It's amazing that the above video is 19 years after Michael Jackson's Thriller album came out. He still had it going on then in 2001. Jackson still had game. Listen to the crowd and how loud they are. They drown out the music at times.
After Thriller came out, Bad was a pretty good follow up, but nothing he did would touch the success of Thriller.
As he got older, Michael's looks, his "strangeness", sexual abuse claims, and his being a recluse took over the headlines.
Random thoughts:
-I had a classmate in junior high who wore his Thriller jacket to school and it got stolen. I felt badly for the kid.
-There's no way, if I ever have kids, that I will nickname a child "blanket."
-I am stunned that Michael's death crashed wikipedia and Twitter. Also, Amazon.com sold out of every Michael Jackson cd. That truly is a measure of Jackson's super-stardom.
-It's strange that it took death for Michael Jackson and his music to be so relevant again.
-Regarding the last two points, I think whenever Madonna or Prince pass on, a similar effect will happen but not to the same level as what happened with Michael. Are there any others that their deaths could have a similar effect?
-I will remember that I was in the BG Student Union when I first saw the news on CNN and then a classmate confirmed that he died before my class started in East Hall.
-I wonder how long will it take for bootleg or undercover footage of his last rehearsals to be leaked.
-I wonder if it's really true that Michael weighed 108 pounds at the time of his death.
-Being that I was seven years old when Elvis Presley died in 1977, I didn't experience the hysteria around his death. So, just to live during this is a unique experience.
-Will Jordan Chandler, the boy who Michael Jackson paid $22 million out of court in 1994 to settle sexual abuse claims, make any appearances in the media?
-I wonder how show business will ultimately remember and honor Michael Jackson.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thoughts on Michael Jackson
Monday, June 22, 2009
See that guy picking up litter...
that might as well be singer Chris Brown. Picking up the litter...not the actual garbage itself but.....nevermind.
Anway, today, Brown, in a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to assault charges for the alleged beating of Rihanna. In the deal, Brown will serve about 1,400 hours of "labor oriented service." He also must go to a domestic violence counseling class for a year.
I don't know if the two will stay together.
In other couples news, Jon and Kate of Jon and Kate plus 8 filed paperwork today to have their marriage dissolved. I know, previously I said I wouldn't watch the show. I watched tonight. It was one of the more uncomfortable hours of tv to watch. Jon said he was looking forward to an "exciting" new chapter in his life...while acknowledging it will be tough not being there everyday with the kids. At one point, he thought out loud, "What's going to happen if I get a job and have to move away?" Kate was obviously more affected by the break up than Jon. The lack of communication between the two, especially in front of the kids, was so obvious. The family all went out to a Sunday brunch for Mother's Day. Jon and Kate sat next to each other. Kate talked and tried to make the event as pleasant as possible. Jon was quiet the whole time.
And yes, they said the show will go on.
Anway, today, Brown, in a plea agreement, pleaded guilty to assault charges for the alleged beating of Rihanna. In the deal, Brown will serve about 1,400 hours of "labor oriented service." He also must go to a domestic violence counseling class for a year.
I don't know if the two will stay together.
In other couples news, Jon and Kate of Jon and Kate plus 8 filed paperwork today to have their marriage dissolved. I know, previously I said I wouldn't watch the show. I watched tonight. It was one of the more uncomfortable hours of tv to watch. Jon said he was looking forward to an "exciting" new chapter in his life...while acknowledging it will be tough not being there everyday with the kids. At one point, he thought out loud, "What's going to happen if I get a job and have to move away?" Kate was obviously more affected by the break up than Jon. The lack of communication between the two, especially in front of the kids, was so obvious. The family all went out to a Sunday brunch for Mother's Day. Jon and Kate sat next to each other. Kate talked and tried to make the event as pleasant as possible. Jon was quiet the whole time.
And yes, they said the show will go on.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Who is to blame?
From Yahoo! comes this article about an amazing failure rate at a Chicago school. You have to wonder about the bias of the writer when they say "the school board claims that written notices were sent." It paints the board to be as guilty as can be.
Tough times at South Side school
A Chicago school made an alarming announcement this week. Close to 60% of its students won't graduate from the eighth grade. The startling figure sent lookups on "Myra Bradwell Elementary School" spiking. An article from CBS 2 Chicago explains that many in the community are wondering who to blame for the students' failure. Some are pointing fingers at the parents, while those same parents are claiming they didn't receive any notice that their children were struggling (the school board claims that written notices were sent).
Tough times at South Side school
A Chicago school made an alarming announcement this week. Close to 60% of its students won't graduate from the eighth grade. The startling figure sent lookups on "Myra Bradwell Elementary School" spiking. An article from CBS 2 Chicago explains that many in the community are wondering who to blame for the students' failure. Some are pointing fingers at the parents, while those same parents are claiming they didn't receive any notice that their children were struggling (the school board claims that written notices were sent).
Monday, June 15, 2009
Breaking News!!!!
Wow, I had no idea! Yahoo! News has released this earth-shattering study.
Survey: Family time eroding as Internet use soars
By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer - Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:45PM EDT
NEW YORK - Whether it's around the dinner table or just in front of the TV, U.S. families say they are spending less time together.
The decline in family time coincides with a rise in Internet use and the popularity of social networks, though a new study stopped just short of assigning blame.
The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California is reporting this week that 28 percent of Americans it interviewed last year said they have been spending less time with members of their households. That's nearly triple the 11 percent who said that in 2006.
These people did not report spending less time with their friends, however.
Survey: Family time eroding as Internet use soars
By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer - Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:45PM EDT
NEW YORK - Whether it's around the dinner table or just in front of the TV, U.S. families say they are spending less time together.
The decline in family time coincides with a rise in Internet use and the popularity of social networks, though a new study stopped just short of assigning blame.
The Annenberg Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California is reporting this week that 28 percent of Americans it interviewed last year said they have been spending less time with members of their households. That's nearly triple the 11 percent who said that in 2006.
These people did not report spending less time with their friends, however.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Enough!
Now that the Obamas' dog has gotten in and out of the spotlight, what useless Presidential news is the media picking up on? His diet! Stories like these are helping drive the media away from the media and following the news.
CAPITAL CULTURE: World hangs on Obama's every biteBy JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck, Ap National Writer – Tue Jun 9, 12:07 am ET
At the bustling Pi pizza restaurant in St. Louis, the staff has come up with a new mantra: "It's just pizza!"
Just pizza, and yet still, they marvel, customers are happy to wait well upward of two hours at peak time for a table. That is, ever since news came out that Barack Obama loved this pizza so much during a campaign stop, the owners were invited to recreate it in the White House ovens.
"We tell them it'll be two to four hours, and they say, OK!" says owner Chris Sommers, who traveled on his own dime to prepare the presidential meal in April. "This has been our own private stimulus package."
Pizza from St. Louis, pancakes from Pittsburgh. A juicy burger or a chili half-smoke in D.C., soul food in Chicago. Our new president eats something and the world wants to eat it, too. We've always cared about the words that emerge from a president's lips, but has there ever been such attention to the food that enters them?
"Well, White House cookbooks have always been popular — but no, there's never been this flood of interest before," says Eddie Gehman Kohan, editor of the "Obama Foodorama" blog (subject matter self-explanatory.) She sees a fusion of two potent forces: An escalating interest in food and food policy, and enormous curiosity in anything Obama.
CAPITAL CULTURE: World hangs on Obama's every biteBy JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck, Ap National Writer – Tue Jun 9, 12:07 am ET
At the bustling Pi pizza restaurant in St. Louis, the staff has come up with a new mantra: "It's just pizza!"
Just pizza, and yet still, they marvel, customers are happy to wait well upward of two hours at peak time for a table. That is, ever since news came out that Barack Obama loved this pizza so much during a campaign stop, the owners were invited to recreate it in the White House ovens.
"We tell them it'll be two to four hours, and they say, OK!" says owner Chris Sommers, who traveled on his own dime to prepare the presidential meal in April. "This has been our own private stimulus package."
Pizza from St. Louis, pancakes from Pittsburgh. A juicy burger or a chili half-smoke in D.C., soul food in Chicago. Our new president eats something and the world wants to eat it, too. We've always cared about the words that emerge from a president's lips, but has there ever been such attention to the food that enters them?
"Well, White House cookbooks have always been popular — but no, there's never been this flood of interest before," says Eddie Gehman Kohan, editor of the "Obama Foodorama" blog (subject matter self-explanatory.) She sees a fusion of two potent forces: An escalating interest in food and food policy, and enormous curiosity in anything Obama.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Possible motive?
Sad news made the front pages this past Monday after abortion doctor George Tiller was gunned down at church Sunday. A new trend in news has been to follow the "fever" of the story through the internet as the USA TODAY article noted how both sides of the abortion issue were going wild on Facebook and Twitter.
In the (partial) article below, I can't believe the line "Police have not provided a motive for the shooting" was used. Ummmm, let's see, the guy was constantly harrassed and threatened....couldn't the reporter flat out ask if him being a doctor that carried out abortions had anything to do with his death????
Also, later in the article, there is this...."President Obama said he was "outraged by the murder."" What's the President supposed to say?
Late-term abortion doctor killed at church
By Marisol Bello, USA TODAY
George Tiller knew the dangers of being one of few physicians in the USA who provided late-term abortions His Wichita clinic was bombed in 1985 and has been repeatedly vandalized. He survived a shooting by an activist more than a decade ago. Opponents protested daily in front of his clinic, his home, homes of his staff and volunteers and almost weekly in front of his church.
On Sunday, Tiller, 67, was shot dead as he served as an usher at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita. The killing was condemned by abortion rights opponents and mourned by abortion rights advocates as a devastating loss. Police have not provided a motive for the shooting.
"He was constantly harassed, threatened. The man never escaped it. ... He knew it would someday cost him his life," said Marla Patrick, who worked with Tiller on abortion rights issues as the state coordinator for the Kansas National Organization for Women.
In the (partial) article below, I can't believe the line "Police have not provided a motive for the shooting" was used. Ummmm, let's see, the guy was constantly harrassed and threatened....couldn't the reporter flat out ask if him being a doctor that carried out abortions had anything to do with his death????
Also, later in the article, there is this...."President Obama said he was "outraged by the murder."" What's the President supposed to say?
Late-term abortion doctor killed at church
By Marisol Bello, USA TODAY
George Tiller knew the dangers of being one of few physicians in the USA who provided late-term abortions His Wichita clinic was bombed in 1985 and has been repeatedly vandalized. He survived a shooting by an activist more than a decade ago. Opponents protested daily in front of his clinic, his home, homes of his staff and volunteers and almost weekly in front of his church.
On Sunday, Tiller, 67, was shot dead as he served as an usher at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita. The killing was condemned by abortion rights opponents and mourned by abortion rights advocates as a devastating loss. Police have not provided a motive for the shooting.
"He was constantly harassed, threatened. The man never escaped it. ... He knew it would someday cost him his life," said Marla Patrick, who worked with Tiller on abortion rights issues as the state coordinator for the Kansas National Organization for Women.
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