the universal logo...

so, i have been obsessed with the soundtrack and film 'the wiz' as of late, and i have been clamoring to get some writing done about it (thanks, michael)... as i was prepared to write about it i took note of how DVD/digital culture has essentially altered how we view things graphically... it would seem that, as time goes on, graphic design would develop to a point where things look at least have a vague sense of realism, but as i noticed from the universal logo, that is not the case.

before the feature film comes on, we see a dark screen. what looks like a sunrise then appears, becoming brighter and brighter, its rays washing over some sort of dome. 'sunspots' then form over what seemingly becomes formations of land. the rays become laser-like. the lasers emanate from the earth's formations. the animation pans across the dome, which is eventually acknowledged as earth, travelling in (some sort of) space. the bodies of water are are massive. the earth's land formations become brighter and brighter.

another formation begins to creep up on the still-forming beams of light upon the earth. the land patterns of green and red disappear into golden layers, as the 'earth' pans away to give attention to this newer formation. thus, we now have the 'universal logo'.

the rays of light have been relegated to the background, and a portion of the planet (which look like north and south america) has not been lit with that special light... and as the globe turns, relegated to backup singer to universal's star, the sphere looks sadly like a big rubber ball, with some speckles (for stars) in the back. ah, the wonders of computers- hardly fitting for the majestic soundscape which presents its logo to audiences.
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now, it's real easy to say, 'well, back when i was younger things were more creative...' but in this case i am going to just let the descriptions speak for themselves.

the universal logo, circa 1978 displays a more realistic portrayal of the earth and its contents. the screen flashes momentary lapses and returns of stars before the logo appears (which is ultimately film stock, but who's asking?). intro fades in, appearing to be a closer examination of space, its murkiness and vagueness in tact. the galaxy becomes grainy, and the stars look like snowflakes. out of this murkiness a ball comes out of it chameleon-like structure, becoming inevitable to the viewer that the earth is approaching. the earth's appearance is apparent, yet is still floating into the murkiness. as the earth comes closer to the foreground, you can still see visions of north and south america, amazingly enough. as the globe turns you even get to see a glimpse of australia. some gaseous rings form around the ball, and a metallic-looking 'universal' gravitates toward the planet. as the earth gets closer, you can visualize the existence of rock formations and continental drifts.

ah, the wonders of technology...

yes, i know, but i wanted to say this...

of course, in the course of this blog's existence there will be heavy political musings, mixed in with some warm fuzzy feelings... but right now all i am gonna say in light of the police abuse at the RNC, the police abuse towards critical mass cyclists, the police abuse at the volunteer at KPFA in california, police abuse EVERYWHERE (and lest we forget this sarah palin craziness)- STEVIE WONDER FOR PRESIDENT!!! and let's say we coax michael to be the vice-president?

ya'll think i'm joking too, don't you? i don't play when it comes to STEVIE. and i don't joke when it comes to the politics/policy. and i believe that STEVIE considered running for mayor of detroit in the late '80s, 1990. i don't doubt that he follows international policy, which is massively important for the 'commander in chief'.

a question i have is: if the government is to truly be ruled by the people, why do 'the people' depend on one person to represent? shouldn't we all be responsible? after all, it is our money going towards what is signed off constantly without our consent? or have we forgotten that the measure of a true government is its people?

oh sweetheart, i have just begun.

one more before i go...

i am not sure who the blond-haired lady is in the video posts on the side of my page... but there is a logo of the M-I-C-K-E-Y there... the wonders of youtube...

i keep thinking of the bird lying in the middle of the street last week, his beautiful eyes in mid-closure... whenever i see birds and cats lying in the street i stop to communicate with them. i feel it's important to give their lives some closure, even if i did not know them, and even if they are no longer living on this earthly plane. and even though cats are my favourite people ever on this planet, it's birds that make me cry when i see them lying there. most of the time if they are not glued to the tarmac as a result of being mowed down by an automobile i will pick them up and make attempts to bury them. if i cannot find a place (or a person to help me) i usually just place them on the side of a tree, or behind a bush, where they can be at peace.

last week i saw this beautiful bird lying there as if he just fell from a tree (or knocked into something mid-flight). i looked down, and i began crying. i picked him up and placed him by a tree. he looked so peaceful. as it was around 6:30 in the morning there were not many people outside. i'm sure the bird is in a better place.

but with death comes life... and kada brings me life. she is a 5 (soon to be 6) ball of sunshine. she comes in with her mother to the place i work at, and both our faces light up when we see each other. she tells me i am her best friend, and wants to know if i am hers. i give her a bracelet, she gives me a ring. the funny thing is, our relationship began when i was performing as none other than 'michael' (need i finish the rest?), mainly for the book i am writing. she proceeded to call me 'michael jackson' for a while after that (she even asked if she could call me that, hee hee). of course she does call me by my actual name now, but despite our relationship being so simple and innocuous (as only a child and adult can have), we have bonded in a way that i have not bonded with anyone else in my life... i cherish the quick conversations we have, and her hugs and smiles. even if she's going to be away for a day, she tells me she will miss me.

i have never had a relationship with a child like this before. i will forever hold on to it, even as she grows into adulthood and becomes the strong woman i know she will become.

kada, i love you, as you have opened your heart to me so openly and told me you loved me.

we must always show children the love and respect they deserve.

and life is too precious to not acknowledge the cycle of life, and all the species involved in it.

in the wee hours...

i've become inspired by writing again... you can thank michael (jackson, that is) for that... within months of figuring out various directions, i now know where it is i want to go... obtaining this goal of finishing this book (on who else, but?). acknowledging that all of us are as strange as we consider michael to be...

after reading some 'news' story my sister sent me about the jacksons winning yet another award (this time from BMI) i realized how incredibly smart michael is. of course i realized this long ago but we must remember something: how much of an obligation he felt he had to appear somewhere with his family for so many years. now, at the age of 50, he's got three children to deal with, as well as an even more intense need for privacy. it's good on him that he hasn't followed the grains of technology and created a blog, youtube or myspace page or something thereof (he's got his record label and throngs of fans and advocates to do this for him). he's become so smart that his family doesn't even know where he is... or so they say...

and yes, i realize this is going out all over the world (like the ye old televised train we depended on every saturday morning, IF you know what i mean)... we've got to make our feelings concise and coherent. no time to process, process, process... life in portland, oregon will do that to you. i am just getting started here, so more on portland later.

but admittedly, after all these years of growing up with him (i was 6 years old when the infamous 'thriller' was released, and my mother played he and his brothers' music from the time i was released from the womb)- i have become an advocate of the MJ, as essentially he represents all of us. after many years of never following aspects of his career (since i stopped regularly watching television and following most media 14 years ago) i did not follow either of his court trials, nor did i watch any of his interviews. i didn't even know he was even being interviewed, i did not know he had a 30th anniversary celebration in 2001, nor did i know there was a court trial in 2005 (i know, i know... where have you been, jam?). however, i began to catch up with so much i've missed beginning in october of 2007; it's certainly been an enlightening experience. and with all of the film and media criticism i've been doing this whole time since i was a wee teenager (my criticism was the thing that disengaged me from the teevee- i also have written film critiques for fun) i realized i had a whole lot to learn, in terms of human connections.

i still have yet to follow much of popular culture these days, but i am not so quick to dissect it these days, without attempting to make some human connection. thanks so much for that, MJ...

and THIS, good people, is my first 'blog'...

and p.s... where are you, barry? i miss talking to you all the time, my friend. you were the first person to ever listen to me rant about my feelings on this person named mr. jackson. and your likeness is on this page right now.