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On July 7th most of the major news networks will televise the public memorial for Michael Jackson from the Los Angeles' Staples Center. While details regarding performers at this memorial weren't available at the time of this article, certainly each fan will bring his or her own memory of the King of Pop. The single white sequined glove, the moonwalk, the botched special effects in a Pepsi ad that set his hair on fire – Michael Jackson will be remembered for all these moments and many more. His discography as a pop music sensation spans more than four decades. His dance moves have been compared to choreographers like Martha Graham and Bob Fosse and dancers like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelley. The memorial on Tuesday will provide closure for many of Jackson's fans, but Jackson himself may have created the best memorial -- the video for his hit 1982 single, “Thriller.”
Cebu Provincial Inmates honor Jackson (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
With a voice-over by horror screen legend, Vincent Price, and direction by John Landis of American Werewolf in London, the video for “Thriller” raised the bar for MTV. At 13 minutes, the original short-film was more than four times longer than other music videos running on MTV at the time. In 1999, TV Guide Magazine and MTV named “Thriller” the greatest video of all time. A lot of the credit for the durability of “Thriller” goes to the choreography created by Jackson and Michael Peters. The shuffling zombie dance that comprises the middle portion of the video in particular stands out. Kids all across the country and around the world spent hours practicing the moves until they got them just right.
Teen fans in 1982 haven't been the only ones mimicking Jackson and his zombie crew. In 2007 the inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Cebu, Philippines recreated Jackson's video as part of their mandatory exercise routine. The routine is the brain child of Byron Garcia, a Cebu province security consultant. As of July 4th, the inmates' version of "Thriller" had over 28 million views. Garcia posted a tribute video put together by the inmates within ten hours of receiving news of Jackson's death.
For the 2008 Super Bowl ad, SoBe Lifewater chose to have Naomi Campbell and their spokelizards perform "Thriller" as well. With one little sip on Lifewater, a group of lizards flawlessly perform the signature dance with Campbell; the advertisement wants us to believe in Lifewater's ability to make us all cool.
YouTube is filled with other moments both commercial and personal that pay tribute to "Thriller." There's a SecondLife version, both college and high school band performances, and a how-to dance video. If imitiation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, Jackson's "Thriller" earned him much flattery and will serve as a continuing tribute to the King of Pop.
For more info:
SoBe Lifewater ad -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anLqu77uTH0
Phillipine Prison -- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6917318.stm
More coverage on the death of Michael Jackson http://www.examiner.com/category-michael_jackson.html
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