Ali Larter Alice Dodd Alicia Keys Alicia Witt Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten
'We should leave the man alone,' director tells MTV News about why he chose not to helm 'Hitchcock' or 'The Girl.'
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Brian De Palma
Photo: MTV News
Elisha Cuthbert Eliza Dushku Emilie de Ravin Emma Heming Emma Stone Emma Watson Emmanuelle Chriqui Emmanuelle Vaugier Emmy Rossum Erica Leerhsen
Movie focuses on the singer's 'Bad' album.
By Gil Kaufman
<P>Director Spike Lee is finishing work on an upcoming documentary about Michael Jackson's landmark 1987 <I>Bad</I> album that will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the <I>Thriller</I> follow-up that has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.</P><P>Lee, who was friends with the late pop king and directed the official video for the posthumous single "This Is It,"
, said he learned a lot about MJ while making the as-yet-untitled movie.</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Behind The Scenes Of 'Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour'" id="vid:755805" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie will be part of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of <I>Bad</I>. "We have footage in this documentary that no one's ever seen, stuff that Michael shot himself, behind-the-scenes stuff," Lee said. "We had complete access to the vaults of Michael Jackson. ... He wrote 60 demos for the <I>Bad</I> record. Only 11 made it. So we got to hear a lot of that stuff, too, so it was just a great experience ... You don't have to be a Michael Jackson-head to enjoy this." <I>Bad</I>, which was released more than five years after Jackson's breakthrough, <I>Thriller</I>, the best-selling album of all time, is also one of the all-time top-sellers. In a record tied by Katy Perry last year, it spawned five Hot 100 #1 singles, including "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana."</P><P>The 25th anniversary re-release of <I>Bad</I> will hit shelves on September 18 and feature additional tracks, a DVD and other material. No release date has been announced yet for Lee's documentary, though it is slated to hit screens this year.</P><P>Lee sat down with everyone from Kanye West to Mariah Carey and Sheryl Crow (who was a back-up singer on the <I>Bad</I> tour) for the film, which he said will show fans a more personal, funny side of MJ. "We really divided it into two things: Artists today who were influenced by Michael, and then people who worked side by side - musicians, songwriters, technicians, engineers, people at the label, who were all committed to Michael, to the follow-up to the biggest record of all time, which still is <I>Thriller</I>," he said.</P><P>A doc chronicling Jackson's rehearsals for what was to be his series of comeback shows, "This Is It,"
 was released in 2009 and became one of the highest-grossing music docs of all time.</P><P>
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Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich Amber Heard Amber Valletta America Ferrera
MJ's continued influence on pop culture has proved that the King of Pop will forever remain in the hearts of music fans.
By Nadeska Alexis
<P>Music fans the world over can mark June 25, 2009 as one of those eerie days that force them to recall exactly what they were doing in the moments before they heard tragic news. Michael Jackson died that day, at the age of 50, and the world was not ready to see him go.</P><P>No entertainer could ever fill the void that MJ left behind, but his memory has not faded in the three years that he's been gone. In the past 12 months alone, we've seen Jackson-inspired productions, heard narratives from celebrities who continually cite him as a key influence, and this summer his face will be plastered on Pepsi cans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his classic album <i>Bad.</i> Keep reading to see a few examples from the past year that prove that Jackson has remained forever in the heart of pop culture.</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Remembering Michael Jackson" id="id:1614746" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P><strong>Conrad Murray manslaughter trial</strong></P><P>The public and very messy manslaughter trial for Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray began in late September, and it was an excruciating and drawn-out ordeal for fans who were hoping to find closure after the star's death. After a painstaking six-week trial, which included testimony from 49 witnesses, a jury delivered a guilty verdict on involuntary manslaughter charges for Murray on November 7, and the world let out a collective sigh of relief.</P><P><strong><i>Watch the Throne</i> shout-out</strong></P><P>The guilty verdict in Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial was handed down just hours before Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne tour hit Madison Square Garden in New York, and it was clear that the hip-hop Titans were paying attention, just like everyone else. While spitting his lines on the <i>WTT's</i> "Welcome to the Jungle," Jay threw extra emphasis on the line, "Rest in peace to the leader of the Jackson 5," which drew applause from the crowd.</P><P><strong>Cirque Du Soleil launches Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour</strong></P><P>After a few preliminary shows in Canada, in October Cirque Du Soleil launched Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour in the U.S., dedicating a two-hour production entirely to the fallen legend. The mind-blowing mashup of dance and acrobatics, set to MJ's music, was an immediate hit, and the 65 artists who trained intensely for their performances did not take their responsibilities lightly. When MTV News caught up with one of the dancers backstage, following a performance set to "Danger," he admitted that the entire production was deeply emotional, and that if MJ could see the show, "he would feel such a sense of pride of what he has given us to work with."</P><P><strong>Jackson tops fans' hologram wish list</strong></P><P>Tupac's hologram appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April set off a firestorm of speculation about which deceased entertainer we could expect to see onstage next. Not surprisingly, MJ was on the tip of many a fan's tongue. LMFAO's Redfoo put MJ's name at the top of his hologram wish list, while a quick poll of fans in the Times Square area found that the masses wholeheartedly agreed."It's a really cliché answer, but in my time I've never seen [Michael Jackson] and it would just be something awesome to watch," one fan told MTV News.</P><P><strong>Justin Bieber's "Die in Your Arms" single inspired by MJ</strong></P><P>Justin Bieber stopped by MTV's Times Square studio on June 19 for his "Bieber Live" special, during which the 18-year-old superstar performed one of his new singles "Die in Your Arms," and explained that the track was inspired by old MJ footage he viewed during a session with producer Rodney Jerkins. "Before I got in the booth, [Rodney Jerkins] showed me this hour-long video of Michael [Jackson] footage, never been seen before. It's Michael's personality, him in the booth dancing. It's some really special stuff," Bieber recalled. "So me seeing that, going in there and being inspired and working with Rodney, who worked with Michael — it was incredible."</P><P><strong>Pepsi 'Live For Now' Campaign</strong></P><P>In 1984 Michael Jackson first linked up with Pepsi for a $5 million marketing campaign, and 28 years later the soda giant is teaming up with the Jackson estate to commemorate the 25th anniversary edition of his classic album <i>Bad.</i> The "Live for Now" campaign will find the icon's face plastered on special, limited-edition Pepsi cans this summer. The cans will include special download codes treating fans to <i>Bad</i> remixes.</P><P><strong>Rick Ross shouts out MJ on <i>Self Made Vol. 2</i> </strong></P><P>From Bieber to Rick Ross, no artist has escaped the influence of Michael Jackson. The Maybach Music Group CEO is unveiling his latest compilation album Self Made Vol. 2 on Tuesday, just one day after the anniversary of Jackson's death, and that fact didn't escape him. Ross begins the LP's intro by telling fans, "If Michael Jackson came alive right now, he'd ask you to smoke one for him. So in his honor [lights up]."</P><P><b>Jackson Brothers launch Unity Tour</b></P><P>Five days before the June 25 anniversary of MJ's death, his four brothers — Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon — launched their Unity Tour. The Jackson brothers revealed that a joint tour has been in the making for years, but admitted that they needed time to heal after losing the most famous member of the Jackson 5. Following Michael's death, all four brothers were featured on the A&E reality series "The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty," which found them coping with their loss. In April it was rumored that an MJ hologram would make an appearance on the jaunt, but there's been no confirmation that the early reports were true.</P>
Related Photos Related ArtistsAlice Dodd Alicia Keys Alicia Witt Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci

Hilary Duff Hilary Swank Isla Fisher Ivana Bozilovic Ivanka Trump Izabella Miko Izabella Scorupco Jaime King Jaime Pressly Jamie Chung
'We should leave the man alone,' director tells MTV News about why he chose not to helm 'Hitchcock' or 'The Girl.'
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz
Brian De Palma
Photo: MTV News
Drea de Matteo Drew Barrymore Ehrinn Cummings Elena Lyons Elisabeth Röhm Elisha Cuthbert Eliza Dushku Emilie de Ravin Emma Heming Emma Stone
Last time Bristol Palin was on Dancing with the Stars, she took some (unfair) heat for her weight gain. "She gained, like, 30 pounds a week. It was fantastic. She's like the white Precious," comedian Kathy Griffin joked after her 2010 stint on the show.
Hilary Swank Isla Fisher Ivana Bozilovic Ivanka Trump Izabella Miko Izabella Scorupco Jaime King Jaime Pressly Jamie Chung Jamie Gunns
Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich Amber Heard Amber Valletta America Ferrera Amerie