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“Hollywood Tonight” VIDEO premieres NOW

JMie said:
you can say it was unoriginal choreography or you can say it was classic Michael Jackson choreography. I bet that if they included some new moves, not associated with Michael, half of the forum would have had an instant heart attack because the moves were too original and had nothing to do with MJ.
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Please don't make assumptions.
 
There was plenty of scope for originality. Instead of the bridge, they could have had a breakdown with the beatbox driving everything with the street dancers coming together doing some crazy sht, instead of some lame routine with people in everyday wear doing the Billie Jean/Dangerous moves in front of a theatre.
 
I appreciate the effort that was made to make the video. I am not going to compare it to past Michael videos. You can't. The situation and circumstances are different now.
 
I thought the video was ok and the girl is a very talented dancer. However, I feel that since Michael isn’t here and isn’t in any way involved in the process of creating the video, there will never be a real Michael Jackson video anymore. The magic and the thrill is gone. But I respect that others may feel differently about it.
 
barok232 said:
I said my opinion at page 7 and I stand by it. Now I post to correct some fellow members that talk about "billie jean bassline" when actyally it is not bassline but drumset. (I don't think you suggest that the ht bassline now has the same sound as bj's bassline?)
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Yes, I wanted to say that too.. It is Billie Jean drums, not the bassline!
 
Pace said:
That's almost comical. Other people's genuine enjoyment of something (we're not talking mean spirited laughter about someone...) makes somebody else incredibly sad.

The people that enjoy this STILL miss Michael, but they don't get upset with someone else who is still able to feel some joy. Geez.

To discuss personal taste is useless, one can like it, or not. But to rip into other people as if they robbed a bank or decided to shove a granny down the stairs is just slightly too much. It's totally fine not to be able to enjoy something when the feeling of missing MJ takes over. But to send others on guilt trips for liking a video is a bit much as well.
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It's hardly about taste here and ripping into people.You read too much between the lines.
These are simply my feelings.
It feels like I could come here a few years later and nobody will talk about J5 albums, OTW, Thriller, Bad etc. but only about MICHAEL album and other posthumous releases.
 
The video is fantastic, the song is just ugh.
 
JMie;3288244 said:
you can say it was unoriginal choreography or you can say it was classic Michael Jackson choreography. I bet that if they included some new moves, not associated with Michael, half of the forum would have had an instant heart attack because the moves were too original and had nothing to do with MJ.
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True. One can interpret the rehash choreography as classic Michael Jackson choreography. The moves are indeed signature Michael Jackson moves.

However, do they really need to incorporate the signature moves in all videos now? I saw the moves, the fedora, the glove in Hold My Hand. Now, I see the moves, the fedora, the glove in Hollywood Tonight.

I understand where some fans are coming from. We all love Michael's dance moves, Michael's glove and fedora. They are CLASSIC and inspirational. But, these signatures become cliche if they are misused every so often.

I can't speak for others. I, myself, would prefer something original or better yet, some moves that are inspired by Michael. Have you seen the video comparison of Smooth Criminal and one of Fred Astaire's films (don't remember the name)? One can clearly see how Michael was inspried by Fred. His costume, his steps and even the backup dancers are all inspired by that Fred Astaire's film. But, one doesn't feel Michael copied from Fred. Michael found his inspirations and created his own interpretations.

André89;3288245 said:
The video is nothing special, IMO. While it is slightly better that what I've expected, the video is far from the standards set by MJ himself. And my expectations were pretty low from the beginning. The video is okay. Nothing more than that. Just okay.

The new mix of HT however, is more interesting to me than the video itself. I love the fact that Michael's voice havent been autotuned/"melodyned" to death anymore. The removal of the rap section is also a good choice. However, what's going on with the Billie Jean bassline?! That's just awful.

Maybe Michael did use BJ as a reference for this track, but I don't think he'd ever approve to sample one of his own tracks in a new song. Michael was all about innovation and reinventing himself. This HT/BJ mashup is far from that.

It seems like they are trying as hard as possible to make Michael appair like a one hit wonder (or a one record wonder), when that couldn't been further from the truth. And that does make me a bit sad.

With that said; I do like the untouched vocals and the new bridge. What I'm left with, are two versions of this songs, neither that sounds perfect to me. The vocals from the music video and the bassline on the album verson - that would make a killer track.
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I agree with you. Even if Michael did create HT from BJ's baseline, I am almost 100% positive that Michael would never use the same exact baseline in the new song. Dangerous is evolved from Streetwalker's baseline. Dangerous became its own self.

Incorporating all these Billie Jean references are doing Michael a disservice in my opinion. Billie Jean is one of many many great songs created by Michael. As great as Billie Jean, Michael Jackson is not defined by Billie Jean.
 
Arklove said:
Yes, but not for THIS particular song...A hat and glove doesn't represent what Michael was trying to portray...That's not who Michael Jackson was...
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Michael's message was very complex but yet - so simple.
It is hard to convey it the in a three minute clip. I think he delivered his message through all his life.
Now, after seeing all his videos, films, music with his message in it - all we need to see is a hat and a glove and we immediately remember everything what he was telling to us the whole life...
It's a symbol. Hat + glove = Michael = His message....
Of course this is only my opinion and I was trying to defend it awkwardly...
I wish I could read yours - what in your opinion would represent Michael better here in this video? :)
Hugs :*
 
KingMikeJ said:
It's not name calling, it's something I've noticed during my time on this forum. A lot of members are hypocritical about things like this.
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Yes, when you refer to someone as a hypocrite, it's name calling. You also responded to and agree with a post that made an assumption. That's ok?

Anyway, this isn't the place to argue, and that's not my intention.
 
godena said:
It tells a certain story - a kind of a "dream-come-true" for most of us - fans: go to Hollywood, to dance like Michael Jackson and touch his Hollywood Star on a Walk of Fame. The girl is so happy she can take part in this flash-mob-dance! And she is a girl fan, not a boy which is very symbolic to me. Michael has millions of female fans! It is like he was waving to us from heaven - "Hey girls, this is a tribute to all of you - all my beautiful female fans"! :)
Someone here complained that all they can see in Michael's message is a hat and a glove. I think the hat and a glove are the symbols of Michael and his message.
These are very powerful symbols. Two small things but when you are wearing it - the whole world knows to whom it belongs to and what message it carries - it's the message of love....
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I agree, and the fact that she isn't stunningly gorgeous helps as well. I mean, she's very pretty, but in a way that us fans can relate to. She's not some sort of goddess, just a girl with dancing talent and a dream. The flash-mob dance was actually the bit which made me like the video. It made me happy, because it shows how people of all ages and colours can become "infected" with Michael's love so much to drop what they're doing and dance with joy. :)

I think we all know that nothing which comes out after Michael's passing, especially visually, will ever live up to his standards. The man had a visionary talent, and that left along with him.

By the way, thank you for posting that video!
 
I Love the video
Its true to the story line of the song showing the downside of hollywood
too as Michael sings about in his song. It seems to me the girl left that
part behind to continue her dream molded more after Michael's vision ..

I like this demo version without the spoken bridge. I also like the Album mix
becuase it is a bit stronger but this version doesnt ruin the video for me .

And There IS NOT A BILLE JEAN BASS LINE in this version
you just copy what you heard someone else say without examining the facts
 
godena said:
Michael's message was very complex but yet - so simple.
It is hard to convey it the in a three minute clip. I think he delivered his message through all his life.
Now, after seeing all his videos, films, music with his message in it - all we need to see is a hat and a glove and we immediately remember everything what he was telling to us the whole life...
It's a symbol. Hat + glove = Michael = His message....
Of course this is only my opinion and I was trying to defend it awkwardly...
I wish I could read yours - what in your opinion would represent Michael better here in this video? :)
Hugs :*
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I agree with you about Michael's message of love and what not...Of course...

What I'm saying is that Michael's message in the song is not portrayed in this video. I want the video to represent Michael's message in the lyrics; it was touched on very little in the video, and the girl looks like she's having more fun than anything else...The video seems to depict a glamourization of Hollywood, as opposed to the serious downside of it. Michael had something important and serious to say and it seems that for the most part, that was ignored in favour of Michael's 'trademarks' - a hat and a glove and dancing. He was MORE than that - he was an amazing songwriter with powerful messages. That's all I'm saying.
 
I love the video, and for me it's a mondern mix of Flashdance and Fame :) perfect for the song, and the girl playing the leading role is doing a great job...
 
I like the video. But as much as I actually liked the music mix, I wish they had left the album version as it was for the video. Even then the only thing they could have changed was something they did which was to remove the spoken bridge. For me, it's kind of weird hearing the album version and then hearing/seeing the video version which sounds so different. The remix that they put on there could have been put on CD or made available as an itunes download as part of the single and named "Hollywood Tonight (Billie Jean Beat Throwback Mix)" or something. That would have been alot nicer IMO.
 
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ok I can admit when I am wrong...I had alot to say last week when we were watching the early footage..I was NOT very optimistic about this video at all. I have now seen the whole video and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it...I even cried a little...I like that they incorporated MJ into it....I think he would of been proud of this video....I have to say that young lady did a wonderful job and should be very proud. Put it this way..I liked it so much that I didnt even notice this thread and I started another one..:lmao:...so I guess I better go delete that one...:D
 
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godena said:
Michael's message was very complex but yet - so simple.
It is hard to convey it the in a three minute clip. I think he delivered his message through all his life.
Now, after seeing all his videos, films, music with his message in it - all we need to see is a hat and a glove and we immediately remember everything what he was telling to us the whole life...
It's a symbol. Hat + glove = Michael = His message....
Of course this is only my opinion and I was trying to defend it awkwardly...
I wish I could read yours - what in your opinion would represent Michael better here in this video? :)
Hugs :*
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Mikage Souji said:
I agree, and the fact that she isn't stunningly gorgeous helps as well. I mean, she's very pretty, but in a way that us fans can relate to. She's not some sort of goddess, just a girl with dancing talent and a dream. The flash-mob dance was actually the bit which made me like the video. It made me happy, because it shows how people of all ages and colours can become "infected" with Michael's love so much to drop what they're doing and dance with joy. :)

I think we all know that nothing which comes out after Michael's passing, especially visually, will ever live up to his standards. The man had a visionary talent, and that left along with him.

By the way, thank you for posting that video!
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Hmm... I agree with you that Michael's message is L.O.V.E. (sorry, kopwatcher!)

But, the message of Hollywood Tonight is not about love. As a matter of fact, not all Michael Jackson song is about love. Some songs have a darker edge. Sometimes, Michael took us to a journey. The videos of Who Is It and Blood on the Dance Floor are example of how Michael dared to go into a different direction.
 
Arklove said:
I agree with you about Michael's message of love and what not...Of course...

What I'm saying is that Michael's message in the song is not portrayed in this video. I want the video to represent Michael's message in the lyrics; it was touched on very little in the video, and the girl looks like she's having more fun than anything else...The video seems to depict a glamourization of Hollywood, as opposed to the serious downside of it. Michael had something important and serious to say and it seems that for the most part, that was ignored in favour of Michael's 'trademarks' - a hat and a glove and dancing. He was MORE than that - he was an amazing songwriter with powerful messages. That's all I'm saying.
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I agree--they seemed to ignore the actual point of the song in making this video. If anything, it detracts from its message and actually seems to contradict it. The visuals and the video do not match up, and I suspect this is why they left out the spoken parts. They make it appear glamourous, when in fact, "going Hollywood" is quite terrible. There's a lot of dirty work, selling out, competition, and sacrifices made all for the chance of success and superstardom. That was Michael's point. This song was intended to be a dark song, like another poster said, kind of like "Who is It?" was.

The video, however, is pretty cheery. They almost try to make it out to be an "inspirational" video, and while there is nothing wrong with that in theory, there is something amiss only because the song attempts to convey the opposite message.

I get what other posters are trying to say in that the flash-mob dance is a beautiful scene--and it is-- it's probably my favourite part of the whole video. However, in retrospect, it seems rather out-of-place on a song which is describing the dark side of the road to fame.
 
Everybody can we please not personally attack one another? If you have something to say personal, please use PMs.

Thanks :flowers:
 
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