For any fan of music and performance, This is it is a must watch.
You dont have to be a Michael Jackson fan.
You just have to love music and you have the love the art of performing!
The movie is very well made- it is a compilation of a bunch of rehearsals for the This is it concert in London that Michael was supposed to perform before he died under mysterious circumstances.
The movie is great for three reasons-
First- It shows Michael's insights into what makes a great performance. He coaches his vocalists, he coaches the drummer, he coaches the guitarist- and all of those coaching moments, he is authentic, he is in the moment and he is looking for what would make the most impact- both for the performer as well as the audience watching it.
Second- It captures the adulation of his fans in a very real manner, it is not made up, it is just what they feel- it is raw, emotional and very impactful.
Third- the movie shows the human side of Michael as well as the musical genius he truly was. His personal life may be what it may, his idiosyncracies may be what they may, the fact remains when you write songs like Heal the world and Black or White, and perform the way he did, you are a true genius!
Hail the King of Pop!
Friday, November 06, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Feinberg on "what is life worth"
Ken Feinberg is in the public eye right now as he is the pay czar governing the compensation policies of bailed out companies from the crisis of last year. I had little knowledge about who he was till he was appointed for this post.
Then, I started doing some research. Found out that he had a role much more significant and impactful than what he has now- he was the person responsible for determining compensation for victims of the 9/11 attack. he had sweeping powers. On Sept 22, 11 days after the brutal attack, Congress passed a hastily created bill that sought to compensate the families of victims of the 9/11 attack. How much compensation, to who, the criterion to be used- all of this was left deliberately vague and the sole person responsible to execute on this- from design, to implementation was Ken Feinberg.
He has written a fascinating account of that journey in a book appropriately titled "What is life worth" as essentially, that is what he had to determine when he was decided how the families needed to be compensated. The book describes how it changed Feinberg as a person as he saw not just how people dealt with sorrow and loss, it also opened his eyes to vastly different perspectives on what was considered "enough" to live well.
It is a book that is well written, thought provoking and something that clearly changed the author's perspective on life in general.
A great read and well worth a skim at the very least. Given that experience if not anything else, I think he is uniquely qualified to be the Pay Czar for the bailed out companies. If he could assess what lives were worth, surely the worth of jobs is a walk in the park!
Then, I started doing some research. Found out that he had a role much more significant and impactful than what he has now- he was the person responsible for determining compensation for victims of the 9/11 attack. he had sweeping powers. On Sept 22, 11 days after the brutal attack, Congress passed a hastily created bill that sought to compensate the families of victims of the 9/11 attack. How much compensation, to who, the criterion to be used- all of this was left deliberately vague and the sole person responsible to execute on this- from design, to implementation was Ken Feinberg.
He has written a fascinating account of that journey in a book appropriately titled "What is life worth" as essentially, that is what he had to determine when he was decided how the families needed to be compensated. The book describes how it changed Feinberg as a person as he saw not just how people dealt with sorrow and loss, it also opened his eyes to vastly different perspectives on what was considered "enough" to live well.
It is a book that is well written, thought provoking and something that clearly changed the author's perspective on life in general.
A great read and well worth a skim at the very least. Given that experience if not anything else, I think he is uniquely qualified to be the Pay Czar for the bailed out companies. If he could assess what lives were worth, surely the worth of jobs is a walk in the park!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Back after a long layoff
I have not written for some time. I have been off blogging for a while for a bunch of different reasons. One- too much going on at work. Two- two little kids that I'm happy to spend all my free time with. Three- traveling back to India and the just the preparation to go there and be back at work. Its been hectic, but extremely rewarding.
First of all, the economy in general and financial services industry in particular, seems to be seeing some stability. While the credit charge-offs remain high, they are trending downward and thats a good sign. Unemployment still remains worrisome, and until that shows signs of coming down, there will be always be the over-hang of the recession. Dick Bove, the banking analyst I respect a lot, today went on record to say that housing has bottomed out- that is a strong statement to make and even if there is a modicum of truth in that, there is hope.
Secondly- it seems the general American consumer is saving more and while that is not good for the retail industry, I think it is a good healthy turn of behavior. Americans have been living way beyond their means for too long and if this crisis leads to a higher personal savings rate, I would consider that a happy outcome.
Lastly- the long hiatus I was on saw us lose the king of pop in the most bizarre circumstances. Whatever the nature of his personal life and the manner of his death, he will remain, for me, one of the greatest writers and musicians of all time. Some of the lyrics- Black or White and Heal the World being two of my favorites, are a great commentary on the world we live in and what it needs.
I am hoping to write a little more regularly for the rest of the year and keep the thoughts going- from politics, to sports to entertainment.
Till then...
First of all, the economy in general and financial services industry in particular, seems to be seeing some stability. While the credit charge-offs remain high, they are trending downward and thats a good sign. Unemployment still remains worrisome, and until that shows signs of coming down, there will be always be the over-hang of the recession. Dick Bove, the banking analyst I respect a lot, today went on record to say that housing has bottomed out- that is a strong statement to make and even if there is a modicum of truth in that, there is hope.
Secondly- it seems the general American consumer is saving more and while that is not good for the retail industry, I think it is a good healthy turn of behavior. Americans have been living way beyond their means for too long and if this crisis leads to a higher personal savings rate, I would consider that a happy outcome.
Lastly- the long hiatus I was on saw us lose the king of pop in the most bizarre circumstances. Whatever the nature of his personal life and the manner of his death, he will remain, for me, one of the greatest writers and musicians of all time. Some of the lyrics- Black or White and Heal the World being two of my favorites, are a great commentary on the world we live in and what it needs.
I am hoping to write a little more regularly for the rest of the year and keep the thoughts going- from politics, to sports to entertainment.
Till then...
Monday, May 25, 2009
Why the Indian Premier League is such a success?
The finals of IPL 2009 just got over in South Africa. Deccan beat Bangalore in a match that ebbed and flowed right till the last over. It was fun watching the match with friends in the US. I think the IPL will go a long way in making cricket more internationally well known for a variety of reasons.
First- it all gets over in under four hours. One of the biggest complaints of a lot of my friends abroad about learning cricket has been that it takes too long. This version is like a baseball game and you ALWAYS get a result!
Second- the combination of cricket with bollywood is a superlative idea. The glitz and glamor add to the excitement.
Third- the possibility of watching the finest players in the world on one stage.
The IPL revolution is reminiscent of the Packer revolution in the late seventies. The way Packer changed the way one day cricket was played is how IPL will change the way the shorter of the form of the game will internationalize cricket going forward.
As a purist, I still like 5 day cricket but I have been glued to the IPL over the last four weeks and I cant think of too many test series that can have me riveted for that long!
First- it all gets over in under four hours. One of the biggest complaints of a lot of my friends abroad about learning cricket has been that it takes too long. This version is like a baseball game and you ALWAYS get a result!
Second- the combination of cricket with bollywood is a superlative idea. The glitz and glamor add to the excitement.
Third- the possibility of watching the finest players in the world on one stage.
The IPL revolution is reminiscent of the Packer revolution in the late seventies. The way Packer changed the way one day cricket was played is how IPL will change the way the shorter of the form of the game will internationalize cricket going forward.
As a purist, I still like 5 day cricket but I have been glued to the IPL over the last four weeks and I cant think of too many test series that can have me riveted for that long!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Banking, TARP and the economy
We are living in the strangest times. America's savings rates are showing record improvements, the unemployment is rising close to double digits, the government is having a large share of the Banks and the financial future is anything but certain. In the past two weeks, there have some positive signs-
a) The credit/ financial crisis seems to be a hitting a bottom- banks are lending again, the toxic assets are showing signs of getting cleared out and the refinancing boom is bringing the mortgage industry back on its tracks.
b) The low end retailers are showing continued sings of resilience, which essentially means consumers are spending, but not for luxury items.
What are the headwinds?
Unemployment and softer retail sales overall.
Obama has been widely criticized but here are three things he has done which are remarkable as a leader-
a) He has acted with speed in building his administration out and the team has hit the ground running
b) He has articulated a clear vision of where he needs to take the country- you may disagree with the vision but he has set a clear vision.
c) He has shown sings of being very collaborative in the global arena.
His performance in G20 was stellar.
On a side-note, the TARP issue is an interesting one. Jamie Dimon on the earnings call said he would like to return the money tomorrow. The government doesn't want to take it back- it seems to be liking the control it has over the banks! Clearly, the banks are not liking the demonization of the industry and the very heavy oversight that is coming with the money. THis will be an interesting tug of war to watch.
I am beginning to see the glass half full and I think are on track for recovery by early 2010.
a) The credit/ financial crisis seems to be a hitting a bottom- banks are lending again, the toxic assets are showing signs of getting cleared out and the refinancing boom is bringing the mortgage industry back on its tracks.
b) The low end retailers are showing continued sings of resilience, which essentially means consumers are spending, but not for luxury items.
What are the headwinds?
Unemployment and softer retail sales overall.
Obama has been widely criticized but here are three things he has done which are remarkable as a leader-
a) He has acted with speed in building his administration out and the team has hit the ground running
b) He has articulated a clear vision of where he needs to take the country- you may disagree with the vision but he has set a clear vision.
c) He has shown sings of being very collaborative in the global arena.
His performance in G20 was stellar.
On a side-note, the TARP issue is an interesting one. Jamie Dimon on the earnings call said he would like to return the money tomorrow. The government doesn't want to take it back- it seems to be liking the control it has over the banks! Clearly, the banks are not liking the demonization of the industry and the very heavy oversight that is coming with the money. THis will be an interesting tug of war to watch.
I am beginning to see the glass half full and I think are on track for recovery by early 2010.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Indian cricket coming off age...
Of late, I have been sleeping late watching the Indian cricket team perform in New Zealand, and what a terrific job they have done. After a slow start in the Twenty20 format, they came back strongly in the One dayers to comprehensively win the series and now, in the longest version (and arguably the purest form of the game), they defeated in the Kiwis in their own backyard.
This is a refreshing change for at least two reasons.
One- the standard of professionalism in Indian cricket has gone up a few notches. The fielding is decidedly better and they can adjust to most conditions quite well. They have now won test matches in Pakistan, Australia, England and if they can do it in SA, it will take away of "poor travellers" away from them.
Second- they no longer rely on just one or two batsmen to perform. While Tendulkar scored a classy 160, he was not the only person to stand out; Harbhajan bowled superbly, Dravid and Gambhir batted well and everyone else chipped in.
The Indian cricket is coming off age and fans like me are cheering all the way into the night....
This is a refreshing change for at least two reasons.
One- the standard of professionalism in Indian cricket has gone up a few notches. The fielding is decidedly better and they can adjust to most conditions quite well. They have now won test matches in Pakistan, Australia, England and if they can do it in SA, it will take away of "poor travellers" away from them.
Second- they no longer rely on just one or two batsmen to perform. While Tendulkar scored a classy 160, he was not the only person to stand out; Harbhajan bowled superbly, Dravid and Gambhir batted well and everyone else chipped in.
The Indian cricket is coming off age and fans like me are cheering all the way into the night....
Monday, March 16, 2009
The "Bachelor" controversy
I am amazed by the consternation regarding the Bachelor on the ABC reality show dumping his new fiance and going with someone else whom "he really felt for and had a connection".
I am amazed for three reasons.
One- when you have one guy flirting with 25 women publicly on national television, can there really be something exclusively intimate?
Second- If you are one of those 25 women who knows that you are chasing someone who is chasing others, you are setting yourself up for a huge disappointment anyway, right?
Third- I amazed the show is still alive- it is patronizing, horribly manipulative and reality TV gone too far in my view. And why do I say that? Finding your life partner is an incredibly personal decision, something that required introspection and careful thought, two areas completely alien to anything on reality TV. Second, in this particular case, the bachelor had a son from a previous relationship and involving the little guy into this mess would completely ruin his head. Its one thing for adults to play around, lets not kids involved- please! Third, apart from the bachelorette Trista, there is no one whose story on the show has ended remotely happy. So history is against the show too.
Take it off air please. Enough is enough.
I am amazed for three reasons.
One- when you have one guy flirting with 25 women publicly on national television, can there really be something exclusively intimate?
Second- If you are one of those 25 women who knows that you are chasing someone who is chasing others, you are setting yourself up for a huge disappointment anyway, right?
Third- I amazed the show is still alive- it is patronizing, horribly manipulative and reality TV gone too far in my view. And why do I say that? Finding your life partner is an incredibly personal decision, something that required introspection and careful thought, two areas completely alien to anything on reality TV. Second, in this particular case, the bachelor had a son from a previous relationship and involving the little guy into this mess would completely ruin his head. Its one thing for adults to play around, lets not kids involved- please! Third, apart from the bachelorette Trista, there is no one whose story on the show has ended remotely happy. So history is against the show too.
Take it off air please. Enough is enough.
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