I'm being deliberately obtuse, to be sure, but I can't help but wonder who is responsible for Michael Jackson being thrust back into the charts with such vigour. I mean, surely his fans already have the records and don't need to buy them again. Or are there a whole bunch of people who will only buy an album if the star is dead? 

I suppose you could argue that this proves that all publicity is good publicity, although I suspect that would be of limited comfort if you happen to be the one generating the publicity through your death. I'll end on a warning, though. We're seen the dramatic rise in record sales and heard Michael Jackson being played everywhere since he passed on. Prepare yourself now for the oncoming aural rape that will occur when someone like Cliff Richard pops his clogs...