We have heard the point made over and over these past few weeks: It is not Michael Jackson currently on trial; it is Dr. Conrad Murray. But, of course, we know the reality. This is the "Michael Jackson Death Trial." He is, as he always was, the main...

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour made its U.S. debut Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The two-hour audio-visual spectacle offered a feast for the senses as it celebrated the creative output and social ideals of the late King of Pop.

Before...

Picture courtesy of the Estate of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was so impressed with dancer, Sofia Boutella -- star of the late icon's new music video for "Hollywood Tonight" -- he was ready to offer her the opportunity of a lifetime:...

For years now, Arcade Fire has been transitioning from indie obscurity to mainstream popularity. While their first two albums were well-known among music aficionados, it has been the Montreal-based group's third effort, The Suburbs, that has proven to be their major breakthrough,...

There is no question Lady Gaga's new single, "Born This Way," will be a massive hit. Its catchy, propulsive, four-on-the-floor electro-pop sound is tailor-made for today's radio.

Yet there is also no question, from an artistic standpoint, it does little to...

This past Friday I listened to Michael Jackson's highly-anticipated posthumous album, Michael (Epic), which is expected to hit stores in the U.S. on December 14th. I had many questions going in, not only about the music itself, but the process. How were the tracks selected? How much were they altered...

This past Friday I listened to Michael Jackson's highly-anticipated posthumous album, Michael (Epic), which is expected to hit stores in the U.S. on December 14th. I had many questions going in, not only about the music itself, but the process. How were the tracks...

Photo Credit: MichaelJackson.com

There won't be any controversy about the vocals on this one. The only question is how long until it scales the charts (if word of mouth is any indication, minutes after its midnight premier it was already trending #1 on...

Since Michael Jackson's untimely death in June of 2009, speculation has run rampant about the music he left behind. How much is there? How finished are the songs? What is the quality of the material? And how and when will it be released?

Over...

Arcade Fire "The Suburbs" (Merge Records)

On the Arcade Fire's new album, The Suburbs, the "sprawl" is both home and prison. On the one hand, it is all we have known. It is where we grew up; it is where, if...

Over the past few years, while working on my book, Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson, I have been fortunate enough to spend hours talking to many of the people who worked closest with the King...

"You'd think the world would have had enough of silly love songs," sang Paul McCartney in 1976. But he looked around, saw it wasn't so, and cranked out another saccharine sweet #1 hit (McCartney is, of course, automatically forgiven of all post-Beatles...

Adam Lambert "For Your Entertainment" (19/RCA)

Ten or twenty years from now, when people are reflecting on the defining albums of the current pop-synth-glam revival, For Your Entertainment will undoubtedly be at the top of many lists. From its packaging to...

Dear Adam,

After reading Aaron Hicklin's open letter, I felt compelled to summarize and add a few more of my own suggestions on how you might further prove your "gayness" to the "gay community" (the gay community, of course, being defined as a...

This is Part 4 of a series exploring Michael Jackson the artist through his albums and songs. The following excerpt is taken from Chapter 5 of Man in the Music: An Album by Album Guide to Michael Jackson

If Dangerous is Michael Jackson's most creative album, HIStory is his...

[This is Part 2 of a series exploring Michael Jackson the artist through his albums and songs. The following excerpt is taken from Chapter 5 of Man in the Music: An Album by Album Guide to Michael Jackson]

People often struggle with allowing artists to grow and evolve. For Bob...

That's what makes greatness. You have to have that tragedy, that pain to pull from. That's what makes a clown great. You can see he's hurting behind the masquerade. He's something else externally. -Michael Jackson

"I know the creator will go. But his work survives. That is why to escape...

In late 2002, as President George W. Bush began building his case for preemptive war in Iraq, a remarkable thing happened. In contrast to the general timidity of American churches in response to the conflict in Vietnam, leaders of faith were speaking out. Observed the Reverend Jim Wallis at...

Hyperbole continues to soar in the aftermath of Sarah Palin's bold and spirited, but sadly divisive, sarcastic, Rove-recycled speech at Wednesday's Republican National Convention. The darling of Rush Limbaugh and Pat Buchannan is now being proclaimed a "star," a "game-changer," the answer to a dying party.

Yet putting political views...