Feb.2 in history

22 Years Ago --- A Michael Jackson Documentary On Showtime New York Times February 02, 1984 ON a recent trip to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, this writer heard the name of one entertainer being mentioned over and over again - Michael Jackson. This, mind you, was among people who primarily speak only Spanish and really have no idea what the lyrics of the singer's latest recording hit with Paul McCartney, "Say, Say, Say," are all about. They are responding to a sound and a personality. It is the kind of response that has made Mr. Jackson the top superstar of the moment. Mr. Jackson, now 25 years old, remains something of a riddle - incredibly dynamic in performance but apparently somewhat withdrawn in his private life. He is perhaps the ultimate symbol of fashionable androgyny. Even his speaking voice hits an uncanny balance between what might usually be considered male or female. He seems almost childlike, yet he is clearly one of the shrewdest of entertainment entrepreneurs. Glimpses of some of these facets of the Jackson persona can be found in "The Making of 'Thriller,' " a documentary that, in addition to being marketed as a video cassette, has been sold for considerable sums to various cable-television outlets. Tonight at 8 o'clock, it can be seen on the Showtime pay-television channel. As a Michael Jackson Film, "The Making of 'Thriller' " is obviously not going to be a hard-hitting, or even mildly probing, documentary. It opens with the video-music production that was made for showing on television. "Thriller" is both the name of the song and of the album that has sold more than 21 million copies and will in all probability leave Mr. Jackson walking away with the lion's share of music awards this year. The segment was directed by John Landis, whose feature films include "An American Werewolf in London," "Animal House" and "Trading Places." The storyline has Mr. Jackson on a date with a beautiful young girl, Ola Ray, and then, in true horror-movie style, shifting between being a nice and thoughtful young man and a growling, heavily fanged monster. Vincent Price contributes some appropriately spooky talking "raps." The rest of the hourlong program shows how the complicated and very expensive sequence was planned and executed. Mr. Landis recalls getting a 2 A.M. call in London from Mr. Jackson about the project. The singer had been impressed with "An American Werewolf" and wanted that kind of quality for the project. Some 20 separate makeup people were hired to do the elaborate masks required for the performers. The choreographer worked with 18 professional dancers. Mr. Jackson is a perfectionist and a lover of special effects, a fact that undoubtedly contributed to the recent and nearly tragic hair- burning incident during the making of a television commercial... --- 20 Years Ago --- Celebrity Report Orlando Sentinel February 02, 1986 ...At the American Music thing -- three long hours -- Prince was in short hair and no purple; the beautiful Whitney Houston had been gotten hold of by some psycho hairdresser who made her look like the Bride of Frankenstein; and hostess Diana Ross changed gowns at every commercial break. The audience at this show is particularly annoying; they scream through most performances (Kool & the Gang put on the best show) and they scream when they especially like the presenters or winners. The screamers were so noisy that Stevie Wonder told them to shut up. The fun couple of the evening seemed to be Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor... --- 18 Years Ago --- Holding A 'Mirror' To Society's Flaws USA Today February 02, 1988 ...Judging from Michael Jackson's new Man in the Mirror video, planet Earth is a pretty scary place. This week, Jackson releases a surprising, mold-breaking video for the gospel-tinged fourth single from his LP Bad... Director Don Wilson assembled evocative, disturbing glimpses of what's wrong with the world: war, racial tension, hunger, hatred... The song's message is elemental and sentimental: You can change the world by changing the individual. Likewise, the video's potpourri of familiar news clips flirts with cliches: the rescue of Baby Jessica from a Texas well, John Kennedy's funeral, Mother Theresa cuddling a child. But the naked emotion and refreshing sincerity of Jackson's vocals bestow each snippet with new power and meaning. Who can not be moved at the sight of a tear gliding down Desmond Tutu's cheek? Or enraged by goose-stepping Nazis? The video opens with the outstretched hand of a starving African boy, then takes us to apartheid riots in South Africa and Ku Klux Klan rallies. Yet a thread of optimism winds through the dreary scenery, and we learn Jackson has heroes outside Hollywood: Lech Walesa, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi. The ending shot, a newborn in an incubator fading to a satellite photo of Earth, pays homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's fitting... --- 17 Years Ago --- Best Buy? O'dea's Hot Links, Band Seattle Times February 02, 1989 ...The O'Dea band features one trumpet, electronic drums and four synthesizers. Fans at Tuesday's Rainier Beach-O'Dea game, which the Irish won 86-72, gave the band a standing ovation for its version of the Michael Jackson hit "Bad." --- 16 Years Ago --- Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration Orange County Register February 02, 1990 Sammy Davis Jr. gets the kind of salute generally afforded only royalty and the deceased Sunday night on "Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration" (8:30-11, KABC/7), a special honoring the entertainer on his 60th anniversary in show business. The special honoring the 64-year-old Davis was taped in November during a black-tie event at LA's Shrine Auditorium. The accompanying dinner benefited the United Negro College Fund. Eddie Murphy was the host, introducing tributes from Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Bill Cosby, Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Richard Pryor, Goldie Hawn, Magic Johnson, Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald... and many more... Michael Jackson also checks in with a moving rendition of "You Were There," nearly stealing the show with his emotive style... --- --- Hasbro Wins License To Make Product Based On New Kids Providence Journal February 02, 1990 Move over, G.I. Joe, and make room for the New Kids on the Block. Toy maker Hasbro Inc. of Pawtucket has landed a license to make products based on New Kids, one of today's hottest musical groups. The news means that Hasbro will make room for the New Kids in the company's broad product line, which includes such toys and games as G.I. Joe, My Little Pony and Shark Attack... Paul Valentine, toy industry analyst for Standard & Poor's Corp., said that Hasbro's general plan for a New Kids product "sounds like a terrific idea to me and it hasn't been tried in a long time." LJN Toys Ltd. of New York produced a Michael Jackson doll about five years ago, the last time a major toy company made a doll based on a pop musician, he said. The Jackson doll "did exceptionally well for a short period of time," he said... --- 13 Years Ago --- People International Herald Tribune February 02, 1993 The normally reclusive Michael Jackson has taken to getting out in public. On Feb. 10, the singer, who hasn't spoken to a TV interviewer in nearly a decade, is sitting down with Oprah Winfrey for a live 90-minute primetime interview. That follows appearances at the Clinton inauguration, the NAACP Image Awards and the Super Bowl. Said Darryl Clark, a spokesman, to Entertainment Weekly: "He's never been that accessible. But how long can you be quiet and have people say what they want about you?" --- 12 Years Ago --- Swinging At Jackson's Star USA Today February 02, 1994 A man in his early 20s was arrested in L.A. Tuesday after he was seen defacing Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A passerby performed a citizen's arrest, handing the man over to police after he saw him spray Jackson's star with orange paint. Meanwhile, Jackson's inner circle continues to change, with the addition of a new spokesman, Michael Levine, who joins longtime publicist Lee Solters. --- 11 Years Ago --- Jackson's New 'HIStory' Disc Pushed Back In Time Daily News February 02, 1995 Michael Jackson is the kind of musician who likes to keep everybody - from his fans to his collaborators to his record label - in the dark. His newest album, with the working title "HIStory," was supposed to be in stores in November, just in time for Christmas. Then it was pushed back to Valentine's Day, and Wednesday, a spokeswoman for his record label, Epic, said the recording was now rescheduled for some time in the spring. "HIStory" - for the moment, at least - is planned as a two-CD set, with one disc of greatest hits and a second of new material. Jackson's last album, "Dangerous," was also originally supposed to be a greatest-hits package with a few new songs added, but ended up featuring only new material. Jackson has been working in studios from New York to Chicago to Minneapolis to Los Angeles (where he's currently ensconced) with leading contemporary r&b producers and songwriters like Teddy Riley, Babyface, R. Kelly, David Foster and the team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. But none of these hit makers seem to know for certain whether Jackson will be including their work on his album. "Michael Jackson might be one of the only people I've worked with where I don't know whether a song is going to be used or not," said Babyface, who wrote a ballad for "HIStory." "When we're working, we never talk about whether the song's going to be on there or not." Riley, who helped produce "Dangerous," said he had "worked on some stuff and basically we haven't gotten back together, so I don't know whether it will be on there." With Jimmy Jam and Lewis, Jackson recorded a duet with his sister, Janet, as well as two other songs. Jimmy Jam said it was tough work trying to break every rule to come up with something special to satisfy Jackson... --- 8 Years Ago --- World Stars To Attend Huge Korean Charity Concert Korea Herald February 02, 1998 This October, Seoul's Olympic Stadium in Chamsil is set to become the venue for an event being dubbed as "We Are The World 2." The charity concert, aimed at raising $300 million to help North Korea's starving children, is to feature over 50 major stars from all over the world. The organizers have already received commitments to attend from Michael Jackson, the three tenors - Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo - Whitney Huston, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jordan and director Stephen Spielberg. Choi Kyu-son, an aide to President-elect Kim Dae-jung who has contacted the organizers, said he had asked the organizers to arrange North Korea visits by Jackson and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter as soon as possible... Following the pattern of previous similar events, the concert will be promoted first through a record featuring Jackson and Pavarotti entitled "What More Can I Give," which will also become the designated theme of the concert... --- 5 Years Ago --- HTT-7 Massage Chair The Scotsman February 02, 2001 Even in these supposedly liberated times the word massage carries dubious connotations, so if you're looking to combat stress this year then cut out the middle man or woman and invest in one of these excellent chairs. It may seem a bit pricey, but the HTT-7 is actually about a third of the price of other massage chairs and works out over a year at well under GBP 4 a day. According to the brochure, Michael Jackson owns one... ---