Re: May 2nd, 2008 MJ News and Mentionings
http://www.tribecatrib.com/news/newsmay08/Thriller050826.html
Thriller Of A Night
By Daniel P. Bader
POSTED MAY 2, 2008
Zombies roamed Battery Park City one night last month, and the police paid no attention. Some even smiled. Luckily, the undead were not looking for human flesh, but instead, a good time.
It’s been 25 years since singer Michael Jackson and director John Landis released “Thriller,” the album and accompanying short horror film and music video. The Tribeca Film Festival honored the anniversary of the video and best-selling album in history with an outdoor “Drive In” screening of the video along with “Michael Jackson: Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller,” a behind the scenes documentary about the short film.
Besides the screening itself, held in the North Cove, the most popular event of the night were the contestants from Bravo’s television series “Stand Up and Dance,” who were “zombified” by members of the group NYC Zombie Crawl. In costume, the performers re-created the famous dancing from the video.
One of the zombie crawl makeup artists, Autumn Eget, a 20-year old with a squirt bottle of blood and a homemade “I Heart Zombies” t-shirt, traveled from Philadelphia for the event. With a realistic scar on her neck, sickly green skin and dark sunken eyes, she offered passersby a squirt of blood.
“My makeup took maybe 40 minutes to do,” she explained. “To do the dancers, it took about half an hour.”
She had no takers on the blood though.
“All our blood is edible,” she explained, holding up the red maple syrup-flavored concoction. “Zombies love blood.”
The dancers were introduced by “Step Up and Dance” judge and original “Thriller” zombie Vince Patterson. The crowd roared as that famous beat pounded the outdoor theater and the dancers lurched and jerked to the music.
Patterson led the crew through a couple of steps, explaining each move so the crowd could follow along.
The audience also got into the act with free face painting and make-your-own glittery gloves.
Freshly painted ghouls Loren Grandelli, 9, and her brother, Christian, 5, had never heard of Michael Jackson, but Loren thought the zombies were “so cool.”
Their mother, Nicole, said of course she knew the “king of pop.”
“It was my generation,” she said. “I dragged them here. They’re having a great time.”
Sporting a freshly glittered cotton glove, Chicagoan Patti Scheibel and her friend Leah Morgan, a Tribeca resident, posed for a picture with Scheibel’s iPhone.
“As soon as we found out [about the screening] we came down,” Scheibel said.
“I love the drive-in,” Morgan agreed.
Also mugging for the cameras were two Michael Jackson impersonators who travel (separately) to events celebrating the singer.
Jose Martinez wore a white hat and white suit reminiscent of the clothes Jackson wore in the “Smooth Criminal” video. It was a 2001 performance that convinced Martinez to impersonate the singer.
“After that show, that was it,” he explained. He learned to dress and dance like the singer. What dance move was the hardest to learn? “I’d say definitely the moonwalk,” Martinez said.
A few feet away, Pete Carter, from New Jersey, said he has met Jackson six times.
“He’s one of the nicest, most generous guys ever,” Carter said.
Dressed in a black fedora, tight black pants, white v-neck t-shirt and open button-down short sleeved shirt, Carter was a spitting image of Jackson from the “Dangerous” album.
“I’ve been doing this since I was 8 years old,” he explained. “It takes a lot of time and dedication.”
Once the sun set, people started filling the seats, ready for “Thriller.”
Landis, with his signature beard and glasses, was on hand to introduce the films.
What is it like for him seeing his work after 25 years?
“Showing the making of “Thriller” is like my Dorian Gray,” he said, alluding to the fictional character whose painting ages as the character it depicts stays young.
Just then, a younger, thinner, darker headed man with the same smile and explosive energy appeared on the screen, and Landis, one of the masters of horror, managed to spook himself.
“It’s creepy,” he said.
Michael Jackson Mentionings:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/02/DD4T10FS4C.DTL
That's just her luck. When Lynne was 17, she and her sister Allison Moorer watched as their estranged father shot and killed their mother, then himself. The next year, Lynne got hitched and spent a decade trying to conform to life as a Nashville new-country drone. After five permed and primped albums, she found starched white shirts, tight blue jeans and Southern matrimony too constricting and retreated to her native Alabama, where she teamed up with producer Bill Bottrell (Sheryl Crow,
Michael Jackson) and purged her soul on the country-soul classic "I Am Shelby Lynne." The disc belatedly won her a best new artist Grammy in 2001, but the albums that followed failed to cash in on the buzz.
http://www.nbc6.net/health/16138760/detail.html
Nineteen-year-old Lisa Senecharles is graduating in May, and said she plans on attending Miami-Dade College.
"It's wonderful," she said. "I love dancing with the kids."
There were "Thriller" moments, when some students broke out in a choreographed dance of Michael Jackson's hit song.
Students posed for prom pictures, courtesy of Fox Mar Photography. The guys were decked out in formal wear from Men's Wearhouse.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4136,163803,00.html
Oh Lordy, just the act of typing that line has made my lower lip wobble again.
I always thought that Liverpool had a monopoly on sentimentality, but with Lampard's composure and Avram Grant's version of
Michael Jackson's 'Earth Song' on the touchline, there couldn't have been a dry eye in the house.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003798141
Simpson, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, Rihanna and Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz. Aside from listening to stars' favorite songs (among them, Michael Jackson's "Scream," a recommendation of Simpson's), fans can grab their favorite jukeboxes and post them on their MySpace.com and Facebook.com pages, as well as on RSS readers like iGoogle.
http://blogs-losangeles.metromix.co.../post/2443/When_Doves_Cry_vs_Billie_Jean.html
When Doves Cry vs. Billie Jean
In terms of DJs, few are as deep as New York’s DJ Spinna. The guy’s CV is longer than your iTunes playlist, and his musical knowledge (not to mention record collection) is vast and kind of overwhelming.
Which is why it’s such a treat whenever he brings his celebrated “Soul Slam” party to L.A. Starting the events in 1999 (zing!), Spinna pits Prince and Michael Jackson in a heated dance war, going between the two on the turntables. With all of that funk and energy pouring out of the speakers, most party people within earshot are crammed onto floor and working up a serious sweat. Just to keep it interesting, he'll toss in bizarre cover versions and rare remixes that leave the hardcore music nerds happy.
Tonight is the first time the bash has been held at the Echoplex, and I couldn’t think of a better host. There should be enough room for Prince and MJ fans to peacefully coexist. Although given Prince’s recent brain-melting set at Coachella, the Purple One might have something of an unfair advantage. Party on, y’all.
http://www.dailylocal.com/WebApp/ap...Life/Entertainment/ContentTab_Feature_1991923
Jules Sitruk is a scene-stealer as an ultrachic French exchange student, with his Stray Cats hair and Michael Jackson "Beat It" jacket. And speaking of music, children of the '80s will enjoy the soundtrack, which includes songs from Duran Duran, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure. PG-13 for some violence and reckless behavior. 96 min. Three stars out of four.
