Michael Jackson

The Celtic festival of Samhain was held on the day — 31 October — when spirits were believed to return to earth. Samhain also marked the beginning of winter and everything about it was dark, for that was the color of winter and the underworld. Samhain is now Halloween.

Although he was thin, Michael Jackson seemed to be in good health. The night before he died, he had been rehearsing in Los Angeles, energetic and creative as ever, preparing for his London comeback. The film This Is It shows what might have been.

British music company EMI has had success with The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones, and more recently with Lily Allen and Coldplay. The company is now struggling to survive the financial crisis, however, and it may go bankrupt.

Thriller: Live is a three-hour-long musical, celebrating 28 songs by Michael Jackson. It opened at the Lyric Theatre in London on 2 January. Julie Carpenter of the Daily Express wrote, "...this is a hugely enjoyable, high-energy show."

Michael Jackson: The King of Pop and Michael Jackson: Life of a Legend will appear later this month in Britain, while HarperCollins will publish Michael Jackson: Legend, Hero, Icon next Friday. But the Chinese have won the Jackson instant-book race.