Michael Jackson's This Is It
''Michael Jackson's This Is It'' is a 2009 American documentary–concert film about Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for This Is It (concert residency), the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, at the O2 Arena, but cancelled due to Death of Michael Jackson, his death eighteen days prior on June 25. The film includes additional behind the scenes footage, including dancer auditions and costume design. The film's director, Kenny Ortega, confirmed that none of the footage was originally intended for release, but after Jackson's death, it was agreed that the film would be made. The footage was filmed in California at the Staples Center and The Forum (Inglewood, California), The Forum. The film was given a worldwide release and a limited two-week theatrical run from October 28 to November 12, 2009, but the theatrical release was later extended. Tickets went on sale a month early on September 27 to satisfy a high anticipated demand; the fi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kenny Ortega
Kenneth John Ortega (born April 18, 1950) is an American filmmaker, touring manager, and choreographer. He is known for directing the films '' Newsies'', '' Hocus Pocus'', ''The Cheetah Girls 2'', ''High School Musical'', ''Michael Jackson's This Is It'', '' Descendants'', and ''Julie and the Phantoms''. He also choreographed the films ''St. Elmo's Fire'', ''Pretty in Pink'', ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'', and ''Dirty Dancing''; and directed multiple concert tours for Cher, Gloria Estefan, Miley Cyrus, and Michael Jackson. For his work, Ortega was honored with both a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Disney Legend Award in 2019. Early life Ortega was born in Palo Alto, California, the son of Madeline, a waitress, and Octavio "Tibby" Ortega, a factory worker. He also has a sister, Debra Ortega. Both of his parents were also born in Palo Alto, though his paternal grandparents were Spanish immigrants. He attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, where he was ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Jackson Fandom
Fans of American singer Michael Jackson are known as Moonwalkers. History Origins Jacksonmania In the beginning of the 1970s, Jackson and his brothers would embark on tours across the globe, performing in front of millions of fans while recording hits at a rapid pace during the Jackson-mania. Adulation from fans young and old, male and female, black and white, would become par for the course. Jackson-Mania would reach a fever pitch around 1984 which saw three generations gather in front of a television set in many households to watch the "Thriller" music video. Years following the Jacksons' Victory Tour, Jackson Mania would turn to Michael-Mania, also known as Michael Jackson-Mania, as he established himself as a solo artist. Michael-Mania experienced a resurrection days after his death on June 25, 2009. Within the weeks that followed his death, as he would go on to sell 35 million records worldwide, with 16.1 million albums being sold in the U.S. alone. Reaction to child sexu ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gilda
''Gilda'' is a 1946 American film noir directed by Charles Vidor and starring Rita Hayworth in her signature role and Glenn Ford. The film is known for cinematographer Rudolph Maté's lush photography, costume designer Jean Louis's wardrobe for Hayworth (particularly for the dance numbers), and choreographer Jack Cole's staging of "Put the Blame on Mame" and "Amado Mio", sung by Anita Ellis. Over the years ''Gilda'' has gained cult classic status. In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". Plot Johnny Farrell, an American newly arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, wins a lot of money cheating at craps. He is rescued from a robbery attempt by a complete stranger, Ballin Mundson. Mundson tells him about an illegal high-class casino, but warns him not to cheat there. Farrell ignores his advice, wins at blackjack, and is taken to see the cas ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Moonwalker
''Moonwalker'' is a 1988 American experimental anthology musical film starring Michael Jackson. Rather than featuring one continuous narrative, the film expresses the influence of fandom and innocence through a collection of short films about Jackson, several of which are long-form music videos from Jackson's 1987 album ''Bad''. The film is named after the dance technique known as the moonwalk, which Jackson was known for performing. Summary The film's segments are connected by an underlying but overall narrative meant to represent the different stages in Jackson's career and were based on his own view of how his fans idolized him rather than listening to the messages he wanted to say with his music. "Man in the Mirror" The first segment of Moonwalker is a live performance of "Man in the Mirror" during his Bad World Tour in Europe and America. Clips from Met Center in Minneapolis among others can be seen. It also features a montage of clips of children in Africa, Martin Luther K ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Smooth Criminal
"Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988, as the seventh single from his seventh album, '' Bad'' (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyrics address a woman who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth criminal". The refrain "Annie, are you OK?" was inspired by Resusci Anne, a dummy used in CPR training. The music video for "Smooth Criminal", which premiered on MTV on October 13, 1988, is the centerpiece of the 1988 film ''Moonwalker''. The 1930s setting and Jackson's white suit and fedora pay tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film ''The Band Wagon''. In the video, Jackson and the dancers perform an apparently physically impossible "anti-gravity lean". "Smooth Criminal" reached number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the sixth top-10 single from ''Bad''. It reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot Black Singles chart. It was certified double p ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vignette (literature)
A vignette (, also ) is a French loanword expressing a short and descriptive piece of writing that captures a brief period in time. Vignettes are more focused on vivid imagery and meaning rather than plot. Vignettes can be stand-alone, but they are more commonly part of a larger narrative, such as vignettes found in novels or collections of short stories. Examples of vignettes include Ernest Hemingway’s ''In Our Time'', Margaret Atwood’s ''The Female Body'', Sandra Cisneros’ ''The House on Mango Street'', and Alice Walker’s ''The Flowers.'' Vignettes have been particularly influential in the development of the contemporary notions of a scene as shown in postmodern theater, film and television, where less emphasis is placed on adhering to the conventions of traditional structure and story development. Etymology The word ''vignette'' means "little vine" in French, and was derived from Old French ''vigne'', meaning “vineyard”. In English, the word was first docume ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Human Nature (Michael Jackson Song)
"Human Nature" is a song performed by American singer Michael Jackson, and the fifth single from his sixth solo album, '' Thriller''. The track was produced by Quincy Jones and performed by members of Toto with Michael Jackson providing vocals. It was originally written by keyboardist Steve Porcaro, based on a conversation he had with his young daughter Heather after a boy pushed her at school, Porcaro said "he probably likes you and it's human nature". Porcaro, along with some of his bandmates from the band Toto, had been assisting with the production of ''Thriller'', but he had not intended for "Human Nature" to be used by Jackson. However, ''Thriller'' producer Quincy Jones inadvertently heard a demo version of the track and thought it would be a great fit for the album. Jones then brought in songwriter John Bettis to rewrite the verses, whose lyrics are about a passerby in New York City. "Human Nature" was released as a single on July 3, 1983. Like the four ''Thriller'' si ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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They Don't Care About Us
"They Don't Care About Us" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released in April 16, 1996 as the fifth single from his ninth album, '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' (1995). It is a protest song and remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed. In the US, media scrutiny surrounding allegations of antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defense from director Spike Lee and re-releasing the song with a new vocal featuring altered lyrics. The singer countered allegations of antisemitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately. "They Don't Care About Us" was accompanied by two music videos directed by Lee. The first was shot in two locations in Brazil: in Pelourinho, the historic city center of Salvador; and in Santa Marta, a favela of Rio de Janeiro. State authorities tried to ban production over fears the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bad (Michael Jackson Song)
"Bad" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on September 7, 1987, as the second single from his seventh studio album ''Bad''. The song was written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson. Jackson stated that the song was influenced by a real-life story he had read about, of a young man who tried to escape poverty by attending private school but ended up being killed when he returned home. "Bad" received positive reviews, with some critics noting that "Bad" helped give Jackson an edgier image. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and remained there for two weeks, becoming the album's second number-one single, and Jackson's eighth number one entry on the chart. It also charted on the Hot R&B Singles, Hot Dance Club Play and Rhythmic chart at number one. "Bad" is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, the song was also commercially succ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Green Screen
Chroma key compositing, or chroma keying, is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on colour hues ( chroma range). The technique has been used in many fields to remove a background from the subject of a photo or video – particularly the newscasting, motion picture, and video game industries. A colour range in the foreground footage is made transparent, allowing separately filmed background footage or a static image to be inserted into the scene. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production. This technique is also referred to as colour keying, colour-separation overlay (CSO; primarily by the BBC), or by various terms for specific colour-related variants such as green screen or blue screen; chroma keying can be done with backgrounds of any colour that are uniform and distinct, but green and blue backgrounds are more commonly used because they differ most disti ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jam (Michael Jackson Song)
"Jam" is a single by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. The song is the fourth single from his 1991 album ''Dangerous'', where it is the opening track. It also appears as the second track on his 2009 '' This Is It'' compilation album. The single was re-released in 2006 as part of Jackson's '' Visionary: The Video Singles'' collection campaign, and it was remixed to the Cirque du Soleil's Immortal World Tour, releasing that remix on the soundtrack album. "Jam" is a new jack swing song whose bridge features a rap verse performed by Heavy D (of the group Heavy D & the Boyz), though no credit to him appears on the album. The music video of the song featured NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan. The song was also featured on the Chicago Bulls (Jordan's team at the time)'s 1992 NBA Championship video "Untouchabulls" and was also used in many promotional ads of the NBA in the said season. The single peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song re-entered the UK Single ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Speechless (Michael Jackson Song)
"Speechless" is a song by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, included on his tenth studio album, ''Invincible'' (2001). It was only released as a promotional single in South Korea. The singer was inspired to write the ballad after a water balloon fight with children in Germany. Jackson collaborated on the production with musicians such as Jeremy Lubbock, Brad Buxer, Novi Novoq, Stuart Bradley and Bruce Swedien. Andraé Crouch and his gospel choir provided backing vocals. Executives at Jackson's record label, Epic Records, responded positively to the track when given a preview several months before ''Invincible''s release. "Speechless" was issued as a promotional single. Music critics focused on the track's a cappellas, lyrics and music. A clip of Jackson singing "Speechless" was included in the 2009 documentary-concert film ''Michael Jackson's This Is It''. Writing and recording Michael Jackson wrote "Speechless" after a water balloon fight with children in Germ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |