DAY 18 – WINNING THE LOTTERY

Winning the lottery

 

Another thing I’ve been doing lately, is watching Oprah at least once a week.  It must have been the Law of Attraction in action that made me watch it yesterday.  For, after interviewing two of Michael Jackson’s brothers after the premiere of This is it (I hope to see it this week-end), Oprah went on to interview people who had won the lottery.

What an upbeat show.  I loved watching the replay of the scene of the man who had won a million dollars.  As Oprah said, when he realized he’d won, he jumped so high that he looked as though he had left his body.  On his way to Chicago to be on Oprah, this sweet man was hit by a golf cart at the airport and ended up in hospital.  But even the broken arm didn’t dampen his high spirit.

“I’m with you baby,” I thought, imagining myself wearing the same ear-to-ear smile he had on his face, if I’d won a million dollars.

Then there was the woman who won the million-dollar jackpot in Deal Or No Deal. She was laughing all the way to the bank.  She could hardly stay in her seat, or string two words together without bursting into hoots of laughter.   Poignant for me was the scene where, upon receiving a million dollar check from the Publishers clearing house, a man took the for sale sign outside his house, and with the force of all his pent up emotions stuck it into the garbage!

And what about the school principal – now retired – who won the four and half million-dollar lotto jackpot?  Didn’t you love the way he laughed?  I did.  He was infectious; just looking at him I too was laughing like an idiot.

Watching and listening to him, I realized that this man had won the lottery because he had had every intention of winning.  And what’s more, his attitude and expectations are such that he might win it again.

I have bought lottery tickets in my life, haven’t you?  But there has always been something, an accompanying elseness that has gone with the buying.  A deep down disbelief that such a wonderful thing could happen to me.  And… that maybe it is wrong to “waste” money on lottery tickets, or that with millions in my account; I wouldn’t enjoy the things that that money could buy because it would be too easy.

Does that make sense to you?

I was driving to the city with my husband the other day.  The drive was the perfect opportunity for some homework, and I slipped the CD that accompanies The Astonishing Power of Emotions, into the CD player.  Abraham says that most of us put our raft in the water pointing it upstream.  In other words, most of us believe that to get what we want we have to struggle, and if we don’t, if it is too easy to get what we want, we probably won’t enjoy the rewards.

“Aha,” I thought.  “That’s me with the lottery, and with a lot of other things for that matter.  And I know that, whether he knows it or not, my husband feels the same.”

But, after watching this show, I felt ready to win.  By the time the man from the publishers clearing house drove onto the set with his van, and gave one lucky woman $25,000 and everyone else $500, I was jumping up and down as if I was one of the lucky winners.  When at the of the show, Oprah told the audience to go to Oprah.com for information on the publishers clearing house search and win, I could hardly wait for her to finish talking.  Rearing to go win myself a big prize, I dashed to my laptop, threw it open and… yeah, I am registered.  I am so excited! And as soon as I am dressed I’m out the door and on my way to my local gas station to buy a ticket for the mega and one of the lotto and you know the motto; you never know!

Bye for now, from this-soon-to-be LOTTERY WINNER!

Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)

Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009)

Rated G

It was going to be one of the biggest concerts ever. After ten years, Michael Jackson was set to return to the stage. However, days before the final dress rehearsal, Jackson passed away. People all over the world were in mourning. And many wondered what that last show would have been like. This Is It takes video recorded during numerous rehearsals to give us a glimpse of what we might have seen. It also serves as tribute to the man named “The King of Pop”. This is both more and less than a concert recording. It’s less than a concert recording for various reasons which I will outline below. More importantly, it is more than a concert recording because of the glimpse we get not only of Jackson: the man, but also of Jackson:the object of worship.

If you’re walking into the cinema expecting to watch Michael Jackson’s final performance, you’re going to be disappointed. And it’s not an unreasonable expectation, considering the hype, the limited run (only at the cinema for two weeks), and the sale of t-shirts and CD’s at the box office. But this is not a concert. It’s not even a dress rehearsal. Jackson was still in the process of getting the musicians and the dancers to come together and polish their work. What we have here is the promise of something big that we will never see. Jackson himself is holding back. There are numerous dropped lines and false starts. When ever he starts to let go and really put all his effort into his singing, he berates those looking on for encouraging him to waste his voice. What we hear here is not what we would have heard in concert. He was saving his voice for the concert that never was. This Is It is a performance that never gives its all and as a result, it is difficult to feel drawn in by it.

What was of greater interest to me were the interviews with the dancers, musicians and everyone else that was working on this project. They tell us how great an honour it is to be working with Jackson. The opening scene features a group of male dancers auditioning to be part of the show. For them, this was it. This was the dream. Michael Jackson was not only their inspiration but their reason for living. They couldn’t see past this moment because the purpose of their being was now being fulfilled. Michael Jackson was their god.

At one point, one of the crew observes that they are on stage at the Church of Rock and Roll. The stadium was their church and the entertainer was their god. I would have like to have seen some interviews taken after Michael Jackson’s death. I would have liked to have heard the dancer, who at the beginning of the movie had lived to perform on stage with Jackson, only now to have that dream taken away. How did he feel now? Does his life still have purpose now that Jackson was gone and the concert was never going to happen? How did it feel to put your trust in a god that perished?

Michael Jackson was worshipped by many. But he was not God, he was just a man. His legacy may live on. Then again he may be completely forgotten within a century. Those who lived for Jackson are now living for nothing more than a memory. And in time that memory will fade. Don’t put your faith in something or someone that will perish, fail, or fade. Don’t worship anything or anyone that promises much but ultimately can’t fulfill.

Jackson was not God. But Jesus is. He is the one and only way to eternal life. He has proven his worthiness by rising from the dead. Death had no hold on Jesus. And now he sits at God’s right hand, waiting to return. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. (Acts 2:32-33). Put your faith in Jesus. He alone can bring a purpose to your life that will last beyond this world and into the next.

This Is It is an interesting movie. If you’re a massive Michael Jackson fan, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you’re someone who appreciates his music but didn’t break into tears when you heard he’d passed away, you’re probably better off waiting for this on DVD.

Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009) Review

I have just returned from a 9am showing of “This Is It” which is the earliest I have ever seen anything on at the cinema. So it opened today for only 2 weeks, which I think is a fantastic idea. Mainly because it gives it more of the concert/show feel that after 2 weeks you cannot see it on the big screen again. I really could not help but thinking what an incredible show this would have been, it really would have been the greatest concert in the history of music. Some of the stuff they had set up and ready for the songs were just totally out of this world.

The film shows Michael rehearsing, completing sound checks and figuring out dance routines and how he wanted everything to go together and flow. We see this in-depth for quite a few songs, I thought “Smooth Criminal” looked fantastic with MJ being put into the movie. Had to wait til the very end to see my two favorite songs, “Billie Jean” and “Man in the Mirror”.

I am quite geeky in the fact that I really like seeing behind the scenes footage of how things are put together and done. So this film is no exception which is really just great seeing how much time and effort went into ensuring the show was going to be pretty much perfect and go to plan every night it was due to be on. I really enjoyed the brief auditioning clips for the dancers and showing how many people from all over the world wanted to be apart of this show. Then showing which dancers made it to be the main dancers on the show, and how they got into it with Michael becoming part of the show. One of the quotes about that was to dance in a Michael Jackson show you become an extenstion of Michael, which really meant that they had to be able to really dance, as damn Michael could move.

From the point of view watching Michael Jackson at work, it really showed how much of a perfectionist he was and how much he really cared about performing and more importantly his music. The way he wanted to have control while he was singing and be able to use handjesters to signal a light change, or to stop the music as a build up to the end of the song. I thought it was rather cute when he asked to change the ear piece as it was hurting him as he was not used to wearing them and he was adjusting. Yes, that may seem rather random but I did actually feel sorry for him in that moment.

I found it interesting when watching him on stage without the dancers, and they acted more as the audience. You really wanted to actually applaud after some of the songs as it does give you a feel of being there and watching the rehearsal process. I guess this just shows the presence Michael Jackson had when he was on a stage, totally fantastic. He wanted everything to be perfect and sound exactly the same as when he originally recorded the songs. Which I thought was great as often in live shows artist/bands slightly change songs to sing them live, Michael had no interest in that. He kept saying he wanted to keep it really for the fans and I am sure he would have done with this show.

The most heartbreaking realisation about watching this is knowing that what would have been the most fantastic pop concert ever did not even get completely finished let alone performed for the amazing 50 shows. This really was it for Michael, but he will live on forever in his music.

“This Is It” song was played over the credits, it is such an amazing song and I am sure when it is released it will rightly go straight into number 1. As I am sure this film will go straight to number 1 at the cinema box office all over the world. Michael Jackson was the King of Pop and no-one will ever come close.

THE HORIWOOD TOP 10 - TUES 10.27.09

A-List celebrities, billionaire brothers, children’s book authors and even a hori actor in San Francisco made headlines today in Hollywood. Here’s the top ten news topics on Horiwood.Com today:

1. KATHERINE HEIGL is a gracious queen of Hollywood who is a total team player say all of her crew and peers around her. She’s a proud mom too.

2. ALEX MERAZ packs a punch with girl fans as his Twilight New Moon publicity duties increase. Alex Meraz is an intense performance artist.

3. KATIE PRICE & PETER ANDRE of Australia & the UK rate today in Hollywood. Something about a bridesmaid made them headline news.

4. BRAD PITT goes purple for a Japanese audience’s amusement. What next?!

5. JENNIFER ANISTON & JOHN MAYER’s romance is much loved in Aussie land.

6. CRABBY OLD FART blogger brings on a case of the chuckles for Halloween. Too funny!

7. LISA NIEMI & MARIA SHRIVER of California & MARGI WOODHOUSE of New Zealand do the best grief coaching in the biz!

8. RICHARD CHANDLER is a star of Billionaire Philanthropy. Step it up Oprah!

9. MISS TESSA’s Little Miss Elegant book series is a winner!

10. Ten Things about billonaire CHRISTOPHER CHANDLER, but let’s start with… ‘innovation creation’ as a hallmark trait.

Horiwood’s quick riser pick: Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT is tipped to make $100 million at the box office. That’s one heck of a documentary film! AEG says $250 million in first 5 days.

horiwood’s latest tweet on twitter is: “What’s Hollywood Maori Actor Cliff Curtis up to? In San Francisco filming on a TV series, apparently. Maoris are everywhere in California. Diggin that!”

Let’s Think Green like our happy hori brotha Cliff does for Green Peace. Thankfully Cliff doesn’t have to play terrorists opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger these days. lol! Times are a changin. Kia Ora bro. Cliff is an original Maori in Hollywood forerunner of entertainment. Props!

Chillin' In Boca

So, if you’re following our boy Adam Lambert on Twitter, you know that he was chillin’ in Boca Raton this weekend. Some fans speculated he was there for a party where he performed a few tunes he sang on American Idol. AS SOON AS I find any pictures, I will surely post them HERE!  

Adam also surprised some lucky fans with a twitter frenzy as he seemed to randomly tweet them (either he was feelin’ really good from all the partying in FLA, or he was just cleverly marketing himself once again)! Either way, the responses these fortunate fans had were hysterical. They are obviously all now swooning in a puddle by the great Glam God’s feet (as they should be I might add)!!!

Another thing we learned from Mr. Lambert’s tweets is that we should be looking for the first single from his forthcoming album For Your Entertainment to debut this week. I’ll keep you posted on this.

BTW, Kim Kardashian tweeted that Adam was on her flight home! Here her tweet: “Hey @RyanSeacrest Kris Allen was at the game today & Adam Lambert was on my flight home! Luv American Idol! Can’t wait 4 next season!”

Finally, Michael Jackson’s This Is It premieres on Tuesday. Adam himself has reported that the 2012 trailer (including Time For Miracles) will run at the pre show event before the movie is shown. I’ll try and stay on top of all this, GlamFans!

More To Come,

Claudia

P.S. You can now follow me on Twitter. Just click the link at the side of this page!!

Thurgood Marshall College Fund 4th Annual Front Row Fashion Show: Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation in Fashion

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) held it’s 4th annual Front Row fashion show on Saturday, which features emerging minority designers.

It presented an opportunity for the designers to showcase  their 2009 collections at the 4th Annual Front Row Fashion Show:Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation in Fashion, held on Saturday, October the 24th,at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

This year, Front Row  highlighted 10 emerging and established designers, while paying tribute to trailblazers in the fashion industry with the 2009 Thurgood Marshall Fashion Icon Award. The Award salutes individuals who have influenced style and fashion within the African-American community, and who embody the spirit of leadership and commitment to their craft. It is one of the highest recognitions presented annually to honor the legacy of the late Justice Thurgood Marshall.

In attendance at the show was honoree modeling superstar and trailblazer Naomi Campbell, Actress Sherri Shepherd, and Marlon Jackson, of the Jackson 5, and brother to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

For more information on the Thurgood Marshall College fund, here is a link to their official website…

http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.net/v1/

 

StarAccess Event - Michael Jackson's This Is It

We have passes up for grabs to see the concert musical, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It.” To win your free pass to the advance screening in Washington, DC you must be a StarAccess movie club member and answer our trivia question below.

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“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” plot:

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show.

Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before. In raw and candid detail, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show. Kenny Ortega, who was both Michael Jackson’s creative partner and the director of the stage show is also directing the film, which is being produced by Randy Phillips, Kenny Ortega and Paul Gongaware. Executive producers are John Branca and John McClain. The film will be distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Releasing. Tickets for the limited two-week engagement of the film go on sale beginning September 27.

To make our past distribution more equitable, winners are only eligible to win once every 15 days!

All entrants need to be StarAccess members (if you have already joined, you don’t need to submit another application) AND submit their FULL NAME, your SCREENING MARKET and answer to the following question for a chance to win!

“What is your favorite Michael Jackson memory and why?”

We will contact the winners at the conclusion of the contest.

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” October 28, 2009 (conventional and Digital IMAX theaters).

Check out the film’s official site

MJ’s relatives refusing to watch ‘This Is It’ docu

Relatives of late Michael Jackson have vowed not to watch his This Is It tour documentary because the experience will be too painful for them.

Just weeks before his highly-anticipated stage return in London, the King of Pop passed away suddenly in June, reports Contactmusic.

The film, which documents his rehearsals, is set for release on 28 October.

But his mother Katherine and sister La Toya have both vowed not to watch the movie.

Katherine tells U.S. TV show Access Hollywood, “I don’t think I can bear to look at it right now. But eventually in time, I will watch it.”

La Toya adds, “I have no plans to see it. It’s a bit too soon for me. It really is.”

Are the Labels Ready to Face the Digital Frontier?

Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment have both put a foot in on the boat that is VEVO. And now VEVO looks set to sail into the bright horizon as investor Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) pumps in a strategic investment, declaring itself a shareholder and a big part of this venture.

VEVO is branded as upcoming state-of-the-art music video and entertainment service powered by YouTube, with music content exclusively provided by UMG and SME, whose artists include Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, and Lady Gaga for the former, and Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and the late Michael Jackson for the latter. VEVO is the next natural step in the long-term rollout of digital plans, according to the shareholders. “It illustrates our partnering approach with innovators in digital media services and technologies,” says H.E. Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazroui, Chairman of ADMC.

Rio Caraeff, CEO of VEVO, seems to have big plans up his sleeves. Having dealt with digital c ontent for 4 years in Universal Music Group and another 3 years in Sony Pictures Entertainment before that, Caraeff seems determined to steer the entire industry in the digital direction.

However, reticence to embark on digital projects is something the labels cannot seem to shake off. Red tape, protocols pertaining to physical products, inertia to recognize the obvious dawn of the digital age, are just some of the things that prevent labels from investing in the right research to find a digital music business model. Though Universal Music had led the way with their fondness for little digital projects all over the world (read: UMG-Webtv Europe’s deal in 2004, UMG and UK telco Orange’s mobile music deal in 2009, UMG and Singapore leading telco Singtel’s mobile music deal in 2009, UMG and Virgin Media’s ongoing deal, among others), impact made on consumer trends are arguable, and besides, none of the other labels seemed to have taken notice of what UMG has been doing. Or, rather, they probably could not care less.

Sony Music has apparently, however, woken up from the deep slumber caused by the messy and very recent separation from Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), and has expressed interest in foraying into the digital music market. Just a few days ago, it was announced that Sony’s electronic arm has involved itself in a project called “Club Dates”, which is in fact a series of digital concerts planned to encourage music lovers to embrace what Sony calls “alternative content”. Concerts filmed ‘live’ will be shown on the various Sony platforms, including its 4K digital cinema projectors. The first act called upon to headline the series is none other than the band Third Eye Blind, whose latest album “Ursa Major” received the major honor of #1 Digital Album on the Billboard charts. Aside from “Club Dates” and the gentle stakeholding duties that are called upon by VEVO, Sony Music has yet to prove its interest in the global digital market.

As I type, Virgin Media and UMG have yet to reach a conclusion on what “unlimited DRM-free” downloads should mean. It seems simple – downloads that are untethered and are available readily without clauses in your contracts. Yet it isn’t really all that easy to implement. The question now remains: how can the labels protect their content and yet embrace a digital world completely?

Michael Jackson's new song released

A previously unreleased song by Michael Jackson entitled “This Is It” was unveiled to the world almost four months after the star’s death.
The track was released at the stroke of midnight at www.MichaelJackson.com, marking “yet another exciting moment in music history for one of the world’s most revered artists,” Sony Music Entertainment said in a statement.
The recording features backing vocals by Michael’s brothers and will be played during the closing sequence of the forthcoming film “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” and feature on a two-disc CD set of the same name.
A new photo of Jackson taken during rehearsals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will also be unveiled, the record label said.
The album will go on sale later this month to coincide with the worldwide release of the movie on October 28.
Disc one of the album features some of Jackson’s biggest hits such as “Billie Jean,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Human Nature,” and “Thriller” arranged in the same sequence as they appear in the film.
The disc ends with two versions of “This Is It,” the original and an orchestral one.
Disc two offers fans the early demo versions of classics “She’s Out Of My Life,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” and “Beat It.” It also features a recently discovered spoken word poem by Jackson entitled “Planet Earth.”
The film will offers a behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place this year in London, Sony said.
Chronicling the months from March through June 2009, the film is drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show.
Jackson died on June 25 at age 50 after taking a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs.
Los Angeles coroners say Jackson’s death is being treated as a homicide, but prosecutors have not filed charges so far.

Michael Jackson Death

On June 25, 2009, Jackson collapsed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by his personal physician were unsuccessful. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 p.m. (PDT), arriving three minutes later at Jackson’s location. He was reportedly not breathing and CPR was performed. Resuscitation efforts continued en route to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for an hour after arriving there at 1:13 p.m. (20:13 UTC). He was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. local time (21:26 UTC).

The memorial was held on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, preceded by a private family service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park’s Hall of Liberty. Jackson’s casket was present during the memorial but no information was released about the final disposition of the body. While some unofficial reports claimed a worldwide audience as high as one billion people [158] the U.S. audience was estimated by Nielsen to be 31.1 million, an amount comparable to the estimated 35.1 million that watched the 2004 burial of President Ronald Reagan, and the estimated 33.1 million Americans who watched the 1997 funeral for Princess Diana.

Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholi performed at the event. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave eulogies, while Queen Latifah read, “We had him,” a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou. The Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing ovation with cheers when he told Jackson’s children, “Wasn’t nothing strange about your Daddy. It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it anyway.” Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine, cried as she told the crowd, “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine … I just wanted to say I love him … so much.”

On August 24, multiple news outlets quoted anonymous sources as stating that the Los Angeles coroner had decided to treat Jackson’s death as a homicide; this was later confirmed by the coroner on August 28. At the time of death, Jackson had been administered propofol, lorazepam and midazolam. Law enforcement officials are currently conducting a manslaughter investigation of his personal physician, Conrad Murray. Jackson was buried on September 3, 2009 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Get Michael Jackson Tribute Concert Tickets at Sold Out Ticket Market.

Thriller Girl

I officially know how to do the Thriller Dance! I really wanted to take pictures and maybe get some video clips, but I was having WAY too much fun dancing. I was a little scared when they showed us the whole dance since I’m a VERY uncoordinated person. It turns out it’s actually really simple and fun-extreme.. My clumsy-ness makes certain moves very ungraceful but who cares?! Dancing zombies don’t need grace!

Unfortunately, like I said in my last post, I won’t be there for the world wide Thriller dance. I’ll be in Dallas. I still plan to practice it as much as possible. My roomie will be at the event so I’ll be able to at least help her out with a costume before she leaves. I’m 99% sure she’ll be a hippie zombie. It’s something I know she wanted to try before for the Zombie Veggie eating contest but plans fell through. I totally would have been a Pirate Zombie.*sigh* My pirate zombie day will have to wait though.

Anyways, it’s time for sleep. Before I go, I leave you with a clip from last years Thriller Dance event. Toodles!

Grazi Massafera será vilã com visual inspirado em ‘Kill Bill’

Diretor de ”Bom dia, Frankenstein”, José Luiz Villamarim fez inúmeros testes antes de aprovar, esta semana, este visual para a vilã Teodora, personagem de Grazi Massafera na nova novela das 19h.

- Ela está usando um tom acastanhado no cabelo, e cortou um pouco as mechas. Me inspirei em Uma Thurman em ‘Kill Bill’ – teoriza o diretor (na foto com ela). – Só agora consegui o resultado que estava buscando.

Grazi já começou a gravar em São Paulo, na região do Vale do Anhangabaú. Mas a novela só estreia em janeiro de 2010.

- Ela vai surpreender, está muito bem mesmo – avalia Villamarim. – É uma atriz seriíssima, muito concentrada.

Jacko Coming To Swindon!

Thats right. Michael Jackson fans of Swindon will be able to go and hear the everlasting music of the King of Pop himslef!

But don’t worry. There won’t be a real life re-enactment of Thriller. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the REAL Michael Jackson wont be coming to Swindon.

Instead, we have one of the world’s best Jacko impersonators. Navi has performed as the King in houses across the globe. He was even the opening act at Jackson’s birthday celebration!

The tribute to the ledgend will be at 12 Bar on Friday 9th October. Tickets cost £10 and doors open at 8pm. Contact 12 Bar for more information

By Charley Lawson

 

ok just thought i would let you guys know that this is the first article i wrote for my journalism course. i had to do a local piece of news. found this on the internet and wrote about it. how fun

hope you all enjoyed it

xoxo Charley L

Herdeiros de Michael Jackson dão crédito a Paul Anka em nova faixa

Compositor diz estar ‘satisfeito com acordo’.
‘This is it’ teria sido gravada por Jackson nos anos 80.

Com uma voz familiar contando até quatro em falseto, um novo single de Michael Jackson foi lançado na internet nesta segunda-feira (12), gerando uma resposta rápida dos herdeiros do cantor após Paul Anka ter revelado ser o co-autor da música.

“This is it” está na trilha sonora do documentário sobre o falecido Rei do Pop, mas sua gênese está na verdade em 1983, quando foi escrita para um disco de duetos que Anka estava gravando.

A faixa se chamava “I never heard”, e Jackson e Anka são creditados como co-autores de uma versão gravada no começo da década de 1990 pela cantora Sa-Fire. Compare as duas versões no vídeo com a matéria do Jornal da Globo.

Musica Pop:

      La música pop es un género musical que, al margen de la instrumentación y tecnología aplicada para su creación, conserva la estructura formal “verso – estribillo – verso”, ejecutada de un modo sencillo, melódico, pegadizo, y normalmente asimilable para el gran público. Sus grandes diferencias con otros géneros musicales están en las voces melódicas y claras en primer plano y percusiones lineales y repetidas. Empezó en el siglo XX en Inglaterra, en la década de los 60.

Históricamente, la expresión “música pop” no era entendida como un género musical con características musicales concretas. Lo catalogado como música “Pop”, apócope de “música popular”, era entendida como lo contrario a la música de culto, a la música clásica. Bajo esta definición entraban géneros como, el funky, el folk o incluso el jazz. El pop era entendido como ese gran grupo de música para la gente de escasa cultura musical. 

 

 

Thriller Nights

I have a love for Michael Jackson music. Well, it really started when I began dating BF over a year ago. BF loves to dance and he loves dancing to MJ.

Therefore I downloaded Michael Jackson’s Number 1’s. I am so excited because tonight we will be having a dance party in our house. So stoked!

Also, I am getting jittery just thinking about Halloween. Last year I couldn’t do anything because I was a mere 10 days out from surgery, so BF and I just stayed in and watched movies. But this year I’m going all out. Costumes, decorating and sitting on the front porch handing out candy. I can’t wait. And to enhance the mood I bought a Halloween Chills CD with scary movie theme songs to play while the neighborhood kids trick-or-treat.

I love Halloween!!

Even the puppies will be celebrating this year. Yay for fall!

What do you look forward to most about Halloween? (that is if you even like Halloween)

Michael Jackson This Is It single will be out today on Amazon Nationwide

Can’t wait heard the single looking forward to getting it adding it to my Michael Jackson collection. I advised you to get yours as soon as it comes out because you know when it’s gone, then they have to do a back order and that can take some time.

Get your copy of the “This Is It” single today this is the day it will come out not sure how long it will stay, it will be gone fast. Pre-Order your copy…

Michael Jackson e Patrick Swayze viram desenho em "South Park"

Os roteiristas do desenho South Park resolveram lançar mão de uma boa dose de humor macabro em um de seus próximos episódios. Em Dead Celebrities (Celebridades Mortas), os bonequinhos famosos pelas tiradas ácidas e irônicas terão a companhia de ninguém menos que os “fantasmas” de Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze e Farrah Fawcett.

Jackson e Farrah morreram no último dia 25 de junho. Patrick Swayze faleceu no último dia 14 de setembro. A data da exibição do episódio ainda não foi anunciada.

Baby News For Babies

Awww!  Look at the monkeys! I like monkey babies!  I wonder if Mom is a monkey, too.

Or, you could just let me go shoeless like I am now.  I’m not going to be hiking the Appalachian Trail soon.

Dad read this and made me down a shot of iodine.  Blech.  I reminded him that we do not live in Australia.

Natural Light Ice? That’s the cheapest thing at the liquor store.  If you’re going to make me drink beer, splurge and get me a New Belgium wheat.  But be ready for a monster burp.

Welcome to the world, little boy!  You’re parents are krayzee!  So baby, baby be mine.

Yes no maybe

MamaKitt, do you remember our eighth-grade language arts teacher showing us Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” video in class? Do you remember why she did that? Do I have the right song? For some reason, every time I hear that song (as I did yesterday morning) I think of that almost-subterranean classroom, and Ms. E, and you, and (natch) Josh.

Oh, Ms. E, I loved her so much. Eighth grade was such a weird year, was it not? I remember so many random little moments from that year.

And then there’s kind of a big one that I’m not sure I fully processed at the time — or since. It is entirely possible that I will tell this wrong, but this is how I remember it.

There was this boy I was “going out with,” which mostly meant making out with on the bus after basketball games, but which also featured actual conversations and hanging out at school (a first for me). The first thing that was a little weird, I guess, about our high school was that a lot of the boys lived at a local home for boys who for one reason or another couldn’t live at their real homes. Kind of an orphanage, except most of the boys weren’t actual orphans — they just had terrible or absent parents and/or other problems. (MK, do I have that right?) So, I guess that’s a little odd, except we were used to it, and I don’t remember much being made of it.

My little eighth-grade boyfriend lived at this home, and over one school vacation all the boys (some of the boys?) were taken to Florida on a vacation. My bf brought me back a Minnie Mouse t-shirt from Disney World. It was adorable, and he was adorable, and all was right with my world.

Until, suddenly, it wasn’t. Days (the day?) after he gave me the t-shirt, the boy dumped me with no explanation. I was stunned, and sad, and commenced with the moping and weeping and huddling with girlfriends that are the birthrights of the teenage drama queen.

Our teacher, Ms. E, took note. One day that week she pulled me aside after school and told me a) to stop feeling sorry for myself and b) that my boy dumping me had nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. My boy’s mother, she told me, had just been killed by her boyfriend.

I think of this today and can’t get over how horrifying that fact is, how impossible it must have been to handle for the boy, and, finally, how appallingly little the whole thing has really registered in my consciousness over the last few decades. Did my parents even know about it? I don’t remember ever talking to them about it, and I barely remember discussing it with my friends. MamaKitt and I clearly rehash our childhoods on a regular basis, but neither of us really remembers ever talking about this. Can it possibly really have happened?

I do remember walking into the gym the afternoon after Ms. E told me the story to find the boy shooting hoops. He put his hand in mine and we walked out into the lobby and just hugged and hugged, while he cried. And that’s the last I remember of all that.

That poor boy. What a thing to experience. We never “went out” again, and didn’t stay particularly close, though every recollection I have of him in high school is of him laughing, or teasing someone, or playing basketball. I don’t know what became of him, but I hope he did, somehow, come to terms with that terrible event in some kind of healthy way.

Anyway, that’s the rabbit hole of thought “Man in the Mirror” sent me down.

This Post is Long Overdue

June 25th started like any other day. I worked until 8pm, and I was getting ready to go on vacation. A guest in drive thru approached my window, and told us that Michael Jackson had died. I didn’t believe her.

Let me give some backstory…

I’ve been a Michael Jackson fan since I was 3 years old. It was that year that I saw Michael perform “Billie Jean” on the Motown 25 special. I remember the dazzling white glove and sparkly socks. I was hooked. I was captivated by the grace and the flow of the dancer on the screen. I was hooked. Some time later, I remember my mom making a big deal about the premiere of a mini-movie. I remembered, it was the same guy from the Motown special. Except, now, he was a zombie. The Thriller video scares me to this day. I collected all the albums. I knew all the dance moves. I started to have an affinity for glitz. It’s true. I love rhinestones to this day. Most of my clothes and shoes have rhinestones on them.

Dolly and Michael both have/had a sense of glitz and because of them I’m influenced by them. They are/were my idols. I love them.

When I heard that Michael Jackson had died, I was crushed. A great outpouring of emotion was shown for his death. I found the emotion ironic. It wasn’t but a week earlier, I read an article bashing him for his postponing of concerts. All of a sudden, Michael Jackson was an icon. They seemed to forget the fact they had all but turned their backs on him, calling him disgusting names. I guess Madonna was right at the VMA’s…we had to lose him to know what we had after all.

I designed a pair of Converse All-Stars called my Jacksons. They are covered with about 1,000 rhinestones a shoe. I wear them with pride. Because of Michael Jackson, I have a greater appreciation for life and humanity. Songs like “Heal the World” and “Man in the Mirror” will forever ring a distinct resonance in my heart. My pair of Jacksons remind me of that love.

At work, we are allowed to dress up for Halloween. I’ve decided to be a version of Michael Jackson. I’ve ordered the Rhinestone Glove today on eBay.

This post is long overdue. Thanks for letting me share my heart with you.

Here are some of my favorite Jackson outfits (among countless others) that I would definitely wear in everyday life.

Ultima zi în care am mers cu maşina prin centru

Este ultima zi în care merg cu maşina în intervalul 12-21. Plus, ultima zi în care caut un loc de parcare în zona Piaţa Romană.

O bătaie de joc. Repară 100 de străzi pe care oricum le fac prost. Pe lîngă asta mai strică şi străduţele adiacente.

PLUUUS că NU găseşti locuri de parcare şi dacă parchezi pe undeva există posibilitatea să nu îţi mai găseşti maşina acolo, ci prin Tunari sau unde mama naibii le duc tîmpiţii. Nu-i aşa, Redule? )

Michael Jackson Medley Video

The latest breakout YouTube musical star seems like an unlikely Internet sensation: a One-Man a cappella music group.

But a video of a medley of Michael Jackson songs performed by the same man six times over — from baritone to tenor and everything between — has been seen more than 1 million times.

The video is a seamless mash-up of Jackson songs including “Smooth Criminal,” “Billie Jean,” “I’ll Be There,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Thriller.”

The vocalist — Sam Tsui — and the arranger — Kurt Schneider — are students at Yale.

The Jackson medley video is ranked No. 9 in YouTube’s list of all-time most top-rated music videos.

Check out the incredible video here. You’ll want to watch it full screen!

Autópsia revela que Michael Jackson tinha marcas de injeções e boa saúde

A autópsia realizada no corpo de Michael Jackson revelou que o cantor estava com os braços repletos de marcas de injeções e que sofria de artrite e problemas pulmonares, mas diferente do que havia sido divulgado quando a saúde do cantor estar debitada, ele se encontava saudável.  A informação é segundo um relatório legista divulgado nesta quinta-feira (1) pelo site TMZ.

Segundo o documento, o artista, que pesava 61 quilos no momento de sua morte por “intoxicação aguda do sedativo propofol”, apresentava cicatrizes no rosto e no pescoço e tinha tatuagens nas sobrancelhas e no couro cabeludo.

No entanto, ao contrário de versões segundo as quais Michael estava com a saúde muito debilitada, o relatório sustenta que o cantor se encontrava “moderadamente saudável” antes de sua morte e que seus órgãos vitais estavam em estado normal.

No entanto, Jackson sofria de artrite nos dedos das mãos e na região baixa da coluna vertebral, tinha placas de gordura nas artérias de suas pernas e problemas pulmonares crônicos.

O artista morreu em 25 de junho em Los Angeles depois que “outra pessoa” administrou o sedativo propofol junto a outros dois medicamentos para dormir, motivo pelo qual os legistas determinaram que se tratou de um “homicídio involuntário”.

O médico pessoal de Michael à época, Conrad Murray, continua sendo o principal alvo das investigações para esclarecer se houve crime no falecimento do cantor.

The Art of Music: Music Videos

A quirky, incomplete, and oft-updated list of some current music-videos doing some really interesting things. I’ve tried to include a sentence or two on what I think makes it stand out, but this is, of course, a highly subjective list and all suggestions are welcome.

Star Guitar – Chemical Brothers

One of my absolute favorites. Watch how nearly every sound matches with a image in the the scenery. There’s a ‘making of’ video here.

Thriller – Michael Jackson

The one that started it all.

Coffee & TV – Blur

Blur’s characteristic melancholic wit, plus some nifty camera tricks with scale.

My Drive Thru – Santogold, Julian Casablancas, N.E.R.D.

I’m a sucker for innovative animation, if you can overlook that this was largely an ad for Converse…

Epic Last Song – Does It Offend You, Yeah?

More nifty takes on animation.

Pogo – Digitalism

A mix of stop motion and the same beat syncing found in the Chemical Brother’s ‘Star Guitar.’

Sooner or Later – N.E.R.D.

An almost retro feel brought to the modern recession.

Paris is Burning – LadyHawke

For the stargazing hipster in all of us.

Move Your Feet – Junior Senior

8-bit graphics and a loopy sense of reality.

Little Bit – Lyyke Li

From the guy that brought you ‘Young Folks,’ this strangely out-of-sync video is both endearing and unsettling.

Skeleton Boy – Friendly Fires

A blend of a standard animation tropes and fake snow.

Paris – Friendly Fires

Clockwork Orange meets a space-age Kaleidoscope.

Heartbreaker – MSTRKRFT (feat. John Legend)

A little Canadian love. The video has a surprisingly nuanced story buried under what first looks like youthful hijinks/young love.

Two Way Monologue – Sondre Lerche

Nice blend of the (sometimes left-field) lyrics into the video itself. There is some crafty sound-editing going on behind the scenes here.

Collarbone – Fujiya & Miyagi

If a child’s crayon drawings could come to life, and be about broken bones and soccer.

More to come… !