Friday, June 26, 2009
R.I.P. MICHAEL JACKSON
R.I.P. our beloved King of Pop...MICHAEL JACKSON
Here are a few photos from Jackson's very last rehearsal session:
Taken from Wikipedia...
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1969, and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Self-proclaimed as the "King of Pop"[2] in subsequent years, his 1982 Thriller is the world's best-selling record of all time[3] and four other solo studio albums are also among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—widely credited with transforming the music video from a promotional tool into an art form—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.
Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundation, charity singles and support of 39 charities. Other aspects of his personal life, including his changing appearance and behavior, generated significant controversy, damaging his public image. Though he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. The singer had experienced health concerns since the early 1990s and conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances since the late 1990s. Jackson married twice and fathered three children, all of which caused further controversy. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era and the sale of 750 million records worldwide.[4] Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.
I love his music... personally, this will effect my mentally handicapped brother as he is one of Michael's #1 fans...
Here are a few photos from Jackson's very last rehearsal session:
Taken from Wikipedia...
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1969, and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Self-proclaimed as the "King of Pop"[2] in subsequent years, his 1982 Thriller is the world's best-selling record of all time[3] and four other solo studio albums are also among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—widely credited with transforming the music video from a promotional tool into an art form—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.
Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundation, charity singles and support of 39 charities. Other aspects of his personal life, including his changing appearance and behavior, generated significant controversy, damaging his public image. Though he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. The singer had experienced health concerns since the early 1990s and conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances since the late 1990s. Jackson married twice and fathered three children, all of which caused further controversy. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era and the sale of 750 million records worldwide.[4] Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.
I love his music... personally, this will effect my mentally handicapped brother as he is one of Michael's #1 fans...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Iran's Fight for Freedom
We sometimes forget how lucky we are to live in a democracy and I think we often take our freedoms for granted. Unfortunately, not all countries run like ours, and not all people have the freedom to say what they think, wear what they want, choose their religion. I don't tend to get into politics that much and I'm a total workaholic, so I'm always busy, but I try to keep up on the news (Twitter helps!) and I even received an e-mail from an Iranian-American fan who wanted to spread awareness of what's going on in Iran. As an Armenian-American, I definitely feel this is something that should be addressed.
If you've seen any of the shocking videos online of the police violence against the protesters (I've seen pics but I can't bring myself to watch the videos) you've seen how the Iranian people are protesting for what they believe in, fighting for their freedoms and being brutally punished and attacked for it by police. This kind of violence against innocent civilians is sickening. President Obama said he was appalled by what was going on and honestly, how can you not be?! Shima, my fan who e-mailed me, said that the Iranian government is bringing in officers from outside of Iran to silence the protesters because Iran's own guards are refusing to hurt their own people. I admire these Iranian guards for standing up for themselves, and I admire the Iranian people for fighting for their freedoms.
Some people think we shouldn't meddle with other country's politics, but I don't think it's about enforcing our own beliefs on them, it's about helping people fight for what they want for their own country. In our country protests and demonstrations happen everyday, peacefully. We are ssooo lucky to have the right to speak up for ourselves and for what we believe in. I just hope the people or Iran will some day soon have the right to do the same.
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