine is now suspended in California. The medical board will now open an investigation to full revoke his license to practice in California. So far it has not been determined when the determination will take place. Surely there’s no rush since he’s locked up.

Source: CNN

Justice has been served!!

Murray sat stone-faced and showed little reaction at the verdict.  He was handcuffed and taken into custody without bail until sentencing on Nov. 29. Murray appeared calm as officials led him out of the courtroom.

There was a shriek in the courtroom when the verdict was read, and the crowd erupted outside the courthouse. The judge polled the jury, and each juror answered “yes” when asked whether their verdict was guilty.

After the verdict was read, you can hear La Toya Jackson and Kathy Hilton cry.

The jury deliberated less than nine hours. Murray, 58, faces a sentence of up to four years in prison. He could also lose his medical license.

Katherine Jackson was very satisfied with the guilty verdict as she left the courthouse moments ago she said, “Justice was served. I thank the jury for doing the right thing.”

Source AP

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Once the verdict has been reached, the court gives all involved 2 hours to get to the courtroom. This mean we have about 2 hrs from now 2:00p est to hear the verdict. Stay tuned.

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Today we find out if Conrad will take the stand. I so hope he does. I’m a little afraid that this thing could end up like the Casey Anthony case, because now this new profodol quack is leaving doubt in the prosecutions claims. Leave your views.

It doesn’t take  rocket science to see that Michael Jackson’s estate has a strong hold at #1.  It’s only fitting that Elvis, The King shares the top spots.  With Michael still coming out with fresh things, I think he will stay at #1 for quite some time. There are a lot of other estates that are making tons of loot as well.

Marilyn Monroe came in 3rd with 27 million, Charles Shultz (Charlie Brown) came in 4th.  Bob Marley’s estate has big time plans; so does Elizabeth Taylor’s and Marilyn’s.  2012 posthumous or deceased earners list should be interesting.  Lets hope Forbes learns to be more tactful or respectful in their wording in 2012.  “The Top-Earning Dead Celebrities” just sound cold to me.  Am I too sensitive? (shrugs) So what!!

It’s been two years since Michael Jackson passed away at the age of 50 but the King of Pop’s earning power shows no sign of waning. For the second year in a row, Jackson tops our annual list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. Over the past 12 months Jackson’s estate brought in $170 million from sales of his music and his stake in the Sony/ATV catalog. That’s a big drop from the $275 million Jackson earned in the previous 12 months but it’s still enough to make him the second highest-earning pop act over the past year, dead or alive, after U2. The 15 people on our list earned a combined $366 million between October 2010 and October 2011, which just goes to show that death is not the end when it comes to celebrities. Video: Forbes Top-Earning Dead Celebrities 9 images Photos: Near Misses 10 images Photos: Dead Celebrities-In Memoriam Songwriters who own their own work usually fare best on our list because their catalogs can keep selling well long after they’ve passed away. But now there’s a new way for dead pop stars to earn big: Cirque Du Soleil. Full List: The Top-Earning Dead Celebrities Jackson headed out on tour again this month with the Cirque Du Soleil show Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. If it’s successful, Jackson could net more touring in death than he did in life. Cirque and the King of Pop’s estate will split costs and profits evenly, and the cost of touring a Cirque show is less than that of a glitzy Michael Jackson round-the-world extravaganza. On top of that, the estate will collect performance royalties every night because the show uses his songs, most of which he has songwriting credits on. (See: Michael Jackson And The Economics Of Touring After Death) The Cirque show Viva Elvis helped Elvis Presley rank second on our list with $55 million. Of course Presley’s iconic songs, like “Hound Dog” and “Heartbreak Hotel,” still sell well and fans flock to Graceland. But a long-running Vegas show where tickets sell for as much as $175 a pop definitely gooses earnings. John Lennon, who ties for fifth on our list with $12 million, and George Harrison, tied for 13th with $6 million, both also benefited from Cirque. The show Love, based on Beatles music, has been running at The Mirage in Las Vegas since 2006. Video: The Top-Earning Dead Celebrities For celebrities who don’t have a music catalog to profit from after death, it helps to have been incredibly glamorous. Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away in March, joins the list this year in fifth place (tied with Lennon) with $12 million. Most of that money comes from Taylor’s best-selling perfume White Diamonds. According to Euromonitor sales of the scent brought in $54 million in the U.S. alone in 2010. (See: Elizabeth Taylor: The Next Big Thing?) Taylor’s estate is poised to earn much more in the coming months though when Christie’s auctions off the star’s jewels, art work and gowns starting Dec. 16. The jewels alone could bring in as much as $30 million. Taylor was so beloved that Christie’s has taken the items out on tour in the run-up to the auction. Depending on how the executors of her estate decide to move forward with licensing her image, Taylor could soon become as big as Marilyn Monroe, who returns to our list with $27 million in earnings over the past year, ranking her third. Earlier this year Authentic Brand Management bought the rights to Monroe’s estate. The company, which also holds the rights to Bob Marley’s estate, is now trying to revamp the star’s image by going for more highbrow licensing deals like upscale clothing, fragrances and cosmetics. (See: Marilyn Monroe Makeover) A line of Marilyn Monroe cafes is in the works and don’t be surprised to see Monroe starring in films again. She’s already appeared opposite Charlize Theron in an ad for J’Adore perfume. To place on this year’s list a deceased celebrity had to have earned at least $6 million between October 2010 and October 2011. To compile our list, we spoke to agents, lawyers and other sources to estimate each star’s gross earnings (before taxes, management fees and other costs).

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No. 1 Michael Jackson

$170 million
Musician…… edited by myself  to say (singer, actor, dancer and songwriter) Musician? As if he was a guitar or piano player.
Died: June 25, 2009
Age: 50
Cause: Overdose

No. 2 Elvis Presley

$55 million
Singer, Actor
Died: Aug. 16, 1977
Age: 42
Cause: Heart attack

No. 3 Marilyn Monroe

$27 million
Actress
Died: Aug. 5, 1962
Age: 36
Cause: Overdose

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I wish this would get over already. They are down to their last liar today. I wish people would realize that the man is on trial for involuntary manslaughter not murder. We know he didn’t intend on killing Michael, we do know he was negligent in so many ways. Sometimes I wonder where people process information at. In their azzes?

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Defense is up.

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An expert witness showed jurors how  Murray gave Michael a lethal dosage of Propofol after Michael stopped breathing.

“Had Conrad Murray been with Michael Jackson during this period of time, he would have seen the slowed breathing and the compromise in the flow of air into Michael Jackson’s lungs, and he could have easily turned off the propofol infusion.” Meaning had he been in the room when Michael stopped breathing, he could have stopped the propofol drip and also saved Michael.