Thumbs down for "We Are the World 25"

The 25th anniversary remake of the "We Are the World" video premiered tonight. If you didn't get a chance to see it, watch the full version here.



I personally am not a fan. There are those (mainly my family members) who would accuse me of filtering my viewing experience through an MJ fan filter. That's not my problem, I don't think it was sacrilegious to redo the song. Though the MJ tribute - superimposing him into the video for a duet with sister Janet - was very awkward.

In general, I felt that the entire project came off as disingenuous compared to the original collaboration. I appreciate the spontaneity of the original, which was put together the night of the American Music Awards. While I realize the project was put together to raise money for Haiti and the more celebs, the wider the audience and potential donor base, it seemed like WATW25 became more about filling the studio to capacity with famous people rather than creating a quality charity song. If you want people to buy the song or video, make it good.

My major beef: I'm so over Auto-Tune. Jay-Z may have called for the Death of Auto-Tune, but it just won't seem to go away. When you have people like Celine Dion, J-Hud, Barbara Streisand, Mary J. Blige and Josh Groban featured on the track - all artists with pipes of steel - and then you have Lil' Wayne and T-Pain Auto-Tune (I refuse to call it singing) for a couple of verses (longer than Ms. Streisand and Groban's solos), you're just creating a recipe for disaster. The T-Pain part killed the song for me.

I'm not sure how the solo selection process worked. I could have done with more Dion and less Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Nicole-from-the-Pussycat-Dolls. The rap was out of place. And honestly, it seemed like LL was the only one who was into it. I want to know where Stevie Wonder was that night because his part on the original was amazing and I would have rather heard that.

Here's the old video if you want to compare.



The one update I endorse is Wyclef's part. The pain in that man's voice is real. And his cries gave me a sense of urgency. I imagine it might be the push some people need to give to Haitian relief.

By the way, what did Jeff Bridges and Vince Vaughn add to the mix? I wonder if they were trying to recreate the confusing celeb cameo that Dan Akroyd make in the original.

Thoughts, anyone?

The Way You Make Us Feel

As you may have noticed, Bitch, please has been on something of a summer hiatus.

But we're back and more opinionated than ever!

This being the day of MJ's memorial I thought it was only right that this return post be something of a tribute to Michael.

Say what you will about Michael Jackson (and there really are so many different aspects about him, and hey, please feel free to comment), this performer truly broke racial boundaries. It's as though he saw the line, considered it for a second, and then just moonwalked across it. Without him, I can't help but feel that the musical industry would be completely different.

He was the original boy bander. Not only did the Jackson Five's first four singles climb to the top of the charts but, they also played instruments. And his solo albums were like lightning in a frickin bottle. Thriller topped the charts for well over a year. Every single song from that album (except for his collab with Paul McCartney) struck gold. From that point on, good or bad, he was an icon.

Michael is the undisputed king of music videos. Even the hardest cynics have to got to have a soft spot for at least one of his cinematic masterpieces. Despite constant questioning of his racial identity, MJ took on so many firsts for a Black artist. He was the first African-American to be featured on MTV. When the network demonstrated a reluctance to air videos by people of color, Michael and his team showed it that it would be MTV's loss not to air his 'short films.' Since MTV appears to only play reruns of the Hills and endless Road Rules/Real World Challenges, it might be hard to image a time when they were all about the videos. But back in the day, an MJ video premiere was a major event. I wasn't around in '84 but to this day, I get excited when one of the music channels kicks it old school and plays Thriller or Beat It.

Even though his personal life was a mess at times, professionally, Michael was an innovator. That choreography. The live performances. His fashion. Those lyrics. The over-the-top public persona. The undeniable dance beats. Even the philanthropic work he did. All brilliant.

Michael was a global ambassador of American culture. And even in death, he has somehow managed to influence the world. MJ, we tip our fedoras to you.