1992年3月，Michael 正在拍攝他的MV < In The Closet >. 這之前，MTV 電視臺剛剛在全球範圍內舉辦了一次競賽活動，獲勝者的獎項將是——“ 與Michael 共進晚餐 ”。相信你們中肯定還有人記得這回事吧？！這次比賽中澳洲地區的獲勝者是Paula Katsikas，下面就是她的回憶：
Michael With my husband holding him and me with the long hair to the right of the photo.
記得當時我曾一遍遍地看< RTT > 的MV，每次看都會覺得有些不可思議。作為歌迷，我們自以為已經足夠瞭解MJ，已經看到了所有可以找到的關於他的東西，可他總是能夠帶給你意想不到的驚喜，而且每次還會比他之前所做的還要激動人心。
一天晚上，我一邊在餐桌上跟家人吃飯，一邊填寫參賽的表格，沒人能阻止我報名的熱情。記得當時面對家人對此所持的懷疑態度，我還大言不慚地回應道：“ 你們等著瞧吧，這次我肯定會中獎的! ” 滑稽的是，結果我當真贏了，可自己卻對此一無所知。
那個星期一早上，我因為身體不舒服，給辦公室打電話請假。通話中，聽到我的上司好像在嘟囔著Michael 什麼的，因為當時不舒服，也沒太留心就匆匆掛了。幾分鐘後，又接到了另一個辦公室同事的電話，她在電話中歇斯底里地大叫：“ Paula 你中獎啦，你贏啦! ”。這之後，又先後接到了兩個來自辦公室的電話和兩個MTV 台打來的電話，才終於讓我確信了自己這次真的中獎了。在掛上最後一個電話後，我相信整個社區都聽到了我的歡呼聲。他們上星期六就公佈了澳洲地區的獲獎者姓名，當時我們因為外出參加一個婚禮，所以沒有看電視。事實上，因為誰也不相信自己真的會中獎。就這樣，兩周後，我和丈夫就飛去美國跟Michael 共進晚餐了。
抵達後，在機場一輛豪華轎車將我們送到了位於好萊塢的La Belage 酒店，在那裏我們見到了MTV 電視臺的代表和其他中獎者，這次活動共有三十人中獎，外加和他們一同來的家屬。那天晚上他們還專門為我們辦了個晚會，好讓大家彼此熟悉一下。第二天早上，我們坐大巴去了加州棕泉市 Palm Desert 附近的 Marriott 酒店，在那裏大家稍事休息，然後做些準備，因為那天晚些時候，大巴會再來接我們去當晚與Michael 進餐的地方（Sara：天! 怎麼覺得他們搞得那麼神秘，就好像是CIA 特工在行動似的 XD）
後來我們被送到一個不為外界所知的秘密地方，當時MJ 白天就在那裏拍攝 < In The Closet >. 我們來到那個外景地，感覺周圍的一切都好像是超現實的，在Michael 出現前，大家紛紛拍照留念。直到今天，每次翻看當年拍的那些照片，還有Michael 和Naomi 拍的那個MV，我還是覺得有些難以置信：當時我們真的曾去過那個片場？！
他們還在那裏專門為我們組織了一個以巴西狂歡節為主題的大型party, 安排了許多表演，還運來了一些動物，如：大象，獵豹，駱駝，羊駝，大猩猩，還有一隻美洲獅等。另外，參加表演的還有魔術師，踩高蹺的，吞火的，巴西的森巴舞娘等等。當時那裏的氣氛真是讓人難以相信，看得出為了讓大家那天晚上玩得盡興，Michael 可真是花了不少錢。
舉辦晚餐的大帳篷裝飾得如同真正的餐館一樣，擺放著一些小圓桌子。我們坐的地方面對著一張預先保留的空桌子，大家都相信那是專門留給Michael 的。
那一刻大家都興奮極了，因為知道Michael 隨時都可能走進來，然後會挨著我們坐下。大家都儘量忍受著那種焦急等待的煎熬。記得當時我們還曾走出餐館，希望能看到Michael 坐直升機抵達的情形，但很快就被告知我們應該在大帳篷裏等著。最後，當Michael 終於出現時，那一刻就好像地球也停止了轉動。
The set for In The Closet
Michael 邊走邊向大家致意，然後就座。記得後來我和我丈夫走過去跟他擁抱，還送了他一個玩具考拉作為禮物，Michael 接過來後就放在膝蓋上玩了起來，那情景真讓人難忘。我們向他表示感謝，並問他是否會來澳洲巡演，他說：肯定會去那裏的（後來澳洲的危險巡演被取消，我們再見到MJ 時，已經是歷史巡演了）。來之前，我已經把想要問他的問題差不多都背誦下來了，可當真正與他面對面時，發現自己竟什麼都不記得了，那一刻Michael 真的讓我speechless 了。。。
仿佛現在我還能看到Michael 站起來去跳Conga 的情形，當時他和Naomi 被一個巴西森巴舞娘拽了起來，然後所有在場的人也都跟在他們身後加入了Conga 的舞蹈行列，當時，我們在跟MJ 一起跳Conga。。。這可不是會經常發生的事啊！
（ Sara: 天哪！OMG！請原諒我不淡定了。。。我實在是太，太想看MJ 跳Conga 啦。。。不瞭解Conga 為何物的TX，
請搜索 Gloria Estefan 的 及演示這種民間舞蹈的視頻。。。OMG！。。。）
記得在給MJ 和我們拍合影時，攝影師讓我丈夫站在Michael 的身後，他還把他的手搭在Michael 的肩上了。。。每次拍完一張合影，Michael 都會轉過身來，跟一起照相的人握手，當有人為這次晚餐向他道謝時，他都會微微欠身，跟人家點頭致意。這就是那個天王巨星， 當今世界上最著名的藝術家，而同時卻又是如此的一位謙謙君子。
如果說那個晚上在我的記憶中清晰得就像是剛剛發生在昨天，但有件事我卻真的記不起來了。雖然那是一次正式的晚餐，但我卻不記得自己都吃了些什麼。只記得那天的食物準備得很豐盛，而且是由MJ 的私人廚師操刀做的。那晚，還是Michael 帶頭開始吃飯的。但我基本可以肯定，自己那晚沒有吃任何主菜。相信我，在與Michael 近在咫尺的情形下，那天晚上我腦子裏根本沒工夫去考慮“吃什麼” 這樣的問題。
按原計劃Michael 那晚本來只是要停留半個小時的，但最後他跟我們呆了兩個半鐘頭（Sara：以他的個性，我相信那晚MJ 肯定是真的覺得挺放鬆，玩得也蠻開心的才會這麼做，我也為他高興:p）。這也是令我終生難忘的兩個半小時，我永遠都會在心底珍藏著這段美好的記憶和這份對Michael 的愛。
Here we are on the set of In The Closet
不過後來，我們還是從MTV 電視臺那裏拿到了幾張照片，還有一份MJ 與我們在一起時拍的錄影片段，雖然只是很短的一小段。每當懷舊的情緒悄悄襲來的時候，我都會回看這些照片和錄影，它們讓我再次確信這一切曾經真的發生過，而不是自己在做夢。
謝謝Michael！感謝你帶給我們這樣一段美好的回憶；感謝你曾慷慨贈與世人的一切，還要感謝你那無與倫比的才華和美好
善良的心靈。想你，愛你直至永遠！
http://www.mjworld.net/features/dinner-with-michael/ Dinner With Michael
Back in March, 1992 Michael was filming his ‘In The Closet’ short film. Just before this, a competition was run on MTV around the world with the prize being ‘Dinner With Michael,’ which some of you may remember. The Australian winner of this competition was Paula Katsikas. Here is Paula’s story…
It was back in March 1992, yet I remember it like it was yesterday. They were premiering his new clip then, ‘Remember The Time’, here in Australia, like they would have been all over the world and with the premiere and the promotion of his upcoming ‘Dangerous’ tour there was also a competition, where the winner and their partner would be flown to America to have dinner with Michael. The anticipation for this video was huge and I remember watching the video clip in awe, over and over again, amazed at how just when you think you have seen all there is to see from Michael he brings out something even more brilliant then before.
The next night, while still at the dinner table with my family, and while writing out the last of my entries for the competition of a life time, a competition that nothing could stop me from entering, I remember turning to my somewhat skeptical family to say the least and saying; “Just you all wait and see, I am going to win this!” The funny thing is that I did win and I didn’t even know it.
The following Monday I called work not feeling well and to advise that I wouldn’t be in. My supervisor did mumble something about Michael, but as I was not feeling well, I didn’t take much notice and hung up. Within a couple of minutes I had a call back from work from one of the other girls hysterical on the phone shouting, “Paula you won! Paula you won!” It took about two more calls from work and another two from MTV before I actually believed it. I swear that when I hung up from that last call the whole neighborhood must have heard me scream. They had drawn the Australian winner the previous Saturday, but we were at a wedding and didn’t even see it. I mean you don’t really think that you are going to win. Anyway, about a week or two later my husband and I were on our way to America to have dinner with Michael.
We were greeted at the airport by a Starlite Limo and driven to the La Belage hotel in Hollywood where we caught up with our MTV representatives and the other winners. There were thirty winners all together and their partners. They held a party for us to all meet that night and the next morning we were driven by bus to the Marriott Palm Desert hotel in Palm Springs where we had time to get ready before they came and picked us up to take us to the dinner to meet Michael that night.
We were driven to a secret location where they had been filming Michael’s ‘In The Closet’ during the day. The feeling was surreal when they took us to take photos on the actual set, before Michael arrived. I look at the photos even now, then look at the film clip with Michael and Naomi and it is still hard to believe that we are actually standing on the same set.
A big Marquee had been set up for the dinner with a real tropical carnival theme going on. There was lots of entertainment organized for us that night, from animals, like an elephant, a cheetah, a camel, a llama, a chimpanzee, as well as a puma who you felt was going to rise up and change into Michael at any moment, like it does in ‘Black or White,’ to a magician, people on stilts, fire eaters, and Rio dancers. The atmosphere was amazing and Michael had spared no expense. The place had been set up like a restaurant with small round dinner tables. We had been seated right up the front and next to our table was an empty reserved one. Much to our delight we were told that this was Michael’s table.
By this time we were overwhelmed by excitement as at any minute Michael was going to walk through the door and come and sit right next to us. We could barely contain ourselves and the agony of the wait was killing us. I remember us going outside and waiting to see Michael arrive by helicopter, but we were soon told we had to go back inside and sit down before he would come out of the helicopter and walk in. We did go back inside and finally Michael walked in. It was like the Earth just stood still. The media had been cruel, even back then, by claiming Michael was strange and weird, but let me tell you, I saw nothing strange or weird. I saw this beautiful, well dressed man walk through the door that was polite, well spoken, and gracious like he always is, and I will never forget that smile, that mesmerizing smile of his that just took your breath away. He truly looked amazing! The only thing strange I remember is how everything he walked past just seemed to light up and of how you just couldn’t take your eyes of him.
Michael greeted people as he walked past and then came and sat down. I remember going over to him with my husband, giving him a hug and a koala (not real of course), that he placed on his lap and started patting. The picture at that moment was priceless. We thanked him for the dinner and asked him whether he was coming to Australia soon and he replied “yes” and said that he would be touring. He was referring to the upcoming ‘Dangerous’ tour. (The Australian tour was later cancelled and we had to wait till the ‘History’ tour to see Michael again.) I had gone over in my head all the things that I was going to say to him and here I was up close and the words just wouldn’t come out. He literally left me speechless.
I remember Michael getting up and dancing the Conga. He and Naomi were both pulled up by one of the Rio Dancers and everyone else joined in a line behind. Here we were dancing the Conga with Michael…Not something you do everyday. I also remember how they called us and Michael over for our photo shoot together and of how my husband who was positioned directly behind him for the photos, placed both his hands on Michael’s shoulders and kept them there, even after being told to take them off by the photographer and of how Michael just turned his head around and gave this adorable smile. I also remember Michael turning around once the photos had finished and shaking our hands and bowing his head to us as we bowed to him. Here is this huge superstar, the world’s biggest Entertainer ever, that still has this humble nature about him. The only thing that night that I don’t seem to remember, even though it was a dinner, was eating any food. I know that there was plenty of food there, all personally prepared by Michael’s chef, and I remember Michael taking the first mouth full to start the dinner, but I don’t remember eating a single thing. Believe me that with Michael being so close to me, food was the last thing on my mind that night.
Michael was supposed to stay for only half an hour that night but he ended up staying for about two and a half hours. These were the best two and a half hours of my life and they will be remembered and treasured along with Michael for the rest of my life.
We weren’t allowed to take any photos of Michael ourselves, and had been told that if we did, Michael would probably just get up and leave and no one wanted that. I guess this way he could relax a little more and enjoy the night without it feeling like a media attack with cameras constantly in his face. We were however sent a few photos and a short video of Michael with us by MTV. I frequently look at the photos and play the video to remind myself that it did really happen, that it wasn’t just a dream.
Michael may have been taken away from us physically but he is embedded so deep in both mine and my husband’s heart that no one can ever take him away from there without taking our hearts out as well.
Thank you Michael for this beautiful memory - Thank you Michael for all you have given us and for all that you were. You will always be loved and you will never ever be forgotten!
沒有留言:
張貼留言