411 | Jackson's death declared a homicide

SICK | Duke ladies gets dirty

As part of a week tribute to the late Aaliyah, here are Out of the Blue - a acapella group from Duke University performing an excellent cover of "Are You That Somebody."

90skd | Round 1, FIGHT

If you're a 90skd, there had to me a moment in your life that you heard this words scribbled in blood across a television screen. Mortal Kombat set the tone for future violence in games, and other fighters as well. The story of ancient evils paralleling into Earthrealm in hopes of total destruction never got old with every later installment. I can remember multiple visits to our mall, plugging a mere $o.50 in a machine to battle Lui Kang in the Dead Pool in MK II. Later, once I copped a N64, I was estactic when I first rented MK Trilogy, jumping up and down for joy inside the video store. The use of real people in the 2d world made the kombat more authentic. And let's not get started on the spreading of the franshice from the movie (I only refer to the first one because the sequel was horrendous) to the animate series, and even the short-lived live action show. I still smile with complete gidiness at any MK news. They'll always hold a bloodied, borken spot in my heart.

Top 5 favorite MK characters:

• Raiden - the unprecedented thunder god and sworn protector of the Earthrealm. With white light for eyes and a knack for slamming his opponents against the wall, Raiden was always my first pick.
• Sheeva - a female Goro (since many characters were just replicas of others) was a beast. Her tele-slam was my specialty. Her fate in Annihilation though was nothing yell about thought.
• Blind Kenshi - the only character from the latter installments that really enjoyed. Proabably because of the fact that he's blind and kicked kombatant ass.
• Scorpian/Sub-Zero - It's a tie for obvious reasons. The two rivals are like MK's Wolverine and Sabertooth. Each ninja's abilities - Sub's manipulation of ice and Scorpian's spear - are synonymous with the franchise.
• Sindel - The only character deemed interesting in Annihilation, the mother of Kitana and cursed wife of Shao Khan was a force to eb reckoned with. Her screeching banshee cry and hair toss kept me alive many a times.

Honorable mentions:

• Kitana
• Jade
• Sonya Blade
• Lui Kang
• Any of the multicolored ninjas

? | Is it just me, or is having "This Is It" released on Halloween seem.....spooky?

Everyone knows by now that the unreleased documentary of Michael Jackson's days of preparation for his 'This Is It" Tour is being made public in theaters everywhere. I' m sure fans across the world are excited for the bittersweet opportunity to see Michael one last time, but to me their is something awfully unsettling about this production. I think it's the fact that the late Jackson will 'live' again on none other than Halloween. That's right. All Halo's Eve is the release date for the docu, and I can't help but think of an undead Michael rising from the grave to moonwalk one final time. I may be exaggerating a bit, but this seems like one more act added to the never-ending circus surrounding his alleged murder and handling of affairs. I mean I liked Michael, and he truly was one of the greatest, but I think I'll have to pass on this once in a lifetime moment.

SICK | Jackson mash-up

Via Soulbounce via Youtube. The editing is excellent. Two of the illist to ever do it.

illlist | dangerousNEGRO

An apparel line for the "talented tenth" in all of us, dangerousNegro replaces the normality of urban wear with knowledge food for the mind and soul. In the mist of ignorance and thug culture, dangerousNegro focuses on re-educating the minds of young African Americans to pursue more enlightened ventures in life. Their organization not only reaches aspiring future leaders across the country, but has also penetrated the world of hip-hop. They've most recently established dangerousNegro ENT. and signed their first artist, Rhymefest. Get familiar.

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'91 | Its so hard, to say goodbye, to yesterday

Thought this quite fitting for the week we've had. McMhaon, Fawcett, Jackson, Mays & McNair. You will be missed.

Ghosts

Michael revisited his supernatural side with Ghosts, a mini-film which focused on a haunted house of dancing ghouls and the lost children who find them. I know there's a deeper meaning in there somewhere; perhaps it was in the folds of that fat guy. All parts on YouTube.

HIStory | SCREAM

Michael. Janet. The most expensive video of all-time. And it still looks cold.

Heal the World

Black or White

Another classic. Who didn't want to be Macaulay Culkin then.

illlist | Remember the Time

I remember watching this video and asking my dad, "How'd he do that!?!?!" The entire concept was classic. Hands down my favorite Michael video. The dance break is so sick, with all the Egyptian hands and what not. Too dope.

Dangerous | Jam

When MJ met MJ. Mega hit and NJS banger which featured his Airness in his prime with the Chicago Bulls.

Bad | Full version

Another episode from Michael's seventh album, which garnered a great parody from Mr. Weird.

Bad | Smooth Criminal

The killer music movie from Michael's Bad, which was a part of the short film Moonwalker. Here he pulls one of the illist moves ever - the gravity-defying lean. Alien Ant Farm had a hit with their rock cover during TRL-ra.

Human Nature

One of Michael's focuses in life became charitable efforts to improve our world. "Human Nature" is one of several message songs Jackson composed. Its influence has spawned other hits as well, including this popular hit for SWV.

And as a bonus, here is a blend I created entitled Human Nature is Given Here. This will be the final MJ post for today. We will continue tomorrow with my favorites hits and moments post-Thriller.

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

Another classic from Jackson's sixth studio album. Here are recent songs which featured this song as a sample.

Billie Jean : Motown 25 Addition

The birth of the Moonwalk.

Beat It

Thriller

The album. The music. The videos. Michael owned the industry with this, bursting racial and genre barriers over @ MTV and in households across America. The video that changed the game.