Cloudbuster said:

Something I just realised, every one of MJ's singles taken from his six Epic studio albums hit the U.S. top 30!

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough #1

Rock With You #1

Off The Wall #10

She's Out Of My Life #10

The Girl Is Mine #2

Billie Jean #1

Beat It #1

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' #5

Human Nature #7

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) #10

Thriller #4

I Just Can't Stop Loving You #1

Bad #1

The Way You Make Me Feel #1

Man In The Mirror #1

Dirty Diana #1

Another Part Of Me #11

Smooth Criminal #7

Black Or White #1

Remember The Time #3

In The Closet #6

Jam #26

Heal The World #27

Who Is It #14

Will You Be There #7

Scream #5

You Are Not Alone #1

They Don't Care About Us #30

You Rock My World #10

Butterflies #14

And every album at least had a top ten hit on it. Hell add "Got to Be There" and "Ben" with the (obvious) exceptions of "Music & Me" and "Forever, Michael". When you read up on his chart success, you know no one can touch duke.

Joe Vogel's review

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson Immortal Takes Audience On A Dazzling Ride

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immo...World Tour made its U.S. debut Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The two-hour audio-visual spectacle offered a feast for the senses as it celebrated the creative output and social ideals of the late King of Pop.

Before the show, an anxious crowd -- young, old, black, white and every demographic in between -- waited in the brisk October air, exchanging memories. A middle-aged man recalled attending the Victory Tour in 1984. A young girl remembered sobbing the day she learned of his passing and playing "Will You Be There" on repeat. An elderly woman spoke of seeing the Jackson 5 perform in Detroit in 1969. "I still can't believe he's gone," she lamented.

Coming just a couple of years after Jackson's tragic death -- and in the midst of the trial of his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray -- the show seemed to offer a cathartic experience for many attendees, while introducing an accessible version of him to a yet another generation of music listeners.

The show itself is a hybrid extravaganza: part rock concert, part theater, part acrobatics, part comedy, part festival. Its tone is more whimsical than Jackson's world tours. With no front man, the show opts instead for a five-person crew of slapstick dancer-impersonators called the "fanatics" and a versatile mime. Numerous other talents are featured in spots, including a mesmerizing contortionist, a fierce cellist, and a phenomenally gifted young boy.

The show uses a live band, led by Jackson's longtime collaborator Greg Phillinganes, to amplify the concert feel and introduces several signature MJ props (the glove, the hat, the penny loafers) to playfully point to the pop icon.

Still, it is difficult to overcome Jackson's absence on stage. His presence on the jumbo screen in the opening montage generates a tangible excitement -- it is as if the audience is waiting for him to pop up at any moment. During some of the quieter parts of the show -- "I'll Be There," "Gone Too Soon" -- audience members cry out, "We love you, Michael!"

To try to fill the void, director Jamie King and set designer Mark Fisher wisely chose Michael Jackson's "Giving Tree" as the anchoring scenic piece and controlling metaphor, creating a symbolic world for Jackson's memory to occupy. Unfortunately, the tree didn't make it to the Detroit show due to technical problems, causing the narrative thread to feel a bit disjointed and some of the numbers to be altered.

There were some other indications that the show was still finding its footing. The pacing at times was a bit turbulent and fragmented. Michael Jackson had an uncanny ability as a creator/performer to take his audience on a journey and not lose them for a second: he knew when to go big and when to pull it back, when to be extravagant and when to be subtle. He was a master of pathos and of building dramatic tension.

While the Immortal show hasn't yet reached that lofty standard, it does manage to capture certain parts of his essence. The transition from the wonder-filled "Childhood," which allows the audience to see inside the Neverland Gates as bronze statues of children come to life, segues magnificently into the frenetic, tribal energy of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin.'" The medley of Heartbreak Hotel/Smooth Criminal/In the Closet/Dangerous also works well, blending film noir and music video footage with a cello solo, seamless choreography and a pole dancer. Likewise, the medley ofGhosts/Is It Scary/Threatened/Thriller, which begins with a creature crawling out of a large storybook, is one of the show's highlights.

Notably absent from the lineup is "The Way You Make Me Feel," a classic which Jackson performed at every concert since the Bad World Tour. There are some nice, lesser-known surprises, however, including parts of "In the Closet," "Speechless" and "Little Susie." Nearly all of the songs, including "Billie Jean," are formed in clusters with two or three other tracks.

Dazzling touches abound. Around the mid-way point, there is a beautiful sequence in which Jackson describes how he is "just the medium through which the music flows." This quote is interpreted by the mime as he allows the sound to work through his body while musical notes float into the air. It is followed by a gorgeous rendition of "Human Nature."

While the show primarily presents Jackson as man-child/idealist, occasionally other facets break through. For "They Don't Care About Us," taking its cues from concert plans for This Is It, an army of robots march in unison, flashing money signs and question marks as a video montage plays footage of violence, despair and destruction.

The finale returns to safer ground, offering a healing call for peace, unity and love to a mash-up of socially conscious anthems like "Can You Feel It," "Black or White" and "Man in the Mirror." Flags are brought on stage in a festival-like fusion of cultures, acrobatics, dance and music.

For all the elaborate staging and impressive talent, however, the unquestionable star is Michael Jackson. Musical designer Keven Antunes was given access to the artist's original multi-track master recordings and stripped away some of the production to put Jackson's singular voice on full display. On some of the ballads especially -- "I'll Be There," "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" -- the effect is stunning. His appearances on the jumbo screens likewise brought a visceral energy to the show.

Afterward, outside the arena kids excitedly described their favorite parts of the show. One of them, eyes wide, talked about the LED costumes that lit up during "Billie Jean." In the distance, by the parking garage, a man played "Thriller" on his saxophone, its strains rising plaintively into the night. He couldn't afford tickets to the show, he said, but he wanted to be nearby to "celebrate the king."

http://www.huffingtonpost...16774.html

[Edited 10/18/11 14:44pm]

^ Gotta dig Johnny Rotten/John Lydon.

MJ,s Music Opens New Cirque Du Soleil - video ABC News. Footage includes a robot of Little Michael - made me smile.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA...ligs.email

[Edited 10/18/11 16:58pm]

[Edited 10/18/11 16:59pm]

Timmy84 said:

Cloudbuster said:

Something I just realised, every one of MJ's singles taken from his six Epic studio albums hit the U.S. top 30!

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough #1

Rock With You #1

Off The Wall #10

She's Out Of My Life #10

The Girl Is Mine #2

Billie Jean #1

Beat It #1

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' #5

Human Nature #7

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) #10

Thriller #4

I Just Can't Stop Loving You #1

Bad #1

The Way You Make Me Feel #1

Man In The Mirror #1

Dirty Diana #1

Another Part Of Me #11

Smooth Criminal #7

Black Or White #1

Remember The Time #3

In The Closet #6

Jam #26

Heal The World #27

Who Is It #14

Will You Be There #7

Scream #5

You Are Not Alone #1

They Don't Care About Us #30

You Rock My World #10

Butterflies #14

And every album at least had a top ten hit on it. Hell add "Got to Be There" and "Ben" with the (obvious) exceptions of "Music & Me" and "Forever, Michael". When you read up on his chart success, you know no one can touch duke.

And then add even more songs that he sang on like Say Say Say!

And songs like State of Shock, Somebody's Watching Me, We Are The World, all his Jackson 5 top 5's and 10's

alphastreet said:

And songs like State of Shock, Somebody's Watching Me, We Are The World, all his Jackson 5 top 5's and 10's

And this is just the U.S hits! He had other major hits overseas like Blood OTDF and One More Chance!

No one can top that 1969-2010 record lol

Um. Has anyone ever watched Thriller with their dogs? I just came home slightly intoxicated, and decided my roommate's dogs needed a music video history lesson. One slept through the whole thing, and the other perked up every time there were sound effects and even started howling at one point (around where he turned into a werewolf). I never noticed how many times they used dog howling in that video. My next plan is to show them the dance. It scares my cats, but the same dog who howled at Thriller also likes to "help" people dance. And by help I mean joyously throw all 120 pounds of himself at anybody who's dancing in his vicinity. I should probably be sober when I make this attempt.

Arbwyth said:

Um. Has anyone ever watched Thriller with their dogs? I just came home slightly intoxicated, and decided my roommate's dogs needed a music video history lesson. One slept through the whole thing, and the other perked up every time there were sound effects and even started howling at one point (around where he turned into a werewolf). I never noticed how many times they used dog howling in that video. My next plan is to show them the dance. It scares my cats, but the same dog who howled at Thriller also likes to "help" people dance. And by help I mean joyously throw all 120 pounds of himself at anybody who's dancing in his vicinity. I should probably be sober when I make this attempt.

The dogs are cool.

Timmy84 said:

Arbwyth said:

Um. Has anyone ever watched Thriller with their dogs? I just came home slightly intoxicated, and decided my roommate's dogs needed a music video history lesson. One slept through the whole thing, and the other perked up every time there were sound effects and even started howling at one point (around where he turned into a werewolf). I never noticed how many times they used dog howling in that video. My next plan is to show them the dance. It scares my cats, but the same dog who howled at Thriller also likes to "help" people dance. And by help I mean joyously throw all 120 pounds of himself at anybody who's dancing in his vicinity. I should probably be sober when I make this attempt.

The dogs are cool.

I fucking love them. The cats are totally Team Janet. I mean, one of them is a black cat, so you can't blame them.

Arbwyth said:

Timmy84 said:

The dogs are cool.

I fucking love them. The cats are totally Team Janet. I mean, one of them is a black cat, so you can't blame them.

I see.

Timmy84 said:

Arbwyth said:

I fucking love them. The cats are totally Team Janet. I mean, one of them is a black cat, so you can't blame them.

I see.

You'd think the pussies would be Team Prince

Arbwyth said: Um. Has anyone ever watched Thriller with their dogs? I just came home slightly intoxicated, and decided my roommate's dogs needed a music video history lesson. One slept through the whole thing, and the other perked up every time there were sound effects and even started howling at one point (around where he turned into a werewolf). I never noticed how many times they used dog howling in that video. My next plan is to show them the dance. It scares my cats, but the same dog who howled at Thriller also likes to "help" people dance. And by help I mean joyously throw all 120 pounds of himself at anybody who's dancing in his vicinity. I should probably be sober when I make this attempt.

haha made my day!!

[Edited 10/18/11 23:12pm]

bboy87 said:

EmeraldSkies said:

Is anyone else having a hard time getting there copy of Man In The Music: The Creative Life and Work Of Michael Jackson?

It was supposed to have been released in September,but I got a email from B&N saying that now it won't be released until November.

The official date is November 1

BUUUUUUTTT you can order and get a copy here

http://www.bookdepository...1402779381

I ordered one from amazon uk, it arrived last week. It's fuckin' ace!

Timmy84 said:

Cloudbuster said:

Something I just realised, every one of MJ's singles taken from his six Epic studio albums hit the U.S. top 30!

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough #1

Rock With You #1

Off The Wall #10

She's Out Of My Life #10

The Girl Is Mine #2

Billie Jean #1

Beat It #1

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' #5

Human Nature #7

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) #10

Thriller #4

I Just Can't Stop Loving You #1

Bad #1

The Way You Make Me Feel #1

Man In The Mirror #1

Dirty Diana #1

Another Part Of Me #11

Smooth Criminal #7

Black Or White #1

Remember The Time #3

In The Closet #6

Jam #26

Heal The World #27

Who Is It #14

Will You Be There #7

Scream #5

You Are Not Alone #1

They Don't Care About Us #30

You Rock My World #10

Butterflies #14

And every album at least had a top ten hit on it. Hell add "Got to Be There" and "Ben" with the (obvious) exceptions of "Music & Me" and "Forever, Michael". When you read up on his chart success, you know no one can touch duke.

Even though all his post Thriller material is shit.

Cloudbuster said:

Timmy84 said:

And every album at least had a top ten hit on it. Hell add "Got to Be There" and "Ben" with the (obvious) exceptions of "Music & Me" and "Forever, Michael". When you read up on his chart success, you know no one can touch duke.

Even though all his post Thriller material is shit.

I have learned that is what you put in your mind mentallywhat you think and do, that makes your person. And you can put any mental object in this mindand it will bring it to reality.So this means we can program ourselves to be the people we want to be, whatever the subject matter is, live in itby a mental physical program. A system of learning and doing. Studying all the greats in that field and become greater.My program will consist of.-----


-Michael Jackson

I tried to transcribe it but it was HARD to read his chicken scratch handwriting

smoothcriminal12 said:

Cloudbuster said:

Even though all his post Thriller material is shit.

But it's true! Apparently.

Cloudbuster said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

But it's true! Apparently.

Say it ain't so....

alphastreet said:

That's so cute. That reminds me of how I used to play MJ and make my dog moonwalk, and then another time I put MJ on and she went crazy the minute the music started.

You were on letterman in the 80's weren't you?!?!?!?!?!?!

I know we haven't discussed much of the trial of Dr Murray on here but I know that once the prosecution rests we'll see a lot more press as the defence puts forward their case. It seems obvious the defence will cast doubt where ever they can, MJ did it, DR Klien is responsible, AEG is responsible etc etc.

All I can keep thinking is "throwing rocks to hide your hands".

He can't even hold Sweeny properly :*(

mookie said:

Joe Vogel's review

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson Immortal Takes Audience On A Dazzling Ride

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immo...World Tour made its U.S. debut Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The two-hour audio-visual spectacle offered a feast for the senses as it celebrated the creative output and social ideals of the late King of Pop.

Before the show, an anxious crowd -- young, old, black, white and every demographic in between -- waited in the brisk October air, exchanging memories. A middle-aged man recalled attending the Victory Tour in 1984. A young girl remembered sobbing the day she learned of his passing and playing "Will You Be There" on repeat. An elderly woman spoke of seeing the Jackson 5 perform in Detroit in 1969. "I still can't believe he's gone," she lamented.

Coming just a couple of years after Jackson's tragic death -- and in the midst of the trial of his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray -- the show seemed to offer a cathartic experience for many attendees, while introducing an accessible version of him to a yet another generation of music listeners.

The show itself is a hybrid extravaganza: part rock concert, part theater, part acrobatics, part comedy, part festival. Its tone is more whimsical than Jackson's world tours. With no front man, the show opts instead for a five-person crew of slapstick dancer-impersonators called the "fanatics" and a versatile mime. Numerous other talents are featured in spots, including a mesmerizing contortionist, a fierce cellist, and a phenomenally gifted young boy.

The show uses a live band, led by Jackson's longtime collaborator Greg Phillinganes, to amplify the concert feel and introduces several signature MJ props (the glove, the hat, the penny loafers) to playfully point to the pop icon.

Still, it is difficult to overcome Jackson's absence on stage. His presence on the jumbo screen in the opening montage generates a tangible excitement -- it is as if the audience is waiting for him to pop up at any moment. During some of the quieter parts of the show -- "I'll Be There," "Gone Too Soon" -- audience members cry out, "We love you, Michael!"

To try to fill the void, director Jamie King and set designer Mark Fisher wisely chose Michael Jackson's "Giving Tree" as the anchoring scenic piece and controlling metaphor, creating a symbolic world for Jackson's memory to occupy. Unfortunately, the tree didn't make it to the Detroit show due to technical problems, causing the narrative thread to feel a bit disjointed and some of the numbers to be altered.

There were some other indications that the show was still finding its footing. The pacing at times was a bit turbulent and fragmented. Michael Jackson had an uncanny ability as a creator/performer to take his audience on a journey and not lose them for a second: he knew when to go big and when to pull it back, when to be extravagant and when to be subtle. He was a master of pathos and of building dramatic tension.

While the Immortal show hasn't yet reached that lofty standard, it does manage to capture certain parts of his essence. The transition from the wonder-filled "Childhood," which allows the audience to see inside the Neverland Gates as bronze statues of children come to life, segues magnificently into the frenetic, tribal energy of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin.'" The medley of Heartbreak Hotel/Smooth Criminal/In the Closet/Dangerous also works well, blending film noir and music video footage with a cello solo, seamless choreography and a pole dancer. Likewise, the medley ofGhosts/Is It Scary/Threatened/Thriller, which begins with a creature crawling out of a large storybook, is one of the show's highlights.

Notably absent from the lineup is "The Way You Make Me Feel," a classic which Jackson performed at every concert since the Bad World Tour. There are some nice, lesser-known surprises, however, including parts of "In the Closet," "Speechless" and "Little Susie." Nearly all of the songs, including "Billie Jean," are formed in clusters with two or three other tracks.

Dazzling touches abound. Around the mid-way point, there is a beautiful sequence in which Jackson describes how he is "just the medium through which the music flows." This quote is interpreted by the mime as he allows the sound to work through his body while musical notes float into the air. It is followed by a gorgeous rendition of "Human Nature."

While the show primarily presents Jackson as man-child/idealist, occasionally other facets break through. For "They Don't Care About Us," taking its cues from concert plans for This Is It, an army of robots march in unison, flashing money signs and question marks as a video montage plays footage of violence, despair and destruction.

The finale returns to safer ground, offering a healing call for peace, unity and love to a mash-up of socially conscious anthems like "Can You Feel It," "Black or White" and "Man in the Mirror." Flags are brought on stage in a festival-like fusion of cultures, acrobatics, dance and music.

For all the elaborate staging and impressive talent, however, the unquestionable star is Michael Jackson. Musical designer Keven Antunes was given access to the artist's original multi-track master recordings and stripped away some of the production to put Jackson's singular voice on full display. On some of the ballads especially -- "I'll Be There," "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" -- the effect is stunning. His appearances on the jumbo screens likewise brought a visceral energy to the show.

Afterward, outside the arena kids excitedly described their favorite parts of the show. One of them, eyes wide, talked about the LED costumes that lit up during "Billie Jean." In the distance, by the parking garage, a man played "Thriller" on his saxophone, its strains rising plaintively into the night. He couldn't afford tickets to the show, he said, but he wanted to be nearby to "celebrate the king."

http://www.huffingtonpost...16774.html

[Edited 10/18/11 14:44pm]

I was lucky enough to attend this show. I later discovered that it was the only show-there would be no other performances for this area. All I can say is what a phenomenal tribute. I actually caught myself holding my breath because I was filled with so much anticipation of what they would do next. So much was going on and as stated above these performers were so extremely talented, but somehow, they make it so Michael is the star. His presence on the screens was so huge (literally), that I couldn't stop looking at Michael even when I was being "wowed" by the knockout performances. It was so glam, so over the top, so Michael, it was so much to look at and the music was great. I really enjoyed that they were playing and performing to his lesser known songs. I went with a non- Michael Jackson fan who was blown away by Michael's collective musical works. The above review is spot-on for the performance. So glad I went.

Cloudbuster said:

Even though all his post Thriller material is shit.

That was probably the best joke I ever heard.

On a serious note: you're joking, right?

MJMia said:

Cloudbuster said:

Even though all his post Thriller material is shit.

That was probably the best joke I ever heard.

On a serious note: you're joking, right?

My fave MJ period is 1991-2001.