Filed under: News, Random Thoughts | Tags: 80's, Bad, Michael Jackson, music
Picture it: 1987. A cute (albeit slightly hammy) five-year-old decides to entertain her family with an impromptu concert. Wearing her very best homemade tie-dyed t-shirt and buffing her tap shoes to a high-gloss shine, she hauls her boombox into the family room. After rewinding and fast forwarding (and rewinding and fast forwarding) to the precise moment of her favorite song, she climbs onto the fireplace hearth and assumes her dramatic opening stance: one hand on hip, head bowed, blonde pigtails pointing toward her feet. As the music begins, the little girl taps her foot and alternates shoulder rolls to the intro beat. Slowly lifting her head as the first verse approaches, she points at her audience and belts out emphatically, “Your butt is mine, gonna take you right [. . .] because I’m bad, I’m bad, SHAMU!”
While roars of laughter ensued from her family, the lyric made perfect sense to the child. After all, Shamu was one bad-ass whale.
* * *
I was a child of the 80’s, and I loved Michael Jackson. His “Thriller” and “Bad” albums ranked as top contenders in my mother’s car cassette tape rotation, right up there with Elton John’s “Too Low For Zero” and Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer.” I remember singing along with her, usually belting out my own version of the lyrics, whenever we were out together. Those are moments I will never forget.
As I grew a few years older, I remember being impressed by the messages in many of Michael Jackson’s albums. From songs such as “We Are the World” and “Man in the Mirror” to “Black or White,” and even parts of “Bad,” Jackson interwove catchy pop tracks with empowering lyrics. He actively promoted the idea that individuals have the ability to affect change in the world. Jackson’s humanitarian motivation spoke to people, especially to a generation often haunted by a label of apathy.
The world lost a legend in the passing of Michael Jackson. Despite any personal demons or controversy in his later years, Jackson’s influence on the music industry has been enormous. His music transcended boundaries and his contributions to the fabric of our pop culture are incontrovertible.
All that aside, Michael Jackson will remain at the forefront of my childhood memories as the larger-than-life guy with the glittery glove, other-worldly dance moves, and a really cool killer whale song. To me, he was, and always will be a fascinating entertainer.
Rest in Peace, Michael.
Filed under: PSA | Tags: cancer for college, charity, good causes, jimmy fallon, will ferrell
Before you reach for that bottle of “guaranteed to bake you like a Thanksgiving turkey” single-digit tanning lotion this summer, consider going “veal” with Will Ferrell’s new line of SPF-30 sunscreen. That’s right, kids, you too can achieve Will’s enviable pasty-white physique with varieties such as “Sunstroke,” “Sexy Hot Tan,” and “Forbidden Fruit.”
The best part? 100% of sale proceeds benefit Cancer for College, a charity that provides scholarships for current and former cancer patients. Protect your skin, block out those harmful rays, and support a really great cause.
Ricky-Bobby tested, Mugatu approved.
[Try as I might, WordPress doesn't support NBC's flash-based video embedding, so click here to check out Will talking about the sunscreen on last night's Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.]
It’s no secret that I like music. In fact, “like” is probably entirely too weak a word, unless it’s considered in the context of how my dog “likes” the fake peanut butter mousse that we squirt into her kong toy. I’m ravenous for it.
What most people don’t know is that I’m a classically trained pianist. I started playing at 4 years old, and took lessons from 5 – 17. I thought about applying to a music college, but ultimately decided to explore other interests. On occasion, when my lonely-looking piano stared me down on college breaks, my conscience got the best of me and I tickled the ivories for a few nostalgic notes. Eventually, the lack of practice showed and I became discouraged. It’s been the better part of a decade since I put the foot to the pedal for any kind of serious study.
Giving up the piano is something I’ve regretted to a degree, no more so than a few weeks ago when a rather obnoxious busybody straightforward acquaintance introduced me to a group of people at a cocktail party as, “The girl I told you about who threw away all of her talent when she went to college.” Aside from a nagging desire to deliver said acquaintance a healthy dose of “shut the hell up,” her bluntness was exactly the kick in the rear end I needed.
I’ve since started playing again with some degree of seriousness, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I am no where near the level of proficiency I achieved in my adolescence, but (I hope) with some hard work and determination, I’ll make it back there. In an effort to chronicle my progress, below is a short sample of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” recorded this evening. Seeing as I haven’t played this particular piece since I was a mere Sweet 16, it’s very, very rusty. Dynamics, tempo, and timing are off and there are quite a few wrong notes. But, it’s a starting point. Everyone’s got to start somewhere, right?
Yes, kids, I realize that I’ve been MIA from the blogosphere for the past month. I wish I had some sort of exotic and exciting reason for not posting (like, say, a trip to an island, complete with fruity drinks, superfluous paper umbrellas, and the enticing scent of coconut tanning lotion); but alas, I’ve been a slave to an array of banal commitments. C’est la vie.
The only remotely tropical aroma that’s come in contact with my nostrils has been that of a co-worker’s low-cal pineapple chicken entree wafting over from a community microwave. Unfortunately, the smell (and sight) of spongy chicken matter and frozen pineapple mush doesn’t do much to fight the doldrums, let alone tempt the appetite. On the upside, one whiff and I lost a few pounds.
Apparently, our local police blotter is the new podium for social commentary:
A number of people were found to have active warrants following traffic stops, including a 25-year-old driver, who was stopped for driving with front windows tinted in finest hoodlum style on March 28.
Note to self: cancel window tinting appointment.
Filed under: Random Thoughts
On va-cay. Back next week. In the meantime, check the twitter feed for updates.
Enjoy all of those sugary goodies the Easter bunny left, but try to go easy on the Peeps. One too many and they just might break into this little ditty.
Elvis has left the building.
It seems that it isn’t Lent unless I’m wished a “happy” Good Friday by at least one person. Last year, it was my hair stylist. This year, it was the checkout lady at the grocery store.
Thanks, I guess.
I’m sure those who offer the salutation do so with good intentions, but placing the word “happy” in front of “Good Friday” has never made much sense to me. We’re talking about the day Christ was crucified and died. It’s the most somber day of the Christian calendar. Easter is a joyful occasion, but Good Friday? Not so much.
I suppose I should be grateful that I didn’t wake up this morning to find a celebratory e-card in my Inbox, as I did a few years ago. The animated greeting featured baby chickens boogying down with their bad selves in front of a flashing “Happy Good Friday” banner. Apparently, nothing says “disco” like crucifixion.
New today: Twitter functionality on the blog. It’s kind of like Dicta Blog on a recession budget; my usual verbosity in neat little packages of 140 words or less. Check it out via the “Tweet Me” feed over in the sidebar, or by visiting http://twitter.com/dictablog.
Filed under: News, Politics, Random Thoughts | Tags: News, Politics, word cloud
It’s no secret that CNN has a penchant for utilizing flashy new technologies in its live political coverage. Ever since the footless hologram beamed in on election night, the producers have been on a chronic pursuit to trump their competition with the “wow” factor.
In some respects, I don’t blame them. When you have the confidence to name yourself “The Best Political Team on Television,” the coverage had better not disappoint. Otherwise, Wolf Blitzer might have to find a new tag-line to regurgitate at every possible turn.
Still, CNN and I seem to have a difference of opinion these days on what constitutes good coverage. I like technology just as much as the next person. I also believe that employing “new” just for the sake of “newness” serves no valuable purpose. Case in point: last night’s debut of the “word cloud” following Obama’s prime time press conference.
Wolf Blitzer and John King unveiled the “cloud” as a colorful, albeit visually confusing, post-game tool to illustrate word-usage frequency. The bigger the font size, the more times the word had been spoken during the press conference. It wasn’t the first time CNN played the counting game with presidential remarks, but it was the first time they employed a visual aid to do so.
Too bad most of the collage was indiscernible, and those words that we could read proved meaningless. Thanks to CNN, I did learn that the most oft-spoken word of the night was “going.” As in, “I’m going to have a brain hemorrhage if CNN continues to utilize these inane technologies.” Wouldn’t it have been better to devote that wasted airtime to further analysis of what the President’s words actually meant rather than how many times they occurred?
Maybe I was just cranky last night because the press conference preempted American Idol for the second time this season. Or, maybe CNN should consider giving viewers a little more credit and stop trying to dazzle us with pointless fluff. Toddlers may “ooh” and “aah” at pretty colors, but I don’t. Not all of the time, at least.
