Michael Jackson Locations – Page 3

June 27, 2009April 20, 2010

Michael Jackson’s Walk of Fame Star

Still saddened by the sudden death of Michael Jackson, early yesterday afternoon I decided to pay my respects to the legendary pop star by visiting his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I thought I would post the pictures I took while there for those of you who do not live in the L.A. area and cannot visit the star yourselves.

I honestly don’t think Los Angeles has ever seen the likes of anything comparable to this in its entire history. I had absolutely no idea what I was in store for when I set out for Hollywood yesterday. Hundreds upon hundreds of fans showed up to visit the pop legend’s star and to drop off flowers and personal mementos. When I arrived at around 12:30 p.m., Michael’s star had already been cordoned off by the many policemen on duty and there were about two hundred people waiting in line to see it. Pictured above is the haphazard line that the crowd had formed in order to view Michael’s star. I don’t think the police had expected such a large turnout because they all seemed to be milling around trying to maintain crowd control, but largely unsure of what to do. Trying to cordon off hundreds of people into some sort of functioning line in the middle of Hollywoods’ busiest sidewalk cannot have been an easy task and due to that fact the whole thing was slightly chaotic. Thankfully, all of the fans were very respectful and I didn’t witness any sort of problems while I was there.

A huge crowd was even forming across the street from where Michael’s star is located.

And news vans were lined up along Hollywood Boulevard as far as the eye could see. It was absolutely incredible! There were far more people and news reporters on Hollywood Boulevard yesterday than at all the premieres I have been to in the past year combined!

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which is located directly across the street from Michael’s star, even had a tribute posted on their famous Cinegrill billboard.

I only had to wait in line for about thirty minutes to see Michael’s star, but by the time I left it seemed there were more than double the amount of people in line as when I had first arrived. And I anticipate that even more people will be coming to view the star as the days progress. One gentleman I was in line with told me that his friends who live in England are flying out to Los Angeles tomorrow morning just to see the star! I couldn’t believe it. It is definitely true what they say about Michael Jackson transcending all races, ages, and cultures. People of all ages from all over the world were there yesterday to pay their respects to the pop star.

The policemen at the head of the line were letting ten people onto the sidewalk at a time to view the star. You can see above the way Michael’s star was cordoned off by the police in an effort to control the flow of the people who were there to visit it. News media crews were lined up on the other side of the partition, filming the hundreds of fans who walked past the star.

The area surrounding Michael’s star was completely covered in flowers, letters, and mementos. We were only given about ten seconds in front of the star, just barely enough time to snap a few photographs and say a quiet prayer. And although brief, it was still a comforting experience to be there. It was nice to share stories with the people in line who, like me, had grown up listening to Michael’s music and who were now all feeling the same sadness I was. It was nice to have some sort of place to go to pay my respects. It was nice to be able to say good-bye. If you were at all a fan of the pop star and live in the area, I definitely recommend going.

UPDATE:

Fellow stalker April visited Michael’s Star Saturday night and sent in the above photographs. As you can see, his star is almost completely covered over with flowers now.

Stalk It: Those wishing to pay their respects to Michael Jackson by visiting his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame can find it directly in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which is located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. The line to view the star starts at the East side of Grauman’s, near the Kodak Theatre’s Hollywood Boulevard entrance. You can see where the line is formed in the above photograph. If you are planning to visit the star in the near future, I would be prepared to wait in line for at least an hour.

June 26, 2009April 20, 2010

Rest in Peace, Michael

I was absolutely devastated to learn yesterday of the passing of music legend Michael Jackson. I had no idea his death would affect me in the way that it did, but I simply could not stop crying. Due to the sad news of his death, I didn’t feel it would be appropriate to post a regular blog entry today.

And while I do realize that Michael Jackson was hated just as much as he was loved, because I grew up long before any of the problems in his personal life had occurred, my memories of the pop star are all good ones. Simply put, Michael Jackson was a part of my childhood. Some of my fondest memories in life are of sitting in front of the television set watching and re-watching The Making of Thriller with my dad, learning the steps to the Thriller dance with my adolescent friends, and, of course, stalking the many locations from Michael’s iconic music videos. As John Mayer said after the news was announced “I think we’ll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves as children listening to Thriller on the record player.” Whatever Michael Jackson did or did not do in his personal life, no one can argue that the man was a musical genius, an icon, and a legend who absolutely revolutionized the music industry. I find it only fitting that Michael’s “retirement” concert tour that was scheduled to begin on July 13th will never see fruition, as his is a legend which can never be retired.

Michael, you will be missed.

For some happier reading, you can re-read my post on the recent Michael Jackson exhibit in Beverly Hills here.

April 21, 2009April 20, 2010

The Michael Jackson Exhibit by Julien’s Auctions

As I’ve mentioned once before, even though he has some major issues, darn if I don’t love me some MJ! So when one of my readers, Amanda, posted a comment this morning about the Michael Jackson Exhibit that is currently being held in Beverly Hills, I just about had a full blown panic attack right there in my own living room. HOW IN THE HECK HAD I NOT HEARD ABOUT THIS??? LOL I immediately called my dad, who also loves himself some MJ, and the two of us headed right over to Beverly Hills to check out the exhibit.

The Michael Jackson exhibit was originally slated as an auction to be hosted by Julien’s Auctions company. Michael Jackson himself hired the auction house, which specializes in entertainment memorabilia, to sell off virutally all of the contents of his now defunct Neverland Ranch. At the last minute, though, MJ changed his mind and decided to cancel the auction and buy back all of his memorabilia from Julien’s. But he did agree to go through with the scheduled exhibition of his valuables, which is open to the public now through April 25th. And I am so glad he did, as my experience there today was nothing short of incredible!!!!!

I was literally on the edge of my seat for the entire drive to Beverly Hills! And the exhibit did not fail to disappoint! The first thing you see when walking up to the exhibition area is – are you sitting down for this??? – the famed NEVERLAND RANCH GATE! I have wanted to see that gate for as long as I can remember and was so disappointed when I stalked Neverland Ranch back in 2007 and discovered that it wasn’t visible from the street. I was so floored to see that gate in person, in fact, that I couldn’t imagine there’d be anything inside the exhibit hall that could top it! But, boy, was I wrong! The Neverland gate was just the beginning! 🙂

In a very lucky twist of fate, after asking a security guard a question upon entering the exhibit, I was referred to a man named Michael Doyle. Well, it turns out that Michael is the administrator of the entire exhibit and a SUPER nice guy. After I told him a bit about my blog, he ended up taking me on my own mini private tour of the exhibit!!!!! Unbelievable!!!!! 🙂 According to Doyle, the 30,000 square foot, 1,400 lot exhibit took over nine months to coordinate. The removal of the items from Neverland Ranch alone took ninety days! Doyle was at the ranch during that entire ninety day period and got to see up close and personal how the King of Pop lived. What an experience! When I told Doyle that I had actually been to Neverland Ranch, he said “Oh, you were invited there?” LOL I had to clarify and tell him that no, I had not been invited to Neverland Ranch, but had stalked the outside of it for my blog. LOL LOL LOL While I was speaking with Doyle, he got a call that Sharon Osbourne would be touring the exhibit later that day. I guess even celebs are fascinated with the King of Pop. 🙂

The entire exhibit, which feels very much like a museum, is set up in such a way that visitors feel as if they are actually stepping inside of the real Neverland Ranch. Before arriving, I was nervous that cameras would not be allowed, as I knew that I’d want to take pictures of EVERYTHING. Well, I really needn’t have worried, as cameras are not only allowed, but encouraged!!! The ultra-friendly security guards and docents kept telling us to be sure to take a lot of photographs. And my dad and I sure complied!! The two of us took over 200 pictures while there! Obviously I can’t post all 200 pictures here, as this post would be never-ending. So, I had to choose a few of my favorites. 🙂

On display are numerous costumes that the King of Pop wore during performances. Seeing them in person I could not believe how tiny MJ is! According to one of the docents, he has a 28 inch waist! I took the above photograph for comparison – now, I am a small girl (a size 2 usually) and look how much smaller Michael is than me! He’s like half my size!!!

Michael had 114 arcade games at Neverland Ranch, all of which are in working order and on display at the exhibit. Apparently, when the auction was still set to happen, the arcade games were garnering the most attention. Not from Michael Jackson fans, though, but video game enthusiasts. 🙂

On display were both a personal letter from then-president Ronald Regan offering his condolences after the pop star’s accident while filming a Pepsi commercial,

and the original contract MJ signed with the William Morris Agency on May 21, 1970. As an actress, seeing his agency contract absolutely fascinated me!

Numerous awards were also on display, including a fairly banged up American Video Award for “Beat It” from 1983.

Countless Disney items were featured, most of them presented to the pop star from Disney themselves, including several animatronic window displays which were located at the entrance to Neverland’s movie theatre.

Also on display was a huge collection of the singer’s blinged out clothes;

and sparkly gloves;

including THE glove;

his wax figure from Madame Tussauds in London;

his household furniture, including China, silverware, and glasses;

hundreds upon hundreds of statuaries;

a huge collection of cars, including three limousines, a Neverland Ranch firetruck, and several mini-cars that look like they might have once been part of a Disneyland ride;

and his tour bus complete with a ginormous plasma TV and a huge marble bathroom with a bidet.

But my absolute favorite part of the exhibit was the large stage set up in the main room that featured a huge movie screen that played the Michael Jackson: Live In Bucharest DVD on loop. It was amazing to be walking around what basically amounts to a replica of Neverland Ranch while listening to music from the pop star himself. My dad pretty much stood mesmerized watching that DVD for a good 45 minutes. 🙂

And, of course, I just had to do the Thriller dance. 🙂

I cannot recommend stalking the Michael Jackson exhibit enough!! If you are at all a fan of the pop star, or are enthralled with celebrity in general, you MUST stalk the exhibit. It was an AMAZING experience for me – a once in a lifetime, really – and I can’t even believe I got to see it all with my own two eyes. BIG THANK YOU to Amanda for letting me know about the auction!!!!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: You can visit the Michael Jackson Exhibit by Julien’s Auctions through this Saturday, April 25th in the old Robinsons-May building, which is located at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, directly next door to the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $20 per person. Parking is $10. I’d allow yourself a minimum of two hours to see the exhibit. Ladies, if you carry expensive purses, I suggest you leave them at home as you will have to check all bags at the door. Cameras, however, are welcomed and encouraged! 🙂 You can visit the Michael Jackson Exhibit website, where you can watch videos about the exhibition and browse through the five auction catalogs, here.

October 30, 2008September 29, 2017

Michael Jackson’s Thriller Zombie Dance Location

Last week, while cyber-stalking the theatre used in Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I read that the final dance sequence in the video was filmed on a street in Los Angeles named Union Pacific Avenue. So, of course, I immediately called up Mike from MovieShotsLA to let him know. Unfortunately, Union Pacific Avenue is a very long street and the two of us had no idea where the exact spot was that Thriller was filmed. But, as usual, Mike worked his magic and within about ten minutes he had found it! He is so my hero!! So, with only two days left to go of my Haunted Hollywood theme, this morning I dragged my dad out to Union Pacific Avenue to do some Thriller stalking.

I was EXTREMELY excited to see that the street looks EXACTLY the same today as it did back in 1983 when Thriller was filmed! The wall that MJ and his fellow zombies dance in front of is still standing and looks just the same as it did in the Thriller days. In fact it was that wall that Mike used to figure out the location of the filming. Using Google Maps Street View, he went up and down Union Pacific Avenue on his computer looking for the wall, hoping it was still standing. And it was! I am absolutely amazed (and thrilled!) that the wall is still there for us stalkers to appreaciate all these years later.

It also looks like the very same company that inhabited the building where the dance sequence took place twenty five years ago, is still, in fact, stationed there. As you can see in the above screen captures, the company signage is still in the exact same spot and looks pretty much identical to how it did in the video. 🙂 I can’t tell you how excited I was to be standing in the exact spot where MJ danced twenty-five years ago! There were a few workers standing around eating breakfast at a food truck while my dad and I were taking pictures and they thought we were absolutely crazy! They were looking at me while I was doing my Thriller poses as if I was stark raving mad. LOL Love it!

Had to do it! 🙂

You can watch the Thriller video here. On a side note, this year is the 25th Anniversary of Thriller and Michael Jackson released a 25th Anniversary Special Edition Album for the occasion. How did I not know about this???? I mean Thriller is my favorite album of all time! The Anniversary Edition contains seven bonus tracks with special guest artists including Fergie and Kanye West, a promotional booklet, and a DVD of music videos including Michael Jackson’s legendary “Billie Jean” performance at the Motown 25 television special.

Big THANKS as always to Mike for finding this location – just in time for Halloween, too! 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Thriller main dance sequence location can be stalked at 3701 East Union Pacific Avenue in Los Angeles, just outside the City of Commerce. The area is highly industrial and not in the safest part of town, so please exercise caution – especially if you visit it at night.

October 22, 2008September 29, 2017

The Thriller Movie Theatre

Michael Jackson’s Thriller is, in my humble opinion, the best music video ever created. And ever since seeing the Thriller dance scene from 13 Going On 30 (which has to be one of my favorite movie scenes of all time) I have loved nothing more than to bust out the Thriller dance at parties! 🙂 I so want to someday do the Thriller Dance at my wedding, but unfortunately I know there is NO way in hell my boyfriend would agree to that! But since my dad did volunteer to play the Michael Jackson role if I do decide to “rock my reception”, there’s still hope. 🙂 I’m pretty sure he’d even wear the red jacket. 🙂

So when I found out that the movie theater used in Thriller is located in Downtown Los Angeles, I just had to drag my dad out to stalk it. The theatre is named the Palace and it was designed by G. Albert Landsburgh in 1911 for the Orpheum Vaudeville Circuit company. The theater was originally named “The Orpheum”, but when a new, and larger, Orpheum theater was built on the same street in 1926, the original Orpheum’s name was changed to the Palace. The Palace is the oldest remaining Orpheum theater still standing in the United States. Numerous celebrities have performed at the Palace in the past, including Harry Houdini, Bob Hope, the Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, and Will Rogers. After the decline of Vaudeville, the Palace was turned into a regular movie theater showing first run features. Sadly, though, the theater closed down in the mid 1990’s and is currently only used for special events and as a filming location. Besides Thriller, the Palace Theater was also used in the movie Dreamgirls. And, in an interesting bit of trivia, while the Palace was used for all of the exterior theatre scenes in Thriller, the interior scenes were actually filmed at the Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena.

I could not have been more excited to see this location in person, especially during the Halloween season. And, of course, I just had to bust out a little bit of the Thriller dance while there (which my dad captured in one of the above photos). The people standing outside the theater thought I was absolutely crazy, but that’s just because they didn’t realize that they were in the midst of a landmark filming location! How great would it be to rent this place out for a huge Halloween party – or a wedding reception! 🙂 Maybe someday!

You can watch the entire Thriller video here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: The Palace Theatre is located at 630 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles.

November 21, 2007April 20, 2010

Never Never Land

Now, even though he has some issues – I do love me some MJ. So I was quite distressed to find out last weekend that MJ’s ranch, Neverland, is in a state of disarray and might be sold and torn down. I just happened to be spending a couple of days in Santa Barbara, so I figured I better go check the place out while I still had the chance. I dragged my poor boyfriend 45 miles north of SB to Santa Ynez to stalk at the famed gates of Neverland Ranch.

Even though it wasn’t the greatest stalking location and there wasn’t much to see – I was still pretty excited to be able to do the Thriller dance right on MJ’s property! 🙂

I thought for sure I’d get to see at least the very tip top of one of the roller coasters, or maybe the roof of the mansion, or at the very minimum the famous golden gates with “Neverland” written across them that the media always shows on newscasts about the pop star. Unfortunately, none of that can be seen from the street. All that is viewable to the public from Figueroa Mountain Road is a guard house and a simple wooden gate.

The guard house does look like it is straight out of Fantasyland, though – exactly like Snow White’s Castle, but with a Direct TV dish on the roof!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Neverland Ranch is located at 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road in Los Olivos, CA. It is waaaaaaaay out there in the middle of nowhere and I wouldn’t recommend driving all that way just to see a Disney-esque guard shack. I would suggest instead doing your stalking from home on this one- armed with your laptop and live local search – you get to see a lot more that way!