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Michael Jackson Memorial Service Video, Photos [Full Video]: MJ Memorial Video

Shallow Nation — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:28:58 +0000

Here is the Michael Jackson Memorial Service video, photos; full video from July 7, 2009 and pictures. The MJ Memorial video is of the live service that took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles before an audience of 17,000, and was broadcast worldwide.

Article continues below.

Rev. Lucious Smith opened and closed the ceremony. “He is never really gone at all,” he said at the beginning of the ceremony. Berry Gordy, Motown founder who first discovered the Jackson 5 declared Michael Jackson “the greatest entertainer who ever lived” as he concluded his recollections of meeting the music legend and his brothers.

Mariah Carey sang Jackson 5 hit “I’ll Be There” with Trey Lorenz who recorded with her the cover version in 1992. Lionel Richie performed the Commodores song “Jesus is Love.”

Stevie Wonder performed a very emotional rendition of his 1971 song, “I Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer” along with “They Won’t Go When I Go.” Jennifer Hudson performs “Will You Be There” with backup singers and an audio track of Michael Jackson’s voice. Guitarist John Mayer performed a stirring rendition of Human Nature.

Here are recaps of the MJ Memorial service.

Here are photos:

The MJ Memorial video reveals an emotional Brooke Shields recollected memories of her friendship with Michael Jackson and introduced the song his brother would sing Smile, the Charlie Chaplin song which was Jackson’s favorite, and a cover version appears on his HISTory album. Jermain Jackson delivered an emotionally touching rendition of the song.

Al Sharpton delivered a powerhouse speech reminding people of the achievements of Michael Jackson: “Michael brought blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos together”.. He went on to address Jackson’s children directly, saying: “I want his children to know there was nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with’.

Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, children of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr delivered speeches as well. Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant both shared recollections, with Johnson telling an amusing story involving his surprise at Jackson’s fondness for KFC chicken.

Also performing, the 12-year old Shaheen Jafargholi, from Swansea, Wales, a finalist from the “Britain’s Got Talent” whose rendition of the Jackson 5 hit, Who’s Loving You drew international notoriety, and, according to Kenny Ortega, speaking at the memorial service an invitation from Michael Jackson himself to perform with him at what would have been his This Is It 50-concert residency at O2 Arena in London.

Usher performs the Michael Jackson song, originally written for Ryan White, who died of AIDS in the 1990s. “Gone Too Soon” breaking down in tears near the end, as he stood next to Michael Jackson’s casket.

At the end, in a surprising move, Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson spoke. The eleven-year old, fighting back tears just long enough to say: “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine, and I just want to say I love him so much.”

Several Michael Jackson Memorial videos are posted below along with the MJ Memorial Full Video. To see even more MJ Memorial video highlights, see:

Link: Michael Jackson Memorial Full Video

Video includes:

Mariah Carey I’ll Be There
Usher Gone Too Soon
Jermaine Jackson Smile
Paris Michael Katherine Jackson; Paris Jackson speaks

pics pictures

Michael Jackson Memorial Service Video, Photos [Full Video]: MJ Memorial Video

Michael Jackson Video Tribute: Michael Jackson Photos Tribute (1958-2009)

Shallow Nation — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:34:39 +0000

Here is a Michael Jackson video tribute and Michael Jackson photos tribute celebrating the King of Pop. Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009 at age 50. In the aftermath of the stunning news of the tragic and untimely death, we can look back upon the four decade long career of the music legend who got his start as the lead singer of The Jackson 5, comprised of his older brothers: Tito Jackson, Randy Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Marlon Jackson, and Jermaine Jackson.

Tributes and statements from celebrities and public figures have been pouring in, including Quincy Jones, Madonna, Motown founder Berry Gordy, former Sony head Tommy Mottola, among others, and you can read many of them here on the New York Times ArtsBeat Blog: Michael Jackson, 50, Is Dead

Michael Jackson Photo Tribute: Here are a number of Michael Jackson photos, photo galleries. See pictures throughout the years of his long career, and of Michael Jackson’s children photos: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.

Also click on the Michael Jackson picture above to open up yet another photo gallery.

Michael Jackson Dead: Michael Jackson Death at 50

Shallow Nation — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:16:50 +0000

Michael Jackson dead. The King of Pop dies at age 50. TMZ first reported the Michael Jackson death and it has been confirmed. The legendary singer had been rushed to UCLA Medical Center by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics. First in a coma, he was later and pronounced dead.

TMZ.com was first to break the tragic story, first of the singer’s apparent cardiac arrest (Michael Jackson Dies) and it was later confirmed by the L.A. Times:

Michael Jackson is dead [Updated]

For continuous updates including statements from public figures and reports on Michael Jackson tributes and events in honor of the legend, see the New York Times ArtsBeat Blog Post:
Michael Jackson, 50, Is Dead

See also New York Times Obituary: Michael Jackson, Pop Icon, Is Dead at 50

The legendary King of Pop is survived by his parents, brothers and sisters, including those with whom he first rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson Five. He is also survived by his three young children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.

The King of Pop was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Throughout his illustrious career as a trailblazing pop icon, he won 13 Grammy Awards, and worldwide sold more than 750 million singles and albums worldwide. His last tour had been in 1997 and his last record release in 2001. He had been scheduled to appear in the highly anticipated 50-concert residency at London 02 Arena for the This Is It series of comeback performances.

Watch Michael Jackson video tributes below

Compilation video of some of Michael Jackson’s best moonwalking

Smooth Criminal YouTube Video Link

Michael Jackson Billy Jean Video YouTube Video Link

Related post:

Video: Michael Jackson 50th Birthday Interview with Good Morning America 8-29-08

Michael Jackson Dead: Michael Jackson Death at 50

Farrah Fawcett Photo, Video Tribute (1947-2009)

Shallow Nation — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:45:53 +0000

Farrah Fawcett 1970s icon and former Charlie’s Angels has died at age 62 after her long battle with anal cancer. According to reports, the star died at 9:28 a.m. Pacific Time with longtime partner Ryan O’Neal and friend Alana Stewart present at the hospital.

(Actress Farrah Fawcett Dies at 62)

The legendary actress is best known for her appearance in the Charlie’s Angels series, and for the iconic poster in which she wears a red swimsuit. She later appeared in dramatic roles including The Burning Bed, a TV movie which was a gripping depiction of domestic violence, which won her an Emmy nomination. Throughout her career she received three Emmy nods.

In an interview with the New York Times in 1986 she revealed that being a sex symbol had been a mixed blessing.

“I don’t think an actor ever wants to establish an image. That certainly hurt me, and yet that is also what made me successful and eventually able to do more challenging roles. That’s life. Everything has positive and negative consequences.”

Source: Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62

The iconic star went public with her cancer battle in a documentary she filmed largely herself, with a video camera. It was later broadcast on NBC, as ‘Farrah’s Story’ ( ‘A Wing and a Prayer’), an intensely intimate chronicle of her fight to overcome cancer, which led her to seek treatments both in the U.S. and in Germany. Ryan O’Neal, and the couple’s son Redmond O’Neal, along with Alana Stewart, and several other friends Farrah Fawcett made appearances in the emotionally gripping documentary.

Farrah Fawcett: The Golden Girl Who Didn’t Fade
Farrah Fawcett Dies After 3 Year Battle With Cancer
Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62

See Farrah Fawcett Photos:

Farrah Fawcett Photo Gallery
Farrah Fawcett Golden Girl
Farrah Fawcett: A Star’s Life (Photos from the Farrah’s Story documentary)

Watch Farrah Fawcett video below.

YouTube Video Link

YouTube Video Link

Farrah Fawcett Photo, Video Tribute (1947-2009)

Paul Harvey (Video, Photos)

Shallow Nation — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:31:37 +0000

Paul Harvey was a legend of broadcast radio. See a video and photo tribute here to the pioneer who with his iconic delivery rich with expressive pauses was a broadcaster for more than 70 years and the most listened to radio commentator in the world, ending his broadcasts with his signature signoff, “Paul Harvey….good day.”

He was an icon and a revered figure, indeed a national treasure who had met every U.S. president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 2005 President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Born in 1918, he was 90 years old at the time of his death in 2009.

“Paul Harvey was the most listened to man in the history of radio,” said Bruce DuMont, president of the Museum of Broadcast Communications and host of the nationally syndicated radio program “Beyond the Beltway.” “There is no one who will ever come close to him.”

Dumont said Harvey had a litmus test for all his stories: Would Aunt Betty care about this? He thought about the interest level of his real Aunt Betty to get away from “highfalutin” foreign affairs discussions to discuss “meat and potato” issues like health care, Dumont said.

[Source: Chicago Tribune]

Paul Harvey got his start in radio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 14 in while still in school. Radio broadcasting has been his sole passion and occupation, which he shared with his wife Lynne Cooper Harvey whom he called Angel. She was his longtime producer (and died in May 2008). Later his son, Paul Harvey, Jr. joined the family’s venture and became producer and writer of ‘The Rest of the Story.’

Harvey never viewed himself as a newsman, even though some 18 million people tuned into his daily reports to hear his 15-minute take on the day’s events.

“I’m a professional parade watcher who can’t wait to get out of bed every morning and rush down to the teletypes to pan for gold,” he told CNN’s Larry King in 1988.

That he did with a vengeance since those teletype days in 1951, arriving at his Chicago studio in the pre-dawn hours to produce two news and commentary segments and his evening The Rest of the Story (written by his son, Paul) which were carried on some 1,100 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces Radio Network stations.

Harvey lived in River Forest, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He had a 16th floor studio above a street sign that said Paul Harvey Drive.

In 2001, when he was 81 years old, Paul Harvey famously signed a $100 million 10-year contract with ABC Radio Networks, the network he had been with for his entire career. The stalwart Harvey nearly fulfilled the contract.

He was also a noted pitchman, with a one-of-a-kind delivery of commercial spots that he wove seamlessly into his radio broadcasts, with companies clamoring for the very limited ads and sponsorships.

“I can’t look down on the commercial sponsors of these broadcasts,” he told CBS in 1988. “Too often they have very, very important messages to put across. Without advertising in this country, my goodness, we’d still be in this country what Russia mostly still is: a nation of bearded cyclists with b.o.”

The idea of retirement never occurred to either Harvey or his wife, Angel, whom he married in 1940 and who was his producing partner throughout his career.

“I’ve got an old country boy’s philosophy,” he told The Chicago Tribune in a 2002 interview. “When the car’s running, you don’t look inside the carburetor. Just keep rolling.”

Source: Radio legend Paul Harvey dies at 90 Photo source: AZCentral.com

Read a detailed profile of Harvey written in 2002: Good Days for Paul Harvey

Watch Paul Harvey videos below.

Here is a classic Paul Harvey broadcast. ‘Letter from God’

Here is video of Paul Harvey ‘The Rest of the Story’

YouTube Link

Here is a Paul Harvey interview video

Studs Terkel, Legendary Author, Historian, Broadcaster (1912-2008) Video Tribute

Paul Harvey Video, Photos

Ricardo Montalban (1920-2009) Video, Photo Tribute

Shallow Nation — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:53:27 +0000

Screen legend Ricardo Montalban was best known for his iconic role as Mr. Rourke on the TV show Fantasy Island and for his memorable performance as Captain Kirk’s nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. See video and photos from throughout his long and distinguished career as a trailblazing Mexican actor who got his start as a star of MGM musicals in the 1940s and 1950s and was notable for his activism in helping Latino actors achieve greater recognition and more dignified roles in film.

Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse in “Fiesta.” (1947)

”He paved the way for being outspoken about the images and roles that Latinos were playing in movies,” said Luis Reyes, co-author of “Hispanics in Hollywood” (2000).

On Wednesday, actor Edward James Olmos called Montalban “one of the true giants of arts and culture.”

“He was a stellar artist and a consummate person and performer with a tremendous understanding of culture . . . and the ability to express it in his work,” Olmos told The Times.

Ricardo Montalban, Esther Williams, Mary Astor, Fortunio Bonanova and Akim Tamiroff, from left, in MGM’s “Fiesta,” 1947

Montalban was already a star of Mexican movies in the 1940s when MGM cast him as a bullfighter opposite Esther Williams in “Fiesta” and put him under contract. He would go on to appear alongside such movie greats as Clark Gable and Lana Turner.

Source: Ricardo Montalban dies at 88; ‘Fantasy Island’ actor Photo source: LA Times: Richardo Montalban: 1920-2009

As film work grew sparse, Montalban turned to television, notably the hit series on ABC, Fantasy Island, which aired from 1977 to 1984. He portrayed the host, attired in a white suit known only as Mr. Rourke who proclaimed at the beginning of each episode, “Welcome to Fantasy Island” and who was accompanied by his sidekick, Tattoo, portrayed by Herve Villechaize. He was also the spokesman in TV commercials in the 1970s for Chrysler Corboda and uttering the famous phrase ‘ soft Corinthian leather’ interior.

Of his role in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, New Yorker Magazine critic Pauline Kael said, it “was the only validation he has ever had of his power to command the big screen.” In full, she said,

Montalban is unquestionably a star in The Wrath of Khan (and his grand manner seems to send a little electric charge through Shatner). As a graying superman who, when foiled, cries out to Kirk, “From Hell’s heart I stab at thee!,” Montalban may be the most romantic smoothie of all sci-fi villains….And that great chest of Montalban’s is reassuring—he looks like an Inca priest—and he’s still champing at the bit, eager to act: he plays his villainy to the hilt, smiling grimly as he does the dirty….

You know how you always want to laugh at the flourishes that punctuate the end of a flamenco dance and the dancers don’t let you? Montalban does. His bravado is grandly comic….This man, who believes that his search for vengeance is like Ahab’s, makes poor pompous Kirk even more self-conscious. Kirk is Khan’s white whale, and he knows he can’t live up to it—he’s not worth of Khan’s wrath.

Via Deadly Mantis: Here’s what Pauline Kael had to say

Here is video of Montalban as Khan from one of the pivotal scenes in the classic 1982 movie (featuring the cast of Star Trek and Kirstie Alley in one of her early screen appearances).

YouTube Link Via Hero Complex

Here is video of Richardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse dancing together in Fiesta (1947)

YouTube Link via USAToday.com On Deadline

Fantasy Island TV show intro 1978

YouTube Link

Here is a 1975 Ricardo Montalban Chrysler commercial

YouTube Link

See also on YouTube:

Ricardo Montalban interview video (2002)

Hollywood Dance Legend Cyd Charisse (1922-2008) – Video Tribute

Ricardo Montalban (1920-2009) Video, Photo Tribute pics pictures

Legendary Eartha Kitt (1927-2008) Video, Photo Tribute

Shallow Nation — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:18:22 +0000

Eartha Kitt was a pioneering legend of music, stage and screen. The icon influenced generations of singers and performers, from Diana Ross and the Supremes to Madonna. The daughter of a black Cherokee sharecropper mother and a white father, in South Carolina, Eartha Kitt learned to pick cotton as a child. She was sent to New York City at a young age to live with an aunt. She began her career in the 1940s as a dancer and became, along with Lena Horne, one of the first African-American female sex symbols.

She conquered every entertainment media, from dance to cabaret to theater to television and film. Even her portrayal of Catwoman in the 1960s TV series “Batman” was groundbreaking, as recurring roles for African-American actresses in 1960s TV were rare. In later years, her career showed no signs of slowing down; she performed cabaret as recently as 2007 when she was eighty.

Ms. Kitt’s career-long persona, that of the seen-it-all sybarite, was set when she performed in Paris cabarets in her early 20s, singing songs that became her signatures, like “C’est Si Bon” and “Love for Sale.”

Eartha Kitt in 1960

Returning to New York, she was cast on Broadway in “New Faces of 1952” and added another jewel to her vocal crown, “Monotonous” (“Traffic has been known to stop for me/Prices even rise and drop for me/Harry S. Truman plays bop for me/Monotonous, monotone-ous”). Brooks Atkinson wrote in The New York Times in May 1952, “Eartha Kitt not only looks incendiary, but she can make a song burst into flame.

Eartha Kitt with Nat King Cole in “St. Louis Blues” (1958)

Shortly after that run, Ms. Kitt had her first best-selling albums and recorded her biggest hit, “Santa Baby,” whose precise, come-hither diction and vaguely foreign inflections (Ms. Kitt, a native of South Carolina, spoke four languages and sang in seven) proved that a vocal sizzle could be just as powerful as a bonfire. Though her record sales fell after the rise of rhythm and blues and rock ’n’ roll in the mid- and late ’50s, her singing style would later be the template for other singers with pillow-talky voices like Diana Ross (who has said she patterned her Supremes sound and look largely after Ms. Kitt), Janet Jackson and Madonna (who recorded a cover version of “Santa Baby” in 1987).

Eartha Kitt as Catwoman in the 1960s TV series Batman

Ms. Kitt would later call herself “the original material girl,” a reference not only to her stage creation and to Madonna but also to her string of romances with rich or famous men, including Orson Welles, the cosmetics magnate Charles Revson and the banking heir John Barry Ryan 3rd. She was married to her one husband, Bill McDonald, a real-estate developer, from 1960 to 1965; their daughter, Kitt Shapiro, survives her, as do two grandchildren. [...]

Eartha Kitt in 2006

In 1968 she was invited to a White House luncheon and was asked by Lady Bird Johnson about the Vietnam War. She replied: “You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot.” The remark reportedly caused Mrs. Johnson to burst into tears and led to a derailment in Ms. Kitt’s career.

As bookings dried up, she was exiled in Europe for almost a decade. But President Jimmy Carter invited her back to the White House in 1978, and that year she earned her first Tony nomination for her work in “Timbuktu!,” an all-black remake of “Kismet.”

Source and image source: New York Times: Eartha Kitt, a Seducer of Audiences, Dies at 81 Additional image sources: UPI and Rap-Up.com

Top photo: Eartha Kitt in 1960 on British television
See also: Washington Post, Reuters (via BoingBoing.net

Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby

YouTube Link

Eartha Kitt – I Want To Be Evil (Live Kaskad 1962)

YouTube Link

Eartha Kitt – C’est Si Bon (Live Kaskad 1962)

YouTube Link

Eartha Kitt Today Show Interview and performance of a song from her show Mimi Le Duck.

YouTube Link

Legendary Eartha Kitt (1927-2008) Video, Photo Tribute pics pictures