December 2010
12/31/2010
Michael Jackson Album-Cover Artist Explains Hidden Meanings In His Work
Kadir Nelson leads MTV News through his tribute to the King of Pop.
By James Montgomery
Kadir Nelson
Photo: MTV News
It is a testament to the legendary life of Michael Jackson that no matter how big a canvas artist Kadir Nelson used to tell MJ's story — and at 9 feet wide and 4.5 feet tall, he used a pretty big one — he kept running out of room. It seems that Jackson's reign as the King of Pop was just too lengthy, his list of achievements too large and his life too all-encompassing to be summed up in even the most massive of murals.
"Michael's life was so huge I couldn't get it all into the painting," Nelson told MTV News. "So I would take images from throughout his life that were milestones ... images that would resonate with his fans. And even doing that was a challenge."
Still, Nelson gave it his best effort, and the result was "The King of Pop," his epic tribute to Jackson's life, which struck such a chord with the late icon's estate (and his label, Sony Music) that it was chosen as the cover for the just-released Michael album. But what fans see on that album is just a fraction of Nelson's original work.
" 'The King of Pop' is the life story of Michael Jackson, so what you see on the album cover is the centerpiece of the mural; Michael is wearing his famous bejeweled glove, and he's wearing a golden suit of armor, and he has this collar around his neck, like what you would see in a French painting of King Philip," Nelson explained. "The theme for this painting is 'royalty' and 'pop,' because Michael was the King of Pop. So you have Michael being crowned by two Cupids, he has his birthstones in his crown. He's wearing a soft, velvet drapery over his armor, because Michael had a very soft heart. Also, his hand is placed over his heart, because he had a big heart, and he put that big heart into everything he did."
And radiating from that royal image is Jackson's life story, which begins with images of his childhood in Gary, Indiana, extends upward to a gallery of his musical influences (Barry Gordy, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, to name just a few), and then explodes with the launch of his solo career, starting with his star-making turn at the "Motown 25" television special (where he unveiled his "moonwalk" dance) and rolling right along to his Thriller heyday. There are also portions of the painting dedicated to his Bad, Dangerous and HIStory albums, and images of his children, the omnipresent media that followed him everywhere, and the women with whom he shared close relationships (Liz Taylor, Lisa Marie Presley and Madonna).
There are also, as Nelson explained, coded images hidden throughout the painting, everything from bubbles (blown by his pet chimpanzee, of course), an apple (because, as the painter explained, "kids would call [Jackson] 'Applehead' on his Neverland Ranch"), Peter Pan soaring off into the Northern Lights (meant to symbolize Jackson's ascension after his death) and, perhaps the most striking image of all, a golden throne atop a mountain: Jackson's throne, never to be occupied again.
"It's empty," Nelson explained, "because no one will ever sit in it now that he's gone."
What do you think of the Michael cover? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Related Photos Related ArtistsYolanda Adams Zachary Bostrom Adriana Fonseca Alan Thicke Alex Borstein
Padma Lakshmi Masters Homemade Baby Food
Joan Jett Kari Wuhrer Karl Urban Kathy Richards Leah Labelle
Ronald Isley, Anita Baker Honored At Soul Train Awards
Rihanna, Eminem, Usher, B.o.B, Alicia Keys among winners at event celebrating 40th anniversary of classic music show.
By Joel Hanek and Gil Kaufman
Anita Baker at the 2010 Soul Train Awards
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images
Only at the Soul Train Awards could you have a tribute to R&B icons such as Anita Baker and Ronald Isley alongside a segment in which rap legend Doug E. Fresh attempts to teach CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer how to do the Dougie.
It was that kind of night at the 2010 Soul Train Awards, as rookies, veterans and legends came together in Atlanta for the second annual event — which was taped November 10 and aired Sunday night on BET. The show, hosted once again by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, featured a night of performances from some of the biggest names in soul and R&B.
Host Howard told MTV News that the show is meant to be an extension of the long-running and legendary '70s TV series that brought soul, disco, R&B and rap stars into viewers' living rooms. "It reminds me of the advancement black people have made over the years because 'Soul Train' really was the beginning of that Black Power movement when we could actually see ourselves — and to have an awards show based upon that 'Soul Train' — it's headed somewhere," Howard said. "We have a black president now. The country seems to be more tolerant towards the diversity inside of it so it seems like the train is moving well down the tracks."
The awards show marked the 40th anniversary of the classic music showcase hosted by Don Cornelius, and celebrated the careers of Baker and Isley, while handing out trophies to such contemporary stars as B.o.B (Song of the Year for "Nothing on You"), Melanie Fiona (Best New Artist), Eminem and Rihanna (Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year for "Love the Way You Lie"), Usher (Album of the Year for Raymond vs. Raymond) and Alicia Keys (Record of the Year for "Unthinkable [I'm Ready]" and Best Female R&B Soul Artist).
Though top winners such as Trey Songz, Usher, Ciara, Eminem and Rihanna were not in the house, Blitzer graciously agreed to accept Slim Shady's award for him, joking, "Who better to accept this award on behalf of Eminem ... I know he's thrilled."
Weaving through a series of skits involving magic tricks and jovial bickering by the hosts, the performance-heavy program delivered on talent. R. Kelly opened by teasing the crowd with his classic "Bump n' Grind," then diving into his new single "When a Woman Loves" — transforming the song from a slow jam into an all-out '50s rock-and-roll epic. Ne-Yo kept the show moving with a showcase of his singles from this year, including "Champagne Life" and "One in a Million."
The tribute to Baker featured an all-star cast, with artists like Chrisette Michele, Goapele, Lalah Hathaway, Dionne Farris, Kem, Tamia, Faith Evans and El DeBarge covering a medley of the singer's greatest hits. Baker told the crowd that the biggest honor of the night for her was that real musicians were performing live with an actual band. "It's amazing because you've got children behind you singing 'Rapture' — it's lovely," she said, adding, "Let's do it again!"
Ronald Isley, co-founder and lead singer of the Isley Brothers, also received a special homage that featured Jeffrey Osborne, Freddy Jackson, DeBarge, Tank, Eric Benet, Bilal and Peabo Bryson. Isley also came out to perform his own medley of hits and was joined onstage by Chanté Moore and R. Kelly for a rendition of "Contagious," their 2002 single that featured the Isleys. In addition, Cee Lo Green closed the show with a duet on the Isleys' classic 1959 hit, "Shout."
Among the event's other highlights was Cee Lo's performance of his smash "Forget You," which took place on a golden stage that resembled a cross between Kanye's Egyptian fusion and an OK Go video, and found the singer gliding down conveyor belts while belting his number.
Erykah Badu delivered a stripped-down version of her 2010 breakout "Window Seat" that featured the singer perched on the floor over a web of lights while appearing to orchestrate the vibrations of light flickers with her hands.
Soul singer Eric Benet performed "Sometimes a Cry" — a song that Lil Wayne cited as one of his favorites while in prison — bringing down the house with a soaring falsetto that bested his studio rendition of the track.
The evening's other performers included Bruno Mars, who sang his new hit "Grenade," and Jazmine Sullivan, who did a medley of "10 Seconds" and "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)."
Did you watch the 2010 Soul Train Awards? Tell us about your favorite highlights in the comments.
Related Artists'Little Fockers' Director On Sequel
'It's funny because the end has kind of a setup for a sequel,' Paul Weitz says.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Eric Ditzian
Ben Stiller in "Little Fockers"
Photo: Universal Studios/DW Studios
As the "Fockers" franchise has been wont to do throughout its 10-year run, the third installment in the highly successful franchise, "Little Fockers," brought in major box-office dollars once again during its opening weekend. This more than proves that it doesn't matter that audiences had to wait six years between "Meet the Fockers" and the latest film: They like to see Robert DeNiro get silly with Ben Stiller. And Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, for that matter.
Given the success of "Little Fockers," the next question on inquiring minds is, "When are they shooting a sequel?" When we caught up with director Paul Weitz recently during the press tour for "Fockers," we asked him what talk he'd heard about a potential fourth film.
"There's been none with me," Weitz said, indicating that this directorial romp with the "Fockers" will be his one and only. "I would be the first in line to buy a ticket [to the fourth film]," he said.
But even though it sounds like Weitz won't be involved in moving the Fockers forward, he had a pretty good idea of why people think there might be one planned.
"It's funny because the end has kind of a setup for a sequel [minor spoiler alert ahead!], where they say 'We're buying the house two doors down' " Weitz said. "Which was really a last-second thought by [screenwriter] John Hamburg. It wasn't sort of a calculated 'Alright, what's the sequel going to be,' " he explained. "But it does seem like a good setup for a sequel!"
Would you like to see another "Fockers" film? Tell us in the comments.
Check out everything we've got on "Little Fockers."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Lisa Guerrero Marc Norman Marcia Cross Marg Helgenberger Michael Keaton
Oh No!
Santa left one of his reindeer here!
Merry Christmas!
Tim Porter
I'm a Business Development Officer for an IT company.
Recent Comments