Elvis The Legend King of Rock and Roll

What can I possibly say about the king of rock and roll that hasn’t already been said and documented? Born on January 8^th, 1935, he died August 16^th, 1977. Son of Vernon and Gladys Presley, his twin, Jessie Garon, died at birth. Could you imagine two of Elvis?

You would be hard pressed to find any writer or musician not influenced by Elvis Presley. Even if somebody says they were inspired or influenced by the Beatles, you have to consider that they were inspired and influenced by Elvis so …. The connection is still there. It always will be.

The man could do it all. Rock, pop, country, blues, you name it.

He had what every man wants, persona defined. He had a presence to him unlike anyone before or since. His southern charm and handsome good looks left women helpless and wilting.

As cheesy as his movies are, you have to remember that back in the day, that was the thing that separated him from the rest. He was a true entertainer.

I got exposed to him through my mother and my Aunt, Cindy. (Mostly my Aunt.) She told me a story of when she got to see him in concert a time or two, and throwing her panties on the stage and …. Yeah, Cynthia, I don’t need the visual, thanks.

His death rocked not only the nation, but the entire world. Amazing when considering that he never once performed a concert outside the United States. Mostly due to the fact that his manager, the Colonel Tom Parker, could never get a visa to leave the country and he always went with Elvis on tour. He never stopped promoting the man, even in the closing days of his life, Colonel Parker was always involved with everything Elvis.

Side note: Tom Parker got the nickname “Colonel” from his younger days of when he was a carnival barker, shouting out like a Colonel would to his troops going to war.

I know he didn’t write, but he did have that something special that drew people in and kept them. His body of work with that amazing voice is the envy of any performer. A true rags to riches story, Elvis embodied the boy next door image. He served his time in the United States Army when many artists of the day would have tried to back out of it. He, instead, embraced it and led by example. This was just another reason for at the time, the people to embrace him even more.

His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, is best known perhaps for marrying the king of pop, Michael Jackson, another influence of mine that I will feature later, but did you also know she has released a few CD’s of her own? I have her first one, called “For Whom It May Concern” and it is often played in my CD player. I love it!

I also remember shortly after her releasing that CD when I went to California with a friend of mine and was invited to a record label party where she made an appearance. Meeting her was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Obviously, being as close as I could ever get to meeting Elvis himself.

There never was and never will be another Elvis Aaron Presley.

THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL



Michael Jackson - The King of Pop



Say what you want about MJ, the dark cloud of his personal life and the abnormal behavior. The accusations of child molestation. The man could write! He could dance! He could sing! He was a visionary and an innovator. He was a performer, the most electrifying entertainer that ever lived.

I will always remember Michael as a humanitarian for the children. A man of peace. Pushed hard in his childhood by his domineering father, it is my opinion that he had no choice but to strive to be the best. His videos always ranked as the most entertaining of all time. Nobody took advantage of the video medium more than Michael.

With all his talent, people tend to overlook the fact that he was a great songwriter. Sure, his dancing was second to none and perhaps with the exception of Elvis Presley, nobody has been impersonated more.
Eccentric? Sure, but then again, so are all the great ones. That may be the price that is paid. To be secluded from the rest of the world. Stars always have a problem with privacy, this is a documented fact, but when you’re the biggest star of them all, it has to be worse. Not that I ever feel sorry for actors and singers and the like, when you decide to go into the entertainment business, you know going in what the deal is.

For nearly 45 years, Michael Jackson spent the most part of his entire life in the spotlight. Hit after hit with his brothers, and then as a solo artist, Michael stood alone as the voice for not just one generation, but for three or four. His influence continues to this day for many. He was the king of pop, the king of videos, and the king of entertainment in general.

Many people do not know that he had a sixth brother, Brandon, who died at birth.

After his breakthrough solo album, “Off The wall” separated him from his brothers, no one even dared to think he would shatter record sales with his second solo release, “Thriller” in 1982. All but a couple of the songs on that album found its way to the top 40 pop or soul charts, producing hits such as, “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” “Wanna Be Startin Something”, “PYT (Pretty Young Thing)” and the title track itself, “Thriller”, just to name a few.

In December 2009, the music video for "Thriller" was selected for the National Film registry by the Library Of Congress, "Thriller" is the first music video ever to be inducted.

Michael Jackson reunited with his brothers in 1984 for their “Victory Tour” and donated all 8 million dollars he received for it to charity.

“We Are The World” song won four grammys (One for Michael for song of the year) It became on of the best selling singles of all time, with nearly 30 million copies sold and millions donated and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.

His album, “Bad” out-did his “Thriller” album in terms of top 40 hits. (Seven) Five of which hit Billboards Top 100 at number one. Those songs were, “Bad”, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”, “The way You Make Me Feel”, “Man In The Mirror” and my personal all time favorite Michael Jackson song, “Dirty Diana”.

In January 1993, Jackson made a memorable appearance at the halftime show at Superbowl XXVII. The performance began with Jackson catapulting onto the stage as fireworks went off behind him. As he landed on the canvas, he maintained a motionless "clenched fist, standing statue stance", dressed in a gold and black military outfit and sunglasses; he remained completely motionless for a minute and a half while the crowd cheered. He then slowly removed his sunglasses, threw them away and sang four songs: "Jam", "Billie Jean", "Black or White" and "Heal the World". It was the first Super Bowl where the audience figures increased during the half-time show, and was viewed by 135 million Americans alone.

Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the legendary Elvis Presley, in May of 1994. Many people don’t know that the two first met in 1975, when seven year old Lisa Marie attended one of Jackson's family engagements at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino while attending a Jackson family engagement.

Michael proposed to Lisa Marie in the fall of 1993 over the phone.

The marriage was, in her words, "a married couple's life ... that was sexually active". At the time, the tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson's public image. The marriage lasted less than two years and ended with an amicable divorce settlement.

Through it all, I, like so many millions of others, couldn’t help but be a fan. As a songwriter, I would like to think I learned a thing or two about the craft from listening to his songs. More importantly, I think I learned more from him as to “what not to do” than any other performer. Most notably, not to throw slumber parties with children. Even if it was innocent, the appearance alone is cause for concern.

Personally, do I believe he did such horrible things? … No. I don’t. But that’s just me.

As gentle and kind and as giving as Michael was in his life, I would lose faith in all humanity if for one moment I thought such a thing was possible. I think he was just misunderstood, and perhaps he was an easy target by greedy sharks. Not that he helped his situation with those aforementioned slumber parties.

Still, through it all, Michael Jackson was more than a performer, singer, songwriter, actor … he was a giver of love and hope for children all around the world. He was inspiring.

And this is how I will always remember him.

Rest in peace Michael Jackson.

Hot Ginebra San Miguel 2013 Calendar

Short history about flags

A flag is usually a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium. The first flags were used to assist military coordination on battlefields, and flags have since evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signaling and identification, especially in environments where communication is similarly challenging (such as the maritime environment where semaphore is used). National flags are potent patriotic symbols with varied wide-ranging interpretations, often including strong military associations due to their original and ongoing military uses. Flags are also used in messaging, advertising, or for other decorative purposes. The study of flags is known as vexillology, from the Latin vexillum meaning flag or banner.

In antiquity, field signs or standards were used in warfare that can be categorized as vexilloid or “flag-like“. Examples include the Achaemenid battle standard Derafsh Kaviani, and the standards of the Roman legions such as the eagle of Augustus Caesar’s Xth legion, or the dragon standard of the Sarmatians; the latter was let fly freely in the wind, carried by a horseman, but judging from depictions it was more similar to an elongated dragon kite than to a simple flag.

During the High Middle Ages flags came to be used primarily as a heraldic device in battle, allowing more easily to identify a knight than only from the heraldic device painted on the shield. Already during the high medieval period, and increasingly during the Late Middle Ages, city states and communes such as those of the Old Swiss Confederacy also began to use flags as field signs. Regimental flags for individual units became commonplace during the Early Modern period. During the peak of the age of sail, beginning in the early 17th century, it has been customary (and later a legal requirement) for ships to carry flags designating their nationality; these flags eventually evolved into the national flags and maritime flags of today. Flags also became the preferred means of communications at sea, resulting in various systems of flag signals. Use of flags outside of military or naval context begins only with the rise of nationalist sentiment by the end of the 18th century; the earliest national flags date to that period, and during the 19th century it became common for every sovereign state to introduce a national flag.