Michael Jackson breaking records with 50-show run in London

Michael Jackson will play an unprecedented 50 shows at London's 02 Arena, running from early July through the end of February 2010.

Tickets, which are on sale now, are selling at record-breaking paces and, by the end of the 50-show run, 1 million people will have taken advantage of their "last chance to see the King of Pop in London," according to a press release.

"Not only are these concerts unparalleled, these records will never be broken," said Randy Phillips, President and CEO of AEG Live. "We knew this was show business history, but this is a cultural phenomenon."

During pre-sales, 360,000 tickets sold in 18 hours--more than 30 tickets per minute. According to organizers, the residency has already broken the record for the fastest ticket sales in history.

Jackson's "This Is It" event will mark the biggest audience ever to see an artist in one city, according to organizers. The concerts also will break the record for the largest number of people to attend a series of arena shows at a single venue.

"Michael is said to be 'thrilled' by the response and wanted as many fans to share the experience with him as possible," according to a statement on the superstar's website.

Tickets, priced at pounds sterling, run 75/65/50 plus booking fees. Fans are being advised to stay tuned to MichaelJacksonLive.com for additional show information.

The 50-year-old Jackson's return to the stage is expected to literally boost the tourist industry in London. According to ticket pre-sales, fans from more than 200 countries will travel to London to see the performer, who many still describe as pop-star royalty. Recently, a cartoon in The Sun newspaper depicted Prime Minister Gordon Brown stealing Jackson tickets to sell on and boost the British economy.

Three-quarters of a million people in the UK alone have already bought their tickets and fans have been camping out at The 02 Arena in their quest for what is becoming one of the hottest tickets of all time.

Despite selling more than 750 million records worldwide, being inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, being named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time, holding the record for the biggest selling album of all time ("Thriller"), winning 13 Grammy Awards and receiving the American Music Award's Artist of the Century Award, the future of Jackson's career has been questionable in recent years due to his legal entanglements and eccentricities.

Early rumors that Jackson bought the bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and bleached his skin and underwent plastic surgery to look like Diana Ross paled in comparison to the child sexual abuse accusations he faced in 1993.

Though he was not convicted, the perception of being a pedophile plagued the singer. In subsequent years, he fought drug addiction and other medical problems, battled with his label and continued to face image problems due to his "strange" behavior.

In 2003, Jackson again was charged child molestation (seven counts) and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent in order to commit felony molestation. Two years later, he was acquitted on all counts.

In 2006, Jackson's financial troubles began to surface after he closed up his Neverland Ranch to trim living expenses. Despite reportedly making $75 million a year from his publishing partnership with Sony, the public perceptions of a troubled performer--personally and professionally--continued.

Apparently, the controversy surrounding his personal life has not taken a permanent toll on his career. Jackson reportedly is expected to earn approximately 50 million pounds for the first 10 dates of his London run. If he keeps expenses in check, and the residency at the 02 goes off without a hitch, it looks like his financial problems may soon be over.