SCNDLS said:

Yeah.

Timmy84 said:

Yeah, I already said that he was gonna lipsynch anyway so expecting him to sing live after the injury without rehearsal time is an odd expectation.

I Remember this performance when i was a little kid. I was in love and fascinated with Michael jackson since i can remember

Girl, I had chills when the crowd starting chanting Go Michael!

Dude got the WHOLE audience eating from the palm of his hands while his ass was sitting on that chair for the WHOLE per4mance.

Now, that my dear is the epitome of stage presence

I can''t lie, there's an obvious irony to see MJ dancing to an R Kelly song....

but damn, the man had some serious rhythm!

Harlepolis said:

No doubt. True showman cuz the show must ALWAYS go on.

These fucking awards shows today annoy me cuz these bums get on stage and think they're REALLY doing something and ain't about shit. Last night I was watching MJ's '95 MTV Awards performance and dude had like 15-20 minutes, and turned that shit OUT. What contemporary artist today could take that time and bring the serious performance heat??? Not just walk around on stage, but real choreography an' shit??? I can't think of one, not even Bounshay.

God I love Fatima, she's a friend in my head, as Wendy would say.



ONLY Fatima could make the Backstreet Boys look cool . . . even if it's for a quick, hot minute.

And she's gorgeous too.



[Edited 8/2/09 17:56pm]

SCNDLS said:

She & Aaliyah made a GREAT team.

onenitealone said:

anyone know what this one was released on? i've never heard it or come across it. of i've forgotten. been looking for an extended version forever!

Harlepolis said:

Definitely. If Remember the Time gave her her first big break, Are You That Somebody REALLY put her on the map. It was a wrap after that. Fatima almost ended up on that plane, but my girl Gina really wanted to get home to her fiance so talked Fatima into letting her take her spot.

http://new.music.yahoo.co.../--2152158



[Edited 8/2/09 18:07pm]

SCNDLS said:

WHAAAAAR?

I didn't know Fatima did that,,,,,good god, that woman has such a résumé.

If I'm not mistaken, she did ALL of Aaliyah's videos after Are you that somebody, she even made a short cameo in Romeo Must Die when she danced along with Aaliyah and couple of the kids in her store....

As for the plane, is Gina the other "90s R&B" singer? There's an article I read that mentions her and that she has a brief career in the early 90s,,,,,can't remember for the life of me her name.

SCNDLS said:

Chris Brown.
Omarion.
Ciara.
Pussycat Dolls.
Usher.
Janet (duh!).
Justin Timberlake.
and shout out to Aaliyah RIP, because she was getting to that point, she would have had the serious Janet like shows with her dancing and singing.

...but Michael is definitely just the best!

and you're right it's not many artists at all that have elctrifying shows like that anymore.

Harlepolis said:

No, Gina wasn't a singer. She was a music company executive that had worked in Promotions at Jive here in Dallas and dealt with Aaliyah anytime she came to town. Gina later worked for Atlantic and Motown and when Aaliyah's uncle started Blackground they asked Gina to come work directly with Aaliyah since they had such a good relationship from when she was with Jive. Hence, why she was in Bahamas with Aaliyah.

Gina was one of my best friends for several years. We met at our first real jobs out of college, which we both got fired from. One of THE sweetest people I've ever known and I miss her very much.

This is her in my apartment back in '97 the night before she drove to LA to start her job at Atlantic Records.


[Edited 8/2/09 20:56pm]

BklynBabe said:

Sorry, I can only give Janet and Usher props. The rest of them on that list I would never pay to watch perform and wouldn't watch even on tv for free. As far as I'm concerned they're biters that have not added anything to the game or taken live stage performance to the next level.

Pussycat Dolls??? Really??? Didn't them hoes have a major meltdown on the Grammy's a few years ago???

It keeps hitting me that I'm never gonna be able to meet my heroes

Michael
Sammy
James
Fred Astaire
The Nicholas Brothers
Gene Kelly

SCNDLS said:

Damn, that IS heavy...

I'm sorry to hear that, sis

BklynBabe said:

NONE of them have the stage presence Michael had. Michael could stand in front of a crowd 10 minutes and have grown ass men crying and passing out

He had this electricity that shined through the TV or stereo....

Harlepolis said:

I know, but she died doing a job she absolutely loved and sacrificed greatly for. But I do miss her dearly. She was adopted and was her parents only child too.

bboy87 said:

Most of my heroes are dead too:
Marvin
Sam
JB
MJ

Only ones left are Patti, Tina, Janet, Prince and Stevie.
[Edited 8/2/09 18:35pm]
[Edited 8/2/09 18:36pm]

bboy87 said:

Exactly, it's not JUST about danceability, it's really that IT factor and ability to work an audience into a frenzy at will that so few, if any, current artists possess. IMO Prince has it, JB had it, Marvin Gaye had it, Janet has it, Springsteen has it, Tina Turner has it. But I can't think of any youngsters that can work it like any of these artists.
[Edited 8/2/09 18:35pm]

More about Fatima . . . and of course she also choreographed Prince's Musicology and Black Sweat videos as well as Dreamgirls.

Fatima Robinson's career as a dancer led her to help Will Smith go to the Wild Wild West, teach Dr. Dre to tango, and give the Backstreet Boys some authentic street moves. She went from certified cosmetologist to one of the most in-demand video choreographers in the span of a few years and has set her sights on becoming one of the most in demand directors as well.

Choreographed for Michael Jackson

Robinson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and moved with her family to Los Angeles when she was four. She graduated from high school at the age of 16 with dreams of following in her mother's footsteps by opening her own hair salon. For a few years, this dream was a reality as Robinson acquired her cosmetology certification and worked as a hair-stylist. But Robinson had other dreams as well, dreams that involved becoming a professional dancer and choreographer. When the opportunity presented itself, Robinson decided to try out for a spot as a dancer in a music video. "An artist was looking for dancers, so my friend and I went on stage at the club with some other girls and won," she explained at her website, www.gofatima.com. Even without formal training, Robinson was able to rise quickly from video dancer to video choreographer by spending rehearsal time in the local dance clubs and adding a flavor of her own to popular dance moves.

Robinson received what she called her "big break" in 1992 when movie director, John Singleton, asked her to choreograph a video he was directing. The video turned out to be the short film, "Remember the Time," by Michael Jackson. Robinson considered that video one of her shining moments even as late as 2000. She also enjoyed working with Jackson, whom she called a perfectionist. "Remember the Time" was, in fact, the break that Robinson needed. Jackson was the measuring stick in the music video industry, and numerous artists in all genres tried to achieve his greatness by hiring his choreographer.

According to Serena Altschul of MTV, you can turn to MTV at any time of the day and catch a glimpse of Robinson's resume. She started saturating the video market in the early 1990s working with artists like Bobby Brown, Notorious B.I.G., and Aaliyah. She received her first MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Choreography for Brandy's "Baby," in 1995. The nomination started a trend for the artist, for she was nominated each year between 1997 and 2001 for an MTV Video Music Award. To top off 1995, Robinson also choreographed the Mary J. Blige Summer Jam tour.

Videos And Commercials Won Awards

Robinson won her first Best Choreography Award in 1997 for "Been There, Done That," by Dr. Dre. This was another video she considered a high point in her career. "I really like ... Dr. Dre's 'Been There, Done That,' because I mixed the tango with hip hop and it just affected so many kids," she said to Dance Spirit. This first win opened the door in 1997 for Robinson to work with the Backstreet Boys on their appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards in Europe and on their World Tour. This would begin a long relationship with the group that earned Robinson the label of "Backstreet Girl." She considered the Boys one of her favorite artists to work with.

Robinson followed that with another win in 1998 for "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," by Busta Rhymes. This was her second MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography and she pulled it off back to back. Demand for Robinson increased due to the success of her videos and the innovations in dance movements she created. Her name, as well as Robinson herself, began showing up in Commercials, on concert tours, and in the credits for award shows. Her resume virtually began to span television in general, not just MTV.

In 1998 she hit network television with two commercials, The Reebok FootAction spot and the Sears ad campaign. She also choreographed the performances of Master P and the Backstreet Boys at the MTV Music Awards, and Will Smith at the Grammy Awards. That year she choreographed many of the major music award shows including the American Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, and the Soul Train Music Awards.

Robinson had also begun to make her mark in film. She made her debut as a film choreographer in Players Club in 1998. The film, produced by Ice Cube, focused on the life of an exotic dancer paying her way through college. Though quite risqué, the film included several dance scenes for Robinson to work with. In 1999 she continued to work on commercials setting the dance tone for Macy's and Ruffles Potato Chips among others.

With several commercials under her belt, her most notable ad was the 2000 GAP "khaki soul" commercial. It paved the way for six more ads in 2000 and 2001. Robinson represented soul for the Gap into the new millennium just as she represented soul and hip-hop for the rest of America. Other notable ads included the Clairol Herbal Essence commercial in 2000, and the Reebok ad that featured Venus Williams. Her commercial resume was almost as long as her video resume by 2001 and there was no end in sight.

Found Mainstream Success

Robinson's work in commercials brought recognition from her peers when she was nominated in 2000 for the American Choreography Award for best Choreography in the GAP "khaki soul" ad. She also continued to work in movies, choreographing moves for Aaliyah in Romeo Must Die, in 2000. She reached a wider audience in 2001 with Save the Last Dance, and the critically acclaimed Ali. The exposure also brought the dancer to the attention to those at the Drew Carey Show. She choreographed the season premiere of the show in 2001 and officially moved into the mainstream with her dance style.

While her star was rising, Robinson experienced some joy and pain in her personal life. She celebrated the birth of a son on August 1, 2000, but a year later, she suffered the loss of her close friend and colleague, Aaliyah, on August 25, 2001. Robinson was with Aaliyah in the Bahamas filming the video, "Rock the Boat." "Since 1995, when I became Aaliyah's choreographer, she has been like a little sister to me," she said in a tribute she wrote in Essence. "Although she is gone, I will always cherish the precious memories."

For future projects, Robinson said she would like to do some interior designing and, more in step with her current role, she would like to direct. She ventured into that field with the Dance and Shout video for Shaggy, Cheatin' On Me by Kandi, and a few others. After being named on of Entertainment Weekly's most creative people in entertainment, exploring her love of directing should only reap further benefits for Robinson.

Fatima also choreographed and appeared in a lot of the Gap commercials

Here she's in the red cap



And she's at the beginning of this one

SCNDLS said:

They don't have that drive

They think if they're supposed to hit #1 from the jump. Off The Wall wasn't #1 on the pop album chart. It took Off The Wall 7 MONTHS to get to #1


Thriller debuted at #11! These cats now think if the album isn't either #1 or 2 when it debuts, they just give up.

There's a reason the legends have a bit of an ego. They're supposed to. They worked their asses off and it paid off

bboy87 said:

Totally agree

But also, back in the day performance was a craft. Especially for black artists that came up in the 40s-70s who could not expect to make money from radioplay or selling records. They had to make their bones performing in front of a live audience honing their craft, often on the Chitlin' Circuit. Back then by the time you got a record deal chances are you had been performing for YEARS and could work an audience. Sam Cooke is another one that could turn an audience out with a simple phrase, something he learned in the church and performing at revivals and such.

Today, so many "artists" are GIVEN record deals solely on their look and marketability, just look at American Idol

yeah but it's a different era now, folk used to be "hongry", figuratively and literally. And the new generation is all apathetic with their musical choices. Music be sounding like shyt these days, and folk are like "ooooh" and someone make it number 1....but the music that really is worth something gets pushed aside.

SCNDLS said:

Exactly!

watch a Jackson 5ive performance or a O'Jay's performance

You can tell they practiced not to be just tight on stage, but to appear as a unit. They had perfect timing with each other and if someone missed a step, they quickly got back in on the groove

bboy87 said:

...that's that Joe Jackson Whup Ass Training Method. Crude BUT effective that'll have you dancing your hurt ass in a chair, dancing while your hair on fire type of training. You know on one hand it is undeniable that Joe Jackson is the walking scum of the earth, and yet on the other hand he turned that man into an empire. He taught him professionalism, work ethic, and commitment, too bad he was just too overly heavy handed.

BklynBabe said:

Now, that I can cosign, sadly. Part of me doesn't think MJ woulda achieved what he did professionally if it wasn't for Crazy Joe.

This is another good example of their work ethic and it's my absolutely favorite MJ song and video. You can see the sheer joy in MJ's face and hear it in his vocals

This is another good example of their work ethic and it's my absolutely favorite MJ song and video. You can see the sheer joy in MJ's face and hear it in his vocals

[/quote]

He seemed so happy with his brothers. I know he was younger too, but I can't help but wonder how he might have turned out if he had remained with them, or had a smaller solo career...