Subject: Michael Jackson

• From Burned Boy to Burned Investor (Allegedly)

  KNBC/Channel 4 reports that 28-year-old Dave Dave--who when he was age 6 and known as David Rothenberg had 90 percent of his body burned after his father Charles Rothenberg doused him with kerosene in a Buena Park motel--is suing for fraud a man he met at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. In his lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Dave alleges a man named Darnello Jackson and his fiance, Shanielle Gardner, tricked him into transferring ownership of a condominium in the 400 block

  May 22, 2006

• Chris Cornell's worst cover ever?

  Ex-Soundgarden/ex-Audioslave vocalist Chris Cornell recently released a solo album, Carry On, which is an effortfully mediocre and thoroughly undistinguished collection of 40-something-former-hard-rock-guy-tentatively-enters-maturity songs. Ordinarily, I would let its arrival go without mention or second thought, but it contains one especially heinous crime to the auditory canals that deserves censure. I'm talking about his rendition of Michael Jackson's “Billie Jean.” First, I doubt anyone

  June 15, 2007

• Philippine Thriller

  July 20, 2007

• Gordon Dillow Wartime Fashions

  February 27, 2003

• Lets Get Physical

  November 20, 2003

• Prepare to 'Thrill the World' in Irvine

  Looking for a way to capture "Filipino inmate" chic? Why not Thrill The World today, and participate in an "annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.'" Alright, sold. Events are planned all over the world, for the second year in a row - 95 cities, 13 countries - including the Atomic Ballroom in Irvine. The OC event even has its own MySpace, with full details; you must arrive by 10 a.m. to participate. Why are people doing this? Some mucky-muck involving "sharing the j

  October 25, 2008

• Landis sues MJ over 'Thriller' dues

  Usually, breaking news of Michael Jackson's legal troubles manages to escape this blog. But since most of you probably find yourselves unemployed these days, there is a slight chance that you spent a little extra time flipping through the entertainment section of your slowly extinguishing newspaper of choice. If so, then you know that MJ has moon walked his ass into some legal trouble over the 1983 chart-topping music video "Thriller". According to a recent story posted in Variety Magazine, it a

  January 27, 2009

• An Eiffel of Action

  The third time around, Tucker and Chan's Rush Hour still charms

  August 9, 2007

• Hey, You!

  Birthday Beggar

  July 19, 2007

• Hits!

  SECONDSPIN

  January 25, 2007

• Trendzilla

  December 14, 2006

• Mozart an Idiot!

  January 12, 2006

• Diary of a Mad County

  June 30, 2005

• Funny, in Floods

  June 23, 2005

• Celebrity Skin

  June 16, 2005

• Wont Stop Till We Get Enough

  August 5, 2004

• Mild Thing

  June 10, 2004

• The People Love Loud

  September 11, 2003

• Fleshies for Fantasy

  April 3, 2003

• SSSSSASSY!

  March 13, 2003

• Diary of a Mad County

  March 6, 2003

• Go Climb a Tree

  February 20, 2003

• We Could Be Heroes

  February 20, 2003

• Dont Be Afraid to Pogo

  December 26, 2002

• Johnny Jones

  August 16, 2001

• Sunday: Soul Motion Scooter Fest in Long Beach

  It seems almost, I don't know, rude/dumb/stupid/pointless to write anything that isn't about Michael Jackson, but I'll give it a shot.There's a cool show going on Sunday in downtown Long Beach (Pine Avenue and Broadway to be exact). It's called the Soul Motion Scooter Fest and features performances by ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), Money Mark, the Boogaloo Assassins, the New Fidelity and DJ Dennis Owens. There's some sort of scooter connection as well because the flyer says there is a scoote

  June 26, 2009

• Disneyland Urged to Bring Back Michael Jackson's Captain EO

  On various Internet sites, including the "Captain EO @ Disneyland" Facebook page, Disneyland is being urged to bring back the Captain EO attraction to honor Michael Jackson.Captain EO, which debuted at Disneyland on Sept. 18, 1986 (six days after its world premiere at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida), and ran continuously through April of 1997, was the 17-minute film you see YouTubed in two parts above.Other sites where people are calling for EO's return to Disneyland in

  June 26, 2009

• Jacko and Freedom CEO Flanders: Just Beat It

  Not sure which stage of grief this falls under, but as the initial reports of Michael Jackson's death were coming out, what are assumed to be Orange County Register and/or Freedom Communications insiders were linking the King of Pop's departure from Earth with Freedom CEO Scott Flanders' departure for the CEO post at Playboy Enterprises. This all played out in the comments section of this OC Register Death Watch post on Navel Gazing:Just Beat It at 6:13 p.m. Thursday: A story just crossing the

  June 26, 2009

• Local Music Reacts to Michael Jackson's Death Via Twitter (How Else?)

  Word of Michael Jackson's death at age 50 pretty much shut down the Internet, with Twitter in particularly nearly crushing under the weight of the news (failwhales a'plenty!).Unsurprisingly, plenty of local music folks weighed in on Jackson's passing, and here's a sample of some of the more tweeted reactions:The Union Line (@theunionline): "A moment of silence for the king of pop... You'll be missed"Pop Noir (@PopNoir): "Big R.I.P. For Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, and Sky Saxon.

  June 25, 2009

• Remembering Michael Jackson in Orange County

  As Michael Jackson's death was confirmed, my thoughts turned to the one and only time I ever saw the "King of Pop," right here in Orange County. He wasn't on stage solo or with the Jacksons (Five or otherwise), nor was he attending the opening of Captain EO at Disneyland. He was just out for a night of ballet in Costa Mesa.Actually, his entrance into the Performing Arts Center's Segerstrom Hall threatened to overshadow legendary dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov's first appearance on an Orange County s

  June 25, 2009

• Updating!! TMZ Reports Michael Jackson Dead at 50

  TMZ is reporting that Michael Jackson is dead at 50. CNN is still only reporting it as "Michael Jackson rushed to hospital." As was widely reported about an hour ago, the much-maligned pop icon was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital earlier today after suffering cardiac arrest. First Farrah Fawcett, now MJ. Shit's getting nuts.It seems a lot of people are skeptical because TMZ is, at this point, the only outlet reporting the death, but our guess it that TMZ is simply much more willing to pull the

  June 25, 2009

• Before It Gets Old: 'Billie Tweets'

  Here's something cool to help you along in the Michael Jackson mourning process: in honor of the now-deceased King of Pop (you haven't heard?), this site has matched up the immortal "Billie Jean" video with an animation of actual Twitter posts containing words that line-up with the lyrics. Some may call this a waste of time. Others may call it an incredible waste of time. But it's still kinda neat.

  June 29, 2009

• Inquiring Minds Want to Know If You Can Moonwalk on the Moon

  Only Slate.com has the guts to get to the question on everyone's mind now that Michael Jackson has passed to the Great Beyond:Would it be easier to moonwalk on the moon?"The Explainer" Brian Palmer reveals the shocking answer:Absolutely not. While the lunar gravitational environment--which exerts roughly one-sixth of the earth's pull--may seem favorable to soft-shoeing, humans are actually extremely clumsy on the moon. The habitual movements we make while walking on Earth are far too forceful fo

  June 29, 2009

• Campaign to Bring Michael Jackson's "Captain EO" Back to Disneyland Has 2 Problems

  As someone commenting on this previous post revealed, an online petition drive has been launched to urge Disneyland to bring back the Captain EO attraction in light of Michael Jackson's death. But there are two problems with this: 1) The site being used to pull this off, PetitionSpot.com, has no single, unified petition but at least four different efforts. Save Captain EO, which has 223 supporters toward a goal of getting 10,000, calls for either the attraction's return

  July 1, 2009

• Even More MJ News

  I'm really tempted not to type anything about Michael Jackson because I don't want to feel like some scumbag TMZ "reporter," but his passing -- and the word of his public funeral -- is news.Rumor has it an event is planned for 10 a.m. July 7 (that's Tuesday) at the Staples Center and the adjacent Nokia Theatre. Nothing has been 100 percent confirmed, but sources say there will be video screens outside the venues for the expected mass of people who wouldn't be allowed in.Here's my advice: If you

  July 2, 2009

• [Sound Guy] Michael Jackson Was Schrödinger's King of Pop

  July 2, 2009

• UPDATE: Eat It! Michael Jackson To Get Butter Statue

  If you didn't manage to get tickets to the MJ memorial at Staples Center tomorrow, fear not: you can probably still book a flight to Des Moines for the Iowa State Fair in August, when Jackson will be immortalized in butter. For ten days, the dairy King of Pop will stand next to the fair's traditional butter cow. Sculptor Sarah Pratt chose to portray the singer's famous moonwalk pose as a nod to the 40th anniversary of the moon landings this summer. Two years after that momentous event, the

  August 18, 2009

• Former Michael Jackson Guitarist to Appear at OC Music Camp

  No, this isn't just a cheap ploy to increase page views by including the words "Michael Jackson" in the blog title. (Though if that happens, awesome!) This post actually has relevant local ties! Former Michael Jackson guitarist Jennifer Batten, seen here with one of the greatest hairstyles of all time, will be appearing at select "Camp Jam" (like a real-life Camp Rock, but with less potential for merchandising) sessions this summer, including a "master class" July 22 at Harbor Day School in 

  July 6, 2009

• More Michael Jackson! Memorial Participants, Plus Coverage Tomorrow

  Michael Jackson: still dead. If he wasn't, there wouldn't be that public memorial tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center, and we wouldn't be here talking about it. In fact, we're going to be able to do more than just talk about it. Our guy Gabriel San Roman (check his story on new Nekromantix drummer Lux, from last week's Weekly, here) actually snagged one of the ever-elusive tickets to the service, and is going to provide some coverage for us right here on this very blog. Should be quite t

  July 6, 2009

• Paris Michael Jackson Steals It

  The whole world was watching the same funeral service today and it's safe to guess that most would agree the most stunning moment came when Paris Michael -- Michael Jackson's long-shrouded and hidden daughter -- took the stage in an impromptu final moment and told the world the thing they had yet to hear...

  July 7, 2009

• Gabriel San Roman's Thoughts From Inside Michael Jackson's Memorial Service

  Gabriel San RomanBY GABRIEL SAN ROMANIt's been 12 incomprehensible days since the shocking news that Michael Jackson died. Since that time, the prevailing feeling was that the immensity that is the King of Pop's musical legacy hadn't been properly or adequately paid tribute to...until today.I was one of the fortunate few to be awarded a gold bracelet and ticket to the Staples Center memorial service, out of the 1.6 million people who registered online. After spending less than 10 minutes yesterd

  July 7, 2009

• Former UFC Fighter Kimo Leopoldo: Not Dead, Says Attorney

  Tustin Police DepartmentIrvine-based former UFC fighter Kimo Leopoldo, who was sentenced on Monday to 10 days of community service following a February arrest in Tustin, is not dead, Yahoo! reports--despite articles to the contrary published earlier today from sources including TMZ, the Huffington Post, the New York Daily News and, according to Yahoo!, the Orange County Register. Most of the reports followed TMZ, who last month accurately reported Michael Jackson's death hours before CNN and oth

  July 21, 2009

• Last Night: The Fray, Jack's Mannequin and Vedera at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

  ​Last Night: The Fray, Jack's Mannequin and Vedera at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine; July 29, 2009.Alternative rockers The Fray, Jack's Mannequin and Vedera paid a visit to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Wednesday; entertaining a sold-out crowd of teenyboppers, college kids, and post-grads (although, surprisingly, there was a strong representation from the 30 crowd).

  July 30, 2009

• Sushi 5 in Tustin Closes

  Edwin Goei​I found out this week, after writing a blog review of Sushi 5, that the day after I had my meal and the day before I wrote the post, the restaurant had closed for good.In retrospect, all the clues were there.  The other half of the restaurant was separated by curtain.  I peeked and saw booths ripped out, chairs in disarray.  But I simply dismissed it.  I thought they were remodeling.  My optimism stemmed from the fact that I thought I just stumbled upon them

  July 31, 2009

• Dishney: An Update on the Captain EO Non-Update

  ​Earlier, we discussed the possibility of the return of Michael Jackson's 3D alien thriller Captain EO to Disneyland's Tomorrowland--bumping off Honey, We Shrunk the Audience for its original home at the Magic Eye Theater. Amongst the various issues on resurrecting the film, there's the logistical, time costly stuff like the matter of re-mastering the original film for today's audience and today's technology, and re-fitting the theater with new special effects. Despite all that, all-things-Dis

  August 4, 2009

• TONIGHT: Lost Art and Abtract Rude at Blue Cafe in Long Beach

  ​The life of a local hip hop artist is a saga that usually leaks its way into the inspiration of their rhymes, more so than any other genre. And in that regard, tracks by Rancho Santa Margarita emcee The Lost Art  is rife with true life tales. I spoke of him a while ago when he released his second album Escape From Lala Land last summer. Since then, this sure fire lyricist has laid low, with not many shows to speak of. But tonight he plans to make the most of his time at the Blue Cafe,the

  August 14, 2009

• Orange County Ranks #1 in CA for Swine Flu Deaths

  It is always heart-warming to see one's county first in something. Though when it's something as terrifying--though not really--as swine flu, you can't help feeling even more proud. According to the Associated Press, Orange County, with our gargantuan total of 5 deaths, ranks as the number one county for swine flu deaths in California. Take that LA County!  

  July 13, 2009

• 18 Reasons Sammy Davis Jr. Beats Michael Jackson in Heavenly Greatest Entertainer Who Ever Lived Smackdown

  Barry Gordy eulogizes Michael Jackson.At Michael Jackson's moving memorial in the Staples Center Tuesday, Motown founder Berry Gordy eulogized that the title "King of Pop" was not big enough for Jacko, calling him "simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived."Somewhere in Heaven, Sammy Davis Jr. fumes.See, it's been universally accepted that Sammy was the greatest entertainer who ever lived. Now that both he and MJ are sharing the bill at the Great Rendezvous Ballroom in the Sky, it behooves

  July 8, 2009

• BREAKING: Michael Jackson Not Really Dead!

  Yep, it was only a matter of time: Now you can add Michael Jackson to the ranks among Elvis (still eating), Tupac (still rapping), JFK (?) and Hitler (vacationing in South America). I mean, really, check out this video from LiveLeak.com of Jackson supposedly walking out of a Los Angeles coroner's van. See that white shirt? PROOF. Michael Jackson wore white shirts. Here's what LiveLeak.com has to say about this matter: "This video shows that Michael was still alive after his dead body was tr

  August 26, 2009

• Michael Jackson Memorial Tweet-Up Wrap-Up

  Were you working, sleeping, distracted, saving a cat from a tree, organizing your cheese label collection or otherwise unavailable to follow our live Twitter posts from Michael Jackson's memorial? Well, you're in luck, because here they all are (and pics!), both from Matthew Fletcher of the band Satisfaction live inside the Staples Center (he took that pic up above these words) and myself watching on the TV.

  July 7, 2009