RIP Michael Jackson - "Famous Moonwalk" 1983 Video

Michael. MJ. The King of Pop. It was the death of Elvis for my parents, and for my generation today will be a sad milestone of history.

Michael Jackson is a huge part of my childhood (and others no doubt) - I remember waiting all night for his videos to come on MTV when I was little, I wore out my copy of Thriller, I had a MJ scrapbook, trading cards, and this classic poster of Michael in a yellow sweater vest on my wall. Later on, I was impressed with his willingness to push the envelope a little bit, releasing a lyrically edgy hit song like "Black or White."

Later in life, when I spent years in Europe I was amazed at how popular he still was over there - his fame never receded like it did in the U.S.. Now, for the last few years, MJ's been back in my life as my daughters have rediscovered Micheal's classic early work and relish it for themselves.

To honor Michael, I think it warrants posting one of the most famous moments in TV history - a night I'll never forget - his legendary May 1983 performance on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special of Billie Jean.

Oh, and he moonwalked too that night - I was in first grade and remember that the next day, every kid in school (probably every school...)was talking about it and trying to do it like he did.

His energy is amazing here - enjoy:



Here is more background for the performance:

Five months after the release of his phenomenally successful second album, Thriller, Michael Jackson performs the 'moonwalk' on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special to his hit song "Billie Jean" on this day in 1983. (He had introduced the move in front of a live audience earlier that year.)

Already well-known since the age of 11 as the star and lead singer of the Jackson 5, a family musical act made up of Michael and his brothers that was signed by Motown in 1969, Jackson released his first solo album, Off the Wall, in 1979 when he was 21 years old. The follow-up, 1982's Thriller, was packed with seven hit singles and went on to break all music-industry sales records as it made Jackson a worldwide superstar. Jackson's May 16, 1983 performance on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special boosted enthusiasm for the release and spawned the 'moonwalk,' a dance move--in which he appeared to be slowly moving forward as he actually moved backward--that is now synonymous with Jackson and his unprecedented critical and commercial success. (The move was actually a takeoff on the 'backslide,' which had been performed on Soul Train a couple of years earlier.) Later that year, he released a hotly anticipated 14-minute music video for the song "Thriller" on the year-old MTV music network, and was well on his way to revolutionizing not only pop music, but television as well. (from This Day in History)

> Learn more about Michael Jackson

BONUS: Jackson 5 - "I'll Be There"

Are You Living Life to the Fullest?

This evening, I was reading a story about a widowed professor who found inspiration in his wife's life and wondering whether to post it. I went back and forth - Doesn't everyone know to live life to the fullest? Carpe Diem and all that, right?

I think we all do know that, but it's hard to keep that thought in focus. For me, it's easy to confront my own mortality when reading stories like the widowed professor - it ironically brings that idea of living life to the fullest... to life. I'm hoping this little post will help remind you too. Tell your family and friends how much they mean to you...and show them if you can which is even better.

Here is the professor's story:

Jason Hans believes everyone should live their life in a way they would be able to inspire other people, a lesson he learned through his wife’s murder in 2002.

“If you were to die tonight there would be a lot of people sad, but would they be inspired?” Hans, a UK professor, asked the crowd as part of a Final Word lecture series.

“I’m happy to talk about her any chance that I get,” he said.

Hans’s wife, Irina, who he was with for six years, was shot in Washington, D.C., while walking home, in what was later determined to be an armed robbery.

When Hans was told of his wife’s murder, he found it difficult to realize that life went on without her.

“I was shocked that the sun came up,” he said. “I was a wreck for about five or six days. One night I just walked around the city to all the places we had been.”

Hans not only believed he lost a wife, but he also lost the children they had planned for. Hans and his wife had already planned their children’s names, Masha and Sasha.

One thing that helped him recover from her death was he felt that it had become his responsibility to be the caretaker of her legacy.

Hans learned from his wife that life should not be taken for granted and to make the most of what you have before it’s gone.

He said Irina had once written, “Lying in my dark, cold, spooky grave I will think: Was there a meaning for all that?”

Katie Lamping, a nursing sophomore, said the event gave her a positive message about living your life to the fullest.

“I thought it was good and it was touching,” she said. “It makes you think about your life and the people that are special to you.” (from the University of Kentucky's Kentucky Kernel)