Madonna Tribute to Michael Jackson at the 2009 MTV VMAs

Michael Jackson. [Cheers] I have a little bit more to say than that. OK, here we go again. Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. So was I. Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. So did I. Michael Jackson had eight brothers and sisters. So do I. When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world’s most beloved child. When I was six, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it.

I spent my childhood searching for my mother figures. Sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your childhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world?

There is no question that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest talents the world has ever known. That when he sang a song at the ripe old age of eight he could make you feel like an experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words. That when he moved he had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Muhammad Ali. That his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn’t just make you want to dance but actually made you believe you could fly, dare to dream, be anything that you wanted to be. Because that is what heroes do and Michael Jackson was a hero.

He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, and sold hundreds of millions of records and dined with prime ministers and presidents. Girls fell in love with him, boys fell in love with him, everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed otherworldly — but he was a human being.

Like most performers he was shy and plagued with insecurities. I can’t say we were great friends, but in 1991 I decided I wanted to try to get to know him better. I asked him out to dinner, I said “My treat, I’ll drive — just you and me.”

He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out, but he was still wearing sunglasses.

I said, “Michael, I feel like I’m talking to a limousine. Do you think you can take off your glasses so I can see your eyes?”

Then he tossed the glasses out the window, looked at me with a wink and a smile and said, “Can you see me now? Is that better?”

in that moment, I could see both his vulnerability and his charm. The rest of the dinner, I was hellbent on getting him to eat French fries, drink wine, have dessert and say bad words. Things he never seemed to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie and sat on the couch like two kids, and somewhere in the middle of the movie, his hand snuck over and held mine.

It felt like he was looking for more of a friend than a romance, and I was happy to oblige. In that moment, he didn’t feel like a superstar. He felt like a human being.

We went out a few more times together, and then for one reason or another we fell out of touch. Then the witch hunt began, and it seemed like one negative story after another was coming out about Michael. I felt his pain, I know what it’s like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world is turned against you. I know what it’s like to feel helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is so loud you feel like your voice can never be heard.

But I had a childhood, and I was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without the glare of the spotlight.

When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London, days away from the start of my tour. Michael was going to perform in the same venue as me a week later. All I could think about in this moment was, “I had abandoned him.” That we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature who had once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all passing judgement. Most of us had turned our backs on him. In a desperate attempt to hold onto his memory, I went on the internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage and I thought, “my God, he was so unique, so original, so rare, and there will never be anyone like him again. He was a king.”

But he was also a human being, and alas we are all human beings and sometimes we have to lose things before we can appreciate them. I want to end this on a positive note and say that my sons, age nine and four, are obsessed with Michael Jackson. There’s a whole lot of crotch grabbing and moon walking going on in my house. And, it seems like a whole new generation of kids have discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is right now he is smiling about this.

Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being but he was a king. Long live the king.

rxn paper on secret window

TOLENTINO, Jim Austin M.
ABCO2 - A

Reaction Paper on the Movie "Secret Window" (David Koepp)

The movie features a case of Dissociative Identity Disorder, occuring under the influence of liquor (Jack Daniels in the movie). Mort Rainey is a short story writer suffering from a mental block who got visited by a man named Shooter claiming to have been plagiarized by him in the story "Secret Window," bringing his own manuscript. In his struggle to prove his innocence against the plagiarism complain and at the same time trying to know more about Shooter whom he believes is out of his mind, he finds his private investigator and neighbor (who is a witness to the existence of Shooter) murdered before their meeting about Shooter. He disposes of the bodies into the river nearby, afraid that these murders would be labeled his.

Furthermore, Rainey believes that Shooter is sent by his ex-wife Amy's lover Ted to terrorize him and sign the divorce papers. Amy's house burns to the ground, and Rainey relates to authorities Shooter's harrassment so they have an arson suspect.

The magazine into which Rainey's version of the story arrives via UPS, and he realizes that the pages with "Secret Window" in it had been torn. Later, he realizes that Shooter is a make-believe persona trapped within him and is released with the help of alcohol. He also remembers everything he did unconsiously like killing the neighbor and the investigator and burning Amy's house. Amy goes over to his house and Rainey kills her and Ted who follows after Amy. He buries them as said in the last part of "Secret Window," plants a corn garden on it, and eats of the grain to slowly eradicate evidence. He gets back to normal, and the local sheriff comes over and tells him that he is aware of Rainey's doings, only without enough proofs. He just relates to the sheriff about the ending of the "Secret Window."

Technicals

Being a Stephen King adaptation movie, the setting would more likely be filled with mist and murky river waters, not with poor lighting, but the use of the woods in an upstate location, with all the effects of shadows from the woods. It had been just fitting, since it elicits fear and apprehension as to what lies beyond what is seen.

The musical score and the sound effects would have to be haunting and scary of course, since the film is a psychological thriller adapted from a story written by America's King of Horror.

Very cool colors dominate the film's overall appearance, depicting the clammy and cold climate and of murder and death.

DETROIT NEWS: AN A-Z Britney Spears article at http://detnews.com/article/20090903/ENT04/909030303/1424/ENT04/An-A-Z-look-at-Britney-Spears

Alexander, Jason: Spears married her childhood friend -- not to be confused with the "Seinfeld" actor -- in a surprise Vegas wedding in January 2004, only to have the marriage annulled 55 hours later.

Baby: The most reoccurring word in Britney's lyrics, most famously heard in "...Baby One More Time," which opens with her signature, "Oh bay-buh, bay-buh."

"Crossroads" : Britney's 2002 film earned Spears Worst Actress honors at the Razzie Awards.

Diet: Seemingly consists of Cheetos, Red Bulls and Frappuccinos, though she somehow keeps her bikini bod in shape. (Did you see her on Letterman last month? Yowza!)

"Everytime": Spears' most touching ballad is accompanied by an eerie video in which she foresees her death at the hands of the paparazzi (scary!), and she shacks up in a Vegas penthouse with Stephen Dorff (scarier!).

Federline, Kevin: Britney's ex-husband and the father of her two children. The wannabe rapper also co-starred with Spears in the short-lived reality TV disaster "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic."

Gum-snapping: Brit was criticized for incessantly snapping her Trident during her monumentally ill-informed sit-down interview with Matt Lauer in 2006.

"How I Met Your Mother": Britney's well-received 2008 guest turn on the CBS sitcom was one of the first steps in rebuilding her career in the wake of her nearly career-killing appearance at the 2007 VMAs.

Implants: A 2008 Rolling Stone report alleged Brit underwent breast enhancement surgery while she was a teen, but later had her implants removed.

Justin Timberlake: Timberlake and Spears were the teen pop-power couple at the turn of the millennium. Her alleged tryst with choreographer Wade Robson led to their split and inspired one of Timberlake's biggest hits, "Cry Me a River."

Karate Kid: In the 2008 documentary "Britney: For the Record," Spears left us with this memorable parting line: "I go through life like a Karate Kid." Ralph Macchio would be proud.

Louisiana: The state that gave us hot sauce, jazz and yes, Britney Spears.

Mr. Clean: The look Britney was apparently going for when she shaved her head in early 2007.

"New Mickey Mouse Club": Where Britney got her start in 1993, alongside castmates Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling.

"Oops! I Did It Again ": The title of Britney's sophomore album gave lazy journalists everywhere an easy one-liner every time she made a mistake (or, even better, followed it up with another mistake).

Python: The type of snake Spears seductively danced with during her performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.

Queen of Pop: A title usually reserved for Madonna but sometimes given to Spears. It's cool: The two are friends and collaborated on the single "Me Against the Music."

Rehab: Where Spears landed three days after she shaved her head.

"Saturday Night Live": Spears was the youngest person to ever appear as both host and musical guest when she did double duty in 2000 at the age of 18.

"Toxic": This 2004 single was one of Britney's most well-received songs, and earned Spears her first Grammy (for Best Dance Recording).

Umbrella: An enraged (and bald!) Spears' weapon of choice when she attacked a paparazzo in 2007.

Ventilation issues: What the Spears camp blamed when Britney cut a performance short in Vancouver earlier this year, after clouds of marijuana smoke from the crowd allegedly hung over the stage during the concert.

"Where have I been?": A question Britney poses in a leaked YouTube video, where an inquiry about the theatrical release of the little-seen junkie drama "Spun" leads to the revelation, "I feel like I've been missing out on life, like things, and things going on."

X-rated: The best way to describe the series of widely circulated paparazzi pics of Britney exiting vehicles, sans underpants, in 2006-2007.

Yahoo: The online search engine has listed Britney Spears as its most-searched topic of the year every year since 2005.

Zone: It's what she was in on her 2003 album "In the Zone."