Just about everyone is talking about how crazy it is that so many notable personalities have passed away in the past couple weeks. The propagators of online rumors are well aware of this, and have already begun to take full advantage.

So far we have lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcet, Michael Jackson, and now famed “pitchman” Billie Mays. However, according to numerous tweets and random “celebrity bloggers”, pop icons Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus are the latest ones to bite the dust.

What motivates the instigators of internet rumors to spread these lies? Well, it could be a number of things, ranging from web profits to just plain old entertainment value. However, if you’re the subject of one of these rumors, is it really such a bad thing?

Since Michael Jackson passed away, his record sales have exploded. He is already dominating the UK music charts, and radio play of the King of Pop’s music here in the United States has increased by a whopping 1,735% since the news of his death.

Of course, baseless internet rumors can’t be expected to make the sort of impact as the death of Michael Jackson, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that such false rumors do benefit the artists involved to some extent, even if it is just a microcosm of the aforementioned effect.

It still has yet to really sink in. Possibly the most famous musician of our time has passed away. All controversies and eccentricities aside, you can’t deny the fact that Michael Jackson was quite possibly the greatest entertainer of the 20th century.

The details of his death have yet to be disclosed. Right now the music industry and music fans all over the world are in a state of collective shock.

According to CNN, sales of Michael Jackson’s music have soared since the news of his death yesterday.

I’ll admit I never really dug deep into Jackson’s music. But like so many others, I was a huge fan of his monster singles like Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, etc. Let us not forget that Thriller was the greatest selling album in history.

I know just about everyone is blogging about MJ right now. But if anything, that is just a testament to the incredible reach of his fame. His legacy will likely live on much longer than all of us.

The world has lost a truly great talent.

Disclaimer: I’m about seven beers deep.

There’s a reason Thriller wins best video of all time pretty much every single year on MTV - it’s awesome. I defy anyone to look me in the eye and tell me that it is not a brilliantly choreographed video and of course expertly crafted pop song!

The 14 minute short horror film based on the hit song will be recreated on the stage, and Jackson will have a very gloved hand in the whole ordeal. “This musical will be the exclusive Michael Jackson authorized version of Thriller”, said an official from the Nederlander Organization. “Jackson will participate in every aspect of the creative process”.

Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, considering the apparent dilapidated state of the pop stars mental health. But since his lawyers have bled him dry over the past few years and he has allegedly thrown millions of dollars in hush money at families of allegedly traumatized children, he allegedly needs the money pretty bad.

When the original music video for Thriller was produced, it is reported that it cost an estimated $500,000. That’s easily 10x more than what your average music video cost in those days (1983), and it’s even more outlandish nowadays, since the cost of music video production has gone down and the popularity of titanic-sized music videos has dwindled.

So, although it’s a touch bizarre (as is anything concerning Michael Jackson these days), it’s still pretty cool to hear that they’re bringing Thriller back and giving it a whole new forum. It’s also nice to hear that Jackson is involved with something productive for once, and not getting himself into trouble or having his face reconstructed.

Oh, speaking of bizarre, here’s another quote, this one direct from Dr. Tohme Tohme (no, that is not a typo), Jackson’s spokesman: “The Nederlanders and Michael Jackson represent live theater and musical excellence, so let the music begin.”

If you’re anything like me, you’re like “wha? Nederlander? You mean “Neverland”, or what?” Well, apparently we are not cultured enough. The Nederlander Organization is actually one of the largest operators of live theater in the United States. Is it a coincidence that it sounds so similar to Neverland and we’re dealing with Michael Jackson here? I’ll leave you to ponder that. Hopefully all of our questions will be answered when Thriller comes to town.

Well, maybe it’s not quite that severe. But in any case, writer Ian Halperin recently spoke out about MJ’s alleged health problems in an interview for the Sunday Express, a UK publication.

Among the many ailments that Halperin claimed Jackson is suffering from include Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, a serious respiratory disease that is allegedly so far advanced that Jackson will need a lung transplant. He also states that Jackson suffers from several other health problems, including emphysema, internal bleeding, and even a near total loss of vision in one eye.

Halperin is currently working on an unauthorized biography of the legendary pop-star. It is unclear whether or not he actually has any reliable sources of information for these claims, or if it is merely a marketing ploy to drum up interest in his book.

However, a spokesman for Michael Jackson announced today in an official statement that the claims being made by Halperin are a “total fabrication” and that Jackson is in “fine health”. He also mentioned that Jackson is currently preparing for his next world tour, as well as a slew of television appearances.

It seems like no matter how far underground he goes, the King of Pop just can’t manage to stay out of the news.

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