Month: May 2014

My Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time: Nos. 5-1

All week I’ve been bringing you my personal Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time and today – we reach the top five. Obviously MJ is one of my favorite artists in the history of music and he’s certainly one of the most significant pop culture figures of all time. This past Tuesday marked the release of his posthumous album Xscape, which has received high marks from critics. This June will mark five years since the King of Pop’s death.

If you missed my selections for numbers 25-6, you can find them here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/13/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-25-21/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/14/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-20-16/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/15/top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-15-11/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/16/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-10-6/

It’s been a pleasure writing these posts reflecting on his great career and now – the crème dela crème of his discography in my view:

5. “Man in the Mirror” (from Bad – 1987)

What many consider to be MJ’s most inspirational ballad served as the 4th single from Bad and it hit #1 on the charts. The powerful track would serve as Jackson’s closer on his tours following the album’s release. Its message of change through self resonated with listeners and still stands as one of his signature tunes.

4. “Human Nature” (from Thriller – 1982)

The fifth single from Thriller is an absolutely beautiful ballad that would serve as a highlight for MJ tours. This is #1 for me among Jackson slow tracks and it would later be covered famously by 90s R&B group SWV with their hit “Right Here”.

3. “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” (from Thriller – 1982)

Next is the fourth Thriller single. The fast-paced “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” with its propulsive and infectious beat is the track that opens the magnificent Thriller album and it’s unforgettable. Note: it’s pronounced “Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah”.

2. “Smooth Criminal” (from Bad – 1987)

The seventh Bad single would develop into one of MJ’s most famous tracks. Simply put, there’s nothing that quite sounds like “Smooth Criminal” and it’s brilliant. After a quarter century, we’re still not clear if Annie is, indeed, OK.

1. “Billie Jean” (from Thriller – 1982)

MJ’s most well-known track from his most well-known album is also the very best. The singer’s performance of “Billie Jean” on the Motown 25 celebration would cement his place his history when he introduced the moonwalk to viewers. The song has one of the most distinctive bass lines in musical history. In a career with so many fabulous tracks, “Billie Jean” stands out at the top.

And that’s my list, ladies and gentlemen! It’s been fun.

My Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time: Nos. 10-6

We have now entered the very upper echelon of my personal favorite 25 Michael Jackson tracks with the bottom half of the top ten. If you missed numbers 25-11, you may find them here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/13/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-25-21/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/14/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-20-16/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/15/top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-15-11/

Tomorrow brings the top five and now – numbers 10-6:

10. “Dirty Diana” (from Bad – 1987)

A slow grind of a rock ballad about groupies, this is MJ’s fifth single from the Bad album and made it five out of five to hit #1. Featuring stellar guitar work from Steve Stevens, it’s also got a memorable live concert video.

9. “Off the Wall” (from Off the Wall – 1979)

The third single and title track from his breakout solo album, “Off the Wall” is a joyous disco groove that, in my mind, just eclipses bigger hits from the album “Workin’ Day and Night” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”.

8. “Beat It” (from Thriller – 1982)

This rocker featuring Eddie Van Halen’s brilliant guitar work is the third single from the landmark album and one of MJ’s signature tunes. It’s also got choreography from the great music video that many 80s kids attempted to copy.

7. “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” (from Thriller – 1982)

One of MJ’s fastest and most infectious grooves served as the sixth Thriller single. It’s got his sisters LaToya and Janet singing backup and what sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks singing along as well towards the end. My apologies, but this is the one track I couldn’t find a decent YouTube version of (what up with that?).

6. “Rock with You” (from Off the Wall – 1979)

The fourth biggest song of 1980, Michael Jackson created one of the best disco tracks of all time just as the era was ending. It’s the best song on a wonderful album. Others from “Off the Wall” worth a spin that didn’t make the cut: “Girlfriend”, “Get on the Floor”, “I Can’t Help It”, “It’s the Falling in Love”, and the ballad “She’s Out of My Life”.

And that will do it until tomorrow when I reveal my top five King of Pop songs ever.

 

My Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time: Nos. 15-11

Continuing along with my personal Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time – tonight comes part three with numbers 15 through 11. You can read my two previous posts covering 25-16 here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/13/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-25-21/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/14/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-20-16/

15. “I Wanna Be Where You Are” (from Got To Be There – 1972)

MJ’s oldest song on the list was released when he was just 13 years old and certainly sounds more Jackson 5 than anything else on here with its Motown roots. It reached #2 on the R&B chart. It’s not too well-known anymore, but it should be. This is the only song on the list pre-Off the Wall from 1979, but other noteworthy early MJ songs include “Got To Be There”, “Ben”, and “We’re Almost There”.

14. “Scream” (from HIStory – 1995)

The lead off single from 1995’s HIStory is from mega-producers Jam&Lewis and features his only duet with his sister Janet. It’s my highest track listed from that album, but other quality songs include “They Don’t Care About Us”, “Stranger in Moscow”, “This Time Around”, and “Smile”.

13. “Black or White” (from Dangerous – 1991)

The lead single from 1991’s Dangerous featured a controversial video that included Macaulay Culkin and MJ turning into a panther, but it’s a fantastic song with memorable guitar work from Guns&Roses’ Slash. This is the final Dangerous track included. Those that missed the cut but are great include “Jam”, “Who Is It”, and “Give In To Me”.

12. “Thriller” (from Thriller – 1982)

The title track from the bestselling album of all time is a Halloween time classic with one of the best known music videos ever shot. While one of his most famous songs, there’s plenty of other Thriller tracks still to come in top ten.

11. “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (from Off the Wall – 1979)

The first single from his breakout solo work Off the Wall is a disco-infused club jam that marked MJ’s first #1 single on his own. The track also gave the artist his music video as a solo artist — a medium he would perfect better than anyone before or since.

Tomorrow – we get into the Top Ten! Stay tuned.

My Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time: Nos. 20-16

This evening comes part two of my personal Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs Of All Time, covering numbers 20-16. Yesterday I gave you entries 25-21 and you can peruse them here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/13/my-top-25-michael-jackson-songs-of-all-time-nos-25-21/

Let’s get to it:

20. “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (from Bad – 1987)

This romantic ballad is a duet with Siedah Garrett and served as Michael’s first single from the Bad album. During the Bad tour, MJ would sing the track with an unknown backup singer by the name of Sheryl Crow.

19. “Workin’ Day and Night” (from Off the Wall – 1979)

MJ’s first entry on the list from his breakthrough solo album Off the Wall served as the B-side to “Rock With You”. This fast paced dance groove might not have ever been an official single, but it became a live performance staple from the King of Pop.

18. “The Way You Make Me Feel” (from Bad – 1987)

Bad‘s third single was a deserved monster hit and also became a staple of Jackson’s live performances.

17. “Remember the Time” (from Dangerous – 1991)

This was the second single from the Dangerous album and like “In the Closet” features terrific production from Teddy Riley. The music video featured Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson, and model Iman.

16. “Another Part of Me” (from Bad – 1987)

This Bad heavy portion of my list concludes with “Another Part of Me”, which served as the album’s sixth single. It may not be quite as well known as “The Way You Make Me Feel” or the title track itself, but it’s always been one of my favorites from the album.

***Since the Bad album has received so much love in this portion, now might be a good time to announce that title track “Bad” did not make my personal Top 25 cut. It was close, but there were just too many other great choices that leapfrogged it.

And that’s all for now! I’ll be back tomorrow with numbers 15-11!

 

My Top 25 Michael Jackson Songs of All Time: Nos. 25-21

I’m taking a rare break from movie talk for a blog series about the King of Pop himself Michael Jackson. Today marks the release of MJ’s well reviewed posthumous album Xscape, which I’ve dutifully already downloaded on iTunes. However, I’ve yet to have the opportunity to get into it, but plan to shortly. We’re also approaching the five year anniversary of the superstar’s death in June.

This has led me to creating my personal Top 25 MJ songs of all time. A couple of caveats: this list does not include any Jackson 5 tunes and covers just Michael’s solo work. So if you’re looking for “I Want You Back” or “The Love You Save” or “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” or “I’ll Be There”, perhaps a Jackson 5 top ten list will come in the future. Also, being that I haven’t listened to the new album hardly at all, no tracks will be included from that one. However, I will say the current single “Love Never Felt So Good” featuring Justin Timberlake is fantastic.

Simply put,  I grew up on MJ and he is extraordinarily high on my favorite musical artists of all time. When you listen to pop music, his influence is omnipresent. Listen to “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake. Or “Let the Groove Get In” by JT. Or “Treasure” by Bruno Mars. Or Pharrell music or Chris Brown. It goes on and on.

Let’s get to it, shall we? This will be a five-part series and feel free to comment when all is said and done with your own MJ personal faves.

25. “Baby Be Mine” (from Thriller – 1982)

It’s from the best selling album of all time and yet it’s probably the least talked about track on the record. It’s still great though and is highly reminiscent of his Off the Wall dance tracks that came three years earlier (and will show up on this here list).

24. “Will You Be There?” (from Dangerous – 1991)

Sort of cheesy? Yes. Best remembered for its video and inclusion in the film Free Willy? Yep. Call this a guilty pleasure MJ track if you will, but I love Michael’s vocals on here and the choir that closes it out.

23. “You Are Not Alone” (from HIStory – 1995)

My second MJ slow jam was written and produced by R. Kelly and is the first single in U.S. history to debut at #1.  It’s got a pretty memorable video featuring then wife Lisa Marie Presley, too.

22. “In the Closet” (from Dangerous – 1991)

The third single from 1991’s Dangerous album is a Teddy Riley produced New Jack Swing banger. Once again – the B&W music video featuring Naomi Campbell and directed by famed photographer Herb Ritts is a classic.

21. “Earth Song” (from HIStory – 1995)

This environmentally conscious and operatic tour de force served as MJ’s third single off 1995’s History and is my favorite among his socially conscious anthems (you won’t find “Heal the World” on this list). It’s the artist’s largest selling single ever in the United Kingdom.

And that’s all for now, folks! I’ll be back tomorrow with part two and numbers 20-16.

Box Office Predictions: May 16-18

It’s the battle of AMC stars Bryan Cranston and Jon Hamm as the summer season rolls along entering weekend #3 with monster flick Godzilla and Disney sports drama Million Dollar Arm entering the marketplace. You can peruse my detailed prediction posts on each here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/11/godzilla-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/11/million-dollar-arm-box-office-prediction/

Godzilla with Cranston should very easily dominate while a more interesting scenario could play out for the runner-up spot. Last weekend’s champ Neighbors had a bigger than expected opening (more on that below), however it received only a B Cinemascore grade which is lower than I would’ve thought. That means it could be in store for a larger sophomore drop-off than I might have earlier anticipated. This could set it up for a close showdown with Million Dollar Arm, starring Hamm.

As for the rest of the top five, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 should experience another healthy fall in its third weekend while The Other Woman rounds out the group.

And with that, my predictions for the weekend’s top five:

1. Godzilla

Predicted Gross: $77.3 million

2. Neighbors

Predicted Gross: $24.3 million (representing a drop of 50%)

3. Million Dollar Arm

Predicted Gross: $23.4 million

4. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Predicted Gross: $16.6 million (representing a drop of 53%)

5. The Other Woman

Predicted Gross: $5.7 million (representing a drop of 43%)

Box Office Results (May 9-11)

The Seth Rogen/Zac Efron comedy Neighbors scored a truly impressive debut with $49 million, well above my $37.3M projection. The well-reviewed frat pic scored the fifth highest R rated comedy opening of all time, after The Hangover Part II, Sex and the City, Ted, and Jackass 3-D.

Dropping to second was The Amazing Spider-Man 2, plummeting a healthy 61% with $35.5 million, below my $40.6M estimate. The Spidey sequel has not met expectations domestically and it’s on course to certainly be the lowest grossing pic in the franchise yet. Sony and Marvel might be in for a major brainstorming session in order for the planned third and fourth installments to reverse this troubling trend.

The Other Woman with Cameron Diaz was third with $9.6 million in weekend #3, holding up stronger than my $7.6M prediction. In fourth, Heaven Is for Real also performed better than my prediction with my $7.4 million (I said $5M). The fifth and sixth spots went to sequel holdovers that I didn’t include in my top six estimates: Captain America: The Winter Soldier took in $5.7 million and Rio 2 made $5 million.

This means the other two newbies this weekend posted lackluster results. The faith based Moms’ Night Out was seventh with $4.3 million, slightly under my $5.1M projection. The animated Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return tanked in eighth with $3.7 million, below my moderate $5.7M estimate.

That’s all for now. folks!

 

Million Dollar Arm Box Office Prediction

Disney will attempt some counterprogramming this weekend as the studio opens its real life sports drama Million Dollar Arm starring “Mad Men” lead Jon Hamm. The pic is based on the story of sports agents traveling to India to recruit future major league baseball players. The supporting cast includes Bill Paxton, Alan Arkin, and Life of Pi actor Suraj Sharma.

The studio behind Million Dollar Arm is no stranger to marketing sports related dramas. Both Miracle in 2004 and Invincible in 2006 performed well and got off the ground with $19M and $17M debuts, respectively. Arm has received a solid marketing campaign and might serve as a good alternative to those not watching Godzilla stomp back into theaters. Having Jon Hamm featured in his first true lead role doesn’t hurt either and word of mouth is positive, with Disney claiming this is one of its highest testing pictures in years.

The grosses I previously mentioned for Miracle and Invincible should be the likely low mark for what this can achieve. However, I suspect a gross in the low to mid 20s is even more possible.

Million Dollar Arm opening weekend prediction: $23.4 million

For my Godzilla prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/11/godzilla-box-office-prediction/

Godzilla Box Office Prediction

The giant green monster is back in theaters this Friday with Godzilla from director Gareth Edwards. This is certainly being seen as one of summer 2014s’s tent pole releases and Warner Bros. is certainly hoping for massive results.

Godzilla has been assisted from some truly terrific trailers and a healthy marketing campaign. Obviously, the name recognition of the title character is off the charts. The real people cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, and, yes… Walter freaking White himself… Bryan Cranston! Not everything Godzilla related over the recent past was met with positive results. Sixteen summers ago, Roland Emmerich’s highly publicized Godzilla pic was widely expected to be a huge blockbuster, especially after the director had hit gold with Independence Day two years prior. Instead, it managed only an OK $136 million gross and was widely panned by critics and audiences alike.

The 2014 version is unlikely to suffer the same fate. Reviews so far have generally been fairly positive to mixed. I don’t see Godzilla opening in the neighborhood of the Captain America or Amazing Spider-Man sequels which both topped $90 million. For Godzilla, anything below $70M would likely be seen as disappointing. It is worth noting that much of Godzilla‘s total gross will come from international markets. The most sensible scenario domestically  is a gross just north of $75M, though it could certainly surprise. However, I’ll play it rather safe with this pick.

Godzilla opening weekend prediction: $77.3 million

For my Million Dollar Arm prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/11/million-dollar-arm-box-office-prediction/

Box Office Predictions: May 9-11

We enter the second weekend of the summer 2014 movie season with three new pictures opening: the Seth Rogen/Zac Efron frat comedy Neighbors, the animated pic Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, and the faith based comedy Moms’ Night Out. You can find my detailed individual prediction posts on each here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/04/neighbors-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/04/legends-of-oz-dorothys-return-box-office-prediction/

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/04/moms-night-out-box-office-prediction/

Both Oz and Moms’ Night Out could exceed expectations, but I’m estimating rather muted debuts for each. It’s Neighbors that could truly challenge last weekend’s champ The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for the #1 slot. I believe it’ll be close, but ultimately I think Spidey prevails… barely.

Holdovers The Other Woman and Heaven Is for Real should experience drops in the 40s range. And with that, my predictions for the weekend’s top six:

1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Predicted Gross: $40.6 million (representing a drop of 55%)

2. Neighbors

Predicted Gross: $37.3 million

3. The Other Woman

Predicted Gross: $7.6 million (representing a drop of 47%)

4. Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return

Predicted Gross: $5.7 million

5. Moms’ Night Out

Predicted Gross: $5.1 million

6. Heaven Is for Real

Predicted Gross: $5 million (representing a drop of 42%)

Box Office Results (May 2-4)

The summer season got underway and I finally had a pretty damn solid weekend of predictin’!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 got off to a $91.6 million opening – right in line with my $90.1M projection. This is a solid start for the web slinger, even though it doesn’t match what the original trilogy with Tobey Maguire managed to accomplish. While some prognosticators thought it would top $100M, its opening marks 2014’s second highest rollout following Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Cameron Diaz’s The Other Woman dropped to second in its sophomore frame with $14.4 million… I said $14.3M (gold star)!

Heaven Is for Real was third with $8.6 million… I said $8.5M (gold star 2)!

The rest of the top five was rounded out by Captain America: The Winter Soldier at 4 with $7.7M (a bit below my $9M prediction) and Rio 2 at 5 with $7.7M (just below my $8.3M estimate).

That’s all for now, folks!

Moms’ Night Out Box Office Prediction

For those who like their comedy considerably less raunchy, this Friday brings us the faith based pic Moms’ Night Out featuring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, and country singer Trace Adkins. It looks to serve as counter programming to Neighbors, which should be poised for a big opening this weekend.

In case you haven’t noticed, faith based movies have experienced a solid 2014 with titles like Son of God, God’s Not Dead, and Heaven Is for Real all posting impressive numbers. This one’s a little different, though. For starters – it’s only scheduled to open on a relatively low 1000 screens which should damper its premiere gross. Secondly, the marketing push for Moms’ Night Out seems a bit quieter than the aforementioned pics.

This may have the advantage of bringing out some female audience members but with the limited number of venues it’s playing in, Moms’ Night Out shouldn’t approach double digits and will likely reach only in the mid single digits.

Moms’ Night Out opening weekend prediction: $5.1 million

For my Neighbors prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/04/neighbors-box-office-prediction/

For my Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return prediction, click here:

https://toddmthatcher.com/2014/05/04/legends-of-oz-dorothys-return-box-office-prediction/