Good morning and good evening world.
News (UPDATE. Thanks to MsSnoop)
L.A. officials set sights on limiting paparazzi
LOS ANGELES - The paparazzi keep taking their shots, but not always the kind they’re after. Lately it’s a jab from a star’s bodyguard — or his surfer pals — or the metallic pinch of handcuffs slapped on for lingering too long.
And more push-back may be coming.
Weary of the scrums of photographers chasing celebs at the airport, on the beach and through the streets, some Los Angeles-area leaders are contemplating tougher regulations against the people who make their living by catching celebrities off-guard.
Officials from celeb enclaves in and around Los Angeles such as Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Malibu and Calabasas are convening Thursday for the first time to discuss ways to combat shutterbugs, whose tactics have grown more aggressive and confrontational in the past few years.
Their goal is for each city to adopt its own ordinances to punish aggressive paparazzi, while keeping the rules uniform in the places where celebrities live, work and play.
“This is a response to their lack of responsible behavior,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine, an outspoken paparazzi critic and organizer of the task force.
Zine proposed a “personal safety zone” around celebs earlier this year that police officials said would be virtually unenforceable. He’s also floated the idea of legitimizing the paparazzi — who are freelancers by definition — by giving them credentials, and in turn, clear rules.
The paparazzi have provided plenty of fodder for scrutiny of late.
Last week, Halle Berry said she’s seeking criminal charges against photographers who she says trespassed in her backyard to get shots of the Oscar-winning actress and her four-month-daughter. The same day, guards for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got into a bloody tussle with a pair of camouflage-wearing paparazzi near the couple’s home in France.
Full story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25935834/
Mentionings
Vancouver champions to defend their title
The reigning junior world hip-hop dance champions, a crew of 11 Vancouver-area dancers, are heading to Las Vegas to defend their title against top young dancers from around the world.
Freshh, along with other dance crews from Richmond's Fresh Groove Productions, will compete in the 2008 World International Hip Hop Championship from tomorrow to Aug. 3 along with about 1,500 dancers from 30 countries.
Event organizers say there is no agreed-upon definition of hip-hop dance. It is described as a fusion of street dance and cultural interpretations from around the world that can include salsa, break dancing, and Brazilian capoeira.
There are numerous hip-hop movements such as locking, popping, breaking, voguing and punking. Michael Jackson's famous moonwalk, for example, was a kind of popping called the backslide.
Full article http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/arts/story.html?id=74a97386-2ed4-4bab-9dde-bdd78376d447
[SIZE=+1]Afghanistan, Mideast, Europe Obama’s whistle-stop tour [/SIZE]
(It's about his trip around the world, it's a cool comment about the King of Pop)
‘Barack Kennedy Obama’
Berliners laid on the beer, sausages and a carnival atmosphere as the city had a glimpse of the man anointed by the press as “the new, black Kennedy”.
The June 17 Avenue, where the crowds gathered, was itself named to commemorate a 1953 uprising of workers in communist East Germany that was crushed by the Soviets.
Obama, 46, is wildly popular in Europe, particularly in Germany where, according to a recent opinion poll, 76 percent of the people would like to see him win the November election.
He has drawn frequent comparisons with the late President John F. Kennedy, who was also 46 years old when he made his legendary “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech here in 1963.
Bengsch said Berliners were fascinated by the visit. “It’s a little as if Michael Jackson or some other pop star were dropping by”.
Reader of the week (blacktownsun.com.au
Name three people you would like to dine with: The Pope (that would be very interesting), Jamie Oliver (if he's cooking) and Michael Jackson (that would make for an interesting evening).
Passing Through: Talking Hip-Hop and Penis Length with Chromeo
Now, Pete, in the ’80s you moved to Montreal from Egypt when you were eight. What do you remember hearing in Lebanon and Egypt before you came to Canada?
Pete: I didn’t get much American music over there. Basically nothing, especially with the trouble in Lebanon at the time. So I grew up on Arabic music, a bit of Italian music and my friends were big on French songwriters. That was basically it. I never heard rock ‘n’ roll at home. And then when I moved to Canada my first album was Michael Jackson’s Bad.
So how soon after picking up Bad did you get into rap?
Pete: The very next tape I bought was LL Cool J’s I’m Bad.
Music Review: Billy Idol - The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself (CD/DVD)
Billy Idol started life as William Broad in London in 1955. He found his life's purpose as a member of the Bromley Contingent, early fans of the Sex Pistols. William changed his name, intended first to be spelled Idle but a misprint on a poster showed him that Idol was cooler than Idle, joined Generation X and released Dancing With Myself before moving to New York. There he met Stevie Stevens and launched his solo career.
But that's not the best part. No, because the deluxe edition also includes a DVD with all of the MTV videos from back in the day on it. Now that was interesting to watch, especially the fashion choices. I'd forgotten the red leather vest/jacket thing that Idol wears in the Rebel Yell video. It looks like he took Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket and attacked it with a box cutter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7NMZB9LQ0w
Greatest party popperever staged at castle!
THEY may be older, wiser and more lined but top popstars of the 80s proved they still have the same chart-topping magic which propelled them to fame more than 20 years ago as they wowed thousands of music lovers.
The Greatest 80s Party Ever was just one of a series of three major concerts at Powderham Castle at the weekend.
Screaming fans relived the 90s heyday of Boyzone on Friday and Katie Melua ended the tune-packed three days with her trademark laid-back style last night.
On Saturday, more than 8,500 people turned up to the 80s concert to see Bananarama, The Real Thing, Paul Young, Belinda Carlisle, Heaven 17, T'Pau, Midge Ure, Rick Astley, Nick Heyward and Toyah.
Collectively, the acts have been in the charts for 20 years and had 45 Top Ten hits. As well as reliving all of those tunes, the audience was also treated to a massive fireworks finale.
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Swiss]Each act performed three or four songs before leaving the stage.
Craig Bowden and Amy Tucker, both 23, went with colleagues from the educational day centre where they work, and Craig's parents.
The friends, both from Exeter, came in fancy dress — Craig as Miami Vice and Amy in ra-ra skirt and leg warmers. And they sang and danced throughout the concert.
“I knew the songs — I just didn't know who sang them. But we all thought Belinda Carlisle was brilliant and the older people in our party loved Rick Astley,” Amy said.
“We also thought Carol Decker from T'Pau sang China in Your Hand really well.”
There was a prom-style atmosphere at the concert and many fans had brought camping chairs and picnics.
Many of the acts stayed in Exeter hotels. Paul Young was seen having a quiet drink in Hotel Barcelona on Saturday night after the 80s concert. Belinda Carlisle was also thought to have stayed at the hotel.
Boyzone bedded down at the Royal Clarence on Friday night following their knock-out performance.
For many it was a dream come true when the Irish boy band took to the stage.
Fans screamed and danced their appreciation as the boys — Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham and Keith Duffy — belted out some of their most famous hits including Love Me for A Reason, Key to My Life, All That I Need, Picture of You and When the Going Gets Tough.
Kate Checkley, a student nurse from Exeter, said Powderham Castle's setting made the concert all the more special.
“Everybody was screaming and dancing. You could see masses of people singing along — it was a really good atmosphere,” she said.
“I was a huge fan when the band first came out in the 90s but this was the first time I'd seen them in concert.
“What was lovely was that they really looked like they were enjoying themselves and they've definitely got better with age!”
Karen Cochran, a team organiser from Exminster, treated her 59-year-old mum to the concert for her birthday.
She said: “We had a fantastic time. I'm a fan but not as big a fan as my mum — she absolutely loves them.
“The Michael Jackson medley was brilliant and really unexpected. Their dancing was really good.”
Aimee Starkie, 15, of Exeter, said she was not a big fan before going to the concert but now plans to buy all their albums.
“The band are a bit before my time but I went with some people from work and thought they were brilliant,” she said. “I've been totally converted.”
Michelle Lang, of Totnes, has been a fan of Boyzone since she was 10 but had never seen the group perform live until Friday's concert.
The 22-year-old, who went with her 17-year-old sister Kim, said: “It was fantastic. I've never seen them before and it was my dream to see Ronan.
“They performed a Michael Jackson medley during the concert, which was brilliant. They sung all their classics and really got the crowd going with a few of the songs such as A Different Beat and When the Going Gets Tough. Everyone really got into Father and Son as well.
“They really pulled out all the stops — it was a really good show.”
Yesterday evening soulful songstress Katie Melua took to the Powderham stage for the climax to the big musical weekend.
Thousands of fans watched the 24-year-old perform into the summer night.
A firm favourite with Radio 2 listeners, Katie is one of the country's most successful artists, and has sold more than 7.5 million albums.
A graduate of the Brit School of Performing Arts, Katie rose to fame after her music was heard by composer and producer Mike Batt, who has played a key role in guiding her career.
Rick Baker talks about working on the new film and the Hollywood system in general
There are few that are considered legends in the field of makeup special effects, but Rick Baker is certainly one of them. He won the first Oscar in the makeup effects category for American Werewolf in London in 1982, which led to his work on such films as Batman Forever, Men In Black, The Ring and many many more including a slew of Eddie Murphy movies and he even did the makeup effects for Michael Jackson's seminal "Thriller" music video/short film. His latest project is the upcoming Benecio del Toro film, The Wolf Man. I was invited to participate in a roundtable interview session with the makeup icon about the film and a lot more. Here's what he had to say.
Today is Tuesday, July 29, 2008
[SIZE=+2]Today in
[SIZE=+2]Michael Jackson History[/SIZE]
1997 - Michael Jackson's single "Stranger In Moscow" was released.
if(userDetails!=null) { document.jivepostform[0].authid.value=userDetails.authid; document.jivepostform[0].name.value=userDetails.firstname; document.jivepostform[0].email.value=userDetails.email; }
[/FONT][/SIZE]
