Looking beyond the horizon... The Michael Jackson Bad Tee from Urban Outfitters.

Years ago when I first became a huge Michael fan, I would have never imagined that there'd be as many MJ T-Shirts as there are now. Back when I was in high school, I'd spend countless hours on eBay, trying to bid on vintage items from the Victory and Triumph era. I basically worked part-time just so that I could have enough money to buy shirts that would help me display my MJ love loud and proud.

My, how the times have changed.

I picked this shirt up last summer at Urban Outfitters. Although it's so obviously a photo from the Thriller era, it was called the Michael Jackson Bad Tee. (That may help if you are looking to pick this baby up on eBay!)

It's one of the few shirts I have with a clear, defined photo of Michael's face! I had been in and out of stores looking for MJJ shirts and when I saw this, I had to have it! Even though this is a men's shirt, there's no reason why the ladies can't take part in this beauty! Almost all of my MJ fan friends have this shirt and 8/10 are women :-).

Shirt// Michael Jackson Bad Tee (similar)

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend. I have a few plans here and there but after the work week, my main priority is to relax and enjoy time with friends.

I'll leave you guys with this inspirational quote that I came across last night.

“A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed...It feels an impulsion...this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons.”

 - Richard Bach

Thanks for reading and until next time.... xx.

UPDATE 01/2013: I found links to look-alike shirts on AMAZON! 

Shirt: 

Michael Jackson - Classic Photo T-Shirt

Zip Up Sweater: 

Michael Jackson - Classic Photo Zip Hoodie

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5 reasons why I can't get enough of Michael Jackson's OFF THE WALL.

As a longtime Michael Jackson fan, and particularly one who experienced the surge in fandom from 2000-2010 (isn't it weird to see years written like that?) I know how often certain albums get overlooked.

Off the Wall is one of them.

 One of the reasons why I think Off the Wall (OTW) is so often ignored and under appreciated by fans, critics, and the like is because its pretty much all R&B. And who wants to talk about the King of Pop and R&B? I do!

(photo: http://www.onehellofaneye.com/)

Here are a list of my TOP 5 reasons for why I can never get enough of OTW:

5: The range of emotion:
For me, listening to Off the Wall is seriously like going through all 4 seasons in the year, from the start to the finish of the album. I can listen to this album when I'm feeling sad, happy, lonely, or even angry. Michael's voice is so raw and so soothing on this album and in every case, I feel that you can totally feel him emoting through every song.


4. The dance factor:
So many jam worthy songs on this album. One of the things I was always sad about was never really getting to see Michael perform OTW songs in his later years. Sure there were the OTW Medleys on the History tour but, you all know what I mean. From Don't Stop Til You Get Enough to Workin' Day and Night, to Get on the Floor, to even Rock with You, you can put your dancing shoes and "grooooove allllll night" to this album.

3. The Love:
This might be the only album where Michael covers the beginnings of love "It's The Falling In Love", the all-i-want-to-do-is-eat-sleep-and-breathe-you love in "I Can't Help It", cheating lovers "Girlfriend", and even the dissolution of a deep loving relationship with "She's Out of My Life". That just about covers everything.

Michael and Quincy in the studio, working on Off The Wall.

2. The Creativity:
Michael really put his heart and soul into this album and it shines through. I love hearing songs that MJ put his heart and soul into. If you have the Off the Wall Special Edition CD that was released in 2001, you know that a few demos and interviews with Quincy Jones make up some bonus tracks at the end of the CD. They are totally worth listening to and will make you appreciate the album even more than you already do. (I think you can get the tracks individually on mp3 via amazon.com.)

1. The Voice:
OTW era voice is so incredibly distinctive. Its not quite Jacksons, not at all Jackson 5, and not yet a full grown, mature voice. This album pretty much introduced the world to that unforgettable and oh-so-sweet falsetto. And who can forget, that intro to DSTYGE... kinda hilarious, kinda sensual, kinda cheesy all at once...Its classic though, and I love and appreciate it!

Do you love the Off The Wall album as much as I do? What's your favorite song?

Aren't familiar with the Off the Wall album ? Check it out for less than $10 on amazon !

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"Ice cream on a red hot stove'll melt, and I'll bet ya". Jackson 5 Song Review : I'll Bet You

One of the quirkiest and most fun songs about unconditional love, I first fell in love with "I'll Bet You" as a child. This Jackson 5 song was featured on one of the episodes of the J5 cartoon series and has been one of my faves ever since.

Admittedly, I can't say that this is one of the songs that I'd blast in my car but, its one that I think is a gem not only in terms of lyrical content but, also in terms of vocal performance. The song revolves around the notion that the woman of interest will never lose his love, and he'll bet that. "I'll Bet Cha Never Lose My Love" is full of metaphors and plays on words. Let's take a look at some of the lines...

"A carpenter can't build his house without any tools, and I'll Bet Ya! If your shoes are too small, they hurt your feet and I'll Bet Ya. And ya can't know what's going on if you're asleep,

 oh and I'll Bet Ya."

The song was written by George Clinton (of Atomic Dog fame) and is a cover that was first recorded by the Funkadelic's. I mentioned earlier that I really liked the vocal performances on this song. I really enjoy how the J5 made "I'll Bet You" their own and also how all of the brothers (except Marlon) were on lead vocals and on background! For those of you who are also J5 experts, you'll know that having almost all of the brothers on lead is a rare occurrence. Its nice for fans who may only be familiar with Michael's voice, to familiarize themselves with some of the other brothers too. I found a great site showing which brother sings each line so, check it out if you're interested!

"I'll Bet You" is my Jackson 5 song of the week and you can find this song on the ABC album HERE !

Super Groovy!

This week is not as busy or as stressful for me as last week so, I'm pretty excited about that. I have been thinking about how I can incorporate Michael into the decor of my new living space so, be on the look out for some posts on that! If you wanna hear me talk about my fave Jackson 5 songs or wanna see what MJFanGirl is up to, follow me on Twitter (at) MJFanGirlLife !!!

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Book Review: Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller by Douglas Kirkland

Hey everyone!

I am back today with just a quick update and a few practice shots that I've been taking with my camera. I have always been someone who loves the camera and especially loves being in front of it. Back in the days when I had MySpace, I would take those classic one-handed photos and pose to my hearts content. Unfortunately, I had the same camera from 2003 (it was 4 megapixel, and old Canon Powershot!) and needless to say, I was getting better photos on my camera phone (#teamBlackBerry!)

I decided to get a camera because I wanted to build another hobby. I have quite a few hobbies that I've told you guys about before. One of them is studying Japanese, another is running one of the largest and most active Michael Jackson clubs in New York City, another is blogging and spending time with friends. To be honest, blogging and photography are my only creative outlets and I felt that it was time to kick things up a notch with some new equipment.  I will debut my camera and some other cool shots I have lined up, sometime over the next few days.

In the spirit of photography, I thought it'd be very fitting to share one of my favorite Michael related photobooks. The Making of "Thriller"/4 Days/1983 by Douglas Kirkland is full of precious photos taken for Life magazine, on the set of the Thriller video. I have personally seen the VHS tape of the behind the scenes making of this historic, groundbreaking music video: Making Michael Jackson's Thriller [VHS] but, I LOVED the photos in this book because they told much more of a complete story.

Coolest thing about this book for the Michael Jackson merchandise collector has got to be the cover. I tried to capture the holographic front cover in the photos below. If you are like me and proudly display your MJ items on a shelf somewhere, it's super awesome to walk back and forth and see Zombie/Boyfriend Michael without having to do anything but move around.

Another thing I like about this book, is that it features a number of pages with quotations from people who have prominent positions in the music industry or were involved in the making of the video. I took a photo of one of my favorite quotations below:

(I have a serious addiction to powerful statements about what Michael has done for music and for the world).

Overall, I would give this book an A rating. It is totally worth having if you are like me and enjoy having great "coffee table" books about Michael. The photos are all beautiful, crisp, and clear, and the hardcover ensure that at least all of the pages will stay that way for a long time. I really enjoyed getting to see how Michael interacted with others on the set and just getting a closer look at the awesome makeup application that was done. Perfect book for the serious collector and this will be set on my coffee table every Halloween!

If you are interested in snagging this beauty, you can check it out here on Amazon, where it's up for less than $25: Michael Jackson: The Making of "Thriller": 4 Days/1983

As a last note, I just want to share that today marks the start of a very beautiful chapter in my life and I have never been more ready or up for the challenge. Follow me on Twitter to keep up with me and my major life changes! Thank you for reading and until next time...

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