Michael Jackson Memories

I remember the first time I worked with Michael Jackson. I was at Towson University in the Directing for Film class and our instructor said that one lucky student director would get a chance…ok I can’t keep that up any longer. I’m just kidding. Don’t you hate when people make up crap like that?

Seriously when Michael Jackson died I thought it was some rumor. I had somewhere to go that night and by the time I left CNN hadn’t even confirmed anything more than he had cardiac arrest and was in the hospital. When it was finally confirmed I couldn’t think of my favorite Michael Jackson song. Thriller was my favorite album (isn’t it everyone’s?), but I couldn’t think of just one track that I could call my favorite. Truthfully some of my favorite tracks weren’t even singles (Human Nature and Lady in my Life)

Several days later I finally remembered what my favorite track was and it wasn’t even from Thriller. Man in the Mirror is my favorite Michael Jackson song (from the album Bad). In retrospect Bad is a great album, but like other great Michael Jackson albums it has been totally eclipsed by Thriller.

Despite my joke (ill conceived joke? perhaps) at the beginning many of us never met Michael Jackson or were even lucky enough to see him perform live. Most of our memories are tied to seeing him on television.

I don’t think I know anyone in my neighborhood that wasn’t watching Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (May 1983) and the “event” that made the special go down in television history. The Jackson 5 reunion and eventual Michael Jackson performance was the highlight of the special. As much as his death has been the talk of the town (world), so too was this performance. Later that same year I had my favorite Michael Jackson memory…and it’s the truth this time.

As a child of the inner city we never had MTV, truthfully that inner city, Baltimore City didn’t even have cable capabilities (Baltimoreans from the 80’s will remember that). We had to get our music video fix on late night shows like Friday Night Videos and Pump It Up! (which came on like 3 o’clock in the morning, but that’s another blog).

It was December 1983 and I don’t know why my grandmother was up that late, (about 12 o’clock) but she was and for the only time I could remember we watched Friday Night Videos together. That night my favorite and perhaps the greatest music video ever came on…Thriller. In retrospect Thriller isn’t even a great song (my opinion), but the video was…ground breaking! I loved the story, I loved the make-up and of course the dancing. Pop, locking zombies? I mean come on who did that back then…ever? The dream ending was also PERFECT. We were both completely transfixed and thought it was FANTASTIC! The Thriller video was also the talk of the town (world) and especially school that next week.

That was 20 something years ago and a music video isn’t so much an event anymore since you can catch one anytime on the Internet or even buy and download it.

There will never be an artist like Michael Jackson. One who could create a music video that could mesmerize a 60 something woman and a teenage boy at the same time. I can’t think of another artist in my lifetime that could accomplish the same feat and become the talk of the town…make that the world.

Sun Days

For those who don't know I was in

now "The Baltimore Sun" on more than one occassion. The Baltimore Sun is the largest general circulation daily newspaper in the state of Maryland.

I was featured in the paper every time I won a local writing contest.

The Scripps Broadcasting drama competition, which lasted from 1982 to 2002, in a partnership with Arena Players (The nation's longest continously running African American community theater.), was a writing competition for African-Americans living in the state of Maryland. The First Place winner received $1,000 and his or her entry filmed and shown on WMAR, Scripps' ABC affiliate in Baltimore, during Black History month.

I won that contest three times, each time appearing in The Sun, and also making me the ONLY three time winner in the contest's 20 year history. Now I have finally posted all three articles on the 'Nother Brother website as part of our new "Press page". I'm hoping to add more press and more pages, but for now you can read the "history":-)

Go to our Press page here

Ron Waters at The Mint [VIDEO]

Hey check this cat out. He's a friend of friend, a Richard Pryor, Bernie Mac type of comedian so there is EXPLICIT LANGUAGE. He's catching on, and he's going to continue to catch on. Check him out below and pass him along.

BMORE HACKS

Last night (December 10th ) I went to the world premiere of BMORE HACKS and I had to share it with you all. That film is an independent motion picture directed by Maxie D. Collier. I found out about this film through an email like five days ago and was intrigued (and available) to go see it.

The picture was beautifully shot on FILM. All of you independent filmmakers may remember film. (To the uninitiated a lot of independent motion pictures are shot on digital video nowadays). The film had a terrific cast and great music. Also if you’re from Baltimore you will love to see the locations around town where the film was shot.

I encourage you all to support [black] independent film and buy a DVD or digital download. Believe me I DO NOT support projects that I don’t believe in or that I did not like. I really liked this film and I think you will too.

You can check out their social network for more information about the film at http://bmorehacks.socialgo.com/

100 Minutes

100 Minutes is about how long it took me to vote today. For the mathematically challenged that’s 1 hour and 40 min. There were forecast of lines lasting three hours or more. Thank goodness it wasn’t like that in my area. Truthfully I was more than prepared to wait the three hours or more. Today was SO important I would have done it. I was even hyped to do it. Today was like Christmas morning I couldn’t wait to get up and cast my vote. As excited as I was, there were people there more excited than I.

There was shouting as people left the polling place, several people were taking pictures with cell phone cameras; there were even some video cameras. As a filmmaker I thought about taping the event, but I KNEW there would be many others taping and I predict that by this time tomorrow they will be like a zillion of ‘em on YouTube. The people were excited though and several even honked their horn at the line as they were leaving. One woman even had her music turned up and played a tambourine in one hand while she drove with the other, I kid you not. You can’t make stuff like that up.

Even though I didn’t videotape the event I did document it in my own way.

This is my ballot before my vote















After my vote














Right before I cast my final ballot.














Today was history in the making and I was SO GLAD to be part of it.

Halloween Baltimore

This year Halloween fell on a Friday so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to create a film that captured the impish, the mischievous, the prankish, the puckish, the pixilated, in other words drunk people in costume. To be fair not all of them were drunk, but they were having a good time and so did we.

This project was a “collabo” between NBE and Central Pop Images. We went downtown Baltimore (is there any other place?) to see how many people we could get to give us permission to tape them and there were many. The people were more than eager to tell us about their costume and even act the part a little. One “Joker” even did a whole scene from The Dark Knight.

As soon as we edit the film we will put it on the Internet for everyone to see, until then, enjoy our slide show below :-)

The 13th Amendment [VIDEO]

An Internet contact of mine Philly's own Mike D of Reelblack is doin' it "reel" big. Forgive the pun. :(

Reelblack’s latest short film production, THE 13TH AMENDMENT was recently awarded the Grand Jury Prize for the first ever CNN IREPORT FILM FESTIVAL. IReport is CNN’s user-generated video blog. The 13th Amendment was chosen among hundreds of submissions dealing with this year’s election submitted from around the world. Grand Prize is a trip for two to his 2009 Presidential Inauguration and a hi-def video camera.

According to Mike he "chose the title The 13th Amendment to remind folks that there wasn't always a time when all Americans had the right of freedom. One of our greatest privileges is the Right To Vote. Please do it on November 4." I can't agree more.

Congrats to Mike D and his awesome company/movement, Reelblack! You can view The 13th Amendment below


You can view the award announcement at http://youtube.com/user/reelblack


Mike Klein's article in Philly Inquirer about the win can be viewed here: here