"Most Successful Performer of all Time" dies in LA at 50

Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, creator of the stunning moon walk, and the first black man to ever die white was found collapsed in his home in Los Angeles from Cardiac Arrest on Thursday, June 25th, 2009. The entire musical world, which has worshipped him like a God for his revolutionary pop music and remarkable performance ability, are in a state of shock. Michael Jackson lived his life as an entertainer dedicated to the people, and entertained he did. Despite the recent ups and downs (mostly downs) of his career in the last few years and his highly controversial procedure to transform himself from the cute kid from the Jackson 5 into the-disturbing-white-man-with-the-nose, nobody can deny the awesome talent and his contributions to the musical world.

Winner of 13 Grammys, seller of more than 750 million albums, and holder of many, many millions of dollars ($350 at last check from Forbes), people all across the globe today stopped in stunned silence at the news. His early death is a shock to many, but the pop star lifestyle is a very harsh way of life, especially with the magnitude of negative publicity he has received. Outside the UCLA medical center where the 'king' died, fans and passer-bys stopped to insure the news was true, several crying and many more chatting on cell phones. Others are gathering at city centers such as Times Square to remorse for their lost star, often playing such songs as "Thriller" in his memory.

No matter how much you loved or hated Mr. Jackson, I believe we all owe him a moment. For a passing of such a magnitude cannot be remembered since that of John Lennon and Elvis Presley. I, for one, am sorry for all the mistreatment that Mr. Jackson has received. Including accusations of being a Pedophile, propositions of insanity, and many other insults portrayed everywhere from schoolyard chats to blockbuster films.

Goodbye, Michael Jackson, I can insure that you will be remembered as long as Pop continues to propel this nation, and much longer afterwards.

P.S.- Oh yeah, in other news Actress...Farrah Fawcett also died today (who's that?) and another Middle East country wants to nuke the U.S. LoneJester

Reasons why we all love Star Wars

After recently watching the complete Star Wars saga from start to finish, I've come to realize the great many flaws that the Star Wars movie's suffer from. But yet, they still remain an endeared classic to the movie loving world, and have a special spot in my own collection. Effecting me as only such a great saga can, much like the great Lord of the Rings trilogy, I give you the reasons why we love Star Wars:

1. Harrison Ford as Han Solo in a role that you cannot help but idolize and admire as he smooth talks his way around with unfailing rudeness.

2. The outstanding score which captures the emotions near perfection.

3. Hayden Christansen as the hate-filled Anakin Skywalker, who practically oozes with arrogance, cockiness, and raw power.

4. Obi-Wan Kenobi throughout the series, as the protector and fighter for good, especially when played by Ewan McGregor.

5. The seemingly infinite universe of limitless adventures, creatures, and cultures.

6. The feisty R2-D2 and the naive and always panicky human relations robot, C3P0.

7. The fight scenes, little can measure up to the fierce light saber battles with characters such as Darth Maul, Yoda, Count Dooku, and of course Anakin and Obi-Wan.

8. The classical conflict of good and evil, which will never fail as the perfect theme for any movie.

9. The scale through time as we have watched Star Wars through out our lives and been able to experience it over and over. A different experience each time as we come to understand more as we as people change.

10. And lastly, one of the best parts of being able to watch the series, is the ability to connect pieces of the old trilogy with the new one. As they fill in the mysteries and allow us to watch the unknowing characters whose past and futures are unknown to all except us.

Of course there are plenty other of reasons why Star Wars is a fan favorite. I'm sure every viewer has a unique reason why he/she loves it (or in some cases, hates it) and a unique way in which they can connect it to their own lives. One thing is for sure, Star Wars is a gem in the history of cinema.

Should you see Transformers: Rise of the Fallen this weekend?

"Is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshling?" Megatron in Transformers (2007)

Weighing in at an impressive $200 million budget, with the dazzling new sensation Megan Fox and the young talent of Shia LeBeouf, Transformers 2 seems like a movie that even the most remote hermit should know all about. Yet they don't, and why not? Maybe it's because the plot revolves around a teenage kid fighting along side clunky transforming robots (like the action figures you used to play with in the tub, only lots more CGI) to save the world against other bad clunky robots all from the planet Cybertron. Meanwhile, all us other 'fleshlings' just stand by and hope that our fighter (Optimus Prime and company) comes out on top. I wonder if North Korea would share that opinion?
The truth about this Transformers movie is that it's 147 painful minutes of thoughtless special effects action. Director Michael Bay and producer Steven Spielberg comes to the table with very little plot, themes, complex sentences, and characterization to speak of. But for the targeted audience, teens and tweens, that's alright. So if you're ready for some reckless violence, rather good reckless violence I might add, then go check out Transformers this weekend. Hell, I'd even go during your regular Sunday nap time, and just take one somewhere in the boundless middle of the movie. But Roger Ebert and I are going to skip past this one, as Optimus Prime said, "We are here, We are (still) waiting."