Michael Jackson at Christian Audigier birthday party

I seen mike out in a while it’s about time.

credit:mjjr.net/

uCast Episode 1

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GO BUY USHER’S NEW ALBUM HERE I STAND

In stores now

Usher grows up on new his new CD

In the four years since his last album — the nine-million selling, Grammy-winning “Confessions” — Usher has apparently undergone a personal and musical maturation.

On the homefront, the Atlanta-bred R&B singer now has a son, Usher Raymond V, and wife, celebrity stylist Tameka Foster (despite breakup rumors in the blogosphere). And where his previous CD dealt with themes of infidelity and mixed emotions, his latest release “Here I Stand” is a near-180-degree shift, full of solid songs about true love and committed relationships.

However, Usher hasn’t lost his sense of sexual drama nor his skill at delivering well-crafted, soul-pop jams. He’s just more straightforward in his ability to titillate and romance. “Love In This Club” featuring Young Jeezy is a right-here, right-now sexy, dancefloor-packer on which Usher gets all hot-and-heavy. He croons: “You know all you gotta do is tell me what you sippin’ on/ And I promise that I’m gonna keep it comin’ all night long.”

Meanwhile, the swaying, lovey-dovey vibes of the Jermaine Dupri-produced “Something Special,” built on spare guitar strums, is perfect for summer wedding playlists. And for the honeymoon, he’s got the necessary mood music: the slow burn of “Love You Gently.”

There are moments where Usher’s gooey sentiments seem overwrought — the synth-heavy ballad “Moving Mountains” and the sentimental “What’s A Man to Do.” But so much of “Here I Stand” is classy R&B that it’s hard to fault Usher for playing the good-guy.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: On “Best Thing,” fellow newlywed Jay-Z and Usher throw away their playa cards, equating the sharing of “two-car garages” with having a menage a trois. Now that’s real love.

MJ MOVING TO UPSTATE NEW YORK?:says he just bought a house in Poughkeepsie.

*Fox.com columnist Roger Friedman is reporting that Michael Jackson has purchased (or has had someone purchase) a new home in or around Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for a price said to be in the $1 million to $2 million range.

The purchase comes in the wake of a deal that allowed Jackson to save his Neverland Ranch from a scheduled foreclosure auction. Colony Capital LLC ended up purchasing the loan from Fortress Investment Group.

It appears now that Jackson is looking to leave his West coast drama behind. The new house, according to Freidman, is said to be “a gated property with several bedrooms and a large backyard where his three kids can frolic.”

Friedman is also reporting that Jackson will make a guest appearance on a new album by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

“Sources say the new duet is payback for all the work will.i.am did on Jackson’s updated ‘Thriller’ album,” Freidman writes. “The 25th anniversary special has passed the 3 million mark worldwide, which is quite an achievement. The single may be the first step in Jackson’s plan to record a whole new album. It would be his first in seven years.”

R&B Superstar Usher Pre-Releases New Single to TouchTunes Network

iTunes Pre-Order Promotion Tied to Artist’s New Music on TouchTunes

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TouchTunes Corporation, the largest out-of-home interactive entertainment network, announced today the exclusive digital jukebox pre-release from R&B superstar Usher of “Love in This Club Part II,” featuring Beyonce and Lil’ Wayne. The song is available on the TouchTunes network starting today, more than a week before the official on-sale date of Tuesday, May 27 for Usher’s new album Here I Stand. Over the span of his 14-year career, Usher has sold close to 26 million albums worldwide and combining all of his single, album and DVD sales, he’s sold in excess of 36 million units globally.

Usher fans will be able to enter their email addresses on-screen at any of the 10,000 participating jukeboxes to receive an email from TouchTunes with a special link to pre-order the album Here I Stand with three bonus tracks from iTunes. Additionally, iTunes will also provide the “Love in This Club” music video and an immediate download of “Love in This Club Part II,” featuring Beyonce and Lil’ Wayne.

TouchTunes offers an ideal platform for artists, labels, and music retailers to reach their target audiences. A recent Arbitron survey found that 73 percent of TouchTunes users discover new music on jukeboxes; 71 percent of TouchTunes jukebox users say their friends and family seek their advice about new music; and 87 percent of TouchTunes jukebox users recommend new music to others.

“Usher’s music is hugely popular on the TouchTunes network, and the promotion with iTunes offers his legion of fans a way to get his new music first,” said Ron Greenberg, TouchTunes CMO and senior vice president of digital media. “The TouchTunes network is comprised of music trend setters, especially in the realm of digital media, and we’re thrilled that we can provide such perfect pairings for music fans, labels, and digital retailers alike.”

“TouchTunes is a fantastic platform to round-out the music buying experience,” said Josh Fein, BMG Label Group, director of digital sales. “The TouchTunes jukebox offers much more than just music discovery for Usher fans – they are able to move from hearing a great new song to purchasing it, creating the positive experience many music retailers strive for.”

Usher Announces Official Love in this Club CONTEST

Usher teams up with Youtube to announce the OFFICIAL “LOVE IN THIS CLUB” CONTEST for lovers who met and found love in the club. Contestants are to upload a brief video explaining their story for a cool $500 Gift Certificate to Travelocity.com! See Usher’s official announcement below…

OFFICIAL “Love in this Club” Contest +TV Appearances

Here I Stand is Usher’s follow-up to his history-making, 9x platinum-selling Confessions. “My goal with every album is to be as in the moment and as honest as I possibly can,” The five-time Grammy winner explains. “There have been a lot of changes in my life so I wanted to make something that really reflected that.”

Usher’s New Album “Here I Stand”
In Stores May 27th

New Album Features Collaborations with Jay-Z, will.i.am, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne And More

Platinum Digital Single “Love In This Club” Continues To Top Charts

New York, NY – LaFace/Zomba recording artist Usher will release his highly anticipated fifth studio album Here I Stand on May 27th. The album comes as Usher’s latest smash hit “Love In This Club” featuring Young Jeezy currently ranks as the No. 5 pop single in the country. The popular song has remained in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart for ten consecutive weeks and is in the Top 10 on various charts in the UK , Germany , France and Canada . A new version of the song titled, “Love In This Club Part II” featuring Beyoncé and Lil Wayne was recently released and is rapidly climbing the charts.

Here I Stand is Usher’s follow-up to his history-making, 9x platinum-selling Confessions. “My goal with every album is to be as in the moment and as honest as I possibly can,” The five-time Grammy winner explains. “There have been a lot of changes in my life so I wanted to make something that really reflected that.”

The Tennessee-born, Atlanta raised performer, songwriter, producer, dancer, actor started his multi-faceted career at the age of 15-years old and has achieved what few other contemporary entertainers have ever accomplished. Over the span of his 14-year career, Usher has sold close to 26 million albums worldwide and combining all of his single, album and DVD sales, he’s sold in excess of 36 million units globally.

He will be making special high-profile appearances and performances to promote Here I Stand including: MTV’s The Hills, Saturday Night Live, Dancing With The Stars, Ellen DeGeneres, Good Morning America, BET and more.

credit:thanks amina

MJ’s – THRILLER ADDED TO NATIONAL REGISTRY

MICHAEL JACKSON’s THRILLER album has been named among the 25 recordings that will be added to America’s National Recording Registry by Library of Congress officials.
The 1982 smash-hit, which has just been remixed, remastered and re-released for its 25th anniversary, joins Smokey Robinson + the Miracles’ Tracks of My Tears, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters and For the Roses by Joni Mitchell among the albums and recordings honoured.
Officials pick the 25 recordings to be added to the registry annually.
Those chosen are considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to the history of American music.

source:http://www.contactmusic.com/

Usher Talks New Album, Jay-Z Collabo

While in the UK to perform at Radio One’s Big Weekend, Usher performed new music from his upcoming album Here I Stand, then spoke with BBC Radio’s Tim Westwood about his album and how his life has changed since the release of Confessions.

During his interview with Westwood, Usher described how he’s stayed busy by devoting time to his non-profit foundation, getting married and having a child. He also took a page out of Puffy’s guide by adding Broadway to his repertoire with a stint in the musical Chicago.

“I started a label… a lot has changed,” Usher told BBC Radio. “Over a year and a half of recording allowed me to really tell the story that I felt was necessary for this day and time as well as where I am in my life. What I wanted to talk about was a lot of those personal experiences.”

With production help from will.i.am, Polow Da Don and Jermaine Dupri, as well as features from Young Jeezy, Lil’ Wayne and Beyoncé, Usher’s album, Here I Stand is the direct result of those experiences, particularly his new union with Tameka Foster.

“The story I’m telling on this album [are] based off the decisions I made; I took a stance that was against the norm,” Usher said. “When you find your mate for life, you feel something. Dealing with that and manning up in that is a lot. There is a story that explains it to the tee on the album it’s called ‘Before I Met You’ and the whole thing is about…

‘I was a hustler and a player before I met you / I tricked a lil somethin’ I hit a lil somethin’ before I met you, but all of that done changed / my game, my frame of mind you got it right and I’ll love you for life.’

When I played it for men they are like this is thing self explanatory, if I play it for my chick it will immediately get my chick what she need, I won’t have to say it,’” he explained.

The message he delivers is one that Usher believes will stand the test of time.

“When you think of the classic material of the past, it’s records like this that last forever,” Ush said of Here I Stand. “20 years from now I hope to look back and love this album for the classic material that came out of it.”

Among that soon to be classic material is Usher’s Jermaine Dupri-produced collaboration with Jay-Z, “Best Things” which, for both newlywed artists, seems to speak directly to both of their lives.

“You spend a lifetime being chosen and the one time you choose, this is what you say, this is what you feel,” Usher said. “I did a record with that sums it up. It’s called ‘Best Things.’ Jay opens the record by saying ’seeds become plants, boys become men.’ There you have it, that’s it right there.’”

Here I Stand lands in stores May 30^th via Jive Records.

source:http://www.sohh.com/