The King is Dead

The world received shocking news today. The Legend, the Icon, a man who really belongs to no one category or was simply in a unique category of his own, Michael Jackson passed away after suffering cardiac arrest today at noon Pacific time in his Los Angeles home.

People around the world have grown accustomed to his life story, to his music, and especially to his influence on countless music lovers. MJ wasn't just a music icon, he was a personality that defined a generation.

I think it's safe to question what our current pop stars or musicians would be like right now, had MJ not spent his life devoted to revolutionizing the music scene. Would Justin Timberlake still be singing or dancing in the same manner? Madonna and Britney Spears on the female front of pop music have always cited MJ as an influence and guide in pushing the boundaries of pop. Almost every music sensation today has cited MJ as an influence.

The 1980's would not have been the same without "Off the Wall", "Thriller", or "Bad". His album, "Thriller" is still one of the best selling albums ever and it is still one of the most commonly played albums.

Even though MJ's albums had already been long released and old by the time I grew up and began appreciating music, they were still some of the first albums I ever heard and fell in love with.

The world is filled with talented people; talents that vary considerably. However, artists in particular have always interested me greatly. The impact that music has on people and the way it can change your life...I find it absolutely fascinating. To think that a young man who strolls onto a stage and then just moves his body in such a unique fashion once the beat starts pumping, grabs his crotch, flings his arms into the air, twirls on his feet, slides across the stage in a move that later becomes the "moon-walk" -- that this man can inspire an entire generation and then have that generation carry forward his influence and then inspire even more generations...it's incredible.

With a final concert series still in the works, this is probably the last thing anyone expected to hear. But then again, when do we ever expect to hear such news regarding something or someone that has become so permanent in our world that we feel we'll never be separated from it, or them.

MJ will live on through his music and his lasting musical influence -- just as he already has all these years.

What's Happening...

• Iran - okay let's take a deep breath before we begin... ready? Alright, so we've all seen the news coverage regarding the unprecedented protests against the recent election, or shall we say "re-election" of President Ahmadinejad. The opposition party has led the protests, claiming that the election results were rigged, however the turn out has been incredible with hundreds of thousands rebelling against the results. So vast have been the protests that they're impossible to ignore, hence drawing international attention. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei issued an ultimatum, more like a threat, calling for an end to the protests or be faced with strict resistance from the government. Basically a government crack down on the protests, I'm assuming. Go ahead and draw some pictures in your head of what that might involve. So far the police has started using water cannons on the protestors. Khamenei claims that the victory was so "great" for Ahmadinejad that there is no reason to believe that fraud was involved. Right... I'm wondering how the Int'l leaders feel right now. Just a few weeks ago Western leaders were speaking openly about the strong, almost definite probability that the world would be rid of the President that has been such a pain to the rest of the world with his aggressive behaviour. I guess we'll wait until the next election.

• Still no word on the black boxes for the Air France flight. However the carrier has started handing out $24,500 to the victim families. Authorities are reporting that the fact that the bodies have broken bones indicates that the plane began falling apart in the sky before impact. And that's really all that they've put together thus far. It is a very scary reality still that I'm sure many people are trying to piece together. Almost unheard of in this day an age that a plane could just fly into bad weather with faulty equipment and fall apart.

• On the Canadian front, don't expect a federal election until at least the end of summer. Ruby Dhalla seems to have escaped her controversy even though the Committee report called for a thorough investigation. People seem to be distracted at the moment with other things, namely other MP or MP scandals from around the country. When is anyone in this country going to do their job. I don't know why we hold inquiries to begin with when their recommendations are never followed. If they don't have anything to hold against her, then just say "innocent" and move on. If they see something, then enforce the investigation, but whichever it is, stop wasting my tax dollars!

• This is all I care to write about right now. I have to rip Stephanie Meyer apart - save that till the next blog post :p

Review: Drag Me to Hell

After many years I had the pleasure of finally seeing a movie that made me jump and scream like...well like a scared little girl! 

Sam and Ivan Raimi have written a script that has just the right amount of scares, thrills, surprises and intrigue. Further, Sam Raimi has directed very well. The victim in this story is a sweet, innocent girl by the name of Christine who is just trying to make it like the rest of us. With one honest misjudgement she is thrust into a three day horror fest where she must save her soul from the eventual arrival of the creepiest demon of all, Lamia.

We've all seen movies about possession and demons - exorcist anyone? But a demon that is pursuing you to take your soul...sounds familiar...poltergeist? But even still, this movie comes out as very unique. It's never been done like this before.

Every minute there was a thrill. My friend had her face covered the whole time as did I. Well, there were some very gross moments in the movie that at one point almost made me regurgitate the poutine I had just downed. But the screams were not lacking. Well...my friend actually did all the screaming, loud enough for the whole theatre to hear and join in.

The screams weren't out of serious fright, it was all thanks to the surprise thrills that make you jump out of your seat, something that director Sam Raimi has done flawlessly. 

Of course there were weaknesses in the plot and they could have cut out the gross parts, but overall I am very satisfied :)

For a long time now I have desired to watch a horror that would make me jump out of my seat. Not only did this movie accomplish that, but it made my friend and I jump and scream at so many points that we would hurl over in laughter as we realized how stupid we must look.

I would catagorize this film as a Horror-Comedy -- something very rare.

So if you're looking for some thrills, and not too worried about plot - then check out this film. It's sure to make you laugh.