îl?r sportiani* COhseruer July 8. 2009 Page A7 A rts x V I\IIII ISIIIIAISHISI Michael Jackson Memorabilia Explodes /fvew te I « Mississippi Street Fair Saturday The 2009 Mississippi Street Fair will draw celebrants and sightseers to the historic north Portland neighborhood Saturday for a celebration of diversity and community building. Activities for the whole family will take place along North Mis­ sissippi Avenue which will be closed from Frem ont to Skidmore Streets during the cel­ ebration from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Highlights will include a local market with interesting arts and crafts vendors plus community service displays and food ven­ dors; and four stages, featuring a multicultural roster of enter­ tainment. There will be a kids area at nearby Boise Eliot elementary school featuring a castle and kids games; and a sustainability Fair at the Mississippi Avenue Lofts, 4138 N. Mississippi. A children’s parade will start at Beech school at noon. 4 I. . I A multicultural roster of enter­ tainment is planned on four stages. Caution urged because of inflated prices Im m e d iate ly fo llo w in g the a n ­ nouncem ent o f M ichael Jack so n ’s sudden death, enterprising individu­ als began selling m em orabilia online to take advantage of the increased demand. The Better Business Bureau warns that the value o f m ost m em orabilia and co m m em o ra tiv e item s being sold is sentim ental and the currently inflated prices for many items will drop over time. A c c o rd in g to th e g ro u p Smartmoney, before Jackson’s death, sellers listed an average 2(X) to 4(X) memorabilia items daily on eBay, but by the m orning following his death alm ost 20,000 M ichael Jackson-re­ lated items and memorabilia were for sale on the auction Web site. Ite m s in c lu d e d a u to g ra p h s , g lo v e s, p o ste rs, n ew sp a p ers and even a C h eeto w hich supposedly predicted the death o f the pop star. In addition to m em orabilia, com ­ m em orative items are already being Commemorative buttons pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson. m ass produced and sold to fans— including t-shirts and special edition newspapers and magazines. Because the value o f collectibles is largely dependent on how rare an item is, m a ss-p ro d u c e d c o m m e m o ra tiv e item s are not likely to appreciate in value. “ C o lle c tib le s a s s o c ia te d w ith M ichael Jackson are selling at a pre­ m ium right now and most o f these items will not increase in value in the future,” said Robert W.G. Andrew, a BBB representative. “Follow ing the Jackson Albums Sales Hot N ie ls e n S o u n d S c a n s a y s M ic h a e l Jackson’s album sales have exploded - three o f his album s are in the top three spots and 2.3 m illion tracks have been dow nloaded in the United States since his death. A lbum sales for the w eek ending just three days after his death hit 422,(XX) in theU.S., up from 10,000 a week earlier. The w eek’s tally w as greater than all the Jack- son album s sold from the start of the year to June 21. T he top three album s w ere “N um ber O nes,” “Essential M ichael Jackson,” and “Thriller.” The Black Eyed P eas’ latest CD cam e fourth. death o f Princess Diana, the market w as flooded w ith m ass-produced items com m em orating her death in­ cluding special edition Beanie Babies that at one time sold for more than $100 but are now on garage sale tables for a buck.” For fans looking to purchase items to help them rem em ber the King of Pop, BBB offers the following advice: C o llec to rs should research the value o f M ichael Jackson-related items before they begin purchasing memorabilia, especially if they are in- Obama Reflects on Jackson Michael Jackson (AP) — President Barack Obama called M ichael Jackson a brilliant p e rfo rm e r w h o se ta len ts w ere paired with a tragic personal life. "I'm glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great jo y that he brought to a lot o f people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer," O bam a said in an A P interview Thursday. O bam a said he didn't see any controversy in the fact that he did n o t issue a form al public state­ m ent upon Jackson's death, and said he was unaw are o f any dis- Filmmaker Presents ‘Sweet Crude’ S eattle film m ak er S andy C io ffi an d h e r cre w m ade h e a d lin e s by b e in g ta k e n into custody by the N igerian m il ita r y w h ile s h o o ti n g ‘S w eet C ru d e,” a d o cu m en ­ tary about the N igerian oil in­ d u stry . Ten percen t o f the U .S. oil supply com es from N igeria, w h ere oil is big b u sin e ss, p a r ti c u la r l y in th e N ig e r D elta. H undreds o f billio n s o f d o llars have been g e n e r­ ated from that resource. U n ­ fortunately, 80 percent o f the rev enues go to ju s t one p e r­ cen t o f the po p u latio n , and the en v iro n m en tal d e v a sta ­ tion has co n tam in ated m uch o f the w ater supply fo r the The Northwest Film Center presents 'Sweet Crude, ' a 20 m illion people w ho live documentary about the Nigerian oil industry, on Thursday, July 9. th ere. LV’s Twelve 22 Bar & Lounge For an appointment, call terested in purchasing pieces that have the potential for substantial ap­ preciation in value. C o n firm in g the au th en ticity o f m em orabilia is rarely easy. A uto­ graphs can be verified by a third party, but for other items, the collec­ tor should feel free to ask the seller questions about the item, including how the seller cam e to own it. If the seller can’t answer simple questions, then the collector should w alk away. C onsum ers should alw ays p u r­ chase items with a credit card if they are shopping online. If the seller turns ou, to be fraudulent, then the co n su m er can d ispute the charge with the credit card com pany and may be eligible for reim bursement. W hen purchasing item s from an in d iv id u al on eB ay, research the seller’s track record by reading buyer re v ie w s . W h en sh o p p in g on Craigslist, go local and never wire money as paym ent. Just because the seller claim s that the item is o f lim ited ed itio n , it doesn’t m ean that there w eren't m il­ lions made. If the item is being widely advertised, chances are, it’s too com ­ m on to actually gain m uch value over the years. A s p eacefu l p ro tests have had no effect, m ilitan t groups a r e f o r m in g to g a in th e w o rld 's atten tio n and to take action against the pow erful oil co m p an ies. S w eet C rude tells a story th at m ay be far aw ay, b ut is m o v in g clo ser all the time. Cioffi will introduce the film w h e n it s c re e n s T h u rs d a y , Ju ly 9 at 7 p.m . in the N o rth ­ w est Film C e n te r’s W hitsell A uditorium at the Portland Art M useum , 1219 S.W. Park Ave. T h e sh o w in g is p art o f the N o rth w e st T ra c k in g se rie s, w hich sh o w cases the w ork o f independent film m akers living and w orking in the N orthw est and w hose w ork reflects the v ib ran t cin em a tic cu ltu re o f the region. H orace S. S im pso n Barber satisfaction in the black com m u­ nity with his response. "I know a lot o f people in the black com m unity and I haven't heard that," O bam a said. The president said he grew up on Jackson's m usic and "1 still have all his stuff on my iPod.” "I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers," Obama said. "His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways, sad personal life." Jackson died June 25 at age 50. ‘ N ig h t w ith D a y ’ The encore per­ A w a rd -w in ­ formances, with a ning songstress special appearance an d a c tre s s o f Tom Grant on J u lia n n e R. piano, are sched­ Johnson-W eiss u led T h u rsd ay , brings back her July 9 at 11 p.m. p o r tra y a l of and Friday, July 10 Miss Billie Holi­ at 7:30 p.m. at the d ay in N ig h t Ellyn Bye Studio w ith D ay, an at the P o rtla n d event th at has C e n te r A rm o ry been a hit since it first o pened Julianne Johnson-Weiss Building. Johnson-W eiss la st M a rc h at Jim m y M ak ’s Jazz C lub in portrays Holiday five m onths before her untimely death in 1959. downtown Portland. f i New Prices Effective May 1,2007 Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. 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