Last week, Michael Jackson, "The King of Pop," died after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 50, and preparing start a series of comeback concerts.
Jackson's musical accomplishments were many, including the hits "Bad," "Billie Jean," "Thriller" and "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)." His 1982 album "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time.
He collaborated with Paul McCartney, Quincey Jones, and his sister, Janet Jackson.
He invented the moonwalk.
And while his behavior later in life was bizarre, we prefer to focus on the positives, like Jackson's music, and his charity work.
In one instance, the two overlapped. Jackson co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World," which was released worldwide to aid the poor in Africa and the United States.
Tell us who co-wrote the song for a chance to win an audio book.
Phil Villarreal has worked for the Daily Star since birth, but he's been the movie critic since February 2001. You could say he's a fan of the cinema. Each day he wakes up to a plate of steaming scrambled movies, which he washes down with a glass of movie juice, all while watching a movie. In his free time he plays video games and watches movies. Phil's new book, the humorous, money saving guide "Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel" is due out Sept. 1 and available for preorder.
A date with Zack, Miri, Kevin Smith and their 'Porno'
03/27/2008 09:49 AM Phil Villarreal
I just got word from the Weinstein Company that the Kevin Smith-Seth Rogen team-up “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” will be released Oct. 31. I was sour on the past couple Smith movies – “Jersey Girl” (along with most everyone else) and “Clerks II” (most people like it, but it didn’t connect with me. I may have been expecting too much) – but I have a feeling this one will match the excellence and rewatchable hiliarity of his first four: “Clerks,” “Mallrats,” “Chasing Amy” and “Dogma.” (“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” was no slouch either). Rogen is the strongest comic force going these days, with an incredible 2007 with “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” and 2008 could be just as strong, with “Horton Hears a Who” and “Pineapple Express” in the can.
In “Zack and Miri,” Rogen and Elizabeth Banks play longtime pals who make a porn movie together to score some cash. In doing so, they discover they may be in love. I like that the concept is fresh and out-there (nearly as intriguing as, ahem, Stormin’ Mormon, and the combination of Rogen’s delivery – guy could make a reading of a Hillary Clinton speech seem entertaining – combined with Smith’s acerbic writing is almost an unfairly powerful combo. The fact that the comedy is being released so late in the year – can’t remember any of Smith’s movies nailing a similar release date – makes me think the Weinsteins are tabbing the film as something of a “Juno”-like Oscar contender.
