Quiz: Ukrainian Presidential Palace or Neverland Ranch

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was removed from power on February 22nd, after days of violent protests.  He is now considered a fugitive, fleeing Kiev after being charged with over 80 counts of murder, for ordering military snipers to fire on protesters.

To the public, Yanukovych was the image of a "man of the people".  That couldn't be further from the truth.  Ukrainian citizens gathered en masse at the gates of Yanukovych's multiple estates, and were dumbfounded at what they saw.

The following images were taken of either Yanukovych's presidential palace, or Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.  Can you tell them apart?  Answers after the break.

Video: MUST WATCH Mind Blowing Dubstep Dancer

For the record, I cannot stand dubstep music.  I don't know why.  Maybe, I'm just getting older, but it grates on my nerves.  That being said, this is the most impressive video I have seen in months.

It comes from a 29 year old dancer from Lawrenceville, Georgia, named Marquese Scott.  Now, I have seen this video more than a half dozen times.  First, this guy's moves are simply astounding.  We're talking "21st Century Michael Jackson" level dance moves.  Secondly, I had to make sure the video wasn't tweaked or edited.

Pay attention to the traffic in the window's reflection behind Marquese.  Even while he's moving in slow motion or in reverse, it continues to move at normal speed in the background.  The video is real.  Take a look:



It's easy to see how this video has received 1.2 million hits in 3 days.

'Nevermind" Turns 20

On September 24, 1991, DCG Records released Nirvana's sophomore album, 'Nevermind'.  There was little fanfare.  Practically zero publicity for the album.  In fact, the label only expected fans of their first album, 'Bleach' to purchase 'Nevermind'.  Only 46,000 copies of the album were made, 35,000 of those shipped to the UK, where their debut had proven more successful.

Though their sound had been alive and well in the Pacific Northwest for the better part of a decade, it was still new to the world.  Pearl Jam had just released their debut album 'Ten', three weeks prior.  The nation was infatuated with pop music.  Color Me Badd had the number one single in the country with 'I Adore Mi Amor'.  They had just taken the spot after Bryan Adams held it for seven weeks with '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You'.  The mixture of hard rock and punk, which would later be referred to as "grunge" by the media, was wholly unfamiliar to the American masses.

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' eventually made it to the airwaves.  Then the video premiered on MTV's '120 Minutes' (remember that show?).  The response was so overwhelming, the video received regular daytime rotation on the network, which, for a rock video, was unheard of at that time.

In January 2002, Nirvana unseated Michael Jackson at the top of the Billboard charts.  It has gone on to sell over 20 million copies.

If you look at the music industry today, the Billboard charts are much like what they were 20 years ago.  The top 10 this week is dominated by Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and Maroon 5.  People say that history is cyclical.  That the world is due for another "Nirvana occurrence".  Some critics believe that it will never happen again.  Well, not at the scale of what we saw in '91, at least.

With the over saturation of pop music, rock acts today have to work double time just to keep up.  Not to mention the fact that today they're openly competing with television as well, when you look at shows like 'American Idol' and 'The X Factor'.  Also, the 16-24 demographic of 1991 appears to be much different than the same of 2011.  In 1991, we were angsty (Yes.  It's a word.  I checked.).  We were disenfranchised, and frankly, I think we were more intelligent.  Today's teenagers wouldn't get the irony or the sarcasm in something like 'Nevermind'.  Hell, they probably don't even get the title.

Anyhow, enough with the "get off of my lawn" bit.  I'm starting to feel old, now.  Here is one of my favorite tracks on the album.  As someone who has lived with depression and anxiety for much of my life, and for a short time prescribed Lithium, I've always thought this song did a great job at sort of talking about mental illness from the perspective of someone that has it.

Video: Rare Michael Jackson 'I'll Be There' Pepsi Commercial (1992)

I was searching YouTube for something yesterday, and stumbled upon a Pepsi commercial that I had never seen before.  Apparently, it never aired within the United States.  It aired in 1992, and features Michael Jackson playing a piano, singing the Jackson 5 hit, 'I'll Be There'.  A younger version of Michael enters the room, and the two sing a duet of the classic tune.



Very nice.

My Third "Twitch Day"

On June 25th, 2009, I was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome by my neurologist.   Coincidentally, it was also the day that Michael Jackson died.  I heard the announcement of his death on the radio as we pulled into the parking lot of the doctor's office.

Since then, June 25 has been deemed "Twitch Day".  Last year, my wife and I went out to dinner to celebrate.  This year, I am recovering from back surgery, watching 'NY Ink'. (Jesus, I need to find something on Netflix.)

It's been a tumultuous two years.  A lot of ups and downs.  It surely doesn't feel like two years.  More like ten.  TS....the twitching, the stuttering and jerking and shouting have all become part of who I am.  To be honest, I can't picture myself without it anymore.

I am Twitch, as much as I am Adam.  

Phenomenal A Cappella Version Of 'Thriller'

I just saw a video of a six piece a cappella group out of New York City called Duwende.  This spring, they're coming out with a Michael Jackson tribute album called 'Remember'.  So far, they have given a sneak peak of five songs that will be on the album.  One of those songs is 'Thriller'.  It's amazing.  Just watch:



Suck on that, Glee kids.

They also do a great rendition of 'Human Nature', which I've always felt was the quintessential Michael Jackson song.  There was something magical about it.

Michael Jackson Is Alive!

Alive and well, driving a cab somewhere on the streets of Brazil.  See for yourself:



Astonishing.

Ooh, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme

I know what I want for Christmas:



Four and a half hours of music videos on 3 DVDs and a hardcover book.  The DVDs include all 35 music videos filmed during Jackson's solo career, and they're the full "mini movie" videos.  From what I can tell, it's going to retail for about $39.99.  It comes out November 22.

Two Games I Might Buy A Wii For

 I don't own a Wii, but I do have a PS3 and an XBox 360.  The reason why I don't own a Wii is because Nintendo has had a history of neglecting the hardcore gamer and tends to focus their efforts toward the casual gamer and family demographic.  Their lineup for this holiday season is no exception.  There are two titles, however, that look like they may be worth investing in a Wii this Christmas.

First up is Michael Jackson: The Experience.  It's a dancing game(which automatically puts it in the "will probably be lame" stack), that has you move along with Michael on screen.  So far, Ubisoft, the game's developer, has announced ten original MJ tracks that will be featured in the game, including Smooth Criminal and Billie Jean.

Michael Jackson the Experience Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Secondly, is Epic Mickey, a new game from Disney featuring Mickey Mouse.  The internet has been blowing up over this game for close to a year.  It's a Wii exclusive, and features an artistic style the likes of which have not been seen in a video game.  It's clean, fluid, and at times, dark.  Looks like it is geared more toward true gamers and not so much for the little kids.  It comes out November 30.

@ Yahoo! Video

Add to that the release of Rock Band 3 and DJ Hero 2, and I'm going to have a laundry list of games and systems to give to Santa this year.  Now if I can just be a good boy until Christmas.

'We Are The World' Video Premiere

For those of you, like myself, that were unable to see the true premiere of the video during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, I have embedded a copy below. My first impression: mixed. Touching video, and you'll like what they did with Michael Jackson's original parts...somewhat. But autotune on 'We Are The World'? And you decide to start out the 25th anniversary remake of one of the most memorable songs in history with Justin Bieber? Judge for yourself.

If you click on the white title at the top of the video, it will take you to a page on Youtube where you can make a donation to continue relief efforts in Haiti. Somehow the world has already seem to have forgotten about those people. The telethons may be over, it may no longer be on the news every five minutes, but people are still hungry and in need of your help.

Best Michael Jackson Tribute I Have Seen Yet

Over the last three months, I have seen dozens...possibly hundreds of Michael Jackson tribute videos on Youtube and countless other online sites. A few days ago, I accidentally came across this one. The singer's name is Sam Tsui. In this video, he is singing six, yes six different parts of an acapella medley of Michael Jackson songs. As the songs change, so do the parts that each individual "member" of the group sing. It would be an extremely difficult arrangement to remember if you just had to keep track of your own part. To record your part separately, six different times, and to be in perfect harmony with yourself....utterly amazing. Enjoy: