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Impersonating MJ Should Not Be a Competition

fraroc04

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Seriously, I really dont understand why so many MJ impersonators seem so competitive. For example, Navi seems like he always has to prove he's the best out of all of them, Michael Firestone (even though I think he's great and is one of my favorite impersonators) named his show "I AM KING"...Then I hear about some impersonators getting plastic surgery like Navi and Edward Moss, so now there's the competition on who looks more like Michael and it's just so stupid...and un-Michael like.

I don't think that impersonating MJ as a hobby or as a passion in life is a bad thing, but I don't see why it has to be a huge competition to see who is better.
 
Re: MJ impersonating should not be a competition

The whole 'world's #1' is just the basic way of selling their business. They're all in the same market trying to take each other's bookings so there's naturally going to be competition.
 
I personally don’t who’s #1 for MJ look a like, I go for E’Casanova and Navi all the way. Edward Moss is a no for me.
 
PoP;4220773 said:
I personally don’t who’s #1 for MJ look a like, I go for E’Casanova and Navi all the way. Edward Moss is a no for me.
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Ed Moss is definitely the most controversial. I've seen some of his performances and there is no doubt he can dance and he seems to have a passion for impersonating MJ, like Navi. It's just...how can he be so comfortable participating in all those shitty MJ parodies like Scary Movie 3, right around the time his supposed idol was going through literal hell?

I understand having a sense of humor, and it's one thing to light-heartedly make fun of MJs quirks, but it's another thing to literally reinforce the idea of MJ being the ass end of a cruel joke.
 
Re: MJ impersonating should not be a competition

Well Michael Firestone is a pretty damn good impersonator and I believe he's the best sound-alike of Michael's next to Jeffrey Perez. And that's not a biased opinion because I've known him since 2009. It's because it's the wholehearted truth. A lot of MJ impersonators that sing live tend to sound really aggressive and strain their voices so it makes them sound really bad,IMO. But I agree that it shouldn't be a competition. At the end of the day,we're all trying to just pay tribute to the greatest entertainer that ever existed on this planet. Some take it a little bit too far (Jalles Franca is a huge example of this because he's a showboating conceited asshole) and some absolutely do not look right at all. I mean I impersonate Michael but I put myself more in the dance-alike category because I certainly do not have Michael's look or physique. I just do it because it's fun and I want to show off everything I've learned over the years.
 
Thread moved to the fans area as this isn’t a discussion about Michael but rather impersonators. Thanks :)
 
Re: MJ impersonating should not be a competition

dam2040 said:
The whole 'world's #1' is just the basic way of selling their business. They're all in the same market trying to take each other's bookings so there's naturally going to be competition.
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I understand that, but I feel if you look at it from the lenses of "what would Michael say/do?" I highly doubt he would want to see impersonators constantly at war with each other on who is the best at it.

I've always felt like if you enjoy listening to his music, or learning his dance moves, and are inspired by all the good works he's done, you have a little bit of MJ inside of you, but when it turns into this whole big fight over who's a better impersonator or who's a bigger fan of MJ...It's like "come on guys, Mike wouldn't want that."
 
Re: MJ impersonating should not be a competition

There's an interesting discussion going on here and it's a good idea for a topic, so thank you!

From a personal perspective, I'm not really interested in impersonators or tribute artists at all, these days....not since Michael has passed away. They either creep me out, make me laugh (not in a good way), or make me keenly aware of what we have lost. I have given it a go, though. I've met Carlo Riley in person at Forest Lawn and hung out with him and other fans at MJ Disney Day, 2011. I've seen Kenny Wizz perform live, on three different occasions and I've seen the female impersonator (can't remember her name) on Hollywood Boulevard, near Michael's star.

I can definitely understand the level of competition there is between MJ impersonators, because they are all trying to carve out their own spot in the market. However, I don't like it.....I think it's quite unseemly and there should be a greater sense of camaraderie between them and support for each other....similar to the way the Elvis impersonators/tribute artists accept and encourage each other at their annual conventions.

As someone else said, the "World #1" tag is commonly used as a sales pitch....in much the same way as every novel one picks up in a book store is a "World's #1 Best Seller". Navi bills himself as the best, because apparently Michael told him that he was....but that could have been Michael being kind. I don't think Navi is the best MJ dancer, at all....he does too many movements on the wrong side of his body, sometimes kicks with the wrong leg, etc. and doesn't "pop" the way he should.
 
Re: MJ impersonating should not be a competition

fraroc04 said:
Ed Moss is definitely the most controversial. I've seen some of his performances and there is no doubt he can dance and he seems to have a passion for impersonating MJ, like Navi. It's just...how can he be so comfortable participating in all those shitty MJ parodies like Scary Movie 3, right around the time his supposed idol was going through literal hell?

I understand having a sense of humor, and it's one thing to light-heartedly make fun of MJs quirks, but it's another thing to literally reinforce the idea of MJ being the ass end of a cruel joke.
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I've never even heard of this guy, but if this is how he is, then I'm not on board with him AT ALL.

I really dislike the idea of people having plastic surgery to make themselves look like Michael.
Making oneself look like anyone else is just plain creepy and strange, as far as I'm concerned.
 
I was going to try to see an impersonator.More out of curiosity and just wanting to be part of some MJ related experience,after Michael passed away.
The longer I'm leaving it,the more reluctant I am to actually spend cash to see these guys..

Competition,means that at some point,these impersonator are doing whatever it takes,to look as close to MJ as they can possibly get.
That means surgery,and the irony is,the more surgery they get,the more outlandish,freaky and generally sinister they look.
Akin,to a character more from "Lord of The Rings",than the King of Pop.
It's a total OPPOSITE from what Michael stood for,and those insults from the media that MJ took regarding surgeries and skin colour.
Impersonators don't help to promote what Michael stood for,but actually exacerbate the negativity.
Choreography on stage,from impersonators doesn't look right at all.
Michaels moves were free flowing and more akin to an almagamation of mind,body and soul.
Impersonators don't grasp the "free flow"of the dance moves,after all,they are spending many hours "copying"someone,and no matter how hard they work,there's almost too much thought and concentration,that each move,appears "stuttery"and unnatural.

Persons individual perogative,in what they want and what to expect,and what they intend to get out of an impersonator show.
The more the competition intensifies,the more I feel,the fan will lose out on.
You can't actually BE someone else,only yourself,and the impersonator self is below MJ and always will be.
 
Re: MJ impersonating should not be a competition

kai said:
But if "firestone" would be musically talented he would say the keyboard player to not play that wrong note! :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXpxDDMbcU
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5GSv.gif
 
Re: MJ impersonating should not be a competition

fraroc04 said:
I understand that, but I feel if you look at it from the lenses of "what would Michael say/do?" I highly doubt he would want to see impersonators constantly at war with each other on who is the best at it.
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snort..... :laughing: you really think Michael didnt know about the competition between the impersonators....The competition between the impersonators was happening LONG before Michael died and Im sure he knew. From History era onwards the most high profile were (in no particular order)

E'Cas
Navi
Ernest Valintino
Jobey Rogers

These competed for the top gigs ie being hired by Sony / Michael for promotional work around the world, such as at album release parties, publicity stunts, fan club events.

Then you had the less high profile ones such as Ed Moss, Micky J and the ones only known in their respective countries but not internationally. They competed for the local less high profile gigs.

Michael was very much aware of what went on in the fan community and its possible that he even made the competition between the impersonators, by telling each of them at one time or another, you are the best,
 
Personally, I’m entertained by impersonations, just not as much as the real thing, you know? I don’t think it’s possible for anyone that isn’t him to fully capture his magic
 
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