Coast-To-Coast Zombie Dance Tributes & Halloween Sales Frenzy Drive 25th Anniversary Edition of Thriller To #1 On The Billboard Catalog Albums Chart & #1 On iTunes

Michael Jackson's Thriller, the world's top-selling album of all time, is back at the top of the charts this week following a Halloween-inspired surge in sales and coast-to-coast zombie dance tributes to the album.

The Legacy Recordings' 25th Anniversary CD/DVD edition of Thriller has rocketed back into the #1 slot on the Billboard Catalog Albums chart.

A specially-priced Halloween digital edition of the standard Thriller album on iTunes, bundled with a bonus video of the award-winning Thriller zombie music clip, spent much of the week at #1 before settling in as iTunes' #2 album of the week (topped only by John Legend's Evolver). More than 34,000 Thriller ringtones were sold during the same week.

A perennial best-seller since its original release in November 1982, Thriller, and Michael Jackson's iconic zombie dance music video, have, over the past quarter century, launched thousands of Thriller-themed events while inspiring countless zombie-based costumes for Halloween and other spooky occasions. A group of hardcore Thriller "grisly ghouls" gathered at Madame Tussauds wax museum in Times Square this past October to successfully break the Guinness World Record for most "zombies" dancing the signature choreography from Michael's video in a single location. The record-shattering Thriller Dance Re-enactment was previewed in a USA Today Lifeline item (October 27, 2008) and covered in depth in the Halloween editions of both the New York Post and the New York Daily News. Zombie-attired Thriller fans gathered en masse to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the album at Greenwich Village's annual Halloween Parade.

Outside the Big Apple Thriller events, Miami's hot spot Opium Garden hosted an official Michael Jackson Thriller 25 Halloween bash highlighted by Live in Color, an MTV dance crew, performing the Thriller zombie dance. Zombies also descended on the Fox Network's "Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" as well as "The View," where lucky audience members were given complimentary copies of Thriller 25.

Released in February 2008, Thriller 25 -- the newly-expanded deluxe 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller, the world's best-selling album of all-time -- became America's #2 Top-Selling Album more than a quarter century after the album's original release. One of the hottest albums of 2008, Thriller 25 rocketed into the Top 5 (or better) in a variety of territories across the planet following its worldwide release the week of February 11 while entering the Billboard Top Pop Catalog chart at #1.

With more than two million copies of Thriller 25 sold around the world the new edition of Michael Jackson's classic collection hit #1 in France; #1 in Belgium; #2 in Germany; #2 in Australia; #2 in the Netherlands; #2 in Norway (Thriller's highest position ever in that country); #2 in Sweden; #2 in Switzerland; #3 in the UK; #3 in Denmark; #3 in New Zealand; #4 in Spain; #5 in Austria; #5 in Ireland; #6 in the Czech Republic; and #6 in Italy.

Global response to the release of Thriller 25, the newly expanded deluxe 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's Thriller, the world's top-selling album of all-time, reached a fever pitch across the planet with surprise hit singles, a 29-episode "ThrillerCast" podcast series, the premiere of the "Thrillicious" Sobe Life Water ad campaign at the Super Bowl, the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael Jackson at the NRJ Music Awards at Cannes and a host of events and surprises.

The Michael Jackson Thriller 25th anniversary celebration runs throughout 2008 with a multi-faceted global marketing campaign featuring high-profile television, radio and online events around the world and the major re-launch of Michael's official website, www.michaeljackson.com

Originally released in the US on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records, Thriller, Michael Jackson's sixth solo album and second with producer Quincy Jones, first entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart at #11 in December 1982. The original Thriller went on to spend an astounding 80 consecutive weeks in the American Top 10, 37 of those at #1, while making history as the first and only record to be America's top-selling album two years running (1983 and 1984). Thriller has been certified 27x platinum by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond Award status in the US. In 1985, the Guinness Book of Records named Thriller the Best Selling Album of All Time, an achievement which remains unsurpassed to this day.

THRILLER - 25
The World's Biggest Selling Album of All Time Thriller - original track listing - US Billboard Chart Peaks

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - (#5 Hot 100, #5 R&B)
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney) - (#2 Hot 100, #1 R&B, #1 Adult Contemporary)
4. Thriller - (#4 Hot 10, #3 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks)
5. Beat It - (#1 Hot 100, #1 R&B)
6. Billie Jean - (#1 Hot 100, #1 R&B, #9 A/C)
7. Human Nature - (#7 Hot 100, #2 Adult Contemporary)
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) - (#10 Hot 100)
9. The Lady in My Life

Bonus Material:
10. Vincent Price Excerpt (From Thriller Voice-Over Session)

Previously Unreleased Tracks for 25th Anniversary Edition
11. The Girl Is Mine 2008 with will.i.am
12. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008 with will.i.am
13. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 with Akon
14. Beat It 2008 with Fergie
15. Billie Jean 2008 Kanye West mix
16. For All Time (unreleased track from original Thriller sessions)

DVD
The Short Films
1. BILLIE JEAN
2. BEAT IT
3. THRILLER
4. BILLIE JEAN - The Legendary Performance from Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever


25th Anniversary Executive Producer: Michael Jackson
Original Album Produced by Quincy Jones for Quincy Jones Productions

(Dateline - New York - November 7, 2008; source: Legacy Recordings)
[ Rating: 4.7/5 (41 votes cast) ] [ 35 comments ]

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New York, NY (October 30, 2008) - Seventy-three Michael Jackson Thriller fans today broke the Guinness World Record for the most people doing the Thriller dance at the same at Madame Tussauds New York in Times Square. The previous Guinness World Record was sixty-two people.

Fans from near and far - including one participant from Columbus, Ohio - dressed as zombies and as the King of Pop himself to be a part of this history-making moment with Madame Tussauds wax figure of Michael Jackson at the center of the action. The record-setting event helped celebrate the iconic videos 25th anniversary and Thrillers skyrocket to #1 on the iTunes album chart. Thriller 25, The New Edition of the World's Biggest Selling Album Of All Time is released by Sonys Legacy Recordings and is in stores now. While Michael Jackson was not able to attend the event, he was thrilled with its success. I always thought Halloween and 'Thriller' fit each other like a glove," said Jackson.

Prior to the record-breaking dance, participants took lessons on how to do the Thriller dance from Crunch fitness instructors, received zombie mini-makeovers and had the opportunity to take a photo with Madame Tussauds Michael Jackson wax figure.

Madame Tussauds New York is so excited to have been a part of this history-making moment, said Janine DiGioacchino, General Manager of Madame Tussauds New York and Washington D.C.

The Thriller celebration has just begun. After dancing at Madame Tussauds New York, Zombie dancers are expected to rise from the dead again on Halloween night and descend on 6th avenue as part of the New York Village Halloween parade.
[ Rating: 4.7/5 (38 votes cast) ] [ 32 comments ]

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Listen HERE
[ Rating: 4.2/5 (42 votes cast) ] [ 17 comments ]

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lava81174 is here  13 hours ago
WendyPan is happy! Michael! YOU rock my world,baby! Love you forever: Ashlee.  13 hours ago
michaeljacksonsamazing is at school listening to michael =)  13 hours ago
nina93 is just having boring=(  14 hours ago
malvina is going to be cool  16 hours ago
eja_mikey is just listening to Michael's song..  16 hours ago
rijad is your friend  17 hours ago
anna_ki is truly, madly, deeply in love  17 hours ago
Lucilia is my love if becomes greater each day and the times I find that it does not fit inside of my chest I love… you.  19 hours ago
RachelsWaffles is loving Michael! WE ALL LOVE YOU MICHAEL! FOREVER!  19 hours ago
babyss is iam 24  yesterday
Tecnikal24 is On Myspace!!! Find me There!!! =p Bye  yesterday
maximumjacksons is hoping you will join us: www.maximum-jackson.com  yesterday
JohnJACKSON is waiting for the king to make the LEGENDARY comeback, we are all waiting for!  yesterday
mjfan18 is listening to billie jean and dancing  yesterday
rgracing4life is going to go watch more m.jackson videos!!!!  yesterday
mjjenmexico is Gran Fan del Rey del Pop y es genial 25th Anniversary of Thriller y ahora espero su nuevo álbum http://mjjenmexico.mx.tripod.com/  yesterday
SOULKRATES is 50 YEARS OF HISTORY  yesterday
amylou08 is Watching Michael Jackson and is LOVING HIM!!!  yesterday
LilyGMjlover4life is MICHAEL BECAME ISLAM 21 NOVEMBER 2008  yesterday
Lore_MJ_lover is in love with Michael  yesterday
Sergio_Fragoso is Un gran fan de Michael Jackson y espero el nuevo álbum del Rey del Pop  yesterday
LunaC is New here, and hoping to start a petition for MJ vids to be re-released in 3D can anyone help?  yesterday
sexypants is (sic)  yesterday
Jewel is thinking about MJ!  yesterday
MJtastic is at work listening to MJ radio and loving it!  yesterday
Leavina is Woow! long time no see all!! Hows everythiing goin?  yesterday
courtneyizhot is michel jackson xoxoxoxo  2 days ago
MJJs4evurPYT is wishing to meet michael jackson <333  2 days ago
Athena_the_butterfly is sitting around listening to Streetwalker :)  2 days ago
skywalker is I pray to the LORD to keep your soul in peace! God bless you and your family!  2 days ago
gymnasticsqueen56 is in love with micheal jackson!  2 days ago
Jcash1195 is is MJJ really world touring??  2 days ago
Diana83 is the best...  2 days ago
jackson_jr_love_you is a grate friend of Gabri!! I love my sister Kate!!  2 days ago
TyontaeKingishere4Michael is my idol and he will always me in my heart  2 days ago
r_a_m_i_n is waiting for the one,the day that never comes...!!!!  2 days ago
Empress69 is loving MJ!!!  2 days ago
alchemypuer is wanting to dance with MJ just once before I die.  2 days ago
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