1997 - “HIStory/Ghosts” second released from Michael’s remix album “Blood On The Dancefloor”, debuted at #5 in the UK, giving Michael his 8th consecutive Top 5 single.
The music video for “Ghosts” was a 5 minute clip taken from a film entitled Ghosts. Michael unveiled the film at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of the album promotion. The film was written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston – the multi-award winner behind the spectacular special effects. Ghosts was produced over an 8 week period, and cost Michael an est. $7-9 million. He played several roles, including a maestro, a fat, grey-haired town Mayor, and some monsters. The story was based loosely on the events and isolation Jackson felt after the false accusations. It features many special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music, which Jackson himself authored. The film includes several songs and music videos from the albums HIStory and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix.
A scary Maestro with supernatural powers, is targeted by angry parents & towns mayor determined to drive him from his haunted Normal Valley home cause they believe him to be a “freak”.
“You’re weird,” the Mayor sneers, “You’re strange, you’re scaring these kids.” [Brave words to commit to film, considering the media's warped portrayal of Michael!]
Maestro challenges the Mayor: first one to get scared leaves town.
So begins a wonderfully ghoulish display of singing and dancing, with breath-taking special effects.
“Is this scary?” one of Michael’s characters asks, and the answer is yes – Ghosts is delightfully scary!
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The original version of “HIStory” was the title track on his 1995 studio album HIStory, but was never released as a single; used the opening from “Great Gate of Kiev” as its introduction, followed by numerous historical quotes, including quotes from an interview with a young Michael Jackson from 1970. Musical compositions sampled include “Beethoven Lives Upstairs” and “Pictures at an Exhibition”. Audio quotes sampled were the “Charles Lindbergh Report” by Lowell Thomas, a report on Hank Aaron, “Robert Kennedy Eulogy” by Edward Kennedy, “Farewell to Baseball” by Lou Gehrig, “Greetings to the Children of England” by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, a quote from Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”.
The music video that accompanied the remix opens with the scene of a woman, relaxing on a futuristic sofa, watching the music video through metallic virtual reality goggles. The video is set in a nightclub, inside the club, televisions, monitors and walls display the history of Michael’s filmography
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2005 - Sony releases a new double CD Greatest Hits titled The Essential.
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1998 - Michael Jackson attended Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday at the Gallagher Estate outside of Johannesburg.
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Source: mjphotoscollectors.com / MJ-Upbeat.com
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