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Long Live The King |
On a day that marked the passing of Farrah Fawcett, there were many already mourning the passing of a cultural icon. When news of Michael Jackson's death began to surface at TMZ, it seemed that time stood still.
After confirmation of the news by many news outlets, people gathered in disbelief. I, for one, have been glued to MSNBC and MTV News for the past few hours, wondering what happened to cause this devastating tragedy. Although he has been maligned in recent times, there is no doubt that a major influence on pop music for the last 45 years has been lost. What would the current music industry be without his influences? Imagine music without Elvis Presley ... without The Beatles ... without Mozart. There are no words to express the impact on our lives.
At 2:26 PDT today, music was silenced. Although there will be no shortage of speculation on the true cause of death, one thing is certain; millions of fans grieve around the world. It is truly a tragedy that there will be no formal farewell tour for this truly talented artist.
When someone has touched your life the way Michael has, you learn something about yourself when that influence is gone. In my case, I have learned that I loved Michael. His songs were a big part of the soundtrack of my life. Doesn't everyone remember watching the March 25, 1983 debut of the Moonwalk on Motown 25? I wish I could have attended one of the planned concerts in London to experience the brilliance of one of the most famous and talented entertainers the world has ever known.
As Quincy Jones said, "I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the 80’s. To this day, the music we created together on 'Off The Wall,' 'Thriller' and 'Bad' is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."
I couldn't have said it any better. You will be missed my friend. 
Editor's Note: A dear friend asked me to name my favorite Michael Jackson song, and I am at a loss to pick just one. "Billie Jean", "Man in the Mirror", "Lady in My Life", "Thriller" ... "She's Out of My Life", "Gone Too Soon". As I type this, the crowd at the Apollo Theater is celebrating the life of the man dubbed The King of Pop.
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| Posted By: Stephen (25 June 2009)
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Neda, Nixon, and Ed |
What a strange collection of topics. I was sitting here catching up on my 972 Twitter posts, and it occurred to me that I hadn't shared my opinions on a few current events.
First, I want to comment on the recent election in Iran. Is there any other word for this than FRAUD? It is unfortunate that short of a new election, there seems to be no way to resolve the current unrest. And there will likely be no resolution until the country experiences the type of change the American Civil War brought about in this country. Organized protests will continue to escalate to violent confrontations, and the government will continue to quash the free forms of expression being exhibited currently. Thanks to Ben Parr over at Mashable for posting a collection of videos concerning the crisis.
And while talking about the unfortunate, is it possible that anyone who has seen the chilling ASSASSINATION of Neda Agha-Soltan can believe that there was any chance this peaceful student and demonstrator was a threat to the Ayatollah Khomeini? Was it necessary for the Basij to murder her? They claim to be the 'people's militia', but it appears they are on the wrong side of public opinion this time.
Moving on ... What's up with Tricky Dick? More tapes were released today; after you listen to these, whether you love or hate Nixon, drop me a note with your thoughts.
Finally, today marks the loss of a television icon. From 30 years of 'Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!' to introducing us to entertainers like Britney Spears , Sinbad, and Dave Chappelle on Star Search, Hollywood is saddened today by the news that Ed McMahon has died.
Although Mr. McMahon never stopped by my house with the $10 million American Family Sweepstakes check, I feel like he was in the neighborhood, but could never quite remember my address. Now if only I can convince NBC to evict Conan from the Tonight Show stage so we can remember the show the way it was.
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| Posted By: Stephen (23 June 2009)
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The Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports |
In less time than it too the Louisville Marching Band to play Stephen C. Foster's 'My Old Kentucky Home', Calvin Borel aboard Mine That Bird (2:02 and 50:1) won the 135th Kentucky Derby.
Although I was not in attendance, I did find the time to kick back with a Mint Julep and watch one of the great sports spectacles of modern day. After reflecting on the fact that the media spent more time pontificating (and getting it wrong) than it takes to run the race, I found myself thinking about all the preparation that leads up to this very brief event. The breeding process, selection of the right 'athlete' and jockey ... training, training, and more training ... stadium layout and security (although this isn't the first time Churchill Downs has hosted the iconic event began in 1874), and of course the singing of the aforementioned classic.
It was at this point that I realized there are probably quite a few people wondering what the words are to the song. So, I hope you placed your bet on the RIGHT horse, and for posterity's sake ... here you go.
The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home,
'Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom,
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright.
By'n by hard times comes a-knocking at the door,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!
Weep no more my lady, oh weep no more today.
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the old Kentucky home, far away.
Point of fact ... a $20 bet on the winner this year would have brought you $1032. Not bad for two minutes work.
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| Posted By: Stephen (02 May 2009)
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100 Days: A Report Card |
It was interesting to see how BHO summarized his first hundred days in office, and I'm sure there will be quite a bit of spirited debate going on for many days to come.
For what it's worth, not everyone is a fan. The New York Post is reporting 100 Days, 100 Mistakes, but the reality is that some of what they are calling mistakes are really improvements over what we had previously. LOL
For instance ... number six: "Mr. Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the 'teleprompt president' over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech." -- Sky News, 3/18
Quite frankly, I can see how this could throw some members of the RNC. Let me see if I can clarify...
This is what it looks like when THE PRESIDENT CAN READ! I'm cracking myself up over here.
Or number seventeen: The "I won" comment. I can't believe this *ahem* gentleman is suggesting that the President has "taken gratuitous swipes" at members of the loser party ... I mean the GOP. The bottom line is that the only group of people that are disgruntled are those that have interest not in the future, but rather in finding a problem that BHO inherited from the previous administration, and blaming him for not having the solution yet.
In all fairness, I should allow those who wish to verbalize their thoughts a chance to do so. But while you are collecting said thoughts, please remember the following:
1. In a mere 100 days, this President has washed the stink off the White House. No more "aw shucks ... golly gee" at the podium.
2. Only twice in the last 75 to 100 years has there been such an aggressive agenda in place in the White House.
3. The Gallup Organization has posted a recap of the Presidential approval rating. I don't remember when G-Dub had numbers that looked like this. Perhaps the media will set their pens down and LISTEN to the message for a change. What better way to inform the public when something of interest occurs?
But I digress. I know that there are people who maintain different opinions, and if after you watch the full press conference, you feel that we are truly worse off than we were 100 days ago, then I respect your opinion.
Unless of course you take the path of number thirty-five. When Steve Kroft quipped "You're sitting here. And you're -- you are laughing. You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people going to look at this and say, 'I mean, he's sitting there just making jokes about money--' How do you deal with -- I mean: Explain. Are you punch-drunk?" -- Steve Kroft, "60 Minutes," 3/22 ... I think the only real answer here is to slap this clown right across the chops and ask him if he felt it. Granted, these are ‘interesting times’, and we need serious people to solve them. But I don’t think that any intelligent person missed the point of the laughter at the question.
Again, let’s agree to disagree if you are one of the people doubting your vote today, and turn our attention to the future. I anticipate that there will be some good presidential decisions and some bad presidential decisions, but as long as we end up better off than we were before, I will remain excited that change has come to America.
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| Posted By: Stephen (29 April 2009)
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