Michael Jackson - Fans from all over the world congregated at London's O2 arena, where the star had been due to begin his run of 50 concerts on Monday. About 600 people visited the venue, adding messages to a wall of tributes and conducting Jackson sing-a-longs. Others sat in quiet contemplation. It was a "light-hearted, celebratory" mood, says BBC reporter Michael Osborn.
Jackson's string of 02 shows completely sold out shortly after going on sale in March. The singer told fans that the concerts would be his final performances in London. While no concerts are currently scheduled to replace Jackson's performances, organisers are discussing the possibility of staging a show using the production for the This Is It concerts. "I think at some point we'll show Michael's last masterpiece, This Is It, to the world," AEG president Randy Phillips told Billboard. Phillips added that 29 August - which would have been Jackson's 51st birthday - would be an ideal time for the event, but he was unsure if it would be ready in time.
Now Hear This - Earplugshop.com is launching a product to help music lovers, and the parents of music lovers, preserve their ultimate MP3 accessory - their ears. The ProGuard Custom Fleximonitors earplugs are designed to cut out background noise meaning MP3 users can keep the noise level down and their ears safe. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) has this month released research showing two-thirds of young people are listening to MP3 players at dangerously loud volumes. This is supported by research from the Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in April 2009 which highlighted that teenagers were particularly at risk playing MP3 players at full volume and for extended periods of time.
"The Fleximonitor's are an ideal iPod and MP3 accessory, giving the user all the benefits of studio quality music without needing ear-damaging volume levels," comments Shaun Thornburgh, CEO and Founder of www.earplugshop.com. "Not only do they cut out background noise, meaning volume levels can be kept down, but they also block harmful frequencies produced by MP3 players which can cause permanent hearing damage."
On The Gravy Train - The BBC sent more than 300 staff to cover the T in the Park music festival in Kinross-shire, prompting further questions over its use of licence-fee payers' money. The corporation sent 27 staff working for Radio 1 alone - and another 139 employees and 158 freelance contractors. They provided coverage of the three-day festival for 10 television and radio channels and the BBC website. Executives are already under fire for devoting excessive numbers of staff to favoured events. More than 400 BBC staff covered the Glastonbury festival last month, nearly as many as the corporation sent to the Beijing Olympics - despite television viewing figures averaging just 800,000.
(Jim Evans)
