Author: JD
MY HUFFINGTON POST BLOG
MICHAEL JACKSON: BEYOND GREAT I’m starting to believe that’s a destination; the next step in life once you get that title. It seems we’re living in a world where people build you up just so they can break you down. No one has ever really come back to the level that got them there in the first place. So I ask you, was there a stage left big enough for Mike to moonwalk on that would have satisfied the hunger of someone who is beyond great? Honestly, I don’t think so. I said it plenty of times to every artist I’ve worked with: if I were to produce a record that sold over 40 million, you people would never see me again in that light. Cause, after all the applause, award winning and love comes the hate, in all forms, sizes and shapes, and you can only ignore it for so long before the competitor in you is awakened. After a while, that hate starts making you think it’s possible to outdo what’s already been done. Mike had already achieved something that no one else could. That was his destiny. When the media first started reporting on his death I was in New York. The minute I heard the news I was on the plane LA. As soon as I touched down the coverage started blowing up, and in all those reports they talked about “Thriller” being the biggest-selling album ever, then jumped right to, “But after that, he could never seem to top that and his legal problems, etc, etc.” First off, no one; I repeat NO ONE, has topped that and never will!!! Even in death he’s done something no other artist has done before: He broke records by being the first artist eva to sell 2.5 million downloaded songs, and counting! As of today, he owns the entire top nine positions on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. No artist living today can match that. But back to my original point: This being a world-stopping moment, I got a chance to view this world I live in for what it really is. I’ve felt that pressure cooker that the public puts you through when you’ve achieved a certain level of success and no one gives you props for what you’ve already done. Instead, they say, “So, whatchu got for us now? What’s next?” Don’t let that small mindset take away from what a great artist has already given us. No one can touch what he did. We were blessed to have someone with his incredible talent living among us. God put Mike here to do what he did and wasn’t gonna allow the devil and his helpers to destroy something so beautiful. He put him on the biggest stage of all. The whole world loved Mike, and Mike gave that love for his fans back tenfold. No one, not even President Obama, can top that. Quincy Jones said it all the other day in his tribute to Mike on a blog post for the Los Angeles Times. “This blessed artist commanded the stage with the grace of an antelope, shattered recording industry records and broke down cultural boundaries around the world, yet remained the gentlest of souls. Michael Jackson was a different kind of entertainer. A man-child in many ways, he was beyond professional and dedicated. Evoking Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown all at once, he’d work for hours, perfecting every kick, gesture and movement so that they came together precisely the way they were intended to. Together we shared the ’80s, achieving heights that I can humbly say may never be reached again and reshaped the music business forever.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jermaine-dupri/michael-jackson-beyond-gr_b_224789.html
PJ WORLD YACHT
REAL BIG BOY SHIT (SIDE NOTE) LIFERS NEVER STOP DREAMING Palmer Johnson World Yacht: the Rolls-Royce of Mega-Yachts Customers of extreme wealth have come to expect more from their purchases. Three-floor bedroom suite? Mobile home gym and spa? Helicopter pad and hangar? Submarine garage? Big as they are, there’s only so much you can fit in a Rolls-Royce. So the revered British marque has teamed up with renowned shipyard Palmer Johnson on what could be the ultimate globe-trotting mega yacht the world has seen yet. With 82 meters (267 ft) fore to aft and six decks of living space, the PJ World Yacht packs all the features we listed above and then some. It’s even got an anti-piracy system – we’re talking about real pirates, not copying DVDs here – and an environmentally-friendly diesel-electric propulsion system. At the moment, this Ice Class cruiser – enabled by Palmer Johnson’s acquisition of Noway’s Flekkefjord & Slipp shipyard – is just a concept, but at this level, all it takes is one wealthy customer to turn the idea into reality. And something tells us that customer already has a Rolls-Royce or two in the garage.
GOURMET L’OTTO SHOE
SOMETHING ABOUT THESE I LIKE Bread & Butter Berlin: Gourmet Spring/Summer 2010 L’Otto Shoe Gourmet is once again present and showing their upcoming Spring/Summer 2010 Collection at Bread & Butter Berlin. The L’Otto is one of the more interesting pieces in the line, fusing the duck boot with a more lifestyle oriented sneak er silhouette. Next year the style returns in some fantastic tonal colorway, including red, grey, acqua and salmon. Make sure to pass by their booth and check out the line. They also produced some dope screenprinted posters for the show and if you are lucky you might actually get one.
PUBLIC ENEMIES
THIS IS THE SHIT !!!!!!!! FROM THE CLOTHES TO THE ACTION. IF YOU LIKE GANGSTA SHIT THIS IS A MUST SEE
AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK WATCH
THIS THAT OCEANS SHIT!!!!!! Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Forged Carbon Watch For 2009 What interests me is that this watch is not a limited edition. In fact, it appears as though very few non-limited editions watches come out of the house of Audemars Piguet. This is not the first time forged carbon has been used on a watch for Audemars Piguet, who themselves were not the first watch maker to use carbon as a case material for watches. In fact various military spec watches such as Traser have been using carbon watch cases for years. They aren’t exactly as fancy looking as the complex-t o-make Audemars Piguet forged carbon cases, but they are equally light, and also very strong. What Audemars Piguet has brought to the table is likely their fanatical desire to “make things perfect” – having a carbon case look as though it was milled like metal. The bezel and caseback of the watch are not carbon. The bezel is a brushed and polished ceramic, while the caseback is blackened steel. You have ceramic again used as the strap connector links. The “non initiated” who aren’t watch enthusiasts won’t be able to appreciate all that goes into this watch as it appears merely “nice.” There are no visual clues that the case is so hard to make in this instance, and you have no idea that inside the watch a brand new Audemars Piguet in-house made caliber 3126/3840 automatic mechanical chronograph movement. The movement even has a solid gold rotor, also hidden from view. Watches like this are meant to impress the owner, and the few people they encounter who are aware of what the watch really is all about. The dial of the watch is Yellow-Jacket chic with the typical “Mega Tapestry” pattern on the dial that most Royal Oak Offshore watches receive. The tachymeter scale on the chapter ring is in yellow with black numerals while the strong looking Arabic hour numerals also enjoy the pleasant yellow hue. The crown and pushers are covered with natural rubber. Last is the sculpted alligator strap with deployment clasp and yellow contrast stitching. C ertainly not love at first site for all watch lovers, but I have a feeling a few of you out there are taken by the bold looks of this watch – especially to match your yellow shoes. Price for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Forged Carbon watch is probably in the $35,000 – $50,000 range.
THE WALKMAN
THIS IS SOMETHING I DIDNT NO, I WAS 8 YEARS OLD WHEN THE WALKMAN WAS INTRODUCED ON THIS SAME DAY IN 1979. NOW THEY DON’T EVEN EXIST Wired for sound Today in 1979, the first-ever Walkman, the TPS-L2, went on sale in Japan, and listening to tunes was forever transformed. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the device, Gizmodo posted a healthy selection of vintage Walkman print and video ads, including this prescient one, above. We’re not sure if the headline was foreshadowing regime change in Iran, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dismantling of the Soviet Union…or the new trend of happy, cool people refusing to interact with one another. [via Gizmodo] COREY
WESTERN EDITION X VANS SK8
THESE ARE A MUST HAVE Western Edition x Vans Sk8 Hi “Davis ‘59 Quartet” Back in March, Western Edition released a series of 10th Anniversary Miles Davis inspired decks. It was recently revealed that they also produced a one of a kind pair of Vans20Sk8 Hi’s. As an extension of the deck artwork, these Vans feature full panel close-up illustrations of Miles ‘59 Quartet band members and a tri-color Western Edition logo on the back. These are not scheduled for a public release.
MICHAEL JACKSON BREAKS BILLBOARD CHARTS RECORDS
FUCK ALL THAT OTHER STUFF THE NEWS WANTS TO SAY LETS TALK ABOUT THIS!!!!!!! THE FIRST ARTIST TO EVER SELL OVER 1 MILLION DOWNLOADED SONGS Michael Jackson Breaks Billboard Charts Records June 30, 2009 – Rock and Pop By Keith Caulfield, L.A. As predicted, Michael Jackson is once again the King of the Pop charts. Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles when the tally is released in the early morning on Wednesday, July 1. Nielsen SoundScan’s sales tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday (June 28) night. Jackson himself has a record eight out of the top 10, while a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier. The King of Pop’s “Number Ones” will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with 108,000 copies (an increase of 2,340%) while “The Essential Michael Jackson” and “Thriller” are in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week, “Number Ones” was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both “Essential” and “Thriller” re-enter the tally this week. Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set “Off the Wall” re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album “Bad” returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5’s “The Ultimate Collection” debuts with 18,000. Jackson’s fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991’s “Dangerous,” re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000 while his 2001 compilation “Greatest Hits: HIStory — Volume 1” also comes back to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson’s 2004 box set “The Ultimate Collection” charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000. The lone non-Jackson-related set in the top 10 is a reissue of the “Woodstock” movie soundtrack, which bows at No. 10 with 8,000. Collectively, Jackson’s solo albums sold 415,000 this past week. That’s extraordinary, since his titles sold a combined 10,000 in the week that ended June 21. Of the 415,000 total, 58% were digital downloads. Additionally, the 415,000 albums sold just last week is nearly 40% more than what Jackson’s catalog had sold the the entire year up through June 21 (297,000). Sp eaking of digital albums, on the Top Digital Albums chart, Jackson has a record six out of the top 10 slots, including the entire top four. “The Essential Michael Jackson” leads the Top Digital Albums list with 80,000 downloads sold, while “Thriller” is No. 2 with 57,000. With the Black Eyed Peas’ “The E.N.D.” moving back to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart with 88,000, this week marks the first time that a catalog album has sold more than the No. 1 current set on the Billboard 200 albums chart. (All three of Jackson’s top sellers on the Pop Catalog chart outsell “The E.N.D.”) Ironically, the feat almost occurred when Jackson re-issued “Thriller” in February 2008. The set relaunched with 166,000, re-entering at No. 1 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. That week, Jack Johnson’s “Sleep Through the Static” led the Billboard 200 chart with 180,000 while Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” was at No. 2 with 115,000. Catalog albums are ineligible to appear on the Billboard 200 albums chart, though they can chart on the all-encompassing Top Comprehensive Albums list. On the latter chart, Jackson’s “Number Ones,” “Essential” and “Thriller” are at Nos. 1-3, followed by the Black Eyed Peas’ “The E.N.D.” at No. 4. Jackson places a record 25 songs on the 75-position Hot Digital Songs chart (21 solo hits and four with his siblings), smashing the mark of 14 charting titles established by David Cook i n the June 7, 2008 issue. Jackson’s Halloween radio staple, “Thriller,” moves 167,000, which is good for second place on the chart behind the 203,000 shifted by the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.” “Thriller” was also Jackson’s best seller in the week before his death with 5,000 downloads, which translates to a 3,551% jump. Jackson’s total volume of downloads this week — including his tracks with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons — account for 2.6 million downloads, a remarkable number considering last week’s cumulative sum was 48,000. Moreover, Jackson becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week. Besides “Thriller,” Jackson places five other songs in the top 10 including “Man In The Mirror” (No. 3, 165,000), “Billie Jean” (No. 4, 158,000), “The Way You Make Me Feel” (No. 6, 136,000), “Beat It” (No. 7, 134,000) and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (No. 8, 125,000). Not surprisingly, each of the tracks in the top 10 of Hot Digital Songs were among the top 10 most-played Jackson selections at radio following his passing. According to research provided by Nielsen BDS of monitored airplay from over 1,600 terrestrial and satellite radio stations and cable music channels, “Billie Jean” was the Jackson track with the most spins for the week ending June 28 with 4,540 — 97% of which occurred after news of his death became public. The track posted only 318 plays in the prior week.