We know, we know. You, the right minded public, are getting just a little bored of wall to wall Michael Jackson coverage right now. A genius he undoubtedly was, but he hadn't made a decent record in twenty years, and no matter what his myopic (and frankly terrifying) fanbase may say, the Youtube clip of him rehearsing suggested that the forthcoming O2 residency may not live up to the hype. If I wanted to be attacked by a mentalist at some point in the future (and don't think said fanbase wouldn't track us down), I would go so far as saying that if the clip promoters' AEG released was the best they had, the shows would have been fucking shambolic. But I don't, so I won't, and I'll stick with the first prediction.

Anyway, the reason for this story is that AEG, proving themselves ever more classy, have emailed fans to inform them that T-shirts and collectable gubbins due to be sold during the This Is It tour are on sale. According to CNN, the email says the following:

"Early in June, Michael Jackson approved a line of official merchandise for you, his fans. As we mourn the loss of one of the greatest talents the world has ever seen, we are only beginning to feel the impact that Michael left upon us all. A variety of official merchandise commemorates this incredible talent and preserves the legacy that is Michael Jackson."

Melts your heart, doesn't it? Apparently, so that we can line AEG's pockets - which is slang for 'preserving Michael's legacy' - we can buy wallets, socks, hats and belt buckles as well as myriad T-shirts and loads of other stuff that we're sure Michael would have wanted us to buy. In other Jackson related news, Noel Gallagher himself is thoroughly bored of the coverage, asking "who does he think he is? Jade Goody?" Quite.