Home - The La Toya Experience Review feat. Pop Trash Addicts and a “Special Guest”, The Universal Love of La Toya !
Introduction
"Home", the first La Toya video in over 20 years, was released on 31st August 2009, as a dedication to Michael. Originally, the song was recorded in the early 2000's for inclusion on the still unreleased album Startin' Over. All the proceeds from the video will go directly to the favorite charity of her deceased brother, AIDS Project LA.
And now to the video..
Let's play a little tune first to get you all in the mood!
Part 1: The Minute By Minute Review
0 - 0.20 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: A stunning goddess approaches. A young girl looks around nervously. Toy Toy's first close up finds her looking more ravishing than ever. She makes love to the camera as she plays with the swing. It quickly becomes apparent that the little girl represents La Toya as a child. Only not as pretty.
La Toya Experience: This is it! This is probably the most epic moment in La Toya’s career since she graced the covers of Playboy! She looks absolutely fantastic, and her charisma is breathtaking. I also love how she flirts with the camera as she playfully starts to get in the mood with the swing. The child is fine with me, though I would have loved to see more of La Toya in the beginning of this epic video.
0.20 - 0.40 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: I love this part. Toy looks so serene and beautiful as she sits on the swing. It's very hard to believe that La Toya has been around since before the dawn of time. She doesn't look a day over 25! The girl starts to get a bit annoying. Bitch shouldn't fuck with Toy's limelight!
La Toya Experience: As soon as the Queen of Pop opens her pretty little mouth and starts singing, I’m in heaven! This is a true legend, who finally is going to put all the haters in check! Her vocals are flawless and genuine.
0.40 - 1.00 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: The highlight of this sequence is Toy walking along the bridge in that gorgeous backless gown. Seriously, I just had a screaming Toygasm all over my computer screen! She looks like a fairytale princess.
La Toya Experience: I love how classy she is in this particular scene, almost too classy for Toy! She definitely looks like a Queen!
1.00 - 1.20 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: La Toya channels RuPaul and does a twirl on the bridge. The video's fabulousness rating just increases. The little girl blows bubbles. Toy returns to brighten up the screen by swinging around like an ADD child after drinking red cordial. Lovely.
La Toya Experience: Her smile. Her charisma. Her swinging. I’m speechless.
1.20 - 1.40 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: Toy sits in a tree holding what appears to be a journal. I wonder if it contains lyrics for "Sexbox - The Sequel". The shot of our Queen standing on the bridge is utterly gorgeous.
La Toya Experience: As The Universal Love of La Toya will reveal later, Toy is in fact holding the program for Michael’s memorial service while she sheds a few tears mourning the loss of her brother. This has to be the most genuine expression of emotions in the history of music videos. I almost cried during this scene.
1.40 - 2.00 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: This part of the video makes me cry because it's the only direct reference to Michael. Toy's nickname for him was "Joker" and seeing that carved into the tree is very emotional. I also believe if you look closely, La Toya is crying in this scene. Anyone who doubts the Dutchess of Dance's dedication to her brother should watch this.
La Toya Experience: The “Joker” carving is beautiful. Rest In Peace, King Of Pop! La Toya keeps on crying, and I think it’s a very good way for her to show that she doesn’t use her brothers death as a publicity stunt, which some are claiming.
2.00 - 2.20 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: Words can't describe how cute Toy Toy looks when she pokes her head into the treehouse! She just radiates joy. Someone needs to remake "Counterstrike" - Toy's acting skills have been dormant far too long! This is my favourite scene in the video.
La Toya Experience: Toy redefines the word “cute” in this scene! And her perfect smile gives me goosebumps! I also love the black-and-white scenes here, so artistic and classy!
2.20 - 2.40 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: Toy emotes on the swing. I love it when they bring out the wind machine to make the Pope of Pop's weave blow in the breeze! This is also the first glimpse of the candles. Toy's new outfit is suitably white and virginal. Just like the diva herself.
La Toya Experience: I just love this part, especially the dress change! And La Toya herself is on fire here! Truly a legend.
2.40 - 3.00 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: It's all about the finger snap and head shake! Toy works it here and proves once and for all that Janet stole all her best dance moves.
La Toya Experience: Toy teases the viewer with some of her new Toygasmic dance moves, which leaves me craving for more! It looks like she gets lost in the moment for a while when the finger snapping starts, which is really cute!
3.00 - 3.20 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: I love Toy's strut as she walks with the candle. That much fierceness should be illegal! The moment where she covers her face with her hand is also sweet. You can tell that she's remembering sweet childhood memories or at least the fallout over Nipplegate.
La Toya Experience: La Toya looks divine when she graces the bridge with her classy swagger. This kind of fierceness should indeed be illegal!
3.20 - 3.40 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: The headshake at 3:35 mins is iconic Toy! I need an avatar. The rest of this sequence is fairly uneventful.
La Toya Experience: Not really much here, except for another new dance move: The Head Shake!
3.40 - 4.00 mins
Pop Trash Addicts: A suitably low key ending for a subtle and classy video. I'm also glad there is a proper dedication to Michael at the end. Overall, this is pretty much a toytastic triumph.
La Toya Experience: La Toya looks so sad here, which makes me sad as well. I love the part when young La Toya blows out the candle. Thank you so much La Toya for this experience, I love you from the bottom of my heart! You got me Rocked once again, and put the haters in check!
Part 2: The “Universal Love of La Toya” review
And now.. Another perspective on the “Home” video, from one of La Toya’s oldest and most cherished fansites: The Universal Love of La Toya!
"When I think of Home, I think of a place"... with bridges and lanterns! ToyToy has surely outdone herself as she lets loose some of that Toytastic Video Magic she's been saving up for 20 years! The high production value, almost Playboy Celebrity Centerfold Video caliber, certainly meets MTV/VH1/BET quality standard thresholds. Too bad none of them play music videos anymore, as Home would surely be #1 every day on TRL until a forced retirement!
First off, La Toya looks gorgeous, classy, and very well put together. And WOW are her knockers big! Maybe that's what got me thinking about the Playboy video. I was worried she'd start some scarf-play during the candle garden sequence but fortunately she just gave us FIERCE dancing! The "Hand Pushed Out, Hand to the Face" was a delicious twist on the patented Jackson Head Bob™! La Toya's grecian goddess dress is stunning and abundantly flattering to her figure, and a nice contrast to her classy-casual ripped jeans look. My favorite moment is La Toya's wide-eyed, inquisitive glance while holding the lantern at the bridge! Lil' 'Toya is a nice enough representation of La Toya's inner child although a bit corny and "on the nose" if you will...
The tribute element to Michael is mercifully subtle: the unbuttoned and billowing white shirt... the Neverland-like location... La Toya perched on a branch in her own Giving Tree... the Joker carving... silly pillow play... and obviously the bubbles in honor of Bubbles the chimp. Her treetop tears (while holding Michael's Memorial Program??) are truly heartbreaking!
All in all a beautiful tribute to Michael. And like LaToya herself said about her very first Playboy shoot: "After all, it was tastefully done!"
10/10
Two Toys Up!
Bruce
The Universal Love of LaToya
latoyalove.com
See you next week Soldiers, don’t forget to buy “Home” ! (The official widget is on the right side of this page.)
