MICHAEL JACKSON: Estate being sued by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones' suit against the Michael Jackson estate for underpayment of royalties got under way in Los Angeles Tuesday.
According to Variety, the dispute goes back four years, when Jones said he was owned $10 million for the use of his work in several releases following Jackson's death -- among them, the 25th anniversary reissue of Bad, the Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas production and the This Is It concert film and live album.
Jones' attorney now claims the Jackson estate is $30 million behind in payments. Jackson's side counters that the legendary producer has been paid $18 million over the same period. Part of the dispute centers on what's defined as a "videoshow" in Jones' contract: Jackson's attorneys say that means payments for music videos, but not concert films or live performances.
John Branca, the co-executor of the Jackson estate and the singer's longtime attorney, testified that they'd tried to settle with Jones before the trial began, offering between $2- and $3 million.
The trial in Los Angeles Superior Court is expected to run through the end of July. Jones is expected testify next week.
QUEEN: Who wants to be in the Queen and Freddie Mercury movie?
A casting call has been put out for the official Queen and Freddie Mercury movie that Brian Mayand Roger Taylor are executive producing.
A post on the Queen Fan Club page says, "We are currently working on the Queen bio-pic Bohemian Rhapsodyand are looking to reach out to Londoners that would be interested in taking part... Although it is possible to work full time as an extra, this is mostly a great opportunity for people who are looking for part-time work or just want something fun to do for a day or so in London. We are looking for men and women with '70s and '80s hair."
The film is tentatively scheduled to be out in December 2018. The U.S. publication date for Brian May’s Queen in 3-D coffee table book is August 24th.
ELVIS, THE BEATLES: Top 2 artists on a new list
One of the classic music arguments is who sold the most albums. Is it The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, the Eagles or someone else?
Business Insider has put a slight twist on it, listing the 30 best-selling music artists of all time, ranked by platinum albums.
Top 10:
- Elvis Presley: 53; Multi-platinum 25; Diamond (10-million) 1; Best-selling Elvis' Christmas Album (10 million)
- The Beatles: 42; Multi-platinum 26; Diamond 6; Best-selling The Beatles (The White Album) (19 million)
- George Strait: 33; Multi-platinum 13; Best-selling Strait Out of the Box (8 million)
- Garth Brooks: 30; Multi-platinum 16; Diamond 7; Best-selling Double Live (21 million)
- Barbra Streisand: 30; Multi-platinum 12; Best-selling Greatest Hits Volume 2 (5 million)
- The Rolling Stones: 28; Multi-platinum 11; Diamond: 1; Best-selling Four Flicks (19 million)
- Elton John: 27; Multi-platinum 14; Diamond 1; Best-selling Greatest Hits (17 million)
- Neil Diamond: 21; Multi-platinum 12; Best-selling The Jazz Singer (5 million)
- AC/DC: 20; Multi-platinum 12; Diamond 1; Best-selling Back in Black (22 million)
- Alabama: 20; Multi-platinum 10; Best-selling Mountain Music (5 million)
And the rest, in order:
- Rod Stewart — 19
- Reba McEntire — 19
- Led Zeppelin — 18
- Aerosmith — 18
- Chicago — 18
- Madonna — 17
- Billy Joel — 17
- Bruce Springsteen — 17
- Kenny Rogers — 17
- U2 — 16
- Luther Vandross — 16
- Pink Floyd — 15
- Alan Jackson — 15
- Willie Nelson — 15
- Bob Dylan — 15
- The Doors — 14
- James Taylor — 14
- Dave Matthews Band — 14
- Rush — 14
- Linda Ronstadt — 13