Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Michael Jackson's Memorial

If there was anytime to bring closure to this tragedy, it is NOW. This couldn't have been done any better, and was by far the best tribute to have ever been done. It's dominating Twitter, the blogs, and every other network you can imagine, so I won't speak on the obvious, but rather share my own thoughts & favorite quotes of this memorial.. Singers nowadays are lucky to have a city know who they are.. MJ had the WORLD at his feet.. Dude was a musical genius.

The Jacksons looked stunning tonight. They kept their composure for the most part and look like such a close-knit family, I couldn't imagine being in their shoes and how long of a day they must've had going from a private funeral ceremony to this. God Bless them.

I know a lot of people were shocked  (as was I) to see Martin Luther King III and his wife Bernice King to come up and share a few words. Although MJ brought different worlds together through music, let's not forget Martin Luther King, Sr who brought different colors together and was the real reason we have someone like Obama in office now.
As for Brooke Shields, I felt like she had the "friends with benefits" memory of MJ, as she shared moments that no one could really relate or laugh to, but nonetheless she found it hysteric. Lots of "you had to have been there" moments.


I know I wasn't the only one who caught Mariah crack on her 2nd note.. But I'm cuttin her some slack, because I know it's been awhile since she's performed, and to be on such a big stage and be honored to sing for the greatest performer of all time, the pressure can get to ya. But she redeemed herself with her rundown of every pitch on the scale on her last note. Side note: Where was Nick?


Queen Latifah brought a very laxed vibe to her speech, yet had so much swag with the ease her voice brang. Maya Angelou couldn't have picked anybody better to recite her commemoration of Michael (although I would've enjoyed seeing her read it herself). Queen Latifah is pictured as she remembered doing the robot to "Dancing Machine".



Not to sound like a Kobe-hater (because I love the guy and appreciate his raw talent, even though I prefer to have have Lebron on my team) but his speech was rather unnecessary. I found pertinence with Magic's memoir, but Kobe really had nothing to do with this. Remember the Time's music video continues to be a classic, and I remember when I first seen it and saw Magic and thought to myself "what in good hell?" lol




Pregnant and all, since when is that an excuse not to perform? I commend her for doing such a great job. She was by far my favorite performer and sang one of the all-time favorites "Will You Be There". Although a black dress would've been more fitting for this occasion (as everyone else got that memo) she still glowed, no pun intended, and blew us away. You go girl!




The most genuine Jackson out of the 5. Who said the man has lost his touch? Pssh, he still got it yall! From the interview on behalf of the family, to singing a song at his memorial, Jermaine has such a strong and pure heart and God bless him for having such strength to deal with this family loss and speak (sing) on the family's behalf on multiple occasions.


Who said only Americans were performing today? Shaheen Jafargholi stole the show with his rendition of "Who's Lovin' You" and commanded all viewers attention. This Britain's Got Talent phenomena, in the form of a 12 year old's body, is sure to take the world by storm, and there's no doubt he was indeed impacted by Michael Jackson to do what he does.


If you're like every other African-American in this country, you would've thought Al Sharpton would make a fool of himself (as he usually does) as he tries to use the power in his voice to convey a point, when words alone can do that job, regardless of the pitch of voice. However, he made me eat my words as this was by far the best speech he's ever given-- sympathetic, genuine, and compassionate. I guess this death has humbled even the most arrogant and pompous of us.


Notable mentions: Smokey Robinson's speech, Stevie Wonder's performance, John Mayer's uhhm.. "performance", Trey Lorenz's duet w/ Mariah Carey, Berry Gordon's speech, Usher's performance, and Paris breaking down at the end (although minutes earlier she was fiddling with her purse *pause*)
And in closing, I want to share some of my favorite quotes said by those who said speeches during the memorial..


"Kids, there was nothing strange about your father.. what was strange is the things he had to go through. He outsang his cynics, he outdanced his doubters, he outperformed his critics. Some came to say Goodbye, but i came to say Thank You." -Al Sharpton

"The comments went from 'where is he?' to 'there he goes again. I want to be remembered as a person, not a personality. There's nothing that could be done if we don't raise our voice as one." -Michael Jackson


"We will never know how much pain one can take, but maybe now Michael, they'll leave you alone" -Marlon Jackson

"Although we needed him here on Earth, God must've needed him more" -Stevie Wonder

"He studied the greats and became greater, he rose the bar, then broke it" -Berry Gordy

"Now the King of Pop must bow his head unto the King of Kings" -Luscious Smith

-GL0

2 Comments:

  1. Marciel said...
    I think this blog has been executed with precision. I love the way of its organization and it's ttextbook flow. Very enlightening. A [s.][w.][a.][g.][g.] rating of 9. Keep on your grind.
    GL0 said...
    Lol, thx Marciel! U silly goose, appreciate it tho.. glad to join the [s.][w.][a.][g.][g.] movement!

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