GAME WELL AND TRULY OVER

One thing that I've always wondered...

How the hell did they make the Lionel Richie "Dancing on the ceiling" video? Why didn't Lionel fall?

Michael Jackson's This is it

I'm not a huge Michael Jackson fan, but as I've stated here before, I like a lot of his music. So when I heard about the "This is it" movie, I wasn't really interested in seeing it. To be honest, there was something a little unseemly about a documentary being put together so quickly after Jackson's death. And I was also turned off by the "in theatres for a limited time only" claim. So I didn't try to get tickets. And I had no intention of going. But I got sucked into the hype...

"This is it," is approximately 70% rehearsal footage and 30% documentary. The documentary parts are scattered throughout the film, and includes background dancers and musicians talking about how privileged they felt to perform with Jackson. There is also some insight into the planning of the concert, with Kenny Ortega and other head honchos discussing the concept and plans for different sections of the show. At times, Ortega comes across as a bit of an attention seeker, and quite frankly, he didn't need to be in this movie as much as he was. But I'll give him credit, because I suspect that everyone will walk out of this saying "that concert would have been amazing."

The song selection was very good. I can't think of any major omissions off the top of my head. Each song is an amalgamation of different rehearsal days, but it all looks and sounds seamless with the exception of clothing changes. As for Michael, there are no major surprises in terms of his personality. He's definitely a perfectionist, which should surprise no one. His singing was top notch, although he lip-synced a few songs. His dancing wasn't very expansive, although there were a few moonwalks here and there. If you're looking for dancing similar to the Motown 25th anniversary performance, this isn't for you.

The person who will probably benefit most from "This is it" is Orianthi, who was the guitarist who played Eddie Van Halen's part in Beat It, and the guitar melody in Black Or White. And she was excellent.

If you're a massive Michael Jackson fan, you're going to love this. If you're not, there's no real need to see it, though I suspect your curiosity may get the better of you.

Happy 60th Birthday

My Shameful Confession. Plus, a Range of Wikipedia Music Pages

I have a confession to make. It pains me deeply, and quite frankly, validates my (relative) anonymity on this platform. I'm not proud of it. I'm hanging my head in shame as I type. And this is why.

I like "Hazard" by Richard Marx.

I love it. I love the beginning. I love the storytelling. I love the interlude where he screams about all his rescues being gone. And the general story is mildly thought provoking also. Did the person telling the story actually kill Mary? Or is he truly innocent as he claims? The truth is that we'll never know.

But it turns out that there's a video! This was news to me. And the video opens up a whole new can of worms. Who is that non-Richard Marx person? What does the sheriff have to do with it? Still though, I don't really care that much, even though I like the song. But there are others who do. Because while the identity of Mary's killer never kept me up at night, whoever edited the wikipedia page for the song put a hell of a lot of time into it.

I should point out that I've checked out the wikipedia page for many songs in he past. Yesterday is very in depth as most Beatles song wikipedia articles tend to be. Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys? Extensive. Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch? Not so much. Wikipedia articles for songs tend to have the same general structure: Song description. Chart performance. Critical acclaim. Remakes. History of live performances. That's your general popular song article.

And then there is Hazard. It begins with all the usual stuff (#9 on the Billboard Hot 100 - nice one, Richard!) and goes on to describe the video. But THEN, it goes on to an in-depth analysis of who could have killed Mary. It also includes this line:

Richard Marx appeared on VH-1 several times during the spring of 1992, and challenged the viewers to watch all versions of the Hazard video (three were shot and aired), ending his intro with "and see if you can figure out who killed Mary."

So. Who killed Mary?

Yet another catch up

What is it with me and long non-blogging gaps after posts about Michael Jackson? Apologies, and let's catch up:

• The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago attempted to deflect interest in the anniversary of the attempted coup of July 27th, 1990. He chose to bring up an incident from a year ago that could have potentially resulted in "bloodshed." It's hard to feel any sympathy. The comments at the end are much more entertaining than the article itself.

• The details of the coup itself are still sketchy, leading to calls for an official Commission of Enquiry. Even the wikipedia entry is alarmingly thin. The bottom line is that 24 or 26 people died (depending on who you believe), and the person responsible is a free man.

• Depending on what you read, Xabi Alonso apparently took an EasyJet (!!) flight to Madrid this morning. The implication is that he is about to sign for Real Madrid. But apparently someone's girlfriend works with Alonso's wife who lives in San Sebastian, and claims that Xabi only went for a visit. This is what happens when you get your transfer news from a message board.

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic is good. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is NOT THAT good.

• The WICB/WIPA dispute in West Indies cricket has brought the subject of individual countries playing as ICC associate teams back to the forefront. I was firmly against this in the beginning, but now I can see a role for this format, provided that it fits within a larger development framework. For example, if hypothetical player Gifted A. Cricketer plays for the Barbados U-19s and shows some promise, should he go on to the Barbados ICC associate team, or the West Indies A team? (Pause for thought). The dispute is sad and embarrassing though. Hopefully the mediation currently taking place will lead to a long term solution. I'm not holding my breath.

• #springsteenlyrics still isn't a trending topic on Twitter. Yet.

• I really like "Remedy" by Little Boots.

The Michael Jackson follow-up post

It's been just over a week since Michael Jackson's passing, and I've been asked to write a follow-up to my previous post.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what I think. First of all, it's very sad that he died. And after seeing the photos and videos of his concert rehearsals, I can only speculate that he was on his way back to some level of success and normalcy. Most importantly however, recent events are bringing his music to the forefront again. If there is any positive side to all of this, it's that MJ had a full career behind him when he passed away. Not everyone was so lucky.

And with all the Michael Jackson music surrounding us last week, I'm adding some songs to my original list.

17) There Must Be More To Life Than This (with Freddie Mercury) - I'm not sure when this was recorded, but the two iconic voices in unison tingles the spine. I'm not really a fan of the song to be honest.

16) The way you make me feel - I didn't like this when it was released, but it's grown on me

15) Who is it - That opening bassline. Wow.

14) In the closet - At the risk of repeating myself: that bassline. Wow.

Don't call it a comeback

Yes, I know it's been a while. And yes, I know you're fed-up of seeing a post about Michael Jackson. But I'm back. With some design changes too! I still haven't decided exactly what I want to do here or what the point of this is. But I have 13 fans on Facebook and 155 followers on Twitter and I'll be damned if I allow myself to let them down!

So what has happened since we last spoke?

• Kate Winslet won an oscar. Richly deserved and globally predicted. But as a result, my infatuation with her has waned. If we can't talk about her lack of oscar success, what can we talk about? Titanic? I don't think so.

• I went to an insane Champions League match between Chelsea and Liverpool that finished 4-4, with Chelsea going through on away goals. It must have been great for a neutral, but I wouldn't know.

• Manchester United won the Premier League. Congratulations, but look over your shoulder next season...

• Twitter messed around with @ replies. I have to admit I was really upset on the day. Now I don't care that much.

• T&T hosted the Summit of the Americas. Barack Obama showed up and spoke. Evo Morales played football. One person signed a declaration. And a photo of Barack Obama and Brian Lara made it on to the front page of all three daily newspapers.

• I read and watched The Damned United. Look out for a review of the latter soon.

• 188bet announced shirt sponsorships of Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic. Uh, who the hell are 188bet? I noticed that Bolton are already wearing the new sponsor logo on their shirts.

• @NiceOneRob and I launched #springsteenlyrics Fridays on twitter. It hasn't exactly swept the online world yet, nor has it become a trending topic yet, but just wait until this Friday.

• Donald Peters, CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board, resigned. The West Indies hit a new low on the field. Chris Gayle said he would welcome the end of test cricket, then said he was misquoted.

• Stern John is clubless. I repeat, clubless. Dare I suggest him in a Liverpool shirt partnering El Nino up front? No? Ok. But I hope he finds a new club soon. AND scores many for T&T in the remaining World Cup Qualifiers

• I continue to get Scouting for Girls and Kings of Leon mixed up.

• This morning in the shower, I challenged myself to name as many tracks off Wilson Phillips' debut album as possible. I'm embarrassed to say how many I got right.

• The Central Line on the tube has been reliable (knock on wood). Even when a woman went into labour at St. Paul's station.

The highlights of Michael's Jackologue

Michael Jackson's comeback news conference was held today in London, and I have to admit I was surprised that he showed up at all. And I was even more surprised that he looked relatively normal (by his standards anyway), spoke sensibly (albeit briefly), and seemed healthy.

It made me think that maybe I haven't given MJ the respect that he deserves musically. I've been guilty of making fun of him, including referring to today's events as "Wacko Jacko's Comebacko." I have my own opinions on his non-music controversies, but that's for another time and forum. For now, I choose to rank my top 13 Michael Jackson songs, including songs that he collaborated on and wrote, but excluding the singles of The Jackson's and The Jackson 5. That's the beauty of having your own blog; you can set ridiculous criteria.

13) Lisa it's your birthday - An original composition from The Simpsons. Classic episode and good song

12) Dirty Diana - Raw emotion, and you can't possibly question the level of dirtiness of Diana, whomever she may be.

11) Thriller - Oooh, controversial. Yes, I did it. I shoved the number one single of all time down to number eleven in my list. Truth be told, the video was revolutionary, but the best part of the song was Vincent Price's interlude.

10) Somebody's Watching Me (credited only to Rockwell) - I once heard that Rockwell was Berry Gordy's son, and that was the only reason he had a hit single and was able to get Michael Jackson to contribute to the track. I don't know if that's true, and I don't care enough to google/wiki it, but it's a really catchy song ("I wonder who's watching me now, [who?!] the IRS?")

9) Jam - A video featuring Michael Jordan and a song featuring Heavy D (Were "The Boyz" with him? I'm not sure). Funky.

8) Human Nature - Fantastic. Honourable mention goes to SWV for their subsequent song/remake.

7) Beat It - I always wanted to walk in on a gang fight and start dancing and watch everyone in the gang join in. That will always be the dream, but for now I'll have to watch other people do it at the end of this video

6) Smooth Criminal - Everytime I try to lean that much, I fall down

5) We are the World (credited to USA for Africa) - I love this song and I'm not ashamed to say it. I love the fact that Dan Aykroyd was there and no one knows why. I love the fact that I can name all but two voices when I hear it (Damn you Al Jarreau and Kim Carnes). I love Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen's dueling lines at the end. But it's all thanks to Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie writing it.

4) Give in to me - With Slash on guitar, this is possibly the most underrated song in the Jackologue. Also, it's chronologically his last great song. After this, there was only crap like "You rock my world" and "You are not alone" which Michael Buble would later plaigiarise.

3) Wanna be Startin somethin - ("Mama-se, mama-sa, mama-coo-sa")

2) Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough - What the hell is he talking about in the beginning? Something about the force, and the force having a lot of power...anyway, then he says "woo!" and redeems himself

1) Billie Jean - Be honest. Whenever you step on a tile, part of you wants it to turn pink light up...

Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream

I deliberately waited a few weeks before reviewing "Working on a Dream," because I'd been told that it takes a few listens to get a full appreciation of the album. And it's true. I wasn't overwhelmed after my first listen, but there is some really great music here.

The tracks can be categorized as follows:

• Remarkable
• Really Good
• Filler
• What the...?

The final two tracks can definitely be classed as remarkable. "The Last Carnival" and "The Wrestler" are probably as good as anything Springsteen has done in the past. The former is a tribute to the late E-Street band member Danny Federici, and the latter is the theme song from the film of the same name (which I still haven't seen. Should I? Anyone?). Both tracks are emotional, gut-wrenching, and quality all the way through.

The really good songs include "What love can do," "Life Itself," and most notably "Good Eye" which sounds to me like a bluegrass/gospel combo. It's experimental, and it's great.

As for the "What the...?" category, "Outlaw Pete" and "Queen of the Supermarket" made me literally say out loud: "huh?" Outlaw Pete has grown on me, although I'm not sure it needs to be over eight minutes long. Queen of the Supermarket though...I'm sorry, I'm not a fan. Maybe it's the fact that I can't take any song with the word "supermarket" in it seriously. Or maybe it's that the title reminds me of that damn "I am in love with the McDonald's girl - she is an angel in a polyester uniform" song. Or perhaps I can't see Bruce Springsteen taking his groceries to his car. I'm not saying The Boss doesn't do the shopping every so often, but I don't really want to hear about it.

Overall, I like this album and have been listening to it repeatedly. I think Springsteen deserves credit for experimenting and branching out without sacrificing quality. To make a television analogy, this is more The Simpsons Season 9 than The Simpsons Season 13, ie. the idea of Seymour Skinner being an imposter is ridiculous, but it's still a good episode.

A Monday-copium of posts

• Congrats to the West Indies on their innings victory over England. I've seen many false dawns in West Indies cricket in the past ten years, so I'm cautiously jubilant. It's important to remember that in 1994 when England were bowled out for 46, they (England) bounced back to win the next test match. But it's a strange feeling to take pride in a West Indian performance, and to listen to "Rally round the West Indies" in happiness rather than as a spirit-lifting exercise.

• In case you missed it, Kate Winslet won the BAFTA for Best Actress last night to add to her Golden Globe. Bring on the Oscar.

• I saw some of the highlights of the Grammys, and I have a question for MIA; Why would you perform when you're 9 months pregnant? What are you trying to prove? Am I supposed to be impressed? I'm no expert on the health of unborn children, and I'm a firm believer that Ms. MIA can do what she wants. But I would have understood if she said "I'll attend, but I'd better not perform."

• I wrote a post a few months ago about Liverpool signing Robbie Keane for an enormous sum. I said that time will tell if it was a wise move or not. Well, time has told that it was an unmitigated disaster, and Keane is now back at Tottenham Hotspur. Rather than go on and on about it (hell, everyone else is), I choose to draw a line under it and celebrate the fact that Liverpool are still in with a chance at the Premier League title, and the Champions League. I am, however, concerned about the lack of depth in Liverpool's squad, especially up front: Kuyt, Babel, and N'gog all have a part to play, but none of them are really good enough to provide cover for Fernando Torres. I can't understand the thinking of keeping Krisztian Nemeth and Adam Hammill out on loan at other clubs (Andrei Voronin can stay on loan; NO problem with that at all). But 2nd in the league in early February...I can't complain. Much.