Music Blogs

Prisoners Of Love: The New Michael Jackson Tribute

Posted Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:41pm PDT by Billy Altman in Stop The Presses!

Talk about deja view all over again.

Earlier today, the 1,500 orange-jumpsuit-clad inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention & Rehabilitation Center on the east coast of Cebu Island in the Philippines reprised their phenomenally popular 2007 viral performance of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" to honor the King Of Pop, who died Thursday. After that, they performed this touching new tribute:

The original four-minute Web-smash video, you may recall, stemmed from an experimental program started by local security consultant Byron Garcia, which added synchronized dancing to the prison's exercise programs in the hopes of spurring better attendance and more involved participation. And judging by the results, it was certainly a success, as Garcia's post of the convicts' conga lines cavorting a la Jackson and his legion of undulating undead became an immediate phenomenon, drawing over 24 million hits--a million of them in the 24-hour period following the news of Jackson's death. 

Of course, "hit" would seem to be an especially appropriate word when discussing criminals--though judging from the, er,  résumés of many of the thespic inmates at Cebu prison, drug-related offenses do seems to be up there in shared "credits."

Were these guys and gals troupers? After getting the OK to proceed with the tribute performance, the 1,500 guys and gals of the Cebu company practiced virtually around the clock under the watchful eyes of not only their built-in audience of armed prison guards but also a professional choreographer hired by the prison to whip the company into "Thriller"-appropriate lurching shape. 

And bless their paying-their-debts-to-society heads, the Cebu inmates have once again done their warden, the country, and, yes, the entire planet proud. As Michael Jackson, the fallen idol whose music helped these unlikely people gain international recognition, once noted, it doesn't matter if you're black or white, or living as a free person in society or inside a detention and rehab center in the Philippines. We're all people--and we are the world.

1721 Comments

41. Karen -
iM sO sAd fOr tHe jacKOns loSS hE waZ sO tALenteD hE wiLL bE iN mY pRayERS! idC wAt thE pREsS saId mIchEAl wAS thE beST!..............(f*#k tHE pREss hEs thE bEst!)......HiS mEMorY wIll lIvE oN jUSt lIke tHE othEr kIngS anD qUEeNs oF mUSiC!

42. SIR. ARVIN GUMATO PAREJA , BSN, RN, MBA -
Death? Why this fuss about death. Use your imagination, try to visualize a world without death! ... Death is the essential condition of life, not an evil.

43. Rodney -
This video has been up on youtube for about 4 years now, its nothing new.

44. Morgan -
why does everyone blame michael for the scarring of little children? how about pointing your fingers at the oh so loving parents who deemed it perfectly ok to send their children off to a celebrities house for a sleepover when the have no relationship to the man. then the same parents who urged their children to testify, not to fatten their wallets, but to clear their conscious. maybe a tad better parenting could have solved this

45. donald -
At this point...who cares. Really.

46. Yahoo! Music User -
its kool wat they did =)

47. matt -
you know why MJ likes twenty eight year olds?


because there is twenty of them....

48. Shelly -
How lame.

49. sassy -
only GOD can judge another human being noone knows if anything like that happened with that child except god and they ppl there

50. Glenn -
How come you're always such a fussy young man?
Don't want no Captain Crunch, don't want no Raisin Bran
Well, don't you know that other kids are starving in Japan
So eat it, just eat it (prrr)

Don't wanna argue, I don't wanna debate
Don't want to hear about what kind of food you hate ooh
You won't get no dessert 'till you clean off your plate
So eat it, don't you tell me you're full

Just eat it, eat it , eat it
Get yourself an egg and beat it
Have some more chicken, have some more pie
It doesn't matter , it's broiled or fried
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it, ooh

Your table manners are a cryin' shame
You're playin' with your food like it's some kind of game
Now, if you starve to death, you'll just have yourself to blame
So eat it, just eat it (prr)(burp)

You better listen, better do what you're told ooh
You haven't even touched your tuna casserole ooh
You better chow down or it's gonna get cold
So eat it

I don't care if you're full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Open up your mouth and feed it
Have some more yogurt, have some more spam
It doesn't matter if it's fresh or canned
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Don't you make me repeat it
Have a banana, have a whole bunch
It doesn't matter what you have for lunch
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
(hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh)

Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
If it's gettin' cold, reheat it
Have a big dinner, have a light snack
If you don't like it you can't send it back
Just eat it, eat it, (woohoo) eat it, eat it
Get yourself an egg and beat it (oh lord)
Have some more chicken,(woohoo) have some more pie (woohoo)
It doesn't matter , it's broiled or fried
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Don't you make me repeat it (oh no)
Have a banana,(woohoo) have a whole bunch
It doesn't matter what you had for lunch
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it

51. angelina -
this is ooldd iv seen this like a month ago viedeo

52. roger t -
ALL OF YOU PEOPLE SHOULD GET A LIFE....
MJ does not even know you exist..Now he's dead...Quit wasting your life go do something productive like getting job or an education......

53. Kirk -
Ei brian v., why do you hate prisoners? It seems cool they do something memorable despite what they have done... How bout you? What have you done fruitful lately? Except sucking your own balls idiot!

54. roxy -
How do these cruel and evil folks have the heart to say such horrific things about MJ when he is completely innocent and has just passed away. You must be absolutely miserable and take joy in putting down others...sad world. MJ is loved by the world and will live in our heart forever.

55. Christelle -
Cebu Philippines is where I was born, yeah! Rest in Paradise, Michael :D

56. Jacquelyn -
izigg ur a dik u no that right


MICHAEL did not rape,touth or give there alcohol god poeple


that stupid lady just wanted money and he payed her

he had three children he loved paris prince prince 2(blanket)

57. Chris -
wow to all you negative people and shame you izigg..

58. Chrystal K -
Yahoo! Music Lover....love the use of profanity....lol priceless.

59. KC -
The man was an incredible artist and will be truly missed. Any one who speaks ill of the dead is ignorant anyway....Rest In Peace Michael....

60. Elea -
WTF IS UP WITH YOU PEOPLE!??! LIKE HONESTLY THE PEOPLE IN THE PHILIPPINES DID THIS BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY AND DNT TURN UR NOSE UP TO THEM BECAUSE THEY DO OTHER PEOPLE'S SONGS LIKE SOULJA BOY AND BLACK EYED PEAS..FOR EXERCISE. I WOULD SAY THAT'S A LOT BETTER THAN WHAT AMERICAN PRISONERS DO..KILL EACH OTHER! & WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO DISRESPECT THE DEAD?!? DUDE WTF I SWEAR PEOPLE NEED TO GROW UP! HOW ABOUT YOU CAN SUCK IT AND WHEN YOU DIE MAYBE THE PERSON THAT REALLY DOESN'T LIKE YOU PISSES ON UR CASKET!
Page:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 
Leave Your Comment
You must sign in to leave a comment
Select a Blog Posts
And The Winner Is...
by Chris Willman
26
As Heard On...
by Rebecca Harper, Hulu
46
Chart Watch
by Paul Grein
141
Framed
by John Kordosh
119
GetBack
by Shawn Amos
332
Hip-Hop Media Training
by Billy Johnson, Jr.
221
List Of The Day
by Rob O'Connor
332
Maximum Performance
by Lyndsey Parker
167
Musictoob
by Justin Mathews
183
New This Week
by Dave DiMartino
123
Reality Rocks
by Lyndsey Parker
580
Rock's Backpages
by Philip Norman (1970)
191
Stop The Presses!
by Us Magazine
85
That's Really Week
by Lyndsey Parker
125
The Blender Burner
by Blender Magazine
27
The MOJO Blog
by Bill DeMain
88
The NME Blog
by Luke Lewis
49
The Spin Blog
by David Marchese
78
The Y! Music Playlist Blog
by Robert of the Radish
515
Video Ga Ga
by Lyndsey Parker
71
Viva NashVegas
by Wendy Geller
59

Pinetop Perkins' 80-year career still going

AP
Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:03am PST

AP - Noisy crowds in smoky bars don't bother 96-year-old bluesman Pinetop Perkins. It's all part of his job. Most nights, after he snuffs out his menthol cigarette, Perkins slides onto the piano bench in some club and … More »

More Music News