In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone in the Dark" to the storybook for the film
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Album for Children. That
same year Jackson issued his second Epic album, Thriller, which became the most com-
mercially successful album of all time. The album remained in the top 10 of the Billboard
200 for 80 consecutive weeks and 37 of those weeks at the peak position. It was the first
album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It,"
and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Thriller was certified for 28 million shipments by the
RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. It is the best-selling album of
all time, with 110 million copies worldwide. Jackson's attorney John Branca noted that
Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point: approximately $2
for every album sold. He was also making record-breaking profits from sales of CDs and
The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a documentary produced by Jackson and John
Landis. Funded by MTV, the documentary sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. The
era saw the arrival of novelties like dolls modeled after Michael Jackson, which appeared
in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12. Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that,
"Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit
movie—and started selling like a household staple."
Time Magazine described Jackson's influence at that point as "Star of records, radio, and
rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat
for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all
boundaries of taste and style and color too". The New York Times wrote that, "in the world
of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else". On March 25, 1983,
he performed live on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, both
with The Jackson 5 and on his own singing "Billie Jean". Debuting his signature dance
move, the moonwalk, his performances during the event were seen by 47 million viewers,
and drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sulli-
van Show. The New York Times said, "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt meta-
phor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a
genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and
seems to walk requires perfect timing."
Time Magazine described Jackson's influence at that point as "Star of records, radio, and
rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat
for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all
boundaries of taste and style and color too". The New York Times wrote that, "in the world
of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else". On March 25, 1983,
he performed live on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, both
with The Jackson 5 and on his own singing "Billie Jean". Debuting his signature dance
move, the moonwalk, his performances during the event were seen by 47 million viewers,
and drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sulli-
van Show. The New York Times said, "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt meta-
phor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a
genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and
seems to walk requires perfect timing."

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