Some guy named Jason Malachi apparently posted on his Facebook page that he sang the vocals on four tracks on Michael Jackson’s recently released Michael album.  Shortly after that status update was posted, Malachi turned around and said that he was “the victim of internet fraud” and that someone posted a fake page in his name and then made those comments. I don’t know,  folks. I still have a weird taste in my mouth regarding Michael’s vocals on several songs-especially “Breaking News”. Of course, letting the cat out of the bag (if there is a cat to be let out of the bag) would open up a HUGE can of worms (and probably open Sony Music up to lawsuits), so I guess we’ll just have to take everyone at their word and believe that those vocals are indeed Michael’s. However, I still wonder…and I also wonder if the public’s concerns about the validity of Michael’s vocals have contributed to the album’s so-so sales.

Someone who runs a pop culture blog should probably be a little bit more “up” on the television and movie scene, but my generally fidgety nature (plus the fact that I’m cheap) prevents me from enjoying movies, and I’m a creature of habit when it comes to TV (with my regular watching limited to a handful of sitcoms, sports, and maybe a trashy daytime talk show or two…oh, and The First 48 and Scrubs reruns). At any rate, last night’s Golden Globe Awards lavished honors upon “The Social Network” (on the film end) and “Glee” (on the TV end). While “The Social Network” is definitely on my must-see-film list, “Glee”…well, I’ll be nice and just say that the show has no appeal to me. Aside from Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison (who would be just as appealing if he just stood there and had no lines at all), I’m not a big fan of any of the show’s actors, and I find it sort of funny that so many people who should know better go gaga over a television show that’s basically a singing version of “Saved by the Bell”. And I think I’d prefer Jessie Spano singing “I’m So Excited” after taking a bottle full of caffeine pills to the Auto-Tuned, uber-gay renditions of Top 40 hits by the “Glee” cast. In other words, “”Modern Family” (and it’s actors) got robbed.

Aretha Franklin made an appearance (via phone call) on “The Wendy Williams Show” last week to announce that she is on the mend from the mystery ailment that resulted in her hospitalization a couple of weeks ago. The Queen of Soul sounded strong and promised her fans that she will be back on tour in the spring, but not before she headed out to some of Michigan’s finer casinos for some much-needed R&R. That woman loves her home state. If it were me, I’d be headed for the first tropical island I could find, especially in the middle of winter. However, I just remembered that ‘Reefa doesn’t like to fly, so that might be why she’s decided to stay local. Despite the fact that Aretha won’t reveal exactly what her medical dilemma was (which is cool, it’s her business), it’s good to know that we’ll have the Queen with us for a while longer. Too many musical legends have been leaving us these past few years.

Finally, on MLK Day, let’s take a second and remember two of the main things that the Reverend stood for-equality and nonviolence. We may be in “post-racial America” (quotes intentional and I say that with a smirk), but we have a long way to go until we fulfill Dr. King’s dream in that regard. There’s lots of white folks out there who now traffic in a passive-aggressive brand of racism, and there’s just as many black folks out there who willfully ignore the opportunities people like Dr. King provided for us and either preach separatism or act like complete idiots. We should also remember that violence never did anything for anyone but foster even more violence. I think the recent massacre in Tucson underscores that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FchMuPQOBwA