Patent for Michael Jackson’s Anti-Gravity Shoes in “Smooth Criminal”

Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” video featured a famous 45-degree lean assisted by patenting special shoes to achieve the effect of defying gravity:

“A system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes which will engage with a hitch member movably projectable through a stage surface. The shoes have a specially designed heel slot which can be detachably engaged with the hitch member by simply sliding the shoe wearer’s foot forward, thereby engaging with the hitch member.”

Looks like MJ filed the patent himself, and it certainly worked out well for him. Very cool find. Check out the live performance of Smooth Criminal to see the wild effect.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Billy Mays, Michael Jackson, and Your Health

At age 50, both Billy Mays and Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest, which is usually a terrible consequence of heart disease. Trent Hamm from the personal finance blog The Simple Dollar took a profound and personal look at what the deaths of these two icons meant for him:

Fifty years old? I’m thirty – twenty years away from that magic number. Both of my kids would merely be college age when I’m fifty. I have many things that I want to do in life, and the thought that my life could easily end – or my quality of life could rapidly fall – at such an early age made me think quite a bit about the future – and other things I can do now to protect it.

I’ve invested quite a bit of time and energy in my own life – and I’m sure you have in your own – building the foundation for a great later life. My retirement accounts are solid. I have a book in print that pays me royalties and another one on the way. I want to be able to enjoy the benefits of these things in my golden years as I play with my grandchildren. I want to protect my investment.

Trent rounds up some simple tips his doctor recommends to reduce your chances of heart disease as you get older, such as cutting back smoking, exercising, eating healthy, and other behavioral changes such as using relaxation techniques or decreasing your sodium and caffeine intake.

Billy Mays, Michael Jackson, Your Heart, and Your Bottom Dollar [via The Simple Dollar].

Popularity: 11% [?]

Exclusive Video: Michael Jackson Memorial Times Square

I remember when I was a kid watching Michael’s Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour, and seeing him take off in a jet pack at the very end. I remember watching his music videos, falling in love with his sister Janet, and listening and dancing to his music. The older I got, the more I appreciated him. To this day, I still think Thriller is as great as ever. I still think some of the tracks on Dangerous and HIStory were ahead of their time by many years, especially the song and music video for Scream, which isn’t STILL the most expensive ever made for no reason.

But the best part about Michael Jackson was, despite his shortcomings that inevitably come with being one of the most famous people in the world, he was a wonderful human being – a service-oriented and respectful soul who put love and kindness above all else. The memorial today and all its tear-filled celebrities and family members did more justice to MJ’s legacy than words in a blog post ever could, so I took to the streets of Times Square to capture some of the magic thousands of miles away from the Staples Center in LA. You definitely want to watch the whole thing.

Also, if you go to 3:45 on this video, you’ll see me in the tan fedora behind the lady in the black dress during Heal the World on CNN when they cut to Times Square. Pretty cool!

Popularity: 12% [?]

Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson: The King of Pop

An icon and a legend has passed away. The music industry, and the world, was forever changed by the one and only King of Pop. Rest in peace, MJ. I’m out and about right now but you can expect a lengthy post soon. Long live the Thriller!

Popularity: 10% [?]