Michael Jackson on ice: ice skating tributes

In the spirit of the Winter Olympics, I present to you:

13-year-old Darian Weiss. He performed an ice skating routine to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" in 2005. His mother worked for Michael and the Jackson family in the past.

Татьяна Навка и Роман Костомаров, 2007 год, гала-шоу на Ходынском поле
Tatiana Navka & Roman Kostomarov skate to "Smooth Criminal" in 2007. Here it is with different costumes.



The same pair have a routine to "In The Closet."





Evgeni Plushenko skated to a Michael Jackson Medley in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002.

Michael Jackson Macros Video 2

The language is a bit colorful, but this macros video almost made me lose my job it's so funny! Thanks to Annie_ok for the heads up.

Obama Thriller Parody

I was literally on the floor laughing at this video parody involving two of my favorite people, Michael Jackson and Barack Obama. That tight shiny Thriller suit...I just can't!

Priscilla Presley spoke about Michael Jackson on Larry King Live

Priscilla Presley, mother of Michael Jackson's first ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley, made an appearance on Larry King Live last night. King asked her if Michael's death hit her particularly hard. Instead of speaking about how it affected her, she deflected the issue onto Lisa, saying:

KING: Did the Michael Jackson--that whole thing hit you hard?

PRESLEY: I know it hit Lisa very hard.

KING: It did?

PRESLEY: It did. It hit her very hard.

KING: They remained friends?

PRESLEY: Yes, they did. They remained friends.

It is interesting to note she claims they remained friends; according to Lisa Marie's own blog post after Michael's passing, they had not seen or spoken to one another in years. Insiders say Michael broke contact with her for good following a scathing appearance by Priscilla and Lisa Marie on Oprah and numerous other unflattering interviews given by Lisa in the years after their breakup.

Press Release for Australian tribute to Michael Jackson

AUSTRALIA SALUTES MICHAEL JACKSON - http://mjtribute.com.au/

On Saturday 17th April 2010 at the Gold Coast Arts Centre we will be holding a spectacular production; Australia Salutes Michael Jackson - A Tribute to the King of Pop!

The show will cover Michael Jackson's entire career, taking inspiration and music from The Jackson 5 days right up to his planned This Is It concerts, featuring a visually spectacular lighting display, digitally projected stage sets, gravity defying dance routines, video flashbacks and much more.

Tickets have been categorized to include adult, pensioner, student and child prices; plus discounted package deals for families and groups!

A portion of the funds raised through ticket and merchandise sales will be donated to local charities including the Make A Wish Foundation.

Follow this link: http://www.gcac.com.au/show-details.php?g_ShowID=348 to book online, or call the Box Office on (07) 5588 4000.

We hope to see you all there!

(wasn't sure if I post this here or in Australia section so i did both???)

TICKET INFO:
----------------
General Admission: $34.90
Pensioners: $29 .90
Kids and Students: $24.90
Family tickets: $23.75 each (Total $95 gets you 2x adults and 2x kids)
Group Booking (10 tix or more): $22.90 each (order by PHONE only (07) 5588 4000)

For enquiries:
Phone: (07) 5588 4000
Email: mjtribute@live.com.au
Website: http://mjtribute.com.au/

Tickets also available at the GOLD COAST ARTS CENTRE BOX OFFICE - 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise.

Minister Louis Farrakhan says Michael asked for help 7 days before he was killed

This is part of a long series called Michael Jackson Crucifixion posted on behalf of supporters of Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. I will be posting the complete series soon so you can make up your own mind about the NOI's role in Michael's later years and the various cries of conspiracy theories from numerous corners. In this part, Farrakhan says one of Michael's attorneys contacted him seven days before he was killed asking for help on Michael's behalf:

At 6:27 :
"But I got a call, I think 7 days before he passed away. It was from a lawyer, who's name I won't call, who said: Farrakhan, please get in touch with Michael, he is in serious trouble.
I said: what do you mean?
He said: Michael agreed to to do 10 concerts, now they've booked him for 50 and we're afraid that he won't be able to fulfil the obligation and he will be sued and this will be a way for them to take his legacy, the catalog that he owns.
I said: and what do you want me to do? He hasn't called me.
He said: but there are people close to him, that re follow us.
I said: really?
He said: Yes.
I said: well give me a few days, let me think about it. "

BAD subway station to house tribute to Michael Jackson

The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership has brokered an agreement to immortalize the subway station where Michael Jackson filmed his 1987 short film BAD. The Scorsese-directed story takes place in the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop of the G-train. The Partnership plans to have an artist-created mural adorn the side of an office building belonging to real estate company Beneson Capital.

"We see this as a great opportunity to potentially establish Hoyt-Schermerhorn’s role in American pop culture and as a tourist destination to attract people to a part of Downtown Brooklyn already rapidly growing," Joe Chan, president of the partnership told The Post.

The planned tribute comes on the heels of a previously-rejected memorial to the King of Pop. Last fall, the MTA rejected City Council member Letitia James’ suggestion to erect a plaque and to rename the station after Michael Jackson.

source

"We Are The World 25 for Haiti" full video

While it has been reported big stars like Beyonce, Jay-Z, Lady Ga Ga, and Prince either turned their noses up at the project or failed to show for the recording session, it was fantastic to see such huge stars as Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Carlos Santana, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, and Barbara Streisand take the time out of their busy schedules to participate. Michael Jackson, co-writer of the original song, appears twice in the video at 2:22, singing alongside his sister Janet, and again at 3:41 looking like the King that he is.

Please donate to the Haiti relief efforts by downloading this video and song from iTunes and going to world25.org

Mike, I'mma let you finish...

Samsung releases limited edition golden This Is It harddrive

Electronics giant Samsung has announced plans to release a limited edition golden external harddrive that comes pre-loaded with Michael Jackson's This Is It film. The portable S2 drive depicts Jackson in his signature This Is It silhouette with upstretched arms and crossed legs. With features such as automatic backup, data encryption, and password-protected data access, the 500GB hard drive is the ultimate gift for die hard MJ techie fans. Samsung says the drive will retail for around €109 Euros or $149 USD.

source

Joe Jackson wants to sue over deceased photos

Lawyers for Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, have filed papers seeking the court's acknowledgment that Michael's family has the right to sue media outlets for publishing photos of Mr. Jackson's deceased body. Attorney Brian Oxman filed papers claiming there is a legal precedent for a family to sue for invasion of privacy when such photographs are taken or published. Shows such as Entertainment Tonight (ET) and others have repeatedly aired photographs of Mr. Jackson's body on a stretcher as it was taken into an ambulance.

source

Michael Bearden and George Lopez spoke about Michael Jackson

The musical director for Michael Jackson's This Is It is now the band leader for George Lopez's Lopez Tonight show. They sat down a few months ago to discuss Michael Jackson and the rehearsals for the This Is It concerts. I was tickled by his anecdote about the rehearsals for Dirty Diana. Michael planned to have an aerialist and master pole dancer dance around a larger-than-life iron canopy bed on the stage, eventually handcuffing him to the bed. At one point, Michael Bearden asked Michael where the female guitarist Orianthi was supposed to be during the number. Michael said, 'In the bed with me!--I can handle it!'

Who's bad?

FAMU's Marching 100 performed a rousing tribute to Michael Jackson at Superbowl XLIV

Rehearsal footage shot at Palm Beach Lakes High School in West Palm Beach, Florida February 6, 2010

The world famous Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Marching 100 marching band from Tallahassee, Florida performed a tribute to Michael Jackson during the Superbowl XLIV pre-game show on Sunday, February 7, 2010. Unfortunately, the networks chose to show commentary and commercials rather than the incredible tribute. The set list included "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Smooth Criminal" and brought the crowd to its feet.

"Today's show was simply fantastic," FAMU's Director of Bands Julian White said. "They played well. They marched well. And the audience just gave a standing ovation. (Band members) gave all they had, and it came through very well."

Source

BREAKING NEWS:

CNN, ABC, and MSNBC are all reporting the Jackson family has arrived at the LA County courthouse. They are all awaiting the arrival of Conrad Murray to surrender himself within the next hour. He will be charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint that reads that Murray "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson."

By charging him with involuntary manslaughter, the prosecutors allege that Murray caused Jackson's death by acting "without due caution and circumspection" rather than with malice. The LA County Coroner ruled Michael Jackson died from a combination of benzodiazepines and propofol. Murray admits he administered a cocktail of benzodiazepines, including lorazepam and propofol but maintains he did not give Jackson "anything that should have killed him."

CNN showed one shot of fans protesting and holding signs outside the courhouse. I saw Mrs. Katherine, Joseph, Randy, Tito, Jermaine, and his wife as well as other family members. Jermaine was the only one to offer a comment, saying simply "not enough".

Dateline NBC: The Secret Life of Michael Jackson

The Dateline piece "The Secret Life of Michael Jackson" broadcast on Friday, February 5, 2010, was very slanted. The producers wanted to accomplish three things with that "special":

1. They wanted to characterize Murray as a villain and establish him as a news draw all on his own so they can continue to flog Michael's death for ratings
2. They wanted to continue their tradition of painting Michael as an eccentric freak and titillate the audience with old rumors and innuendo
3. Of course, they simply wanted to boost their sagging ratings by hopping on the biggest story of the week with a slap dash last minute "report" that contained no new information despite the tease in all their commercials

The broadcast itself focused too much on Michael's vacations, his wardrobe, his makeup, and the allegations against him made in other decades and not nearly enough on the events leading up to Michael's death and the nature of the investigation since then. In order to increase the juice factor, the producers used tabloid tactics by distilling the most inflammatory remarks from the media commentators they interviewed, comments that where wholly unsubstantiated. The only poignant and truthful remarks I watched came from Michael's attorney Thomas Mesereau, Michael Flatley, and the member of the Bahrain Royal Family who said he never MJ never saw use drugs while he was there. I believe comments by so-called friends about Michael being a pest who overstayed his welcome and slept on people's couches only served to further slake the public's thirst for negative ammunition to use against his memory; I personally let such friends know what I thought about their comments as well as Dateline NBC. I believe we, as fans, have an obligation stand up to unfair and untruthful reporting about Michael; it is our duty to protect his legacy.

To read the transcript of the show click here.