Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson
I wanted to share this link with all of you. It's an article about Elizabeth Taylor's home in Bel Air. It was featured in the July/2011 issue of Architectural Digest. They were apparently doing the work on the article when she passed away in March. Elizabeth Taylor will be featured in my next update along with her home.
Michael Jackson:
'I Feel ... Very Young' at 50
Speaks exclusively to "Good Morning America" about his past, future, dreams for his children
He first became a star as a young boy, but as he turns 50, Michael Jackson told "Good Morning America" in an exclusive interview that he's "having a wonderful time, just relaxing."
Speaking by phone from his home in California, at times so softly he was barely audible, Jackson said he was listening to James Brown and preparing for his 50th birthday Friday, when he will "just have a little cake with my children and we'll probably watch some cartoons" - before he gets right back to work.
Does turning 50 mean he now has an AARP card?
"Not that I know of!" Jackson said, laughing.
He said he still can do all his famous dance moves and "more."
"I feel very wise and sage, but at the same time very young," he said.
Reflecting back, Jackson said the happiest time in his life was probably when he was recording his hit solo albums "Thriller," released in 1982, and "Off the Wall," released in 1979. Those albums - which were accompanied by a string of hit singles and videos and corresponded with the 1983 debut of his signature dance, the "moonwalk" - propelled him to the height of his stardom.
"That meant very much to me and seemed to be received so beautifully by the public and the world," he said. "I enjoyed it very much."
Asked to pick a single song as his greatest achievement, Jackson went back to the same period.
"Oh boy, that's a hard one," he said, before singling out "We Are the World," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller."
But Jackson was not content to rest on his laurels, saying, "I am still looking forward to doing a lot of great things."
He hopes to release new music and tour, though he doesn't have dates set.
"I am writing all the time," he said. "I love composing and the whole thing. But I am also raising my children and enjoying it and teaching them to ride bicycles and how to read. I love it."
Music and Fame
He said he hopes to "be myself" in his future work, but also that he is "inspired by many great artists," noting he wished he could have worked with Brown or Fred Astaire.
He sees his influence in some of today's artists, specifically mentioning Chris Brown.
He said he sacrificed his childhood with "a lot of hard work," and that he remembers "giving up your life for the medium."
But he'd do it all again.
"I think I would," he said. "It is very much worth it. I have always loved show business and have always enjoyed making people happy through that medium. I love the celebration of music and dance and art. I just love it."
Asked if he'd like his two sons and daughter to have the same sort of upbringing as him, he said he'd prefer to let them "enjoy their childhood as much as possible."
"I let them go to the arcade and go to the movies and do things," he said. "I want them to get to do the kind of things I didn't get to do. So, I fill them with a lot of enjoyment that way - a lot of amusement. You know?
"I get pretty emotional when I see them having a wonderful time," he added, "when they are on a ride and they are screaming and they are happy. ... It makes me emotional, 'cause I see they are having a real good time."
Jackson said his kids "love music ... they are very much into the arts," but that, "I don't push them."
If he could go back and give himself some advice at age 9 or 10, the approximate age of his oldest children, he would advise himself, "if you are going to do it, commit yourself, know your craft and be really involved." He'd say to be strong and to have "rhinoceros skin" when it comes to dealing with the pressures of fame.
Born Aug. 29, 1958, in gritty Gary, Ind., Jackson rose to fame as the youngest member of the brother act, The Jackson 5. The group released its first single on the Motown label in 1969, when Jackson was 11 years old, and enjoyed a string of hits in the early 1970s.
Makes Me Happy
One of my readers on the MJ Forum said this song reminded her of my latest update to Chapter Seven--picture Annie and Michael laying in bed. Thanks SweetSmoothCriminal!
One More Chance
FEBRUARY 11, 2012
By Scrantonmjfan
FEBRUARY 11, 2012
Hello to all the One More Chance readers! I know that you have all been wondering where the heck I have disappeared to. The good news is I am still here and I am still attempting to finish One More Chance. I think that the Conrad Murray Trial really took a toll on my psyche. Hearing some of what came out of that trial concerning the state of mind that Michael was in...it hit me hard and I had trouble writing during that period and directly after it. I have been slowly making a comeback though. Especially in the last weeks or so some of the excitement and joy of writing this story has returned to me and I believe I have finished a worthy update for all of you, my beautiful readers. So first off let me say yet again, to all of my loyal and long time readers, I love all of you and I want to thank you for your loyalty and support. I promise you the story is continuing on till the end and I appreciate your patience immensely.
As I stated before--the plan is still to write updates for the months leading up to the birth of Baby Jackson. So in keeping with this plan, I will present to you today, Saturday, February 11, 2012--October. So that leaves us November and December which will detail the actual birth of Baby Jackson.
In October, a new nursery is being built and Annie and Michael move down the hall temporarily...their first night there is very special and after sharing their love for one another they have a rather interesting discussion regarding the word LOVE and .....the possibility of more children?
Annie is struggling with her writer choice for her children's book. She seeks Michael's advice and afterwards a choice is finally made and we are introduced to Annie's writer.
Michael has an interesting call from Frank Dileo regarding Michael's brother Jermaine. And I end this part with Michael and Annie and the kids attending a Halloween Party.
I hope that you enjoy it. Please comment....I do so enjoy reading your comments. I will return in the upcoming days to give you a hint as to what to expect in the November update. Which by the way I have not started to write yet..please I ask you to continue being patient with me!
As I stated before--the plan is still to write updates for the months leading up to the birth of Baby Jackson. So in keeping with this plan, I will present to you today, Saturday, February 11, 2012--October. So that leaves us November and December which will detail the actual birth of Baby Jackson.
In October, a new nursery is being built and Annie and Michael move down the hall temporarily...their first night there is very special and after sharing their love for one another they have a rather interesting discussion regarding the word LOVE and .....the possibility of more children?
Annie is struggling with her writer choice for her children's book. She seeks Michael's advice and afterwards a choice is finally made and we are introduced to Annie's writer.
Michael has an interesting call from Frank Dileo regarding Michael's brother Jermaine. And I end this part with Michael and Annie and the kids attending a Halloween Party.
I hope that you enjoy it. Please comment....I do so enjoy reading your comments. I will return in the upcoming days to give you a hint as to what to expect in the November update. Which by the way I have not started to write yet..please I ask you to continue being patient with me!
Filming of One More Chance
On Monday 17th November 2003 a crowd of extras waited in a holding area at the CMX studio. They knew they were there for a music video, but that was all they knew. "We auditioned on the Friday and knew we were going to shoot at the soundstage on Monday," says Ken Yesh, one of the extras chosen for the shoot. "We went the entire weekend wondering who the video was for. Then, when we got there, we signed some papers and on the back page it said 'Michael Jackson, One More Chance, Sony Productions'. We all just flipped."
"That right there was such a moment," says fellow extra Juliette Myers. "As we were going down the line we were cheering because wow, you know, what an iconic moment. We were going to be a part of something that's history."
"It was like electricity through the air," adds Stephen McClelland. "Everybody was getting really excited."
"We weren't even prepared for him to come out," says Juliette Myers. "We were standing in the bleachers and I was talking to somebody and all of a sudden I heard cheering. I looked up and he was just there. It's weird how you don't even realize how powerful he is until he's there. It's like a presence. I couldn't stop screaming. I tried to be professional but that didn't work. We were all screaming our heads off. But he let us have our time. I'm sure he knew that he was going to have fans so he gave us time to just embrace him and then we got to work."
Michael Jackson's Dance Moves: Inimitable
"I think they told us he wasn't going to be there because they wanted to see our responses on film when he started dancing," says Ken Yesh, "because when he first came in, it wasn't five minutes and he jumped right into it. He started going into the sequences, walking through the tables at the nightclub, going up to the stage, singing, jumping onto the tables and onto the chairs - and I was looking at everyone else and their faces were like mine. It was just disbelief."
"It was amazing," recalls Juliette Myers. "Part of our reaction was supposed to be shock and awe, but it was real. We were just like 'Oh my gosh, he's here. This is him in real life. He's right in front of us'. It was so easy to be happy and to have the wondrous looks in our eyes. He did a move standing on a table right in front of us and it was like, 'Wow. There it is. This is what we grew up with'. It made that reaction and that moment real."
"They had genuine surprise on everyone's face," says Ken Yesh. "Everyone had a permanent smile across their face. They couldn't believe it. I think we all understood what it meant. We were in the presence of one of the best entertainers ever on the face of the earth. I mean, who has the chance to do something like that?"
"It was like seeing Elvis perform live, or the Beatles," agrees Steve McClelland. "You've got a legend in front of you performing. It was magical. All those rumors about him being past it were, I believe after seeing him, completely unfounded. He was still perfectly capable. He was truly magic. Truly blessed."
Each time Jackson finished the routine, shooting would pause while the crew fixed the set for continuity; in each performance Jackson would kick lamps and wine glasses off of the nightclub tables. Between takes Jackson would interact occasionally with the extras, says Stephen McClelland.
Mostly, though, Jackson kept to himself. "He was kind of separate," says Juliette Myers. "I think he was just really shy. I remember there was direction that he was very shy so they didn't want us to look directly in his face."
"I was extremely surprised at how humble he was," adds Ken Yesh. "But when the camera started rolling and the music was on, it was like electricity. The guy was completely amazing. He would do the same dance sequence five or six times, flawlessly."
"Michael was soft spoken and kept to himself," confirms a crew member. "But when the cameras started rolling he just became Michael Jackson instantaneously. The moves and the walking and everything, it was just Michael Jackson through and through. It was amazing. I remember him jumping up on a table and doing a spin at one point and his hands went up in the air and it was just 100% pure Michael Jackson. I'll never forget that memory."
After performing the routine five or six times across roughly three hours, Michael Jackson made his exit. "He was really sweet with all the extras," says a crew member. "When he was leaving he said a great big goodbye to them and thanked them for all their hard work. He was such a gentleman."
"He didn't just scurry out," says Juliette Myers. "He respectfully said thank you. I don't even know what he was thanking us for, though." She laughs. "He was the star. We were just backdrop."
Jackson was scheduled to return the following day to film frontal shots and close-ups. "Our intention was to shoot from behind Michael towards the audience and then, to save money on all the audience members, the following day we would flip around and shoot Michael's close-ups," says a crew member. "So pretty much everything we got on the first day was head to toe and shot either in profile or from behind, with the audience in the background."
The day's rushes showed Jackson on good form, leaping energetically from table to table, running around the club and looking genuinely happy as he high-fived the crowd. He paid subtle homage to older videos; a shot in which he pulled his jacket down over his shoulders before the excited audience was reminiscent of the Dirty Diana music video while his kicking the table decorations as he danced called to mind his controversial short film for Black or White.
At the end of each take Jackson had nodded and bowed to the audience, turned his back on the stage - an enormous grin on his face - and walked out of frame. This shot would serve as the end of the music video and the moment was loaded with connotations."
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