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July 2nd 2009

PETA Wants Rights To Jackson’s Song To Help Save Rodents

Filed under: music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 3:08 pm

I had absolutely no idea that Michael Jackson’s 1972 hit song “Ben” was about a boy and his pet rat. PETA, however, is always on top of these things — and in light of current events — is seeking rights to the song to use in raising attention on the plight of rodents used in laboratory experiments.

“Michael Jackson’s hit has always been a moving testament to the power of empathy for animals,” Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of PETA, said in a statement released on Tuesday. “If more people could be inspired by his song to stop supporting the cruel and ineffective animal-testing industry, it would be a fitting and enduring tribute to this talented performer,” she added.

“Ben”, which gave Jackson his first number-one as a solo artist, is the theme of a 1972 film of the same name in which telepathic rats attempt to take over the world. I wish I was making this up. From the synopsis:

“This rat, whom the boy names Ben, becomes the boy’s best friend and keeps his spirits up in the face of bullying. However, the balance of power between the human and rat begins to shift, with Ben beginning to control the boy and the swarm becoming increasingly irrational and violent. Eventually, the police destroy many members of the rat colony, while others are sent to testing labs; Ben, however, survives.”

This reviewer on IMDB seemed to like it at the time, but his one caveat is amusing. “I remember seeing this movie when it came out in 1972. I was 10 at the time and I remember crying at the end when Ben came back to David. I raised small rodents at the time…rats, mice and gerbils, so the film had a special meaning for me…except for the rats killing people.” Ha!

Anyone else ever seen it?

June 29th 2009

My Morning Jacket Dedicates George Harrison Tribute To Woodstock FAS!

Filed under: animals, campaigns, music — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 12:10 pm

Music AND animal sanctuary lovin’? Where do I sign up??!!

Ecorazzi recently got word that Jim James, lead singer of the band “My Morning Jacket,” will donate a portion of the proceeds from his upcoming limited edition EP to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! The EP is a collection of George Harrison songs covered by Jim James (under the alias “Yim Yames”) that was recorded back in 2001.

A proud vegetarian, Jim wanted to honor both Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and Harrison. About the decision, James said:

“I know this is something that George [Harrison] really believed in. George was all about treating all creatures equally and eating responsibly.” 

You can download a free preview song on his website and a full digital download and the CD will come later in July.

To learn more about this rad campaign, visit WoodstockFAS.org!!

June 28th 2009

Feldman Dedicates Eco-Friendly Concert To Michael Jackson

Filed under: music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 11:30 am

I know we’ve been covering a great deal on Michael Jackson news these past few days, but the news is absolutely saturated with the sad passing of the King Of Pop. Celebrities all over have been sharing their memories — and last night, Corey Feldman dedicated a concert in memory of the late 50-year-old legend.

“I want to not only dedicate this performance to him, because without Michael Jackson, I wouldn’t be performing onstage tonight,” Feldman told the crowd. “He is with us here tonight.”

The former actor turned musician/eco-activist wore a Jackson-style buttoned regal jacket and told the crowd to give 30 seconds of silence in memory of his close friend. His band Truth Movement was performing in Los Angeles at a gig Feldman declared as “off the grid” for its use of alternative fuels onsite to take the place of electricity. The show ran on a bio-diesel generator and fuel powered by L.A.’s @ Power — something the 37-year-old is adamant about attempting to do for all his live concerts.

“I have been a proponent of sustainable energy practices for many years,” commented Feldman, “and can’t think of a better way to create real change in the world than to partner with companies and individuals to bring the Off the Grid Tour to fruition, proving that effective implementation of alternative energy sources can be done.”

Check out Feldman’s official site for his group here.

via PEOPLE

June 26th 2009

Watch: Michael Jackson’s Earth Song Music Video

Filed under: music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 5:36 pm

Have you ever heard of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song”? We keep mentioning it here on the site, but chances are there are a few of you that have no idea what we’re talking about. That’s because the single was never released in the United States — even though it remained Jackson’s best-selling hit in the UK, beating out even “Thriller” or “Beat It”.

In a time when talk of environmental issues is the norm, Jackson was well ahead of the game with this release in 1996. Topics covered include drought, over-fishing, deforestation, pollution and war. The beautiful video — in which the King of Pop is shot in various scenes from around the world — probably carried a massive carbon footprint; but back then climate change and CO2 were in their infancy. As Treehugger notes, global warming isn’t even covered amidst the other themes.

“…For me, this is Earth’s Song,” Jackson said at the time, “Because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the Earth. And with the ecological unbalance going on, and a lot of the problems in the environment, I think earth feels the pain, and she has wounds, and it’s about some of the joys of the planet as well.” Have a look below:

June 26th 2009

What Will Happen To Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch?

Will it become our generation's Graceland?

Filed under: music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 8:41 am

With Michael Jackson’s untimely and shocking passing yesterday, there are now many questions surrounding his legacy and how it will be preserved. We covered the legendary singer’s Neverland property over the years — especially the natural degradation taking place in his absence. Could this 2,800 acre ranch become a museum to the legendary King of Pop?

One thing is certain: Jackson only retained a small percentage of ownership in the property at the time of his death. The ranch has been in and out of foreclosure proceedings since 2007 — with last minute deals cut all around to protect it from going into auction. According to Wikipedia, on November 11, 2008 Jackson transferred the title to Sycamore Valley Ranch Company LLC — a joint venture between him and Colony Capital LLC. In return, it appears that he was able to sell an unknown proportion of the property right for $35 million — cash the singer desperately needed to pay off additional debts.

In our opinion, it would be wonderful to see the 2,800 acre ranch preserved and turned in a memorial museum/park to Michael Jackson’s music. After all, the singer admitted that many of his “green” songs like “Earth Song” and “Heal The World” — were created to inspire people to live a greener life. In an interview with Ebony magazine, he said, “It’s been described as a runaway train; if we don’t stop it, we’ll never get it (world) back. So we have to fix it, now. That’s what I was trying to do with Earth Song, Heal The World, We Are The World - writing those songs to open up people’s consciousness. I wish people would listen to every word.”

What do you think should become of Neverland?

UPDATE: I found a video montage giving a rare glimpse at the inside of Neverland Ranch — mostly from interviews Jackson gave several years ago. Have a look after the jump!]

Click here to go behind the gates of Neverland…

June 25th 2009

Michael Jackson Dies Of Apparent Cardiac Arrest

Filed under: music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 6:14 pm

This is shocking.

Reports are streaming in from across the web — most notably TMZ.com — that legendary singer Michael Jackson has died of a severe heart attack. He was 50 years old. Said TMZ,

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We’re told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back. A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

We’ll update more as we get it. Our thoughts are with his family.

[UPDATE: CNN live reporters are saying that Michael Jackson is in a coma. We're hoping that's true.]

[UPDATE 2: MSNBC has now confirmed that Michael has passed away. With Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon passing as well, this is turning into a very sad week.]

June 19th 2009

Jonas Brothers Offer VIP Meet-And-Greets To Raise Cash For Charity

Filed under: donations, music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 9:40 am

Last year, the Jonas Brothers were the top fundraising group on the site CharityFolks.com — bringing in over $500,000 for their personal charity, Change for the Children Foundation.

For their new 100-city tour about to kick off, the boys are once again hooking up with the site and offering 4 VIP tickets to meet-and-greet backstage. All of the money raised will go to programs that motivate and inspire children to face adversity with confidence, determination and the will to succeed.

Initial bidding is set at $2,500 for the VIP package. Jump here to find out more info!

June 17th 2009

Jason Mraz Wants To Stop Saving The World And Create A New One

Meanwhile, his new solar array continues to take shape...

Filed under: music, web — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 9:21 pm

Jason Mraz has keyed another blog entry on his Freshness Factor Five Thousand blog — the artist’s tagged “Conversation Station” — and with this one, he wonders aloud whether saving the world is actually worth it. Would we, perhaps, be better off just creating a new one? He writes,

“Maybe we should stop trying to save the world. After all, the world I grew up in is soiled with bigotry and homophobia, war upon war, pollution, hunger and poverty. Who wants to save that? Some people do. Some people fear change. And they will fight others and pollute the earth in order to not have to change, to cling to what they’re used to. ”

“What if instead of saving the world – we say we are creating a new one? Last years rally for change in the Obama campaign was a preview of what we’re capable of. By simply trying on new ideas and being okay with letting go of old routines, we can cause an amazing shift on this planet.”

Mraz then goes on to say that we should let go of things we cling to that prevent us from moving forward. Simplifying our lives, while giving those random things away to those less fortunate, recycling, etc. He’s also been inspired by the Humanifesto over at The Superforest. It’s main theme is that good manners are the key to saving the planet. Be kind to others, have that spread, and the world will naturally right itself. It’s a nice, short read.

Also — the singer’s new solar array construction is making progress. Just as we would be (if we had the cash), the guy is totally psyched to tap into the sun. Check out his full entry here.

June 16th 2009

Mikhail Gorbachev Records Album Of Love Songs To Benefit Cancer Charity

Filed under: music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 10:40 am

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union before its collapse, has recored an album of love songs in memory of his wife Raisa; who died of Leukemia ten years ago.

The “Songs for Raisa” CD has been recorded by Mr. Gorbachev with the help of famous Russian pop singer Andrei Makarevich — a product of his ‘Perestroika’ reforms. “The CD lists seven of Raisa’s favorite love songs,” Mr. Gorbachev was quoted as saying by Interfax. “I sang them myself. The CD will be on sale at our London charity auction,” he said, adding that the album will not go on public sale in music stores.

Speaking of that London bash, it was thrown last week by Alexander Lebedev, the Evening Standard owner, and attended by celebs such as JK Rowling, Vanessa Redgrave and Boris Johnson. Gorbachev did a live performance of one of the songs, “Old Letters”, and received a standing ovation from the 300-plus guests when finished. “He has got the most wonderful voice,” guest Rachel Giffin told UTV News. “It’s very polished, with a great tone to it. It’s definitely not man-in-the-pub singing. It was completely unexpected.”

While the winning price for Gorbachev’s album of love songs was not revealed, all of the money raised went to the leukemia cancer foundation he started in memory of his wife.

June 11th 2009

Jason Mraz Breaks Ground On His New Solar Array

Filed under: buildings and construction, cars-houses, music — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 11:34 am

During the American Idol finale, Jason Mraz revealed backstage that he was getting ready to power his farm with new solar array. Now, the wordplay singer has posted a photo on his blog showing the groundbreaking of the new install. He writes,

“This week on the farm we broke ground on our new sun system. We’re going solar! In just a few days, an array of shiny collectors will mark a celebrated site among the oil green avocado trees. Our system will allow us to run both the house and studio on sun power alone, even on cloudy days, eliminating yet another consuming property from the power grid.”

“With the sun estimated to burn another 5 billion years, I’m stoked about my energy independence. In addition to having a 0.00 electric bill, my solar system will at times send energy back into the grid, reducing the amount of coal or nuclear energy required to keep Southern California illuminated. (The meter on the house actually runs backward when this happens.) San Diego isn’t yet paying for the energy I have to share, but there is a possibility of donating the excess energy to other households.”

We’re stoked for Jason too — and look forward to additional photos of his progress! Check out his blogging goodness here.