The trailer for Michael Jackson's "This Is It"

Before Michael Jackson's death earlier this year, he was preparing for a string of 50 high-profile and meticulously choreographed performances in London. Today fans of the King of Pop will get to see what he had planned for his big comeback in the movie version of the show, called "This Is It." We talk to Chris Hawkins, a presenter on BBC 6Music, who joins us from outside of a movie theater in London, where fans, including Yvonne Holland, are lining up to see the film.

He died in June, but Michael Jackson is still selling lots of music. Early this morning Michaeljackson.com went live with the new single, "This is It." How long will Michael Jackson's sales juggernaut keep on going? To help answer this, we talk with Maura Johnston, editor of the music blog Idolator.

Michael Jackson died of a fatal drug overdose including the anesthetic Propofol, according to court documents unsealed on Monday. Jackson's death will now reportedly be treated as a homicide. To shed light on the latest news, we speak with Allison Samuels, national correspondent for Newsweek magazine; she has been following the Jackson case since his death two months ago.

Of Michael Jackson's millions of fans worldwide, only a few thousand were lucky enough to attend the memorial service in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Takeaway talks to Melvin Price, an electrician in North Hampton, England, who flew to Los Angeles and was rewarded with the miraculous appearance of two tickets to the service, and with Karen Thompson, a cosmetologist from Compton, California, who was also at the memorial service.

Across the nation yesterday fans stopped mid-workday to bid farewell to Michael Jackson. In a funeral fit for a King of Pop, the Jackson family was joined by celebrities, lifelong friends, and orators, with Jackson's golden coffin on the stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Thousands of fans were there; millions more watched on television and the internet. Joining us to talk about it is Alessandra Stanley, a New York Times television critic.

Josh Rogosin, an independent public radio producer, has been staked out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles since way before the dawn. He's been talking to fans and mourners who have begun to fill the streets of downtown Los Angeles in preparation for Michael Jackson's memorial service. The Takeaway joins Josh on the street along with fans from across the nation; we also talk to Aaron Flournoy, a waiter at Bennigan's in Jackson's hometown of Gary, Indiana.

As fans across the world await the memorial service for Michael Jackson, The Takeaway takes a moment to discuss his legacy as a legend, a performer and as an African American man from Gary, Indiana. We are joined by Steven Gray, reporter for Time Magazine, who wrote Michael Jackson and the Black Experience for Time.

Michael Jackson will be buried this morning at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Los Angeles. The cemetery is a famous resting spot, but Jackson apparently wanted to be buried at his beloved Neverland Ranch. Joining The Takeaway to discuss whether we should defer to the dead when it comes to disposing of their mortal remains is Randy Cohen, The Ethicist for The New York Times Magazine and author of the Moral of the Story Blog.

For more, read Randy Cohen's blog entry, Michael Jackson’s Body, in The New York Times.

Michael Jackson will be laid to rest this morning in Los Angeles in a private ceremony in the Hollywood Hills. The funeral is for family and friends only, but at LA's Staples Center thousands of his fans are gathering to say their goodbyes to the King of Pop. Over 16,000 lucky fans were able to get tickets to the service, while many thousands of devoted fans are expected to line the streets surrounding the arena. Joining The Takeaway from outside the Staples Center is Josh Rogosin, independent public radio producer and downtown Los Angeles resident. Also joining the conversation is Belinda Luscombe, Time Magazine's editor-at-large, who wrote much of the magazine's Jackson coverage.

It's Monday morning and we've got all the news you'll need to keep an eye on in the week ahead. President Obama travels to Russia, Italy and Ghana. Michael Jackson's funeral is expected to paralyze parts of Los Angeles and the sagas of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford continue. Plus, we'll get a better idea of how the U.S. offensive in Afghanistan is going. The Takeaway is joined by Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for our partner The New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent for our partner the BBC. Jonathan Marcus is currently in Moscow to witness the meeting between Presidents Obama and Medvedev.

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., was opened to the media yesterday by the owner, a real estate firm called Colony Capital LLC that bought it as a joint venture with Michael Jackson last year as his finances collapsed. Thousands of fans were gathered at the front gate. The New York Times' National Correspondent Randy Archibold was there and he joins us from Los Angeles.

For more, read Randy Archibold's article, Neverland, Old Neighbors and New Visitors, in The New York Times.

For more images from Neverland Ranch, our partners The New York Times have a slideshow of images from the famous enclave.

Michael Jackson’s death last Thursday dominated nearly every single media outlet in the U.S. This non-stop coverage irritated people who wanted to hear news about two ongoing wars involving American troops, unrest in Iran or any other topic. Did the media overdo it? Or did Iraqis care about Michael Jackson, too? Joining The Takeaway is Don Gomez, an Iraq War Veteran and Spokesperson for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Comparisons come almost too easily. One can rank the hype and pure star power of Michael Jackson up there with the most famous people who have ever lived. His reach was planetary in scale. His loss delivers the shock and tragic complexity of the death of Elvis Presley, John Lennon or Marilyn Monroe. But focus on Michael himself and the comparisons evaporate. This is an irreplaceable talent that sadly the world lost some time ago. By the time of his death at age 50 this week, Jackson had receded from a world that could only witness him in bizarre glimpses. Those glimpses continued all evening on television news reports showing blurry crowds and telephoto shots of ambulances. As in life, in death the best mere humans can do is get a ticket for the global stadium event.

Michael was outsized from the moment he took the stage as part of his family's irresistibly appealing Motown act. But he immediately outgrew his family; over time he became, as the King of Pop, bigger than his genre. Then, at the top of his game, he exceeded the scale of celebrity itself. In the late 80s and 90s Michael hung out with actress Elizabeth Taylor because almost no one could match his towering profile of talent and weirdness. ... Continue reading

Michael Jackson was planning a 50-consecutive-night comeback in London this summer. It would have been more than a decade since Jackson had performed on stage. Despite rumors that he would appear for only 12 minutes each night -- and questions about whether the show would even come off at all -- fans had snapped up the pricey tickets. For more, we talk again to Chris Hawkins, a presenter on the BBC's 6Music radio station.

Michael Jackson was a phenomenal talent and a very strange man. We ask New York Times music critic Jon Pareles how he thinks Michael Jackson will be remembered years down the road.

From his obsession with plastic surgery to his legal and financial troubles, Michael Jackson led a complicated life. What will he be remembered for: his work as a musical artist or his latter-day weirdness?

Bill Wyman is the former arts editor for Salon and now writes for the blog, “Hitsville.”

After the news of Michael Jackson’s death, his fans went out into the streets and to the places that he was associated with in their cities. Togther, they shared memories, listened to Jackson's music—and sang along.

In New York, people gravitated to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, where Jackson had his first big break. And in Detroit, people found themselves standing on the steps of the Motown Historical Museum.

Joining us are two people who joined the vigils. Terrance McKnight, WNYC’s Music Host, went out to the Apollo, while Amanda Le Claire , a producer at WDET in Detroit, headed towards Motown.

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Millions of people around the world are mourning the death of Michael Jackson. What's the reaction beyond the U.S.? Roz Atkins is host of the BBC show World Have Your Say and has been getting reaction from all over the world. He joins The Takeaway to talk about it.

When the news broke of Michael Jackson’s death, people in and around his hometown of Gary, Indiana, made their way to his childhood home at 2300 Jackson Street. Chicago Public Radio reporter Michael Puente was in Gary last night, and is on The Takeaway to talk about the scene there.

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died yesterday afternoon at the age of 50. Details of his death will not be known until a full autopsy is done. But what we do know is the legacy he has left behind. His career spanned over 40 years, and his musical importance ranks with Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles.

Joining us in remembering the King of Pop are Chuck D from legendary hip hop group Public Enemy, Brian Raftery, Contributing Writer for SPIN Magazine, and, Farai Chideya, journalist and friend of The Takeaway.

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