In honor of the upcoming Ultraman movie, Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend The Movie, several monsters from the Ultraman franchise appeared on a Japanese variety show to "audition" for parts in the movie. They showed off their most menacing dance skills for the assembled Ultramen, an impressive feat given those unwieldy-looking rubber suits.

Ultra Monsters dance to ‘Thriller' [Pink Tentacle]

Both Ain't It Cool and Disney-centric blog Mice Age are suggesting that Iger's denials were a cover-up for hurt feelings over leaks, and that there's more going on that Disney officially admit:

apparently Burbank is furious both the Star Tours and EO info leaked ahead of Jay Rasulo's planned announcements on Saturday. Meanwhile, executives at WDI and TDA continue to prep for the January opening of EO, and gab about it rather openly. The technical tests for EO this week in the closed Honey I Shrunk Theater went well, and now it's just up to Jay to either announce on Saturday or hold the news until after new year's.

Somehow, that latter option seems more likely to us... especially as it doesn't entirely contradicts Iger's Thursday statement:

It's the kind of thing that, if we did it, would get a fair amount of attention and we'd want to make sure we do it right.

Holding any announcement until next year would definitely give them more time to get it right, surely...?

It's no secret that Jackson always loved fantasy, and he turned to one of the masters of scifi/horror, John Landis, to direct his music video masterpiece Thriller. When the video hit MTV in the mid 1980s, audiences were shocked by how far Jackson went in this horror-parody. The special effects were genuinely scary, and Jackson wasn't afraid to make himself look like a real monster. Though the zombie werewolf boogie seemed like a weird idea at the time, it has become a staple of pop culture and a perennial favorite with the YouTube flash mob generation. Here you can see one of the YouTube memes the song spawned - a group of prisoners reenacted the dance sequence and made internet history.

Later, Jackson made a science fiction movie called Captain EO which aired exclusively at Disneyland. This allowed him to bring together his obsession with Disney-related fantasies and outer space. In fact, it was a perfect match. Disneyland has always been about science fiction, which is why there is an entire area of the park called Tomorrowland filled with rockets and outer space themed roller coasters.

Among the many things about Jackson that caught the public's imagination in the 1990s was the way he turned his body into a kind of science fiction story. He became an enhanced human, using plastic surgery and pharmaceuticals to change his face and seemingly his race as well. He became whiter than most white people, and his pale bandaged skin became his trademark.

Jackson was a post-human celebrity, and nowhere was this more obvious than in his video "Black or White" (also directed by Landis). Once again, Jackson turned to one of the greatest minds in science fiction to help with the video. He used the morphing software used by James Cameron for The Abyss and Terminator 2 to create a memorable and oft-copied scene where dozens of people's faces morph into each other, streaming through different racial identities, ages, and genders with an uncanny ease.

In the years since that time, Jackson went from being a science fictional figure to a scandal-plagued mystery. It seemed that his body was still morphing, and every time he made a public appearance people tried to figure out what new enhancements he'd gotten. He made the scifi-themed video "Scream" with his sister Janet, filled with weird anime characters and hints that Janet was as alien as Michael was.

Recently, he immigrated to Dubai, possibly the most science fictional city in the world right now. There he was apparently helping to design a theme park, which seems fitting for someone whose identity has always been so closely linked with fantasy.

No matter what you think about Michael Jackson the man, Michael Jackson the legend has transformed the way we think about identity. He injected pop culture with the future, and showed us what happens (good and bad) when you have the means to make fantasies real.

This is the answer to the Broadway's financial crisis: more Michael Jackson. And I'm for it — you can't put a price on this ticket that I wouldn't pay. According to the Chicago Tribune, The Nederlander Organization (large Chicagoan theater producers) have bought the musical rights to MJ's Thriller. Which means more money for penny-pinching MJ, even if they're just purchasing the title track. But as of right now, there's little news, and no creative team for us to pester with these important questions.

But MJ isn't completely removed from the project. According to The Observer the old Pop King, "will be personally and fully involved in the creation of the show." But god knows what that means, and do we trust his judgment at this time? Still zombies on stage, dancing the dance we all know and love, sounds like a win-win. And hopefully it will do so well that it'll come to save New York's Broadway blues.

There are so many people that are going to be excited about this, from the inmates over in the Philippines Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center to, well, everyone I know.

My only question is: when are the auditions, and should I shred my legwarmers crypt-cool style? And because yes, I'm this excited about it, here are many different Thriller videos.

CPDRC Style

Wedding Reception Thriller
There Are A Crap Ton Of These Terrible Vids...My Dream Day Will Have ACTUAL Zombie Garb

Hotdog, Ketchup and Mustard Thriller



Lego Bionicle Thriller



Final Fantasy Thriller



Indian Thriller



Classic Thriller

Thriller - Michael Jackson

[Chicago Tribune]