Prisoners Of Love: The New Michael Jackson Tribute - Stop The Presses!

Prisoners Of Love: The New Michael Jackson Tribute

Posted Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:41pm PDT by Billy Altman in Stop The Presses!

Talk about deja view all over again.

Earlier today, the 1,500 orange-jumpsuit-clad inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention & Rehabilitation Center on the east coast of Cebu Island in the Philippines reprised their phenomenally popular 2007 viral performance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to honor the King Of Pop, who died Thursday. After that, they performed this touching new tribute:

The original four-minute Web-smash video, you may recall, stemmed from an experimental program started by local security consultant Byron Garcia, which added synchronized dancing to the prison's exercise programs in the hopes of spurring better attendance and more involved participation. And judging by the results, it was certainly a success, as Garcia's post of the convicts' conga lines cavorting a la Jackson and his legion of undulating undead became an immediate phenomenon, drawing over 24 million hits--a million of them in the 24-hour period following the news of Jackson's death. 

Of course, "hit" would seem to be an especially appropriate word when discussing criminals--though judging from the, er,  résumés of many of the thespic inmates at Cebu prison, drug-related offenses do seems to be up there in shared "credits."

Were these guys and gals troupers? After getting the OK to proceed with the tribute performance, the 1,500 guys and gals of the Cebu company practiced virtually around the clock under the watchful eyes of not only their built-in audience of armed prison guards but also a professional choreographer hired by the prison to whip the company into "Thriller"-appropriate lurching shape. 

And bless their paying-their-debts-to-society heads, the Cebu inmates have once again done their warden, the country, and, yes, the entire planet proud. As Michael Jackson, the fallen idol whose music helped these unlikely people gain international recognition, once noted, it doesn't matter if you're black or white, or living as a free person in society or inside a detention and rehab center in the Philippines. We're all people--and we are the world.

Prisoners Of Love: The New Michael Jackson Tribute - Stop The Presses!

St James's Palace, London (1926)

Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' is available to buy on DVD

This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally restored by the BFI National Archive. Britain seen in colour for the first time was heralded as a great technical advance for the cinema audience - now we can view a much improved image, but one which still stays true to the principles of the colour process.

The rather haphazard journey from Land's End to John O'Groats creates a series of moving picture postcards. Look out for shots containing the component colours - red and blue-green - such as when a little girl in a red coat and hat walks among peacocks in the grounds of a castle, and three girls with red curly hair pose by the sea at Torquay.

The car is a Vauxhall D-type - considered a sporty model at the time. A long-distance journey by car was a relatively new concept, with none of the amenities en route now taken for granted. The visit to a petrol station shows smoking on the forecourt: no health and safety issues back then! The travelogue ends with a series of recognisable London landmarks. Much remains the same - one major exception being the volume of traffic on the roads. (Jan Faull)

For more information about 'The Open Road' see http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/openroad/

You can watch the whole of 'The Open Road' and over 1200 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge at the new BFI Mediatheque - http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

BFI 1920s St James's Palace London Guardsmen parade

Coldstream Guards: Wellington Barracks [Changing of the Guard]

The Regimental Band of the Welsh Guards and the Coldstream Guards march into Wellington Barracks after the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

Changing The Guard Buckingham Palace London England Britain British Foot Guards Bearskin Tradition Military Parade Coldstream Welsh Wellington Barracks

Jackson Sought Propofol "Anesthesia Addict" | TMZ.com

Jackson Sought Out Anesthesia

Posted Jul 3rd 2009 3:10PM by TMZ Staff

Michael Jackson made the rounds at L.A. doctors' offices, often getting anesthesia for minor outpatient procedures -- procedures that did not require anesthesia.

Medical sources say Jackson would get cosmetic surgery, collagen injections, Botox and acne treatment for which he would often be put under or sedated, even when it was not medically necessary.

One medical source described Jackson as "an anesthesia addict."

We're also told Jackson would get controlled substances, such as Demerol, during and after these minor procedures.

The question now -- which docs were happy to oblige the singer?

As we first reported, police found the anesthesia Propofol in Jackson's house after he died, and it's looking like that's the drug that killed him.

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