ShowMeBlog

They Don’t Care About Us

Michael Jackson's long time choreographer Travis Payne and MJ dancers Performed with the Dancing inmates on January 19, 2010. Sony Studios made this event possible!

"They Don't Care About Us" is the fourth single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The song remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed. In the US, media scrutiny surrounding alleged antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple apologies and re-recording the album—altering the lyrics for that particular track. The singer countered allegations of antisemitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately. Musically, it is an aggressive hip-hop production about social ills.

The song was accompanied by two music videos directed by Spike Lee. The first was shot in a shantytown of Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador where State authorities tried to ban all production over fears the video would damage their image, the area and prospects of staging the 2004 Olympics. Still, the residents of the area were happy to see the singer, hoping their problems would be made visible to a wider audience. The second video was shot in a prison and contained video footage of multiple references to human rights abuses.

Commercially, the song became a top ten hit in all European countries and number one in Germany for three weeks. In the US, radio stations were reluctant to play the controversial composition; it, however, managed to peak at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.”  Wikipedia

I'm Yours by Ukulele Boy

Samson G Track USB Condenser Microphone

  I have talked here about getting a USB condenser microphone.  When I record a video for here or for YouTube most of the time the audio is from the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 usb webcam.  The audio sometimes is not so good and sometimes it is just OK.
  There are some excellent USB condenser microphones now that you can buy for around $100.00 that kick ass.  God, with my bedroom voice I would have woman all over me if I used a mike like that…
  Some of the microphones that I have talked about here are;  Audio Technica AT2020USB, MXL USB.006 and Blue Microphone Snowball.  I saw YouTube videos of them all and read the reviews on Amazon.Com.  I have them all on my Amazon WishList. 
  I just saw a review of the Samson G Track USB Condenser Microphone on YouTube.  It looks like a nice unit.  It would work as a mixer and comes with some software.
  Not sure which one I will get but one of these days I am going to get one of these microphones.

Music Video: Stuck in the Middle Tonight

  Here is a cute little music video I found on YouTube made by Linda321able.

“I wrote my own lyrics and sang this song about my being addicted to the computer. It drives my family crazy! But I know I can quit!”  Linda321able

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary dead at 72

“(CNN) -- Mary Travers of 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died, according to her publicist. She was 72.

Travers died from side effects of treatment from a bone-marrow transplant after battling leukemia, publicist Heather Lylis said.

The singer was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in November 1936 and grew up in New York's Greenwich Village. As a teenager, she performed in a Broadway review, but stepped on to the folk music scene in the 1950s. She emerged as an iconic folk singer while performing with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey…”

    Many of you reading this will be thinking…old person died…Well I am 68 so 72 does not sound that old to me…Truth is it does sound old…
    But wow…what music..what meaning…what a great time…songs like;  “If I Had a Hammer”, “Puff the Magic Dragon”, “Blowing’ in the Wind” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.”
    For the young people out there you will see a special on PBS often during their fund drive with Peter, Paul and Mary doing their music recently and they still sounded great.
    Oh God, I got young people out there saying what is “PBS?”   

  Wikipedia on Mary Travers

CNN Links to HNB

    I woke up about 0600 and I posted the story about Kanye West at the MTV awards.  I then went to bed about 0900 and woke up at 1100.  I noticed 24 comments on Howard’s Notebook.  That was a lot of comments on one subject for Howard’s Notebook.  In fact it was a lot of comments even for ShowMeBlog in such a short amount of time.
    I then started reading the comments.  Here is one of the comments:

    “It is so obvious,I won't stick up for this moron because he wasn't taught manners. Remember when Janet had her clothing problem? This is much worse and look where it is, on another TV show. Yes TV show and show is all it is. I'm almost 60 and white and I like some Rap, not all but some. This had nothing to do with the Entertainment but the total disrespect of another human beings triumphant winning of an award.

Just don't buy his CD's and that will hurt him more than throwing out insults at a bigot who could actually care less. It could have something to do with the outright racist attitude Americans are being forced to endure by the Raunchie Right who only knows how to destroy rather than build. He probably hates Country Music, which in my opinion will outlast any Rap Music.

Beyonce brought a tear to my eye with her unselfish jesture to Swift, she made herself many friends in and out of Rap. Someone should tell him how to spell Cain as in Cain slew Able, well this Kanye isn't able to slay anyone with his anti-country ignorance. He just gives those racist Right wingnutz something else to jump on and create more racial problems for our country. Ignorant Basterds!”

   CNN listed Howard’s Notebook under the Kanye West grabs mic at MTV awards story.  CNN has a section on their site “From the Blogs” and they list some comment from one to three blogs.  
 ShowMeBlog has been listed many times.  I think this is the first time for Howard’s Notebook.  I noticed 24 comments on my post about the MTV story.  I then went and did a check of the stats for Howard’s Notebook and saw that there were 60 people on Howard’s Notebook reading the post.  I knew something was going on then…. So I checked and found that CNN had linked to my blog. 
  It is nice to get the traffic but I suspect they read the post and some comment and then they are gone.  My dream is for them to look around and decided they like the blog and bookmark it and come back and read it often.

Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift

  You will not find me commenting much on music here.  I listen sometimes to some music but I am no fan of current music or the current stars.  So I do not follow music much or even know their names but what happened last night at the MTV Awards was interesting.

“ NEW YORK (CNN) -- Even by the standards of the anything-goes MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West's hijacking of country-pop sweetheart Taylor Swift's speech at the Sunday night ceremony was particularly brutal.

The pre-show buzz had focused on the highly anticipated tribute to the late Michael Jackson, but West's disruption stole the spotlight.

A giddy Swift was in the midst of her acceptance speech for Best Female Video when the often-mercurial West rushed onstage, grabbed her microphone and let loose an outburst on behalf of singer Beyonce Knowles, who had lost out in that category.

But audiences who stayed tuned until the end of the broadcast were treated to a touching bookend: Knowles, the night's top winner, invited Swift onstage and gave the teen singer her moment in the spotlight…”

Kanye West

Taylor Swift

“2009 Video Music Awards incident

During the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West came on stage and took the microphone from Swift during her acceptance speech for winning Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me", saying that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time," an action that caused the audience in the venue to respond with boos and catcalls. He handed the microphone back to a stunned and reportedly upset Swift, who did not finish her acceptance speech.^[76][77] When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies," she called Swift up on stage so that she could finish her acceptance speech.^[78] West later apologized for his verbal outburst.^{[77]..”  WIKIPEDIA}

Toe Jam

Dir. Keith Schofield / music the BPA feat. Dizzee Rascal / USA / 2008
Busby Berkeley meets the little black square in this fantastic romp around the BPA track.

les frites de bruxelles parodie de make the girl dance

  Some how not as good as “Make the Girl Dance – Baby Baby  Baby.”
I wonder why?  Smile

Verdi’s A Masked Ball

  I think this is going to piss off a lot of people.  A German opera house is to stage Verdi’s A Masked Ball on 9/11 in the ruins of the New York’s World Trade Center.  Naked pensioners with Mickey Mouse masks, Hitler salutes and Elivs impersonators.  How many groups have been pissed off so far?

Dancing Inmates are “Dangerous”

Michael Jackson Dance Tribute - Stockholm

“This is the official clip from BOUNCE & Friends. More than 300 dancers met at 15.30, got informed and then learned the choreography in 30 min. Less then 1 hour later they performed it.
A big thank you to all the dancers who made this possible....*
OneLove”

The above video was made July 9, 2009.       Beat it!/Bounce is calling on all cities in the world to do the same thing. 

Watch coverage of Michael Jackson Memorial?

  The following is a comment from Dick Williams:

CNN POLL
How will you watch coverage of Michael Jackson memorial?
TV 13% 17488
Web 10% 13649
Not watching 78% 108297

  A poll on CNN.com

Enough and too much. The guy was talented but left a murky and

tarnished legacy. All the negatives seem to be forgotten in the rush

to make him into a  pop hero. I don't see that he used his celebrity

as some other rich celebrities  have done -like Oprah, Bill Gates,

Angelina Jolie  - all with a string of charitable works and

gifts.   He used his money for a self indulgent lifestyle that ended

up destroying him.

Michael Jackson’s Mom Fears Looting

  Michael Jackson was strange.  I was never a fan of MJ but I got to admit he could sing and dance and he made some great music and videos. 
  The thing with the little boys…well..very odd…they way he lived was so odd that I just have to think that he had major mental problems.

  I did not hate Michael Jackson.  He was found not guilty of the child porn stuff and we have to go with the jury when they decide a court case.  I think now that the cover up may come to and end with his death.
  The world is going crazy right now with Michael Jackson love  and some of that may go the other direction when information starts to come to light. 

  What is making me sick is his family.  TMZ.COM and other sites are reporting that the family is concerned about other people looting and they want control of his bank accounts.
  Michael Jackson’s body was not even cold yet and I saw on TV that his father had sent a truck to the house were MJ died to get his stuff. 
  His father, Joe Jackson,  showed up on the red carpet at the BET Awards the other day.  His father had all sorts of gold hanging around his neck.  He just looked looked like a low life.  He said we just lost “the biggest star” etc.  If you want to see an interview with Joe Jackson on the red carpet here it is:
Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson BET Awards 2008 CNN.

  It seems that Joe Jackson is talking business and plugging new music projects.  I heard talk of concerts by other family members.  They wanted to do it in the past and Michael Jackson would not do it and they are saying now they may do it.

  Michael Jackson is getting a lot of love and tears from his fans.  I do not see tears in the eyes of his father and others…No tears just dollar signs.  
  It sort of seems like the good do die young.  Michael Jackson dead at 50 and his father still alive at 79. 

  I know I just said Michael Jackson was “good” and I am not sure about that. If what MJ said about his father was true then MJ problems and mental condition may not be his fault but we can lay at the feet of his father.