“Number Ones” will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with sales of 108,000 (an increase of 2,340 percent) while “The Essential Michael Jackson” and “Thriller” are in the second and third slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week “Number Ones” was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both “Essential” and “Thriller” re-enter the tally this week.
Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set “Off the Wall” re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album “Bad” returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5’s “The Ultimate Collection” debuts with 18,000. Jackson’s fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991’s “Dangerous,” re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000, and his 2001 compilation, “Greatest Hits: HIStory — Volume 1,” returns to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson’s 2004 box set, “The Ultimate Collection,” charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.
The lone non-Jackson-related set in the top 10 is a reissue of the “Woodstock” movie soundtrack, which bows at No. 10 with 8,000.
Oh, and BET Awards on Sunday — a last-minute Jackson tribute — brought in over 10M viewers. That’s even higher than the Jon & Kate season five premiere, and will probably wind up being the most-watched show in the network’s history. An estimated 10% of televisions that were on at that time were tuned to the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Michael’s will is expected to be filed in probate court very soon, but details are already starting to leak out: He left custody of his three children to his mother, Katherine, and the remainder of his assets be put in a private trust. His father, Joe Jackson, was not specifically excluded from the will, as had been rumored earlier.
