Michael Jackson Shatters Billboard Records

This is impressive, and historic.  I doubt anything like this, on this scale, ever happens again.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Michael Jackson albums and Jackson-related compilations hold the top nine positions on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog chart, all posting remarkable jumps in sales in the days following the singer’s death. (SoundScan tracks sales through the close of business on Sunday.)

Jackson himself holds a record eight of the top 10 spots, while a Jackson 5 compilation also landed in the upper tier of the chart. His Number Ones greatest hits package leads the pack at #1, selling more than 108,000 copies, a staggering 2,340 percent sales increase. The Essential Michael Jackson and Thriller follow at #2 and #3, selling more than 102,000 and 101,000 copies, respectively.

Full MTV.com Article

I bet his estate will gain more than Elvis’ in years to come.

Posted in Interesting, Pop Culture | Comments Off on Michael Jackson Shatters Billboard Records

Vanity Fair Palin Article

Two items caught my attention from this article:

Soon Palin will take a crack at her own story: she has signed a book contract for an undisclosed but presumably substantial sum, and has chosen Lynn Vincent, a senior writer at the Christian-conservative World magazine, as co-author of the memoir, which is to be published next year not only by HarperCollins but also in a special edition by Zondervan, the Bible-publishing house, that may include supplemental material on faith.

I think this is the first I’ve heard of a “Christian version” of a book coming out.  Interesting.

And here’s the second part that my eye:

When Trig was born, Palin wrote an e-mail letter to friends and relatives, describing the belated news of her pregnancy and detailing Trig’s condition; she wrote the e-mail not in her own name but in God’s, and signed it “Trig’s Creator, Your Heavenly Father.”

Posted in Goofy | Comments Off on Vanity Fair Palin Article

Standing room only on Spring Airlines?

How can an airline pack 40 percent more passengers onto a plane, trim costs by 20 percent and lower airfares for its customers?

By offering “standing” seats.

Seriously.

China’s Spring Airlines, in an effort to handle a growing number of passengers, is considering selling standing-room tickets. A spokesperson said the carrier has been mulling the idea since the beginning of the year.

“The process of plane making is really long,” spokesman Zhang Wuan told CCTV. “We already ordered 14 new jets. But some of them will only be delivered next year. And you have to wait for at least 5 years to lease a plane, and it is also very expensive.”

“It’s just like bar stools,” he added. “The safety belt is the the most important thing. It will still be fastened around the waist.”

Full MSNBC Article

Posted in Interesting | Comments Off on Standing room only on Spring Airlines?

Bag of Randomness

handsoflove

  • I was watching the Smithsonian Channel and noticed that Tom Cavanagh, aka Ed Stevens, has a new show where he goes through the vaults of the Smithsonian.  I think the show might have potential.
  • And I wish Ed would come out on DVD one day.
  • I’m not saying I support Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton, and I know they tend to attach themselves to certain things, but I don’t understand why people are upset that they are with the Jackson family right now.  They are friends of the family, have been for quite some time, and I’ve seen them with Michael and Co. at other occasions.  All that just to show you a picture of Sharpton getting down.
  • I have never eaten a corny dog, and I don’t have a desire to try one.
  • The last time I can recall vomiting is the evening of January 28, 2001.
  • I only remember that because that’s the day the Ravens beat the Giants in the Super Bowl.
  • I hope I never hear any political party claim they are the parties of values – both continue to disappoint in that area.
  • As insensitive as this may sound, from a business perspective, Michael Jackson should be buried at Neverland with the mansion becoming a museum.  Unlike Graceland, Neverland has amusement rides, and that place can make a killing.
  • My father never let me play with fireworks, he thought they were too dangerous and said they were just money going up in smoke.
  • The funny part is, my father was a smoker when he told me that “going up in smoke line.”
  • Some technical stuff about U2’s concert screen.
  • It looks like Dell may have to sell 140,000 monitors for $15 a piece.
  • I once caught a pricing error on Home Depot’s website.  They were selling a GE stove and stovetop set for $45.  I made the purchase online, got the receipt, but later I got a follow up email saying they couldn’t honor the purchase.
  • I’ve never been one to believe in that whole celebrities die in threes thing.  But there’s now a Death Trilogy Commissioner who has a blog.
  • Have a happy, eventful or restful, and safe 4th of July.
  • Grace
Posted in Personal | 2 Comments