Do you remember the time (couldn’t resist!) when Michael Jackson did a voice on The Simpsons? Remember how everyone was excited to hear him sing “Happy Birthday Lisa” on the show, but he wasn’t allowed to because of contract restrictions so they had a sound-alike do it? Well now, thanks to YouTube, we have a version of the song by the REAL Michael Jackson. Check it out!

Because I’m totally obsessed with Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington… and because Ricky makes a perfect fake David Bowie…

There is no way I can string together a sentence that can fittingly express just how much Michael Jackson meant to me or how deeply devastated I am by his death.

The word “epic” is unworthy of describing his life, his career and his iconic level of fame. Not only was he the most significant artist in music history during his life, but the news of his death today nearly shut down the entire internet. The way the story unfolded in the news marks a major change in journalism and social media that will surely have implications for years to come. The biggest comfort to me, and surely many other fans, has been the overwhelmingly positive nature of the coverage and comments. Aside from the few who feel the need to make jokes or spread malicious garbage, most everything I have read, listened to and seen today regarding his passing has expressed sadness and appreciation for the light he brought to the world.

To me, Michael Jackson was much more than a singer, a dancer, and a celebrity. To me, he represented The Dream, the hope and optimism that can keep us going in our darkest hours. Whenever I felt like I was wallowing in the lowest points of my life, I had The Dream to lift me up and make me believe things would get better. The Dream is that magical part of childhood, the wild imagination, which makes us believe anything is possible, that the future will be brighter than the present. Today, I feel like my childhood is officially over because The Dream is gone.
In time, I am sure that I will be able to once again feel that optimism and inspiration that Michael Jackson represented in my life. Today, however, I am left with sorrow and disbelief.

Just posted this on the Trashwire Blog but felt like it deserved to be up here too because it is one of my favorite things ever.

Here are two videos I took last night at the NBA All-Star festivities.

The first is Dwight Howard’s awesome third round dunk in the Slam Dunk Contest.

The second is a clip of T.I. performing at the Player’s Assoc. party later that same night.

Here’s a few clips of Vanilla Ice performing “Ice Ice Baby” live at the Pepsi Center during halftime at the Denver Nuggets game tonight. Totally the highlight of my week!

While he was on stage, I flashed back to myself as a kid in the early 90s dancing to this song and thinking he was so hot. Then I flash back to myself just a few years ago watching Rob Van Winkle on The Surreal Life and absolutely loving it. Usually anyone on celebreality tv proves their lameness, but he was one of very few celebrities who actually end up looking better after a reality show.

More clips after the jump…..
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