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Oct 27, 2009

Interesting Facts about Michael Jacksons 10 top Songs

Did You know the

top 10 Michael Jackson songs of all time, as rated by AOL Radio listeners? Let us know what your favorite MJ song is in the comments.

1)
From the Album: 'Thriller'

Did you know... MTV named the 14-minute-long video as the greatest music video of all-time. 'Thriller' was the seventh and final single released from the album of the same name. The original name for the song was 'Starlight Love.'


2) 'Billie Jean'

Album: 'Thriller'

Did you know... The song was almost removed from 'Thriller' after a disagreement occurred between producer Quincy Jones and Jackson. The video brought MTV into the mainstream, and it was reportedly the first video the channel aired by a black artist.


3) 'Beat It'

Album: 'Thriller'

Did you know... For the 25th anniversary re-release of 'Thriller,' a remix was included titled 'Beat It 2008,' which featured additional vocals by Fergie, although a parody song released in 1984 by "Weird Al" Yankovic was much more popular. That spoof, 'Eat It,' was recorded with Michael's permission and won a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording.


4) 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin''

Album: 'Thriller'

Did you know... The phrase at the end of the chorus -- "Mama-se, mama-sa, mama-ma-coo-sa" -- are taken from a 1973 song 'Soul Makossa,' by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango. "Makossa" means "dance" in Duala, a Cameroonian language. Jackson has never lip-synched this song on any of his tours since 1984.


5) 'The Way You Make Me Feel'

Album: 'Bad'

Did you know... Michael wrote this song in response to his mother, Katherine Esther, who wanted him to write a song with a "shuffling kind of rhythm." For his 30th anniversary concert in 2001, he performed the song alongside Britney Spears. However, CBS cut her from the footage and her performance did not air.


6) 'Smooth Criminal'

Album: 'Bad'

Did you know... Michael does one of his most memorable dance moves in the music video for 'Smooth Criminal,' where he seemingly defies gravity and leans forward without bending his knees and keeps his heels firmly in place. While he used wires for the video, his team patented a special type of shoes in 1993 that he wore for his stage performances. Before Michael leaned forward, the shoes would become attached to the stage through special pegs, thus leaving concert fans wondering, "How did he do that?"

7) 'Man in the Mirror'

Album: 'Bad'

Did you know... When Jackson played 'Man in the Mirror' on his Dangerous World Tour in 1992, stuntman Kinnie Gibson dressed like him and flew out of the arena wearing a jet pack.

8) Album: 'Bad'

Did you know... The song was originally set to be a duet between Jackson and Prince, but Prince declined and told Jackson and producer Quincy Jones that "it would be a hit without [him]." The full music video of the song is an 18-minute short film with Jackson portraying a young man named Daryl who once was "bad" and tries to prove to his old friends that he still has an edge after spending time in prep school.

9) 'Rock With You'

Album: 'Off The Wall'

Did you know... This was one of the last big songs from the disco era, hitting No. 1 on both the Pop and R&B charts.


10) 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough'

Album: 'Off the Wall'

Did you know... The song was MJ's debut single from 'Off The Wall' and the first solo recording that he had creative control on.

Oct 12, 2009

Gender of Santas Reindeer?

Did you know...
We have never figured out what sex Santas reindeer are?
The Confusing Sexual Identity of Dasher, Dancer, and the rest of Santa's Reindeer

You all know Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donder and Blitzen but, do you know what sex they are?


For years, many people have assumed that these reindeer were male. Then along comes the Alaska's Department of fish and game and tells that Santa's reindeer are most likely female.


The reason being that while both male and female reindeer have antlers, the bucks shed them between the end of October and the middle of November, while the does keep their antlers until January. Which means quite simply that Santa's reindeer, are according to science, females.


But there is nothing scientific about Santa or his Reindeer, so I decided to do a little research into the matter and try to discover for myself what sex those darn reindeer are.


The most logical place to start was where it all began with Moore's poem a visit by St. Nick. I was pretty sure I knew the poem by heart but just in case I had missed something I reread the poem. Nowhere in this work does it mention what sex any of these reindeer are. So, Mr. Moore was absolutely no help in solving this perplexing question.


Next I did a through Internet search to discover who first pronounced these reindeer to be of the male gender. Again I came up empty-handed. It seems as though no one actually made such a pronouncement; people just seemed to assume that the reindeer were males.


In fact, the first mention of any of the original eight reindeer being male came in the 1964 movie, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. In this animated show Donder is Rudolph's father.  Ironically, in the original story of Rudolph written by Robert May, not only is Donder not  Rudolph's father, but Rudolph was not even born at the North pole.


To further confuse this very sensitive issue, Moore's original poem does not refer to a reindeer named Donner, the reindeer's name is actually Donder--the name Donner became accepted as one of Santa's reindeer when the song Rudolph written by Johnny Marx became popular.


So how did Santa's reindeer end up being thought of as male? Many believe it is because Moore bestowed on them masculine sounding names, like Dasher, Comet and Blitzen.


While this may be part of the explanation, one only has to look at the name Vixen and its meaning to conclude that at least one of Santa's reindeer must be female. While Dancer and Prancer could be either sex.


The truth of the matter is the sex of these reindeer is as much a mystery now as it was in the beginning. It is perhaps a mystery that shall never be solved.


The question is do we really care? I for one don't care much if these reindeer are male or female, as long as my gifts arrive on time, gender will never be an issue.

Original article: The Confusing Sexual Identity of Dasher, Dancer, and the rest of Santa's Reindeer - written by Martha lownsberry on Factoidz

Oct 11, 2009

Coconut Water



Did You Know...
The water inside a young coconut is identical to human blood plasma. Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm), not to be confused with coconut milk. As the fruit matures, the coconut water gradually is replaced by the coconut meat and air. A very young coconut has very little meat, and the meat is very tender, almost a gel. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands like Hawaii and the Caribbean, where it is available fresh, canned or bottled. It is naturally fat-free and low in food energy (16.7 calories or 70 kilojoules per 100 grams).Coconut water is also used as an intravenous fluid in some developing countries where medical saline is unavailable. Many lives have been saved from using coconut water as an intravenous fluid.

Oct 7, 2009

Tarot Cards

Back in the 1300's these cards were just a game. Now some believe tarot cards can predict the future. Are they just like any other card game? What do you think?