Michael Jackson's shadow of doubt

Perspective Music Features Michael Jackson's shadow of doubt A sanded-down biopic about the King of pop and propaganda has resurfaced his music on the charts — along with questions about how his enduring magic became make-believe June 3, 20262:00 PM ET Rodney Carmichael As Michael Jackson: The Verdict, a docuseries on the late artist's 2005 abuse trial, arrives on Netflix this week, his music continues to climb the charts following renewed interest from his biopic. Carlo Allegri/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Carlo Allegri/Getty Images/Getty Images North America "Remember guys Michael Jackson has fans that aren't even born yet."  It's a pretty innocuous prediction. Or a deeply disturbing one, depending on how you read it. The comment, recently posted under the music video for "Billie Jean," jumped out at me after watching it on YouTube, where it's amassed two billion-plus views, including mine, since it was uploaded 16 years ago. Like a lot of metrics, it's proof that we're still spellbound by Michael Jackson's tragic magic. Since its April 24 release, the feature film Michael has grossed more than $850 million worldwide, fast on its way to becoming the highest grossing music biopic of all time. The critical panning might be near-universal, but so is the renewed interest in MJ's discography. Decades after topping the charts around the globe, "Billie Jean" once again stood as "the biggest song in the world," by Billboard's count, when it reached No. 1 on the Global 200 last month. Domestically, it rose back inside the top 20 of the Hot 100 this week. Meanwhile, Thriller and his greatest hits album, Number Ones, have spent the last three weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart, while the former has also reached No. 1 on its Top Hip-Hop/R&B albums chart. Sponsor Message Music Michael Jackson's biopic has pushed his music up the Billboard charts The real feat isn't that any of this comes 43 years after Thriller's debut....