Wednesday 29 August 2012

Moonwalker- The Legend of Pop



Three years since the unfortunate passing of the Moonwalker, his birthday on the 29th August will forever be an important date in Music history.Listening to the immortal songs on the music channels who have dedicated to playing michael's songs rekindles childhood memories of my failed attempts at trying to be just like him. 

The Legend forever lives in the hearts of dancers and any person who loves music. The man brought a whole new level and style to pop making him one of the most iconic people ever to have shared the planet with us. Whether his sequined socks or signature fedora hat, the king of pop carried them out with style. The Legendary moonwalker who sadly left us 3 years ago whose presence is felt even today in the hearts of music lovers and dancers alike. His perfection, his talent and his utter disregard to growing up made him a global icon.



Being born as the eighth child in a family of ten siblings, living in a three room apartment only points out that he had his hardships as a child before fame engulfed him.  Though he claimed his father’s strict disciplinary nature was a great part in his success, it’s a fact that he had a very abusive childhood. His attitude to remain child-like throughout his adult life is in many ways consistent with the effects of this chronic maltreatment he endured as a young child.



The success of Jackson 5 and the eventual downfall of the Jacksons lead him to meet Quincy Jones, who decided to co-produce his first solo album Off the Wall which for a fact had Paul McCartney as one of the songwriters. Selling over 20 million worldwide, the album was an apparent success. It also saw the beginning of his series of rhinoplasty surgery (on his nose) after breaking his nose performing a complicate dance move.
In 1984 he won seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows. These awards were thanks to the album……………yep! You guessed it, Thriller! 
Released in late 1982, which was 1983's best-selling album worldwide and became the best-selling album of all time in the United States, as well as the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated 110 million copies so far.  It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States.




MJ filmed his pepsi ad in 1984 during which he accidentally got his hair on fire suffering second degree burns to his scalp. He underwent his third rhinoplasty and treatment for his scalp. Eventually the next couple of years saw MJ losing skin tone and turning rather pale and blotchy. He was diagnosed with lupus and vitiligo making him sensitive to sunlight.
"Bad" is a song by American songwriter and recording artist and musical inventor Michael Jackson. "Bad" was released by Epic Records in September 1987, as the second single from Jackson's seventh studio album of the same name. The song was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy. Jackson stated that the song was influenced by a real life story he'd read about.

Jackson released his only autobiography, Moonwalk, which took four years to complete and sold 200,000 copies. Jackson wrote about his childhood, The Jackson 5, and the abuse he had suffered. He also wrote about his facial appearance, saying he had had two rhino plastic surgeries and a dimple created in his chin. He attributed much of the change in the structure of his face to puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hair style, and stage lighting. Moonwalk reached the top position on The New York Times best sellers' list.
The Neverland Ranch naming after his favorite fantasy character’s Peter Pan’s homeland was bought at a cost of $17 million. He installed Ferris wheels, a menagerie, and a movie theater on the 2,700-acre (11 km2) property. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. In 2003, it was valued at approximately $100 million 1989, his annual earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts was estimated at $125 million for that year alone. Shortly afterwards, he became the first Westerner to appear in a television ad in the Soviet Union.


His success resulted in his being dubbed the "King of Pop". The nickname was popularized by Elizabeth Taylor when she presented him with the Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul."President George H.W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade".
One of the most epic entries Jackson was at the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. The performance began with Jackson catapulting onto the stage as fireworks went off behind him. As he landed on the canvas, he maintained a motionless "clenched fist, standing statue stance", dressed in a gold and black military outfit and sunglasses; he remained completely motionless for a minute and a half while the crowd cheered. He then slowly removed his sunglasses, threw them away and sang four songs: "Jam", "Billie Jean", "Black or White" and "Heal the World". It was the first Super Bowl where the audience figures increased during the half-time show.Do check out the video. I promise it will blow your mind!




The moonwalker’s love for fame had become addictive making him to leak out untruths to the media, making him seem crazy and also entitling him Wacko-Jacko, this made him more of a mentally disturbed figure than a role model. Further reports of child abuse during the 1994 Chandler family incident left him permanently scarred after a strip search was ordered against him.

After his two failed marriages with Lisa Marie Presley daughter of Elvis Presley and Debbie Rowe respectively and his next hit album Invincible though lower relative to his earlier albums due to conflicts with Sony and other issues including a new born child Prince Michael Jackson II(his third child, the first two being Paris and Prince Joseph Jackson jr.) through a surrogate mother along with another child abuse case against him left him battered and moved to Persian Gulf of Bahrain.



In late 2008, Fortress Investments threatened to foreclose on Neverland Ranch, which Jackson used as collateral for loans running into many tens of millions of dollars.
In March 2009, Jackson held a press conference at London's O2 Arena and announced a series of comeback concerts titled This Is It. The shows would be Jackson's first major series of concerts since the HIStory World Tour finished in 1997. Jackson suggested possible retirement after the shows; he said it would be his "final curtain call". Sadly The Moonwalker died before the tour and a documentary film about the rehearsals titled Michael Jackson's This Is It was released. Even though it ran for a limited two-week engagement, it became the highest grossing documentary or concert movie of all time,

Michael Jackson was reported to be one of the largest owners of property on the moon. In 2005, he bought a 1,200 acre plot in the Lake of Dreams and owned a smaller parcel in the Sea of Vapours. After his death, a crater on the moon was renamed Michael Joseph Jackson by The Lunar Republic Society in Jackson's honor. The crater, officially named Posidonius J, is located on an area of the moon known as the Lake of Dreams, or Lacus Somniorum. The crater is 22 kilometers across and is situated near Jackson's owned land. A spokesman for the society said: "The official designation of a Lunar crater is a singular honour bestowed upon only a select few luminaries. "Among those receiving this rare tribute over the past century are Leonardo da Vinci, Christopher Columbus, Sir Isaac Newton, Julius Caesar and Jules Verne , cool huh? The Moonwalker made his mark literally on the moon. 

Despite the many controversies and allegations against Jackson, he will be remembered most for trying to make the world a better place through his music


APPLE vs SAMSUNG


APPLE vs SAMSUNG: THE PATENT BATTLE



Ofcourse let’s start with what a patent is: patenting something you invent or innovate is the best thing to avoid getting your ideas stolen and implemented by other people. So, you invent an egg cracker and you clearly would not like your neighbor getting the idea and selling out the idea as his/her own now, would you?

That being said, the innovators at Apple cried foul at a lot of Samsung products that had been subject to infringement. Considering patent infringement to be a very big offence in court and the fact the two giants now ruling the tech world battling it out caused a lot of rush.
Apple however tried the 'kitchen sink" strategy and throwing everything at Samsung they could, hoping something would stick. This didn’t stop Samsung to counter sue Apple only for the reason of saving face. It took the jury less than a couple of days to reject that.
Apple wants eight Samsung smart phones banned.
They are the Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T model, Galaxy S2 Skyrocket, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile model, Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail.
Andrew “Andy” Updegrove, a founding partner of Gesmer Updegrove, a top technology law firm, agreed. “I think it's a given that Samsung will appeal. Given the damages awarded and the obvious determination of Apple to defend its patents, Samsung has little choice but to press forward wherever it can in court.” He went on to say that Samsung could negotiate cross patent licensing.
Sadly, Apple doesn’t seem to sway to this wind either. Being one of the innovative companies lately ,it is only natural for Apple to defend its successful technological advancements where others have failed especially for the tablets and iPhones.  Every consumer electronics company has just been put on notice and will eventually suffer against the wrath of the apple lawsuit.
A partner at the Sunstein IP law firm that the process though brings great news to innovators and inventors who can breathe easy that patent infringement is a big deal , it is still basically a completely exhaustive money and time cSonsuming process. The lawsuits could take months or years to settle, with both sides shifting gears eventually fighting for no reason with the introduction of latest technology. Eventually all will be forgotten.
However the end of this round saw Apple having a upper hand at Samsung. A jury on Friday ordered Samsung to pay Apple more than $1bn (£664m) after ruling it had infringed several of the iPhone maker's patents.

Shares in Samsung rose 3% on Tuesday on news of the delay of the hearing.
The South Korean firm had $12bn wiped off its market value on Monday as its shares suffered their biggest drop since October 2008.The list does not include Samsung's current flagship handset, the Galaxy S3, which was not involved in the case.
The hearing in September will still consider Samsung's motion to dissolve a preliminary injunction already allowed against its Galaxy Tab 10.1
The judge had originally suggested that Apple's request would be heard next month, but now says that a hearing will take place on 6 December.

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