Michael Jackson's Influence

Michael Jackson passed away today. This is a very sad moment. My condolences to his family and to all those who mourn. RIP Michael Jackson.

So . . .

It's easy to ignore someone's affect on you if you have not directly been in contact with them. But you would really be surprised at how close we are in this world. Whether it be a song you hear on the radio, a book you read, or a movie you watch, there is often a connection between you and someone else, especially if they are world renown.

And so, in honor of Michael Jackson, here are some connections for those who think he did not have an impact on them. Regardless or what you think of his personal life Michael Jackson was a great musical artist. He paved the way for many artists of today and dramatically changed the way we watch music videos and listen to songs, among other things. Labelled as the "King of Pop" I think he has by far reached all genres and managed to reach pockets of the world that some of us would not have ever fathomed.

This website lists a ton of MJ songs that have been covered by other artists

http://www.hypeful.com/2008/09/04/the-big-5-0-150-cover-songs-of-madonna-michael-jackson-prince/

Here's a snipet:

Mika - “I Want You Back”
KT Tunstall - “I Want You Back”
Lightspeed Champion - “Thriller”
Ian Brown - “Thriller”
Petra Haden - “Thriller”
Ananda - “Thriller”
Fall Out Boy - “Beat It”
Amy Winehouse and Charlotte Church - “Beat It”
Señor Coconut And His Orchestra - “Beat It”
James Morrison - “Man In The Mirror”
Robert Randolph and the Family Band - “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”
Jazztronik - “Rock With You”
John Legend and Stephen Colbert - “The Girl is Mine”
David Cook - “Billie Jean”
Glenn Case - “Human Nature”
Chenard Walcker - “Remember the Time”
Sam Miller & Andy Smith - “Dancing Machine”
Kris Moyse - “Blame It On The Boogie”
The Moons - “I’ll Be There”
Transformer Di Roboter - “Stranger In Moscow”


And for the dance world, the choreographers who worked on MJs videos have gained world recognition.

Michael Peters, who choreographed "Thriller" also directed music videso for Lionel Riche, Diana Ross, and Billy Joel.

Fatima Robinson did the choreography for "Remember the Time" and "Black and White" has worked in movies "Save the Last Dance"; "Shall we Dance", and with VH1, and the 2009 Academy Awards.

Farah Khan, a famous Bollywood actress began doing choreography after watching "Thriller." She has gone on to do the choreography for Monsoon Wedding, Bombay Dreams and other movies.

He's been featured in various magazines: Rolling Stone, People, Ebony, Jet, Italian Vogue, Life, and many others.

MJ will remain a legend, like Elvis, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Cher, and many more to come. Let's all remember not to disregard their influence on the things we now enjoy.

~RIP MJ~

Moving On

You don't always get that goodbye that you wanted, or that one last hug, or sometimes you don't even get an apology when someone has wronged you. There is always something that we want for "closure." I hate that term sometimes. Does it even exist? There's always more that could have been done. And I feel like rather than things being "finished" or "closed" we learn to live with what we get.

But, in light of the fact that we live in a world full of imperfect humans and we can not control others peoples actions or responses, one just has to move on. When the time is right and there's been the appropriate sulking, tearfest, angry phase, and [insert whatever emotion you need to feel to be "over it"] you just have to let bygons be bygons and take one for the team and move on. Unfortunately, sometimes this team consists of one sole player: you, so it gets frustrating to always take one for the team, but what better way to describe our losses? We won't get everything that we want. And sometimes you just have to bite your tongue, let the jealousy and anger pass, and shrug, because it just wasn't your turn to have it.

So, it wasn't my turn to have that thing that I had wanted. And it's all for the better. So today June 24, 2009 I am moving on. And the resentment and anger and jealously eventually subsides and you can be content for your "component" and sincerly appreciative that you are no longer in a situation that doesn't work.

I love the line in India.Arie's song (can't remember the name right now) that the worst disease is Hate. And it is true; it eats and eats at you until you are bitter and angry; and that leads to hurting others, whether verbally or physically; or at the very least thinking negative thoughts of others.

Let the chips fall where they may. I've got bigger fish to fry. hahaha

Everything is funnier in hindsight.

As of late

More and more I wonder where I stand with you. I love the fact that we have this bond that no one would quite understand. I know things about you that you probably don't discuss with others, and you know personal things about my life and me. There's this connection between us that somehow binds us together. And yet, I feel I belong to the private sector, like I'm your secret friend. I love it that I can be in the private circle and have a deeper understanding of who you are, but I also feel like I'm hiding in the shadows when others come to play, like I'm only fun when no one else is around.

Maybe it's me - maybe I'm in this weird state where I'm just non-trusting of people as they get closer and closer because that's usually about the time when I get hurt. Or I've been said to raise the bar too high for those to jump above. Or maybe it's not all in my head and I'm not allowing myself to believe that you just are that inconsiderate and just squeezing out the juice of friendship as much as you can before you toss the orange away.

I don't know which one it is, but I get a little tired of having to figure it out all the time. And I get mad at myself for trying so hard to keep your friendship. Why not just let it go away in the waves? There's that crazy glue bond that I can't seem to understand. And really, I don't need to understand it; I just need to make sure that you are holding on as much as I am holding on. Becauase if it's just me pulling you on the shore . . . then I'll let go.

Hold on or let go? The inevitable question.

Out with the Old . . .

The long used adage - out with the old, in with the new is great for everyday life. New is so easy to come by. You can buy something or fix something so that it is like new. But the 'out with the old' part, well that, that is a doosey. I'm purging right now - I think it has more to do with mentally wanting to move on - from old ideas, to old methods, to cleansing myself of negative people, things, etc. - than anything else. And it feels good, so good, to finally get rid of things that have been tagging along for literally years. At the final point when you let it go you wonder to yourself - that was easy, why didn't I do that years ago?

The downside of all this cleansing, so to speak, is that it brings up memories. For the most part I think we choose to keep the good memories, and we let the bad memories be forgotten. Well sometimes you miss people that were in your life or that had a different role then as they do now. And it's the same out with the old, in with the new attitude with people, but it's somehow tougher when a non inanimate object is involved.

So I think I'm on this great whirlwind for purging and throwing things out that I no longer need to hold on to. But then BAM I was hit with this longing for something that's no longer within my realm to want. And I know that, but it hurts a little. I just have to remind myself that nothing worth having ever comes easy and I have to have a little more patience and faith that God knows what He's doing.

Definitely working on the patience part.

I bid adieu for now.