Discuss Everything MJ - Part 4

To prevent the forum from getting flooded with MJ this and that threads I've created a sticky so you all can get it out of your systems and post to your hearts delight.

Do not be surprised if threads get and redirected here.


And to refresh your memories I post http://prince.org/msg/8/299566


Ok..... post away.

Part 1 http://prince.org/msg/8/320317
Part 2 http://prince.org/msg/8/320916
Part 3 http://prince.org/msg/8/321552

Edmonton, AB - - If you're happy and you know it your hands, if you're happy and you know it do a

For the MJ Fan that has it all:

http://www.sideshowtoy.co...iate=CD988

Mars23 said:

For the MJ Fan that has it all:

http://www.sideshowtoy.co...iate=CD988

ViintageJunkiie said:

Mars23 said:

For the MJ Fan that has it all:

http://www.sideshowtoy.co...iate=CD988

Haha! Looks like he's doing the snap and roll dance

Elizabeth Taylor posted this on Twitter~

I was honored with the great privilege of seeing "This Is It" last week. I was sworn to secrecy, but now I can let you know about it.
It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen. It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity.
To say the man is a genius is an understatement. He cradles each note, coaxes the music to depths beyond reality.
I wept from pure joy at his God given gift. There will never, ever be the likes of him again.
And we have this piece of film to remind us forever and ever that once there was such a man. God kissed him.
God blessed him and squandered nothing, but loved it all. Michael knew how to put together every tone, every nuance to make magic.
To say he was a genius seems so little. I wish my vocabulary encompassed what I feel.
You owe it to yourselves and your loved ones to see this again and again. Memorize it and say to yourselves, "I saw genius in my lifetime"
I loved genius in my lifetime. God was so good to me. I will love Michael forever and so will you, if you don't already.I hope I don't sound condescending. I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about, but go to see it again and again.
I meant to repeat myself. I love you. I remember Michael loved you. He was totally up to now and the message of today in all his songs.
If you listen to his lyrics they are those of a modern day prophet and it beseeches us to listen to him and what he sang.I won't use words like preaching because that is off-putting, but listen. Listen to his messages.
From "Black And White", "Man In The Mirror". The inspiration behind "We Are The World". We must take his words of responsibility seriously.
We cannot let his life be in vain / and always done with love. Remember that. Remember him and thank God for him and his genius.
Kenny Ortega did a masterful job of directing the process that goes into making a complete show before hitting the stage.
From A to Z you get Michael's input on every level. Michael's genius at work with the dancers. Mr. Ortega catches Michael in his every mood.
You see in front of your eyes Michael's genius blossoming on this piece of film thanks to Kenny Ortega and his crews.
I truly believe this film should be nominated in every category conceivable.

luv4u said:

To prevent the forum from getting flooded with MJ this and that threads I've created a sticky so you all can get it out of your systems and post to your hearts delight.

Do not be surprised if threads get and redirected here.


And to refresh your memories I post http://prince.org/msg/8/299566


Ok..... post away.

Part 1 http://prince.org/msg/8/320317
Part 2 http://prince.org/msg/8/320916
Part 3 http://prince.org/msg/8/321552

Q & A: Director Kenny Ortega on Michael Jackson's This Is It
October 2009


On June 25, Michael Jackson's longtime collaborator Kenny Ortega had little time to comprehend his friend's death, let alone grieve over it.

Hollywood's hottest choreographer-director went from preparing Jackson's 50-date London concert series to setting the paces of the pop icon's star-studded memorial to directing the behind-the-scenes film of Jackson's rehearsals for the ill-fated tour. This Is It opens on Oct. 28 for a limited two-week run with a simultaneous premiere in 15 cities around the world.

Ortega spoke to us about the film, which he calls "the last sacred footage of a real master at his craft."

When you first heard the news of Jackson's death, you thought it was an Internet hoax.


We were there waiting for Michael at the rehearsal. The night before he had said, "I'll see you tomorrow, and I love you all." He was very happy. We were rehearsing a big moment of the show that Michael was really excited about: an illusion we had designed together with one of David Copperfield's illusion builders. It was a big day for us. We had two incredible rehearsals the night before where Michael had stepped it up. There was a whole new energy in the room. For me, the news was just an internal collapse. Some people there had been with Michael since he was a kid. You can imagine the sorrow and the shock that all of us felt. It was a difficult, sad and dark day.


Jackson never wanted to be just a version of himself onstage. Is he at the top of his game in the film?


Oh yeah. You see it. It's effortless. These dancers were half Michael's age and younger, yet he was still blowing them away. It was wonderful to watch. He was the dance. I've never seen anyone better than Michael at telling their body to just accept the music and allow their soul to take over. There are moments in the film when he's jamming, and it's just gorgeous.


You've worked with everyone from Gene Kelly to Patrick Swayze. How does Jackson compare?


Patrick Swayze reminded me a lot of Gene Kelly. Patrick had that Everyman quality. Gene made dancing sort of an accessible idea for the regular guy out there. I felt Michael Jackson was inspired a little bit more from the elegance of a Fred Astaire. Michael loved Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown and Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. But he wasn't any of those people. To be inspired is one thing, but he made it all his own.

The turnaround was pretty amazing on this film, wasn't it?


When I was first asked to direct this, [Sony] said they wanted it for Michael's birthday [Aug. 29], and I said, "No, thank you. That's not going to happen." If you were talking Halloween, which was Michael's favorite holiday, I might be able to connect with that. We started at the end of July, and I turned the movie over to them in early October. We worked seven days a week every single week. We were able to accomplish a lot in a labor-of-love project.

That's a lot of Red Bull.

I'm a Diet Pepsi man myself. And I like a good strong cup of coffee on hour 14½.

You trimmed 120 hours of footage to 111 minutes. Is the 111 some Michael numerology thing or purely a Mayan sign of the apocalypse?


That's fun. I do like that number. Michael was the one and No. 1. I'm going to put that on my Twitter. Everywhere I look, there's meaning being read into it. People can't help themselves when it comes to Michael Jackson.

Security around this film was so tight that armed guards brought a clip to Oprah. What kind of heat were they packing?


I didn't see anyone packing heat on Oprah. She did say that, though, didn't she? Yeah, like it was a guy with an Uzi and a couple of hand grenades. No, but we had security all the time whenever we were transferring anything even from one building to another building at Sony. Whenever you went into any place where there was Michael Jackson footage at Sony, it was like going through Homeland Security.

What's the one moment you witnessed during the concert preparation that you wished you had filmed?


I don't know if you want it on film, but it's something I'll run through my head for the rest of my life. I was in his dressing room one night going over some artwork, and Michael was behind me saying my name, at first very softly: "Kenny, Kenny." I said, "What are you doing?" He said, "I'm saying your name. Am I saying it right?" Michael was from Indiana, and the way he said my name wasn't quite like anyone else. I guess the reason he questioned it was because I always smiled when he said it. I said, "Of course you're saying my name right. I love the way you say it. When you say my name, it makes me smile." And he said, "Good — when I say Kenny, it means 'friend.' " He was a special man.

Why Prince fans Vs, MJ fans?

I don't understand why there is a competition and enmity between Prince and MJ fans on some forums. I don't understand why you can like/love both equally! It is like the competition between Star Trek Vs, Star Wars! Cum On! You can love both! Prince and MJ respected each other; so can we! What do you think? I think MJ and Prince go hand in hand--Prince is the alter-ego of MJ and vice-versa. Yin and Yang! Both equally apply to my life, that I know!

Off the wall Destiny Tour http://www.youtube.com/wa...plwV8PG_Vc

jkc2j said:

poetcorner61 said:

(Universal Motown)
Diana Ross is thought by many to have discovered the Jackson 5. But longtime Motown promotions man Weldon McDougal remembers it differently.

Having just been bumped up to director of special projects at the label, McDougal was in Chicago making preparations for a Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers show. They had a record out called “Does Your Mother Know About Me?”

“So I [went] to Chicago [to] make arrangements at the club they were playing to take about four or five of the tables up front for VIP tables ... things like that,” remembers McDougal. “Got it all situated so that when the main night came, which was a couple nights later, they would greet our guests.”

There to handle everything on a Wednesday, McDougal found out the club was having a talent show that evening. The winner would open for Taylor two nights later. The Jackson 5 stole the show, and they reminded McDougal of an act called The Twilights that were on the Harthon label in Philadelphia. McDougal was a partner in the label. “They used to do a little skit on James Brown, like Michael was doing,” he explains. “I thought, ‘He’s doing just what The Twilights was doing, and they used to get over.”

The patriarch of the Jackson family, Joe Jackson, was there. Eager to get his sons on Motown, Joe found out McDougal worked for the Detroit institution. “He came to me and said, ‘Listen, we would like to be on Motown. Who do we get in touch with?’ And I said, ‘Man, I’m just the promotion man.’ But let me tell you, Bobby Taylor, who was a friend ... he just got an agreement with Motown that he could produce whoever he wanted and present it to the company,” says McDougal. “So he said, ‘Could you introduce me?’ And I said, ‘Well, Bobby will be here Friday.’ He said, ‘OK,” and he, on that Friday, and the guy who did Steeltown Records — he was there with Joe — and I introduced them to Bobby Taylor, and they told me at that time that they had a contract already signed by Atlantic Records. But Joe wanted to be on Motown. He felt like it was a bigger company. And that’s when I first met them.”

McDougal ran into the Jackson 5 again in New York City. Taylor was playing the Apollo Theater, and he wanted McDougal to come to the show. He did, and he found out the Jackson 5 — though they weren’t on Motown yet — was opening for Taylor. “I said, ‘Hey man, how did you do that?’ He said, ‘Oh man, don’t worry about it.’ I never knew how they did it,” says McDougal.

Again, the Jackson 5 electrified the crowd. McDougal called up radio broadcasting legend Georgie Woods to tell him about the show at the Apollo, and “ ... he said, ‘OK, put the father on the phone. No, put the manager on the phone,’ which was Joe. And the next thing I knew they were playing at Philadelphia’s famed doo-wop and soul venue, the Uptown Theater.

Eventually, Taylor got the Jackson 5 to Motown. But the next time McDougal saw them, they were down in the dumps. “They were sitting on the bench at Motown and they were looking kind of glum,” says McDougal. “And I said, ‘What’s wrong with you guys?’ They said, ‘Oh, man, nothing. We’re waiting for Bobby to come out.’ You know, Bobby was trying to get them some recording time. They couldn’t get in the studio because Motown had all these acts making hits. They don’t know nothing about these little guys. And Bobby, I would say, he went all out for them. He broke a lot of the rules and regulations to try to get them to record, and finally he got them to record. And then he wanted everybody to hear the product, which took a while for that to happen.”

But it did happen. Berry Gordy heard the group and the rest is history. As for Ross, she was with Gordy when he was first introduced to them. “And she said, ‘They are some cute little guys. I like [Michael Jackson]. He’s a cute little guy. And he was like, ‘Oh, Ms. Ross, you’re so nice.’ And they just made friends,” says McDougal.

But the story doesn’t end there, of course. McDougal was charged with promoting the Jackson 5’s initial nationally released single, “I Want You Back.” As McDougal recalls, “Nobody wanted to play it. I mean, it was hard getting it on [radio].”

Not only were they a new group, but the Jackson 5 were just kids, going up against established Motown hitmakers. A meeting was held to figure out how to get past this stumbling block. “I don’t know if I said it or not, but we came to a point where they said, ‘Let’s make the Jackson 5 Diana Ross’ protégés,’” says McDougal. Ross was then photographed sitting on a stool with the Jackson 5 around here. It was made into a postcard McDougal took to radio stations while conducting a second round of promotional stops for the record.

“I would give this postcard out saying, ‘They’re Diana Ross’ protégés,” says McDougal. “For some reason, it got screwed around where the press said Diana Ross discovered them. And when that word got around, more guys started playing the record. So I wasn’t going to say that she didn’t discover them.”

Why let the truth get in the way of a good story, and a good investment?

This time 2morrow nite, I'll be watching "THIS IS IT"... just saying...

Gee, I don't wanna hear no more hype. To hell with Elizabeth Taylor and the rest of Michaels hollywood pals. They did him no good. This Is It is not gonna be anything great, just something very notable due to the subjects death.

poetcorner61 said:

mozfonky said:

and bottom line, that kind of success never is all it's cracked up to be. there are as many pitfalls as perks. Imagine being nothing but a dollar sign to everyone you come across, that's gotta be dehumanizing in and of itself. we talk about the child allegations, but really, that poor man never got out of court, some nitwit was always suing him for paternity, song copyrights, royalties, some justified, most not. And most not sexy enough to be splashed all over the media. What a hassle, when I see how hard it is for me, an unknown, to get good time in to work on music, I appreciate how Michael and Prince both got things done.

mozfonky said:

About MJ's popularity in China:

MJ's fame came from him as the face of America when China first opened up to the world, hence associated with a critical timing in history.
This explained why MJ and Madonna were far more famous in China than early act like Elvis and Beatles, or later act like Britney and Beyonce.
These other acts were only known among a small niche of western music/culture fans (unfortunately, Prince is pretty much unknown
except to very knowledgable fans).

In general, Western musicians rarely had large following in China. As famous as MJ, he probably only had 1-2 million fans/ex-fans of
his music, mainly during the Bad and Dangerous era. He did draw tens of millions fans for his dancing, impacted majority of Chinese
pop stars, and reached a demi-god status. He also earned huge respect for his humanitarian work and socially-conscious songs like
we are the world/heal the world.

All the above were important to the royal treatment of his death in Chinese media. The politically oriented Chinese National News
Channel treated his like that of a major world leader (30 secs in Nightly News plus 4 mins special in morning/noon news). There were
specials/tributes in dozens of other channels, but not as outrageous as wall-to-wall. I dont think any other western entertainers
could receive such treatment (Madonna had equal fame but far less adoration). Among athletes, the other M.J. is the only one who
could rival him in both universal fame (not just among basketball fans, i.e., Kobe) and adoration in China.
[Edited 10/27/09 9:04am]

mozfonky said:

Billie Jean: A Dark and Sinister Pop Classic


"My favorite MJ song would have to be ‘Billie Jean.’ This simplicity of the beat, the distinctiveness of the bassline, the concept and lyric of the song was completely brilliant and one of the most emotional vocals over top of an uptempo track. Just timeless, even the mix was timeless. That song can shut any song down on radio today.” --Rodney Jerkins, producer, worked on “Invincible”

“My favorite Michael song is ‘Billie Jean.’ The lyric is oblique, mysterious, and haunting. I listened a million times and when I hear it today I'm still in awe.” --Kim Carnes

“’Billie Jean.’ The music is an incantation, a dark and sinister groove and bass line, and the lyric is a provocative glimpse into a noir-ish world that is stylishly decadent. False accusations, betrayals, vivid details, dancing in the round, more than a hint of menace and evil forces gathering against a presumably innocent narrator. But who is not tainted in such a world?” --Glen Ballard, songwriter/producer, co-wrote “Man in the Mirror”


“My very favorite Michael Jackson song is ‘Billie Jean.’ I remember seeing Michael perform this song for the very first time at the Motown 25. I was in the audience and felt the energy, which I like to call spirit that was in the room that caused everyone to stand up. I was with my wife Barbara and like everyone else in the room, we were drawn to our feet. It was at this moment that I knew Michael had crossed into another dimension of his career and he became a superstar that evening.” --Lamont Dozier, songwriter of Holland-Dozier-Holland/Motown fame

“’Billie Jean.’ A melody to die for, an intensive energy in the performance that few singers achieve in a lifetime and a lyric that demonstrates the storyteller in Michael. I would always say to journalists, in their frustration about not being able to interview him, to listen to the songs because they reveal more about him than anyone realizes, and never more so than in this song. Each night on tour, this was the moment he cut loose. The master at disciplined choreography with a group of dancers through most of the set, here he was on his own, in his zone, under the spotlight, where, each night, he would just go into a free-fall of his own movement and magical expression. Additionally the song resonates to me because of the video. It was directed by Steve Barron who was English and for some reason Michael came into London to oversee the editing. Generally when he came into town, as his press officer in those days, I would be around him. So, on one Sunday evening I find myself sitting next to him, late in the night, in an edit suite in Covent Garden where he is putting the final touches to one of the great videos of all time—ready to listen to my humble opinion. I recall in particular the sequence as he steps on the blocks that light up—always the perfectionist in control of every element of his art!” --Jonathan Morrish, London-based director, PR and corporate communications at collecting society PPL; former VP of communications for Sony Music Entertainment Europe

“There are so very many. But I guess, like many, I might say ‘Billie Jean’ first, just because of the memory of how that song took off and the incredible video clip—or short film as he used to call them—and the unprecedented reaction that album [‘Thriller’] received around the world.” --Paul Burger, London-based founder of management company Soho Artists; former president Sony Music Entertainment Europe

“It’s hard to think of any of Michael’s anthemic songs without actually thinking about him performing them but of all of those, for me it would be ‘Billie Jean.’ Visually, the video and the live performances were startling, but the song itself remains as one of the most haunting story songs in contemporary music. From the opening riff to the fadeout at the end, it’s one of the most captivating pop songs ever.” --Ken Ehrlich, Grammy Awards executive producer


“’Billy Jean.’ It was the major hit off ‘Thriller,’ which changed the musical landscape forever and paved the way for so many others.” --Denis Handlin, Sydney-based chairman/CEO Sony Music Australasia

Billie Jean” itself is Thriller's darkest moment, where the goblin babble pressing in on Jackson during “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” goes fully internal and the barely-together bundle of tics that became Jackson’s star persona steps into the spotlight. Jackson’s one-take vocal is a long shudder – the gollum-gulp on “her schemes and plans”, the betrayed moan of “his eyes were like mine” – and the real craziness happens on its fringes. That contradictory “do think twice!”/”don’t think twice!” collision; the constant “ooh”, “oh”, and “no!” echoes; the clucks and gasps; and especially the madman’s comic book laugh punctuating the track, that eerily deliberate “hee hee hee”.

And of course this near-meltdown is the album’s most grippingly commercial moment too. Jackson’s claustrophobic performance is boxed in by stalking bass and arid drums, underlined by clawing and skittering guitars, counterpointed by those sensuous flushes of strings. A song about the fatal irresistibility of a dancer really does need to be irresistible on the dancefloor: at a hundred million weddings and discos since, “Billie Jean” has proved its mettle in that respect. But when you follow Jackson’s performance down and in, none of that matters – “Billie Jean” is a disquieting, troubled record.

EmeraldSkies said:

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

snowmt said:

PARTY CRASHER? charlie Branca and charlie McClain are talking to UMG about submitting a competing bid for the rights to around 70 unreleased Michael Jackson tracks just as Sony Music is close to inking a deal for the treasure trove, according to a story by the N.Y. Post’s Peter Lauria. Sources told the reporter the estate is seeking a large upfront payment and a higher royalty rate in any new deal for this post-2004 material, and that Sony is offering one or the other but not both in its negotiations with the two special administrators. Sony controls the rights to recordings made prior to 2004 until they revert to the estate in a few years. These sources said the estate would like to set a new deal while interest in Jackson is still high, with the goal of getting the first album of new material in stores by early next year. Said one source of Sony, "It's theirs to lose." (10/26a)
OTHER SUITORS? A second person involved in the talks with Sony said there was at least one other bidder for the post-2004 recordings, Lauria writes. "Nobody talks to EMI anymore, and Warner Music is weak internationally," one source asserted. "Universal and Sony have the two best worldwide distribution systems, so Branca is probably trying to play them against each other to get the highest bid." A UMG rep denied the label was interested. Jackson's estate and Sony each declined to comment. (10/26a)

graecophilos said:

30 secs in the evening news and a 4 min special?!