There are people who will view Thursday June 25th, 2015 as another day in the calendar but fans of Michael will see that day as one of the worst days of their lives. Michael left this world on that day and things were never the same. It has been six years and each year it becomes more painful. When it comes to pop culture, things have changed so much after Michael's death that I cannot honestly recognize what is happening. At times, I do a lot of rewinding and going back to the past when it seems things made sense. I think that is why I like doing this blog post because it shows Michael at different times of his life being here and doing his life's work. So, I decided to gather up 20 videos that fans of Michael should see on youtube because that is the best website to go to when you want to watch videos of Michael. At times, we look at the past and remind ourselves of the kind of person that Michael was; the loving, talented, kind, silly, giving and charming person that we love/loved tremendously. I hope this entry will help you all ease the pain on June 25th.
Number: 20
Title: Behind The Scenes of "They Don't Care About Us"
Year: 1995
Summary: This is the making of Michael's iconic short film, "They Don't Care About Us". Michael goes to Brazil to check out scenes that he would shoot for the short film. In the video, you will see that Michael was mobbed by fans and loved every minute of it. Here is the one thing that you will notice: Michael did most of the filming in some of the poorest areas of Brazil. The video seems to be a compilation of various footage of Michael filming the short film. The video also include the things Michael did in Brazil such as shopping.
Number: 19
Title: The Making of "What More Can I Give" Song
Year: 2001
Summary: "What More Can I Give" was a charity song that Michael and a group of music stars did in 2001. The song was done as a response to the horror of September 11 of that year. In the footage, you will see some of the biggest music acts of the past decade. Even though the song is very good, catchy and inspirational, the vision that Michael had for the song never came into fruition. The reason was because of Michael's personal issue with Sony Music at the time. It is such a shame because the song is so important for the time that we are living.
Number: 15
Title: Michael Receives the Diamond of Africa Award
Year: 1995
Summary: This footage of Michael accepting the Diamond of Africa award from the President of Ghana and the event was held in Beverly Hills. The reason why he was given the award is because of his humanitarian efforts. As I was watching the footage, it always amazes me that Michael continued to help the people of Africa. In his speech, Michael talks about Africa and how much he loved the continent. The event was so important to him that he postponed his trip to Germany to attend the event.
Michael flashing the peace sign in 2009.
Number: 20
Title: Behind The Scenes of "They Don't Care About Us"
Year: 1995
Summary: This is the making of Michael's iconic short film, "They Don't Care About Us". Michael goes to Brazil to check out scenes that he would shoot for the short film. In the video, you will see that Michael was mobbed by fans and loved every minute of it. Here is the one thing that you will notice: Michael did most of the filming in some of the poorest areas of Brazil. The video seems to be a compilation of various footage of Michael filming the short film. The video also include the things Michael did in Brazil such as shopping.
Number: 19
Title: The Making of "What More Can I Give" Song
Year: 2001
Summary: "What More Can I Give" was a charity song that Michael and a group of music stars did in 2001. The song was done as a response to the horror of September 11 of that year. In the footage, you will see some of the biggest music acts of the past decade. Even though the song is very good, catchy and inspirational, the vision that Michael had for the song never came into fruition. The reason was because of Michael's personal issue with Sony Music at the time. It is such a shame because the song is so important for the time that we are living.
Number: 18
Title: Rare Footage of the "Black and White" Short Film
Year: 1991
Summary: This footage was leaked online a few months ago. In the video, Michael was preparing the famous panther scene from the "Black and White" short film. For a change, you will see being very talkative with the choreographer, Vincent Patterson and director John Landis. Michael and John were joking around about Michael's famous dance moves. When you watch the video, you will see what they were joking about because I am not going to tell you about it here. A bit too much if you know what I mean.
Number: 17
Title: Michael With Sage Galesi
Year: 1991
Summary: This footage was posted on youtube.com by Sage Galesi. Sage was in Michael's "Black and White" short film in which she plays an Native American girl. This is such an interesting video to watch because of Michael interaction with Sage and their cute conversations.
Number: 16
Title: Michael Being Snubbed at the Grammys
Year: 1988
Summary: In the 1988 Grammys, Michael did not take any awards but he did have the best performance of that night. Michael's performance of "Man in the Mirror"/"The Way You Make Me Feel" were so good that they became iconic. Michael was nominated for 5 Grammys, including Album of the Year and did not win any of them. Basically, Michael was snubbed. This footage captured Michael looking upset and almost on the verge of crying. The Bad album showed Michael writing skills, proclaiming the executive producer spot and wanted to show the world his creative side. Eventually, in 1993, the Grammys sort of made it up to Michael by giving him the Lifetime award. If anything, it shows that these awards shows do not mean anything if someone like Michael, sold over 1 billion copies of their music and has 7% of the world's population as his fan base.
Number: 15
Title: Michael Receives the Diamond of Africa Award
Year: 1995
Summary: This footage of Michael accepting the Diamond of Africa award from the President of Ghana and the event was held in Beverly Hills. The reason why he was given the award is because of his humanitarian efforts. As I was watching the footage, it always amazes me that Michael continued to help the people of Africa. In his speech, Michael talks about Africa and how much he loved the continent. The event was so important to him that he postponed his trip to Germany to attend the event.
Number: 14
Title: Former President George Bush Presents Michael with a Point of Light Award
Year: 1992
Summary: Former President George Bush Sr. created an non for profit organization called the Points of Light (http://www.pointsoflights.org) that is dedicated to engaging people and resources to solve the social ills in society. Michael was the Point of Light Ambassador and this footage shows the ceremony and Michael's short speech. Michael was honored in the ceremony because he would visit children's hospitals, orphanages and inviting disadvantage children to his then Neverland Ranch.
Number: 13
Title: Singer L. Young Sings 10 MJ Songs in Less Than 8 Minutes
Year: 2015
Summary: A few weeks ago, this video of singer L. Young was going viral online via social media. The singer sang covers of ten songs by Michael including "I Can't Help It" and "Butterflies". L. Young sang these songs in acappella and he even did the beats and the instruments to the various songs. This man is a real singer and he gave a great tribute to Michael with his version of his songs.
Number: 12
Title: Marsha Ambrosius Talks About MJ
Year: 2015
Summary: Singer/songwriter Marsha Ambroius did an interview on her official vevo.com channel talking about the time she worked with Michael on his Invincible album. The song that she did with Michael was the R&B classic, "Butterflies". I loved the way she talked about him in this interview because she meant every word that she stated. As I was watching her interview, it got me thinking about something: this woman only knew Michael for a short period of time yet she described him so well and intelligently. She did not call him "weird" or "different" rather she discussed how humble he was and how encouraging he was to her. Even taking the time to ask her if he can go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Who does that? I mean, it is things that she stated about him that would make a person really respect him. There are people who knew him for years that could not describe Michael with so much dignity towards him the way Marsha did. It was refreshing to see someone who did the right by Michael and tell people the truth.
Number: 11
Title: The Release of Michael Jackson's Bad Album
Year: 1987
Summary: This is not really a CBS special on the release of Michael's iconic Bad album because when you watch the footage, you will see that it is cut and paste footage of people talking about the album. The news footage was promotion for the album and when you start to watch the video, you will start to realize the beginning of the media hatred towards Michael. The special talked about his "new image", his fame, the music and his impact. If you noticed, some of the footage from the "special" was in the Bad 25 documentary when it was discussing the Bad short film.
Number: 10
Title: Treach Talks Getting Props From Michael Jackson for "O.P.P"
Year: 2015
Summary: Rapper Treach from the 1990s rap group, Naughty By Nature, talked to Vlad TV about the time he met Michael. The group's biggest hit was "OPP" which sampled a classic Jackson 5 song. (I think it was "ABC"). Treach goes on to state that Michael loved the song and proceeds to talk about Michael's beloved chimp, Bubbles.
Number: 9
Title: Michael and Janet
Year: 2003
Summary: Michael did a special for Fox Television called Private Home Movies in which Michael showed video footage of him with his friends, family and children. In the special, he talks about his relationship with his sister Janet. After all of the things that has happened since the broadcast of the show, the trial and his death, why would Janet tell a different story to Oprah in 2009 about her relationship with her brother? It is clear here that Michael did not lie about her nor did he insult her and downplay their closeness. Michael mentions how Janet saw Captain EO and wanted to "steal" some of the dance moves from the Disney feature. Michael stated the nickname that he and the family called her, the boat that he and her purchase for their father, and the playing they did together with actor Macaulay Culkin. It is sad how Michael's refusal to do something for her would end up being a whole mess and a web full of lies. I would be lying if I stated that I hope that with Janet's new comeback, she would make it clear what happened between her and Michael.
Number: 8
Title: The Beginning of the Bad Short Film
Year: 1987
Summary: This first part of the Bad short film shows a different side of Michael that was never seen prior to the release of the short film. I remember the very first time I saw a clip of this short film. It was back in the late 1990s and VH1 had this show on called Mixology which consists of various music videos being mixed around. At the beginning of one of the episodes, I saw a handsome man saying the words, "you ain't bad, you ain't nothin'! You ain't nothin'!" After a few second, I realized that man was Michael and I had to find out where that footage came from. Eventually, when I found out, I wanted to see this and I loved it ever since. Now, a lot of people would have a hard time believing that Michael had any hood in him but people forget that Michael spent the early part of his life living in Gary, Indiana and that city was as hood as it can get.
Number: 7
Title: Steve Harvey on Michael
Year: 2005
Summary: Steve Harvey have been friends with Michael since 2001 and has always defended him. He even defended him when it was not popular to and that to me, is the definition of a true friend. That was something that Michael did not have a lot of when he was going through his troubles. When Steve did his stand up comedy routine, he discussed Michael and he told Michael he was going to discuss him. In the footage, Steve helps the people and the viewer understand Michael the only way he can, by stating that Michael was different. Not different in a weird or off kind of way, but different in a way of extreme celebrity and fame. Since Michael's passing, Steve was asked about Michael and referred to him as his friend. He never once bashed him to get to where his at or created fables about him. Steve was truly one of the good ones.
Number: 6
Title: Michael Performing "Remember the Time" at the Soul Train Awards
Year: 1993
Summary: This is when Michael performing his hit song "Remember the Time" while sitting on a chair because he injured his leg. You know that you are of greatness when you can perform your song while sitting down and do it better than other people. Overall, it was another great performance from Michael.
Number: 5
Title: Michael Found Innocent
Year: 2005
Summary: I remember the verdict like it was yesterday. I was at home watching television when news broke of the verdict. My heart started to beat rapidly, I was scared and started crying. I did not want Michael to go to prison for something he did not do. When the verdict was read not guilty on all counts, I was relived because Michael got to go home to his family. The trial was one of those things that should have never happened to Michael. Michael did everything he could do to prove his innocence but people with serious issues wanted to make it possible for him to suffer for no reason. The trial was difficult to witness but Michael got a chance to tell his side of his story, the truth, and it is set on stone. No matter what anyone states, the people who love him: family, fans, friends, will continue to defend his innocence.
Number: 4
Title: Women Inspired by Michael
Year: 2012
Summary: This is a short documentary of two women who were inspired by Michael and his song "Man In The Mirror" to make a major change in their lives. At times, we don't really realize how Michael inspires a long range of people until we hear and see their stories. For Michael and his music to literally make people who are in a certain way in their lives to change for the better is why he was put on this earth.
Number: 3
Title: She Has It Too
Year: 2009
Summary: In 2009, a young woman was on the NBC morning show Today to discuss Vitiligo, the same skin disorder that Michael suffered from. This young woman was brave to tell her story and how it was similar to what Michael went through. Even though the anchor, Ann Curry, no longer works on the morning show, the fact that she stated that Michael "claimed" to have the disorder or when she asked the young woman if she believed Michael had it, was harsh to me. For someone to state that Michael claimed something tells me that the person did not believe Michael. The young woman was smart enough to state that she finally saw someone (Michael) that she can relate to in regards to her skin disorder. The dermatologist stated that people with Vitiligo had a relative who also has the disorder and in Michael's case he had an aunt on his father side who has it and his son, Michael Jr. has the disorder. With this woman's interview, I hope that people understand the harshness of this disorder and to be understanding of what people with the skin disorder are going through.
Number: 2
Title: Moonwalkers
Year: 2013
Summary: This is a documentary of the die hard, loyal followers of Michael known as simply Moonwalkers. My fellow moonwalkers who have made the wonderful choice of being a fan to this great human being. I have had my issues with the fans but the thing I want people to know about Michael's fanbase is that we love this man to death. We will do anything we can to make him look good to others because he has done so much for us. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love being a fan of Michael's. It is truly a blessing and even though I might not watch this whole documentary, I know that this film tells the truth about the fans.
Number: 1
Title: His True Legacy
Year: 2009
Summary: There is really no way to put this but his children are his true legacy. They are the essence of who he was. When he became a father, he finally had three people that will have his back forever. These three children, Michael Jr., Paris and Prince Michael, changed Michael's life for the better. He taught them so much in the short time that he had with them. When I see them achieve their goals, graduate from school, excel in whatever they do and show their talents, I see what Michael implanted in them to become the best people that they can possibly be. You never hear anything negative about them and when people meet them, you never hear someone state that they were mean to them or treated them with disrespect. I remembered when Michael was bashed for doing things differently for his children and I was hurt for him because I know and believe that he meant well. When I saw pictures of his eldest son, Michael Jr., graduate with honors at Buckley and going off to college, I was so happy for him but heartbroken that Michael did not get to see his work paid off. It broke my heart into so many pieces because when passed away, this milestone was the one thing I did not want Michael to miss and he did. However, what I take from that is even though he is not here to see them grow to be great people, he probably knew that when he left this world, that they will be alright. They will go through a lot of pain and bumps, but they will be alright. They will turn out fine and they will be happy in their lives. I hope they will continue to be.
Rest in Peace, Michael.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
Picture -
From my personal harddrive.
Videos -
Came from youtube.com
Number 20: by MikeyBelieverJackson
Number 19: by The Phonchrist
Number 18: by King MJ ATVM
Number 17: by Sage and the Saints
Number 16: byBad Era Haven
Number 15: by MJJ Birth With Love
Number 14: by MJJMFP
Number 13: by L. Young
Number 12: by Marsha Ambrosius
Number 11: by Hezakya Starr
Number 10: by DJVlad
Number 9: by coffee178
Number 8: by Kelli Gentili
Number 7: by Comedy Shaq
Number 6: by Arjun Sanya
Number 5: by MJJRnet
Number 4: by LunaJo67
Number 3: by LunaJo67
Number 2: by Rednyc1979
Number 1: by Lalizmonita
Title: Michael and Janet
Year: 2003
Summary: Michael did a special for Fox Television called Private Home Movies in which Michael showed video footage of him with his friends, family and children. In the special, he talks about his relationship with his sister Janet. After all of the things that has happened since the broadcast of the show, the trial and his death, why would Janet tell a different story to Oprah in 2009 about her relationship with her brother? It is clear here that Michael did not lie about her nor did he insult her and downplay their closeness. Michael mentions how Janet saw Captain EO and wanted to "steal" some of the dance moves from the Disney feature. Michael stated the nickname that he and the family called her, the boat that he and her purchase for their father, and the playing they did together with actor Macaulay Culkin. It is sad how Michael's refusal to do something for her would end up being a whole mess and a web full of lies. I would be lying if I stated that I hope that with Janet's new comeback, she would make it clear what happened between her and Michael.
Number: 8
Title: The Beginning of the Bad Short Film
Year: 1987
Summary: This first part of the Bad short film shows a different side of Michael that was never seen prior to the release of the short film. I remember the very first time I saw a clip of this short film. It was back in the late 1990s and VH1 had this show on called Mixology which consists of various music videos being mixed around. At the beginning of one of the episodes, I saw a handsome man saying the words, "you ain't bad, you ain't nothin'! You ain't nothin'!" After a few second, I realized that man was Michael and I had to find out where that footage came from. Eventually, when I found out, I wanted to see this and I loved it ever since. Now, a lot of people would have a hard time believing that Michael had any hood in him but people forget that Michael spent the early part of his life living in Gary, Indiana and that city was as hood as it can get.
Number: 7
Title: Steve Harvey on Michael
Year: 2005
Summary: Steve Harvey have been friends with Michael since 2001 and has always defended him. He even defended him when it was not popular to and that to me, is the definition of a true friend. That was something that Michael did not have a lot of when he was going through his troubles. When Steve did his stand up comedy routine, he discussed Michael and he told Michael he was going to discuss him. In the footage, Steve helps the people and the viewer understand Michael the only way he can, by stating that Michael was different. Not different in a weird or off kind of way, but different in a way of extreme celebrity and fame. Since Michael's passing, Steve was asked about Michael and referred to him as his friend. He never once bashed him to get to where his at or created fables about him. Steve was truly one of the good ones.
Number: 6
Title: Michael Performing "Remember the Time" at the Soul Train Awards
Year: 1993
Summary: This is when Michael performing his hit song "Remember the Time" while sitting on a chair because he injured his leg. You know that you are of greatness when you can perform your song while sitting down and do it better than other people. Overall, it was another great performance from Michael.
Number: 5
Title: Michael Found Innocent
Year: 2005
Summary: I remember the verdict like it was yesterday. I was at home watching television when news broke of the verdict. My heart started to beat rapidly, I was scared and started crying. I did not want Michael to go to prison for something he did not do. When the verdict was read not guilty on all counts, I was relived because Michael got to go home to his family. The trial was one of those things that should have never happened to Michael. Michael did everything he could do to prove his innocence but people with serious issues wanted to make it possible for him to suffer for no reason. The trial was difficult to witness but Michael got a chance to tell his side of his story, the truth, and it is set on stone. No matter what anyone states, the people who love him: family, fans, friends, will continue to defend his innocence.
Number: 4
Title: Women Inspired by Michael
Year: 2012
Summary: This is a short documentary of two women who were inspired by Michael and his song "Man In The Mirror" to make a major change in their lives. At times, we don't really realize how Michael inspires a long range of people until we hear and see their stories. For Michael and his music to literally make people who are in a certain way in their lives to change for the better is why he was put on this earth.
Number: 3
Title: She Has It Too
Year: 2009
Summary: In 2009, a young woman was on the NBC morning show Today to discuss Vitiligo, the same skin disorder that Michael suffered from. This young woman was brave to tell her story and how it was similar to what Michael went through. Even though the anchor, Ann Curry, no longer works on the morning show, the fact that she stated that Michael "claimed" to have the disorder or when she asked the young woman if she believed Michael had it, was harsh to me. For someone to state that Michael claimed something tells me that the person did not believe Michael. The young woman was smart enough to state that she finally saw someone (Michael) that she can relate to in regards to her skin disorder. The dermatologist stated that people with Vitiligo had a relative who also has the disorder and in Michael's case he had an aunt on his father side who has it and his son, Michael Jr. has the disorder. With this woman's interview, I hope that people understand the harshness of this disorder and to be understanding of what people with the skin disorder are going through.
Number: 2
Title: Moonwalkers
Year: 2013
Summary: This is a documentary of the die hard, loyal followers of Michael known as simply Moonwalkers. My fellow moonwalkers who have made the wonderful choice of being a fan to this great human being. I have had my issues with the fans but the thing I want people to know about Michael's fanbase is that we love this man to death. We will do anything we can to make him look good to others because he has done so much for us. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love being a fan of Michael's. It is truly a blessing and even though I might not watch this whole documentary, I know that this film tells the truth about the fans.
Number: 1
Title: His True Legacy
Year: 2009
Summary: There is really no way to put this but his children are his true legacy. They are the essence of who he was. When he became a father, he finally had three people that will have his back forever. These three children, Michael Jr., Paris and Prince Michael, changed Michael's life for the better. He taught them so much in the short time that he had with them. When I see them achieve their goals, graduate from school, excel in whatever they do and show their talents, I see what Michael implanted in them to become the best people that they can possibly be. You never hear anything negative about them and when people meet them, you never hear someone state that they were mean to them or treated them with disrespect. I remembered when Michael was bashed for doing things differently for his children and I was hurt for him because I know and believe that he meant well. When I saw pictures of his eldest son, Michael Jr., graduate with honors at Buckley and going off to college, I was so happy for him but heartbroken that Michael did not get to see his work paid off. It broke my heart into so many pieces because when passed away, this milestone was the one thing I did not want Michael to miss and he did. However, what I take from that is even though he is not here to see them grow to be great people, he probably knew that when he left this world, that they will be alright. They will go through a lot of pain and bumps, but they will be alright. They will turn out fine and they will be happy in their lives. I hope they will continue to be.
Rest in Peace, Michael.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
Picture -
From my personal harddrive.
Videos -
Came from youtube.com
Number 20: by MikeyBelieverJackson
Number 19: by The Phonchrist
Number 18: by King MJ ATVM
Number 17: by Sage and the Saints
Number 16: by
Number 15: by MJJ Birth With Love
Number 14: by MJJMFP
Number 13: by L. Young
Number 12: by Marsha Ambrosius
Number 11: by Hezakya Starr
Number 10: by DJVlad
Number 9: by coffee178
Number 8: by Kelli Gentili
Number 7: by Comedy Shaq
Number 6: by Arjun Sanya
Number 5: by MJJRnet
Number 4: by LunaJo67
Number 3: by LunaJo67
Number 2: by Rednyc1979
Number 1: by Lalizmonita
