Chart Battle: Miley Trumping Mariah and MJ on iTunes!

V.S.

Everyone expected Mariah Carey's latest single "Obsessed" to top the iTunes chart this week, but it seems like that won't be the case, at all.

Right now, "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is sitting pretty at #1. That's no surprise. What is surprising is who is #2, and no it's not Michael (he and "Man in the Mirror" are at #3). At #2, is Hannah Montana, with the song "He Could Be The One", off the third HM soundtrack.

So, why is Mariah flogging with the sales, her strongest ally?

Why Pelosi's Killing of the Michael Jackson Resolution Is a Good Thing, For Now

 

At Michael Jackson's massive, emotional memorial service at the Staples Center, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee presented a resolution to honor the icon for humanitarian works and for his status as an American icon. The announcement of the resolution drew rapturous applause.

Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi effectively killed the resolution. Her reason for doing so was that discussions on the resolution would bring up "contrary views" that were "not necessary at this time" (she did acknowledge him as a "great, great performer"). Essentially, she is saying that the resolution has the danger of splitting up the House into two groups: those who love Jackson and those who despise him. That split would potentially be disastrous as the House tries to pass more important legislation, such as those involving healthcare.

The split was confirmed when Peter King, the classless New York congressman who called Michael Jackson a "pervert" and "pedophile" and appeared to relish in the attention those insults caused, promised he would block the resolution. Also, only one other congresswoman announced their support, while other members, including those from the black caucus, remained silent.

Right now, Congress needs to focus on bringing this country back from the gates of hell, not fighting over Michael Jackson's legacy. That would only drudge up the most unsavory of the pop star's history, which does nothing but tarnish an already spotty reputation.

While Michael Jackson's cultural influence, despite King's and Bill O'Reilly's opinions, is grand and undisputed, I have to agree that congressional recognition isn't something that should be prioritized. Maybe in the future, after all of the dust surrounding his death has settled and the issues most important are resolved, the resolution, whatever it would mean, can be reintroduced.

Mariah Carey Apologizes For MJ Memorial Perfomance: Should She Have?

In a move that's quite stunning, Mariah Carey has apologized to her fans for her vocal performance at Tuesday's memorial for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center. The singer performed the Jackson 5 classic (and her 1992 #1 single) "I'll Be There" with Trey Lorenz. Afterwards, the pop diva wrote on Twitter, "Trying to sing today was basically impossible for me. I could barely keep myself from crying. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to pull it together and really do it right, but I was literally choked up when I saw him there in front of me."

The "apology" comes as a surprise since no one referred to her performance as bad at all. It was clear that Mariah wasn't up to form, especially compared to her vocals on the original. It is clear that she was choked up and very emotional upon seeing the casket, which likely affected her performance.


However, how much was grief, and how much was just a gradual change in her vocal ability, noticeable in the past few years. For instance, here is Mariah on David Letterman in 2005, singing "We Belong Together":




Here is her performance at the Inaugural Ball in January:





Finally, here she is performing at the memorial:





While Mariah's performance was hindered by the emotions of the day, it is clear that her live vocal performances have gotten progressively worse. At the same time, Mariah didn't need to apologize for her lacking vocal ability at the memorial. Both apparent causes of the performances were beyond her control, and she shouldn't be faulted for that.

Song Review: UK Girl Group Sugababes Get Lazy With "Get Sexy"

After the shockingly disastrous reaction to their album Catfights and Spotlights, the Sugababes have come back from a long recording session in Los Angeles with their new single, called "Get Sexy". They hope that this song will bring the girls back to the top of the charts and even score them some US success (they recently signed to Roc-A-Fella Records) by returning to their dance-pop roots.

And what a return it is; "Get Sexy" is their most danceable track since "Hole in the Head". Thanks to its synthy, GaGa-like sound, courtesy of the up-and-coming The Smeezingtons, it is guaranteed to fill up the clubs. However, it is also their most uninspiring, and blatantly lazy single ever.

Lyrically, its essentially about how sexy they are, which may be true. However, it gets kind of repetitive after the first 200 times they sing it. What's just bordering on pathetic is the sample from the iconic and cheesy 90's song "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. I mean, off all the songs in the world, why that song? What's next, a song sampling "The Macarena"? The most interesting part of the song is the intro, which is inspired by Michael Jackson's 1988 single "Another Part of Me". After that, the song quickly melts into the huge, post-MJ pot called typical.

By the time Amelle sings "If I had a dime, for every single time, these boys stop and stare, I'd be a billionaire", you just want to yell at the girls, "we get it! You're sexy!"

Why don't you prove that you can make music that is a bit more interesting, instead?

Rating: 6/10

Check out their new single (due out on August 31st) below:

"Morphine": Michael Jackson's Secret Drug Pain, in Song

The circumstances surrounding the death of Michael Jackson are still unclear, but prescription drugs are the most likely cause.

Michael has had a complicated history with prescription drug addiction. In 1993, the singer went into rehab after he became dependent on painkillers to fight the stress of his worldwide tour and the child molestation allegations against him. Then again, in 2005, rumors of Michael's self-medicating resurfaced as fought another wave of allegations and a trial.

Now, it has been revealed that in the last six months of his life, powerful drugs that treat chronic pain have been involved in Michal's daily routine. One of them was Demerol, the first drug name cited in Michael's death. However, it is not the first time that drug and the King of Pop have crossed paths.

"Demerol, Demerol, oh God, he's taking Demerol..."

Those are the words in Michael Jackson's 1997 song "Morphine", off the remix album Blood on the Dance Fllor: HIStory in the Mix. The album was largely ignored in the United States, just selling one million domestically. For the first time, he directly refers to his history painkiller abuse, dedicating the song title to morphine, a highly potent painkiller that hits the central nervous system. The song is broken into three parts; the first part features a hard-driving, screeching beat. While his post-allegation music was edgier than his earlier music, this song features Michael at his most harsh. Words of razor blades and buzzes, combined with this industrial-sounding beat combine to represent the chronic pain that Michael suffered. That fades in the second part, as a tender melody takes its place with Michael's soothing voice. Singing "Relax, this won't hurt you, before I put it in, close your eyes and count to ten", Michael sings as the morphine, eerily comforting its patient/victim. What's interesting, and even troubling, is in the background is the sound of beeping hospital equipment. Th third and final part crashes through the peace, bringing back the sharp slamming beat and the quick yells from Jackson. When the singer, who is known for his emotionally-filling vocal delivery, screams the word "morphine", it has a bite that can send chills down your back.

It's hard to tell whether "Morphine" was a reflection, a cry for help, or even a premonition. The haunting sound of Michael singing "Demerol" repeatedly is so disarming when current events are taken into account, and lends a sense of tragedy to this surprisingly great piece. You almost wish that someone repeated the above lyrics to Michael in the months leading to his shocking death.

Michael Jackson will be remembered for his brilliant pop masterpieces like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It", when he was in his supposed prime. Songs like "Morphine", "Stranger in Moscow", and "Childhood" from his more difficult years paint a deeper, richer, and more troubling picture of this man's true genius: his ability to turn personal struggles into universal themes.

Too bad no one listened; maybe then he wouldn't be where was today.

Listen to "Morphine" below, or download it on iTunes:

Michael Jackson and Princess Diana: Fallen Rulers of the Media Kingdom, Part 3

Michael Jackson and Princess Diana are unique in their celebrity because, as a new media age dawned, they attempted to control how they were seen by the world. There were times when it was successful, greatly so. However, by the mid-90's, the methods that worked for them early on began to lose effect, and they were trapped in their own special kind of media hell.

Princess Diana probably didn't realize the extent of reciprocal damage her 1995 Panorama interview would cause. While she succeeded in winning public favor again (especially after a friend of Charles called her mentally ill in a special after the initial airing, confirming her accusations of backdoor sabotage), her interview was looked upon kindly by the Palace. The Queen, apparently fed up with the media circus the family was subjected to by Diana's antics, wrote both her and Charles, suggesting a divorce, something Diana did not want (per the interview). Ultimately, she had no choice, especially after she slyly accused her sons' nanny Tiggy Legg-Bourke of aborting Charles' baby.

The early half of 1996 saw Charles and Di fighting over terms of a divorce. The most publicized aspect of the discussions was whether Diana would retain her title of Her Royal Highness, or HRH. According to the Queen, since Diana would be divorced from the prince, she had no right to the HRH. She had the title taken away, being restyled as Diana, Princess of Wales. The removal of the title hypothetically meant that Diana would have to curtsy to members of the family, even her own children. After the announcement, Diana announced that she was quitting a number of charities, choosing a select few to continue with. The media heavily implied that she did that as retaliation for losing her title. The media also reported of the changes in Diana's staff, who quit over lack of communication and trust with the princess. Divorce also saw an increased effort from the paparazzi to get pictures of her, particularly in a state of distress. Paparazzi followed her everywhere she went and, with a serious downsizing in security, were free to pester her into tears, which the media gladly attached headlines with.

What her divorce didn't mean was that she would quit her charity work, and that the media wouldn't be used to promote it. In January of 1997, Diana teamed up with the Red Cross to create an international ban on landmines. She traveled to Angola, where news cameras from round the world documented her journey. That trip showed Diana exemplify both her compassion for suffering and her astute understanding of imagery. When Diana stopped to visit a severely injured girl in a hospital, she covered the girl's body from the prying cameras and demanded that they stepped back from scaring the sick girl. In another astonishing moment, Diana walked amongst active landmines in an uncleared field. When she realized that the media didn't get clear pictures, she did it again. Those pictures were published on front pages worldwide. Her visits to Angola and Bosnia brought unprecedented coverage to an issue often ignored worldwide. She was often cited for the creation of the Ottawa Treaty, which was signed by over 100 countries. Unfortunately, she wouldn't live to see the day.

On August 30th, 1997, Diana was dining with her boyfriend at the time Dodi Al Fayed at the The Ritz Hotel in Paris, France. In the weeks prior, Diana and Dodi were heavily photographed frolicking on a yacht owned by Dodi's father Mohammed Al Fayed, owner of Harrod's. They continued their vacation in France, followed by the paparazzi. The photographers and fans were stationed in front of the hotel, and in an effort to escape them, they took the back way out of the hotel. Somehow, paparazzi on scooters were there and, driven by an inebriated Henri Paul, the lovebirds fled with paparazzi hot on their trail. Three minutes after their departure, Paul lost control of the car and it crashed into a pillar in the Pont D'Alma tunnel. Inside the wrecked car were a dead Dodi and Henri Paul, and a barely alive Diana and her bodyguard. As the princess lay dying in the car, lightbulbs flashed as the paparazzi took pictures. Eventually, the French ambulances arrived and took Diana to the hospital. Two hours of surgery was unable to repair the damage to her heart, and she declared dead at 4:00 am.

       

The news of Diana's tragic death shocked the whole world. The UK alone saw a massive outpouring of grief never experienced before. The tabloid newspapers, who at the time were covering Diana's relationship with Dodi, went into overdrive as they covered her death. Images of the princess at her most saintly adorned nearly every British paper. That didn't stop the public from blaming them for her death, since they used the paparazzi to get pictures of Diana. What wasn't known at the time was that pictures of Diana in the wrecked car were sent to the newspapers, ready for publishing. According to an interview with the editor of tabloid, they were ready to print the pictures, until it was announced that she had died. Almost immediately, he deleted all images from the database. In the late edition of News of the World the day of her death, they proudly proclaimed that they refused to print pictures of a dying Diana. The press got a lucky break when reports from Paris came in blaming Henri Paul for the crash. From then on, the press assigned themselves as the speakers of the public. They took the charge when it soon became clear that the millions who mourned Diana were furious that the royals weren't in London and that the Royal Standard wasn't flying at half-mast. The family was on holiday at Balmoral in Scotland, and the flag on flew when the Queen was in residence at Buckingham Palace, but it didn't matter. The press attacked the family for their lack of public grief. The Sun asked on their front page: "Where is our Queen? Where is her Flag?". The Daily Mirror also questioned their absence with this headline: "Your People Are Suffering. Speak To Us, Ma'am." Even in death, Diana had a significant hold on the media. What was becoming clearer was that an ample part of the hold came from the public who adored her. Sensing media and public apprehension (some papers were publishing reports that many mourners weren't against abolishing the monarchy), the family returned to London.



Their return saw a series of precedent-breaking actions. First, the Union Jack was flown at half-mast on the day of her funeral. The day before, the Queen delivered a television broadcast, speaking to the world in tribute to Diana. Despite reported troubles between the two of them, the Queen regarded Diana as "an exceptional and gifted human being". It was her first ever television broadcast, just another sign of the extraordinary reaction, media and public, to her death. While some accused both reactions of being grotesquely dramatic and even insincere, the majority was clearly in favor of the princess. Her funeral was the biggest in pop culture history. Over one million people lined the route from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey. 250,000 watched the funeral on large screen televisions at Hyde Park. 33 million people watched the funeral in the UK alone, the second most watched television broadcast of all time, and the most watched since 1966. The same amount watched the funeral in the United States, where there was almost wall-to-wall coverage of Diana from her death. Those people viewed iconic images of Diana's coffin draped in the Royal Standard, her sons, with their father and grandfather, walking behind the carriage, a tearful Elton John singing "Candle in the Wind 1997", and her brother verbally slaying the royal family.

Today, Diana's funeral is still one of the most memorable events in modern history. Her image still inspires fascination, and more importantly to some, big sales. Since that sad day of September 6th 1997, there hasn't been a pop culture moment to match that same kind of media coverage.

That was until around 4pm, twelve years later, on June 25th 2009.

Next, the last years of the King of Pop: married with kids, Invincible, Berlin, Martin Bashir, the trial, and the six months that spelled the end of Michael Jackson's life.

Mariah Carey Sings "I'll Be There" At MJ's Memorial

A clearly emotional Mariah Carey performed the Jackson 5 classic/her #1 hit "I'll Be There" at Michael Jackson's emotional memorial service at the Staples Center yesterday. She performed the song with Trey Lorenz, who sang on the track with her in 1992. Check it out below:

Michael Jackson and Princess Diana: Fallen Rulers of the Media Kingdom, Part 2

By the early 1990's, pop star Michael Jackson and British royal Princess Diana were massive global celebrities, admired the world over for their works. There was little dispute over their influence in popular culture, attributed to the media's unwavering fascination with them. The media's fascination, at this time, began to show its darker shades.

Michael's wildly eccentric lifestyle drew the media in, giving them bucket loads of material to discuss, truth or fiction. His guarded nature fanned the flames, since he wouldn't speak about the countless stories written about him. However, that was forced to change in 1993. That year, in the middle of his successful Dangerous tour, Michael was accused of child molestation by a 13-year old boy. Suddenly, the images of Michael with young children (the boy who accused him attended the World Music Awards with his mother as Michael's guests) were given a dark shade. The media ran with that angle almost out of the gate; the New York Post ran this infamous headline: "Peter Pan or Pervert" as the allegations broke. Although he wasn't formally charged, he was still treated like he was guilty. Televisions shows like Hard Copy paid thousands for "revelations" of improper conduct on Michael's part from former employees, even though those were highly incredible. Court documents were leaked, compromising an already weak case. Even with the massive negative response, they still gave Michael the chance to defend himself. In December of 1993, televisions stations worldwide aired Michael Jackson's rebuttal video live from Neverland Ranch, where he told of his humiliation at the court required strip search. There was little sympathy for the singer, even after he became addicted to painkillers to deal with the terrible stress of the trial. To stop the media circus in its tracks, he settled out of court, to a rumored tune of $20 million. While lawyer Johnnie Cochran insisted the settlement wasn't an admission of guilt, that did not stop newspapers of branding him guilty.

With the charges somewhat behind him, Michael stunned the world again by marrying Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis. The union was met with nearly universal skepticism, believing it was a calculated move to repair his cracked reputation. There was certainly an effort to prove their love; the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards was opened by them, and they shared a jaw-dropping kiss in front of millions. The couple appeared semi-nude in the video of Michael's #1 hit "You Are Not Alone". The same year, they also sat down with Diane Sawyer for Primetime. The interview saw Michael defending everything from his sexuality to his facial changes to even a promotional video for his new album HIStory, was compared to Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will. The efforts were futile and ultimately pointless; they divorced the next year. Michael's presence in the media didn't seem to help his album sales. HIStory, which he released in the summer of 1995, was his first album since the allegations. It was a double album; one disc held his greatest hits and the other was full of new material, most of which referring to the allegations. The album served as a test of his selling ability after the scandal. To aid sales, he released the first single "Scream", a duet with Janet. The video that accompanied it was the most expensive ever, costing $5 million. The song was a hit, debuting and peaking at #5. The second single, "You Are Not Alone", became the first ever song on the US charts to debut at #1. Despite the single successes, the album wasn't without controversy. Jackson was accused in the media of antisemitism with the song "They Don't Care About Us", which he vehemently denied. A performance of the British Christmas #1 single "Earth Song" at the 1996 BRIT Awards was crashed by Jarvis Cocker, who accused Michael of portraying himself as Christ. Ultimately, the album sold 3.5 million copies in the United States, less than Dangerous' 8 million sales, and much less than Thriller's 28 million sales. While sales of 3.5 million, especially in this current climate, are nothing to sneeze at, HIStory was deemed a disappointment.

That three year stretch also saw Diana face some struggle with the media she once dominated so easily. In November of 1993, the Sunday Mirror published secret pictures of Diana working out in a gym, in a unflattering pose. Humiliated, and sick of the media scrutiny, Diana formally withdrew from public life during a speech a month later. The absence was short-lived. She soon got back doing public charity work with cameras following her. What followed her return nearly derailed her public support. 1994 saw James Hewitt publish a book called Princess in Love, where he revealed their affair to the world. His overt betrayal of Diana made him an overnight celebrity, but the media's coverage of him wasn't favorable. Still in Di's favor, the British press referred to him as a "love rat", who violated the princess. Standing on her side didn't stop them from publishing stories about her other conquests, such as her relationship with rugby player Will Carling. Diana's understanding of the media was still strong during these times of indecent exposure, and she didn't pass up an opportunity to upstage her separated husband. The night that he admitted adultery in a televised interview, Diana stepped out for a night at the Serpentine Gallery. The dress she wore, a sexy black fishtail number, stole the front page from Charles. That dress has been referred to as the "revenge" or "up yours" dress.

Still, Diana wasn't satisfied with stealing press from Charles. She wanted to finally reveal to the world how she was feeling. Enter Martin Bashir, a reporter with BBC's Panorama. In a secret deal, she filmed an interview with him in 1995. On November 20th, the world sat down and watched as Diana officially blew the lid off the royal family. With downcast eyes, she stunned everyone with her revelations of bulimia, adultery, and loneliness. The most shocking of her interview was her suggestion, if not assertion, that Charles was not fit to be King, she would never be Queen, and that William would be better fit.

Diana's interview with Martin Bashir was one of the definitive moments of her life. It was also her biggest mistake. For someone who was so intelligent with the media before, it is mind-boggling that Diana would think openly challenging the validity of the monarchy's line of succession was a good idea. The Queen certainly didn't think so. Shortly after the interview, Diana and Charles received formal letters from Her Majesty, requesting they divorce immediately.

Michael and Diana were at different stages in their lives in the mid 90's. Diana was to be an ex-wife of a prince, stripped of her HRH. Michael was trying to salvage his career with a new album and marriage. As they navigated their significantly changed lives, the cameras were there, every step of the way. But it is clear that the media played more of a role in the latter parts of their lives than they originally thought.

In Part 3, how Diana and the press worked when she lost her title, and what role the paparazzi played in her tragic death. Also, Michael fights for his life, as odd behavior and sagging sales turned Michael from pop hero to laughingstock.