MJJC Legacy Team Project : The Michael Jackson Work Archive

MJ TinkerBell

Proud Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
2,326
Points
63
Location
Where Michael IS..Is where you will find Me <3
Country
Canada
banner2ru.png

The Michael Jackson Work Archive


up-4michael.jpg


This Thread is Dedicated to ALL the Michael Jackson

Blogs
Books
News Features
News Articles
DVD/VHS
Tapes
Webisodes


All things which highlight Michael&#8217;s Work, Ethic, Process and Artwork ! Please Post ALL them here :agree:

nrpb-banner.gif


The Library of Congress has placed 2 Michael Jackson recordings into the National Recording Registry.

Thriller Sound Recording


[youtube]4V90AmXnguw[/youtube]

Michael Jackson's Thriller (Film)

LC control no. 86708393
Type of material Film or Video
Main title Michael Jackson's thriller / Optimum Productions ; directed by John Landis ; produced by George Folsey, Jr., Michael Jackson, John Landis ; written by John Landis, Michael Jackson.
Published/Created U.S.
United States : Optimum Productions, 1983.
Related names Landis, John, 1950- direction.
Folsey, George, production.
Jackson, Michael, 1958-2009, production.
Landis, John, 1950- production.
Landis, John, 1950- writing.
Jackson, Michael, 1958-2009, writing.
Peters, Michael, 1948- choreography.
Bernstein, Elmer, music.
Temperton, Rod, music.
Jackson, Michael, 1958-2009, cast.
Ray, Ola, cast.
Optimum Productions.
Copyright Collection (Library of Congress) DLC
Related titles: Thriller.
Description 1 reel of 1 (1232 ft.) ; sd., col. ; 35 mm. ref print.
Summary Film presents Michael Jackson performing the song Thriller. Production is enhanced by dramatic narrative, choreography, make-up and special effects.
Notes Copyright: Optimum Productions; DCR 1983; PUB 15Dec83; REG 19Mar84; PA216-784.
Work given limited theatrical release at Avco Cinema, Westwood, CA, on November 20, 1983, to qualify for an Academy Award nomination, cf. Los Angeles

[youtube]sOnqjkJTMaA[/youtube]

Thriller (Album)
LC control no. 90753548
Type of material Music Recording
Personal name Jackson, Michael, 1958-2009. prf
Main title Thriller [sound recording] / Michael Jackson.
Published/Created Los Angeles : Epic, p1982.
Description 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm, stereo. ; 12 in.
Publisher no. QE 38112 Epic

Contents
- Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
- Baby Be Mine
- The Girl is Mine
- Thriller
- Beat It
- Billy Jean
- Human Nature
- P.Y.T. (Pretty young thing)
- The Lady is my life.
Performer Performed by Michael Jackson.
Subjects Rock music--1981-1990.
LC classification Epic QE 38112
Other system no. (OCoLC)16992535
USA.gov


The Registry was established as a result of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 to recognize and preserve recordings that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."



[SIZE=-1]LC Online Catalog - Film[/SIZE]

LC Online Catalog - Sound



Sincerely Your,
MJJC
Legacy
Team
 
Last edited:
Did I read BLOG? :cheeky:

Is MJJC Blog 'allowed' a space here too?
I know it's 'fan fiction', poems and 'reflections' but always 'respectful' towards Michael
:bow:
 
:ciao: Daz :heart:

BLOG meaning any Articles or Books on Michael's work on BLOGs everywhere :agree:
I hope I explained that :agree:



Did I read BLOG? :cheeky:

Is MJJC Blog 'allowed' a space here too?
I know it's 'fan fiction', poems and 'reflections' but always 'respectful' towards Michael
:bow:
 
Last edited:
:ciao: Daz :heart:

BLOG meaning any Articles or Books or Interviews on Michael's work on BLOGs everywhere :agree:
I hope I explained that :agree:

Thanks for clearing that up, TINK :ciao:

I'll have a look around if I'm on the net... :tease:
 
mj-montage.jpg


The Article:
16 of Michael Jackson's Greatest Non-Musical Achievements......

The news of Michael Jackson's death rocked the world on June 25, 2009. Since his death all of the major television networks have aired special tributes highlighting his musical legacy. Those tributes are fitting for the man who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and whose 1982 Thriller album still holds the title of all-time best selling record in the world. However, Michael Jackson also had many significant non-musical achievements that are rarely mentioned.

The Michael Jackson Burn Center

burned.jpg


On January 27, 1984, Michael Jackson suffered second degree burns on his scalp while filming a Pepsi commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. A pyrotechnics accident set his hair on fire in front of the auditorium full of fans who were there for a simulated concert. Michael Jackson sued PepsiCo and settled out of court for $1.5 million. The settlement was donated to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California, where Michael Jackson received treatment for his burns. Using the money donated by Jackson, Brotman was able to get the best available technology for treating burn victims. The burn ward at the hospital was later named the "Michael Jackson Burn Center" to honor Jackson and his generous contribution.

Received Award from President Reagan

reagan2.jpg


Michael Jackson was invited to the White House on May 14, 1984, where he received an award for his support of drug and alcohol abuse charities, presented by President Ronald Reagan.

Donated Profits of Victory Tour to Charity

kingofpop.jpg


The 1984 Victory Tour, headlined by the Jacksons, introduced more than two million fans to Michael Jackson's solo material. Following the tour, Michael donated his $5 million share from the tour's profits to charity.

We Are the World, We Are the Children

wearetheworld.jpg

Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote the charity single "We Are the World" in 1985. Both artists were among the 39 musicians who recorded the song. The single was released around the world to and proceeds went to help the needy in Africa and the U.S. Almost 20 million copies of "We Are the World" were sold, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. The project raised millions for famine relief.

Treated Underprivileged Children to Free Shows

beatit.jpg


During the Bad World Tour, Michael Jackson played to sold out crowds and smashed Guinness World records when 504,000 fans packed Wembley Stadium for each of the seven sold out shows and the tour grossed $125 million. During all of this, Michael invited underprivileged children to the shows and donated to hospitals, orphanages and other charities.

100 Percent to Charity

jacket.jpg


Michael Jackson donated 100 percent of the profits from him single "Man in the Mirror" to charity.

Donations to the United Negro College Fund

MJ_Star.jpg


From 1985 to 1990, Michael Jackson donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund.

Honored by President George H. W. Bush

moonwalk2.jpg


President George H. W. Bush commended Michael Jackson for his achievements and presented him with the White House's special "Artist of the Decade" award in recognition of his musical influence during the 1980s.

Heal The World Foundation

neverland.jpg


Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation" in 1992. The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson's Neverland ranch to ride theme park rides the singer had built on the property. Heal the World also gave millions of dollars to help children around the world who were threatened by war and illnesses.

Dangerous Profits Go to Charity

dangerous.jpg


Michael Jackson started the Dangerous World Tour on June 27, 1992 and completed it on November 11, 1993, after entertaining 3.5 million people at 67 concerts. All of the profits from the concerts were donated to the Heal the World Foundation.

Publicly Pleaded for More HIV/AIDS Research

bad.jpg


When Ryan White, a hemophiliac teen from Indiana was kicked out of school in 1985 because he contracted HIV from a contaminated blood treatment, Michael Jackson became one of his advocates. After White's death in 1990, Michael pleaded with the Clinton Administration at Bill Clinton's Inaugural Gala for more funding for HIV/AIDS charities and research.

Teamed with Luciano Pavarotti for Charity

michael-jackson-7.jpg


Michael Jackson and Pavarottii teamed up for a benefit concert in Modena, Italy in June 1999. The concert was focused on support of the non-profit organization Warchild. The artists raised a million dollars for the refugees of Kosovo and also donated money to help the children of Guatemala.

Michael Jackson and Friends Benefit Concerts

michael-jackson-concert-2.jpg


Also in June 1999, Michael Jackson organized a series of benefit concerts in Germany and Korea. He recruited Slash, The Scorpions, Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, A. R. Rahman, Prabhu Deva Sundaram, Shobana Chandrakumar, Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti for the Michael Jackson and Friends concerts. The proceeds were donated to the "Nelson Mandela Children's Fund", the Red Cross and UNESCO.

Guinness Record for Support of Charities

guinnessworldrecords.jpg


Michael Jackson was listed in the 2000 book of Guinness World Records for his support more charities than any other entertainer or personality. Michael supported 39 charities through cash donations and sponsorships.

Moonwalk

moonwalk.jpg


Michael Jackson released his first autobiography, Moon Walk, in 1988. The book took four years to write and detailed abuse Michael Jackson suffered as a child. The book topped the New York Times best seller's list.

Support After 9/11

michael-jackson1.jpg


After the 9/11 attacks, Michael Jackson helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., which aired on October 21, 2001. Dozens of major artists performed at the concert and Michael sang "What More Can I Give" as the finale.

The Source:
http://brainz.org/16-michael-jacksons-greatest-non-musical-achievements/
 
Last edited:
[youtube]m4S_zcJfPL4[/youtube]

Michael Jackson &#8211; Requiem For A Dream (By 3utterfly)
This person has exceptionally captured Michael in all his glory! I love the way that the intro starts in black and white and then changes to color on cue with the music as a power surge shoots from Michael&#8217;s arm! The clips of all his spins were put together perfectly.
Excellently done! I know he would love it!

:pray::heart::pray:​
 
michaelcover.jpg


ICON OF THE WEEK: MICHAEL JACKSON
By Claudia Low..Wed, 11/11/09 UTC

To be completely honest with you, I was first assigned to write Michael Jackson as a style icon the week he passed away. But it was just far too hard. Despite a close family unit, I credit most of what I am today to growing up to Disney animateds and Michael Jackson. But I’m going to try my very best to detach personal sentiments to write this from a complete fashion standpoint. Just know that this is going to be an extremely long post and that it was excruciating for me to write, so go easy on me in the comment box.

For generations to come, perhaps for the rest of mankind’s existence, we’ll all remember Michael Jackson for penning all our favourite songs, creating (and patenting) gravity-defying dance moves, and exactly what he was wearing every step of the way.

He didn’t just give us the Moonwalk or Heal The World; he immortalized and androgynized permed weaves at every length, aviators, military jackets, fedoras, sequins, gloves, jazz shoes, and so much more…

michael.jpg


But let’s go about this chronologically. Today, most fashion doyens pinpoint Michael’s (please excuse me – only this once will I refer to a subject by their first name) fashion genius right from the start of his career.

youngmichael.jpg


However, I personally feel they are currently biased to disregard taking into account that his stardom started out as a fifth of a stylistically co-ordinated band that consisted of brothers, and whose clothes were most likely tailored by a family member. Much like Destiny’s Child.

jackson52.jpg


Much like Destiny’s Child, this meant a lot of embarrassing outfits that matched in ways only a mother could lovingly put a child through.

jackson53.jpg


Which is why I will begin Michael’s fashion journey from Off the Wall (released in 1979); because it commemorates his first famed album, and consecutively, the first known appearance of a pair of glittery sequined socks tucked into a pair of stark black jazz shoes. And of course, that iconic disco-sparkled outfit from Rock With You.

jackson56.jpg


Seems to me that Michael was able to constructively take past fashion mishaps in stride to confidently strut around in what would otherwise seem like effeminate outfits.

offthewall.jpg


The next (and probably most renowned) album released, in 1982, was Thriller. The artistic process meant over 300 collaborative songs between Michael and famed Motown producer Quincy Jones, which eventually led into the makings of the now iconic outfits behind the dapper glove and fedora in Billie Jean, and the red leather jackets for Beat It and Thriller.

thriller.jpg


The next album, in 1987, was Bad, which gave us arguably the best fashion interpretation (and most exaggerated) of rock, and the most stylish way to layer an undershirt (in The Way You Make Me Feel) and a fitted suit (in Smooth Criminal).

bad.jpg


It wasn’t until Dangerous (in 1991), when Michael embodied the King of Pop persona that more people took notice of, and came to love.

dangerous.jpg


Jam, In The Closet, Black or White, Remember The Time

The Dangerous World Tour saw Michael in kitschy leotards only he could rock, putting superheroes to shame. And I say this as a true blue DC Comics book fan!

dangeroustour1996.jpg


HIStory (1995) saw Michael shift towards structured (yet materially fluid) avant garde.

history.jpg


Scream, You Are Not Alone

It’s tour, which came to KL in 1996, saw Michael look towards the future with pelvis-high metallic boots.

historytour.jpg


The next we saw Michael in his global fanatic prime. When he announced This Is It in 2009, by then, he had already stylishly matured into embellished silken shirts.

amagrammy1984.jpg


Along the way, Michael had already proven himself a style icon via the release of albums and public appearances.

recentmichael.jpg


Unfortunately, by then he had also established himself as the brunt of much tabloid adversity.

questionablemj.jpg


But no matter the cause, we always saw Michael stylishly face his tribulations.

mjtrial2005.jpg


In fact, earlier this year, we saw him rock (and start the craze for) structured looks by Givenchy and Balmain.

balmain.jpg


So much so that Balmain released an SS09 collection of Michael-inspired jackets.

balmain200906.jpg


Martin Maison Margiela re-visited and contemporized the iconic Thriller jacket (as worn by Pharell Williams).

martinmaisonmargiela200809.jpg


And Christian Louboutin designed an AW09 collection of Michael-inspired shoes,

louboutin200907.jpg


It also granted Repetto their best-selling pair of loafers, the “Jackson“.

jacksonrepetto.jpg


Whether you love or hate him, Michael has thoroughly influenced fashion as we know it today.

Among other things, he demonstrated the importance of a perfectly fitted suit.

mjsuits.jpg


Androgynized sequined-anythings

sequins.jpg


De-stupefied cropped slacks

mjcroppedtrousers.jpg


And inspired much of today’s Pop industry.

aoru2x.jpg


Justin Beiber

Chris-Brown-Michael-Jackson-Red-Leather.jpg


Chris Brown

beyoncemichael.jpg


Beyonce

lady-gaga-fashion_244x319.jpg


Lady GaGa

agynessdeyn.jpg


Agyness Deyn

Michael-Jackson-Fedora.jpg


Meagan Good, Vanessa Simmons

Rihanna-Michael-Balmain-Military1.jpg


Kanye West, Rihanna, Victoria Beckham

ninagarciamischabeyonce.jpg


Nina Garcia, Mischa Barton, Beyonce

Really, the only negativity I saw in Michael’s fashion evolution was the fact that he out-shown every single female counterpart he came into contact with. We all remember the 1994 VMA kiss, but really, who could care about a second-long kiss with those kick-butt boots he had on?

michaelsgirls.jpg


with Brooke Shields, Madonna, Lisa Marie Presley


michaeliconic.jpg


But that’s how I personally feel. Michael was the perfect Pop parcel – the sort of mass icon who’d influence you to better every aspect of your life; even in times of privacy, or death. The sort of icon timeless enough to make you continue to aspire for greatness no matter the era. Because as much as Michael impacted my life, he also nurtured me to appreciate music, culture and fashion from a very young age. What say you?

[Photo Credits: mtv, desitwist, lasentinel, guardian, nydailynews, milk-mag, getdownnn, rollingstone, dublamusic, sitv, gearlive, fashionabletv, themusicninja, costumzee, ladjevic, nymag, fanpop, mjtunes, untoldentertainment, dailymail, macleans, neo2, minivaca, racked, telegraph, allhiphop, fashionbombdaily, myfashionlife, stylecrave]

The Source:
http://www.tonguechic.com/women/icon-of-the-week-michael-jackson/
 
mediaManager2.jpg


Michael Jackson inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame
By TOM KEYSER Staff writer
Published 11:54 p.m., Sunday, August 15, 2010

[youtube]2AGRyhws21A[/youtube]

SARATOGA SPRINGS &#8212; He moonwalked into our soul and on video, but Michael Jackson also danced his way Sunday into the National Museum of Dance Hall of Fame.

Fourteen months after his death at age 50, Jackson became the first dancer from the world of pop and rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll to be inducted into the dance hall of fame in Saratoga Springs. At a ceremony attended by his brother Marlon, Michael Jackson became the 44th dancer or choreographer enshrined in the hall. Most came from the worlds of ballet and modern dance.

As soft-spoken as his late brother, Marlon said he wished Michael could be here to accept the honor in person. Michael Jackson died in June 2009 of cardiac arrest. His personal doctor was charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly administering the sedatives that killed him.

&#8220;What we always did, including Michael, was try to reach out and bring happiness to people,&#8221; said Marlon, who was the second youngest member of the Jackson 5 &#8212; one year older than Michael. &#8220;That&#8217;s what we tried to do, bring people together in a peaceful environment &#8230; unite people around the world as one.

&#8220;I&#8217;m proud of him for what he accomplished in his life. That he&#8217;s being recognized for his ability, his musical ability and dance ability, makes me feel good inside.&#8221;

The induction ceremony was an extension of a gala the previous evening called the National Museum of Dance Tribute to Michael Jackson.

induction-5-500x334.jpg

Attendees stepped into the museum through an elegant entryway of black-and-gold drapes. They were immediately offered a glass of champagne.

They were treated to Michael Jackson videos and dance tributes, including one by the Lombard twins, Martin and Facundo, who perform in the recently released dance film &#8220;Step Up 3D.&#8221; As they gyrated in the style of Jackson, fans in the audience hollered, &#8220;Michael &#8230; Michael.&#8221;

michael-marlon-jackson1.jpg

Before the ceremony, Marlon said that when he and Michael were boys, they pretended that Michael was Fred Astaire and Marlon was Gene Kelly. They emulated the masters&#8217; moves, took pieces from each, and that&#8217;s how Michael built his routines, Marlon said.

doc4c68a01306a7e8770127326.jpg

Michele Riggi, president of the dance museum&#8217;s board of directors, said Jackson&#8217;s trailblazing style of dance and his impact on the world of dance qualified him for the hall of fame.

&#8220;The moonwalk, I mean, he was the first to do that,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And all his dance moves, from his robot dances to the moonwalk to all his gyrations and song and dance together, were such a unique style.

&#8220;Along with his music and dance, he was a complete person and so worthy of being inducted.&#8221;

Michael Jackson joins such legendary figures in the hall as Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, Robert Joffrey and Bob Fosse. Their plaques hang side by side in the order they were inducted. At the end, now, will hang one for the greatest that ever lived the King of Pop.

The Source:
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/A-posthumous-dance-into-the-hall-617034.php
 
Blood%20On%20The%20Dance%20Floor%20615.jpg


Michael Jackson's 'Blood on the Dance Floor,' 15 Years Later
The strange story behind the global hit, which was released a decade and a half ago today
MAR 21 2012, 2:02 PM ET

On June 6, 1990, producer/musician Teddy Riley was supposed to be at his friend and fellow band member's birthday party. Instead, he spent the night at a Soundworks Studio on 23rd Avenue in Queens, working on grooves for none other than the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
"I told [the group] I had a lot of work to do," Riley recalls. "Michael was my priority. I was going out to California to meet him soon, and he wanted me to bring my best work."

It was a fortuitous decision.

Later that evening, Riley learned someone was shot on the dance floor at the party he had skipped. He was shaken. At just 23 years of age, violence and death were already becoming a recurring theme in his life. Within that same year, his half-brother and best friend both had also been murdered.

Riley was shocked to learn Jackson's title for the track: "Blood on the Dance Floor." "He knew what it was about even before I told him what happened that night." The rhythm track Riley worked on that night was aggressive, ominous, menacing. But it had no words, no title, and no melody.
The following Saturday he was on his way to Neverland Ranch to meet Michael Jackson. Riley was nervous. Jackson had already tried out a handful of people to replace legendary producer, Quincy Jones, including L.A. Reid, Babyface and Bryan Loren. None stayed on.

Jackson had high hopes, however, for Teddy Riley, whose street-inflected New Jack Swing style brilliantly fused jazz, gospel, R&B, and hip hop. Indeed, perhaps its greatest achievement was in bridging the divide between R&B and hip hop, a bridge, incidentally, that Jackson had been hoping to find since working on Bad.

Jackson listened carefully to the tapes Riley brought with him and instantly loved what he heard. The tracks used different chords than he was accustomed to. The rhythms were fresh and edgy. The beats swung with velocity and hit like sledgehammers.

Among several tracks Jackson listened to that day was the groove Riley worked on the night of the party. Jackson had no idea about the context. "He knew nothing about it," Riley says. "I never told him anything about it."

A couple of weeks later, however, Riley says he was shocked to learn Jackson's title for the track: "Blood on the Dance Floor." Riley got goose bumps. "It was like he prophesied that record. He felt its mood."

[youtube]c3_NntYhzV4[/youtube]

Over the subsequent months, Jackson and Riley began working feverishly on a variety of tracks, sometimes separately, sometimes together at Larabee Studios in Los Angeles. "I remember he came back with this melody, 'Blood on the dance floor, blood on the dance floor.' I was like, 'Wow!' He came up with these lyrics and harmonies. Then we just started building it up, layer by layer."

Riley used a vintage drum machine (the MPC 3000) for the beat. The snare was compressed to make it pop ("I want it dry and in your face," Jackson used to say). It was a sound they used throughout the Dangerous album. "Listen to 'Remember the Time,'" Riley says. "It's very similar."

Ultimately, however, "Blood on the Dance Floor" didn't end up making it onto Dangerous. "It wasn't quite finished," Riley says. "There were still some vocal parts missing. Michael loved the song, but he would listen to it and say, 'I like what you did here, but we still need this here.' He was a perfectionist."

As the Dangerous sessions continued, other tracks began to take priority, including "Remember the Time" and "In the Closet." Jackson wouldn't resume work on "Blood" until nearly seven years later. It was now January of 1997. Jackson was in the midst of his HIStory World Tour, and had decided to visit Montreux, Switzerland during a break between the first and second leg (according to news reports, while there he also tried to purchase the home of his longtime idol, Charlie Chaplin).

Here, at Mountain Studio, Jackson went to work on the old demo. "We took Teddy's DAT (Digital Audio Tape) and worked it over with a four-man crew," recalls musician, Brad Buxer. The completed multi-track, engineered, and mixed by Mick Guzauski, was modeled very closely on the last version Jackson and Riley recorded.

"When I heard it finished, I wished I could've been the one to [complete it]," Riley says. "But Michael knows what he wants, and he was happy with it."

It was, in some ways, an unusual dance song. Like "Billie Jean," its subject matter was dark and disturbing (in this case, a narrative about being stabbed in the back in the place he least suspected--the dance floor). Jackson's clipped, raspy vocals evoke a sense of foreboding, as the electro-industrial canvas conjures a modern urban setting. Still, the song feels anything but bleak. The beat cracks out of the speakers like a whip and the hook is irresistible.

'Glee' Gambles on Michael Jackson Jackson told Riley he believed the song was going to be a "smash." "He explained it like this: A hit is a song that stays on the charts for a week or two. A smash is a song that stays up there for six weeks," Riley says. "He felt 'Blood on the Dance Floor' was a 'smash.'"
"Blood on the Dance Floor" was released on March 21, 1997. Strangely, the song wasn't even promoted as a single in the U.S. Riley says Jackson didn't mind in this case. "He figured people in America would find it if they really wanted it. He wasn't worried about it." Globally, however, the song thrived, reaching the Top Ten in 15 countries and hitting No. 1 in three (including the U.K.). It also proved ripe for remixes and received frequent play in clubs and dance routines. Left off Jackson's two major studio albums that decade, "Blood" ironically became one of Jackson's most durable rhythm tracks of the '90s.

Fifteen years later, what makes the song unique? I ask Riley. "It was just a direct, aggressive sound for Michael. He always pushed for something stronger. But what was really amazing was how he pre-meditated the energy of the song. He knew what it was about even before I told him what happened that night. I've never witnessed anything or anyone as powerful as Michael."

teddy%20riley%20ap%20images.jpg

Teddy Riley photo: AP Images

The Source:
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...ood-on-the-dance-floor-15-years-later/254877/
 
gallery_333_380_88008.jpg

(In Photos: Sage Romero and Michael)


My Friend Michael Jackson by Joanelle Romero...

On the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, actress/activist Joanelle Romero writes about growing up with him and the connection to the “Black or White” Music Video...

On June 25th 2009, I was packing and moving out of a house we had lived in for 6 years and an acquaintance phoned me and said Michael Jackson is dead, turn on the TV.I dropped the phone, turned on the television and there it all was, I fainted, no one was home with me. I woke and cried and cried and I am still crying. My heart is so broken; you see Michael was a friend and he believed in me. I’ve known Michael since I was 10 years old, we went to school together at Gardner Street school off of Sunset Blvd, we were in the 6th grade together. I was always invited to go to his house to play, he would swing me in this big tree swing and we would speak of our dreams. Michael asked me to go steady on the steps of Gardener Street school. Two weeks before school ended my mother sent me to live with my dad in NM. I never got to say goodbye to Michael.

h-20-2278921-1287867130.jpg

(In Photos: Joanelle Romero, Sage and Michael)

One week before Michael left this earth, my son and I were shopping at Nordstrom’s, and we run into Jermaine. I asked him to please tell Michael I needed to see him, that I needed to visit, that it was important and I gave him my new numbers. God works in mysterious ways.

In 1991, I launched my production company, it was 2 weeks old when I received a call from Michaels casting office, asking if I had any American Indian dancers because everyone he had been interviewing wasn’t right. I told them “I have the best dancers in town” I really had no one, however I went to many Pow wows and gathered 30 dancers, one of them being my precious daughter Sage. She was 5 then. Michaels casting office had no idea that Michael and I knew each other. To make a long story short. Director John Landis, cast 5 dancers, my daughter – who was the jingle dress dancer, and four other dancers from the native community here in Los Angeles that I brought in that day.

[youtube]F2AitTPI5U0[/youtube]

Michael shot 7 hours of photos of Sage while shooting his video and used her image for his painted angels in his Neverland ranch. We had so much fun while filming. Michael, Sage and I watched “Willie Wonka” 3 times while everybody had to wait on set. Michael took Sage and Nancy Reagan to lunch, he had asked if I wanted to go however I declined for obvious reasons. Many stories to remember .....

938b3ea2jw1dm84ybg3pkj.jpg


We had shot the segment of the native dancers in the studio, then Michael read one of my music video scripts and one week later we were on location re-shooting the native segment out-side. Due to Michael’s insight, he added my production company and shared the press in Entertainment Weekly.

black-or-white-michael-jackson-music-videos-15316248-330-416.jpg


Michael became the leading force in making my company known to the world. It is now an award-winning production company in producing American Indian documentaries and independent films. The 1991 “Black or White” music video and song made history. I was able to negotiate for the American Indian dancers to be paid over and above any dancers on any music video ever, due to the fact they were traditionally dressed (the wardrobe did not come from western costume). To date, they are the highest paid dancers in the music video industry. Also, this segment was the first clip of American Indian dancers in a music video without being a Native American music group/artist.

On our opening night of our 2009 Red Nation Film Festival – A Night of Tribute Awards, we honored Michael Jackson for his “Black or White” Music Video – In Loving Memory of Michael Jackson. I have many personal stories about Michael and that I will keep in my heart forever. I am not going to spend my life being a color, I am a Human Being
God Bless You MJ

Together we can Heal the world make it a better place.

…..We Love You Michael ……..

The Source:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/nativ...michael-jackson-in-loving-memory/402674670949
 
Michael_Jackson_on_stage_circa_2x1988.jpg



Michael Jackson: Legacies of a Globetrotting
Moonwalking Philanthropist

August 24, 6:15 PM African-American Art Examiner - Aberjhani

As what would have been the beloved iconic entertainer’s 51st birthday approaches (August 29, 2009) the world community once again finds itself engaged in rediscovering, redefining, and re-devouring Michael Jackson. Some are feasting as they have been for years on continuous disclosures about aspects of his life (and now death) considered unconventional and mysterious largely because the man in question is Michael Jackson ––were he someone else, those qualities termed “eccentricities” while he lived might have been described just as individual idiosyncrasies or personal issues.

In addition to the extent of his dependence on drugs to manage pain in a world known to exact agonizing cruelty upon hypersensitive souls, another revelation that immediately set tongues wagging and fingers snapping was that of Jackson’s actual monetary net worth. Reports in recent years have often stated he was broke, the result supposedly of spending more to support a lavishly self-indulgent lifestyle than the millions of dollars he was actually earning. While the performer did indeed reportedly accumulate an excess of $300 million in debt, he had also worked hard enough and invested shrewdly enough to ensure at least that amount would go to his family once all debts were settled. One well-known investment in particular––a cache of rights to songs by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Neil Diamond––has a potential value of $1 billion plus.


The Timeless Music

Aside from conversations pertaining to his wealth, the one truth upon which all seem to agree universally is that the legacy of Jackson’s music will stand as steadfastly as that of the Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (whose classic Nutcracker Suite the performer adored), jazz master Duke Ellington, or songstress Ella Fitzgerald. To date, his solo albums Thriller (1982) have reportedly sold 110 million copies worldwide; Dangerous (1991) 32 million copies; and Bad (1987) 30 million copies, a feat that helped earn him the World Music Diamond Award in 2006. Additional recordings with his brothers as The Jackson Five and with other artists place his total sales (again, to date) at some 750 million units. In the simplest of human terms, those staggering figures mostly mean someone somewhere will always hear a Michael Jackson song for the first time or the ten-thousandth time and privately celebrate his musical art as a gift to their appreciative soul.

To Help Heal a World

What is so odd when it comes to public discussions of Jackson’s legacy is how few comments one hears about the monies the singer worked for and donated to dozens of charities around the globe. As NBA star Kobe Bryant put it at the singer’s memorial, “Michael gave as much off stage as he did on stage.” The acknowledged amount in that area also exceeds $300 million and prompted the editors of the Guinness Book of Records Millennium Edition to cite Jackson as “the Pop Star who supports the most charity organizations.” That observation places an entirely different spin on the title “King of Pop,” conjuring as it does the image of a true sovereign seeing to the needs of his people. That he touched as many lives as he did through his music is miraculous enough but when studying the vast list of organizations and individuals for whom he at times served as a philanthropist, Jackson’s impact on humanity magnifies to an astounding degree.
The following sample of the many organizations to which he made substantial (and some cases long-term) contributions provide some indication of the magnitude of his impact upon his fellow human beings: the AIDS Foundation, Camp Ronald McDonald, the Make A Wish Foundation, the United Negro College Scholarship Fund, Camp Good Times, the T.J. Martell-Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the NAACP, the Rotary Club of Australia, UNESCO, Volunteers of America, the YMCA, numerous children’s hospitals and various legal defense funds. But while most of these organizations are based in the United States, Jackson was a true citizen of the world, a globetrotting moonwalking philanthropist if you will, and the hands he opened to one segment of humanity did not close when he encountered another.


Michael+Jackson+Live+This+is+it+Imagen+48.png

Michael Jackson in classic dancer form. (digital press release detail)

All those stunned by the literally worldwide outpouring of tributes upon his death need only recognize that his generosity truly was global. During the course of various tours he often forfeited individual payment and instead donated his earnings to others: at one point presenting Mayor Kronawitter of Munich, Germany, with a 40,000 DM-check for the needy people of his city; donating £400,000 pounds to charities in Dublin, Ireland; presenting 1 million pesetas to charities sponsored by the Queen of Spain, and £200,000 to Prince Charles of Great Britain for the Prince’s Trust. Argentina, France, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Russia, and citizens of countries throughout Africa benefited repeatedly from Jackson’s amazing capacity for altruism.

It is possible that the inscription on the Bollywood Humanitarian Award that the megastar received in 1999 sums up what drove him to work so hard in order to give so much: "Though he comes from the young American tradition, Michael is the embodiment of an old Indian soul. His actions are an expression of the philosophy of Weda, which asked to work for the people––not for one's own interests."


Michael Jackson: Legacies of a Globetrotting
Moonwalking Philanthropist (Part 2)
August 25, 3:16 PMAfrican-American Art Examiner - Aberjhani


Following the 1993 allegations of child molestation against Michael Jackson many radio stations stopped playing his music, contributing in a major way to what has been described somewhat obliquely as his “decline in popularity.” Even though he was never convicted of any supposed crime and charges against him dropped without a trial, various media outlets in his homeland clearly decided he was guilty and punished him with silence.

A number of famous individuals who had been great friends behaved as though he had become too much of a PR liability and also quietly distanced themselves from him. In the collective mind of one part of the world, he may have become the equivalent of a Biblical leper but in other corners of the global village his voice grew increasingly stronger as he continued to perform and “give back” as much as he could, possibly even managing to give much more than he had ever actually received.


A Different Behavioral Theory

In his brilliant article, “Back in the Day,” featured in the current issue of GQ Magazine, writer John Jeremiah Sullivan examines Jackson’s growth as an artist and at one point ponders the challenge of writing about a superstar who was both revered for his genius and tainted by charges of molestation. Many people meditating upon the allegations––in conjunction with Jackson’s public statement that he believed it was acceptable to share his bed with children––have struggled to make sense of them because they find it difficult to believe they could love someone as much as the world loves Michael Jackson if the charges were true. Some have surmised there was a part of Jackson which itself was only a child and therefore––as a child––saw nothing inappropriate about sharing bed space with other children. Sullivan describes this perceived aspect of his personality as a “frozen adolescent.” That particular theory of course opens the door to all manner of speculations regarding the precariousness of mental wellness for thousands living in the high-pressure zone of life as a celebrity.

But another theory surfaced after famed mentalist Uri Geller stated he had once hypnotized Jackson and, while the singer was “under,” asked if he was guilty of any of the charges against him. The answer was an emphatic "No" that provided Geller with personal closure on the issue. So the question remained, what then might have been Jackson’s reason for the sleepovers at his Neverland ranch?

And the answer could be this: his fantasy was not a sexual one at all but a fantasy of being the perfect father. To seek refuge from fear or loneliness within a parent’s bed is a common family scenario. Jackson welcomed children in order to practice parenting them with degrees of compassion, empathy, and love that he felt he had never received but which were essential to the greater development of one’s human spiritual potential. Consider that possibility and it becomes no small wonder that his daughter Paris took the emotional risk of speaking before millions to declare, “Daddy has been the best father that you could ever imagine.”


The Blessing of Options

One of the greatest legacies, other than monetary wealth, that Jackson will leave to all the members of his extended family is that of choice. They will not have to work in the same driven manner as he did for survival, acceptance, material comfort, racial equality, or individual integrity because his labors have already paved the way. They have been blessed with resources and opportunities to carry his creative visions and the prosperity they generated, as well as their own, much further.

MJ2_official_early_press_release.jpg

Michael Jackson during release of Thriller album. (press release photo)


As of this writing, word comes that the entertainer and philanthropist will be buried––just over two entire months following his passing June 25, 2009––several fluctuating days after the anniversary of his fifty-first birthday. Many macabre reports will be drawn from that particularly unsettling fact as well but some will find it poetically and spiritually fitting, reading the occasion of this final ceremony more as a re-birthday than as an overdue burial. However the world community chooses to interpret it, where Michael Jackson himself is concerned, if the purpose of a legacy is to help make the world a richer, more fulfilling, and more humane place than it was during one’s lifetime, he can rest in peace knowing he did exactly that.

The Source:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-...obetrotting-Moonwalking-Philanthropist-Part-1
 
af503f3ad7ec.jpg


Mick Garris Talks About Filming 'Ghosts' with Michael Jackson...

Movieline has published an interview with Mick Garris. Garris is known as the creator of the Masters Of Horror TV series and director of Stephen King book adaptations such as The Shining and The Stand. To Michael Jackson fans he is also known as part of the team that put together Michael's extraordinary movie 'Ghosts'.

mick-garris-400x300.jpg


First things first: How did you come to be a zombie in Thriller?

John Landis had already been a friend for several years. We actually met when I was a receptionist for the original Star Wars at an off-lot office at Universal. John&#8217;s office was next door to mine when he was prepping Animal House. And Rick and his wife at the time, Elaine, had been very close friends and neighbors to me and Cynthia. So when they invited us, we came running. I was a hopeful writer then, doing publicity for studios and the like, just starting to get screenwriting jobs.

Was there the sense that you were seeing pop-culture history being made?

We knew we were doing something special, but had no idea just how special. We knew it was a much bigger scale than music videos at the time had been, and so much different than the usual 1980s performance things. But watching Michael come alive on that first night I was there was electrifying. I became a fan right there.

Did you become friends with Michael Jackson then?

We did not become friends at that point. Later on, when I was shooting The Stand, Stephen King and Michael put together a script for another scary music video &#8212; one with huge scale, even compared to Thriller. King recommended me for it, and that&#8217;s where I really met Michael on a one-to-one basis. We became friends through that experience.

What did you think Michael wanted to achieve with Ghosts?

Michael wanted to make the biggest, scariest music film ever. Well, I don&#8217;t know that that&#8217;s what happened; you can&#8217;t really be scary in this context, but it&#8217;s huge, the music and dancing are great, and it&#8217;s quite the spectacle. And it definitely got its point across. That theme of the outcast stranger that he and King created was important, and stayed the focus through various incarnations.

How did you get involved, and how did the collaboration between you, Michael, Stan Winston and Stephen King work?

I was actually the original director. It was begun in 1993, and I worked with him throughout pre-production and two weeks of production. It shut down for three years before resuming under Stan Winston, who was doing the effects work when I was directing. I recommended him to finish shooting when it resumed, as I was about to shoot The Shining. So yeah, I was on set a lot. But I was not there when the production continued in 1996. I&#8217;d get midnight calls from Michael, who was so passionate about finishing it, making it special. He and Stan had become friends way back when they did The Wiz together.Nobody knows this, but it was originally going to be a video to promote Addams Family Values. In fact, Christina Ricci and the boy who played Pugsley were both in it. We shot for two weeks and never got to the musical numbers.".

In the beginning, he and Steve did the script together, and I wasn&#8217;t really privy to what went on then. It was when it was greenlit that Michael and I and Stan would get together for hours on end, planning the complicated effects as well as the music and storytelling. But it started as something completely different. Nobody knows this, but it was originally going to be a video to promote Addams Family Values. In fact, Christina Ricci and the boy who played Pugsley were both in it. We shot for two weeks and never got to the musical numbers. It was very expensive and ambitious. And when the first so-called scandal happened, it was when we were shooting. Suddenly, Michael was out of the country, and the studio no longer wanted him to help promote that film..


What does it mean to you now that Stan and Michael are both gone?

It&#8217;s incredibly sad, of course, and really tragic. Stan was a very talented and funny and friendly man. But I was closer to Michael, spent more time with him. It really breaks my heart to see what happened to him. He was always very fragile, had lots of trouble sleeping. He reminded me a lot of Don McLean&#8217;s song about Vincent Van Gogh. The world can be mean, and Michael didn&#8217;t have a mean bone in him. Very vulnerable and sweet. And what most people don&#8217;t realize is how smart he was and especially how funny he could be. A very witty, explosively talented guy.

Did Michael hope Ghosts would break out as big as Thriller?

Michael always seemed to hope to make something that would be huge. He thought big, because his whole life seemed to be surrounded by magnitude. I don&#8217;t know what his hopes were in terms of comparing it with Thriller, but I know he thought it would be very special.

Ghosts and Thriller see him as a charismatic, playful &#8220;monster&#8221;. Do you think he kept having fun with that reputation, even when the media turned on him?

He was very playful with that image, though as the press got meaner, he was definitely hurt by it, and pulled back and became more reclusive. But though we were friends, it wasn&#8217;t like I saw him all the time. A couple years could go by without seeing or speaking with one another, but when we did, we always had a good time.

Where were you when you heard he&#8217;d died? What did you immediately think and feel?

I was driving in my car when I heard on the radio that he&#8217;d been found unconscious and had been rushed to the hospital. I was stunned, of course, like everyone. Then, about an hour or so later, when I heard it rumored that he had died, I just couldn&#8217;t believe it. It took a couple of days for it to sink in. Maybe it was inevitable, I don&#8217;t know. I just know that he was fragile, sensitive, and an incredibly sweet and generous guy. It broke my heart, just like it broke the world&#8217;s. And I really felt for his kids, who are terrific and unspoiled in a way you wouldn&#8217;t imagine. At least, they were when I last saw them a couple of years ago.

As someone who knew him, what&#8217;s your reaction to the 24/7 speculation and media coverage?

I don&#8217;t know, I hate to speculate. I know he had his demons, fears, fragility. I really wasn&#8217;t exposed to the drug usage or any of that stuff. It was not that intimate a relationship. All I know is that he was someone I liked a lot, and was privileged to know and work with, and I miss him. Even though I hadn&#8217;t seen him in a couple of years, it always seemed like we&#8217;d be getting together again soon to talk about movies, and laugh and joke and have fun. It makes me so sad that it won&#8217;t ever happen again.

Did you see the loneliness and sadness claimed to have been his constant companion?

One of my earliest meetings with him was in New York, where he had a penthouse apartment in the Trump Towers. He was so very lonely. He&#8217;d take me to the window and point down at Fifth Avenue below and tell me he&#8217;d give anything to be able to just walk down there and go into the shops, but he couldn&#8217;t. I went out to visit him in Orlando, and was surprised to find that I was the only one, other than staff, that was around with him. There was nobody but us for a couple of days. I don&#8217;t think he had a lot of close friends, people who didn&#8217;t want something from him.

Your enduring memory of him will be&#8230;?

Making him laugh. When Michael laughed, when you got to him for more than just that giggle behind the hand, it was a sight to see. He just loved to laugh, and it was fun to tease him gently. Maybe one of my favorite memories was on the set of Ghosts; we&#8217;d finish a take, and if I wanted another, I&#8217;d put on Bullwinkle&#8217;s voice and say, &#8220;This time for sure!&#8221; The first time, he just laughed and laughed and laughed. Then he&#8217;d keep asking, even after the good takes: &#8220;Mick, do Bullwinkle!&#8221; That&#8217;s how I like to remember him.

Will Ghosts get a DVD release now?

I hope so. It was hugely expensive, and never released in the United States. He paid for it out of his own pocket, too. So I don&#8217;t know who owns it. But I think people would love it. It changed a lot from the time that I worked on it to the time it was finished, but it&#8217;s quite an accomplishment. I&#8217;d love to see it available. The only copy of it I have was one I came across in a music store in Hong Kong, on the old VCD format. It deserves better. [/I]

image.jpg


The Source:
MJFC
 
Last edited:
1913485867_small_1.jpg


Heal the World: Michael Jackson as the King of Charity...
M. R., Yahoo! Contributor Network. Aug 28, 2009

Michael Jackson was not only the King where music was concerned, but he was also the King of charity. The Millennium-Issue of the "Guinness Book of Records" named Michael as the Pop Star that supports the most charities. In all, 39 international organizations were named, but Michael was known to give away anonymously and to local charities often, with an estimated $500 million charity donations made in his lifetime.
His most notable charity work came in the form of a song that he co-wrote with Lionel Ritchie in order to help children who lived in countries that were suffering from poverty and civil unrest. "We are the World" was produced by Quincy Jones and performed by Michael and 45 other musicians, friends and actors. The proceeds of the song were donated to those who were starving in Africa.

This led Michael to create the Heal the World Foundation, which was formed to improve the lives of children and teach them how to help others. The foundation helped international charity organizations fight poverty, hunger, cancer, abuse, AIDS, disease, illiteracy and racism. Michael also wrote the flagship song for the organization called Heal The World.

During the History Tour in Bombay, Michael donated the proceeds of his concerts to local hospitals and charities. This is only one example of the many times where Michael would donate proceeds of his concerts to those that were most in need. He also donated his personal items for auction to UNESCO.

In addition, Michael wrote many of his songs to support charity and noteworthy campaigns. His song Gone Too Soon was written in honor of AIDS victim Ryan White, who received a contaminated blood transfusion early on in life. Ironically, White was from Michael's home state of Indiana. All sales of Man In the Mirror went to the Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times for cancer children.

Other famous charities to which Michael donated were the Make A Wish Foundation, the Minority Aids Project, Angel Food, the American Cancer Society and the Society of Singers. While his voice went Platinum many times over in the record world, his heart was golden.

:heart: Thank you Thrillerchild for sharing this Post with us ! :clapping:

The Source:
http://voices.yahoo.com/heal-world-michael-jackson-as-king-charity-4124247.html
 
pope-benedict-xvi.jpg

The Article:

Michael Jackson Makes The Pope's Top Ten Albums List
According to a Vatican newspaper...February 15, 2010 by Scott Colothan | Photo by WENN.com


thepope-.jpg


Pope Benedict XVI is a fan of Oasis, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, according to a classic rock and pop albums list issued by the Vatican.

Endorsed by the Pope, the Vatican’s official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano published a top ten countdown of records they consider the best of all time.

In top spot is The Beatles' 'Revolver', but Oasis' 'What's The Story (Morning Glory)?', Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon', Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' also make the list.

Of Oasis' record, L'Osservatore Romano said: “The album was never equalled - probably because the Gallaghers were always fighting but that's how they like to take on their domestic and musical challenges.

“All credit to the group for gathering in the tradition of the Beatles, mixing it with a hint of punk and rock, the distorted guitar is a trademark of Oasis.”

Other records that made the top ten included U2's 'Achtung Baby', David Crosby's 'If I Could Only Remember My Name', 'Graceland' by Paul Simon and Carlos Santana's 'Supernatural'.


michael-jackson-20050820-63679.jpg


The Source:
http://www.gigwise.com/news/54665/T...el-Jackson-Make-The-Popes-Top-Ten-Albums-List
 
captain-EO-michael-jackson1.jpg


The Blog Article:

Captain EO: Performers recall making Michael Jackson’s 3-D movie set to return to Epcot
June 29, 2010|By Dewayne Bevil, Sentinel Staff Writer


2448161099_1.jpg


The return of Captain EO to Epcot will have folks in remember-when mode. Remember when EO opened in 1986 and director Francis Ford Coppola was there? Remember when Michael stood on that car outside the courthouse and waved to fans? Remember when we heard the news last year that he'd been taken to the hospital and it didn't look good?

Two people with up-close-and-personal memories of Jackson are Debbie Lee Carrington and Renee Collette, who performed in Captain EO, the 17-minute film that returns to Walt Disney World for a limited (but open-ended) engagement beginning Friday, July 2.

At the time of the shoot, she didn't know what the project was all about, says Collette, who danced in EO.

"I had no idea it was for a theme park," she says. "I just knew that it was Michael Jackson's big 3-D extravaganza."

The EO set was relaxed and professional, she remembers.

"Michael was a great teacher. He knew what he wanted, and he was adamant  not rude to people at all, ever  but he was adamant on what he wanted," she says. "We'd do it over and over."

tumblr_md139hKdjt1qcqc9mo1_500.jpg



Carrington had a speaking role and a distinctive costume for EO. "I'm half of the three-legged, two-headed character called the geex," Carrington says. "We are the navigator and the pilot for Michael Jackson, who is Captain EO."

She says a body cast was made for her and another actor while they were lying down and "connected" at the hip. From there, a harness was made to keep them together while in the furry costume.

"It wasn't very comfortable," Carrington says. "It was actually quite challenging to coordinate and walk together with the other actor because we had to act as one."

photo.jpg


Director Francis Ford Coppola spent the first part of the rehearsal period with the cast, including Jackson and Anjelica Huston, doing improvs. The purpose was to get them to open up to one another and act like a team, just like in EO, Carrington says.

"Michael came out of his shell after the first day," she says. That led to a fun, playful environment on the set, complete with practical jokes, Carrington says.

Both Collette and Carrington saw Captain EO for the first time in many years when the film came back to Disneyland earlier this year in California.

"It brought tears to my eyes to see it again," Collette says. "It really was emotional." It reminded her of what an influence Jackson had been on her and others.

michael+jackson+%25282%2529.jpg


The Source:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...aptain-eo-062910_1_captain-eo-epcot-body-cast
 
[youtube]XGY7lKUwnu8[/youtube]

The Blog Article:
Michael Jackson&#8217;s First Moonwalk: Thirty Years Later
May 24th, 2013


Thirty years ago this month: on May 14, Syria rejected Lebanon&#8217;s attempt to persuade it to go along with the U.S.-based plan for an Israeli troop withdrawal; on May 2, a 6.7 earthquake injured 487 in Coalinga, California; on May 13, in a 5-4 loss to Minnesota Vikings, Reggie Jackson, who was then part of the Oakland A&#8217;s, became the first major league player to strike out 2,000 times; on May 31, the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games of the NBA Finals. Superstar Michael Jackson&#8217;s &#8220;Beat It&#8221; was a number one hit on both the pop and R&B charts; on May 25, Return of the Jedi was released in movie theaters; on May 10, the classic comedy Laverne & Shirley aired its final episode. And on May 16, Michael Jackson premiered his Moonwalk dance step on national television on the Emmy Award-winning NBC TV Special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and forever changed pop music.

Michael Jackson will forever be known as one of the greatest entertainers of all time. He studied many that came before him in the entertainment industry in order to hone his own craft and develop his own style. In the arena of dance, he studied the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, whom Michael stated at the 2003 BET Awards &#8220;influenced him more than anyone.&#8221; He also studied the fancy footwork of Jackie Wilson, David Ruffin of the Temptations, Fred Astaire and many others.

Michael was an avid Soul Train watcher and whenever his schedule permitted, he watched the program with dedication. Even when he was out on the road, he and his brothers found out what channel the show was on in whatever city they happened to appear in. Jackson admired the Soul Train Gang&#8217;s freestyle movements. The Jackson family were such huge fans of the dancers on the show that they invited several members of the show to their home for parties and get-togethers. Soul Train dancers such as Patricia Davis and Damita Jo Freeman taught Michael and his brothers some of the eye-catching routines they did on the show. As Michael stated in his autobiography Moonwalk, &#8220;We picked up ideas from those [Soul Train] dancers who were from our part of the country.&#8221;

One of the popular dance moves he learned from Soul Train was the Robot. Years later he learned another dance from watching Soul Train, the Moonwalk, which was originally called the Backslide.

Michael might have learned some elements of moonwalking early on in his middle-teens. In 1973, Michael attended a show given by the world famous mime artist Marcel Marceau who was known for his precise robotic-like mime movements. In one of his most famous routines, &#8220;Walking Against the Wind,&#8221; he appeared to be walking backward and forward at the same time as imaginary wind pushed him back.

motown4.gif


&#8220;I saw his show last year and he was really interesting to watch,&#8221; Michael stated in a 1974 Right On! magazine interview, referring to Marceau. Motown mogul Berry Gordy even recalled in interviews that Jackson studied Marcel Marceau in his teens. In fact, Michael incorporated abridged versions of this move in some of his concert and TV performances, in which he sort of slid in place but didn&#8217;t go all the way backwards. He did a bit of this move towards the end of his performances of &#8220;Dancing Machine&#8221; on Soul Train and the talk show Mike Douglas, and towards the end of a performance of the Jackson 5 hit &#8220;Get it Together&#8221; on a TV special entitled &#8220;One More Time.&#8221; From that time on, the move he saw Marcel Marceau do stuck with him and as the years went on, he became obsessed with it and wanted to perfect it.

The exact origins of the dance that later became known as the Moonwalk are unclear. Many agree that it started many years ago in black Vaudeville. Indeed, perhaps the earliest performance on film of this dance was at the Apollo Theater in 1955 by singer and dancer Bill Bailey, who tap danced and gracefully moonwalked off the stage towards the end of his performance. This performance is on YouTube and is a must for anyone who wants to see the roots of where this dance came from.

Michael had also seen kids doing this dance on inner-city streets. As he recalled to Rev. Jesse Jackson in a 2005 interview, &#8220;The moonwalk is a dance I would like to take credit for but I can&#8217;t. I have to be completely honest here. I get a lot of ideas from watching black children. They have the most phenomenal rhythms of anybody on this earth. I remember riding through Harlem in the late seventies, early eighties and I would see the kids dancing on the street. This one kid was doing this sliding backwards illusion dancing I call it. I took a mental picture of it and I started to dance, create and perfect it. But it definitely started in black culture, there&#8217;s no doubt about that.&#8221;

motown1.gif


In the 1970s, a dance group called the Electric Boogaloos came out after the world renowned Lockers dance group. The Electric Boogaloos&#8217; movements were more entrenched in popping, roboting and miming. One of its members, Creepin&#8217; Sid, became well known for his dance step called the Backslide.

In 1979, dancer Geron &#8220;Casper&#8221; Candidate reportedly called Jeffrey Daniels, a former Soul Train dancer who became a member of the group Shalamar, who was on tour at the time and told him about a new style of dance that he had to see to believe. When Jeffrey was off the tour, Casper tried to demonstrate the move to him, but couldn&#8217;t execute it properly. Sometime later Casper, Jeffrey, and dancer Derrick &#8220;Cooley&#8221; Jackson went to an awards show at a club in Santa Ana, California called Crescendo&#8217;s where the Electric Boogaloos received an award for best new dance group. After receiving their award, they decided to give a performance as well which left Daniels and the rest of the audience speechless when he saw Creepin&#8217; Sid perform the Backslide.

From then on, Jeffrey learned everything he could to perfect and perform this dance. In September 1979, Daniels debuted both the Moonwalk (which was technically popping in a circular motion) and the Backslide on a Soul Train performance with his group Shalamar during the instrumental break in their hit &#8220;In the Socket.&#8221; A month later, Jeffrey, Casper, Cooley Jackson and Don Newton performed a dance routine on Soul Train as a dance group called Eclipse to Michael Jackson&#8217;s hit &#8220;Working Day & Night,&#8221; in which they demonstrated popping, roboting, moonwalking and backsliding routines to an excited studio audience. Before they performed, Jeffrey told host Don Cornelius that their dancing originated from the Electric Boogaloos, who were booked to perform on the show at the following month&#8217;s taping and returned to perform again in the spring of 1980. Michael was intrigued by the Electric Boogaloos as well.

7385F7A94D21DFCABA29B9027D684.jpg


Coincidentally, Jeffrey, Casper and Cooley all looked like the late seventies Michael Jackson with bouncy afros, black shoes and white socks.
Little did Eclipse know, Michael and his brothers happened to be watching Soul Train that particular day. Michael was in awe of what he saw. According to J. Randy Taraborrelli&#8217;s book Michael Jackson: The Magic & The Madness, Michael, through his then-manager Ron Weisner, got in touch with one of the group&#8217;s dancers, Casper. Weisner introduced Casper to Michael. Casper and Cooley both demonstrated various moves to Michael, but it was the backslide he wanted to learn. Michael wanted to know if they had wheels on the bottoms of their shoes, but they told him it was just a dance step. With the aid of a chair, Casper taught Michael the move within an hour. Michael had a couple more lessons with Casper, but he was stiff and it bugged him and he wanted to do it flawlessly like Casper.

During that time, the Jacksons were on the last leg of their Destiny tour and when Casper went to see their concert in Los Angeles, a month after teaching Michael the Backslide, Michael did not do it. Casper was allowed backstage and asked Michael about it and Michael said he didn&#8217;t feel ready to do it yet.

Hence, Michael continued to practice the step on his own.

Jeffrey went on to do a solo dance routine on Soul Train in late 1980 to the Jacksons hit &#8220;Lovely One.&#8221; He wore white gloves and a black policeman&#8217;s hat and did the Backslide while walking a toy dog on a leash, which drew cheers from the Soul Train dancers. But the performance he became internationally memorable for was his solo dance routine on the UK TV show Top of the Pops in 1982, when he moonwalked and did the Backslide and other popping routines to the Shalamar hit &#8220;Night to Remember.&#8221;

tumblr_llcx8mavzq1qz8fjho1_500.gif


Michael had seen these performances and was enthralled by what he saw, continuing to practice these steps until he got it right.

In an interview with former Soul Train dancer Damita Jo Freeman for SoulTrain.com&#8217;s Diary of an Ex-Soul Train Dancer column, she recalled that in 1982, Michael attended one of Cher&#8217;s shows in Las Vegas which Freeman had choreographed. During one segment of the show, Damita did the Backslide. Michael went backstage later and asked Damita to demonstrate the step to him which she did. He asked her where she learned how to do that move and she told him by studying and watching Marcel Marceau. Although Michael watched Marcel in his teens, he began to study him more closely and seriously, watching and paying strict attention to many of his performances. Moreover, the more Michael saw this dance being done by other people, the more fascinated he became with it. People did the move various ways and he wanted to learn it various ways.

In February 1983, Berry Gordy approached Michael about participating in a 25th anniversary television special saluting Motown Records. Michael was ambivalent about performing on television but relented and agreed to do a medley with his brothers, but also wanted a solo spot. Berry obliged, thinking Michael wanted to do one of his old Motown solo numbers like &#8220;Ben.&#8221; But Michael said he wanted to do &#8220;Billie Jean,&#8221; which was a number one smash at the time. It would be the only non-Motown song performed on the special. Berry gave in.

So Michael and his brothers rehearsed at the Jackson compound in Encino and at Jackie&#8217;s house. Jermaine recalled in his book You Are Not Alone that he and his other brothers had no idea what Michael was going to do for his solo performance. Even Michael didn&#8217;t know what he was going to do with his performance the night before the special&#8217;s taping. He recalled that in the kitchen of his house, he played &#8220;Billie Jean&#8221; very loud and let the song tell his body what to do and let the dance create itself.

So on the day of the taping, Friday, March 25, after great performances by the Four Tops and Temptations (in a classic battle of hits), the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and other acts, it was time for the Jacksons to come on stage. They performed a ferocious medley of &#8220;I Want You Back,&#8221; &#8220;The Love You Save&#8221; and &#8220;I&#8217;ll Be There&#8221; (they sang &#8220;Never Can Say Goodbye&#8221; as well but that was edited out of the TV broadcast and later included in the home video release). Then after an emotional exchange of hugs with his brothers, Michael was on stage by himself reminiscing about &#8220;the good ole days&#8221; and how much he loved those earlier songs, but how he especially liked the &#8220;new songs.&#8221;

All of a sudden, &#8220;Billie Jean&#8221;&#8217;s throbbing drum beat kicked in and Michael placed a black fedora on his head and starting moving to the beat, tossing the hat into the audience and delivering a performance that was spellbinding. Every spin, pose, twist, leg kick, dip and turn caused shrieks in the audience, which was up on its feet throughout the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

In all honesty, Michael executed several of these same moves in his last TV performance on a 1981 Diana Ross special in which he sang &#8220;Rock With You.&#8221; That performance in itself was outstanding, but this Motown 25 performance would include something extra special.

For the performance, Michael worked with the special&#8217;s director and editor on all of the camera shots, angles and editing. He had complete control of the performance from start to finish.

The audience thought they had already seen a dynamite performance, but they had not seen anything yet. During the bridge, Michael proceeded to demonstrate on television for the very first time the Backslide, which caused screams throughout the entire audience. He did the move again towards the end of the song and he recalls seeing a sea of people standing up and applauding him at the end of his performance.

Everyone backstage&#8211;from his brothers, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops and the special&#8217;s host comedian Richard Pryor&#8211;congratulated Michael on a fantastic performance. He did not feel totally elated about his performance since he wanted to stay suspended on his toes during one part of his performance; he didn&#8217;t feel better about his performance until a little kid came up to him and told him, &#8220;You are amazing! Who taught you how to dance like that?&#8221; &#8220;Practice, I guess,&#8221; Michael told the star-struck kid.

tumblr_mk8outjYy31rmlbczo1_500.gif


As a child watching Michael&#8217;s performance when it originally aired on May 16, 1983, and having already been a true diehard fan of his since the Jackson 5 days, I knew he had just done something magical. The next day in my class, everyone, even my teacher, talked about his performance. Although backsliding, which is now forever etched in the minds of people as moonwalking, was not new and was being done in inner-city neighborhoods, Michael&#8217;s performance made the dance universal to people who may not have been familiar with that step. People everywhere were trying to learn how to Moonwalk. Even one of my teachers was trying to do it, in high heels!

Michael&#8217;s performance was nominated for an Emmy Award but he lost to Leontyne Price. But his biggest reward was when one of his idols Fred Astaire called him the day after the special aired and praised him for his performance, telling him that he &#8220;put the audience on their asses!&#8221;

Sales of Michael&#8217;s current album Thriller, which was already number one prior to the special&#8217;s airing but had begun to slack off, went through the roof immediately following the special. It remained number one for much of the remainder of 1983 and helped catapult Michael into a world renown megastar, earning him numerous American Music Awards and Grammy Awards and other awards in 1984. Kids everywhere copied his look, from his Jherri curl hairstyle, to the glittery white glove, high water pants and white socks and the jackets he wore in his classic &#8220;Beat It&#8221; and &#8220;Thriller&#8221; videos. His popularity surpassed that of Elvis Presley and The Beatles combined. He had people of all ages and races into him.

So Michael learned the Moonwalk from various people, though he officially paid Casper $1,000 for teaching him the step. Although Michael never publicly acknowledged the names of the people, particularly Casper, who taught him the dance step (in his autobiography, Michael said three kids taught it to him), Casper was nevertheless elated that he taught Michael what would become his signature dance step. He, along with Jeffrey Daniels and Cooley Jackson, went on to work with Michael on the &#8220;Beat It,&#8221; &#8220;Bad&#8221; and &#8220;Smooth Criminal&#8221; videos. Jeffrey was very instrumental in choreographing Michael in later years and was later employed as a creative and choreography consultant on Michael&#8217;s world tours and also became a consultant to Michael&#8217;s MJJ Records label.

Michael undoubtedly made his first Moonwalk in 1983 more famous than that of Neil Armstrong&#8217;s Moonwalk in 1969 and his solo career literally went into orbit. Through that one TV performance which almost didn&#8217;t happen, Michael truly became a &#8220;thriller.&#8221; Even though he is no longer with us, his music, his artistry, his performing and dancing are both legendary and historical and are forever cemented in the annals of show business. Indeed, Michael Jackson will always be The King of Pop.

- Stephen McMillian

Stephen McMillian is a journalist, writer, actor, filmmaker, dancer/performer, soul music and movie historian and Soul Train historian as well as a former Soul Train dancer.

The Source:
http://soultrain.com/2013/05/24/michael-jacksons-first-moonwalk-thirty-years-later/
 
Last edited:
[youtube]XGY7lKUwnu8[/youtube]

The Blog Article:
"Dancing the Dream" at National Portrait Gallery


In 1992, Michael Jackson published a collection of poetry called Dancing the Dream. Now, the National Portrait Gallery has given the same name to its new exhibit of dance-related art, which, of course, includes images of the King of Pop-and Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, George Balanchine, Savion Glover, and even Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. The exhibition aims to explore the relationship between dance and American identity, be it through film, music, or stage performances. But should you be inspired to bust a move while perusing the show, remember that the galleries are rather intimate. Save it for the Kogod Courtyard.

The exhibition is on view 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily to July 13, 2014, at the National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW.
Free. (202) 633-8300. npg.si.edu.


Introduction: Dancing the Dream
A century ago, dance staged the riotous birth of modernism when the Ballets Russes presented The Rite of Spring in Paris. An unsuspecting white-tie audience erupted with fury at the outrage confronting them: what was all that stomping about? Where were the tutus of tradition?

At the same time, dance in America was similarly confronting the advent of modern life-though with less of a tantrum: here, opportunity flowed freely and here, everything was new. Origins explain a lot. Dance accompanied immigrants to these shores, but the sights and sounds of the American experience beat with the pulse of innovation. Newness demanded innovation, and the fleeting nature of dance incorporated change effortlessly.

"Dancing the Dream" tells the stories of performers, choreographers, and impresarios who harnessed America's diversity and dynamism into dance styles that defined the national experience: dance was American culture in motion. From the era of live performance to today's media age, dance's "singular sensations" have riveted our attention-iconic figures with signature styles that leap into the starscape and strike us with wonder.

Five major dance categories are showcased in the exhibition: "Broadway and the American Dream," "Lights! Camera! Action!," "Choreographing Modern America," "The Rise of American Ballet," and "Choreography Goes &#8216;POP!'" In each, a uniquely "American" quality is discernible. True, dynamism and energy are essentials. But there is something else, something perhaps more ineffable-a rather wonderful sense of experiment and lack of truck with the past. As modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn once said, "When in doubt, twirl!"

The Sources:

The National Portrait Gallery
http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/exhdance.html

The Article
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/...at-national-portrait-gallery-wednesday-nov-6/
 
Last edited:
[youtube]7KqxKUESqmQ[/youtube]

Michael Jackson's Isolated Vocals For 'Man In The Mirror' Are Raw Emotion
The Huffington Post | By Ryan Kristobak
Posted: 12/06/2013 4:05 pm EST​

Michael Jackson's "Man In The Mirror" is undoubtedly one of the King of Pop's greatest masterpieces, but you've never heard it this way before. Stripped of all accompaniment, Jackson's vocals are allowed to shine even brighter. The power and raw emotion behind each syllable is dumbfounding, and there's nothing better than getting to hear all his grunts, yells, and "shamones" in all their glory. Give the isolated vocal track a listen above, and then compare it with the full-body work below.

[youtube]PivWY9wn5ps[/youtube]​

The Article Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...-in-the-mirror-isolated-vocals_n_4400606.html
 
Last edited:
michael-jackson-xscape.jpg


The Forbes Article:

What Michael Jackson, Beyonce And Jay Z Have In Common ?
by Zack O'Malley Greenburg
4/01/2014 @ 4:02PM​

Michael Jackson&#8217;s postmortem fortunes got another boost yesterday with the announcement that Epic Records will release Xscape, an album of all-new material by the King of Pop, on May 13th.

Xscape came together after Jackson&#8217;s estate granted Epic chief Antonio &#8220;L.A.&#8221; Reid unlimited access to the singer&#8217;s musical archives. Reid selected eight tracks on which Jackson had already recorded vocals and passed them along to a team of producers led by Timbaland, who then made additional sonic contributions. The result, according to Reid, is something worthy of Jackson&#8217;s legacy.

&#8220;Michael left behind some musical performances that we take great pride in presenting through the vision of music producers that he either worked directly with or expressed strong desire to work with,&#8221; said Reid in a statement. &#8220;We are extremely proud and honored to present this music to the world.&#8221;

&#8220;Michael was always on the cutting edge and was constantly reaching out to new producers, looking for new sounds,&#8221; added John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of Jackson&#8217;s estate. &#8220;He was always relevant and current. These tracks, in many ways, capture that spirit. We thank L.A. Reid for his vision.&#8221;

With the release strategy for Xscape&#8211;radio silence up until an announcement just six weeks before launch&#8211;Jackson also finds himself on the cutting edge of album rollout planning. The approach isn&#8217;t entirely different from the likes of Beyoncé and Jay Z.

True, those two superstars left even less time between the announcements and launches of their albums. For Jay Z, it was about three weeks; for Beyoncé, the events occurred simultaneously. But even Jackson&#8217;s six-week window is a short one compared to other recent releases by big acts like 50 Cent and Coldplay, both of whom announced their albums more than two months in advance.

Jackson&#8217;s former publicist, Susan Blond, remembers putting together album publicity campaigns that began three to four months before the King of Pop&#8217;s releases. For other artists releasing music from beyond the grave, the window is still wide: the estate of Johnny Cash first publicized the launch date of Out Among The Stars, released this month, in mid-December.

Of course, with a departed act, a short runway can be much easier to negotiate. There are no tours or publicity appearances to organize. And as with living acts, the advent of social media has rendered a lengthy leadup unnecessary. With over 70 million likes on Facebook, Jackson is as well equipped as any to spread the word.

&#8220;The only thing the record company needs to do is get the word out and the record will sell itself,&#8221; says veteran entertainment attorney Owen Sloane, who once represented the Jacksons. &#8220;Since social networking is the key to getting the word out, and that happens instantaneously today, long lead times are not necessary.&#8221;

Will other artists follow the lead of Beyoncé, Jay Z and, now, Jackson? A few have, most recently Kid Cudi and Skrillex, with mixed results. As one major label president recently said: &#8220;This kind of event is the territory for maybe 10 artists in the world.&#8221;

Even from beyond the grave, Jackson is clearly part of that group.

For more about the business of the King of Pop, check out my book Michael Jackson, Inc, which will be published in June, and follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

[youtube]N7_iLMq8REo[/youtube]​

The Article Source:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackoma...ael-jackson-beyonce-and-jay-z-have-in-common/
 
Last edited:
65688_0.jpg


The Lowdown Under Article:

Remembering A Classic – Off The Wall (1979) – Michael Jackson
by Aza May 3, 2014


I don’t even know where to begin to talk about the awesomeness of this solo effort from MJ. This is prime disco at it’s most spectacular. Every track a hit. Every track an anthem. The 1970&#8242;s disco and motown movement is a treasure trove of stunning music and with this effort Michael Jackson proved his star power. But, seriously, I know you know all this. It’s funk, it’s pop, it’s disco, it’s soul but more importantly… It’s gold.

Everyone’s musical education needs to have a pitstop here!

Ladies & Gentlemen get your funk on and enjoy!



[youtube]ZorRGrDiMsA[/youtube]

[youtube]7jF7vmR535E[/youtube]

[youtube]Qv05lkjTm78[/youtube]

[youtube]ierY2nOVX64[/youtube]

[youtube]Xrd3lSn5FqQ[/youtube]

[youtube]l6LUPlmua6I[/youtube]

[youtube]lAooi660PVM[/youtube]

[youtube]QnhWML43NI8[/youtube]

[youtube]2CO-S0q3B9c[/youtube]

[youtube]gEzKSERx1n0[/youtube]


keep-calm-and-always-live-your-life-off-the-wall--1.png

The Article Source:
http://thelowdownunder.com/2014/05/03/remembering-a-classic-off-the-wall-1979-michael-jackson/
 
xscape-video-trailer.jpg

The Michael Jackson Channel to coincide with the release of the new Michael Jackson album, "XSCAPE"
New, limited-run channel celebrating Michael Jackson's legendary solo music career to feature music and insights from producers on the new album


The Wall Street Journal Blog Article:
The Michael Jackson Channel to Launch Exclusively on SiriusXM..



NEW YORK, May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SiriusXM announced today that it will launch The Michael Jackson Channel, an exclusive, limited-run channel dedicated to the King of Pop's extensive solo musical career.

The Michael Jackson Channel will feature Michael's music beginning with the breakout success of his 1979 Off the Wall album through the present. SiriusXM listeners will also hear music from the new album XSCAPE, which features eight new recordings. XSCAPE is scheduled to be released tomorrow, May 13. The channel will also feature reflections and stories from the producers who worked on the new album.

"The new recordings being unearthed and part of this new release reinforce Michael Jackson's legacy as the King of Pop," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. "These are musical treasures that span decades, and the high production quality and updates make them even more enjoyable for a world of listeners hungry for Michael Jackson's music. Our channel will play all the cuts from the new album along with music from his entire body of solo work, giving our listeners the special listening experience they expect from SiriusXM."

The Michael Jackson Channel will launch today, May 12 at 5:00 pm ET and will run through Monday, May 26, via satellite on channel 50. The Michael Jackson Channel will also be available through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com.

The Michael Jackson Channel is an example of SiriusXM channels created with iconic and prominent artists, including Bruce Springsteen's E Street Radio, Jimmy Buffett's Radio Margaritaville, Willie Nelson's Willie's Roadhouse, The Pink Floyd Channel, B.B. King's Bluesville, Elvis Radio, Siriusly Sinatra, Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzy's Boneyard, Pearl Jam Radio, Eminem's Shade 45,Tiesto's Club Life Radio and Neil Diamond Radio.

For more information, please visit www.siriusxm.com

About Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson has sold 1 billion records worldwide, released 13 No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 (a record for a male artist) and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and "Thriller" as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. "Thriller" also holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 for a studio album on the Billboard 200 chart, with 37 weeks. Jackson won 17 Grammy Awards including 8 in one year, a record in itself, and received 26 American Music Awards, including the Artist of the Century Award.

On May 13, Epic Records, in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson, will release XSCAPE, an album of new music by the internationally beloved music icon and King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The project features eight new tracks, which the world will be hearing for the very first time on the new album. The first single from the album, Michael Jackson's "Love Never Felt So Good," produced by Michael Jackson, John McClain, Giorgio Tuinfort and Paul Anka, was released last week along with a duet version of "Love Never Felt So Good," with Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake, produced by Timberlake, Timbaland and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon. The single lit up the iTunes charts around the world, peaking at #5 in the U.S., #1 in 17 countries and #5 in 67 countries. It debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart -- Jackson's highest bow since 1995 and fourth-highest debut ever -- marking his 49(th) hit single.

About SiriusXM

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is the world's largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue and has 25.8 million subscribers. SiriusXM creates and broadcasts commercial-free music; premier sports talk and live events; comedy; news; exclusive talk and entertainment; and the most comprehensive Latin music, sports and talk programming in radio. SiriusXM is available in vehicles from every major car company in the U.S. and from retailers nationwide as well as at shop.siriusxm.com. SiriusXM programming is available through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at siriusxm.com. SiriusXM also provides premium traffic, weather, data and information services for subscribers in cars, trucks, RVs, boats and aircraft through SiriusXM Traffic(TM), SiriusXM Travel Link, NavTraffic(R), NavWeather(TM), SiriusXM Aviation, SiriusXM Marine(TM), Sirius Marine Weather, XMWX Aviation(TM), and XMWX Marine(TM). SiriusXM holds a minority interest in SiriusXM Canada which has more than 2 million subscribers.

On social media, join the SiriusXM community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

0.jpg


The WSJ Article Source
http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140512-910108.html[/B]​
 
Last edited:
wenn5315918.jpg



The Elite Daily Blog Article:

Learn From The Best: The Lessons Of Success We Can Take From Michael Jackson

JOSEPH MILORD • OCT 16, 2013 - 10:51AM​

The life and times of Michael Jackson will be remembered for many things. There was “ABC,” there was his great number of fans, there were his numerous comebacks, the Neverland ranch, “Black and White,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.” Who could possibly forget “Thriller”!? The answer is not many, but lots of people might forget about just how hard of a worker Michael was. In fact, a lot of people may not even know anything about his work ethic.

A few people may think of “MJ” as a once in a generation talent, which would actually undermine just how much work the great one had to put into his craft because whenever a close colleague has gotten a chance to praise the hours he put into practice, like many did in this short video, they have and have done so vehemently.

“Michael’s a machine, Michael was in insane, Michael was obsessed with perfection.”
All the words of praise came in different words, but they all sent the same message. Michael Jackson wasn’t just blessed with a skill, but he also matched it with great amounts of effort and dedication to turn that skill into immense success. And, because of that, you would do well to note the lessons that can be taken away from that dedication. So, here are the five lessons of success that anyone can take from the career of Michael Jackson.

There’s actual hard work behind people’s flashy moments
It may be hard to consider in this era of the quick Instagram post, the even quicker Twitpic, and even the Vine, but when people brag about the bright points in their lives — the highs and the great successes — we must remember, there’s actual work that had to be put in for them to get to where they are. It’s tempting to get jealous and covet what “they” have when we should be coveting the energy and sense of direction needed to get us to a point of success.

A lot of people they’re used to just seeing the outcome, they never see the side of the work you put through to produce the outcome.

Michael knows all too well what it’s like to be lauded for the finished product, only for people to disregard the processes of trial and error that said product had to go through. Many people acknowledge “Thriller” for being the groundbreaking music video of the 80s, but do they know about the eight weeks during which Michael had to work like a slave to produce the piece of genius. They probably don’t know, as Quincy Jones mentions, that Michael would stay up days at a time, until he was ready to drop, searching for perfection.

What’s the point, then? We may not see it, but behind every Kodak moment capturing one success, there is always likely to be hours and hours (and hours) of hard work that led to it. Instead of being jealous of others’ accomplishments, we probably should be jealous of their desire to get there, and try to mimic it as well.

From time to time, you’ll have to check your constituents
Your friends and co-workers are around you for a reason. You chose for them to be. At some point in time, you chose to enter a certain circle or you chose to go for a certain job that has landed you in the environment that you’re in. One way or another, you had a part in getting yourself where you are now.

Just because you had a hand in placing yourself in and around these associates doesn’t mean they think the same way as you and, if you intend to work with them as a team, it might just be important you check their priorities and ways of thinking once in a while.

That’s exactly what Michael (who boasted about how phenomenal “Thriller” would be) did when Quincy Jones (who thought it would be just “good”) said otherwise. It was then time for MJ to keep his constituents in check and a close friend recalls just how he did it too.

“[He said] ‘If Quincy doesn’t believe in this record the way I do, then let’s cancel the whole thing. Fine, we’re just not gonna put it out. ‘Thriller’ is cancelled.’ But Michael said to me he wasn’t really gonna cancel the release of the record, he was motivating people. The only way he thought he could achieve that was to pull the project from them, get them all upset and worried, and then give it back to them. And make them prove to him that they all had the same vision he had.”
In order for you to reach success, you’re most likely going to have to do it with the help of others around you. How much more difficult, then, would that task be if they don’t believe in what you believe? With the recognition that, at the end of the day, your sense of accomplishment is at risk, you might find it necessary, like Michael did, to check your constituents.

Use the days of your youth to think big and disrupt
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re either young or have a heart that’ll remain forever young. And if you are, perhaps this is the most valuable of lessons that can be taken away from the life and career of Michael Jackson, the idea that we should cherish are youthful age and the energy and room for error that come with it and think of new ideas.

Long-time friend and record producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jenkins recalls a time that Jackson tried to push this concept into his head:

“Michael calls me and he says, why can’t we create new sounds? Someone created a drum right? someone created a piano, why can’t we create a new instrument? …He used to always tell me Rodney, we have to do things, we have to push ourselves because we still have our youth.”
Everyone doesn’t have to come up with a product, idea or service that is revolutionary by tomorrow, but with each day that passes by, our ability to do so is likely to dwindle. So, there’s now better way to put a cap on this lesson than the way Jackson said it. The time is now for us to push ourselves.

Of all things to get discouraged by, don’t let it be someone’s words
There are lots of good reasons to stop what you’re doing and throw plan A in the garbage in favor of plan B. Maybe plan A just doesn’t work, maybe it’s a terrible idea, maybe you didn’t go about it the right way from the start and need to begin anew. All of these (very general) reasons, and more, could serve as legitimate cause for you reconsider your actions.

Being on the receiving end of ridicule, however, is not. Let’s not forgot, as Michael points out, even the greatest of greats were teased.

“Some of the greatest men that have made a mark on this world were treated like that. ‘You’re not gonna do it, you’re not gonna get anywhere.’ They laughed at the Wright brothers, they laughed at Thomas Edison, they laughed at Walt Disney, they made jokes of Henry Ford and said he was ignorant, he didn’t have a college degree he dropped out of school, Disney dropped out of school…”
And so on and so forth. What’s the moral of the story? If people find an opportunity to laugh at what you’re doing, they will take it, if not for anything than to make themselves feel better. But there is no reason why jokes, ridicule, criticism and negative words alone should persuade you to quit, especially if they’re coming from people who haven’t accomplished anything themselves.

“You don’t count your money, when you’re sittin’ at the table.”
As the famous lyric goes, you just can’t rest on your laurels. It may sound like an oxymoron, but if your goal is to “make it,” you’ve failed the moment you think you’ve actually “made it.” Kenny Rodgers, who first sang that famous lyric, knew it and so did Michael Jackson, who offered this reply in an interview with Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera when asked if the making of “Thriller” still excited him.

“I try not to think about it too hard, I don’t want my subconscious mind to think that I’ve done it all, you’re done now, no. That’s why I don’t put awards or trophies in my house. You won’t find a gold record anywhere in my house, because it makes you feel like you’ve accomplished, “look what I’ve done’ But I always wanna feel, not I haven’t done it yet.”
It’s tempting, at this moment, to list MJ’s accomplishments and all that he has done to further solidify this point, but it might be easier to just ask this question: What hasn’t Michael Jackson won? Take your you time, answer it, then consider this.

He still wasn’t satisfied.

quote-i-m-never-pleased-with-anything-i-m-a-perfectionist-it-s-part-of-who-i-am-michael-jackson-92554.jpg

The Source
http://elitedaily.com/money/five-gr...from-the-legendary-career-of-michael-jackson/[/B]
 
MichaelJackson-0037-20110502-58.jpg


Michael Jackson Names a few Songs He has Written but Never Released

[youtube]cbGgQG2au_o[/youtube]

[youtube]K8kgAn0yByM[/youtube]

The Song List:

She's Not a Girl
You Ain't Gonna Change Nothin
Lucy is in Love with Linus
Who is the Girl with her Hair Down
Lonely Man
Goin to Rio
Tomboy
Buffalo Bill
Al Capone
Michael McKeller
Thank you for Life
Much Too Soon
What a Lonely Way To Go
Who Do You Know
You Are A Liar
Cry
Make A Wish
Crack Kills
Free
Fly Away
Children's Hour
Baby Smiles
Sister Sue
Little Susie
Tragedy of a Cheerleader
Get Around
Little Girls
In The Valley
Red Eye ?
Eye for Beauty
Why Shy
I Have This Love of Me
Rumma Lola
California Grass
kentucky
Someone Put Your Hand Out
Do You Know Where Your Children Are
Bad Girl
Lonely Bird
Smooth Criminal
PYT Original
Cheater
People Have to make Some Kind of Joke
Love Never Felt So Good
Alright Now
Scared of the Moon
Neverland Landing
We Are the Ones
What Was Your Life
Have a Seat
The Sky is the Limit
Saved By The Bell
Chicago 1945
Make or Break
Turning Me On
Sunset Driver
Far Far Away
State of Shock
Get on the Floor

To be continued..as there are many more we have yet to still discover about our Earth Angel


(**This was during the 1993 deposition in Mexico where he gave the information at the time, a few of the songs he mentions here are now released.
Michael also lets us know what era that each songs were actually written! ** )
 
Last edited:
10454301_738243672880254_3792075931662589882_n.jpg


MJ Unreleased Song Titles from a paper found from inside Holmby Hills Mansion


THE MJ SONGS ON THE LIST (From what I see)


1. The Loser
2. She Coming Back I Freez
3. D.I.E.
4. Darck Lady (maybe he mispelled dark? idk
5. Bottom Of My Heart
6. Hold My Hand
7. Remember What I Told You
8. Can't Stop Loving You
9. Silent Spring
10. You Were There
11. Hollywood Tonight
12. Shut Up And Dance
13. Rock Tonight
14. Adore You
15. Cheater
16. Lady Of Summer
17. Beautiful Girl
19. Coco Butter
20. Don't Walk Through
21. Too Late To Turn Back Now
22. Ghost Of Another Lover
23. Black Widow
24. Burn Tonight
25. "Finish- Scared of the Moon"


:heart: Thank you so much to KOPV for originally posting and sharing this with us :clapping:

It's 13:05 -13:07 of the docu:







:heart: Thank you so much to Wenghua for originally posting and sharing this with us :clapping:
 
Last edited:
8633109_1.jpg


Original sketch drawn by Michael Jackson for a friend visiting him at Neverland Ranch for four days in 1994

Original sketch drawn by Michael Jackson for a friend visiting him at Neverland Ranch. The following items are from the collection of Sony Records Producer Bruce &#8220;Automatic&#8221; Vanderveer who visited Neverland for four days in 1994 as a guest of Michael. Featured is an original portrait of a sad old man by Michael Jackson, sketched in person, in pencil on a leaf of artist&#8217;s illustration paper measuring 18 x 24 in. Boldly signed, &#8220;Michael Jackson&#8221;. Exhibits vertical and horizontal folds; otherwise, excellent condition. In addition are a number of Neverland Valley memorabilia items including: blue plastic lunch box, Frisbee, markers and crayons, t-shirt in original bag, napkin, wristwatch, playing cards, stickers, notebook and other items bearing the Neverland Valley logo.
Includes a letter of provenance from Bruce Vanderveer.

The Source:
http://www.icollector.com/Original-...iend-visiting-him-at-Neverland-Ranch_i8633109
 
Last edited:
pst120711-middleschool71.jpg

Tyler Anderson/National Post
TORONTO, ONTARIO: DECEMBER 7, 2011 - A student reads a book about Michael Jackson at Brookview Middle School in Toronto, Ontario, Wednesday, December 7, 2011. The school for grades 6, 7 and 8 students is in Toronto's infamous Jane/Finch neighborhood that is know for being one of the toughest parts of the city.

The Blog Article:

Toronto District School Board to develop a new mental-health strategy !
by Megan O'Toole and Jodee Brown | February 12, 2013 | Last Updated: Feb 13 11:26 AM ET​

The Toronto District School Board plans to introduce a new mental-health strategy after a recent survey found many of the city&#8217;s students scored low on questions measuring social and emotional well-being.

While most students in Grades 7 through 12 said they felt &#8220;reasonably happy&#8221; and hopeful about the future, a significant portion reported a host of physical symptoms associated with depression. The numbers were highest among Grades 9 through 12, where 76% of students said they felt &#8220;tired for no reason&#8221; and had difficulty concentrating, 57% said they lost sleep because of worries and nearly a third said they &#8220;often&#8221; or &#8220;sometimes&#8221; felt like crying.

&#8220;It is disturbing because we didn&#8217;t expect a high percentage,&#8221; said research co-ordinator Maria Yau. &#8220;What we need to do are more focus groups, more conversations with parents and students to get deep into what they feel and think. It is a wake-up call.&#8221;

The new strategy, said TDSB spokeswoman Shari Schwartz-Maltz, is more centralized as opposed to the existing &#8220;piecemeal&#8221; approach, where programming varies from one school to the next. &#8220;We see this as a gap, an area that needs to be addressed,&#8221; she said.

The 2011 census of more than 100,000 students &#8212; which included new questions to measure social and emotional well-being, the board says &#8212; found stress and anxiety to be the most prevalent emotional issues.

In other areas, the survey showed little change from the last census in 2006, with demographic variables such as gender distribution, sexual orientation and parental education levels remaining relatively static. The census recorded slight decreases in the white and East Asian student populations, and increases in the South Asian and Middle Eastern populations.

The survey also cited a &#8220;positive shift&#8221; in students&#8217; school experiences &#8212; particularly among Grades 7 through 8 &#8212; with improvements in perceptions of schools, teachers and school safety. More than 90% of students said they felt safe &#8220;all the time&#8221; or &#8220;often&#8221; in the classroom, while around 80% said they felt accepted and got along well with others.

The survey also pointed to an increase in the number of students participating in extracurricular activities, such as sports, music and clubs.

The new mental-health strategy will aim to help those who may not be comfortable sharing their difficulties.

&#8220;We don&#8217;t want anybody to suffer in silence alone,&#8221; said Dave Johnston, senior manager of TDSB support systems. &#8220;We want to take our responsibility and help students to see their social responsibility in helping one another.&#8221;

Keerthana Ravigulan, a student ambassador and Grade 11 student at Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, says she wasn&#8217;t surprised by the census findings among ninth to 12th graders. She attributes that to the stage of life students are experiencing.

&#8220;This is the age where we&#8217;re changing, thinking about our future,&#8221; said Keerthana. &#8220;That&#8217;s why our self-esteem may be so low because we didn&#8217;t have much to worry about [earlier on].&#8221;


That&#8217;s where the student ambassador program can help, said fellow student Anosha Rahmany. The 16-year-old tries to help other new students identify with their surroundings and build their self-esteem.

&#8220;Sometimes, we find students that speak different languages and pair them together with students from other countries,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We do smile at them, make them feel welcome.&#8221;

to0213-students.jpg


National Post


The Source:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...ard-to-announce-a-new-mental-health-strategy/
 
Last edited:
[youtube]mN6tangpeL0[/youtube]​

The Blog Article:

Are You a Pepper? The Jacksons Commercial (Various Worldwide Clips)
June 11th, 2013​

Launched in 1977, the &#8220;Be a Pepper&#8221; campaign was one the Dr Pepper Company&#8217;s most successful and unforgettable advertising campaigns.

The &#8220;Be a Pepper&#8221; campaign was introduced at the 1977 Dr Pepper&#8217;s Bottler Meeting Las Vegas, Nevada. (For those that are interested &#8211; It was at the Sahara Hotel and Casino where the 1960 version of Ocean&#8217;s 11 was filmed.) At the meeting, the company&#8217;s executive officers highlighted the success of the company&#8217;s previous landmark campaigns including &#8220;Drink a Bit to Eat at 10-2- 4 o&#8217;clock&#8221; and &#8220;America&#8217;s Most Understood Soft Drink.&#8221; The company recognized that in order for its success to continue it needed to gain additional volume by introducing greater usage frequency among current drinkers. In particular the company wanted to focus on drinkers between the ages of 13-30. With those ideas in mind, the advertising was introduced.

[youtube]p1Hdlhecleo[/youtube]
Michael Jackson & The Jacksons - Be a Pepper (&#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1077; &#1089;&#1091;&#1073;&#1090;&#1080;&#1090;&#1088;&#1099;)

David Naughton with clownFirst, to hit the scene was the &#8220;Pied Piper&#8221; of Peppers, David Naughton, who appeared in many of the campaign&#8217;s commercials. (He later would be known for his role in the horror film, American Werewolf in London, in 1981.) Other commercials soon introduced other famous Peppers &#8211; artists such as Michael Jackson and the Jacksons, Chic, The Statler Brothers, Tanya Tucker, the Little River Band, and Popeye the Sailor Man. Thanks in part to its tenacious advertising, the campaign itself became the third most popular in the U.S. in 1980. In that same year, J.C. Penney announced that 1,800 of its stores would offer a variety of sportswear and accessories featuring the &#8220;I&#8217;m a Pepper&#8221; logo. From 1977-1982, it was pretty hard not to have heard or seen anything related to &#8220;I&#8217;m a Pepper&#8221; or &#8220;Be a Pepper.&#8221; The &#8220;Be a Pepper&#8221; theme officially ended in 1983 when it was changed to &#8220;Dr Pepper Made a Pepper Out Of Me.&#8221;

[youtube]InMZMMIhYdo[/youtube]
Michael Jackson & The Jacksons - Be a Pepper (Commercial Dr. Pepper)

According to the Dr Pepper Company, &#8220;A Pepper is a person who loves Dr Pepper. So a Pepper can be anyone. And any age. Because being a Pepper is really more a state of mind than a counting of years. The only thing about a Pepper that&#8217;s sure is their absolute craving for originality. Even what they drink must be unique. Peppers aren&#8217;t weird, strange or oddball. They&#8217;re positive, self-confident, bold and willing to try something new. Peppers are proud. And Peppers are popular. So wouldn&#8217;t you like to be a Pepper too?

Well&#8230; would you?

im-a-pepper-museum-logo.gif


The Article Source:
http://drpeppermuseum.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/are-you-a-pepper/
 
Last edited:
Back
Top