A new video of hundreds of prison inmates performing a dance routine inspired by the Michael Jackson documentary “This Is It” is something of a sequel to one of the most popular viral videos of all time.
Two years ago, a video of 1,500 inmates in the Philippines’ Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center dancing a routine set to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was uploaded to YouTube. Since then, it’s reached more than 37 million views.
Prison Chief Byron F. Garcia has actually released several videos since “Thriller.” The prison has even become a tourist spot, putting on a monthly performance, selling souvenir shirts and offering visitors chances to have their pictures taken with the dancing inmates.
None of the previous videos have come close to the viral success of “Thriller,” though. But now that MJ has sadly passed on, we thought it appropriate to share this performance. It was actually made possible by MJ’s choreographer, Travis Payne. He and two dancers (Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid) taught the inmates all the steps. Go ahead and watch both the dance routine based on “This Is It” (set to “They Don’t Care About Us”) and the classic “Thriller” video below if you like dancing. Hey, we all do — that’s why videos like these are so insanely popular.
With God’s help I want to love others in the name of Jesus. I want to love my family and friends with a selfless love that focuses more on meeting their needs than my own.
With God’s help I want to serve the poor the way Jesus did. I want to be attentive to the needs of others, filled with more compassion and courage. I want to sacrifice my time, talent, and treasures with joyful generosity.
With God’s help I want to enjoy life at a manageable pace. I want to talk less and listen more. I want to be an encouragement to those I come in contact with and carve out more time for meaningful conversation.
With God’s help I want to grow in my understanding of the Bible. I want to know Jesus personally, deeply, and reflect more on his crucifixion and resurrection and the implications of those two realities in my daily life.
With God’s help I want to learn how to pray. I want to talk to God with honesty and humility. I want to be more focused on gratitude than personal gain.
With God’s help I want to heal from past pain and learn to live a life free of guilt and shame. I want to have victory over the sin that has robbed me of the freedom that Jesus died to give me.
With God’s help I want to believe that I am who he says I am, replacing my insecurities for the security of his love and grace and acceptance.
With God’s help I want to take a risk in 2010 and live by faith and not by sight.
My latest on the demo reel – a commercial and training DVD for C & S Security out of Michigan. This company makes high-end prison transport products that have been featured on Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and Ted Kaczynski (the Unibomber).
I was just a few feet behind my Wife as we biked our way to the beach from our condo in Litchfield. The Sun was high and there was a light breeze. There was so much I wanted to remember about this moment. The smell of the Ocean, the swaying palm trees, and the hourglass figure of my new bride sitting atop a Schwinn beach cruiser. Everything was picture perfect.
Later that night as we dined in Murrells Inlet, Tasha shared with me how much fun she had on our bike ride. Granted, it was kind of a distant second to the 1800 cc Yamaha waverunner we ripped through the Atlantic a day earlier, but on the practical level of possibly taking up a new hobby, the bikes had caught her interest.
“That’s something we can do together,” she said.
My ears perked up.
I had shared with my Wife at some point in our courtship that I had practically lived on a freestyle bike from 1982 to 1990, but I’m not sure if I had conveyed with enough intensity this reality about my identity.
Tasha suggesting we ought to consider a couple of bikes in our future was like asking Tiger Woods if he’d like to play a round of golf.
It will come as no surprise that not a month later, back in Kentucky, Tasha found a mountain bike with a bow on it for her birthday. An entry level Diamond Back, she was most excited about it’s color – pink. Just one more bike and a Yakima rack for the Pathfinder and we would be set. I could already imagine mounteneous three day weekends and a yearly trek to an East Coast beach.
I wrestled with the fact that I was about to spend twice as much on my mountain bike and questioned if I was being selfish. The fact was, however, I would destroy an entry level bike. Trial riding and aggressive commutes were inevitible, not to mention some serious downhill action. Just two years ago I was reaching dangerous speeds in Vail, Colorado as I plumeted down a black diamond ski slope. I recall thanking the Lord for disc brakes.
My search began online and in local bike shops. I was elated to find two of my old high school buddies running the local Scheller’s on Harrodsburg Road. They would both end up being a wealth of honest information.
I had narrowed the field down to four companies: Trek, Gary Fisher, Specialized, and GT. Specialized, while carrying a solid reputation as a serious bike, was soon thrown out due to the price point (the entry level Rockhopper starts at about $1,000). GT, while I remember these bikes from my childhood, simply didn’t have an in-store presence in my town. I only read about their ‘Avalanche 2.0 Disc’ online but never had the chance to test drive.
And then Jim Almgren introduced me to the Gary Fisher line of Hardtails. Given my 6′2″ frame, Jim suggested I consider a longer bike with a G2 frame. I had just come in off the street riding the Trek 4 Series. The next bike, a Gary Fisher Marlin Disc, immediately felt roomier. What was perplexing is that while clearly a longer frame, it didn’t feel sluggish. In fact, it felt more responsive than the 4 series or the Giant Rincon. This was due to Gary Fisher’s concept of changing the fork offset thereby reducing the amount of trail, which translates to quicker steering without altering any other handling characteristics.
Any serious bike purchase usually comes down to components. The Marlin Disc boasted Rockshox Dart 3 suspension, Shimano Deore shifters and derailers, and Avid disc brakes. This machine could take a beating.
I wore my poor buddies at the bike shop out, coming in on probably five difference occasions to take another spin or compare specs. In the end, the Marlin Disc simply felt the best and at under $750.00, was a bargain for the level of componentry. This was a bike I could grow with. Further, it was a bike I could race on a competitive level if I got the itch, but most importantly this bike was going to replace our rented beach cruisers.
I could see the Sun setting over the Atlantic as Tasha and I rode on the hard packed sand closest to the surf. Gulls swooping down and squaking in the salty Carolina air.
Life is good.
As I shop for my new Gary Fisher Mountain Bike, I am reminded by Danny MacAskill that beauty, form, and artistry are the higher persuits of the cyclist. After watching this, you either sell your bike or buy one. I’m buying one.
Casting Call! Tretower Films is in the middle of its first casting call for an Infomercial being filmed just outside of Lexington! A Security Firm in Michigan has chosen Tretower Films to script, shoot, produce and deliver an infomercial this Fall.
Realizing that most successes in my life occured when I surrounded myself with brilliant talent, I called upon Aaron Champion as the Director and T.J. Chinn as the Sound and Lighting Engineer. My primary role will be storyboarding, script writing, and a good portion of the post production.
What has amazed me is the amount of acting talent that has responded to Tretower Films’ first casting call. Below are some of the highlights from the resumes I have received in the last week:
Several episodes of Days of our Lives
3 Episodes of Jackass on MTV
Hand picked by Tom Hanks for “That Thing you Do”
Extras from Seabiscuit
One of the “Wharvey Gals” in ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’
Our team will be hosting auditions for the Spokesmodel in the coming weeks. The prisoners in the film will most likely be picked based off of headshots (the prisoners in this film have no lines).
I will write more as this experience unfolds. Our plan is to deliver an exceptional film to this Michigan firm and make our mark in the commercial video industry.
