The King of Pop

Note: I'll have to put pictures with this later...

I'm writing this for me more than anything else. When I heard Michael Jackson had died yesterday, I have felt strange about it ever since. My name is Michael Jackson, and I always hated being called that because of the laughter that would follow in the classroom. His name during that time was more tied to child molestation charges than anything else. I say this just to point out that Michael Jackson has always occupied a strange place in my brain - on one hand I hated hearing his name, and on the other, I was absolutely mesmerized by him when he would perform. Whenever there is a video of his on tv, I'll stop whatever I'm doing and watch it. If they show that 30-year tribute thing on vh1, I'm hooked for the whole three hours. Even that second rate movie about the Jackson 5 will get me to watch. When it somes to music, there's three levels for me: here and now; transcending genius; and in their own category with no comparison. Michael Jackson is the third one. There is no one as good as he is at performing a song. I can't imagine anyone ever surpassing him.
Because you can read these kinds of things above elsewhere from real writers, I'll just tell some personal stories of Michael Jackson that I think illustrate what he is.

I was a freshman in college and my friends and I had discovered the art of cd making. I was the one in our house who was the best at it, though. I know about how the order you put your compilation in can affect the enjoyment, I have an ear for songs that I'll tire of quickly, etc. Well, we had a pretty opinionated buddy come over and was making an 80's cd. He had all the regulars on there like Bruce Springsteen, Prince, and Poison. He had put Thriller on his cd and was asking for a few more songs to round out the mix. I took a look and said, "How well do you know Michael Jackson?" And he said not really that well. I suggested he put Smooth Criminal on there. He, being opinonated told me that it would probably suck. I then downloaded it off napster and made him listen to it. If you're familiar with the song, you know that it starts strong and then just rises to a level unlike anything else in music right around the first chorus, like a shuttle into orbit, it never comes back down. So the opening beat comes on, and he's snarky and smirking and waiting for this waste of his time to end. Then that part of the song comes, "Annie are you ok? (BOOM) Will you tell us (BOOM) that you're ok?...(BOOM)" I watch his face change. He skips the "this might be alright" and goes right to "Holy Crap, this could be my favorite song of all time!" Keep in mind that this is without watching the video which would have probably left him catatonic it's so good. When the song finished, he asked me to make him a Michael Jackson only cd. And to this day, when I see him (about once a year), he brings this song up to me.

Another one of my favorite MJ stories is from when I was about 13, and the world is all about fitting in and not being discovered by the cool kids as a fraud, I spent an entire weekend in my room listening to Thriller again. I loved it when I was younger, and I just got the urge to hear it like you crave a food or something. Round about Sunday afternoon, my sister comes in my room and wants me to go play basketball with her (that is to say, she wanted someone to beat and knew that I would lose to her...and then probably burst into tears). I said no, I was good. And she said, "Are you still listening to that?" and to convince me to come play ball, she said, "I wonder what your friends at school are going to say about you spending all weekend listening to this." I was flabergasted for a moment and then said, "I don't think I can be friends with anyone who doesn't like this anyway." It's one of the few times at that age that I would've been ok with the "in crowd" being in opposition to one of my tastes. Little did I know that they were opposition with most of my tastes, but not MJ music.

It's not really a story, but my favorite memories of road trips in college with my buddies involve being about a half hour outside of wherever we're trying to get to and just blaring Man in the Mirror and loving it.

There are other stories, but those are the ones that mean something to me. Let's not forget what weird man this was. He was very bizarre. But who made him that way? His abusive father has him rehearsing 14 hours a day, and beats him when he doesn't get it right. His mother is a Jehova's Witness, and all I'm saying about that is that it creates an even wider divide between you and all the rest of the kids in the neighborhood. He was in front of a camera since the age of 5. His father constantly berated him about his nose being too big. I mean, of course he's going to turn into a freak show.
But let me say this, and everyone already kind of knows it: The man had some kind of a switch inside of him that he could flick. Watch an interview with him and you hear a quiet, mild, woman speaking. But when he would walk on a stage and the lights would go up and the beat would start, he turned into an absolute killer. He was so charismatic and dynamic that even the most masculine, hard nosed men would end up sqealing alongside the 12 year old girls.
Do yourself a favor and watch the clip of Michael Jackson walking out of the courthouse in California in 2005. He's almost hobbling to the car. He's drained and getting older. He's a shell of himself now. There's a group of fans there supporting him that start cheering for him as he limps to the car. Then someone (I guess in his entourage) turns on one of his tracks loud so everyone can hear. All of a sudden, he leaps up on top of the car and starts dancing. It was one of the weirdest things I had ever seen, and I thought it was so cool. He'd flipped that switch right before my eyes.
To be honest, I don't even want to know about the private life. He remains the #1 artist I would want to see in concert in their prime. The Beatles, Elvis, Led Z, nope.

Just give me a copy of HIStory and a pair of heaphones. Here's to the king!

Part III - Movies

We're back with the desert island category of movies.  Most everyone can figure this much out about me:  I love mob movies, I love buddy comedies, and I love great movie speeches.  So, I think what we should do here is break it down by genre and then more specific categories that I deem relevant...afterall, maybe 5 people read this thing anyway, so who am I really leaving out by tailoring it to stuff I like.  Away we go:

Westerns:  This is a good place to start because there's not much of a debate going on in my mind.  There's the pick and then everything else.  Admittedly, I am not a scholar in the old school, John Wayne westerns (I've seen maybe 3), and as much as I love Butch and Sundance, I'm going with William Munny on this one.  Eastwood just tears the cover off the ball with this movie.  It's got everything: struggle against self, great dialogue, and most importantly it's got a climactic scene where the guy walks into the bar to kill the man that shot his buddy down.  Just an awesome movie on so many levels.

The pick:  Unforgiven

Indie Film:  Once again, this one wins in a walk.  Garden State didn't age well in my opinion, but I will say that I like that movie a lot.  Great soundtrack, quotable, etc. Reservoir Dogs was an awesome movie, but it doesn't feel as "indie" to me because it had some established stars in it.  Plus, it seems more the rough draft for Tarantino before Pulp Fiction.  When you think about an indie film, a guy making a movie happen from scratch and bringing his friends along for the ride, launching the star into stardom (albeit years later), it's all about this pick.  Quotable, re-watchable, a few iconic moments.  Plus, when Vince Vaughn is on his game, nothing trumps it.

The pick:  Swingers 

Comedy:  Ok, now we have a debate.  I just need to make picks in subcategories first:

-Made me laugh the hardest scene: dinner scene in The Nutty Professor

-Made me laugh the hardest from start to finish the first time I saw it: Wedding Crashers

-Most quotable:  Dumb and Dumber edges Lebowski by an eyelash

-British comedy: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

-Mockumentary:  Best in Show

But the best mix of everything, the one that stays the freshest over the years, the one that immediately makes you friends with someone when you tell them you love it:

The pick: The Big Lebowski 

Sports Movie:  No debate here.  And the reason is that sports movies are all the same now.  I don't understand how there are so many smart people in the world and no one has figured out how to make a good sports movie anymore.  I think it can all be traced back to the fact that there just aren't many actors that are both athletic and good at acting too.  Kevin Costner cornered the market here for years (and that's the best we can do?!).  Note: I don't really consider Rocky a sports movie because there's only one fight and it is only 5 minutes of the movie.  Note II: I just remembered how good The Natural is, but still...

The pick:  Hoosiers

Musicals:  not really, I'm just kidding.

Action Movie:  It's all about what you like here.  Rather than list all the good and bad, I'll get right to it.  All star cast, great story, great acting, re-watchable, one of the all time great scenes near the end.  And yet some people forget about this movie:

The pick:  Heat

High School Movie:

Lots of people like lots of things.  I'll go with the one that I've seen a million times and could see a million more:

The pick:  Dazed and Confused

Courtroom Drama:

With respect to all the ones that came before and after this one, I like great performances, and Edward Norton was off the charts in

The pick:  Primal Fear  

Thriller:  A lot of good ones in this category, but for brevity's sake I'll get right to it.  This one features the most electrifying 16 minute Oscar winning performance ever.  Also, it is the last movie to win Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress.  Strong.

The pick:  The Silence of the Lambs

Drama (ok, let's call it what it is for me)

Mafia movie: This will be its own post one day, I don't feel I can devote the right amount of time to this, but here goes.

Let me say this to begin with, I know you're not a mob movie fan if you tell me that your favorite is Scarface.  That's crap.  As far as this genre goes, that one plays like a music video.  I'll tell you what it's like...it's like a Will Ferrell movie is now.  One guy carrying it as far as he can and by the end, he's given out.  You have to have a good team to make a movie and this one had a crappy job on everything except the starring role.

People forget about Donny Brasco, but it is WAY better than this movie, and it has Johnny Depp rocking the Fed role.  

Now...

As good as Goodfellas is, it suffers in these ways for me (for you): 

1.  It doesn't have Marlon Brando or Al Pacino

2. The ending seems a little abrupt to me.  In fact once he sells out, I can turn it off usually.  You shouldn't ever feel that way about a desert island pick, you should be captivated til the last second.

Goodfellas is great, just not the top spot(s).  I actually find Casino to be more re-watchable.  The Departed is not aging as well as I'd hoped, but it's still great.

So the question is, Godfather I or II.  It's tough, but it comes down to this: one has the greatest actor ever, and the other doesn't.  Marlon Brando is simply the best to ever stand in front of a camera.  Al Pacino was better in the second one, but he's still awesome in part I.  If you threw out all these subcategories and just said I could only take one movie, it would be...

the pick:  The Godfather part I

  

I'm drained I can't go any further.  I left out War movie - Saving Private Ryan, Love Story - Jerry Maguire, 80s movie - Top Gun, gotta stop, movie without a category - Fight Club, I've done too many categories...This is my albatross!

Part II - TV

In the last post, we talked about the concept of taking just one of something to the desert island.  In that case, it was music.  Since I alluded to TV series' though, let's go ahead and address that as the next category:

Drama:  This is tough.  We've got The Sopranos with the longest run and the subject matter that I gravitate to the most - the mob.  We've got The Wire that has been so good that I accost people at parties that say they haven't watched it and don't plan to (and I would highly recommend Mad Men Season 1).  But I have to go with the series that I was captivated by from the beginning, and that has still not finished.  From a re-watchability standpoint, it is so deep that it can't be ignored.  It also fits with the Desert Island idea quite nicely.  

The pick:  Lost

Comedy:  Not as tough.  If I was going for nostalgia, it would be The Andy Griffith Show in a walk.  But seeing as how I can remember each of those episodes frame by frame anyway, I'll leave it behind.  I love The Office, but it has had some weak spots and not nearly the re-watchable powerhouse that Seinfeld is.  Also Michael Scott is no George Costanza.

The Pick: Seinfeld (although it should be said that I've not watched much of Arrested Development or 30 Rock yet and people are swearing by it).

Teen Soap:  For me (for you), this category is 90210 vs The OC (this very subject is one of the more memorable mailbags from Bill Simmons).  I don't watch the current stuff that Dana likes (and if we can get her to post, she'll have a more educated opinion on this).  Between those two, I would rather watch The OC - blasphemy I know, but I'm honest if nothing else.

But I'm going to gerrymander (appropriate if you watch the pick in this category) this category to fit my tastes and say...

The Pick: Friday Night Lights (Season 3 finale was strong.  Very strong.  It got a little dusty in the Jackson's den yesterday)

In honor of Conan's debut tonight...

Late Night Talk Show:  This will be a classic case of my personal preference winning out because there is no defense of this pick other than I just like it the best.  To impress people, you'd say that there is no one better than David Letterman (we're too young for Carson), but that you prefer Jon Stewart (I'd take Conan).  The power of 5 questions and Yambo will always bring me back to...

The Pick: Craig Kilborn (cue the bass line of "Play That Funky Music")

Miniseries:  I've actually watched a few really good ones this year in John Adams and Band of Brothers.  To bait Dana into replying to this, I will say that nothing compares to this...not even some Canada-based little girl story.

The Pick:  Lonesome Dove  (and I'd be interested to hear Ashley's take on this one)

Reality TV:  Ugh.  I can't help but watch it because every station has it on.  Right now, I'm really enjoying 4th and Long on SpikeTV.  Also, a random recommendation would be a show called Three Sheets.  But for this category and the obvious help it would give, I'll go with...

The Pick: Man vs. Wild 

If I could only take one...

I lent The Wire Season 1 to a friend this week, and for some reason that got this question bouncing around in my head: If you could take just one ________ to a desert island for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

The Wire has cemented its place in my mind as a series that I feel totally comfortable recommending to people.  If they don't like it, well, that's a poor reflection on them and not the show.  But the question brings in the "re-" concept as in "re-watchability."

I love The Wire, but I've been through the series twice now and unless I was re-watching with a new viewer, it wouldn't be as re-watchable to me as, say Seinfeld is.  One reason would be that it rips your guts out emotionally while Seinfeld just makes you laugh over and over.  

With songs or albums, now you're debating the artist/song's ability to stay fresh in your mind vs. its ability to take you down memory lane.  For me ("for you, for me again"), I'd stick with freshness because there's nothing worse than making a playlist or CD and being sick of it after one week...imagine being stuck with it for the rest of your life.

Movies, it's a combination of the two.  You want the one that stays fresh and re-watchable so that you have familiarity along with being able to spot new things.

So the first category off the top of my head, this will be revisited with new categories or updates as I expand my mental library (right now I'm burying myself in Radiohead and am preparing for them to possibly overtake Coldplay in the desert island rankings...they haven't yet, but the potential is there.)

Music:

Band/Artist's Catalogue:  Have to go with Bob Dylan here.  It's vast, stays fresh, and I haven't even come close to hearing everything yet.  Ryan Adams may overtake him when it's all over though.

Song:  Don't Panic - Coldplay.  Whenever I think about a song that I never get tired of, there you go.  

(sub-category) Sad Song - Between the Bars - Elliot Smith

Happy Song - To Be Young - Ryan Adams (ironic, I know)

Album:  August and Everything After - Counting Crows.  Top to bottom, it's my favorite.  But I've never really been one to digest an entire album.  I skip songs and then make compilations with other stuff, so this is my least comfortable category. 

Another category another time...

 

New Top 5

This has come up a lot lately in conversation for one reason or another, so I got to thinking I should Top 5 it.

Top 5 80s TV theme songs:

1.  Cheers - simply the best

2. Miami Vice -  I used to think this was the coolest show ever and when the music would come on.  And then, my mom would dismiss me from the room because it was "inappropriate,"I would get so upset).  One other thing: when we picked out Easter suits, I wanted a white one and a teal t-shirt under it.

3.  Night Court - I know!  The show wasn't that great, but the theme song was really good.

4.  Growing Pains - this is always the first one anyone sings.  Mention the show to someone, and they will sing "Show me that smile again..." to you every time.

5.  Gummi Bears - nothing brought me more joy as a little kid than when I would hear this intro.  

Side note - in listening to it now, I think about the guy who was singing this in the studio.  He was probably a struggling musician of the 80s, trying to "make it."  Then, he got this "gig" and did the job well.  But I picture him listening to the playback with a room full of Disney execs congratulating themselves on a great kids show they've just made, and he's thinking, "Did I really just cut a song about bouncing bears and the secret of their Gummi Berry Juice?!"

-I'm going to require Dana to put her top 5 when she gets back from Nashville because she's so passionate about theme songs.  

Which songs did I miss? (I know about Family Ties, and the "sha-la la laaaaahh" was iconic, but it just didn't have enough to edge Gummi Bears)

   

Justice

No More Sports...?

"With any luck, the Celtics close out tonight"

-Kent Jackson before Game 6

I appreciate your sympathies, Lynn.  I would like to hear about Ben's magical jinxing power to see if it could trump my own bravado of "closing out tonight..." 

Ugh, what an idiot! 

Meanwhile, the TV in the Jackson household is about to endure a week of The Bachelorette, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Gossip Girl, 90210, and countless reruns of Gilmore Girls.  

I'm not asking for your pity.  Really, I'm not.  It's hard to complain when I've subjected Dana to so many sports over the last few months*, but I just don't think I've prepared yet for the monsoon of reality TV (or Gilmore Girls).

*Dana walked into the room the other night and said, "where are the Celtics' regular players?"  I replied, "They're all injured."  She said, "I meant Rondo, where's Rondo?"  I was happy with this as it compared favorably to when she asked, "The Celtics are playing the Magic?  don't they have J.J. Redick?"  How do you respond when your wife - who knows very little basketball - asks about a player like J.J. Redick?  I got all  aloof and called her out on her J.J. fandom...I hate that guy.

Anyway, the Celtics showed a lot of heart this year in the playoffs, but I say they quit in Game 7.  Yes, they were on their last legs and yes they had significant injuries, but I felt like they thought "Hey we have won so many Game 7s over the last two years, they'll just give us this one, right?"  Not so.  

The Magic is a team that I don't really have any feelings one way or the other about, so it's not that bitter a pill to swallow, definitely not as humiliating as the inevitable sweep against Cleveland would be this round.  I just wish they had kept it close to the last 5 minutes and pressured the Magic into collapsing like they've done a couple other times.  I was also hoping for another Rondo-riffic performance, but he played average.  But hopefully - and I said this last year too - he'll take the off season and study some tape and notice how far off of him defenders play, then work on a jump shot.  He would be unguardable.  

Since this is a goodbye to the Celtics, I must say that I knew they wouldn't repeat when Garnett was pronounced "done for the season."  But I was proud of their post-season and the games they won on sheer determination.  I mean, Scalabrine was playing 20 minutes a game?!  Big Baby hitting game winners?!  How am I complaining?!

Having said all that, my main criticism on Kobe is that he can't be Jordan when he allows his team to be eliminated by 20+ points (he's done this numerous times).  Well, no one is calling Pierce "Jordanesque," but he did allow his team to be beaten by 19 at home in a Game 7.  Maybe he was spent, whatever I don't care.  The last five minutes were terrible, luckily I can just watch last years highlights to try and forget it.  It wasn't all on him, but I expected more.  But oh well, good job, Magic! And good luck with LeBron next round...

(and speaking of Kobe, the Lakers going to Game 7 was a joke, Nuggets in 6).

Don't worry about my sports intake...I've still got the slumping Red Sox to watch (lost 2 of 3 to the stinking Mariners last weekend).  Does Friday Night Lights Season 3 count as sports?  

Who am I kidding?  I will still "witness" LeBron play...

  

God, America, The Bear, and Kent...Undefeated

Thanks to my friend Trey for the title of this blog post.  During the pre-game at Bama football games in college, just after the national anthem when the crowd would be quiet, he'd yell something like that out always scoring a big laugh.

Well, it applies here because in the past week, I've gone undefeated as a Celtics fan, as a Jamboe captain, and as leader of Gentle's Giants the victorious American Idol challenge team.

The Celtics have shown a great amount of heart coming back from 12 down with 5 to play the other night, as well as a buzzer beater on Sunday on the road culminating in Big Baby Davis yelling into the crowd, "You better KNOW about me!!!" 

The best moment though was when he cleared this kid out of the way.  I think I rewinded it 4 times to watch it.  Classic!

I must say though, I'm not one for posturing after a big TD or shot in a game, but I got pumped up about that.  I prefer the Jordan in Game 1 understated fist pump as if to say, "I knew it all along."  But occasionally, the theatrics (when done from a genuine place) are pretty cool.

With any luck, the Celtics close out tonight, just like...

Gentle's Giants had a big night when Kris Allen took the top spot of all the contestants whose names don't rhyme with Madame Scambert.  Dana leapt up from the couch and jumped around when they announced Kris was in.  I think she'd put our game aside at that point.  But the game served its purpose and kept me interested in the show.  Other things that kept me interested in American Idol this season:

-whether or not Simon would make anyone cry: he sort of made Lil cry.

-whether or not they would need to put the blur on Paula's cleavage at any point: no, but it's been close a few times, yeesh! 

-if anyone would ever say anything negative to Adam: nope, Randy got close once.

Final Score of the Challenge:

The Package Artists:  239

Gentle's Giants:  252

So, here's to Gentle's Giants: you made me proud...

JAMBOE Cup I is in the books...

About 4 months ago, my good friend Mike and I took it upon ourselves (and got some major help from David Knight and Ben Beaumont) to plan an event to get our friends together to play our favorite lawn and tailgate game (seen above at a tailgate) that we call JAMBOE.

-It is known as cornhole in the north, or Bag-o, and since we didn't care for the name we came up with a new one.  The first boards ever made were made by Mike and his lifelong friend Joel, so the name they came up with was "Joel and Mike's Bag-O Extraveganza" --JAMBOE.

Before the matches began, KJ, Mikey, and The Godfather

So, Mike and I decided we would be the captains of two 10-12 man teams and have a Ryder Cup Style event one Saturday afternoon.  It had rules, rounds, jerseys, cold beverages...basically it had everything.  Mike even built a new set of boards (all in all 5 different people brought their own set of boards, but we only used 3).  There were, however some rough spots.  To fill out the rosters, some guys that none of us really knew save were invited, making it awkward to heckle them when they were throwing.  Some of those same guys didn't understand the rules of game, but with the aid of their beverages, thought they did and acted accordingly. That made it necessary for the saner individuals to calm them down.  But these were all minor patches of turbulence in an otherwise smooth ride.  

The team Mike captained was named "The Shenanigans" for the phase of the game when you try to screw up your opponent.  My team was named "The Heartbreakers," which is what it is called when you put one in the hole on the last throw of the round, thus breaking the other team's heart.  

What we envisioned for JAMBOE Cup I...men tossing bags in a spirit of competition.

Ian, Rob (keeping the official score), Lo, and Capt. Jackson monitoring

 The Heartbreaker's progress.

Sometimes in pursuit of the Cup, brother must battle brother. Jason and Adam Reese.

A good look at the jersey in action.

A rare moment of sportsmanship shown by Jason Reese and Ben Beaumont

After a round of individual matches, The Heartbreakers led by 10 points, each match being worth 5.  In round 2, there was a random pairing system, each match worth 10 that The Shenanigans took advantage of.  They took the lead and were ahead by 10 points.  All they needed was 3 more match wins before they would hoist the Inaugural JAMBOE Cup.  

In the final round, the two teams paired off their players, ranked the two man teams 1-6, and then played the corresponding ranking team - each match worth 15 points.  The sixes went first then 5 and so on, culminating in the top two teams playing.  My #1 ranked team finished our game early cutting the Shenanigan lead down to 10, with one decisive match left - the battle of the #2 seeds.  As Dave Knight tossed in the winning JAMBOE, chaos ensued.  The Heartbreakers had come from behind!  They had won the Inaugural JAMBOE Cup.  After the individual awards were passed out (Most Clutch - David Knight; Most Valuable - Jay McPhillips; Most Mary Ellens i.e. not getting it to the board at all - Jason Reese; and Least Valuable Player - Adam Reese), the JAMBOE Cup was presented, filled with beer, and passed around for a taste of victory.  As you can see, Lo's taste trickled down his chest a little:

Heartbreakers: Front L-R: Jason "The Lo" Lee, Tyler Reese, Seth Grissom, Tyler Franks, J.D. King, Jay McPhillips;

Back L-R:  "The Godfather" David Knight, Garrett Dean, Kent Jackson, Jason Reese (dressed in his Mary Ellen Award).

When I got home, I saw that Dana had made this banana pudding desert...

How awesome is this day?!

Proud

Happy Friday everyone! I have to take a moment to brag on my husband. He went back to school this semester to up the ante on his English classes and help prepare himself to teach English on the high school level. I can't believe how fast the semester went by, and today he took his last final.

I'm so proud of him for lots of reasons. (1) He had the guts to go after what he really wants to do--teach--and enrolled in three upper level English classes with no fear. (2) He proceeded to make AWESOME grades all semester and get all he could out of each class. (3) He did all of this with a level head and no stress.

For those of you who know me well, you know that Dana + School= Worrying. One of the things I admire most about Kent is his ability to attack things head on without stressing out. He just puts his mind to it and gets it done. It's a valuable lesson that I learn from him each day and am trying to incorporate into my own life.

Congratulations on finishing strong Kent! Can't wait to see what the next step holds :)