Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 186
August 27, 2020
Moonwalk Your Way Into the Unbelievable Life Of Michael Jackson
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
In this day and age, it’s hard to keep up with all of the popular dance trends. But, there is one dance out there that just about everyone knows—Thriller, of course. Though, we can’t forget about the many other iconic Michael Jackson dance moves: the pelvic thrust, smooth slides and spins, the toe stand, and the one and only, moonwalk. And, honestly, how many of us haven’t tried his 45-degree angle tilt from Smooth Criminal? Michael’s life was full of a wide range of successes starting from his early years, as a member of the Jackson 5 with his brothers, to all he has done to shape the music and dance industry we know today.
Now that we know all the unbelievable feats surrounding the King of Rock and The Queen of Country, why not follow suit with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson! Let’s moonwalk our way into the unbelievable life of this thrilling music sensation.
It was Michael Jackson’s dream to play Spider-Man.
In 1996, when Marvel Comics filed for bankruptcy, Michael tried to buy the company in collaboration with Stan Lee, hoping that he could play his dream role of Spider-Man in the original movie. However, his attempt was shut down, and Marvel went with Tobey Maguire instead.
But, this rejection didn’t stop Michael. He refused to let go of his dream of becoming a superhero. So when the X-Men movie franchise was announced, he lobbied for the role of Charles Xavier, or Professor X. Despite his valiant efforts, producers cast Patrick Stewart.
Michael Jackson held a United States patent for the boots in Smooth Criminal.
According to CNN, the boots worn in the Smooth Criminal music video were actually patented by Michael on October 26, 1993. The shoes “have a specially designed heel slot which can be detachably engaged” with a “hitch” (such as a nail) projected through the stage surface “by simply sliding the shoe wearer’s foot forward, thereby engaging with the hitch member,” according to the US Patent Office description.
Even with the special shoes, the mystery of Michael’s 45-degree lean still remains somewhat of a mystery to the world. According to NPR, three neurosurgeons (and admitted Michael Jackson fans) from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India—Nishant S. Yagnick, Manjul Tripathi, and Sandeep Mohindra—have revisited how the King of Pop achieved this nearly impossible feat. Aside from the development of core muscles, abdominals, and central trunk muscle, intensive practice is required for anyone willing to repeatedly faceplant in the hopes of recreating this move.
Michael Jackson’s autobiography, Moon Walk was edited by former first lady, Jackie O.
Careful not to detract from her responsibilities as the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy was careful in her role as an editor and, more often than not, was against having her name published in any book she worked on. However, when it came to persuading Michael Jackson for a hand in his new book, she bent the rules quite a bit. Jackie traveled to his California home to pay him a $300,000 cash advance for the rights to his story, and she even promised to write the book’s introduction. Michael liked the idea of having a famous editor work on his book, so he accepted the deal. The book was later released in 1988.
Following Michael’s death, his literary agent received many emails asking if the book would be republished. His attorney agreed to have it reissued by Random House with a printing of 100,000 copies and a new introduction by an unidentified friend of Michael’s.
The jacket Michael wore in his Thriller music video sold at auction for nearly $2 million.
At a whopping $1.8 million, Jackson’s Thriller jacket was auctioned off to Milton Verret, a commodities trader from Austin, Texas, back in 2011. One of two jackets worn in the video, Jackson sports the black and red calfskin coat in a scene with a troupe of zombies, rising from their graves to break into a dance routine. Following his purchase, Verret said the jacket would be sent on tour and used as a fundraising tool for children’s charities. Additionally, a portion of the sale price went to Shambala Preserve, a big cat sanctuary that is caring for two tigers Michael once owned.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller jacket sold at auction for $1.8 million || CC: Julien’s Auctions
However, this $1.8 million beauty and its brother aren’t the only Jackson jackets floating around. Two of Michael’s longtime collaborators, Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush, used the original 1983 jacket to design additional versions for Michael to wear at his concerts. But, they weren’t the only ones with dupes in the works. After Jackson’s death, his brothers launched the J5 collection with 1,000 signed collector’s edition replicas of the Thriller and Beat It jackets in Jackson’s size. Needless to say, there are still quite a few of these pieces floating around out there.
Michael Jackson wore wigs for nearly 30 years.
During the filming of a 1984 Pepsi advertisement, Michael’s hair accidentally caught fire when a scheduled explosion fired too early on the set. This mishap resulted in second and third-degree burns to his face and scalp. And while many might remember this unfortunate incident, it’s a little known fact that Michael actually wore wigs from 1984 onward to cover for the loss of his hair. Following his official autopsy, it was also revealed that Michael even had his hairline permanently tattooed onto his head in order to blend his many wigs with his forehead. Little did he know that wearing wigs and hats would later become part of his iconic signature look.
Michael Jackson changed MTV.
After being released on January 2, 1983, Billy Jean topped the Billboard 100 chart for 7 weeks straight. As a result, it ended up on MTV as the first video by a black artist, receiving heavy rotation on the network. Michael’s hit song paved the way for MTV to become more diverse and inclusive in audiences and genres.
Billie Jean was written about Michael’s obsessive groupies.
In an interview with MTV, Michael was when asked about the inspiration behind his 1983 hit single.
He said, “There is a girl named Billie Jean, but it’s not about that Billie Jean. Billie Jean is kind of anonymous. It represents a lot of girls. They used to call them groupies in the ’60s. They would hang around backstage doors, and any band that would come to town they would have a relationship with, and I think I wrote this out of experience with my brothers when I was little. There were a lot of Billie Jeans out there. Every girl claimed that their son was related to one of my brothers.”
Michael Jackson’s musical achievements are unmatched.
Aside from all other strides he made in the music industry, Michael was the first artist to win eight Grammys in one night. In total, he was nominated for 38 Grammy awards–13 of which he won. Michael also received the Grammy Legend Award in 1993 and was honored with the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
In November of 1982, Thriller was released and was quickly certified platinum the following January. That album, and the song, Billie Jean, made him the first artist to reach a number one spot for pop single, pop album, R&B single, and R&B album, simultaneously.
Forbes ranks Michael Jackson as No. 1 on its annual list of top-earning dead celebrities.
Though Michael Jackson passed away in June of 2009, he still rakes in some serious dough from beyond the grave. From October 2018 to October 2019, Michael made an estimated $60 million in earnings. In the year following his death, his estate earned one billion dollars in revenue, and in the five years after he passed, Jackson himself earned over $700 million.
And while we would all love to know what other musical tricks Michael had up his sleeve, we will just have to settle for Billie Jean on repeat and channeling our inner Thriller this fall season.
By Michela Pantano, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
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Source: Moonwalk Your Way Into the Unbelievable Life Of Michael Jackson
August 26, 2020
August 25, 2020
Mask Up, Hollywood! Our Dino Is Rockin’ A New Accessory
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Taken a drive down Hollywood Boulevard recently? You may have noticed our dinosaur rocking his massive PPE and boasting a punny “Rawrsh your hands!” sign. As much as he loved his plain-and-simple safety gear, Miss Monster felt our T-rex needed an upgrade. FOX’s The Masked Singer icon has been appearing all over Los Angeles, and she brought gifts.
The Masked Singer, a reality singing competition television series, is nominated for an Emmy this year in the Outstanding Competition Program category. The show became a fast hit and a cornerstone of FOX’s television schedule in just three seasons. Miss Monster, in fact, was a character on Season 3 of The Masked Singer—later revealed to be worn by music icon, Chaka Khan.
As of August 20th, you can catch our T-rex in his Masked Singer garb, social distancing appropriately atop the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Hollywood Odditorium. Two other iconic Hollywood stops have also joined in on the fun—Randy’s Donuts and The Santa Monica Pier. If you haven’t done a drive-by to these Instagram-worthy photo stops, be sure to make your rounds before these icons unmask on August 31st.
Photo courtesy of FOX
This is one larger-than-life, pandemic-proof opportunity you don’t want to miss (because where else can you find a dinosaur, an octopus, and a donut wearing a massive face covering?) Mask up, H’Wood!
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
Source: Mask Up, Hollywood! Our Dino Is Rockin’ A New Accessory
The Early Farming Roots Of Hollywood
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
From the outside looking in, it’s easy to get caught up in all the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. The movie industry is a force of nature, after all, and the stars it produces are nothing less than idolized. Bank balances and egos are always running high among the A-listers, but things in Tinsel Town aren’t always as glamorous as they may seem.
The stranger-than-fiction tales surrounding the making of The Omen and the 1920s movie legend Rudolph Valentino and his cursed ring both boast some unusual cinematic stories, but let’s take a walk with the stars to the homeland of Hollywood itself. Before the glitz and glam, this rural small town was home to nothing but farmland.
The Unlikely Home Of The Movie Industry
Before Hollywood became synonymous with the movie industry, New Jersey’s Fort Lee was at the center of the action. Patents held by Thomas Edison gave him a monopoly over the emerging business, and to tighten his grip further, he introduced the Motion Picture Patents Company in 1908.
Showing and creating films became a seemingly impossible task without paying “The Edison Trust,” which was very quick to enforce its control through lawsuits—not to mention underhanded schemes, too. It’s said that 20th Century Fox founder, William Fox, had his license taken away after the Trust convinced a company to show Fox’s movies in a brothel (simply to give them an excuse to ban him).
The Move To Hollywood
And so the area around Los Angeles became the chosen destination for many filmmakers to set up shop and work on their productions. Not only was the land cheap in this beautiful, quiet area, but the varied terrain was particularly helpful when it came to filming. Most crucially, though, these independent studios had time to escape to Mexico if the Motion Picture Patents Company were to come knocking.
It was the Biograph Company who made the first movie in Hollywood, In Old California. When its creators spoke highly of the area, others followed suit, leading to the establishment of Al Christie’s Sunset Boulevard/Gower Street motion picture studio in 1911. It wasn’t glamorous, but that was to be expected at the time. After all, Carl Laemmle’s Universal City Studios was constructed on the site of an old farm because Hollywood refused to sell him land.
Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall, Arthur Johnson in “In Old California” 1910
Around this time, Hollywood had a population of only around 500 people (compared to Los Angeles’ 100,000), so it stands to reason that the city was opposed to the dreams of movie makers. For the farmers who lived and worked here, the movies were considered to be little more than a passing fad or a distraction, and as a result, Hollywood locals greeted these would-be stars with much hostility. In fact, lodgings in the area hung signs that read “No Dogs Or Actors Allowed!”
Needless to say, however, those would-be actors went on to shape the Hollywood business forever. Pioneers like Laemmle and Charlie Chaplin’s set up shop amidst the rising turmoil. However, once the studios quickly developed a foothold, and as the money started to roll in, the naysayers changed their tune. Laemmle took the time to credit performers, and thus, huge names like Mary ‘America’s Sweetheart’ Pickford were born.
Hollywood Forever?
The iconic Hollywood sign, which originally read “Hollywoodland” to promote land in the area, didn’t have the same look we know it today. It wasn’t until 1943 that it became trademarked in its own right. The Hollywood Walk of Fame followed in 1956 and has expanded severalfold since, just as the industry itself.
The rise of television, the Internet, streaming services, the influence of the Oscars, and many more have impacted Hollywood’s growth over the decades, both positively and negatively. One thing’s for certain, though: the eye-watering sums earned by some of the world’s greatest actors and actresses reaffirm the fact that the movie industry’s long-standing history will remain for quite some time. It’s incredible to think that it all started with a lawsuit-hungry Thomas Edison and a “No Animals or Actors Allowed” sign.
By Chris Littlechild, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
August 24, 2020
August 23, 2020
August 22, 2020
August 21, 2020
Child Archer Defies The Laws Of Gravity
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This Week
[August 17-August 23, 2020] Beachy boar madness, a town coated in chocolate, and the mysterious reappearance of a missing LEGO—all round-up in this week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Beach Boar Madness
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a…wild boar charging the German coastline?
What began as a relaxing day at a German beach turned to pandemonium when a wild boar swam out of the Baltic Sea and began charging at a beachgoer in its path. Footage shared by Facebook User, Seebad Warnemunde, shows the boar running out of the sea, only to come face-to-shovel with a man prepared to fend it off. The boar took no chances and skedaddled out of there, stat!
OUT OF THE WATER! This wild boar surprised sunbathers by the Baltic Sea in Germany, storming through a crowded beach as people scatter to clear a path. https://t.co/AaCuo3KV74 pic.twitter.com/jD7c8GYnqA
— ABC News (@ABC) August 13, 2020
Can you Bahh-lieve?
It was a spooky sight in the English countryside when a tourist noticed a field of sheep standing still for hours! Rory Davis and his family were staying in a cottage in Troutbeck when he received a text from his mom at 10:00 a.m. instructing him to take a look at the sheep. It wasn’t until his girlfriend mentioned the sheep about an hour later, that he began to question their peculiarly stagnant stance. They hadn’t moved an inch! The sheep stayed in their exact locations until at least 1:00 p.m. when Davis left for the day. When he returned around 5:00 p.m., the flock had disappeared. While there’s no concrete reasoning behind this eerie occurrence, the people of the internet widely speculate that the behavior is related to weather conditions, specifically wind and rain.
It’s Raining Chocolate
Move over Willy Wonka—there’s a new favorite chocolate factory in town! Residents of Olten, Switzerland, were in for a sweet surprise after a malfunction at the Lindt & Spruengli factory coated the town in cocoa powder. A slight defect in the factory’s ventilation thrust the dust out of the factory and into the windy skies, resulting in a days-long drizzle of delicious particles of cocoa nibs. The chocolate wonderland reached the factory’s surrounding areas but had minimal impact, aside from covering a few cars. The company has offered to pay for any damages and confirmed that the chocolate is not hazardous to humans or the environment.
Kakao-Regen im Oltner Industriequartier: Lüftungsanlage ist schuld daran https://t.co/O9Iorni5Iz pic.twitter.com/3LWZCsHeE0
— Olten (@olten) August 15, 2020
Nothing to Sneeze At
It’s been two years since seven-year-old Sameer Anwar of Dunedin, New Zealand, stuck a LEGO up his nose, only for it to resurface this week while sniffing a cupcake! According to his parents, this wasn’t the first time Sameer put an object up his nose, but it was the first time they were unable to locate it right away. After shining a flashlight up his nostril with no luck, they took Sameer to a General Practitioner who said the boy might have been mistaken in thinking the object even went up his nose in the first place. The doctor told them that if the LEGO were actually in his nasal cavity, it would naturally pass through his body. The family monitored the situation, but when nothing showed up, they were confident the doctor was correct. Fast-forward to this past Tuesday when Sameer decided to take a good, hard whiff of a fresh cupcake, immediately complaining to his mom that he thought he got crumbs in his nose. Low and behold, it was the LEGO making its way out of his body! Sameer’s response? “I told you so.”
Child Archer Defies Gravity
Fire away! Five-year-old Indian archery star, P Sanjana, rapid-fired 111 arrows in just over 13 minutes while suspended upside down. After training for an entire year, the Chennai girl finally got to show off her most daring stunt yet at an event celebrating Indian Independence Day. Flipped upside down and suspended 20 feet above a wooden platform, Sanjana shot 111 arrows at a target eight meters away—that’s over 26 feet! To prepare for this feat, Sanjana trained both physically and mentally, practicing headstand yoga to adjust to the rush of blood towards her head. Sanjana has been competing in archery when she was only two-years-old, has won several awards, and has been setting records ever since.
Tamil Nadu: Sanjana, a 5-year-old girl from Chennai sets Human Ultimate World Records Inc, for shooting 111 arrows in 13 minutes & 15 seconds while being suspended in air, on #IndependenceDay.
Her coach says, “We will send credentials to Guinness Book of World Records soon.” pic.twitter.com/Lh42RSoOIn
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2020
By Meghan Yani, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
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