Gundersen Comments On Michael Jackson’s Career Prospects

Music critic Edna Gundersen of USA Today spoke with readers in an online chat on Tuesday and was asked about the musical career status of Michael Jackson. “Few would dispute Jackson’s enduring popularity overseas, but for him to sell only 600,000 copies domestically of a very heavily promoted hits album points to a real decline in fame (musical, at least) and fortune,” she opined. “Of course, a hits album like ‘Number Ones’ is expected to have a long shelf life and that ultimately could mean a multi-platinum tally. The real career test for Michael will be his next studio album, if he ever completes another one. In this country, interest in his artistic talent is greatly dwarfed by public fascination with his legal problems, freakish looks and well-documented eccentricities.” Read more.