Michael Jackson "This is It" DVD - A Maddening Tease of What Could Have Been

Remember when Michael Jackson was Black?

The late Michael Jackson, more than almost any other personality in Music, brings out mixed feelings in me. There will always be a part of me that loved the young, "Cute Cuddly Michael" who burst onto the scene with his brothers in those early Jackson 5 records. To be so talented and successful at such a young age, Michael must truly have been born with that monster talent. Some people are just touched by God. Another part of me is truly repulsed by the distorted freak he turned into in his later years.

Determined to avoid becoming a washed-up child star, Michael strove to improve and perfect his art. He released some surprisingly solid (and unfairly ignored) early solo records in his teens on his way to the triumphs of "Off the Wall" and "Thriller" and everything that followed. Like everyone else in the world, I was blown away by his 1983 performance on the "Motown 25" show when he debuted "Billie Jean" and "moonwalked" for the first time.

In his prime, Michael was certainly a "Thriller!"

In his unprecedented career Michael shattered boundaries for both himself and other Black artists. He opened the door of MTV at a time when it was segregated, even if they didn't admit it. His recordings shattered all sales records, starting from his days with the J5 when he became the first artist to have five consecutive Number One singles on the Pop chart. His records will probably never be broken, as the paradigm of the Music Business has changed so radically since then.

Michael proclaimed himself "King of Pop" and who could refute him?

To his credit, the Michael shown in "This is It" still wants to break barriers and put together an unprecedented show. Imagine having the world's best musicians, the best sound people, the best singers, the best dancers, the best production people, all dying to work with you. Imagine if money were no object and the only boundary was your imagination. The movie depicts a Michael determined to remove the bad taste of all the unsavory headlines; determined to reclaim his crown as the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" after ten years away from the stage. This Michael is crafting a boundary-breaking series of shows at the O2 Arena in London; all 50 of which sold out immediately.

In the end, "This is It" is all appetizer and no main course.

What an amazing show it would have been! Michael oversees every aspect of the production with his Director Kenny Ortega. From the arrangements to the choreography to the CGI to the production, he's right in there mixing it up. He seems very clear on what he wants, and his starstruck staff is more than eager to give it to him. Even the most hardened pros are shown as calling working with Michael the Living Legend a "pinnacle."

The Michael shown in the movie is suprisingly vital; nowhere near his real age of 50. His singing and dancing abilities are remarkably intact. And yet Michael seems frail in the movie - certainly not strong enough to make it through fifty - yes fifty! - sold-out performances of this very physically demanding show.

But in the end, Michael died before the show could go on and the vision went unrealized. AEG had spent gobs of money on the pre-production and they had to recoup their losses somehow - so we get "This is It." If the concert had actually happened, this "behind the scenes" rehearsal footage would have been the first fifteen minutes of the movie, tops. What we wind up with is a whole lot of appetizer and no main course, so we walk away from the table unsatisfied.

Ultimately "This is It" is unsatisfying in the same way as a posthumous Hendrix release - showing flashes of genius but in the end, unfulfilling; a maddening tease. "This is It" is saddening in the imagining of what could have been Michael's greatest triumph, and the knowledge that the artist is no longer here to complete it.

Health Care Reform: LAST CHANCE SALOON!!!

Go get 'em, Mr. President!

So, we've spent the last eighteen months debating and demagoging and handwringing about Health Care Reform. As the President observed, "Everthing there is to say about Health Care has been said." I concur, let's have a vote. Enough with the debate, I want everybody in Congress to show us where they stand. It's a simple question - are you for Big Corporate Interests or are you for The People? We shall see.

President Obama was elected on a platform of "Change." He has courageously hung his political future and his legacy on getting this done. Health Care Reform is an idea whose time has come. Everybody knows this is the last chance to get it done. A lot of money has been spent to try and influence both outcomes. Let's hope that they can.

Don't let the "Party of No" win!

Of course, the "Party of No" doesn't see it that way. As gutsy NY Rep Anthony Weiner put it last week, "You gotta love these Republicans. I mean, you guys have chutzpah. The Republican Party is a wholly owned subsidiary of insurance companies."

Gutsy Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) called the GOP out for what they are - a "Wholly owned subsidiary of the Insurance Companies!"

This is it - you guys are at the "Last Chance Saloon." If you don't get it done now, Health Care Reform will be off the table for at least a generation; probably forever. With the recent Supreme Court decision unfettering campaign contributions from corportations, the prospects will get more remote with every passing year.

Congressmen, Congresswomen, Senators - this is your last chance to redeem yourselves, after all the shady backroom deals you make and all the money you take from K Street. Do something that will really benefit the families of this country.

This is it ladies and gentlemen - the Last Chance Saloon!

Come on ladies and gentlemen, get it done for the People.

Vancouver Winter Olympics

Shaun White looked like he had fun winning the Gold, unlike many overserious Olympians.

I have to say, I've been thoroughly entertained the past couple of weeks by the Vancouver Winter Olympics, watching sports I would never, ever watch at any other time. I mean, when's the last time you watched Short Track Skating or Skeleton and it wasn't an Olympic event? Would they even BE on TV? Didn't think so. But, with the Knicks and Islanders sucking so thoroughly and Baseball only starting Spring Training, the Games have been an agreeable change of pace.

I give all the props in the world to the Olympians; athletes who sacrifice everything to take their shot at being the Best in the World, if only for a moment. It's one thing when you're an Apolo Ono or a Lindsey Vonn with sweet endorsement deals, but it's quite another when you are competing in an event that nobody cares about even in the Olympics, like Cross Country Skiing or Biathlon.

When they do the profiles of the athletes you hear parents talking about taking out mortgages on their houses and so forth. What if you have two kids with world-class talent, like the Kerrigans did? And even with all that, what happens when you DO get that oh-so-hard-to-get Olympic medal? Usually, not a whole lot. You go home, get a lot of "attaboys" and then go get a real job or coach.

The babeacious Canadian Women's Curling Team

The '10 Vancouver games were fun to watch because the Americans did so well. Sorry, Canadians! They really tried hard to dominate and they just haven't. Sucks for you. With 34 medals and more to come, it looks like the record of 36 medals is going to be broken. Way to go guys!

Apolo Ohno is the personnification of cool.

My favorites this time around are definitely Shaun White, the snowboarder who cracked his head open at the Olympic trials and still won the gold, and Apolo Ohno, who personnifies cool whenever he goes out on the ice. He goes out there and he KNOWS he's going to win. His ability to come from behind at the last second to just zip in and win a race is just amazing. I have also enjoyed watching the Canadian Curling team just for their pure babacioiusness.

I didn't really care about Figure Skating all that much this time around; especially the women. Maybe it's due to the lack of compelling personalities on the ice. I've even heard some commentators lament that what Figure Skating needs is another Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan -type controversy. I was glad that Evan Lysacek won over Sore Loserboy from Russia. And I'm not homophobic but Johnny Weir is the most flaming guy I have seen out on that ice in a long time. Just put RuPaul out there on skates in full drag, it'll be less flamboyant!

Even RuPaul in full drag on skates would've been less flamboyant than Johnny Weir.

The US Men's Hockey Team is going for the gold this weekend and I wish them luck. It'll be great and even an upset if they win, but it's like, "OK, our NHL guys beat YOUR NHL guys." It will never match the stunning victory of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team, which IMHO is the greatest sports upset in my lifetime - even more unexpected than the '69 Miracle Mets. A bunch of overmatched and overpsyched college kids beat the world's best professional hockey team. It was like Arizona State beating the Yankees! But good luck guys, I certainly hope you win.

It's actually nice to watch Hockey again, which I haven't really cared about since the NHL lockout a few years ago. It hasn't helped that the Islanders haven't played worth a damn since the 1990's. Maybe their fortunes will improve when the do the Lighthouse Project and renovate the Nassau Coliseum.

Speaking of Hockey, can everybody just CALM down about the Canadian Women's Hockey Team out on the ice -HORRORS! - drinking champagne and beer after winning the gold? Why were people bent out of shape? Because it was the Olympics? Because it was women doing it? Champagne-soaked victory celebrations have been nationally televised after championships in Baseball and Football and even in the NHL. So, can everybody just get over it please?

Hello World!

Well, as threatened I got away from MySpace and my blog has found its new home here. I certainly hope you;ll take the time to read my rants and raves in cyberspace.