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I am Japanese. I came USA in Dec.2008. When I started to live here , I always heared these music. So I like it.

Not one the better volumes in the series. Like volume 27 there isnt a good even blend/share of each genre. Has too much r&b hip hop and not enough pop rock alternative country etc. Cover is better thn 27 and 28.

I bought this cd for my teenage son and he absolutely loves it. although there is one song that I feel is inappropriate but other than that it is a really good cd

I bought this one because ALL of the songs are ones I have heard on the radio. I think it's an excellent compilation of popular music, without relying too heavily on one genre. At least have these songs are still getting air time. I would much rather buy a compilation like this than commit to specific albums, where I might only like three or four of the songs. With Now 29, I like all but a couple of the tracks. NOW That's What I Call Music! 30 is another good mix, and I'm looking forward to Now, Vol. 31. I think the producers are finally listening to the fans.

I should have reviewed the songlist better before I made this purchase. Some of the songs are great and others are just ones I hit the skip button on. The "Now 30..." is much better to own.

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I quite agree that this is a marvelous performance. At this price it is a steal. However, with due respect to other reviewers, you simply cannot understand much of this recording without a libretto. That is easily remedied. As of 01/2010, you may download a copyright free vocal score version from [...]. Set the search for Canadian Librairies, Medelssohn Elijah. This version includes every word on the recording, is easily followed, and can be quickly indexed to the cues provided in the EMI booklet. Characters are indicated, choral pieces are included, and a simple piano/vocal score provided for the major solo and choral parts. After ten or fifteen minutes work, you have a lovely alternative to A) buying an expensive set with a libretto, or B) doing without. For those wondering about an English version of a German composer's work, Mendelssohn was completely fluent in English. He conducted the actual premier of Elijah in English. You have the composer's imprimatur for the English version. As a warning: I have found that searching for a libretto or lyrics for classical pieces is very dangerous. At least half of the search results Google or Yahoo returns are linked to what some of us might consider virus/trojan/malware sites. I have found some really nasty infestations out there. Do be careful. I strongly suggest use of something like Mc Afee's SiteAdvisor or its equivalent. With Mc Afee, never ever click on even a grey (unverified site) link. Use only green links. Best wishes. Enjoy!

Quite simply, this is a towering masterwork, first on a performance level; a great orchestra, a truly great conductor (I heard him conduct again recently here in Cincinnati---and he is still great--over 40 years after this recording was made), as well as several of the most magnificent voices of the 20th century---all at their respective peaks. In addition folks, it is ultimate realization of both the art and science of the grammophone--this is analog recording high-art. The Fruhbeck de Burgos recording of Elijah will never be surpassed---ever---because musicians are rarely trained in this era to aspire to the level of greatness that one hears on this disc.----Just buy it---and it will never leave you!!

I was so pleased to come across the CD release of this old recording. I have a CD of a cassette tape of a reel-to-reel tape from the 60s and it's my standard. This recording finds all of these magnificent singers at their best, and Mme. Jones is here sans wobble which accompanies her later in her career. My only regret is M. Fischer-Dieskau. His singing is lovely as ever, if a bit too lovely for the music, but one misses a real bass (or bass/baritone) in this role. The chorus and conducting are fine. What I love about this recording is the straight-forward playing and singing which this chestnut needs. A more recent Elijah with Bryn Terfel and Renée Fleming is unfortunately marred by someone's idea of "drama" (I guess the conductor, Paul Daniel). On this terrible version, the chorus yells and "emotes" and goes way over the top, as do the soloists. Elijah is not grand opera, Mr. Daniels. In any case, if you want a standard, most excellent version of Elijah, I highly recommend this recording.

Cette version d'Elijah, malgré son âge, est vraiment extraordinaire. Fisher-Dieskau en est sûrement pour quelque chose...

The CD Box Set arrived in perfect condition and securely wrapped. I am extremely appreciative for finding such a great deal on a stellar product.

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Track listing 1. Baby Come Back - Pato Baton (with Robin & Ali Campbell) 2. Hey Now (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) - Cyndi Lauper 3. Baby I Love Your Way - Big Mountain 4. Sure - Take That 5. Sweetness - Michelle Gayle 6. Saturday Night - Whigfield 7. Another Night - Real McCoy, The, (& Mc Sar) 8. Rhythm Of The Night - Corona 9. True Faith '94 - New Order 10. Right Beside You - Sophie B. Hawkins 11. Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories 12. 7 Seconds - Youssou N'Dour (Featuring Neneh Cherry) 13. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm - Crash Test Dummies 14. We Have All The Time In The World - Louis Armstrong 15. Know By Now - Robert Palmer 16. What's The Frequency, Kenneth? - REM 17. Cigarettes & Alcohol - Oasis 18. Love Is Strong - Rolling Stones 19. Zombie - The Cranberries 1. Around The World - East 17 2. Compliments On Your Kiss - Red Dragon (featuring Brian and Tony Gold) 3. Gal Wine - Chaka Demus & Pliers 4. She's Got That Vibe - R. Kelly 5. Midnight At The Oasis - Brand New Heavies 6. Stars - China Black 7. What's Going On - Music Relief 8. Power Of Love, The - Celine Dion 9. Confide In Me - Kylie Minogue 10. Sly - Massive Attack 11. So Good - Eternal 12. Can You Feel It? - Ultimate KAOS 13. Some Girls - Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman 14. Incredible - M Beat featuring General Levy 15. Trouble - Shampoo 16. Parklife - Blur 17. I Love Saturday - Erasure 18. When Do I Get To Sing "My Way" - Sparks 19. I Want The World - Two Third3

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I wanted to listen to the stories before the kids and it was so calming I went to sleep. We use the CD now on a regular basis as a bedtime tool. Kids are 5 and 3 and even the 3 year old tries the relaxation breathing. Gradually buying more of her products. Just love it!

I gave this CD to my 9 year old daughter who sometimes can't fall asleep at night. She says the stories and music relax her and clear her mind. She never gets to hear the fourth story on the CD because she's always asleep by then!!

My kids are notorious for having a hard time wanting to go to bed. I bought this off Itunes originally but my computer died. Just replaced the CD being without for a couple of months and will be excited to actually get a hard copy! I am not a hippie, or a health food coneseuir and was amazed at how wonderful this worked. My kids were asleep in about 10 min. when it normally took over an hour. Bless you Lori! I wish there were better ones with more than just music for adolecents and adults. Oh did I mention I love you?

What a great CD! The story is one in which children can easily relate. The speakers voice is soothing. I find myself also relaxing when listening to this CD.

This CD is wonderful. I am in my 40s and I wish the Lori Lite CDs were around when I was young. I imagine it would have been a big help to me, given that I was a nervous, worried child. I love the stories and the narration is soft and pleasant. I use other CDs for relaxation and meditation that are geared for adults, but I find this type to be a nice change from those. I find it makes for a good balance to switch off between both types. We've all heard the phrase 'inner child' - this makes my inner child acknowledged and happy. The adult Lori Lite CD is another winner as well.

Reviews

I wanted to listen to the stories before the kids and it was so calming I went to sleep. We use the CD now on a regular basis as a bedtime tool. Kids are 5 and 3 and even the 3 year old tries the relaxation breathing. Gradually buying more of her products. Just love it!

I gave this CD to my 9 year old daughter who sometimes can't fall asleep at night. She says the stories and music relax her and clear her mind. She never gets to hear the fourth story on the CD because she's always asleep by then!!

My kids are notorious for having a hard time wanting to go to bed. I bought this off Itunes originally but my computer died. Just replaced the CD being without for a couple of months and will be excited to actually get a hard copy! I am not a hippie, or a health food coneseuir and was amazed at how wonderful this worked. My kids were asleep in about 10 min. when it normally took over an hour. Bless you Lori! I wish there were better ones with more than just music for adolecents and adults. Oh did I mention I love you?

What a great CD! The story is one in which children can easily relate. The speakers voice is soothing. I find myself also relaxing when listening to this CD.

This CD is wonderful. I am in my 40s and I wish the Lori Lite CDs were around when I was young. I imagine it would have been a big help to me, given that I was a nervous, worried child. I love the stories and the narration is soft and pleasant. I use other CDs for relaxation and meditation that are geared for adults, but I find this type to be a nice change from those. I find it makes for a good balance to switch off between both types. We've all heard the phrase 'inner child' - this makes my inner child acknowledged and happy. The adult Lori Lite CD is another winner as well.

Reviews

Another great book by Lori Lite. We have the CD's as well and the books are a wonderful addition even for adults.

This was a nice book to read. It fit in nicely after we have been listening to Lori Lite's Bedtime Stories CD, like this 3 CD set: Indigo Dreams (3 CD Set): Children's Bedtime Stories Designed to Decrease Stress, Anger and Anxiety while Increasing Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness Giving my boys with Aspergers Syndrome an actual picture seems to help aid their visualization while listening to the CD. This book allows me to be interactive about affirmations at any time of the day, while the CD is fantastic for bedtime relaxation.

Many clients in my practice reach for Lori Lite's books on my shelf. Children of many ages are attracted to the appealing illustrations and readily absorb the simple yet effective messages about well-being. Affirmation Weaver presents gentle, general messages that children can say to themselves to support relaxation, self-confidence, and self-affirmation in a variety of contexts.

Affirmation Weaver is our newest book from Lori Lite and my five year old son loves it! This book is a nightly read. He has found by reading the book over and over the positive affirmations are starting to spill over into his play activity, has lessened his frustrations, and has also given him more words to his feelings. Thank you to Lori Lite for writing so eloquently and speaking to the hearts of children.

I bought this book along with the Indigo Ocean Dreams CD for my girls (3 and 6). They love to sit down, relax, and listen to the CD as they follow along with the pictures in the book. The illustrations in the book are lovely and the message is perfect. This is a wonderful book, I love all of Lori Lite's books!

Reviews

The relaxation techniques are great and my husband (the wife purchased under his name) said to order more by this author to read with our 7 year old daughter. She really loves them and even shared Bubble Riding with her Daisy troop as a good book for them to read.

After owning this book for only a week, I caught my four year old daughter reciting it to herself from memory. It is a perfect book for relaxation. It employs a dynamic combination of visual, emotional, and sensory images.

I work at a Children's hospital as a Certified Child Life Specialist. I work in the E.R where there are lots of tests and procedures done on children. Our profession uses many types of distraction and calming methods to help these children cope. The one thing that we were missing were Lori Lite's books! I wanted some books that I, and the rest of the staff, could use as a tool to help kids relax and relieve anxiety caused by the hospital. I wanted something that helped "take them away to a safer place" from the anxious environment of an E.R. When I came across these books, it was perfect, just what I was looking for! Parents and kids have found them very useful to help get them through these scary times in the hospital.(Our Favorites: Bubble Riding and A Boy and a Turtle) These books help distract patients through even the toughest tests/procedures. I would highly reccomend these books for any hospital type environment. -Ariel Silvestry, CCLS Providence, RI

I purchased this for my granddaughter, like her mom when she was young, she never wants to give up but now that she has both the books and the cd bedtime is relaxing....she'll even fall sleep before the cd is finished.

Ok, so I admit it, I really like reading this book to my girls. I have 4 kids and towards the end of the day I like to read something relaxing to them so we can all unwind. It really works! If the girls have not been getting along I can sit down with them and this book and everyone calms down, including me! The illustrations are beautiful and colorful. I would also recommend the Indigo Ocean Dreams CD.

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I have listened to Enya and purchased some over the years. It is very peaceful and relaxing and makes me feel I am in a different happy nice place.And Winter Came

Enchanting, magical, soothing; the best music for sitting by the window, watching the snow fall. Wonderful as background too, during the holidays when company is over your house. Excellent sound quality. I highly recommend it.

Ordering was super easy. The item came in the time it said and it came in good shape.

I'm an Enya fan, having a complete collection of her work. While good, this falls a bit short of being great. This was designed orginally to be a Christmas album, and does contain Christmas songs,. But apparently, they decided to market it as more of a "Winter Season" CD. Some of her songs seem to be "same old same old" meaning that there doesn't seem to be growth in terms of complexity, nor new ideas expressed. Satisfactory to an Enya fan, but nothing to really rave about.

Enya has a quality and style that is unique. I own everyone of her CDs and like all of them. This one seems even deeper and more mysterious. Her voice quality and purity of sound makes it a joy to listen to. I play it at work and play it over and over and never get tired of listening to her.

Reviews

This is a unique CD programed for late night Christmas Tide. The title is true to the programing which, without exception is reflective arrangements for times of quiet contemplation during the Christmas season.

I love this cd! After listening to the sample recordings, I decided to purchase it. I liked it so well that I purchased an additional one for my best friend as a Christmas gift, and she had the same reaction. The music is, to me, ethereal--wonderfully calming/somber and contemplative. There are the standard choral selections, but new ones I'd not heard before. It really lends itself to the season. I would highly recommend it!

We loved this - good quality, a LOT of music for the money, and we plan to order others in the series

This company is right on the ball. Received it in record time and in excellent condition..Loved the music especially during Christmas Eve.. So glad I bought this one. Betty M.

Find peace this holiday season listening to this beautiful album. I purchased it at a museum in Siena, Italy and we listened to it in our rental car while driving to San Gimignano, a medieval city in beautiful Tuscany. It was the perfect album to accompany us and a great addition to our growing Christmas collection.

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This CD is fun and full of energy. It will also introduce you to new Christmas music such as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." If you generally like classical tenors, this is a hoot - but get it on sale.

It was OK. Nice harmony. I'm not an opera lover, but this was nice.

It's the Irish Tenors, what more do you need to know? It is definitely worth the money. This is a good collection of songs. I am glad they didn't waste their talents on songs like "Frosty the Snowman". Some one complained about a few non-Christmas songs. Frankly with all the "hate America" out there I am glad the Irish Tenors are different. Good job guys! As for the Southerner who disliked the inclusion of "Battle Hymn of the Republic", I am glad they did include it. It has always been one of my favorite American songs. I am one Southerner who celebrates American songs and tradition.

As an avid fan of the Irish Tenors I thoroughly enjoyed this CD until the last three songs. While I appreciate the Irish Tenors showing their respect for this country and their American fans by recording "God Bless America" etc., I fail to understand what such songs are doing on a Christmas CD. I am especially surprised by the inclusion of "Battle Hymn of the Republic." This song was a marching melody for the Union Army during the civil war and I think it shows a naive misunderstanding of history to include that track on this CD. What has Christmas to do with the Civil War? The tenors need to realize they don't have to include American songs in order to sell to American citizens. Stop catering.

I love these Irish tenors, and am so happy to hear Finbar Wright replacing John McDermott..BUT - - am disappointed in this CD, mainly in the balance of tone. Sometimes the one carrying the melody is overpowered by the other two, and the orchestra on occasion drowns out the voices. Likely a problem not addressed by the engineer. The voices are gorgeous, though, as usual. My favorites on the CD are the solos and duets. "O Holy Night" is quite stirring. I have the disk on as I write this, and actually, I like it better the 2nd time than the first, but I won't want to play it very often, in contrast to the original trio on video. That one I like to play over & over. IMHO, "How Great Thou Art" is rather pedantic; very little feeling in the rendition by Finbar. In contrast, Anthony does a great job with "The Lord's Prayer." Makes you want to cry. In these days when so many people are finding fault with America for so many things, it does my heart good to hear the Irish Tenors choose to sing "America the Beautiful"!

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CD shipped very quickly and arrived in great condition. Music on the CD is fantastic! Thanks for the great deal!

The Josh Groban CD arrived within a few days and as described by the seller. Great CD and seller.

This is my all time favorite CD ever. I love every song on this CD and Josh Groban sounds like an angel. I especially loved Ave Maria, but in fact I loved every one! For Josh Groban lovers or Christmas music Lovers or Beautiful music lovers. This is it!

Bought this for my mom for Christmas !! Then after hearing it bought one for myself. Absolutely beautiful !!!

There are some great songs on here. Josh Groban is.. well, Josh Groban. That's part of why I bought the CD. It is worth the buy and at a reasonable price too. However, in my opinion, he needs to stick to the music that can really show off his voice. Christmas music doesn't always do so.

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We had a small (family only) ceremony at home and just popped in this CD...The first prelude songs played while we were putting on coursages and getting ready to take our places...then the Canon in D and Jesu Joy played during the ceremony and was perfect background music and comes through the same in the video. It continued to played while we socialized after and toasted. I was very pleased with it and am loaning it to my step daughter for her wedding.

I purchased this as an alternative to the music that our pastor let us review, for our wedding coming up in a month!!! This Cd is all that I had hoped it would be and more!!! The two CD's that our pastor gave us were more ochestra-like, and just weren't personal enough for me!!!! This music is just lovely!!! When you play this music, it almost feels like you have your own personal quartet sitting in front of the church playing for your wedding!!!!

this is one of the better cds i have found for my wedding and it shipped fast

I purchased this CD for my 78 yr old mother, a widow, who is getting remarried this Sept. and needed some recorded music to play before the ceremony and for the processional and recessional. She absolutely loves the CD and plays it over and over and over! It is a beautiful CD and I would highly recommend it for anyone needing this type of music.

This was a great resource for prelude music as well as music for the ceremony. It is a nice blend of classical and contemporary. I used it for a friend's wedding and we were all very pleased with it.

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this cd is the best!!!Love it, love it,love it!!!! and the DVD is great. Only wish all of the songs on the DVD were on the CD

I am so pleased with my purchase of Joshua Groban's CD, that I recommend it to others. I do not understand Italian , but I can sing along or hum.I enjoy the English songs as well.

There is nobody in this world who can do "O Holy Night" like Joosh can. Sends chills right through you. BRAVO!!!

This is the recording of Josh's first live concerts for PBS in the USA. Aged just 21, his voice is simply incredible. Here he performs all the songs from his self-titled debut album, plus "Broken vow" which ended up on his second album "Closer", and a fabulous performance of "For Always" which he recorded for the soundtrack of the Steven Spielberg film A.I. and conducted live by the composer John Williams. There are a number of other special guests including David Foster (his producer) and the Corrs. The CD only contains a selection of songs from the DVD. However, they have also included one non-live song on the end of the CD, "O Holy Night". I own three other versions of this song by Michael Ball, Aled Jones and Russell Watson, and Josh's version blows all these completely out of the water with the most astonishing vocal performance. I'd buy this DVD/CD just for this one song.

Josh Groban in concert CD and DVD. Fab music and a great concert I am glad that I found him.

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Hey Eddie Kramer can you hear me? I wish they would have put the entire uncut album (possibly in 5.1 surround sound) on the dvd too, the interviews are great and all but sometimes I just wanna listen to nothing but the music this would and still could have the phenomenal aspect that a lot of people could and would enjoy and just to think what he would be doing now but I've heard that he was burned out from all the attention and overwork and this is what could have cause his demise.

Electric Ladyland has and always will be a classic album. This DVD not only deals with the making of the album, but it shows what was going on with the band and Jimi Hendrix at the time. The movie points out the hellish schedule they would have. It pointed out that they would be on one coast one night and the other coast the next night. At the same time Hendrix would try to make time to record while trying to put together his own recording studio in New York City. It shows how Hendrix would for instance make recordings of guitar music at one speed and play it back at another for special effects. It tells you how he used a comb with wax paper to simulate a kazoo sound for another track. It interviews Michael Finnigan, who played on Rainy day, dream away. Finnigan talks about how Hendrix instructed him to play the music they way he wanted it. It indicates that Hendrix played a harpsichord on Burning of the Midnight Lamp. Hendrix was apparentley a good keyboard player. Hendrix also uses Jack Casady to play bass guitar on some songs, and plays bass himself in Noel Reddings abscence. This is in my mind a very good documentary.....I would recommend it to any Hendrix fan or any serious fan of the Rock of the 60's.

Watching this DVD brings the Hendrix fan closer to the soul that produced this beautiful work of art. The interviews and recollections show how Jimi's personality imprinted on everyone he worked with. They all still miss him terribly. This DVD provides insight into the process Hendrix evolved to in writing and recording his work. After watching this DVD I hear the album in a more informed light. Hendrix was a brilliant shooting star. I also noticed how much Prince copies Jimi's style. Somehow I missed that before this DVD.

It's a shame that one of the best guitarist in rock'n roll died so young. This is great music.

Great video that focuses on the mixing of the individual parts in the studio mixing and really has some great behind the scenes glimpses into the making of this classic album. Very good quality and production. Very interesting to all guitarists interested in classic rock.

Reviews

La Dolce Vita (The Daily Vitamin) has some truly unforgettable cinematography. I was immediately struck by the opening scene of the film where we have the unforgettable sight of a woman with hairy armpits waving at a flying Jesus. I will never get that image out of my head. Then there was the unforgettable fountain scene where Sylvia went wading, and despite the fact that the water was barely knee deep, she wore some kind of floatation vest that was stretching out the top of her dress in an unforgettable way. There was also another unforgettable scene, but I can't remember what it was. Fellini treats us to what seems like a couple dozen nights on the town with the overindulged rich and famous crowd. Yawn. Wild horses couldn't drag me to any of these parties of the comatose, so I found most of the film to be tedious and boring. Of course, that is one of the points Freddy is trying to make. Point well taken, but it felt like being bludgeoned about the head and shoulders for 3 hours. I did learn that the papparazi have always asked the dumbest questions, it's not a recent development. At one point in the film, Fellini takes on organized religion and improper pruning techniques in an unflattering manner. It seems that two little kids found a grilled cheese sandwich with the image of the Madonna burned into it and they buried it, and a magic beanstock grew up in this holy spot. Well, all the self serving religious folk gathered around hoping for a miracle while the kids had fun making sport of them. It started to rain, so the holy people ripped the sacred beanstock to shreds with the hope that they could sell the leaves and stems on Ebay to raise money for a new church on this sacred ground. I think there was a deleted scene where they slaughtered the goose that laid golden eggs too. Good times. At the merciful conclusion of this epic, we see Marcello's character stagger down to the beach to smell the giant dead ray, which isn't a good idea if you've been drinking all night, so he staggers off to the side upwind and sees Nico making gestures to him from across the water. He can't hear her due to the pounding surf. She seems to be offering him salvation from his meaningless life, but since he's hungover and sucks at charades, he gives her a dismissive wave and leaves to find some aspirin. Nico seems happy though. I think she got into typing school. I watched this film 3 times and listened to the "expert" pedestrian commentary to make sure I wasn't missing anything, and I came to the conclusion that some films affect people differently, and this one didn't strike a chord with me the way it did with some others. There is nothing wrong with that, since beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I've heard the Texas Chainsaw Massacre called a masterpiece, so I rewatched that and saw it as a low budget crapfest that was rendered virtually unwatchable by the last half hour of screaming, but I would be flamed without mercy by the fanboys if I gave it less than 5 stars. I would recommend watching this film as a piece of cinematic history, and if you enjoy it, great, but if not, there should be no shame in that either. Different strokes for different folks. I just didn't see it as a "Masterpiece" and found it neither that entertaining nor profound.

Federico Fellini's widescreen 1960 B&W masterpiece, LA DOLCE VITA (literally "The Sweet Life") has turned fifty years old, but despite some inevitable anachronisms, its theme of alienation of man from modern society still rings true. **SPOILERS** The film has no narrative plot per se, but follows seven days and seven nights in the peripatetic career of feckless, dissatisfied Marcello Rubini the journalist (Marcello Mastroanni). In 1960, Rome's Via Veneto was THE place to see and be seen among the international "Jet Set," a term just coming into use for the elite aggregate of Italian paparazzi, Britishers seeking tax haven, visiting millionaires, celebrities and the just-plain-rich. Sidewalk cafes, cabarets, double-parked cars and Beautiful People jam the Veneto well into the light. Already Marcello is tired of chasing celebs for a living and hopes to elevate himself by climbing the journalistic ladder. But for now, he and his buddy the photojournalist Paparazzo (origin of the term "paparazzi," plural) have to chase with the best of them. Off-duty, Marcello rents for the night a dingy bedroom from a prostitute just to have (probably unsuccessful) sex with old acquaintance Maddalena (Anouk Aimee), to the consternation of his faithful but frustrated girlfriend Emma (Yvonne Furneaux), who attempts suicide. Next morning, Marcello joins an enthusiastic press corps at the airport to greet a busty blonde American sex bomb, Sylvia (played to the hilt by Anita Ekberg), who is both a handful and a headache. Marcello is immediately struck by this vision, even humoring her to scrounge milk for a stray kitten in the middle of the night (think of Charlize Theron vis-à-vis medical echinacea in Woody Allen's 1998 CELEBRITY). But there's a payoff: in one of the many iconic scenes from this movie, a fully-clad Sylvia splashes in the Trevi Fountain, and she is probably sexier in a dress than nude. Marcello joins her in the water and they're about to click, but - the moment passes. The Roman Catholic Church had a hissy when this film came out. The opening sequence shows an enormous figure of Christ hauled by helicopter(!) into Rome. We cut directly to a pseudo-Balinese dance in a nightclub. Fellini was probably what today would be called a "Christian Humanist," but in no way an orthodox Roman Catholic. In juxtaposing Christ with Buddha, Fellini may be implying that if religion is show biz and show biz is religion, is there that much of a difference? Later, Marcello bumps into an old friend, the intellectual Steiner, in a church. This is not an old cathedral redolent of moisture, stone and incense, but a modern church with an almost fascist severity of façade and rows of uniform wooden pews, not benches or seats. One can practically smell the lemon furniture polish. Although Steiner is on good terms with the priest, it seems to him that religion is simply a matter of finding a good organ on which to play Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor. In a later sequence, when two little children sight an alleged Madonna, the scene quickly turns into a media circus, with a mob of people turned out in curiosity and klieg lights in abundance for newsreel and TV. Marcello, notebook at the ready as always, is told by a priest that miracles do not occur under such riotous circumstances. This seems to be closer to Fellini's own sentiments. Marcello and Emma are invited to a salon at Steiner's in what will be Marcello's first of three attempts to break into what he imagines is a better, more creative class of people whose lives are accomplished and meaningful. At Steiner's, Emma and Marcello both admire their host's civilized living room full of books and music, his pretty wife and his adorable children. But afterward in a private tete-a-tete, Steiner tells Marcello that he could probably get him a job as an editor, but begs him not to work for the "half-fascist" dailies. Steiner confesses that he considers himself a failure, lacking "enough talent to be an amateur, and enough seriousness to be an intellectual." It also seems that the artists at Steiner's salon of the supposed artistic elite from many fields are mostly poseurs, divided about evenly between those who do not speak and are thought fools, and those who do speak and remove any doubt. While speaking with Steiner, Mastroanni's brilliant underacting, not to mention his expressive face, registers first respect for Steiner but then the respect turns to chagrin, pity, disillusionment and ultimately some of Steiner's own depression. Two nights later Marcello -- sans Emma -- winds up in a high-class party full of rich people, high-toned British and faded aristocracy, set in a 500-year-old palazzo. While superficially admiring the edifice's architecture and artworks, the novelty-crazed guests get involved with a séance while Marcello almost gets into a necking session with flirtatious Maddalena. Almost. Later that same night/early a.m. Marcello and Emma get into a howling fight that apparently won't stop until they receive word that Steiner has killed himself and his children. Despite having heard a confession by Steiner of his personal unhappiness, Marcello is shocked at the news. The following night Marcello and an acquaintance from the Via Veneto crash a party of glitterati who try rather desperately to sound informed and with-it, but who settle for small talk and cheap home theatrics fueled by lots of liquor: a couple of gay guys do the Can-Can to a speeded-up version of "Jingle Bells"; and in another of those iconic scenes from this movie, a divorcee (played beautifully by Magali Noel) does a strip-tease to a record of Perez Prado's "Patricia." Marcello tries to organize a proper orgy, but once again the elements do not quite come together. The film ends with yet another daybreak, as the dissolute partygoers find their way to a nearby beach to see a "monster" (monstro), probably a washed-up manta ray. An adolescent girl with whom Marcello once had a chat beckons him to come and see her, but a channel of the sea provides a physical barrier. Marcello smiles wearily, shrugs, and then goes back to the showy mob he has learned to despise, and to whose company he is condemned. LA DOLCE VITA is a film full of ironies, right from its title (nothing about Marcello's life is "sweet"). Fellini abhorred the predations of mass media: photographers and would-be pilgrims stampede what they think is the sight of a miracle, destroying any evidence in the process. Marcello's social and professional climbing does pay off, but usually when he gets there he is still dissatisfied; for him there is no there "there," so to speak. Where are the verities? In what is the film's single most tragic irony, his career advances because of Steiner's suicide. In order to identity the body, the police let him up the stairs into Steiner's flat and in climbing those stairs, he passes a number of fellow journalists. I am indebted to film critic Richard Shickel's remark, in the film's very good Commentary track, that Marcello spatially and symbolically "gets above" the others on his way up "to the top." Perhaps part of Marcello's misfortune was making an idol of a man whose hobby was recording tape-recorded nature sounds, like thunderstorms or birds--blatant symbolism of an ongoing Fellinian theme, modern man's alienation from nature. And of course, Marcello's case is the irony of diminishing returns: the more he pursues truth and verity, the farther away he seems to get. LA DOLCE VITA is not at heart a film about social climbing and career success as in the previous year's film ROOM AT THE TOP. It is more existential: a search for meaning. Marcello's impotence mirrors his unhappiness at life: he can't "get it up" to enthusiastically commit to anything, not even a pretty and adoring girlfriend. Like the polyglot partygoers Marcello hangs with over the course of the week, he can't "get off" by achieving any satisfaction artistically or intellectually. Like Steiner, he realizes he has neither the talent nor the discipline to become a serious writer. Marcello literally tries sex, booze and rock'n'roll, but nothing gets to him. He had hopes that a more serious job will put him in touch with serious things, but by film's end if not before, we know things won't work this way for him. Enough time has passed between the film's international premiere and now that we may be in danger of forgetting its influence. The film played around the world and in so doing made an internationally known director of Fellini and an international star of Marcello Mastroanni, some of whose later roles were similarly disaffected, very "Marcello-ish." A handsome but feckless leading man with a distinct anti-heroish streak was unheard of by most American moviegoers of the time, whose top movie males included stalwarts like John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Charleton Heston. The boozy private parties that descend into vituperation and self-loathing anticipate such later plays and movies as THE BOYS IN THE BAND and WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLFE? Perhaps no recent American film has been more informed by LA DOLCE VITA than Woody Allen's 1998 CELEBRITY. Similar themes and plot techniques emerge: the equation of organized religion and show business, the spoiled and adored starlet whom the journalist will do almost anything to please, the search for a coherent life in general. Also, in CELEBRITY there is a life-affirming rabbi who inexplicably commits suicide, without even as much forewarning as Fellini had given us. All the major players in LA DOLCE VITA are excellently cast and well played, including former Tarzan Lex Barker as a boozy American actor who has unresolved issues with Sylvia. But ultimately it is Mastroanni's movie, and he played it so well that he became not only an international star, but virtually a symbol of modern (or, if you will, European) disillusionment and anomie. It is to Fellini's and the actor's credit that the Marcello character retains some sympathy even while behaving abominably, registering minimal concern at his girlfriend's suicide attempt, and trying to two- (or is is three?) time her by pursuing cosmetically beautiful women of whom he knows little or nothing. Since there is no unified, three-act structure to this movie, but more of a picaresque form, we count on Marcello to keep us concerned for him and wondering what is to come. A few words as well to Nino Rota's witty musical score, which blends some new "ultramodern" music performed on pre-Moog synthesizer instruments with new compositions for the orchestra, adding quotations from his prior work and American pop culture, such as "Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me" or "Stormy Weather." The Criterion DVD extras are slim but good; they include yellow subtitles and Shickel's expert commentary track. I only wish Shickel had said more about the production values of this film other than that Fellini used the massive Cinecitta complex on the edge of Rome. But this should not obscure the fact that LA DOLCE VITA is an outstanding film. In fact, it came to this reviewer's shock at his first viewing that he had watched a nearly three-hour movie without checking the time or becoming bored. This is a film that I intend to see again and again.

Of all of Fellini's films, this one is the one that most of my friends consider the greatest. I adore it, admire it and consider it a masterpiece. I still feel that `La Strada' and `8 ½' are his more accomplished works and the ones that I immediately flock to when longing for some Fellini, but `La Dolce Vita' (appropriately, or shall I say inappropriately translated `The Sweet Life') is an outstanding representation of how advanced foreign cinema is from what we experience here in the states. In 1960 this Italian gem possessed more gusto, more acute sense of realism and more profound intellect than nearly 90% of what we had released stateside. I'm not knocking American cinema (for I love it) but I am also moved by how much more realism and passion is found in foreign releases; especially those released in the 50's and 60's, before the 70's changed the way American cinema was constructed. This film basically follows the aimlessness that permeates the life of Marcello Rubini (an astonishing Marcello Mastroianni), a journalist who is striving to make something more meaningful of his work yet finds himself almost `struck' in the world of glamour, prestige and debauchery. He is blinded by his ambitions, which are lost amidst the glitz and glamour that is splashing itself all around him. Moving from one party to another, from one woman to another, from one drink to another; Rubini becomes another statistic, losing what makes him distinct and falling into the rut of complete abandonment. The final moment, on the beach, where he just abandons all hope of change and walks away...I mean WOW. This film is a complete showcase for Mastroianni, who just runs us through the gamut of emotions with his three-dimensional character. He delivers charm, wit, rage, depression, sensuality, hysteria, apathy...everything. Watch the way he completely crumbles without moving a muscle when he realizes what a (close?) friend is capable of. Notice the way he reacts to his fiancés rash decisions. Watch the way he completely explodes when finally pushed too far into the hole he is trying desperately to climb out of (that confrontation with his fiancé is just brilliant). He is just marvelous, from top to bottom. This film is a brilliant look at the way life can encompass and conform you, even when you are fighting fervently against that said conformation. It showcases the way you can become completely overtaken to the point where your struggle is apparently in vain and you guard is destroyed and next thing you know you have given up and embraced all that this `sweet life' has to offer. Sweetness has never left such a sour taste.

Warning! -- Avoid this edition. The subtitles are hideous, yellow, and intrusive. They are laid over the picture and absolutely ruin the image. I know there is a letterbox edition where the subtitles are white and appear below the picture. Find and purchase that edition, not this one!

I NEVER let boredom get in the way, and always watch a picture til its end. I had to take a nap in the middle of this one. It's one of the most unbearable, boring films I have EVER watch, and I've seen a few (10 in the last week). Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist" was pure fun and action in comparison!!! Once it was over, I saved the case and threw the movie away. There's not plenty of room in my house...

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The elegant Catherine (Fanny Ardant) discovers her husband, Gerard Depardieu is doing what men do...having a "banal" affair. When Catherine asks her husband for details, her husband can't or won't provide them. Catherine hires a prostitute, the gorgeous Emmanuelle Beart, to seduce her husband and reveal her husband's erotic proclivities. Nathalie's ensuing tales of lust and passion propagate an understated sexual tension between her and Catherine that will make any viewer weak in the knees. A surprisingly good movie. I didn't think there could be a more unlikely romance, but by the end of this film I was begging for Catherine and Nathalie to "just kiss already". What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic. The erotic talk, the slow seduction, two gorgeous and intelligent women, scotch and cigarettes, broken hearts and understated lust, Paris, feminine vulnerability and strength...probably the most sexy movie I've seen. Recommended.

I figured out pretty quickly (as did most people, I imagine) that the hooker (Beart) hired by the wife (Ardan) to service her husband (Depardieu) was describing sexual encounters that never occurred. The movie owns up to this fact rather late in the story and makes that a key plot point, which fell flat on me because it told me what I already knew. Far better for the movie to have gone boldly where Maupassant took the story and show a love affair developing between Beart and Ardan, I mean way beyond the sly hints we get, and then have the husband find out and show how he reacts to the event. Does he fight to get his wife back? Does he do something violent? Does he throw in the towel and move on with his life? Does he throw himself into the river (as in M's story)? All these are far more interesting options than the one chosen. If M could write a love story between two beautiful women in mid-19th century, I should think someone could do that today. Okay, maybe not as well because M was a master story teller and his command of French prose was way beyond what a screenwriter could do. Still, opportunity missed. By the way, the sleazy DVD cover is misleading. Beart handles her portrayal of a "belle de jour" with restraint. She doesn't do a strip tease in the movie.

Nathalie is an excellent film with subtle and smart writing and beautiful camera work. Fanny Ardant displays subtle sophistication in the lead role as Catherine. Her husband Bernard, played by Gerard Depardieu, has grown distant and unfaithful. Her insecurity prompts her to commission Marlene, played by Emmanuelle Béart, to seduce him. She gives her the pseudonym of "Nathalie" and they slowly start to peel back the layers of their relationships and their own psyches. The resulting story is a closely woven series of rendezvous where each of the characters plays off of the emotions of their counterparts. For the most part, our triangle is never all together save for a few brief moments. Instead, the dynamic of this film is the one-on-one interactions that they share that reveal how their feelings for one another allow them to be manipulated and hurt. It's also an exploration of what makes them unwilling to simply let go of their damaging relationships. Watching this film brings to mind the parallels between the love triangle of "Nathalie" and the love rectangle of Closer. Whereas the storyline in "Closer" is more driven by a combination of plot elements and character pathos, "Nathalie" is almost entirely focused on the inner torment and psychological games played by and on the central characters. This is a very cerebral and theatrical film. While "Closer" was also written for the stage prior to being made into a film, it has a more traditional plot. Here, the message is much more complicated and the plot is circuitous. That does not takes nothing away from the strong character studies that we have in the film. But the abrupt and questionable conclusion slightly detracts from the story's effectiveness. I would really love to know how many alternate endings were considered by the film makers before they settled on this one. From a technical standpoint, this film is also worthy of study, with each scene expertly lit and filmed. Beart in particular is framed beautifully, and I believe symbolically, in her scenes. Each still is like a painting. This is an achievement that the director of photography should be applauded for. If you enjoy thoughtful psychological character studies, this film is absolutely worth buying and watching again and again. Beart, Depardieu and Ardant hold an actor's clinic for us to study and enjoy. The slow and deliberate plot and somewhat soft conclusion will not satisfy those looking for a more traditional story. But the creativity and depth of these character is sure to appeal to lovers of acting and French cinema. Enjoy.

Anne Fontaine's Nathalie is a French infidelity story starring Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant (8 Women, Callas Forever) as a Parisian married couple, Bernard and Catherine. Catherine (a gynecologist who knows little about sex) discovers that Bernard is having an affair, which is not so unusual for a French film where an affair such as Bernard's is considered to be little more than a "nuisance." "It doesn't count," Bernard says, shrugging it off; "It's too banal to talk about." What sets Nathalie apart from other such films is Catherine's response to her discovery. After a couple of shots of whiskey, she hires Marlène (Emmanuelle Béart8 Women, Un Coeur en Hiver), the prettiest prostitute she can find, to act as "Nathalie" to seduce her husband, and then report back with all the lurid details. Rather than throwing him out, or ignoring his infidelity, Catherine uses "Nathalie" to learn more about her husband's sexual desires. He "jumped on me like he hadn't done it in years," Marlène at first reports to Catherine. Eventually, Marlène's reports to Catherine grow wilder and wilder, and through their conversations about the hard truths of human sexuality, the two become friends (with a lesbian subtext). Most of the film's action occurs in these conversations. Rather than merely thinking she knows everything about sexuality, Catherine is determined to really know what's going on, making this an interesting sexual-coming-of-age film in the same tradition as Belle de Jour and Romance. Stunning Ardant and extraordinarily beautiful Béart bring great performances to the film, which includes Leonard Cohen in the soundtrack. Except for the predictable ending, this is a nearly perfect French film. G. Merritt

Fanny Ardant plays Catherine, a gynecologist of a certain age, who discovers that her husband Benard (Gerard Depardieu) is cheating on her. She wonders if this is a onetime thing or something he does regularly. So she hires a prostitute (Emmanuelle Beart as Marlene/Nathalie) to test him. When the test turns up positive, Catherine wants to hear the intimate details which Marlene agreeably supplies. The details of exactly what they do would seem a bit hard to take for the spouse who is being cheated on, and Catherine does find some of the descriptions unsavory. However she insists on hearing them. The viewer begins to wonder if Catherine is not being sexually aroused by these details (which is what Marlene thinks) or is of a masochistic frame of mind. As Catherine and Marlene draw closer together the viewer now begins to wonder if Catherine herself would like to have a sexual relationship with Marlene. Since a lot of the tension in the movie relies on just what it is that Catherine wants, I won't reveal the answer. She claims to love her husband but as the details get seamier and seamier she decides she no longer knows whether she loves him or not. How this will resolve itself is what kept me watching. The ending is a bit of a surprise. See if you can guess it. Ardant is excellent, although her long suffering face may become a bit tedious for some. Beart is very good as a skillful and opportunistic prostitute, almost too good perhaps because I found her a bit creepy. She was 40-years-old when this was released and there is nary a line on her face. Ardant's look was natural and, for me anyway, more agreeable. Both women are of course two of the most celebrated stars of the French cinema as is Depardieu, whose part is rather modest. Anne Fontaine's direction is clear and focused. While not your typical "chick flick"--certainly it is not like American chick flick faire--this is nonetheless very much a woman's point of view movie with the kind of agreeable ending that will please most viewers regardless of sex. Best line and typical of the kind of psychology presented is this from Catherine as she is talking to Marlene: "Jealousy. For men it's a reflex." See this for Fanny Ardant who has that Catherine Deneuve quality of growing more beautiful as she gets older, a talented actress who always carries herself well.

Reviews

Hi everybody, I'm from Austria and I bought this CD for my daughter (she is crazy about the songs on this disc) from the US because it's impossible to have in Europe. The shipment was very fast and absolutely without problems as well as the payment. Greetings from Austria Walter

Swifty does it, again. It's impossible for her to put out bad music. Sure, there are only six songs on this album; but quantity does not equal quality. Taylor should be commended for her integrity in never stuffing filler songs in her albums. Songs: 1. "Last Christmas" starts the album off with a bang! (or should I say Wham!?;) Taylor's cover of George Michael's holiday classic has a more upbeat tempo and fun, rock and roll edge along with a tongue-in-cheek gender turn, but still perfectly conveying her persona of heart-on-her-sleeve vulnerability. 2. "Christmases When You Were Mine". First of the two new Taylor songs on this album slows down the mood. The usual great lyrics from team Swift/Rose in a monologue to a broken-up lover and the Christmas memories they shared. 3. "Santa Baby". Playing the materialistic vixen perfectly. I like the tongue-in-cheek allusion, "one more thing I need, the deed, to a platinum mine". Judging by the number of platinum albums she has, I'd say TayTay's got that covered. 4. "Silent Night". Beautiful, spiritual, uplifting. Perfect song for her voice. Like an angel singing. 5. "Christmas Must Be Something More". The other new Taylor song, upbeat tempo, worth the price of the entire album. Taylor gets a lot of inspiration from fairy tales, this one's from the Dr. Seuss classic "The Grinch That Stole Christmas", but of course, putting her own unique spin: "So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives". Taylor's not afraid to show her spiritual, Christian values here, where she downplays the commercialism and materialism that Christmas has become (in stark contrast to track 3 "Santa Baby"). The great artists, like Taylor Swift, remind us of the Truth with their art. 6. "White Christmas". Nice quiet, peaceful ending with this classic.

I bought this CD for my sixteen-year-old daughter and have basically taken it back from her. (Good thing she has a lot going on, so she hasn't noticed yet.) This is my first exposure to Taylor, and she has a great voice and a stunning delivery. One thing that really strikes me on this CD is how well the songs are laid out. Each song follows the previous one in a perfect, seamless manner. I am now going to look for other CDS of Taylor's to buy for my daughter, and see if they somehow end up in my car for my daily commute.

Taylor Swift is fabulous on this Christmas CD. I love her voice. She is fearless about changing standard song to fit her own style. The songs she wrote are wonderful. "Christmas Must Be Something More" really gets at the heart of Christmas. I loved it. "Christmases When You Were Mine" is great for someone who had a breakup with someone who is still loved. "Santa Baby" is the best version I have ever heard. I actually heard all the words for the first time. I never knew what "deed" she was asking for on other versions. She really did a great job with "Last Christmas" making it her own. Her rendition of "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" were beautifull updated. What a great CD. Every song was special like Taylor. She amazes me with her vocals.

This is a rerelease of the 2007 holiday album with the same tracks as before and nothing new but a new copyright date of 2009 and the Sounds of the Season removed from the cover jacket. Available only at Target for a limited time only (while supplies last) a great chance to actually buy the album in stores again if you have not already. I now own both copies, the original 2007 release and the new release. (It is possible but I can not really say but they rerecorded the songs for the rerelease but I could be wrong.) Track listing (Track Number. Title - Time - Writers): 1. Last Christmas - 3:32 - George Michael 2. Christmases When You Were Mine - 3:08 - Taylor Swift, Liz Rose, Nathan Chapman 3. Santa Baby - 2:43 - Jonas Ellen Javits, Phillip Springers, Tony Springer 4. Silent Night - 3:34 - Traditional Arrangement by Taylor Swift 5. Christmas Must Be Something More - 3:55 - Taylor Swift 6. White Christmas - 2:34 - Irving Berlin A great holiday gift to get a Taylor Swift fan!!!

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This product is the Target Exclusive version of Fearless Platinum Edition with the bonus DVD tracks of the Clear Channel Stripped Performances of Untouchable & Fearless. Other then that it's the same as the the regular Fearless Platinum Edition.

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This product is the Wal-Mart Exclusive version of Fearless Platinum Edition with the bonus DVD tracks of the V-Fest UK: Live Performance of Love Story & You Belong With Me. Other then that it's the same as the the regular Fearless Platinum Edition.

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After searching book stores I was so thrilled to find this product. It met all expectations to fulfil a special family moment.

I've been a fan of Michael Jackson for several years. Over the years, there have been a lot of posters available (official and unofficial) but never one this amazing. This poster really is the ultimate HUGE Michael Jackson poster! First of all, the quality is BRILLIANT! The color is especially awesome! The red on Michael's shirt will make it look like he is performing live on your wall! The gold "Thriller" writing covering the "25" logo looks awesome. It really feels like you have a piece of Thriller history with this poster! The pose also looks awesome! Michael is doing a classic pose from the "Bad" tour! Everything from the pose, to the outfit Michael is wearing, is the essential Michael Jackson style... ready for your wall! With this poster it puts Michael in all his glory on your wall! Wow! The last thing worth mentioning is how HUGE this poster is! It is 24" by 36" and DAMN! It is HUGE! This poster is a MUST HAVE for the King of Pop fans! Everything about this poster is done RIGHT. How do I know all this? It is hanging on my wall and I can testify to all of this! Plus, with the cheap price Amazon offers it for...there is no reason any Michael fan should be without it!

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The original dvd of Michael's Billie Jean performance on The Motown 25 Anniversary show is included. This has never been released by Motown, so it was impossible to get it. This is a collector's item.

I loved the original and I love the 25th anniversary edition. There will never be another like Michael!

For the price...this offer cannot be beat. A dvd with Thriller, Billie Jean and others is a video treasure. The cd has been engineered to capture great audio. One purchase I'm sure you will enjoy.

The recent death of Michael Jackson has caused me to revisit his music. Thriller was certainly his hallmark album, and that is saying a lot since he had so much great material over his lifetime. Every song on Thriller is a hit. It's arguably the very best album made. This is a very nice edition with the DVD bonus being a nice touch. New tracks are ok, not as good as the originals, but a good indication of how this material still sounds as great today as it did when it was released.

My 6 year year is in love with Michael Jackson and I bought him the CD for Christmas and he listens to it all the time

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I like him ! because he was the talented star which he proved to the world as well as if you deeply review his all songs so there is no doubt that he was the inventor of the modern music and now millions of yougester groups all over the world are the base of his initial invention in music and dance. It was the time as I remember that everybody was crazy about his break dance form Hollywood to Bollywood. I recommend to read : Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture--The Music! The Man! The Legend! The Interviews: An AnthologyPeople Tribute: Remembering Michael 1958-2009Michael Jackson: A Visual Documentary The Official Tribute Edition (Omnibus Press)Michael Jackson Vault: A Tribute to the King of Pop 1958-2009Acoustic Guitar Tribute to Michael JacksonI'll Be There: A Smooth Jazz Tribute to MichaelThe Essential Tribute to: Michael Jackson

I grew up with Michael Jackson's music. Everyone has their own oddities, it doesn't mean they are not artists, actors, singers, dancers, song writers, creators, inventors, choreographers, fathers, brothers, sons, humans. This movie and corresponding cd shows MJ's humble side and undeniable non-reproducable talent. Buy the CD, enjoy his legacy, accept others as you would like to be accepted. See the movie if you get a chance.

Hello. Fancy killing 30 minutes? Why not pop online and watch some of the gazillion videos making fun of Michael Jackson. You know, the SNL skits, the baroom-boom-tish punchlines of a thousand stand-up comedians, the parody video's.. then you could read the hundreds of articles, tabloid rumours, journalist's jokes and.. what's that? They're not there anymore? And all that's left are the same people making misty eyed statements about how he was a legend, an icon, thebestforeverandeveramen? That's odd. What happened to change everything? That's right - he died. Because for years now - YEARS - Michael Jackson has not been seen as one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever seen, has not been known as a universe away from the X Factor spun grinning fools that pass off as "pop stars" nowadays. Michael Jackson was a joke. Whether it was his plastic surgery, his silly voice, the whole kiddy-fiddling scandal.. think the Bo Selecta Michael Jackson character. Think Eminem's pointless, unfunny "Lose It" video that was basically a toothless attack on MJ. Think The Simpson's ("it's just something they made up to scare kids, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson"). As much as the glassy-eyed weirdo fans will deny it - Michael Jackson's musical career had long since departed. He wasn't, as some people will try to insist now, in the peak of his career. He wasn't going to make some monster comeback. You don't even need to look for clues in the "This is It" title. MJ said it himself - this was it for him. One last big series of shows and then retirement. He may have had the mental capacity of a 10 year old boy, but MJ knew when his number was up. And you'd have to be a considerable zealot to argue otherwise. His last real album, Invincible, was released in 2001, and it was slated by the media and pretty much tanked everywhere. So what the hell had MJ been doing for 8 years until now? Certainly not releasing new songs, that's for sure. His record company were perfectly happy to keep churning out the same Greatest Hits over and over again. Check this out, and bear in mind HIStory from 1995 was already a pretty much definitive Greatest Hits album. 2003 - Number Ones. A Michael Jackson Best of. 2004 - The Ultimate Collection. A Michael Jackson Best of. 2005 - The Essential Collection. A Michael Jackson Best of. 2006 - Visionary: The Video Collection. A Mic.. do I need to keep writing this bit? 2008 - Thriller: 25 Years. The Thriller album with new cover versions. Also inducted in Amazon's Room 101 by The Curmudgeon. 2008 - King of Pop. A, yup, Michael Jackson Best of. 2009 - The Collection. All four Michael Jackson albums released in a box. 2009 - Hello World. A Michael Jackson Best of from his Motown years. 2009 - Stripped Remixes - The Motown Years, Stripped. I have no idea what that means. 2009 - The Definitive Collection. A Michael Jackzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. And not forgetting the fact they re-released every MJ single, one a week, in 2008. And let's not forget that Blood on the Dancefloor was a Hits - Remixed album too. Starting to see a pattern, or have your eyes started to cross inside your head reading all that? So, with the no doubt tragic death of Michael Jackson behind us, are you ready? Really ready? Really, really, REALLY ready? Because we've got This Is It - another best of! Tell you what, I'm SO glad I'm not some die-hard Michael fan; I would be heartily sick of buying "Beat It" by now. But, of course, the real star in this millionth re-release is, get this - the NEW song. That's right, there is actually another Michael Jackson song in existence that hasn't been re-released. And get this - you can't buy it as a single! No, on Amazon or iTunes, if you want that new song, dedicated, grieving fans, you're going to have to stump up and buy the entire album once again to go with your legion of other MJ Essential, Visionary, Ultimate, Definitive, Optimus Prime best of's. Interesting you can buy all the other tracks individually, just not that one. Yeah, can't think why that would be. So, unbelievably cynical and greedy record company manipulation aside, what of that brand new (cough, years old out-take, cough) song? Because when you think MJ singles, you think some of the very best pop hits since the dawn of man. Beat It, Billy Jean, Thriller, Smooth Criminal, Bad, Black or White.. how does "This Is It" compare? Warning bells always clang when it's a slow MJ song (let's face it, 9 times out of 10 they're usually awful), and this is easily the worst. Yes, even worse than "Cry." A limp, ho-hum ballad that was obviously (and deservedly) left on the cutting room floor many moons ago was NOT the last gasp of Michael Jackson we wanted to hear. And yet, the fans who have stood by and cherished MJ all these years will have to pay for a full album of songs they've owned a hundred times just to hear it. Hell, even if the new song was as good as Thriller that would still be an awfully bitter pill to swallow. The fact it's easily his worst ever "single", if you can even call it that, turns that same bitter pill into a hockey puck. Guys, by all means celebrate the work of Michael Jackson. Throw your hat to the floor, try and Moonwalk, grab your crotch, saw "owww" - all that. Certainly buy Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad and HIStory (even Dangerous if you want). Leave the cluttering, grasping Best of's and this pointless, needlessly exploitive cash-in on the shelf gathering dust. Remember him that way.

Reviews

The first record Michael ever released is considered by many to be the best before he went solo. Most later fans don't know about. It's call Big Boy, it's pre-Motown, and you must look for the mp3 or iTune that has Gordon Keith's name on the cover. That is the real McCoy because there are a lot of bootlegs out there. Collectors can look for the 45 on Steeltown Records. Great song, especially now.

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What a great glimpse into the life of a man no one knew but everyone talked about. He was an extraordinary person and it is shown plain as day here by his friends and associates. RIP, MJ.

I really enjoyed this DVD. I didn't get a chance to see it when it was on the big screen and that's why I purchased it. I especially liked the added features. One was about the costumes that had been made for him to wear. That really brought it home for me. My husband wasn't going to watch it but got sucked in and enjoyed it just as much,if not more, than I did! He really enjoyed the music. I found it interesting that they had all of the footage that they did.

Well, I'm giving it 5 stars because I am such a fan. This is actually a video about the making of the concert that did not happen. It does let you in on some of the pressures and the intense detail work involved in staging such efforts. It is not a video of a concert, and you should not expect to see a concert presented.

This was yet another great purchase through Amazon. The item received was as advertised, and arrived in a timely fashion.

I am a huge Michael Jackson fan, so his death has had quite an effect on me. It is as if a my childhood was officially buried with him. I was torn about going to see This Is It in the theatre. I felt as if it was too soon and all about money, not quite the tribute Michael deserved. After all with all the tours Michael Jackson went on he never released a substantial amount of behind the scenes footage. I think he always liked to keep the illusion alive. Anyway I gave in to my own curiousity and I must say I was mixed with emotion. It was fascinating to see how much of a perfectionist he was and what dedication went into his perfomances. At the same time it saddened me that this really was it. I would never have the priviledge again, to see him in his element, on stage. I hold onto those great memories I have of seeing him on the Bad Tour and with the Jackson Five in the seventies. This is It, is a must have for everyone that has been touched by Michael Jackson's music. Even if you are not familiar with him, or were not fortunate enough to see him live, this is a dvd you should add to your collection.

Reviews

What a great glimpse into the life of a man no one knew but everyone talked about. He was an extraordinary person and it is shown plain as day here by his friends and associates. RIP, MJ.

I really enjoyed this DVD. I didn't get a chance to see it when it was on the big screen and that's why I purchased it. I especially liked the added features. One was about the costumes that had been made for him to wear. That really brought it home for me. My husband wasn't going to watch it but got sucked in and enjoyed it just as much,if not more, than I did! He really enjoyed the music. I found it interesting that they had all of the footage that they did.

Well, I'm giving it 5 stars because I am such a fan. This is actually a video about the making of the concert that did not happen. It does let you in on some of the pressures and the intense detail work involved in staging such efforts. It is not a video of a concert, and you should not expect to see a concert presented.

This was yet another great purchase through Amazon. The item received was as advertised, and arrived in a timely fashion.

I am a huge Michael Jackson fan, so his death has had quite an effect on me. It is as if a my childhood was officially buried with him. I was torn about going to see This Is It in the theatre. I felt as if it was too soon and all about money, not quite the tribute Michael deserved. After all with all the tours Michael Jackson went on he never released a substantial amount of behind the scenes footage. I think he always liked to keep the illusion alive. Anyway I gave in to my own curiousity and I must say I was mixed with emotion. It was fascinating to see how much of a perfectionist he was and what dedication went into his perfomances. At the same time it saddened me that this really was it. I would never have the priviledge again, to see him in his element, on stage. I hold onto those great memories I have of seeing him on the Bad Tour and with the Jackson Five in the seventies. This is It, is a must have for everyone that has been touched by Michael Jackson's music. Even if you are not familiar with him, or were not fortunate enough to see him live, this is a dvd you should add to your collection.

Reviews

What a great glimpse into the life of a man no one knew but everyone talked about. He was an extraordinary person and it is shown plain as day here by his friends and associates. RIP, MJ.

I really enjoyed this DVD. I didn't get a chance to see it when it was on the big screen and that's why I purchased it. I especially liked the added features. One was about the costumes that had been made for him to wear. That really brought it home for me. My husband wasn't going to watch it but got sucked in and enjoyed it just as much,if not more, than I did! He really enjoyed the music. I found it interesting that they had all of the footage that they did.

Well, I'm giving it 5 stars because I am such a fan. This is actually a video about the making of the concert that did not happen. It does let you in on some of the pressures and the intense detail work involved in staging such efforts. It is not a video of a concert, and you should not expect to see a concert presented.

This was yet another great purchase through Amazon. The item received was as advertised, and arrived in a timely fashion.

I am a huge Michael Jackson fan, so his death has had quite an effect on me. It is as if a my childhood was officially buried with him. I was torn about going to see This Is It in the theatre. I felt as if it was too soon and all about money, not quite the tribute Michael deserved. After all with all the tours Michael Jackson went on he never released a substantial amount of behind the scenes footage. I think he always liked to keep the illusion alive. Anyway I gave in to my own curiousity and I must say I was mixed with emotion. It was fascinating to see how much of a perfectionist he was and what dedication went into his perfomances. At the same time it saddened me that this really was it. I would never have the priviledge again, to see him in his element, on stage. I hold onto those great memories I have of seeing him on the Bad Tour and with the Jackson Five in the seventies. This is It, is a must have for everyone that has been touched by Michael Jackson's music. Even if you are not familiar with him, or were not fortunate enough to see him live, this is a dvd you should add to your collection.