“Almost Famous”

Director & Writer: Cameron Crowe

“Almost Famous” is the story of a 15 year old boy, William Miller (Patrick Fugit)  music journalist, on the road with an up and coming rock band, Stillwater, to write an article about them for Rolling Stone magazine in the early 1970s. An overbearing mother, who is struggling to find the right balance between smothering her children and giving them their freedom, Elaine Miller (Frances McDonald)  has this fear and distrust for rock and roll. Its heavy use of drugs and sex, had her worrying about her sons’ whereabouts at every moment of the day. William Miller seeks advice from his mentor, Creem rock critic Lester Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who advised him “you cannot make friends with the rock stars.” However William allows to delude his self into the lifestyle of the group’s guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), while falling in love with the Stillwater’s ultimate groupie Penny Lane (KateHudson) who Hammond is also having a fling with. 

The story is based on the life of Cameron Crowe. The film digs deeper than the music in the 70’s. It is more about the coming of age story of William Miller. In the movie William finds out who he is, who he want to become, and what he aspires to be when he gets older. He learns how to live without his over protective mother by his side. During the process he loses his virginity, uses drugs, and saves the girl he loves from an overdose. William provides us the portal into the movie. He helps Stillwater realize that they were “in this for the fans” after referring to Penny Lane as “that groupie” in a heated argument. Lane was the most charismatic character in the entire film, who was stuck in this love circle between Hammond and William. 

After submitting the article to Rolling Stone, the editors don’t want to publish it, because it was a “puff piece” and Hammond denied everything William wrote about him and his band. Bangs, his advisor throughout this movie tells William to be “honest and unmerciful”. Bangs didn’t want him to leave a single piece of detail out of his article. 

“Almost Famous” is interfered with the sense of longing that is associated with love at first sight and the struggles with the inevitable separation between a child and parents. The film captures the precise atmosphere of the early 70’s and who grew up in that era.

Michael Jackson: “Dangerous (1991)

Producer: Teddy Riley and Bill Bottrell

          Michael Jackson, the King Pop, was an American singing superstar who has been at the forefront of the music industry for virtually his entire life. Know for his famous dance moves like the moonwalk, the toe stand, and the anti-gravity lean, Jackson’s “Dangerous” album was one of the greatest albums he came out with. The album produced nine singles from its 14 tracks; “Black Or White”, “Remember The Time”, “Jam”, “In The Closet”, “Heal The World”, “Who Is It”, “Will You Be There”, and “Gone Too Soon”. The “Black Or White” single made a 32-spot jump on the Pop singles charts, breaking the Beatles record set by their song “Let It Be” in 1970. His album is classed as a New Jack Swing genre and is the biggest selling New Jack Swing album of all time.

  “Dangerous” was a change of direction from Jackson’s “Bad”,  “Thriller”,  and “Off the Wall” album. Although Jackson was known his musical talent his was one of the greatest philanthropist. He was always thinking of other people before his self, especially when it came to the children. He incorporated many of his philanthropy in his songs. Jacksons mentions about the damage in the world, the people we have become, and how to make the world a more wholesome place. "Heal the World," he talks about the issues with child starvation and making the world a safer and more sustainable place to live. "Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire, human race. There are people dying, if you care enough for living, make it a better place for you and for me."  
           Jackson dedicated one of his song "Gone Too Soon," to a little boy, Ryan White who lost his battle from HIV/ AIDS. “Like a perfect flower,that is just beyond your reach, gone too soon. Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight here one day, gone one night.” It’s a very emotional song, and has been dedicated to lost loved ones around the world, including Michael Jackson himself.  One of Jackson's most famous songs "Black and White" is about this love for a woman and he doesn't care what the nationality of this woman was as love as he gets the girl in the end. “If you're thinkin' of being my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white.” This song was highly favored, because of the popular Macaulay Culkin starred in the video.

          Michael Jackson was known for the songs that seduced woman around the world. He was notorious for songs about women troubles or how he missed his long lost loves. Remember The Time" was solely base on this.  "Do You remember the time, when we fell in love, do you remember the time, when we first met girl.” There was this long time love he has been missing, and wishes that things could go back to the way they use to be. 

The last track off the album "Dangerous" puts an ending to the album, and Jackson made the right choice to name the whole album "Dangerous." The song is all about him trying to pursue this woman, but she is full of mystery. "The way she came into the place, I new right then and there- there was something different about this girl.The way she moved, her hair, her face, her lines divinity in motion. As she stalked the room. I could feel the aura of her presence. Every head turned feeling passion and lust. The girl was persuasive. The girl I could not trust. The girl was bad. The girl was dangerous.” Jackson put this vivid image of what this woman may have looked like. He describes this woman in such detail about how this women made him feel. 

The Dangerous album hands down is an ultimate favorite. After listening to it for the past 20 years, it will never get old.