There’s no lack of coverage on Michael Jackson‘s death and the more salacious details of his life – the legal woes, the health problems, the debt, the weirdness that led to the Wacko Jacko nickname. But my first reaction to the news that Jackson had suddenly died – I found out on a restaurant TV while my family was celebrating a much happier event, my nephew’s graduation – was a flashback to the early ’80s, when there was no one bigger in music, or pop culture, and when my friends and I were obsessed (futilely, I have to add) with learning to moonwalk.
Jackson’s performance on the famous Motown 25th anniversary special in 1983, and his classic “Thriller,” “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” videos on MTV and the old NBC series Friday Night Videos are big childhood memories for a lot of us, I’m sure, so, in the days ahead, when there is going to be a lot of retrospective coverage and a lot more news, good and bad, about Jackson and his death, I’m going to watch those videos again and remember Jackson before “Wacko Jacko” overtook his reputation as the King of Pop and one of the most exciting performers ever.
What’s your favorite Michael Jackson video or TV memory?
Michael Jackson’s performance on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
The “Thriller” video
The “Beat It” video
The “Billie Jean” video
I haven’t caught the Dancing With the Stars or So You Think You Can Dance bugs, but I love the idea of ABC’s Let’s Dance, the upcoming reality series in which celebs will be asked to re-create famous dance routines, like Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze‘s Dirty Dancing number or Britney Spears‘ dance from the “Oops, I Did It Again” video (which Jack and Grace also memorably performed on an episode of Will & Grace).
What other famous dances might the celebs on Let’s Dance shake their groove thangs to? How ’bout these memorable TV toe tappers …
– Turk’s re-enactment of the Bel Biv DeVoe “Poison” video on Scrubs – As Janitor says, “He’s so damn talented.”
– The Batusi – He may have been the Caped Crusader, but he’s one big spazzoid on the dance floor.
– The Charlie Brown Christmas Pageant Dance – Give yourself extra points if you’ve seen the “Hey Ya” and Psych versions.
Charlie Sheen, Russell Brand and Louis C.K. are getting most of the attention, but I’m most excited that one of the best new shows of last TV season — Wilfred — returns for its second season on FX tonight (10PM ET). Season one of the series ended with a cliffhanger — had Ryan (Elijah Wood) […]
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