This Is It appears to be a hit with Jackson fans
U.S. singer Lionel Richie arrives at Japan premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It" in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. (AP)
Movie-ticket site Fandango reports that “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” hitting theaters last night, represents 77% of Fandango’s daily ticket sales. Fans ranking the film on Fandango are ranking the film a “must go.”
Here’s more information from Fandango on “This Is It.”
* 45% say they plan to see the movie in the theater more than once.
* 48% claim that since Michael Jackson’s untimely passing they are more interested in his past works.
* 76% had never seen Michael Jackson perform live in concert.
* 84% plan to buy the DVD when it comes out; 77% will buy the soundtrack album.
- Matt Price
Michael Jackson’s This Is It tops Dreamgirls
Michael Jackson fans arrive to buy tickets for the " Michael Jackson's This Is It" film, at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009. Tickets for the advance screening will go on sale Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. The film was produced from hundreds of hours of backstage footage of rehearsals last June. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” which releases on Oct. 28, has moved past “Dreamgirls” in MovieTickets.com’s list of the Top-25 Advance Ticket Sellers of All-Time. “This Is It” now ranks No. 22.
According to Movietickets.com, as of 3:30 PM EST “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” leads all ticket sales at MovieTickets.com. The behind-the-scenes concert film accounts for 33 percent of all tickets sold.
Tickets remain available for the film’s limited, two-week run.
- Matt Price
Adam Lambert’s Time for Miracles video to debut online
The music video for Adam Lambert’s “Time for Miracles” will debut on MySpace Music on Wednesday, it was announced today. “Time for Miracles” is from the Roland Emmerich film 2012, which comes to theaters on Nov. 13.
The song is available for purchase on iTunes and will be included on Lambert’s upcoming album.
The video will include images from the film and will be viewable at www.myspace.com/music starting midnight Wednesday.
Adam Lambert was the runner up to Kris Allen in the eighth season of “American Idol.” In the “Idol” finale, Lambert won raves for his performance of “We Are the Champions” with Queen.
- Matt Price
Lambert is currently recording his first album on 19 Recordings/RCA Records for a November 2009 release.
603 sellouts for Michael Jackson’s This Is It
With two weeks to go before release, MovieTickets.com reports 603 performances of “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” have sold out. It’s now No. 23 on MovieTickets.com’s all-time pre-seales list, passing “Quantum of Solace.”
Tickets are still available for “This Is It,” which is planned to have a limited, two-week run in theaters.
- Matt Price
Michael Jackson’s This is It enters top pre-sales list
With three weeks to go before its release, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” has entered MovieTickets.com‘s all time Top 25 Advance Ticket Sellers list.
“This Is It” knocks “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” from the list.
Looking at the same point in the sales cycle, 17 days from release, MovieTickets.com reports “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” is on the heels of “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds,” the highest grossing concert film of all-time, which sits at No. 7 on the all-time pre-sales list.
See the full list after the break.
Fans clamoring for Michael Jackson film
Michael Jackson fans arrive to buy tickets for the " Michael Jackson's This Is It" film, at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009. The film was produced from hundreds of hours of backstage footage of rehearsals last June. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Both MovieTickets.com and Fandango.com are reporting strong sales for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” concert film, four weeks prior to its release on Oct. 28.
MovieTickets.com reports 550 sold-out performances, and reports that “This Is It” accounts for 69 percent of ticket sales on the site. Sixty-seven percent of poll respondents at MovieTickets.com said they were ready to see Michael Jackson on the big screen.
At Fandango, “This Is It” is outpacing the Hannah Montana 3D concert film by a factor of 3 to 1 at the same point in the sales cycle.
“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” was responsible for Fandango’s biggest Sunday pre-sales a full month prior to a film’s release date, according to a release from the site.
- Matt Price
Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’ tickets selling briskly
There still seems to be a fervor for Michael Jackson, based on pre-sales of tickets to his final film. “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” details Jackson’s preparations and rehearsals for the planned concert series of the same name.
As of 10 a.m. ET today, “This Is It” accounted for 82 percent of all ticket sales at MovieTickets.com, according to a report from the ticket-selling site.
More than 160 performances of the two-week run have already sold out, according to MovieTickets.com. “This Is It” begins its limited run in theaters on October 28.
- Matt
Rock Band, Beatles ‘come together’ in dazzling new game
Relive the Beatles’ career in “The Beatles: Rock Band,” a video-game celebration of the most popular band in rock history.
The gameplay is fairly typical for “Rock Band,” in which gamers can play drums, bass, guitar or sing as they re-create some of the Beatles’ greatest hits. Added for “The Beatles” is the introduction of harmony on the vocal line. Gamers can plug in up to four microphones, allowing multiple performers to get in on the harmonies.
Players begin in 1963, with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison performing at the Cavern Club. From there, the band moves to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” to Shea Stadium, and beyond.
In story mode, the gamer re-enacts the career of the Beatles through 45 songs. Chapter Challenges require the gamer to repeat the songs at a higher level to unlock additional photos. And more songs are on the way: Three Beatles albums — “Abbey Road,” “Rubber Soul” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” — will be downloadable in coming months.
“The Beatles: Rock Band” doesn’t allow the gamer to import or export characters to or from other “Rock Band” games, but perhaps that’s appropriate. As much as “The Beatles: Rock Band” appears to be a mini-documentary in game form, it’d be pretty jarring for other characters to jump in and out of the game.
Adding to that documentary feel is the in-studio audio chatter in the “Abbey Road” portion of the game, which captures never-before released audio conversations among the Beatles.
There are multiple ways to buy “The Beatles: Rock Band.” The retail price of the game is $59.99. Want to go for total immersion? The premium bundle offers the game plus controllers modeled on McCartney’s Hofner bass and Starr’s Ludwig drum kit, along with a microphone and a mike stand, for $249.99. And sold separately are controllers based on Lennon’s Rickenbacker and George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, priced at $99.99 each. Additionally, the game will work with previous “Rock Band” controllers and most “Guitar Hero” and third-party controllers.
The game succeeds at both of its probable goals: Expand the “Rock Band” demographic to include baby boomers, and expose younger gamers to Beatles music. With a “no-fail” option on the easy levels, those who haven’t played “Rock Band” will find “Beatles” a comfortable first start. And the quality of the musical presentation on “Beatles” will undoubtedly lure some new fans for the band from the music-gaming set.
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
By Matthew Price
Raining Sunshine video to debut during iCarly
Because even though there is huge news on the huge Disney acquisition of Marvel today, I’m sure my daughters are even MORE excited about iCarly news. So here’s the latest press release about Miranda Cosgrove’s new music video for the 3-D animated feature “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” also features the voice of Oklahoma native Bill Hader.
From Sony:
CULVER CITY, Calif., August 28, 2009 – The music video for “Raining Sunshine,” the new song performed by Miranda Cosgrove for Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming 3-D animated feature Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, will premiere tomorrow night, Saturday, Aug. 29 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT), on Nickelodeon during the hit Emmy-nominated series iCarly.
Viewers can get a sneak peek of the video on Nickelodeon at 10:00 a.m. (ET/PT) Saturday morning during SpongeBob Squarepants.
The song “Raining Sunshine” is currently available for purchase on iTunes as a single, and will also be included on the soundtrack album to the motion picture, together with original score composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, on both iTunes and Amazon on September 15.
“We’re excited to premiere Miranda’s new energetic and colorful music video on Nickelodeon,” said Doug Cohn, Senior Vice President, Music and Talent, Nickelodeon. “Fans will love seeing another side of their favorite Nickelodeon star as she performs her new song ‘Raining Sunshine.’”
In 2009, Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children’s book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain.
Bill Hader, star of Saturday Night Live and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, will voice Flint Lockwood, a young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone’s life. Anna Faris, who recently turned heads as the star of the comedy hit The House Bunny, takes on the role of Sam Sparks, a weathergirl covering the phenomenon who hides her intelligence behind a perky exterior. James Caan plays Tim Lockwood, Flint’s technophobic father. Andy Samberg plays Brent, the town bully who has plagued Flint since childhood. Bruce Campbell plays Mayor Shelbourne, who figures out that Flint’s invention can put the town, and more importantly himself, on the map. Mr. T plays the by-the-rules town cop Earl Devereaux. Neil Patrick Harris rounds out the cast as the voice of Steve, Flint’s monkey.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is written for the screen and directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, based upon the bestselling children’s book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. The film is produced by Pam Marsden.
Miranda Cosgrove stars as Carly Shay, a cool teen who clicks with kids everywhere by hosting her own home-grown web show, in Nickelodeon’s hit, Emmy-nominated series iCarly. The series is currently the #1 live action show on Nickelodeon. In addition, Cosgrove is signed to Sony Music’s Columbia Records and is currently working on her first solo album.
Cosgrove was recently nominated for a 2009 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress and iCarly was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program. In addition, iCarly won a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Show in 2009 and Miranda won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series (comedy or drama) – leading young actress. Her other acting credits include roles in Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh and the feature films School of Rock and Yours, Mine and Ours. iCarly airs regularly Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
Michael Jackson ‘This is It’ film moves up release by 2 days
The Michael Jackson “This is It” film, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Jackson’s preparations for the planned concert series in London, has moved its release date up by two days, to Oct. 28. Tickets will go on sale in most cities on Sunday, Sept. 27. The film is scheduled to play for two weeks only. See the full release after the break.
