Sony/ATV also owns the rights to songs written by Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Taylor Swift and, oh yes, the Jonas Brothers.

But Sony/ATV does not handle the recordings of Beatles songs. Two other companies do that, so whether you’ll ever download “Come Together” off of iTunes has nothing to do with M.J.’s death.

Jackson was, according to reports, mired in some truly epic financial drama. Even the value of Sony/ATV is unclear, with analysts and media placing it somewhere between the rather widely spaced poles of $500 million and $1 billion.

According to the Wall Street Journal and other reports, Jackson had about $500 million in debt.

Adding to the quagmire: Jackson once put up his share in Sony/ATV as collateral for a loan. The debt is held by Barclays, Jackson’s biggest creditor, and the amount owed is said to be around $300 million.

So where does that leave Lovely Rita or Sgt. Pepper or Sweet Loretta?  It’s going to be a lengthy and twisting pathway.

“It’s all a mess,” one executive involved in Jackson’s financial affairs told the New York Times this past weekend. “No one really knows what is going on, but these are early days.”

Now, Sony/ATV owns 267 songs written mostly by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. That collection—which comprises most of the Beatles’ hits—continues to make bank; in fact, Sony/ATV recently negotiated a deal to allow some of the songs to be used on a Beatles version of Rock Band.

The actual recordings of all the Beatles songs are owned by record label EMI and the band’s company, Apple Corps. Those two are still trying to figure out terms for introducing Beatles songs to the digital world, including iTunes

It could very well be years before anyone figures out what exactly Michael Jackson owned, owed and bequeathed—other than a big old tangle of drama.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” hits screens on July 15, promising high-speed action, dark and dangerous battles with the forces of evil, budding romance at Hogwarts school for wizards and the expected death of a prominent character.

The wait has been a long one for Potter fans around the world who have followed the fate of Harry and his friends through the seven best-selling books by British author J.K. Rowling.

Warner Bros. pushed the release date of Half-Blood Prince back from 2008, leaving a two-year gap since the fifth movie “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and the final novel “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

The release of Potter books and films are major events for the entertainment industry, both because of the passion fans share for the stories, dubbed “Pottermania” in the media, and the amount of money they generate.

The seven Harry Potter books which began in 1997, have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and turned Rowling into a multi-millionaire publishing phenomenon.

MAGIC NUMBERS

The five movies released so far have grossed $4.5 billion in ticket sales, and box office experts see little reason to doubt that the sixth installment will fall within the $800 million to $1 billion range, a huge amount for a single film.

“This is just a remarkable franchise that has consistently drawn blockbuster numbers each time out, and it is hard to imagine this picture not continuing that trend,” said Brandon Gray, president of tracking firm Box Office Mojo

Pent-up demand is expected to ensure a big opening in the key North American market and in countries like Britain, after which word-of-mouth will be a key factor.

The fact that the Potter story is now complete may mean some fans lose interest, but U.S. advance online ticket sales look strong, according to MovieTickets.com

Two films are being made from the Deathly Hallows book, part one scheduled for release in November 2010 and part two in July 2011.

In Half-Blood Prince, Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore is intent on preparing student Potter for a final showdown with the evil Lord Voldemort who is seeking to tighten his grip on the worlds of wizards and non-wizards, or “Muggles.”

Love is in the air as Harry, played by Daniel Radcliffe is drawn to Ginny, Ron Rupert Grint catches the eye of Lavender Brown and Hermione Emma Watson simmers with jealousy.

“It’s all about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll,” British director David Yates told The Daily Telegraph. “Okay, maybe we should take the ‘drugs’ out. Really, this film is more sex, potions and rock n’ roll.”

Reports say the legendary pop singer suffered cardiac arrest at his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Holmby Hills and was not breathing and had no pulse when paramedics arrived after a 911 call around 12:26 p.m. PT. They administered CPR in the ambulance but were unable to revive him. At the hospital, staff attempted to resuscitate Jackson, but he was unresponsive.

From his early career in the 1970s with his family group the Jackson 5 to his decades-long career as a solo artist, Jackson stood as one of the most successful and beloved pop artists of all time.

The Jackson 5’s first single, 1969’s “I Want You Back,” hit #1 on the Billboard charts, and the Motown group went on to become one of the most popular pop acts during the ’70s.

In 1978, Jackson joined Diana Ross in the big-screen musical “The Wiz,” an adaptation of the Broadway musical based on “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” His career as a solo artist took off with 1982’s Thriller, which stands as the biggest-selling album of all time. Over the course of his career, with hit albums like “Bad” and “Dangerous,” Jackson scored five #1 Billboard 200 albums and seven #1 Billboard Hot 100 singles.

In recent years, after several scandalous legal battles, Jackson’s career had faltered. At the time of his death, Jackson was gearing up for a comeback tour, rehearsing for a series of shows in London’s O2 Arena that would jumpstart a world tour, new album and possibly a movie.

The singer is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.

McMahon put himself through college pitching products on the Atlantic City boardwalk, which may have been a more useful education than college itself. In a way, that’s what McMahon did with startling success for 30 years: He pitched Carson to the public. His laugh made Carson’s jokes seem funnier; his straight-man cluelessness in the Carnac routines made Carson seem smarter; and his booming, much-imitated “Here’s Johnny” made Carson seem like the most important person on American TV.

On his own, McMahon was not a great talent. As a sidekick, he made the star not just brighter but better. His gregariousness was a perfect complement to the notoriously private Carson’s button-down approach, providing a reflected warmth the host might have otherwise lacked.

And indeed, much of what we learned about Carson as a person on air came from his exchanges with McMahon. Fans knew about the pair’s divorces, not because they gave interviews to the tabloids but because they discussed them with each other — rarely, but with revealing frankness.

McMahon first worked with Carson as his announcer on the game show Who Do You Trust in the late ’50s. The pair obviously clicked, because they moved together to The Tonight Showwhen Carson took it over in 1962.

McMahon set the sidekick mold most all would follow, and indeed for years made a sidekick seem essential. He mostly served to flatter the star, laughing with sometimes exaggerated gusto even when the joke didn’t particularly merit a laugh. (McMahon did honestly what Paul Shaffer now does ironically.) But at crucial times, he could also serve as a foil, puncturing pomposity before it could grow.

His star status on Tonight enabled McMahon to have a career outside its confines, hosting Star Search and TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, and pitching various products, from magazine sweepstakes to mobility chairs.

In his later years, McMahon’s appearances on TV were less fortunate — and often tied to a how-the-mighty-have-fallen fascination with his financial woes. But today, we can remember him young and laughing, welcoming us to the greatest night-time party TV has ever thrown.

Goodnight, Ed. We had a blast.

The critically unpopular group, who picked up three Juno Awards back in March, went into the televised street-oriented awards show — which saw thousands of fans take over the blocks surrounding MuchMusic’s Toronto Queen and John Sts. headquarters — with a leading five MMVA nods, tied with R&B Toronto newcomer Danny Fernandes.

Nickelback’s trio of trophies were for best video and best rock video for Gotta Be Somebody while the clip also got the nod for best post production.

“Wow,” said frontman Chad Kroeger, arriving on the red carpet with his bandmates in a bullet-proof van to find out they’d already won two awards before the official show even began.

“I give it all to the fans. The fans have stuck with us, they’ve been amazing. We’re just trying to sustain it.”

Added guitarist Ryan Peake: “Couldn’t be a better band for this (bullet-proof) vehicle.”

Fernandes, whose debut disc, Intro, was produced by Palestinian-born, Ottawa-based rapper Belly, picked up a single trophy for best pop video for Private Dancer and busted out a dance move as a presenter alongside MuchMusic veejay Sarah Taylor.

Piano-rockers The Midway State, whose members hail from Collingwood and Thornhill, Ont., were surprise double winners, picking up two MMVA trophies for best independent video for Never Again and Ur Fave new artist for the same song.

Montreal pop-punk band Simple Plan won Ur Fave video for Save You.

Teen-pop sibling act the Jonas Brothers, who were also co-hosts for the evening, opened the show with their hit song, Burnin’ Up, which later won the award for Ur Fave international video, and were immediately followed by St. Catharines, Ont., post-hardcore-screamo act Alexisonfire performing Young Cardinals in a wild contrast of music styles.

And while the trio of brothers can certainly sing — they returned to sing their current hit, Paranoid, to screaming female fans — a skit later in the show with celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton fell totally flat.

“You guys truly are the greatest fans in the world — we love you so much,” said Nick Jonas, upon accepting their award.

When it came to international winners, many were on hand to pick up their hardware as they were also MMVA performers.

Lady Gaga picked up best international video (artist) for her breakout single, Poker Face.

“You guys make it so hard to live anywhere else,” said Lady Gaga in a gold braided outfit and matching headband.

“To God and the gays!”

But she really had people talking when she later transformed the MMVA stage into a New York subway station and wore a revealing black leather and silver studded ensemble that barely covered her nether regions for her performance of LoveGame/Poker Face that also included dancing NYPD officers and sparks flying out of a metal frame bra she was wearing by the end of the song.

Black Eyed Peas, who currently have the No. 1 album in Canada with The E.N.D., won for best international video (group) for that album’s first single, Boom Boom Pow, which they also performed with female singer Fergie decked out in hot pants, thigh-high boots and long fake finger nails on one hand.

Kelly Clarkson also blew the roof of the joint — okay so there was no roof outside — with her big-voice and hit song, My Life Would Suck Without You, as she performed barefoot in jeans.

One Canadian group who did well last night was Billy Talent. The Toronto pop-punk outfit picked up the international video award (Canadian) for Rusted From The Rain, the first single from their new album, Billy Talent III, due later this summer, and performed the song during the MMVAs broadcast on an elevated platform.

“I don’t have any flaming boobies,” said Billy Talent frontman Ben Kowalewicz as he picked up the award, in reference to Lady Gaga’s eye-popping performance which had just occurred.

“He put out mixtapes… His story for me was I heard him rap, he killed it and he got signed,” West said.

One cannot script Sean’s introduction to West any better. Sean took a page right out of fellow Detroit native Eminem’s handbook and lost himself in the moment. When he was alerted by a friend that West would be at a local radio station, Sean went to try and get on.

“One summer — it was junior year, going into senior year — I had this weak job,” the now 21-year-old explained. “No offense to telemarketers, but I was a telemarketer making $100 a week. I was cashing my check one Saturday, and it was for $100. One of my best friends called and was like, ‘Yo, Kanye is down at the radio station. If you go down there and rap for him, he’ll sign you.’”

In a rush, Sean left the check-cashing place before getting his bread and had to borrow $20 from another friend for transportation. When the youngster got to the station, he used his relationship with the staff to get close to West. West originally denied him, then told him he had 16 seconds. That turned into 10 minutes.

“Kanye shook my hand and started walking away,” Sean remembered. “My friend was like, ‘You gotta go for it.’ So I tapped him on the shoulder and was like, ‘I’m an aspiring MC. I do this show every Friday. Can I rap for you?’ He was like, ‘No. I gotta go.’ I’m like, ‘Man, please — you’re my hero. Let me rap for you? Just let me spit for you.’”

West softened up and let Sean rap for him as he walked out of the station. “As we get to the entrance of the radio station… we stopped in the middle of the doorway. He starts looking at me and bobbing his head,” Sean said.

A nervous Sean kept his head down, looking at the ground so he would not make a mistake. By the time his bars were done, a crowd had formed. He had a moment.

“It was like out of the movies,” West remembered. “I could hear his personality and character and style in it. He just walked up to me and said a rap and I said, ‘I’mma sign you.’ That’s what happened.”

West said that it was especially remarkable given that he was not looking for emerging talent at the time.

“No, it’s not that easy — I’m not really signing acts,” he added. “I wasn’t signing acts at that time. But I was so inspired by what he did. His voice was very compelling. His lyrics were very clever and the melodies and the way he was putting it together and his story.”

After losing contact then getting back in touch, West brought Sean out on the road while he recorded Graduation. Eventually the Louis Vuitton Don signed Sean to G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam at the end of 2007. Sean turned down a collegiate career at Michigan State (he had graduated high school with a 3.8 grade point average) to pursue rap, realizing he could not do both.

Sean said that working with West has allowed him to learn many valuable lessons since, according to him, West is a perfectionist.

“He told me how to perfect my records and get them how you want them. You gotta prepare yourself. He taught me a lot. I get on tracks with him and I think I hold my own. It’s great.”

The Uknowbigsean mixtape is the precursor to his album Finally Famous, due later this year.

“It’s different things I go through, struggling through different situations — love, heartbreak,” Sean said about the content of the tape. “I’m not killing anybody. It’s how I feel at the time, at the moment. I wanted to make the soundtrack of peoples’ lives. I feel I can really relate to a lot of young people. People who tend to listen to my music have come back and said, ‘Yo, this is my anthem. This is what I live by.’”

The October 27th album, inspired by what Sting calls his favorite season, will feature two original compositions along with carols, lullabies and traditional songs from the British Isles.

“The theme of winter is rich in inspiration and material,” Sting said. “By filtering all of these disparate styles into one album I hope we have created something refreshing and new.”

The two Sting songs on the disc are called “Lullaby for an Anxious Child” and “The Hounds of Winter,” and both have been previously released (”Hounds” is the opening track of his 1996 solo album Mercury Falling). Other tracks include the 14th century carol “Gabriel’s Message,” the traditional ballad “The Snow it Melts the Soonest,” Henry Purcell’s “Now Winter Comes Slowly” and an English reworking of Schubert’s “Der Leiermann” now called “Hurdy Gurdy Man.”

Although it is not being promoted as a typical Christmas album, If On a Winter’s Night… seems primed to grab a slice of the huge holiday sales that albums like Josh Groban’s Noel scored in the past. The record is Sting first since 2006’s Songs from the Labyrinth, which was an album of songs originally composed by John Dowland.

Sting’s last album of original material was 2003’s Sacred Love. The Police wrapped up its reunion tour in August 2008 at New York’s Madison Square Garden and there has been no word of future dates for the trio.

Joel, 60, and Lee, 27, confirmed they put “much thought and consideration” into their decision to separate, and say they will “remain caring friends with admiration and respect for each other.”

Joel was previously married to his business manager Elizabeth Small from 1973 to 1982 and model Christie Brinkley from 1985 to 1994, with whom he has one daughter, singer Alexa Ray.

Ray said she “wasn’t surprised” by the news.

“I have a pretty good women’s intuition, so I can tell. I know my dad pretty well, so I’m behind him.”

“By the time she finished the first song, there must have been 50 little girls and their moms who came rushing up,” said Ray Rogers, owner of StingRay’s restaurant on Tybee Island. He caught Miley’s surprise gig on video.

Rogers said the 16-year-old “Hannah Montana” star dined on snow crab legs with a friend after wrapping up Monday’s first day of filming of the Walt Disney Co movie.

Then she got up and asked a local acoustic duo playing music if she could sit in. Miley stepped up to the microphone and strapped on a guitar to sing the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill duet “It’s Your Love,” and then added a new song of her own.

“She played those and then we got her out of here,” Rogers said. “We asked her, `What do you wanna do?’ and she said `I want to get out of here.’ So we walked her to a side entrance nobody knew about and got her in her car.”

“The Last Song” will be filming on Tybee Island and in nearby Savannah until mid-August, stirring interest among locals and tourists alike. The movie features Cyrus as a teenage girl struggling with her parents’ divorce who tries to reconnect with her father during a summer at his home in a quiet beach town.

The movie’s publicist, Rachel Aberly, did not immediately return a phone call and e-mail message seeking comment Wednesday.

The Maine continues a killer year with a headlining slot on The Hurley Stage, while both A Skylit Drive and Breathe Carolina will play the entire tour on the SmartPunk Stage.  Also joining them on select dates will be Every Avenue, which is set to take Warped by storm for a second year from July 24 – August 23.

The Fearless tent will be doing exclusive giveaways all summer.

The Maine (entire tour) – 2009 has truly been the year that The Maine has taken over. With a critically-acclaimed album “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” continuing its attack on the charts, the band hit the road with We The Kings and The Cab in February, before co-headlining the sold-out Alternative Press Tour 2009. The video for “Everything I Ask For” was featured on MTV’s Discover And Download, while their music has provided the soundtrack for MTV shows The Hills, Real World and Bromance. Joining Vans Warped Tour for the second year running, The Maine will be releasing new single “Into Your Arms” to radio to support the digital release of the Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Deluxe Edition on July 14. The release is only available through iTunes, and features an exclusive documentary, music videos and previously unreleased bonus tracks. The band has also just shot a new video for “Into Your Arms.”

A Skylit Drive (entire tour) – Blending progressive rock breakdowns and melody into an innovative brand of its own, Californian six-piece A Skylit Drive has been blazing a trail across the scene ever since its formation in 2006. Named by Alternative Press as one of the “100 Bands You Need To Know in 2009,” the band has garnered over 18 million plays on MySpace and played sold-out dates with Chiodos, Silverstein and Escape The Fate last fall. Celebrating the release of new concept album “Adelphia”, the band make its inaugural appearance on Vans Warped Tour this summer, following up the dates with a headline tour of Europe and a support slot on the Senses Fail U.S. tour this fall.

Breathe Carolina (entire tour) – When Dave Schmitt and Kyle Even formed Breathe Carolina in 2007 they didn’t anticipate that their project started “just for fun” would explode into an internationally sought-after band in just two short years. Juxtapositioning crushing rock breakdowns and riffs against pounding techno, Breathe Carolina has fast become one of the hottest new bands on the scene, with word spreading fast thanks to an incredible online following and intense tour schedule, having taken part in the Take Action tour with with Cute Is What We Aim For, Meg And Dia and Every Avenue, and toured with Pierce The Veil. Fans are salivating in anticipation of the release of sophomore album Hello Fascination, recorded with the stellar production team of  Mike Green (Paramore, The Higher, Set Your Goals) and (3OH!3, Panic At The Disco, The Used), set for release on Fearless Records on Aug. 18. The band’s first appearance on Warped this summer will definitely not be their last.

Every Avenue – (July 24 – Aug. 23) Signing to Fearless Records in 2007, Michigan’s Every Avenue quickly won a place in both the charts and the hearts of their fans with the release of their debut album Shh. Just Go With It in 2008. Having already shared stages with Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Metro Station, Hit The Lights, All Time Low and Mayday Parade, Every Avenue is currently touring Japan with Hit The Lights. The band will play dates across the U.S. with Valencia, Cash Cash and labelmates The Morning Light and Sparks The Rescue before making a welcome return to Warped Tour from July 24 – Aug. 23. Every Avenue’s sophomore album, produced by Mitch Allen (The Jonas Brothers, Anberlin), will be released in November.