Spike Lee remembers the good of Michael Jackson’s “Bad”

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:55:00 +0000

How does anyone, even Michael Jackson, follow up “Thriller,” the world’s greatest-selling album of all time? That’s the question that drives Spike Lee’s celebratory doc “Bad25,” airing on ABC Thanksgiving night. After “Thriller,” a lesser artist would have thrown down his mic and declared “game over.” But for all of his public soft-spoken charm and shy demeanor, Michael Jackson had incredible chutzpah. Few around him truly believed that lightning could strike twice. That never deterred the little boy who had sung and danced his way out of working-class Gary, Ind. — he didn't just set out to create another “Thriller"; he planned to top it.

Creatively, MJ took even greater control with “Bad,” writing all but two of its 11 singles. He was also largely responsible for the creative direction of the album’s visually arresting videos — short films, really. His reward: “Bad” became the first album in history to land five consecutive No. 1 pop singles. “This Is It,” the docu-concert rehearsal film glimpsing into what MJ’s comeback tour may have been, showed MJ as an aging master reminding his audience of his greatness. “Bad25” revels in MJ’s solidification of the throne at a time when his talent was still relatively innocent and raw.

Is “The New Normal’s” Ellen Barkin a female Archie Bunker?

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000

On Jan. 12, 1971, Norman Lear premiered “All in the Family,” the sitcom that would launch an empire of shows soaked in the key social issues of the day — integration, feminism and patriotism — and establish Lear as the preeminent and pioneering voice of the modern television era. Anchored in working-class Queens, Archie Bunker reigned as the racist and sexist patriarch spewing anti-Semitic, anti-Polish, anti-woman venom that sadly mirrored the misguided indoctrination of many white male Americans like himself.

And while we’ve enjoyed some great sitcoms over the last 40 years, it’s been a while since one regularly used our funny bones to engage our intellects. We’ve seen Jon Stewart do this rather well, and “Saturday Night Live” still has its moments, but the sitcom, even groundbreaking ones like “Will and Grace” and “Modern Family,” have only pushed so far. Ryan Murphy has gone retro with his freshman sitcom, “The New Normal,” channeling the ghost of great television past to create what may well be the “All in the Family” of our time.

Salon.com > Ronda Racha Penrice

Spike Lee remembers the good of Michael Jackson’s “Bad”

Is “The New Normal’s” Ellen Barkin a female Archie Bunker?