NEW YORK – A year ago, DJ John Quick was scheduled to spin at a party when he got the news — Michael Jackson was dead.
So instead of playing the hits of the moment, the Harlem event turned into an impromptu tribute to the King of Pop.
"It was the first time I've ever seen grown people crying and dancing at the same time," he said.
On Friday, the first anniversary of the King of Pop's death, Quick will once again play Michael Jackson tunes, at the club Taj in Manhattan, but he expects a more cheerful party this time.
"They wanna celebrate his life and music," he said. "His albums are like timelines in your life. You can remember what you were doing ... when 'Thriller' came out."
The Taj party will be part of the global celebration of Jackson's brilliant but troubled life. Jackson died at age 50 as he was preparing for comeback concerts in London.
In that city, a memorial was unveiled Thursday to a gaggle of press who packed the foyer of London's Lyric Theatre, the site of an impromptu wake following the pop superstar's death last year.
Perri Luc Kiely, 14, a member of the dance troupe Diversity, pulled back a pair of dark purple curtains to reveal a small plaque featuring a young Jackson with a wide, beaming smile. Applause and the bright flashes of cameras erupted.
"He influenced me and the whole group so much, and it was just a real big honor to be able to do that," Perri said.
With the foyer packed to the brim with photographers, videographers and journalists, fans stood on the street and peered in, capturing the moment with their camera phones.
Leanne Irving, 20, traveled seven hours by bus from her home in northern England to be able to attend the memorial events.
"An absolute inspiration. I would love to be like him and dance like him. He inspires everything I want to do in life and everything I want to achieve," said Irving, an aspiring performance artist.
In Hong Kong, Jackson imitators performed to the late singer's classics at a suburban mall Thursday. Four-year-old Wang Yiming danced to "Dangerous" wearing Jackson's trademark black fedora hat, a black suit with a silver armband and white socks.
While festive celebrations like parties are expected on Friday, there will also be somber remembrances. In Gary, Ind., Jackson's hometown, there will be a tribute at the Jackson home; city officials said they expected Michael's mother Katherine and his niece Genevieve to show up, along with thousands of others.
Fans are also expected to gather at Forest Lawn cemetery outside of Los Angeles, where he is buried.
Katherine Jackson has thrown her support behind a "Forever Michael" fan event to be held Saturday at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. Tickets range from $150 to $500.
The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, where a young Michael Jackson and his brothers won amateur night, will host a commemoration Friday of Jackson's life in front of the recently installed plaque honoring him in the legendary theater's new hall of fame.
And later in the afternoon in Harlem, around the hour of Jackson's death, the Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network will hold a moment of silence.
Sharpton, a longtime associate of Jackson and his family and who gave impassioned remarks at Jackson's televised memorial last July, said he thought a moment of silence was appropriate to show "the sanctity of the hour. He meant a lot to us of all races in terms of bringing us together in another kind of spirit.
"I wanted to make sure that we showed that in the middle of all this that is going on in the world that Michael is someone that we would all stop for ... He was more than just a singer, he was a social force, and a sense of inspiration."
Where do the time go...?
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Judge orders Lindsay Lohan to answer questions
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Lindsay Lohan will have to answer more questions about a 2007car chase that landed her in jail, including inquiries about drug use at the time, a judge ruled Thursday.
Lohan's answers will be used in a civil lawsuit filed against the actress by a woman who claims she suffered emotional distress after the incident, which prompted a criminal case that still haunts the "Mean Girls" star.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard A. Stone ordered Lohan to sit for a two-hour deposition next month. The judge approved a request by Lohan's attorney to allow the questioning to happen after July 6, when a criminal judge will decide whether Lohan violated her probation by missing a court hearing in May.
Tracie Rice, who was a passenger in a car being chased by Lohan in July 2007, sued the actress for assault, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress a month later. The case is scheduled to go to trial in late July.
Lohan was charged with seven misdemeanors stemming from her arrest after the chase and another incident a few months earlier.
Rice's attorney, Paul Hoffman, argued Thursday that Lohan hadn't answered key questions about her drug use and whether she was remorseful, both of which could help his case.
"This case is about somebody who claims to be sober and had cocaine and blew a DUI for alcohol," Hoffman said. He said the questions would be crucial to a jury deciding whether Lohan should have to pay punitive damages if she is found liable.
Lohan's attorney, Ed McPherson, said the questions seemed aimed more at embarrassing Lohan in the press and could harm her if used at the probation hearing. He said Lohan sat for a daylong deposition during which she was subjected to numerous lines of questioning, including whether she had seen a recent "60 Minutes" episode featuring Al Pacino.
"It's clear they don't need answers to these questions," McPherson argued. He also said Lohan was busy focusing on the fulfilling the conditions of her criminal case and working.
"My client is undergoing weekly drug testing, alcohol classes and trying to film a movie," McPherson said.
Stone said he would order a second deposition, but that attorneys should contact him if any issues arose rather than returning to court.
McPherson said after the hearing that his client would comply with the order and answer the questions about Lohan's past drug use. "I think it's a bit of overkill in this case," he said.
Hoffman declined comment after the hearing.
Lohan has struggled with the terms of her probation in the criminal case, for which she served 84 minutes in jail and was sentenced to probation and alcohol education courses. Her probation had to be extended after she missed deadlines to finish the classes, and Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel revoked her probation in May after Lohan missed a court hearing.
Revel ordered Lohan, 23, to wear an ankle alcohol monitor and increased her bail after the device issued an alert that authorities have said was alcohol-related.
She did not attend Thursday's hearing.
When is enough is enough around that camp? If she was just Jane Doe doing her thing she would have been locked up by now. What's your thoughts on it?
Lohan's answers will be used in a civil lawsuit filed against the actress by a woman who claims she suffered emotional distress after the incident, which prompted a criminal case that still haunts the "Mean Girls" star.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard A. Stone ordered Lohan to sit for a two-hour deposition next month. The judge approved a request by Lohan's attorney to allow the questioning to happen after July 6, when a criminal judge will decide whether Lohan violated her probation by missing a court hearing in May.
Tracie Rice, who was a passenger in a car being chased by Lohan in July 2007, sued the actress for assault, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress a month later. The case is scheduled to go to trial in late July.
Lohan was charged with seven misdemeanors stemming from her arrest after the chase and another incident a few months earlier.
Rice's attorney, Paul Hoffman, argued Thursday that Lohan hadn't answered key questions about her drug use and whether she was remorseful, both of which could help his case.
"This case is about somebody who claims to be sober and had cocaine and blew a DUI for alcohol," Hoffman said. He said the questions would be crucial to a jury deciding whether Lohan should have to pay punitive damages if she is found liable.
Lohan's attorney, Ed McPherson, said the questions seemed aimed more at embarrassing Lohan in the press and could harm her if used at the probation hearing. He said Lohan sat for a daylong deposition during which she was subjected to numerous lines of questioning, including whether she had seen a recent "60 Minutes" episode featuring Al Pacino.
"It's clear they don't need answers to these questions," McPherson argued. He also said Lohan was busy focusing on the fulfilling the conditions of her criminal case and working.
"My client is undergoing weekly drug testing, alcohol classes and trying to film a movie," McPherson said.
Stone said he would order a second deposition, but that attorneys should contact him if any issues arose rather than returning to court.
McPherson said after the hearing that his client would comply with the order and answer the questions about Lohan's past drug use. "I think it's a bit of overkill in this case," he said.
Hoffman declined comment after the hearing.
Lohan has struggled with the terms of her probation in the criminal case, for which she served 84 minutes in jail and was sentenced to probation and alcohol education courses. Her probation had to be extended after she missed deadlines to finish the classes, and Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel revoked her probation in May after Lohan missed a court hearing.
Revel ordered Lohan, 23, to wear an ankle alcohol monitor and increased her bail after the device issued an alert that authorities have said was alcohol-related.
She did not attend Thursday's hearing.
When is enough is enough around that camp? If she was just Jane Doe doing her thing she would have been locked up by now. What's your thoughts on it?
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