Althouse: 1,500 Philippine prisoners reenact "Thriller."

July 27, 2007

1,500 Philippine prisoners reenact "Thriller."

Here's the YouTube clip we're all watching and wondering about (noted on NPR.org the other day):

31 comments:

Jennifer said...: I think it's pretty awesome. They have a couple others too, like Sister Act and Radio Gaga. Seems like a good way to keep busy and positive.; 7/27/07, 9:55 AM
MadisonMan said...: I agree with Jennifer. I imagine Prison life to be dull, rehearsals and performances will perk things up and make oversight easier.; 7/27/07, 10:03 AM
Cabbage said...: Reminds me of a great light bulb jokes (though from the wrong side of the fast east).

How many Maoists does it take to change a light bulb?

10,001. One to change the light bulb, and ten thousand to chant "Fight Darkness. Fight Darkness. Fight Darkness."

Seems like a good way to keep busy and positive.

That's only because you were the one that had to dress in drag and get eaten by zombies.; 7/27/07, 10:13 AM
Tibore said...: Oh God... I've never been embarassed to be Filipino in all my life... until NOW!

Thriller?? In lockstep???

Shoot me. Just shoot me.; 7/27/07, 10:14 AM
Amexpat said...: This a new type of bad.; 7/27/07, 10:17 AM
Anonymous said...: C'mon, Tibore, it's not that bad. (They all could have been wearing a pair of shoes from the Imelda Collection at the time as well, after all ;-); 7/27/07, 10:22 AM
Ron said...: I say have them do all the Astaire-Rogers musicals! Fosse!; 7/27/07, 10:27 AM
Superdad said...: Uhm - aren't they supposed to be breaking rocks with hammers or something?; 7/27/07, 10:29 AM
Ron said...: Let's get all the Althouse commenters -- and the good doctor herself as MJ no doubt! -- to do Thriller! I'm so there!; 7/27/07, 10:30 AM
Tibore said...: No, no, Ronin, you don't understand... I can easily see 1,500 non-prisoners breaking out and doing that. Hell, I can see it happening spontaneously on the street somewhere. Just provide an '80s soundtrack, a PA, and a camera. Boom! Instant synchronized dance party.

In the neverending quest to provide more than our share of bad-taste to the world: I know there are multiple videos of my extended family line dancing at untold numbers of weddings. It's one thing to just do it, it's a whole other animal to do it with so much... umm... gusto...

I die a little inside each time I see one.; 7/27/07, 10:38 AM
Maxine Weiss said...: "A general rule: If you are told what someone does for a living and it makes sense to you--orthodontist, store owner, professor--that means he's not rich. But if it's a man in a suit who does something that takes him five sentences to explain and still you walk away confused, and castigating yourself as to why you couldn't understand the central facts of the acquisition of wealth in the age you live in--well, chances are you just talked to a billionaire."

Peggy Noonan; 7/27/07, 10:47 AM
Maxine Weiss said...: Poor Peggy! Life is so difficult for her.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110010385; 7/27/07, 10:50 AM
Kurt said...: I just saw on the web today that Xanadu, perhaps the worst movie musical ever made, has been revived as a comic spoof of itself on Broadway. (I admit, since moving to the west coast I don't really follow what's happening on Broadway very closely any more.)

Now if you really want to see embarrassing schlock, they should have the prisoners enact one of the hideous dance numbers from the film, perhaps "Xanadu" itself.; 7/27/07, 10:53 AM
David said...: Ah. So West Side Story was a realistic depiction of street gangs in the 50's.; 7/27/07, 10:54 AM
Tibore said...: LOL!... yeah, those intimidating dances! And the knives!! Quelle horror!

Sometimes I amuse myself by thinking "Hmmm... Sharks vs. MS-13... Jets vs. Bloods..."; 7/27/07, 11:11 AM
howzerdo said...: This reminds me of the Producers.; 7/27/07, 11:14 AM
Jennifer said...: That's only because you were the one that had to dress in drag and get eaten by zombies.

I don't think the dude had to be forced. Did you see the other two performances? He's a ham! I think he's loving it.; 7/27/07, 11:37 AM
Tibore said...: I'm having sooo much trouble looking people in the eye today. My nethound friends keep giving me crap, like "Are you, or have you ever been a funky Michael Jackson dancer in a Filipino prison?"... "Hey man, is that you on the right, in the orange?... "Duude! Fly back and do a 'Smooth Criminal' video!"...

I'm gonna lose it...; 7/27/07, 12:01 PM
Sarah Lee said...: This is so, so rad and so, so confusing. Even if the dance is well enough known that between the 1500 of them they could remember the steps, someone had to be in charge of those tight formations. Curious indeed.; 7/27/07, 12:01 PM
Jennifer said...: Tibore - Just wait until Broadway is swept by a wave of Filipino ex-cons. Your friends will have to respect, then. :P; 7/27/07, 1:46 PM
Rick Lee said...: Well don't that just beat all. I clicked on the uploader's name and there are 8 more videos of different songs being performed. I love it. If I were in prison I'd be up for it. Looks like fun. This makes me think that maybe YouTube really is some sort of world-changing thing.; 7/27/07, 3:20 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: The moral of the story is choreography is much like prison. But, I do believe this is the sort of cultural hegemony so many complain about. A bit Clockwork Orange, innit?; 7/27/07, 3:48 PM
Tibore said...: Filipino ex-cons on Broadway??

Gack!! (*choke*)!; 7/27/07, 4:00 PM
Tibore said...: Haha!

One of the comments at the YouTube cite for this vid says:

"To all Fil-Ams...contact the U.S. congressman in your district and persuade them to copy this".

Yeah, right. I wanna see prison guards get some US hard cases out on the dance floor. The video of that would be more entertaining than the inmates' dance itself.; 7/27/07, 4:07 PM
Anonymous said...: "Yeah, right. I wanna see prison guards get some US hard cases out on the dance floor."

Why not? Nothing else has worked to combat the boredom/violence of prison life.

Let's face it: we're all not that unique. We're like dogs--we're happiest when we're doing a job and getting praise for it.; 7/27/07, 9:22 PM
Daryl said...: Thrilla in Manilla for Real-uh?; 7/27/07, 9:30 PM
Galvanized said...: I think it's probably a wonderful therapy, creates a sense of fraternity and unity among ALL the prisoner cliques, and is an esteem builder. I just have a little bit of a problem with the ending, you know, in attacking a "woman" and all...kind of defeats the purpose. But I think it's praiseworthy and offered them a lot of camaraderie and fun!

And, hey, Tibore -- if you think that Filipinos have the market cornered on getting down, remember that you could always be Indian. This is my favorite :D'''
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVuIBpJ6B4E>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVuIBpJ6B4E
(especially the grooving move at :38-40!); 7/27/07, 9:37 PM
Tibore said...: Hehe!... I have some Indian friends who say the same thing. I sort of tease them about their wedding receptions being Bollywood waiting to happen. Usually the response is a long-suffering expression. :)

Or they shove me and tell me to shaddup. ;)

PatCa,
I don't have any problem with trying to provide some positive activity for inmates. I'm all for it, in fact. All I'm saying is that I just want to see footage of folks trying to get them to actually participate. That's bound to be way more entertaining than any show the inmates could throw.; 7/30/07, 11:34 AM
Peter Hoh said...: David Lat is related to one of the officials at this prison.

It's a small world.

http://www.abovethelaw.com/2007/07/sentencing_reform_dancing_will.php#more; 7/30/07, 10:51 PM
pinoyplanner said...: I like it, it was really funny, the guy in the middle could really dance!

Those guys deserve an applause!

"Thriller! Thriller naa-yt!"; 8/2/07, 8:38 PM