The Return of the King (of Pop)

Get ready Michael Jackson fans. I just found this little tidbit from Bill Lamb on About.com's website.

Monday morning, November 12, 2007, Michael Jackson's face will be staring back at you from newsstands around the world as the cover subject for Ebony magazine. The self-described "King of Pop" gave the magazine his first major interview in 10 years to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Thriller, the bestselling studio album of all time. This interview comes on the heels of months of stories related to the recording of a new album by Michael Jackson that would be his first studio release since 2001's Invincible, a disappointment which sold only 2 million copies in the US.

Is this big splash in Ebony the beginning of a pop music comeback that would make Britney Spears' artistic comeback on Blackout look like merely a pop music blip by comparison? The new album reportedly includes extensive production and songwriting work from will.i.am as well as contributions from such hot performers and songwriters as Kanye West, Akon, and Ne-Yo. The earliest a new project is likely to be expected in stores is March, 2008, which would make this a perfect time to begin to gear up the publicity machine.