I saw This is it on Thursday.  I was a little hesitant to see this movie, because I knew how much of a bittersweet moment it would be.  Yes, we get to see a great performer in action, but at the same time, we will never get to see the final product.  But I saw it, and I loved it.  It was a wonderful way to cap off a bad day I had. 

Memorable Points

The spider from the Thriller sequence (and hearing the Threatened instrumental!).   I want that spider so bad.

Orianthi (Michael:  “I want to hear WAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”)

Him singing Speechless.  My jaw dropped when I heard it.  I later relayed to mom that he was singing songs from Invincible (she loves that album).

The chemistry between him and Judith Hill during I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. 

Just hearing his singing voice instead of the lip sync-a-thon that was the HIStory Tour.

This was not exploitation, this was celebration of a complex person who gave so much to a world that takes exceptional people for granted, then act shocked when they forever leave us.

Most of all, I’m glad to see a man who was happy and seemed to be living, not existing.

Dick Durock died at the age of 72.  This sucks.  If anything, I hope he lived a long full life.

(RIP) Aaliyah Are You That Somebody?  Remember when this song was all over the place?

One in a Million “Love it babe, love it babe, love it babe…”

Sarah McLachlan Building a Mystery “You’re so beautiful, a beautiful fucked up man…”

Sweet Surrender (The opening tune and chorus is perfect.)

Tori Amos God (The background vocal during “Why you always when the wind blows?” always gets me.)

I’ve been watching these videos over and over on youtube for the past week.  What is it about them that I like so much?  Is it the quiet sensuality of each song?  Or is it the strength?  All three of them approach love, relationships, and adultery in very strong ways. 

Meredith Brooks What Would Happen

Toni Braxton You’re Makin’ Me High

Sheryl Crow My Favorite Mistake

I talked to Jennifer Batten via Blog Talk Radio!  She provides a lot of great insight of being a touring guitarist for Michael Jackson

I’m the caller at 1:31 and I call again at the end of the show.   Behind the cut are highlights  for those who can’t listen.

1:31 I just want to say that it was surreal to hear her say my area code.   I could not believe this was happening.

1:41  As you can see, I’m really excited, and yes, my voice is really monotone, I know.

1:46 Total Fangirl Love

1:52 “So you’re the one that bought ‘em,” Okay, the reason why I didn’t laugh along was that I misheard her.  I thought she said “So you’re on the bottom,” which left me confused.  When the show was archived, I checked to see what she meant and here is the actual quote.

Starting 2:09 I ask her what kind of artists she would like to work with

Starting 3:28 I ask her about coming down to my neck of the woods, and she did, but it did not go smoothly.

Starting 4:40 These questions were based an early entry I made about Jennifer during her touring days with MJ and  some curious thoughts I had from watching her perform with him on youtube.  According to her, it was the choreographer’s idea to have her rip open his shirt during Dirty Diana from the Bad Tour  and the balancing act during Beat it from the History Tour.  I forgot to say this to her, but I always thought it funny if MJ guided her through that during a rehearsal.

Starting 7:21 “Indirect influence”  What I meant was, when I started playing guitar, I didn’t directly think of her.  It was more subconscious.  My guitar playing is acoustic with traditional bluegrass and pop standards. 

Starting 8:28 HIStory Tour outfit not her favorite.  I try to console her by saying that all the dancers looked like freaks (and I mean that in the kindest sense).  She talks about wearing the outfits in Japan.

Starting 9:27 “Do you still have the tour outfits?” She kept them after the tour. 

10:19 Wardrobe People did not wash their costumes!

54:51 to the end- I call again, just to ask about Robert Plant watching Michael Jackson , Lisa Marie Presley calling Jennifer “contraversial”, and telling her upload her book onto Kindle.  She asks which kind is the best, and I say Kindle 2, but be weary about the Text to Speech.

Finished up a class….

Will plan to post a review of albums by Rockapella and Jennifer Batten…

My parents now have a milkman…

There was a bunny in my dad’s garden (a burrowed hole underneath the gate shows a clue to his access and you can find him on Flickr)

smoothcriminal, originally uploaded by smooth-criminal.

I hope you found peace from an unforgiving world.  And thank you for giving the world Jennifer Batten.

More information will be found at http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson/index.html , where I’ve been watching since I first got online and heard the story.

I’m going to listen to all his albums now.  I’ve been a fan since the Dangerous era (I know, awful time to start) and have continued to listen to all his music from his solo period.

Wow, I remember watching the premiere of the Black or White video and wearing the Hell out of Dangerous and Thriller.

Here’s an amazing clip of Billie Jean from the Dangerous Tour in Munich.  Check out 6:03-6:09!  Pure Magic 

Smooth Criminal from the HIStory Tour in Munich.

Stranger in Moscow from the HIStory Tour in Amsterdam.  0:21-0:33 is sublime.

SIM in Kuala Lampur

Final one from Gothenburg.  Pay attention to his feet from 1:10-1:15 and I guarentee you that you will be in awe.

And RIP Farrah Fawcett.  While I never followed her career, it’s awful for someone to lose a battle to cancer. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090625/ap_on_en_tv/us_obit_fawcett

I finally saw the Phantom of the Opera live with Tim Martin Gleason as the Phantom.  It was even more beautiful than I expected. 

Hugh Panaro and John Owen Jones, my two favorite phantoms.   Hugh was the sexy, dirty, and playful Phantom (See his version of Music of the Night?  Total tease) I mean, that smug look he has when after pulling Christine in for a kiss and faking her out.  Especially when he moves his hands down his body while he sings “Softly, deftly, music shall caress you, hear it, feel it, secretly possess you,”  Simply dirty.

 John was the sublime Phantom.  During his version of Music of the Night, his “Soar” leaves me speechless.   In my opinion, there is no middle ground when you sing that part, you either fail or succeed, and John succeeds. 

Yes, and Tim Martin Gleason succeeded in that part.  Trista Moldovan was very good too.

The big present was that my parents got me a kindle, and it’s awesome.