True Crime - The Michael Jackson episode

Spuneam că la Investigation Discovery (ID) a început un serial realizat de Aphrodite Jones. Ieri a fost difuzat episodul dedicat lui Michael Jackson (versiunea ID de la noi nu are în program acest serial). Din păcate - se vede treaba că demersurile dnei Jones nu au dus la rezultatul sperat de aceasta (şi de noi) - Michael Jackson nu are (deocamdată) decât un episod...

Pe blogul emisiunii lui Larry King, a fost postat următorul articol (îi mulţumesc Adinei Radu pentru atenţionare!):

April 28, 2010
Crime writer Aphrodite Jones on Michael Jackson’s death
Posted: 04:26 PM ET

Best-selling true crime writer Aphrodite Jones has been covering Michael Jackson for years. On her TV program, True Crime with Aphrodite Jones, she has set out to prove that the allegations of child abuse and the fallout from his criminal trial were as responsible for his death last year as the drugs he was taking.

True Crime with Aphrodite Jones: Michael Jackson airs Thursday, April 29th on Investigation Discovery. Jones spoke to the LKL Blog about her thoughts on the Jackson case. The interview has been edited for clarity and content.

LKL Blog: You’ve spent years looking at Michael Jackson, his legal troubles and the man that he was. In terms of connecting the dots for your program, tell me a little about what you learned.

Aphrodite Jones: I think what I learned is that we really forgot, while Michael Jackson was alive, that he was a human being. We made him into a caricature. The interesting for me is that nobody after the acquittal of Michael Jackson turned around and said, “gee, wait a minute, we reported only what we could to dig up dirt and never considered that this man has no place to turn now.” Frankly, the media ran after him harder after the acquittal.

It all got turned around on Jackson, in a big way. I think people don’t realize – when Mihcael Jackson did anything, like the baby-dangling incident, it was blown out of such proportion because everybody made him out to be a freak.

LKL Blog: There’s no denying his talent but he was such a polarizing person. People just wanted to know every detail – why do you think people had that kind of reaction to him?

Jones: First of all, Michael Jackson broke the color barrier. And he did it in such a way, with his music, with his friendships and later with his vitiligo. Here’s someone whose life was dedicated to not looking at races, being of only one color. His music united the world. He went to every country in the world with his music. If his music landed there, he usually went. And he embraced people of every culture. Not many entertainers when you think about that really have that kind of stronghold or embrace of people in China, people in Singapore, people in Thailand. My book [Michael Jackson Conspiracy] has been translated around the world. In Japan, China, Taiwan, France, Italy, all over Europe.

LKL Blog: The theory that you’re operating on in the show – that Jackson never recovered from the allegations, from the trial, from the documentary…

Jones: Imagine this – imagine you are one of the most famous people in the world. And not only are you famous, but you’re an entertainer and people want to imitate you – that was Jackson. You can’t walk anywhere without being bombarded as yourself. If you walk into a supermarket or a mall, he was immediately surrounded. Everybody wanted a signature, everybody wanted a photograph, “oh, it’s Michael Jackson.” He described some of those situations. He would try to go to the Beverly Center to get a shirt like a normal person and he couldn’t do it. And then people wondered why he was in disguise or what’s wrong with him? He had no ability to walk around the planet as himself. And that’s a weird thing, if you think about it. Because it happened to him since childhood. It’s not like he became an adult and decided to pick this life for himself. He was chosen by his father for that life. Or by a higher source, based on his voice and talent. So from his childhood, all he knew was people following him around, adoring him, wanting to be like him. But at some point, it gets tiring and you want to have a private life, you want to be able to move around.

LKL Blog: With all of this stuff that happened, the stress of having to move around, the trial, everyone picking him apart – was his death avoidable? Or was is just bound to happen based on everything that had happened to him up until that point?

Jones: I’m one of those people who believe when it’s your time, it’s your time. Michael Jackson gave to us from the time he was six. That’s a lot of giving. He died trying to make a comeback, to prove to his fans that yes, he was still the talent that he was. And to his kids who hadn’t seen him in any other shoes other than the freak that they made him out to be in the media.

I think had Michael Jackson been given the opportunity to first of all, not have to fight for his own name, his own legacy to the extent that he did, I don’t think he would have agreed to the 50 concerts. And by having agreed to the 50 concerts, he then worked himself into such a frenzy. He really was in good shape.

This guy’s voice was there, his dancing was there, his moves were there.

But he lost the ability to perform and do what he loved to do because of all these allegations and insanity that swirled around him for years. And the Bashir [documentary about Jackson] and the trial and the charges made it even worse. He couldn’t trust anyone in the media and he didn’t even want to perform in the United States – that’s why he was doing it in England.

I think he overestimated what his potential could be – or got pushed into it or coaxed into it. And then he realized he had to work really hard to get in shape to have the stamina to do this.

Michael was trying so desperately to resuscitate his legacy that he died trying. He couldn’t get to sleep because he was riddled with the idea of being betrayed, being belittled, being picked on – how much can one person take?

Posted by: LKL Producer Jason Rovou
Filed under: LKL Web Exclusive •Michael Jackson

sursa: larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com

Marcel Avram

Marcel Avram şi-a amintit că a organizat patru turnee pe patru continente cu Michael Jackson.

"Era cel mai puternic dansator din lume, era un geniu", a explicat Marcel Avram. "Ultimul an l-a petrecut cu familia lui", a mai spus impresarul român.

El consideră că Michael Jackson a vrut să facă o "demonstraţie" prin concertele pe care cântăreţul american le-a programat la Londra, în luna iulie. "A vrut să arate şi pentru copiii lui şi pentru familia lui că încă este «The King of Pop»", a adăugat Marcel Avram.

În ceea ce priveşte colaborarea cu starul, Marcel Avram a spus că era "uşor şi greu în acelaşi timp", deoarece trebuia să ducă "tratative serioase" pentru a-l convinge pe Michael Jackson să facă un lucru în care nu era încrezător.

Marcel Avram a mai spus că lui Michael Jackson i-a plăcut foarte mult în România, în special în 1996, a doua oară când a venit pentru a susţine un concert.

Michael Jackson, care a fost supranumit "Regele pop-ului", a murit în noaptea de joi spre vineri, la vârsta de 50 de ani, după ce a suferit un stop cardiac, lăsând în urmă o carieră fabuloasă, marcată, însă, şi de scandaluri şi dezvăluiri despre stilul său de viaţă excentric.

sursa: Mediafax, 27 iunie 2009

Mai multe amănunte se pot găsi pe blogul All 4 Love, în postările "A Big part of Romania" - partea I şi "A Big Part of Romania" - partea a II-a. Aici sunt doar unele mici completări...

N-am stat să aleg din ce an este fiecare filmare ('92 sau '96) - am pus ce mi s-a părut interesant de văzut aici, acum. În fond, în ambvele situaţii a fost vorba de organizarea făcută de Marcel Avram.

Pe site-ul propriu, www.marcel-avram.com, Marcel Avram i-a dedicat lui Michael Jackson un articol (scris doar în limbile germană şi engleză - adică pentru clienţii domniei sale):

Gone Too Soon

Michael Jackson is dead

The news of the sudden death of the world’s most successful pop star of all times has deeply saddened me. We had known each other for over 35 years. As partners we worked on countless concerts all around the world and we became very close friends.

When I think about Michael, I still see him as that fourteen-year-old boy, lead singer of the Jackson 5, the band I signed back in 1972. It was already obvious then that this boy was born for greater things to come but nobody could have sensed the magnitude of the career he would later achieve. When he became a solo artist and got better from album to album it was clear that his talent had to be further enhanced by extraordinary shows that had never been seen before. Shows that had the whole world in a frenzy over the years to come.

I was allowed to be a part in the kingdom of the King of Pop. Three extensive world tours lead us through all five continents. For more than a hundred stadium shows I had the pleasure to be his Producer and Promoter and I got to know this megastar really well as a person. When you share so many extraordinary moments a co-operation turns into some sort of common ground. And this way a business relationship turned into a very close friendship. So he also invited me later to venture into new artistic ground with him. “Michael Jackson and Friends” was the biggest charity show, broadcast live in over 50 countries around the world with record ratings, plus an abundance in donations which was the more important thing for him since he had already broken all musical records at that point. Of course we did have our disagreements as well – that is part of a close friendship. However, even the odd bit of friction ended up creating more warmth.

I do know from personal experience how painstakingly, professionally and hard working he used to prepare for his shows. The fact that he had to die just now, a few days before his sensational sold out London shows makes this loss even more tragic. I am absolutely certain he would have shown the pop world who the real king is.

With his song “Gone Too Soon” Michael wrote about a friend who had died: “Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight. Here One Day, Gone One Night”. Now these lyrics have come true for himself. The pop world has lost it’s king, I lost a friend.

Marcel Avram

Romania Demands Justice 4 Michael Jackson

Date:
Saturday, June 12, 2010

Time:
2:00pm - 8:00pm

Location:
Romania, Bucharest

,,My main love for what I do is the fans.When I'm doing a show and I see the fans out there dancing and screaming excited...that's what I love most."

Michael Jackson

That's why all of us are here .
Because he send to us so much unconditional love!
It is our turn to ,,scream” to the entire world how much Michael meant to us!
It is our turn to fight for Michael's JUSTICE!
Will you be there...4 Michael ?

CATRE TOTI FANII & PRIETENII CARE IL IUBESC PE MICHAEL:
PE DATA DE 12 IUNIE VA AVEA LOC UN MARS-PROTEST ,,ROMANIA DEMAND JUSTICE 4 MICHAEL".
TRASEUL,DURATA SI ALTE DETALII LE VOM STABILII PANA ATUNCI IMPREUNA (PE 1 MAI VA AVEA LOC O INTALNIRE PE ALEEA LUI MICHAEL,LA ORA 14 -PENTRU DISCUTII LEGATE DE EVENIMENTELE DIN IUNIE)
DUPA OBTINEREA AUTORIZATIEI DE LA PRIMARIE,VA VOM TINE LA CURENT CU NOI DETALII.

DE MENTIONAT: DOAR VOI VETI FI ORGANIZATORII ACESTUI EVENIMENT. TOTUL DEPINDE DE VOI, DE ACEEA VA ASTEPTAM CU IDEI, SUGESTII & LOT OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!

Amănunte şi înscrieri: www.facebook.com (nepărat trebuie să aveţi cont pe facebook).
________
update (4 mai 2010):

Date:	Saturday, June 12, 2010
Time:	11:00am - 4:00pm
Location:	Romania, Bucharest

Erata

Am primit de la Florenţa următorul mesaj, în legătură cu postarea anterioară:

OOPS !
Cele doua site-uri gresesc.
Nu este vorba despre Michael Jackson ci despre Mick Jackson ( nascut Michael George Jackson in 1947 ).
El este si co-autor al piesei "Blame It On The Boogie " alaturi de fratele sau David Jackson.
Numele lui mai apare si in colaborari cu Lisa Stansfield, Barry Manilow si... David Knopfler...

Mulţumindu-i Florenţei pentru precizare, trebuie să recunosc că greşeala este din cauza "lor": pe site-ul www.allmusic.com cel puţin scrie clar că e (ar fi) vorba despre Michael Jackson născut la Gary, Indiana, la 29 august 1958...

Lips Against the Steel

Pe două site-uri diferite (www.artistdirect.com şi www.allmusic.com) am găsit informaţia conform căreia, în 1988, printre multe alte proiecte, Michael Jackson a participat ca aranjor al intervenţiilor vocale şi chiar ca background pe albumul Lips Against the Steel, al lui David Knopfler, frate al cunoscutului Mark Knopfler şi membru şi el în şi mai cunoscutul grup Dire Straits. Ce mică-i lumea! N-am găsit absolut nicio melodie de pe album, nimic-nimic-nimic. Se vede că prin Statele Unite, cel puţin, Michael Jackson nu are fani serioşi care să apeleze la You Tube... sau Dailymotion... Chiar alte melodii cu David Knofler am găsit cam puţine (uite link la listă)

Iată ce stă scris pe acest album...

Lista de piese este următoarea:
# 1 Heat Come Down
# 2 What Then Must We Do
# 3 To Feel That Way Again
# 4 Someone to Believe in
# 5 Sculptress
# 6 Angie and Johnny
# 7 Whispers of Gethsemane
# 8 Broken Wing

Credits of Lips Against the Steel

* Steve Orchard - Assistant Engineer

* Pino Palladino - Bass

* Bub Roberts - Guitar

* Forrest Thomas - Vocals (Background)

* Dinesh - Percussion

* Kelly David Smith - Art Direction, Design

* Carl Studna - Photography

* Martin Wild - Percussion

* Mark Smith - Pre-Production Assistant, Programming, Bass, Keyboards

* David Knopfler - Guitar, Vocals, Producer

* P.P. Arnold - Vocals (Background)

* Tim Cansfield - Guitar

* Nathan East - Bass

* Dave Ford - Engineer

* Andy Hamilton - Saxophone

* Katie Kissoon - Vocals (Background)

* Michael Jackson - Vocals (Background), Vocal Arrangement

* Chris White - Saxophone

Ce mai pot spune? Poate doar atât: HELP! De unde luăm albumul?

Poza zilei

Harry Benson

Cele patru fotografii de deasupra, deşi pare un lucru curios, sunt din aceeaşi serie. Le uneşte... un mic detaliu vestimentar, nemaiîntâlnit în alte poze.

Multe dintre fotografiile celebre, care circulă intens şi sunt postate ca exemplificare în numeroase articole, sunt făcute de Harry Benson, cunoscut mai ales prin imortalizarea Beatlesilor. Scoţian de origine, el a lucrat pentru reviste precum Life, Vanity Fair, People şi The New Yorker. În Wikipedia scrie că Michael Jackson i-ar fi permis accesul în dormitor.

Chiar fotografiile cu Michael Jackson adult, din postarea "Ipostaze", sunt făcute tot de Harry Benson.

În luna noiembrie 2009, Harry Benson a povestit câteva amintiri legate de Michael Jackson:

Photographer Harry Benson Flashes Back
Photographer Harry Benson’s first-person account of his visits with Michael Jackson at Neverland.
Text and Photography by Harry Benson
Published November 2009

I first met Michael on a hillside in Colorado in 1984. He was on the famous Victory Tour with his brothers.

Michael was the first to come running over to help when I slipped going up a steep muddy hill. I was fine, but a couple of lenses got covered in mud. That was the first time Michael took a liking to one of my brown Scottish tweed sports jackets, so I took it off and gave it to him. He seemed pleased by my gesture and immediately put it on, put both arms out and twirled around in the bright sunlight while I photographed him running and jumping. On stage that night he glittered in sequins. I flew back to New York with the photographs.

The momentum of the Victory Tour kept building, so I joined Michael in Philadelphia for more photos. The same thing happened again. This time it was a gray Harris tweed jacket. I saw him looking closely at the colors in the tweed. They seemed to fascinate him, so again I gave him my jacket. Sometime later I was amused to see a news clip of Michael actually wearing the jacket, running into a limo, mobbed by fans.

In 1985 I photographed Michael at the “We Are the World” all-night recording session in Los Angeles, conceived to raise money for the starving children of Africa. Quincy Jones posted a sign that said, “Leave your egos at the door,” and the 45 stars who participated did just that. The artist known as Prince kept telephoning to say he was thinking of coming. Quincy told him to hurry, as they had begun working. I overheard Michael say, “Prince will never come while I am here.” When Prince called again, Quincy told him not to bother; it was all over.

On first encounter, Michael seemed shy. He spoke in the very soft, high-pitched voice recognizable to the world, but, oddly enough, after about 10 minutes his tone deepened, although he still spoke very softly. I find that many powerful people, heads of state and such, speak very softly. They don’t have to shout to get your attention. Try to hear what they say the first time—they don’t like to repeat. Michael was like that. An hour later, when we met again, it was like starting over—again, the high-pitched, quiet voice, which morphed into something deeper after about 10 minutes.

When I saw Michael in 1995, again my tweed jacket was coveted, so again I gave it to him. He put it on for the photographs with new bride Lisa Marie Presley.

In 1997 I visited Neverland to photograph Michael with his firstborn, Prince Michael. While he was feeding Prince, the baby’s face became covered with food. Michael joked, “Oh, it’s Linda Blair time,” referring to the actress in the film The Exorcist. The baby was happy and laughing. Later, we took Prince upstairs to his room, where Michael gave him a bottle and held him until he went to sleep, singing little songs to him, something about Daddy’s baby. Michael told me Prince had inspired him to write more music than he had written at any other time in his life.

sursa: www.architecturaldigest.com

____________________
Toate fotografiile din această postare sunt făcute de Harry Benson.

Planet Earth

Joi a fost Ziua Pământului (40 de ani de când se sărbătoreşte) - dar anul acesta va fi celebrată duminică, 25 aprilie. De fapt, în lume luna aprilie este considerată Luna Pământului (la noi e Luna Pădurii - şi nu e rău, căci pădurea e esenţială pentru sănătatea planetei). Aşa că, la urma urmei, nu mai contează când vorbim despre asta - important e să vorbim, să ascultăm, să facem ceva...

Ipostaze...

Deşi sunt diferite, jilţurile sunt din cam aceeaşi poveste. E clar că tronul roşu, aurit, de la Neverland este inspirat din cel folosit la fotografia făcută în copilărie. Ne ajută să ţinem minte asta chiar poziţia (în oglindă, de fapt) şi atitudinea... boierului. Jilţul neverlandian va fi vândut la vară.

CNN - iReport, ieri

www.ireport.com

Spectacol despre Michael Jackson

LOS ANGELES (MEDIAFAX) - Cirque du Soleil va pune în scenă un spectacol inspirat din viaţa lui Michael Jackson, a cărui coloană sonoră va conţine piesele "regelui muzicii pop", decedat în iunie 2009, au anunţat, marţi, reprezentanţii acestei companii canadiene, informează AFP.

Executorii testamentului lui Michael Jackson, John Branca şi John McLain, au semnat un acord care va permite companiei Cirque du Soleil, cu sediul general în Montréal, să pună în scenă un spectacol care va fi prezentat în cadrul unui turneu în Statele Unite ale Americii în anul 2011. (Branca a declarat că Michael Jackson era un mare fan al celor de la Cirque du Soleil, după cum scrie pe site-ul www.nydailynews.com)

Potrivit comunicatului emis de Cirque du Soleil, spectacolul se va "stabili" apoi în deşertul Nevada, în Las Vegas, capitala americană a jocurilor de noroc şi a spectacolelor de divertisment, la sfârşitul anului 2012.

"Michael Jackson era regele muzicii pop, un artist excepţional, atât atemporal, cât şi contemporan. În materie de creativitate, acest proiect reprezintă un adevărat summum", a declarat Guy Laliberté, fondatorul companiei Cirque du Soleil.

"Folosind tehnologii de vârf, le vom propune spectatorilor o nouă experienţă Cirque du Soleil, care va fi nu doar demnă de Michael, ci va fi şi complet diferită de tot ceea ce am realizat până acum", a adăugat Guy Laliberté.

Katherine Jackson, mama cântăreţului, a declarat că "familia Jackson este încântată de faptul că Cirque du Soleil doreşte să îi aducă un omagiu lui Michael Jackson într-o manieră atât de semnificativă".

Michael Jackson a încetat din viaţă la 25 iunie, în Los Angeles, la vârsta de 50 de ani, în urma unei supradoze de medicamente. Institutul de Medicină Legală din Los Angeles a stabilit că moartea lui Michael Jackson a fost provocată de o supradoză de propofol, un anestezic puternic, în combinaţie cu alte două sedative, administrate starului pentru a-l ajuta să adoarmă. Propofolul, comercializat în stare lichidă, trebuie administrat doar în spitale şi sub stricta supraveghere a medicilor anestezişti. Pacienţii necesită monitorizare permanentă, deoarece acest medicament produce o încetinire a respiraţiei, o scădere a ritmului cardiac şi coboară tensiunea arterială, această combinaţie de factori fiind, în anumite cazuri, fatală.

La începutul acestui an, Conrad Murray, fostul medic personal al starului, a fost pus sub acuzaţie pentru omucidere. Dacă va fi găsit vinovat, Conrad Murray riscă să îşi petreacă următorii cinci ani în închisoare.

Compania Cirque du Soleil a fost înfiinţată în 1984. În prezent, această companie numără peste 4.000 de angajaţi, dintre care peste 1.000 sunt artişti profesionişti de circ, care provin din peste 40 de ţări, inclusiv România.

Tot despre evenimente...

Între 25 şi 27 iunie, la Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Muzeum se organizează o serie de manifestări menite a omagia viaţa, cariera şi moştenirea artistică a lui Michael Jackson - anunţă www.michaeljackson.com. Manifestările includ concerte live şi multe altele (ce?), totul culminând cu festivalul anual de muzică rock şi soul, în ziua de 27 iunie.

Deocamdată, la Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Muzeum încă mai este deschisă expoziţia "Motown - the Sound of Young America", al cărei vernisaj a avut loc la 1 ianuarie 2010 şi care va ţine până la sfârşitul primăverii (data e neprecizată).

25 aprilie & 25 iunie

25 aprilie este Ziua Pământului. Cei de peste ocean - mai exact membrii grupării Justice4MJ2 - se gândesc la o nouă "acţiune twitter" - la care să participe toţi fanii care au conturi. Mă gândesc că, în România, poate, ar fi frumos să vedem şi noi ca lumea, chiar dacă nu 3D (cin'să se ocupe?) - noua versiune a filmului pentru "Earth Song". Nu? Poate vedem şi ceva frumos la noi, nu doar nimic ori chestii colaterale...

Italienii se pregătesc de zor pentru un foarte mare concert omagial, pe stadionul olimpic din Roma, în chiar ziua de 25 iunie. Vor participa multe vedete importante - cel mai de seamă, în contextul dat, este, după părerea mea, Travis Payne. Cel puţin aşa am înţeles eu. Ieri a fost o conferinţă de presă - cu o parte de teleconferinţă: Travis Payne, Brian Oxman şi Marlon Jackson participând online. Amănunte sunt la adresa www.mjmtribute.com.

P.S. Poporul de fani freamătă - se conturează încă o acţiune: boicotarea licitaţiei organizate de Julien's... Zice-se că porneşte de la un mesaj dat de Joe Jackson. N-am înţeles care-i treaba, căci în afară de data complet nepotrivită, nu prea are cine ce să zică, legal vorbind...

Rebbie

În ediţia de ieri, 18 aprilie, a ziarului The New York Post, Rebbie Jackson (Brown), sora cea mai mare, a povestit (cam prea telegrafic) despre rolul ei de înlocuitoare-de-mamă ori de dădacă pe care l-a jucat în perioada în care Michael era mic. Articolul se numeşte chiar "The sister who mothered Michael Jackson (Rebbie Jackson helped raise her superstar brother. Now she speaks about his death)", articol scris de James Fanelli:

Rebbie Jackson may be the least-known performer out of Michael Jackson’s siblings, but aside from his parents, she likely had the biggest influence on the King of Pop.

When she was a teenager, her mother, Katherine, went back to school, leaving her — the oldest of the nine children — in charge of caring for the brood.

“I’m very much the big sister,” Jackson tells The Post. “I helped raise a lot of them. I took care of them and administered the disciplinary action.”

Memories of her role as caregiver in the family’s Gary, Ind., home came flooding back to Rebbie, 59, in the wake of Michael’s death on June 25.

“When he passed, I thought about him the way he was as a kid,” she says, recalling the iconic star’s cherubic smile that first brightened stages as a member of the Jackson 5 and later as a solo artist.

After her brother overdosed on the powerful sedative Propofol, Rebbie, who lives with her husband, Nathaniel Brown, in Las Vegas, canceled a string of performances. She spent two and half months in California at her brother’s and mother’s estates, comforting her family. She also resumed her role as caregiver — this time tending to Michael’s children, Prince, 13; Paris, 12; and Blanket, 8.

“I have to say, for a while, it was very difficult to listen to anything that Michael’s voice was on,” she says. “That’s pretty tough to escape. Everywhere you go — food markets, departments stores, TV and radio — they are playing his music.”

Nearly a year later, Rebbie says she still wakes up in the middle of the night haunted by the circumstances surrounding his brother’s death. His doctor, Conrad Murray, currently awaits trial on manslaughter charges for his role in administering the fatal narcotic and facilitating the legendary singer’s addiction.

“My brother had a problem with drugs, and he was in denial,” Rebbie says. “There were many interventions by the family members, and I was involved in a lot of that. It was such a sad thing and it hurt so bad.”

Time has healed at least some wounds. She is back listening to her brother’s music, and she’s ready to sing. In her stage return, she will headline a tribute show to the Temptations at the Mellow Theater in Scranton, Pa. She plans to perform songs by the legendary Motown group, hits by the Gloved One and numbers from her own catalog.

Rebbie got a later start in show business than her brothers. While they were dancing and singing as a group in the late 1960s and early 1970s, she was married and raising a family in Kentucky.

She first performed with her siblings in 1974 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, singing “Fever,” a sultry incantation that she plans on dusting off for the April 24 show.

Rebbie recalls Michael bringing her the lyrics and the choreography before the show.

“I learned that song actually on the set. He started chanting the lyrics,” she says. “When you are really involved with the music, it’s whatever comes out of your mouth.”

The mother of three didn’t put out her first album, “Centipede,” until she was 34. Michael produced the record, which eventually went gold, and wrote some of the songs.

Rebbie released three more albums — her last coming in 1998. The soulful chanteuse says she has no plans to release another one any time soon, but is hoping for a reunion tour with her siblings.

“It’s not set in stone, but the sky is the limit,” she says. “I know it would be fun. That would be something I’d really love to be involved with.”

sursa: www.nypost.com

Brett Ratner

Spre sfârşitul verii şi începutul toamnei 2009, regizorul Brett Ratner, unul dintre bunii prieteni ai lui Michael Jackson, a postat pe You Tube un interviu pe care i l-a luat acestuia în anul 2002. Camera de filmare nu "porneşte" decât la minutul 2'10"...

Alături de acesta, Ratner a postat şi un mic text:

To those people curious about if Michael was aware that the video camera was filming:
Several years ago Michael and I were in Florida vacationing and, early one morning Michael came into my room with HIS video camera and started to film and ask questions about my life and why i dreamed of becoming a director. He was always interested in people and curious about their hopes and dreams. After about an hour, I asked if I could interview him about his life and dreams. He said yes and handed me his camera. I then got a pen and piece of paper and wrote down some questions that I thought would be interesting. As I was reading the questions to him in the midst of the interview I realized that the camera wasn't on. So, I turned it on. I have hundreds of hours of footage of us hanging out, vacationing, dancing, and sharing our thoughts on life. This video was a very personal conversation between two friends that I wanted to share so that people would see his humanity and beautiful heart. The interview was transcribed and published with Michael's permission in Interview magazine several years ago. Please feel free to look it up. He was happy to share it and loved how it was a conversation between two friends and not a journalist prying into his private life. It is not for sale and never will be.

Brett Ratner

Se poate vedea integral şi la adresa www.trilulilu.ro. Pentru că e ceva ciudat: cu toate că nu presupune drepturi de autor, a fost vânat deja de... nu ştiu exact de cine şi scos din multe locuri de pe You Tube. De ce? (întrebare retorică)

The Simpsons

The Simpsons au împlinit, anul trecut, 20 de ani. Cel mai longeviv serial de comedie (şi, cred, şi de desene animate) a fost creat de Matt Groening, desenator din Portland, Oregon.

Amănunte sunt la adresele: www.wikipedia.com, www.imdb.com şi, mai ales, www.thesimpsons.com.

The Simpsons Game (Part2 5)
Uploaded by Avrillove. - Click for more console and PC gaming videos.

Mallika Chopra - Rediscovering Michael Jackson With My Kids

Posted Mon, 03/15/2010 - 22:40

With a smile, I read about a sweeping contract between Michael Jackson's Estate and Sony Records that will make Michael's music alive for years - decades - to come. I smile because I have witnessed in the last 9 months how MJ's music has influenced my own children.

My two daughters met Michael several times. They were short interactions, as it was more about letting our kids meet, and Michael would be in and out, giggling and telling me he couldn't believe I was a mother. But these interactions were always followed by many questions by my daughters about why he looked so strange. Michael's plastic surgery, when witnessed up close, was difficult to face.

And, my children, who really knew nothing about who he was or that he was famous, would be confused about why he looked like that or chose to do that to himself. (To the extent, that I personally swore off ever doing plastic surgery because I firmly believe in showing my daughters that we need to love who we are inside, not just on the outside.)

I was always sad after these meetings, because I felt that my girls could never know how magnificent Michael had once been or that his music transcended his own insecurities. To be honest, we didn't play his music much anymore at home, and their music mix was more contemporary.

But since Michael's death, it has been difficult to miss his music. Right after he died, we were in London and Paris, and literally everywhere we went his music was playing. This happened worldwide - when we returned home to LA or visited India several months later.

And I watched as my children heard his music they would smile, listen to the words, move to the beat.

And one day in October when I picked up my 5 year old from preschool, her class was having a dance party, grooving to BAD. Every day, my 8 year old practices MAN IN THE MIRROR, a song they are performing for a school event. And she takes in each word of the song. When we hear HEAL THE WORLD or EARTH SONG (2 of several songs that my father helped MJ write the lyrics for), I watch my daughters discover the timelessness and significance of his music.

Recently we saw Mama Mia on Broadway, and I knew it was a matter of time until MJ's music appears on Broadway or a new WII game is released featuring his songs. Of course, the over commercialization means big business to many, and its part of his tragic story that it has all happened after he died. I just pray - and know the Executors of his Estate know many are watching - to make sure that his children see the financial benefit.

But, I smile because ultimately Michael will be remembered for his music. A tortured soul, yes. But also a soul that could move people, and make them feel connected with his song.

sursa: www.intent.com

You've Changed şi You Have Changed...

Am descoperit destul de târziu că circulă două versiuni ale unui cântec lansat, la drept vorbind, în perioada pre-Motown a trupei Jackson 5 (mai exact, m-am prins destul de târziu, pentru că de ştiut, le ştiam BINE pe ambele). Cel mai des o întâlnim pe aceasta:

Asculta mai multe audio Muzica

Este, de fapt, versiunea Motown, adică a şasea piesă (faţa A) de pe albumul "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5", lansat în 1969.

Dar compoziţia lui Gordon Keith a fost înregistrată, iniţial, în 1966 şi a apărut pe faţa B a celui dintâi single din toată cariera Jacksonilor (şi a lui Michael Jackson), "Big Boy". Discul a fost lansat la 30 ianuarie 1967:

Asculta mai multe audio Muzica

Aş vrea să ştiu de ce, totuşi, varianta iniţială e mult mai proaspătă, mai adevărată?
Nu-i vorbă, ambele sunt minunate - cea de a doua beneficiind de condiţii mult mai bune de înregistrare - şi, astfel, putem constata câte imbecilităţi a putut scrie un încuiat precum Taraborrelli. Căci, printre alte prostii, a spus şi că acest prim single ar fi mediocru, uitat, de nebăgat în seamă. Of, ce bine ar fi dacă nu mi-aş mai aduce aminte deloc de un individ ca ăsta (în fond, nu are nicio calitate oficială), căci el este de nebăgat în seamă.

Pe alese...

Michael Jackson Thrillicious Superbowl 2008
Uploaded by mjjunior11. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Diverse

a) "WE ARE THE CHILDREN" este un film documentar realizat printre membrii unui grup de fani ai lui Michael Jackson, pe durata procesului din anii 2004-2005:

We Are The Children
Uploaded by SnagFilms. - Explore more music videos.

b) O admiratoare din Olanda, Lindy, a postat pe site-ul www.michaeljackson.com aceste două fotografii. Nu m-am putut abţine:

c) Dacă problemele nu sunt tratate cu seriozitate, procesul împotriva lui Murray o să se termine în favoarea acestuia. De când Murray a declarat că Michael Jackson dormea cu ochii deschişi atunci când lua Propofol - judecătorul chemându-le în instanţă şi pe cele două foste neveste să depună mărturie dacă da sau nu - am tot văzut reacţii isteroide şi pe twitter şi pe facebook, ca să nu spun mai mult.
Există o veste foarte proastă: da, se poate dormi cu ochii deschişi. Cu reacţii ca la piaţă nu se rezolvă nimic. Măcelar sau nu, Murray a făcut medicina şi ştie cum să manipuleze nişte informaţii de acest tip, mai ales că, în mod sigur, are şi nişte avocaţi deştepţi. Aşadar, nu trebuie nicidecum tratat un astfel de subiect prosteşte, cu exclamaţii de ţoape fără pic de alfabetizare, nici cât să poată citi ceea ce şi pe Internet se găseşte sau, mai sigur, să întrebe un medic specialist.

La prima mână am şi găsit un articol despre fazele somnului:

Somnul non-REM poate fi impartit in patru stadii. Dupa ce te intinzi in pat, sau iti gasesti o pozitie comoda la birou, intri usor in primul stadiu: starea de somnolenta, sau somnul usor. Acest stadiu dureaza intre 30 de secunde si 7 minute. Acum muschii se relaxeaza, iar undele cerebrale sunt neregulate si rapide. Iata de ce nu realizezi cand ai intrat in copac cu masina sau ce anume ti-a spus seful acum 20 de secunde :)

Urmeaza stadiul al doilea, sau somnul propriu-zis, cand undele cerebrale devin mai ample. E posibil ca in minte sa ti se succeada unele franturi de imagini sau de ganduri, insa nu esti constient de ceea ce se petrece in jurul tau si nu poti vedea chiar daca esti cu ochii deschisi. Asadar, da, se poate dormi cu ochii deschisi!

Urmeaza stadiile trei si patru, cand se inregistreaza somnul cel mai profund, sau somnul delta. In aceasta faza a somnului, creierul produce unde lente si ample. Tot acum, cea mai mare parte a sangelui este directionata catre muschi. In aceasta faza, organismul se reface (!) iar in cazul copiilor, creste. Este bine de retinut faptul ca, indiferent de varsta, cel care se priveaza de somnul delta, in ziua urmatoare va fi obosit, apatic si chiar deprimat.

articolul complet este la adresa: www.zvoner.ro

Şi mai avem. La adresa www.farmaciata.ro scrie aşa:

Parasomnia inglobeaza o serie de comportamente anormale care apar in timpul somnului si sunt reprezentate de evenimente nedorite care se manifesta verbal, prin miscari sau actiuni care intervin in timpul somnului (ex. somnambulism). Somnambulismul nu este altceva decat o dispozitie, fie ea accidentala sau obisnuita, de a visa cu ochii deschisi sau in timpul unui somn voluntar autoimpus.

Şi:

Potrivit psihoterapeutului Vladislav Sudarev, acesta este unul dintre putinele cazuri in care ritmul somnului este total distrus. Asemenea cazuri au mai existat de-a lungul istoriei, desi au fost rarisime – de pilda cele in care au fost implicati navigatori solitari aflati la bordul unor mici ambarcatiuni. Acestia nu au mai dormit timp de saptamani intregi, din cauza ca ar fi fost in pericol sa se scufunde daca pierdeau controlul barcilor. In asemenea cazuri s-ar putea vorbi, crede Sudarev, despre o „mobilizare totala” a creierului, in fata unei primejdii iminente.

Acesti navigatori se antrenasera insa inainte, pentru a face fata situatiei. Cu ajutorul antrenamentelor speciale, ei fusesera obisnuiti sa intre intr-o stare de constinta modificata, intre somn si veghe, pentru aproximativ zece minute la fiecare ora, stare ce le asigura odihna. In timpul acestor „pauze”, creierul dormea, cu exceptia acelor parti insarcinate cu receptarea pericolelor. Oamenii respectivi puteau chiar tine ochii deschisi pe perioada acestor stari.

articolul complet este la adresa: www.revistamagazin.ro

Cercetarea asta este, desigur, la nivel de amatori. Dar e stupid să se spună că nu se poate dormi cu ochii deschişi (fiecare dintre noi a trecut, la momente de oboseală excesivă, prin aşa ceva; sau poate că cei ce zbiară că nu există, trăiesc doar în puf şi habar nu au ce-i aia oboseală).
Repet, treaba trebuie privită cu toată seriozitatea şi mai degrabă trebuie descoperite capcanele... De pildă, ar trebui să aflăm dacă Propofolul poate da asemenea manifestări, cui, în ce condiţii... căci aici e, cred, manipularea unui ticălos ca Murray.

Lenny Kravitz

Iată ce povestea, în 2009, Lenny Kravitz - despre primele întâlniri cu Jackson 5 şi chiar despre colaborarea sa cu Michael Jackson - de unde înţelegem că există un cântec compus special pentru Michael Jackson - şi se pune întrebarea dacă acesta este chiar numitul "Another Day" sau un altul...

I saw the Jackson 5 at Madison Square Garden, which was the first concert I'd ever seen, and they were wearing these knicker pants with these boots that came up to the knees. So I would put these galoshes on and dance around the living room and pretend that I was Michael Jackson. We got together a few years ago and we decided to go into the studio together. I had written a song for him and actually produced the track before he showed up. I played all the instruments, got it ready. We recorded at Marvin Gaye's old studio, up on Sunset Boulevard. We did his vocals for about three days. He was a lot of fun. He stayed for hours. We'd sit on these little stools and eat together and talk. That's where I really got to know him.

His children were there. They were extremely well behaved. I grew up in an old-school West Indian family, where respect was paramount. And these kids were just like that, full of respect but not robotic. Really sweet. They drew pictures for me and signed them. They were making art all day while we were working. My daughter Zoe came in. We were all together. We played music, we drew, we talked, we ate, we laughed. [He was] extremely respectful toward the chef, the engineers, myself, the kids — just the same to everybody.

I was in Glasgow, coming off the stage before an encore, when I heard the news. I went back on, did the last two songs. Came off and they announced he had died. Coming off the stage like that, when you're amped up and on a high, and hearing that news and having to go downstairs and digest this — it was difficult. I came off stage and went right to my computer and played the track we had done. It was about his life and where he'd been. It's quite triumphant.

sursa: www.time.com

La carte (adică în Wikipedia) scrie că Lenny Kravitz a lucrat împreună cu Michael Jackson la două (sic!) piese pentru "Invincible", dintre care una ar fi numita "Another Day", niciuna din ele nemaifiind inclusă pe disc.

Încurcată treabă - mai ales că am mai aflat că, prin 2003, Michael Jackson se pregătea de zor pentru un nou album - şi atunci, se pare, au fost făcute nişte înregistrări (şi) cu Lenny Kravitz. Între timp, evenimentele despre care ştim deja au dat peste cap toate planurile şi albumul nu a mai apărut. Probabil că Lenny Kravitz s-a hotărât să înregistreze cântecul sub alte forme, pentru propriul său album, "Baptism", din 2004.

Am găsit două variante ale piesei "Storm", ambele cu Jay Z: cea de pe disc şi care "seamănă" cu ceea ce cântă Michael Jackson (dar cumplit de monotonă, repetitivă... aşa o fi vrut Kravitz să sune şi, pare-se, n-a vrut prea bine), variantă pe care n-o pot "sălta" aici căci nu are embed, şi o alta - prezentată ca "promo", mai leşinată ca prima - dar cu refrenul cam tot de-acolo. Asta are embed:

Ambele sunt la ani-lumină în urma interpretării lui Jackson - din mai multe motive. Dar ceea ce trebuie subliniat este că o piesă excelentă poate fi îngropată de o abordare mediocră: melodia asta există pe disc din 2004 şi n-a depăşit nicio barieră de popularitate (chiar pe You Tube - abia dacă are vreo 30000 de vizionări varianta de disc, cealaltă are, culmea, mai multe; pe dailymotion nu există, pe trilulilu nici atât - vorbesc despre "Storm", nu despre "Another Day"), fiind "descoperită" abia după ce a apărut înregistrarea cu Michael Jackson. Sunt multe de spus în privinţa asta...

Un clasament...

...din 2008, postat pe site-ul oficial al lui Giorgio Moroder. Ce-am căutat eu acolo? Pe mai multe forumuri (europene, din câte-am înţeles) se tot discută dacă Giorgio Moroder ("Chase"), "Regele" - ca să păstrez cutuma - deci, "Regele muzicii disco" a colaborat cu "Regele muzicii pop", Michael Jackson. Forumiştii nu au ajuns la nicio concluzie, deşi premisa era corectă: Moroder a colaborat mult cu Donna Summer ("Hot Stuff" - 1979, "Bad Girls" - 1979, "Love to Love You Baby" - 1975 şi "I Feel Love" - 1977), care lucra cu Quincy Jones, care lucra cu Michael Jackson, care - în perioadele Jackson 5 şi The Jacksons a cântat mult disco, având chiar pe "Off the Wall" destule influenţe (chiar şi pe "Thriller"!)... Tentaţia era extrem de mare - din ambele părţi, cred, dar mult mai mare din partea lui Moroder.

Am cercetat şi, trecând peste faptul că, de vreo două zile, Internetul merge ca naiba, n-am găsit nimic. Se vede treaba că nici măcar un nume ca al lui Giorgio Moroder nu l-a convins pe Michael Jackson să mai rămână în vechiul tipar în care-l fixaseră alţii şi pentru care el nu mai vedea un prea mare viitor. Ştia ce face...

Bun, dar pentru că tot am intrat pe site-ul lui Giorgio Moroder (esenţial e să cauţi direct la sursă, nu?) - căci, dacă era ceva, nimic nu l-ar fi împiedicat pe acesta să declare public, am găsit un clasament din, atenţie, 2008 - adică un clasament absolut natural, neinfluenţat nici de presă, nici de vreun eveniment anume, realizat de BBC Radio 2. Iată articolul complet:

16 July 2008
Michael Jackson's Billie Jean has been voted the greatest dance record of all time in a poll conducted by BBC Radio 2.
Listeners were asked to pick their favourite track from a shortlist of 20.
Produced by Quincy Jones and released in 1983, Billie Jean appeared on Jackson's Thriller, which is still the best-selling album in music history (could this account for its place at the top of the chart?).
Second place went to Donna Summer's Giorgio Moroder-produced I Feel Love. Released in 1977, the song's synthesized backing track is routinely credited with changing the face of dance music forever.

The original shortlist was drawn up by a panel of music experts that included DJs Trevor Nelson and Danny Rampling.

The full top 10 is as follows:
1. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
2. Donna Summer - I Feel Love
3. James Brown - Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine
4. Rhythim Is Rhythim - Strings Of Life
5. Alison Limerick - Where Love Lives
6. Soul II Soul - Keep On Movin'
7. Fingers Inc. - Can You Feel It
8. Inner City - Big Fun
9. S'Express - Theme From S'Express
10. The Charades - Key To My Happiness

So, is this the right result? Great though Billie Jean is, MusicRadar's vote would have gone to I Feel Love, which is both a fantastic record in its own right and hugely influential.

source: musicradar.com

Abia în 1998, se pare - după cum scrie www.disco-disco.com - cei doi au avut o tentativă de colaborare:

He has lately been involved in a Broadway musical version of "Flashdance", writing the theme for the 1998 World Cup Soccer games in France and writing music for Michael Jackson's movie "Dr. Lao", which Michael eventually pulled out of at the last minute...