Bad, 25th Anniversary Edition, Deluxe Edition
	Artist: Michael Jackson

I watched Spike Lee's "Michael Jackson: Bad 25" on ABC last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lee focused in on the making of the Jackson's album Bad which followed on the heels of the 100 million record seller Thriller. And man, it brought back a lot of memories. Here's what the LA Times wrote about the documentary:

In a welcome break from the traditionally saccharine holiday programming, ABC is airing "a version" of Spike Lee's documentary "Michael Jackson: Bad 25," which had its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival before having a short theatrical release. Lee trimmed almost an hour for the television version, but "Bad 25" is still something to be thankful for, a hypnotic homage to the performer's gift and, more important, his dedication.

Wielding an impressive collection of behind-the-scenes clips as well as interviews with a disparate array of colleagues (including Martin Scorsese and Sheryl Crow), Lee uses the creation of the album and the "short films" (Jackson eschewed the term music video) the songs inspired to keep his focus firmly on Jackson's work. Although there is brief mention of things like Jackson's shyness, his increasingly pale skin and his choice to speak and sing in the higher registers of his impressive three-octave range, that's as personal it gets. Lee's window is definitively, and almost defiantly, framed by the ambition, talent and rigor that went into creating "Bad."

I was strictly a musician in the '80s and although I was a rocker to the core (I also studied classical and jazz passionately) I recognized and enjoyed Jackson's talents. He was an incredible singer who happened to dance like a modern Fred Astaire. The film didn't touch on his controversial side, but rather was a celebration of an era gone by and an immensely talented performer.

Filled with oh-wow moments — like a 1988 clip of Sheryl Crow, with mountainous hair, partnering Jackson in the ballad “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” — “Bad 25” confirms the genius of an authentic pop original. Dancing us back to a time when a music video could be directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Richard Price and star a menacing Wesley Snipes, the film insists you don’t need to be a fan: you just need eyes and ears.

During those years I played almost a thousand parties every year and our band did Jackson songs too. It was amazing how many different people really loved him. His popularity was so humongous that if I had to vote I'd say he crossed over more age, ethnic and economic demographics than had ever been done before. There wasn't a person with whom I interacted during those many gigs (and I love to talk) who simply didn't love Michael. As a composer trying to get songs recorded, I and many others couldn't help but be influenced by his thunderous dance grooves--so I'm making him the LNMC tonight and I'd like to thank Spike for bringing back the memories. Remember, not everything was about the hair bands back then.

Did something happen last night? Some misbehavin'?

Personally, I didn't think this proved Kanye's douchebaggery any more than his amazing self-realization moment after South Park lampooned him. No matter, it only took seconds for someone to make this mashup:

Anyway, I a music blogger acknowledge that Kanye West did something that other music bloggers seem to think will end his career, a statement so ridiculous that I'm surprised to not hear it coming from Kanye himself. Michael Jackson and R. Kelly survived (charges of and video of, respectively) pedophilia (and in Kelly's case, um, watersports) and a little rockstar outburst of self-righteousness will destroy Kanye forever? If only...

Nine Inch Nails' performance at Bonnaroo was supposed to be their last, but Trent Reznor ain't goin' out like that:

It turns out Nine Inch Nails’ Bonnaroo ‘09 set won’t be Trent Reznor’s final U.S. show ever — today the NIN leader announced on the band’s Website new plans to perform a handful of small venue shows in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Nine Inch Nails’ joint tour with Jane’s Addiction and their massive set at Bonnaroo were supposed to be the final curtain calls for Reznor and Co. in the States before the band would “disappear for a while,” but as Reznor writes, “Upon reflection, the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due to a limited allotted set length and many shows were in daylight — it just didn’t feel right to end NIN that way.”

So far, Reznor said Nine Inch Nails will perform at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Terminal Five; Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom; and Los Angeles’ Wiltern, the Henry Fonda, Palladium and the Echoplex. “These should be cool, unusual and unique shows and I hope you come out — this is it,” Reznor writes of the final shows, strangely echoing Michael Jackson’s canceled “This Is It!” concerts in London, which were meant to be the King of Pop’s final performances in the U.K.

I'll be damned if I don't make it to one of those LA shows. I'll also be damned if these are the last every Nine Inch Nails shows. Does anyone even believe bands that Ian MacKaye isn't in when they announce their final show?

Usher, singing Michael Jackson's Gone Too Soon at today's memorial service at the Staples Center in LA.

Madonna paid tribute to Michael Jackson at her tour opener in London this weekend, and today Justin Timberlake, Usher, Mariah Carey and more will pay tribute at the memorial service at the Staples Center today in downtown LA (remind me to stay off the freeways.)

Paul McCartney, Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Barry Manilow are among the celebrities said to be walking the "black carpet" at the service. According to The Sun, Usher and Justin Timberlake will perform Jackson tributes during the memorial, and Diana Ross -- who Jackson named in his will as guardian of his three children if his mother, Katherine Jackson, was unable to care for them -- will read the King of Pop's eulogy.

According to a statement from Jackson's family, Kobe Bryant, Berry Gordy, Jennifer Hudson, Magic Johnson, Martin Luther King III, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Brooke Shields, and Stevie Wonder will also participate in the memorial.

According to TMZ, Mariah Carey will perform a tribute rendition of Jackson 5 classic "I'll Be There."

We'll be posting all good performances as they come in.

CNN obtained video of Michael Jackson and his dancers rehearsing in LA at the Staples Center for his London residency on June 23rd, a mere two days before his death. It's mesmerizing and haunting, to say the lest.

I'm about to pull a Bill Frist, and it may be the energy of "They Don't Care About Us", one of his best songs, but as Consequence of Sound noted, this does add a degree of credibility to the idea that there was reason to believe he was in good health shortly before his passing.

Though most icon-meets-icon collaborations are a tad underwhelming, it doesn't really get any bigger than this.

UK rag The Daily Express reports:

Just weeks after Bob Dylan announced he wanted to collaborate with fellow legend Sir Paul McCartney, moves are afoot to bring the two superstars together.

Industry insiders say Macca is set to team up with Dylan in California over the summer, where the pair are expected to work on new songs as a duo.

The news comes after Dylan declared this month that he found the idea of working with the former Beatle “exciting”.

McCartney’s spokesman then declared their man would be “very interested” in a collaboration.

“Paul has a home in California not too far from Bob’s so the idea is for the two to meet when Paul is in California over the summer,” says a well-placed mole.

Both artists are no strangers to collaboration, even the notoriously reclusive Dylan. McCartney teamed with Michael Jackson for "Say, Say, Say" (remember that one?) and Dylan has a long list ranging from great (Traveling Wilburys) to WTF (Michael Bolton).

Hopefully the two most accomplished living songwriters in Rock and Roll will yield something more like Dylan's version of "Yesterday" and less like Bolton's "Steel Bars", which Dylan co-wrote (really). We'll know soon enough.

Have a favorite Dylan or McCartney collaboration? The club is open!

I'm sure it's never very exciting to have multiple lawsuits against you, but I can't help but wonder if Michael Jackson is at least relieved to be sued merely for lack of payment these days.

Plaintiff #1: his former publicist Raymone Bain, who shepherded him through those less pleasant lawsuits is suing him for $44 million she claims to be owed. I didn't know that a publicist could make more than $5 million a year, but there are a lot of things I don't know about life at the Michael Jackson level.

Plaintiff #2: Ola Ray, the girl in the Thriller video, who is suing for back royalties from the video. Via Rolling Stone, she's issued as friendly of a statement as a plaintiff in a lawsuit could:

“She just wants to get her fair share of payments from this extremely successful project that she’s very proud of,” said Ray’s lawyer, Jason Feldman. “She did receive some payments early on, but we don’t believe they were complete, and they were never timely.” He claims his client has not received one dime from Jackson since 1998, and he expects any judgment a jury might render will be “a significant sum.”

In better news for Jackson, he begins a 50 concert run in London this summer, his first consistent string of shows since 1997. He stands to make a handsome sum which will come in handy should he lose either of these suits, but an applause is in order for one of the great performers balancing out his courtroom time with some stage time.

Paris Jackson, the daughter of Michael Jackson, was hospitalized Wednesday morning, TMZ and Radar are reporting. Sources tell the gossip sites that Jackson attempted suicide, which Jackson's mother, Debbie Rowe, and the publicist for Jackson's grandfather also confirm. Emergency responders wheeled Jackson from her California home in a stretcher at 2 a.m., and TMZ reports that the 911 caller said the 15-year-old had possibly overdosed. Another source also tells the site that emergency responders found cuts on one of her wrists. TMZ cites a "source closely connected to Paris" who says that Paris "tried this in the past" but "this was far more serious." Both outlets say Jackson is doing well in the hospital.

CNN reports:

"She's going to be OK," one source, who was at the hospital, said. The sources said it was unclear why she was hospitalized.

The sources stopped short of calling it a suicide attempt, although one suggested it might be "a cry for help" from the teenager.

Paris posted messages to her million-plus Twitter followers late Tuesday evening:

"i wonder why tears are salty?"

"yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away

"now it looks as though they're here to stay"

Thriller
	Artist: Michael Jackson

It's all about the bass line tonight. I was a bass player in a former life, and no matter how many times I heard this song it never failed to inspire me. Not to mention, it always makes me want to shake my old ass. What's your favorite bass line? Please forgive the video...