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The Inevitable Michael Jackson Open Thread

By SusanUnPC on June 25, 2009 at 10:50 PM in Current Affairs

Feel free to express your views, pro and con, about Michael Jackson and his music. My two best memories are 1) when my little girl and I got “Thriller” and danced to it for hours, and 2) the huge mega-screen 3D performance at Disneyland, which terrified my daughter so much we had to leave. The rest of his life was too strange, too tawdry, too bizarre, and I found it tragic that he tried to change his face and skin color so much (because he looked great the way he was).

Sadly too, today, Farrah Fawcett died but once Jackson’s death was announced, she was nearly forgotten. I wasn’t a big fan, but appreciated her efforts to dramatize the plight of abused women.

What say you?

Is all this discussion about the death of celebrities a bit much? I can’t believe how Jackson’s death has consumed all the cable news networks. Fox News even cancelled Bill O’Reilly’s show to continue the endless gabbing about Jackson’s controversial life.

So much for health care and global warming legislation, eh? It’s pathetic that all the news networks are ready to drop the real important subjects in favor of endless verbal memorials to Jackson.

  • texaslatina

    i wasn’t a big fan, but the man was a genius! may GOD bless his soul and rest in peace.

  • tminu

    “We are the world, we are the children, we are the one who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving…”

    Man in the Mirror

    Requiem for Earth

    “It don’t matter if you’re black or white”

    “About The Human Race ”

    I’d say he was a powerful anti-racist and humanitarian. Cannot say that about O.

  • DCMediagirl

    Well, in this case I can understand the coverage. Michael Jackson was a huge star and was part of our cultural landscape for decades. We watched him grow up before our eyes. We saw him deteriorate before our eyes. We literally couldn’t believe our eyes. The only celebrity whose longevity and ubiquity in the music business comes close is Madonna, but we don’t feel as attached to her.

    He’s also the perfect cautionary tale of the perils of superstardom and how it can destroy someone’s psyche.

    I had one encounter with his fame. Years ago he was in DC to perform and decided he wanted to shop at Tower Video. The management was alerted that he was coming and shut the store down immediately so he could browse in private. By the time he showed up word had spread and a mob had formed in minutes outside the video store (and this before everyone had a cellphone, before the Internet, before Twitter). Tower Video’s front was all glass, and people became hysterical when they saw him – pounding and pushing on the glass – so much so that he could only stay for about a minute before he fled.

    A person who elicits that sort of insanity when he’s in public can’t go out in public. It warps the mind.

    I still can’t believe that a man who owned the Beatles catalogue could still be hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. I can’t believe that someone who was repeatedly accused of pedophilia could continue to engage in such reckless behavior. But that’s what happens when you stop employing people who practice tough love and only surround yourself with people who say “yes”, even when their “advice” leads to tragic outcomes.

    As he got older he became such a sad, self-hating man. Tragic. But we’ll always have “ABC” and “Thriller”. He was sui generis. I don’t begrudge the coverage at all.

    • Ellen D

      Sorry, the coverage is a bit much.

      The House of Representatives observed a moment of silence.

  • JozefAL

    Susan, normally you seem to be a pretty decent person, but, bear in mind, that when a family loses a loved one, then as concerned as they may be over politics and whatnot, all that tends to go by the wayside for a few days.
    For many people (though obviously not you), celebrities ARE often as much a part of one’s family as anyone else, and we should all have the luxury to tell the rest of the world, “Just fuck off and let us grieve for a bit”. All the concerns over health insurance and climate change and Iran will still be there when we’re ready to resume paying attention. Incidentally, wasn’t there a recent thread on NQ that suggested we should all be appalled at the death of some young woman in Iran? Why should her death be worth our time? I may not have ever met either Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett, but the two of them affected my life far more than some chador-wearing woman on the other side of the world. (What? Is that a bit uncaring or unfeeling? Well, tough.)
    Michael never did me any harm (and, as there was no case ever brought against him, no evidence that he did anyone any harm) but he did bring me a lot of joy from his music, and I’ll always remember his many great songs (both his solo works as well as his work with his family).
    As for Farrah, she, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith will always be the real “Charlie’s Angels” (sorry, but Drew, Lucy and Cameron are pale imitations). While most of my buddies put up her poster and lusted after her (probably on a nightly basis), I put up her poster and adored her as a woman who wasn’t the least bit ashamed of her sexuality (regardless of what some prudes thought). I can’t say that I followed Farrah’s career through every thing that she did, but I was glad to see that she was given a chance to show her real depth (with films like “The Burning Bed” and her portrayals of Margaret Bourke-White and Beate Kersfield) rather than being permanently stereotyped as “just a pretty face and body”.

    • http://deleted BuzzisbackLatte

      James Russo still scares me from his role in the Burning Bed. Farrah did show talent in that one.

    • Hg

      Jackson may have been a member of your family but there are a multitude of other people who do not want their family to be associated with pedophilia and its adoring ilk.

      • fif

        Michael Jackson was never convicted of anything. There is ample evidence that these people were out for money. He was guilty of poor judgment, because of his own arrested childhood, but those who spent a lot of time with him as young children–McCauley Culkin, Corey Feldman etc. say he was never inappropriate or sexual. I personally think Michael was very damaged by abuse as a child, and never grew up. That doesn’t mean he was a pedophile.

  • Ladydawnelle

    old stale and pathetic

    don’t care ma soeur

    c’est la vie

    (Ed McMahon – bummer, FArrah – sad goodbye, MIchael? LOL um beat it with little kids? yuck so long)

    • Scout

      He was found not guilty in trial for a crime that people love to prosecute and punish–as opposed to OJ who was found not guilty of a crime that men often get off lightly for (death of a woman). So I assume Michael was probably innocent of the charges.

      • Ladydawnelle

        Look Michael was a freak of the first degree. (his right)

        I watched him through out the years being interviewed, etc. I’m a few years older than him. I used to have a crush on his older brother Jermaine.

        Michael was a HEAD CASE. We are lucky he took his expertise and went in to MUSIC and NOT politics or we’d really have been in trouble.

        I saw him try to defend his weird actions with young kids and his tree climbing and all of his eccentric buying.

        When they created the word FREAK it had a tag with MJackson on the list.

        Sorry that’s just my opinion. Oh and thennnnnnn there was the BS marriage of the KING’s daughter and then his RUNNING OFF to KWAIT? WHY? for the brightly dressed Women ? um NO! WTF? WEIRDo JackO

        God Bless Him (and I HOPE God recognized him)

        ok bad joke but true

        • hokma

          Let me ask you something.

          Do you know what Vitiligo is?

          Because if you had a clue, knew people personally who had it, you would have some idea about the emotional trauma it causes to a person.

          Do you know why he wore that glove on his hand? Or why he started to wear high collared shirts and long sleeves? Why he had to eventually bleach his skin? Or why he needed to walk with an umbrella in the sun? Do you have any idea what the disfigurement of vitiligo does to a person?

          You probably thought it was because he was weird and that is one of the problems with vitiligo and what young African American and Latino kids who have it have to endure – ridicule from uninformed people like you.

          • Ellen D

            I agree with you. I have it on my hands – a complete lack of pigmentation in blotches. On a pale-skinned person like me it only shows up when the surrounding skin tans. I can only imagine how debilitating it is to anyone dark-skinned and who has it on their face or neck.

            • hokma

              My brother has it since he was 30 and now he cannot go in the sun without a hat for more than 15 minutes without getting sun poisoning.

              He also went through a lot emotionally even thought he is white.

              Imagine being this super rock star and finding out how this is going to affect your looks as you get older. I understand everything he did and get angry with people who said he did these things because he was strange.

              • Ladydawnelle

                I said he was a FREAK

                of course I know his medical condition
                he started changing his appearance from EARLY on and I’m sorry about your brother. Does your brother also climb trees and play almost exclusively with little boys?

                I sure hope not.

        • fif

          I’m really glad you didn’t go into the mental health field. Compassion much?

  • http://deleted BuzzisbackLatte

    I remember being totally blown away by the MTV video of “Billie Jean”. “Thriller” was fun but “Billie Jean” brought a whole new level to special effects. MIchael Jackson was huge and will be missed despite his personal problems of the last few years. The media was certainly complicit in bringing more stress into Jackson’s life during the last trial.

    One bonus of all the media coverage…no mention of Obama. What a relief! Although, that relief should never be at the expense of someone else.

    RIP Michael Jackson.

    • Ellen D

      CNN broke into the Michael Jackson coverage for an Obama press conference. There’s no way to avoid him.

  • Chicago Joe

    I think these two figures are the epitome of icons for a generation. Michael Jackson, before all his weirdness, was on a par with Elvis or the Beatles as far as his musical abilities and creativity went. All of us who grew up with that cute little boy all the way up to the the thrilling Thriller feel the passing of an era and part of our youth. As far as his life and health, I don’t think we know all the story and may never know everything about it now. Farrah Fawcett was the pin-up girl of the 80s, and an American icon who grew and evolved and transformed herself as she grew into being a woman.

    Just amazing that they, as well as Ed Mc Mahon, another part of our national cultural conscience, should all die within such a short span of time. Another sign that the America we grew up in is fading away, and that the impressions we create in this life are temporary and impermanent. Those blessed with talent and beauty and good luck as these people were, at least for a short time, were able to transcend the challenges of life and become something larger than life.

    • fif

      Very poetic and true Chicago Joe. Thanks for articulating that for me as well. I grew up singing Michael Jackson in my room, and dancing to his music again in the 80′s. This was very poignant for me. I think he was a genius in his field, but that sensitivity also made him very unbalanced, because he did not have a strong foundation or people around him that he could trust. Add drug addiction to that, and you’ve got Elvis all over again. Very sad. RIP Michael & Farrah.

  • Peggy Sue

    We are a society driven by celebrity and fame. Farah Fawcett’s death came as no surprise. She’s been fighting cancer for several years. She lost the battle. Michael Jackson was a pop icon, a man of enormous talent and enormous problems. His death comes as something as a shock, out of the blue considering his age. The sad thing is his death is as much a curiosity as his life–the Neverland Ranch, the wierd and creepy behavior, the charges of child molesting.

    And yet the world still turns. For the next week, it will seem to have turned on Michael Jackson alone. But, of course, it did not. And once the headlines are spent of every word you could possibly say about his legacy, his life and death, his contribution to music and dance, we’ll all go back to the world’s problems.

    Because they’ll still be there.

    A prayer, a moment of respect for a beautiful woman and an extraordinaryly talented but misguided man.

    And then, we go on.

  • I’m a Linda too

    God speed MJ.

    Loved you since I was a kid…and so were you. :)

    It was Michael and Donny Osmond on my walls.

    You provided so much joy and goodness to and for billions, I just wish there was enough returned to you.

    Your charitable contributions and entertainment was limitless, litterally, as everyone continuously tried to benefit from you.

    If any good comes from this huge loss and sadness, you are not in pain any longer.

    May you and Farrah be toasting to your ever lasting joy and happiness, as Ed McMahon greets you.

  • Ferd Berfle

    Michael was an incredible talent. I loved his music from the Jackson Five up until the Thriller album. It is such a shame he wasted all that talent on style over substance and format over content. Too many surgeries and too much adoration; too little responsibility and too much free time; and apparently too little self-reflection as demonstrated by the wretched album he and his sister came out with after his trial. He should have taken his lumps and moved on. Instead, he became a caricature and a phony. It is a pity.

  • Seattle Moss

    I don’t believe Jackson was a pedophile. Having sleep overs is not misconduct and was acquitted in a court of law. I do believe that he was an adult child who had been denied a childhood growing up and felt comfortable around kids.
    I also think that Jackson had a really big heart and wanted to share in his fortune with Neverland.
    The only mistake Jackson made was allowing opportunist’s to get close to him and take advantage of his tender heart and exploit and sue.

    • WMCB

      I always had serious doubts whether he was a pedophile, despite his weirdness and obvious psych issues.

      I didn’t think he wanted to diddle little boys – I think he wanted to BE a little boy.

      He may have had weird (and likely unhealthy for them) relationships with children, but I just don’t think they were sexual in the way of pedophiles.
      I think his relationships with children were….twisted, and bizarre. But I don’t think they were necessarily sexual.

      I could be wrong. But the thing that always bothered me is that if he truly was innocent (and a jury said he was), how painful the assumption of the public that he was a perverted pedophile must have been for him these last years. I can’t imagine how hurtful that would be.

      • Seattle Moss

        What was the first thing that came to mind when Jackson died…

        He’s at peace now!

        No more suffering….

      • Ziggy

        I agree. Michael Jackson’s legal problems involving children possibly stemmed from the fact that on some level he retained the innocence of a child himself. Most of us have great trouble believing in that sort of innocence these days. It has become an unsafe assumption. Lewis Carroll was the same sort of innocent. Today his relationship with Alice be the object of dark speculations.

        • Ziggy

          …his relationship with Alice would be the object of dark speculations.

          • Ellen D

            I think it is already speculated on.

    • Seattle Moss

      The only mistake Jackson made

      As for what he did to his body…That’s his decision!

      Who am I to decide!

      I may find it repulsive like the next person, but I value Jackson’s right to liberty in pursuit of a face he could never have…

      Jackson’s father is a complete asshat!

      By giving Jackson the nick name Big Nose
      I’m sure that had something to do with his pug nose job.

      • hokma

        I agree with what you all said.

        But what most people do not realize is the impact his Vitiligo had on him.

        Most people do not know what it is – that have seen it a few times – but regarding Michael they did not know its impact.

        Your first spots are around the hands (hence the “glove”) and then around the neck, elbows, ankles and wrists (hence long sleeves, high collars, and socks). Eventually it covers most of your face (hence bleaching) and your scalp (hence the umbrella for protection from skin cancer). It effects the nose which is probably why he cut it down (along with his father’s ignorant remarks). Those are the cosmetic aspects.

        Then there is the emotional trauma of being disfigured. If you ever knew someone who had to endure this you can begin to understand Michael’s odd behavior and the torment he went through because of it.

        What he should have done was become a spokesperson for Vitiligo to help find a cure for it since it primarily affects young african american and latino kids. It would have also helped him mentally over the years rather than surpress the embarrasment he felt.

        It seems that all our incredible musical talents have hidden torments that make them tragic figures in history.

    • http://in Elizabeth

      Yeah I agree. Fame really truly is more of a monster than people can imagine. Michael didn’t have the ability to handle the spotlight he was given, to project a strong and confident persona off stage. He was very fragile and vulnerable and quite possibly deranged. But he was a mad genius.

      I think he knew, though, how it would end, and pretty much everyone around him predicted, that just like with Elvis….There almost seems an inevitably about his death, a life spiralling out of control with seemingly no-where to go.

    • fif

      I agree Seattle. There was something permanently childish about him, and the “vampires and leeches” around him (as Lisa Marie Presley called them) knew just how to exploit his vulnerabilities for personal gain. Even his family lived off his talent and wealth.

  • pm317

    1984: Jackson’s face gets burnt during filming for a Pepsi ad.

    I saw this in an article. Is this why he had all that plastic surgery on his face?

    • Cat in NJ

      Jackson’s surgical odyssey had already begun by then, and only the back of his head/hair was burned during the Pepsi commercial. It’s widely believed his obsession with changing his appearance stems from his father’s verbal abuse as a child, mocking his AA features. No doubt his problems went deeper than just that alone.

      • pm317

        Thanks. Saw this on the wiki:

        In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent rhinoplasty surgery was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson’s second rhinoplasty and other subsequent operations.

    • fif

      That’s when he started pain meds though. I think the doctors–pain meds & plastic surgery–who keep enabling emotionally unstable people should be charged with criminal behavior. It’s disgusting.

  • Cat in NJ

    For quite a long time I was turned off by MJ’s questionable lifestyle, his self-destructive behavior, etc. I always felt sorry for his children; they never looked happy. We all know the stories. He paid a price, professionally and personally. With that said, having grown up with his music, I can’t help but feel bad about his passing. I was a freshman in high school when “Off The Wall” exploded onto the airwaves, a senior when “Thriller” made pop music history, a college student when much of his best material was released. I never purchased his albums (I was more into 80′s alternative at the time), but honestly, I was still in awe of this unbelievably talented man. I think the coverage his death is getting is appropriate, and deserved. Also, RIP, angel Farrah, another pop-culture icon from my youth.

  • http://deleted BuzzisbackLatte

    I value the fact that Jackson and Quincy Jones had the foresight to do some crossovers on the Triller album. “Billie Jean” was the first video of a black artist and “Beat It” utilized the mega talents of Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather. It forever changed the industry.

    Farrah had her hair, Ed had his “Here’s Johnny”, and Michael had his huge talent. They should be remembered in the best of lights.

  • http://deleted BuzzisbackLatte

    Thriller …oops

  • Benjamin

    How long will the media go wall-to-wall Michael Jackson? The house votes on cap and trade today; people are still being slaughtered in Iran; Iraq is blowing up again with three huge bombings in the past week; North Korea has threatened to destroy us; the largest piece of legislation in U.S. history (health care) is on the horizon. Nah, there’s nothing that needs covering.

    • Benjamin

      Sorry. Didn’t want to come across as insensitive to Farrah and Michael’s passing. But I think I figured out how long the media coverage will last. It’s kind of gruesome, but I think it will last until the autopsy is completed. There has always been a fascination and curiosity about Michael Jackson’s real medical history

      • Fredster

        Oh no Benjamin, there’s still the funeral to go through. If it’s going to be public in some way it’s going to be bizarre. Hopefully the funeral will be a private one.

      • fif

        It was sudden, and shocking on a cultural level. It will pass soon, and the news will resume. People are processing this on a personal level–a reminder of our own mortality and the passing of time. I really do feel like part of my childhood just died. It’s discomforting.

  • rickrickrick

    Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
    Togetherness, well thats all Im after
    Whenever you need me, Ill be there
    Ill be there to protect you, with an unselfish love that respects you
    Just call my name and Ill be there

    God bless

  • Craig Della Penna

    Interesting how it turns out:
    Farrah Fawcett, the mediocre talent who was the pinup for a generation actually turned out to be a feminist – “The Burning Bed” was a cultural milestone and arguably brought ‘domestic’ abuse into high profile, for a while anyway. She who saw an opportunity to represent/give back/advance and used it well.

    The Gloved One (no name necessary) was the pop icon for another generation, with tremendous talent. I never cared much for his singing but his musicianship is well-respected by professionals and there is no doubt that he was a great and innovative dancer.

    Yet, he never found a way to reconcile himself with the world in any way. I respect the opinions of those above who want to believe that stopped short of molesting those kids… I don’t think he could have stopped even if he had been able to realize it was wrong.

    The point is that this man, who was adored by millions, also never found a way to focus his attention on anyone but himself.

    And the media circus will go on and on and on about Michael Jackson, while Farrah Fawcett will be quickly forgotten.

    Not the most important thing in the world but a sad indicator of our shallow times.

    Requisat in Pacem to you both.

    • WMCB

      The point is that this man, who was adored by millions, also never found a way to focus his attention on anyone but himself.

      That’s not exactly true. He did a great deal for various charities, and the whole “We Are The World” benefit for the Ethiopia famine was largely his project.

      I’m not saying he didn’t have problems. But saying he was completely selfish is a bit unfair.

    • trixta

      Actually, I think the documentary Farrah filmed about her illness will have a lasting impact, especially for those who have that type of cancer, which is normally not even spoken of. Let’s face it, that was an extremely courageous thing for Farrah to do…i.e. to put herself out there during the most vulnerable time of her life.

      She certainly was the beauty icon of my generation, but one who made an effort to move beyond that image through the work she did to give visibility to domestic violence. She also made another film (whose exact title escapes me, Little Mercies [?]) about a woman who killed her own children so that she could pursue a love interest. It was a very disturbing story based on true events. I give her much credit for those roles and her efforts to do substantive work.

      I hope the networks feature these movies in the next weeks to come.

      • NomNomNom

        “Small Sacrifices”, creepy!

        • inconsiderable wretch

          Thanks, Nom!

          • NomNomNom

            welcome! she really could act, it’s worth a watch

            • trixta

              Also, even with all the fluff and glamour the TV series Charlies Angles was, in my view, empowering for women in it’s own way at the time. These angels kicked butt on a weekly basis, and even though Charlie was the voice of authority, they took charge of matters to get things done.
              (I also liked the TV series Cagney & Lacey and the one featuring Angie Dickenson as a policewoman [I think it was even called Policewoman]).

  • TeakWoodKite

    I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror
    I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways
    And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
    If You Wanna Make The World
    A Better Place
    (If You Wanna Make The
    World A Better Place)
    Take A Look At Yourself, And
    Then Make A Change
    (Take A Look At Yourself, And
    Then Make A Change)
    (Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
    Na Nah)

    A Willow Deeply Scarred,
    Somebody’s Broken Heart
    And A Washed-Out Dream
    (Washed-Out Dream)
    They Follow The Pattern Of
    The Wind, Ya’ See
    Cause They Got No Place
    To Be
    That’s Why I’m Starting With
    Me

    RIP MJ , pay it forward.

  • candymarl

    I had every Michael Jackson album and had a huge crush on him as a teen. The man had incredible talent. As sometimes happens great genius comes with great flaws.

    Rest in peace Michael. Maybe you can find the happy childhood in the afterlife you never seemed to find in life.

  • elise

    He had enormous talent. We watched The Jackson Five every week since my daughter had a four year old’s crush on him. I won’t judge him on the reports of pedophilia because the jury found him not guilty.

    Yes, he was strange and obsessed. Van Gogh cut off his ear. Elvis was a recluse. Jim Morrison was an alcoholic. Jimi Hendricks and Janice Joplin were drug addicts. Marylin Monroe was too vulnerable. Talent and fame seem to be heavy weights special people carry around on their backs and unbalances them in some way. Perhaps they are more sensitive and fragile than normal.

    They are easy prey for the untalented parasites who feed off their special qualities.

    “Thriller” was a work of art and will endure and be remembered.

    I believe Farah Fawcett moved beyond her image as a sex symbol after several years of private turmoil. I don’t begrudge them the time their families, friends and fans need to mourn their loss. I wish them peace in the next life.

  • lark

    Quickly. M Jackson is an American tragedy bar none. Mimicked the psychic of the USA for the last 40 years. His talent as an artist, which is essentially overrated, was based on innovation and thus his success was limited to his ability to innovate. But he lacked discipline and knowledge. He was self conscious of his deficiencies and that tortured him constantly. He seemed missing or lacking a good education and it seems he could not live in peace without one. His quest revolved around shoring up his self-esteem by virtue of adding innovative features to his surroundings. A too common personality trait. So his live like much of the American business culture of the past 40 years was a quest to exploit innovation and originality from the standpoint of expediency, unable to enjoy the permanence of steadfastness.

    To me is funny because of the irony in the tragedy. The man was hunted by the wanting of those early year educational voids and lived his life trying to make up for it. The moral of the story is that nothing really is more important and necessary in life than a good education during the early years of a person’s life. An education under the watchful eyes of parents and caring educators. Today’s youth only have the same type of pathway to look up too. By avoiding the benefits of a good solid childhood education, people frame their lives around whatever talent can accomplish through innovation.

    Parents, don’t shortchange your children on education. In the Bible God demands that parents take care of their children education. In the next few days we will be flooded with the exultation of a man that died wanting, unsatisfied and the youth of our country will get no clue of why his tragic life unfolded the way it did. After school, they will again fill their backpacks with entertainment and walk back to a home oblivious of the waste.

    • fif

      Lacked discipline and knowledge? That is flat out false. Everyone from Quincy Jones to Barry Gordy to the producers, writers, musicians, and dancers who worked with him said he was an obsessive perfectionist who studied all the great dancers and singers, working endless hours perfecting intricate and original moves. He also studied all the arts, the painters and classical music. He changed music and video art forever. Harsh and inaccurate.

  • lark

    What’s important here SusanUnPC is that the Democratic Congress today and Obama and his administration are a mirror image of what Michael Jackson brain and life seems it was since the Obama’s election in Nov of last year. And our fate as a nation is being framed just as Michael Jackson framed his fate. High of PRESCRIPTION (drugs) legislation to sustain our economy and way of life we are, the pace of insanity about the burden we are carrying can only take us into an inevitable cardiac arrest.

    Question: Is the way that Michael Jackson died a symbolic metaphor of the way America is heading? Are the enemies of America, those who chant and wish America’s death getting a preview of what is to come if we continue in our present suicidal path? Is Obama walking a path similar to Michael Jackson’s and is he taking all of us with him?

  • Diana L. C.

    Whenever anyone dies, celebrity or stranger, it causes me to pause. I am of the generation that probably knew Ed McMahon better than we knew Farrah or Michael, but I do know that inside each of them, they were just struggling to figure out what it means to be one human.

    Yesterday, I rounded up some of the email addresses of old high school fiends who no longer live near our home town to notify them of the death of one of our most beloved teachers. He wa 91 whwn he died. I won’t give his life story, but he was amazing. Some wrote back about how much more significant they thought this man was than all the celebrities.

    I try not to compare. I just try to remember John Donnes masterpiece Meditation XVII. Here’s a line: “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

  • IMHO

    I find the content in the article to be a bit insulting. Regardless of how you feel about Mr. Jackson, he is an International Icon. He has been in the business since he was five years old and he has opened the door for so many other artists. Yes the man was eccentric however, the man spent all of his life in the public eye and we do not know what he went thru. Yes, there are important issues that will be covered but I find it to be decent of the MSM to decided to dedicate a day to discuss the tragic and sad death of Michael Jackson and to celebrate his accomplishments.

    How would you feel if someone wrote a piece like this about your child, father or brother?

    I sincerely hope and pray that Mr Michael Joseph Jackson will finally have the peace that he did not have during his life hear on earth. Mr. Jackson, Rest In Peace!

    Susan, I am sorry but the insensitivity and sarcasm in your article is very bothersome! I just hope that someone will show you or your family more respect than you’ve shown to Mr. Jackson when it is your time!

    Very Insulting and quite honestly, surprising to be coming from you!!!!

  • PGraber

    At least we’re not having to hear about Obama as much as long as they are talking about MJ’s death.

  • Scranton4Hillary

    MJ was extremely talented. I very much enjoyed his music– especially in the 80s. I believe he was tormented by demons and poor self-esteem. He always kept trying to re-invent himself–change his personna. His fame and fortune did little to bring him happiness or contentment. A wise person once said–fame can take you places where character cannot sustain you.
    My sympathies to his family on the loss of their son and brother.

  • politicalidentitycrisis

    I don’t think anyone can deny that no one could do it like Michael. I didn’t think much of the news when I first heard it, but I did shed some tears when I was showing my kids some videos of Michael’s dancing on the internet. My kids are 14 and 17 and thought of Jackson like he was portrayed in the South Park episode of him. I had to set them straight. The man was acquitted and the family who sued him had scammed money out of people prior to the allegations. So sad for Michael that he probably would have suffered less if he had been jailed. The court of public opinion is the worst kind of judgement of all! As I watched the videos with my kids, it took me back to fun and happy times in my life and friends that I hadn’t thought of for a long time. I am going to remember Jackson for the talent he was. I hope his kids will be ok and well taken care of and not exploited. In trying to explian to my kids just how “big” Michael Jackson was, no name came to mind. There is no other like Michael Jackson, and there probably never will be again. We as a country no longer lift people up and give them the freedom to creat who they want to be, instead we cut them down and label and categorize them. That is why we won’t have another Michael Jackson!

    Rest in Peace, Michael. Thanks for the soundtrack of my youth.

  • Boxer Mum 06

    I was caught up in the MJ coverage yesterday. I was part of the original MTV generation that grew up watching his videos and waiting for the Thriller premiere on Halloween. When I was in college, the old Jackson 5 stuff quickly became part of any party soundtrack. I can’t say I was a fan though, I was more into alternative music not pop. I do appreciate his celebrity though and think he was my generation’s Elvis.

    As I watched the non-stop coverage, it really got me thinking.. all along, I was like the majority of people that appreciated his music and abilities but thought he was a freak who molested little boys. I heard Geraldo Rivera and some other guy say emphatically that he was not guilty of those charges and was just taken advantage by some scum of the earth. I did wonder why this mother would allow her boys to be put in such a dangerous position (sleepovers with a grown man) as she has to carry some blame there too regardless of who is was.

    He obviously had tons of emotional problems stemming from his father’s abuse and no doubt hated himself so much that he destroyed his appearance to the point of unrecognizable extremes. What I started to think about was who defined this whole pedophile freak thing … THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA!

    I look at how the media built Obama up and made him this God like character that if you didn’t unconditionally support him than you are a freak and I think there’s something very similar there. The almost cult like following of MJs fans is how different from the Obamabots? No matter what the truth may be about their idol, they will not see or believe anything distorting their media crafted image. I read yesterday a story about Michelle Obama and one of her staff posing for some magazine shoot in 100K earrings. Axelrod went nuts saying they have to worry about the finely crafted ‘Obama Package’.

    I feel bad now that I judged Michael Jackson based on ignorance gathered from the self-serving media coverage thinking for me. I never took the time or energy to do my own research to develop my own opinion of Michael Jackson’s child molesting claims. It was far easier to jump on the bandwagon and believe what the media reported as fact.

    This I think is the greatest tragedy of the whole Michael Jackson story. We will never know his guilt or innocence. We do know that he was such a lonely, lost man that never had a childhood and was imprisoned by his celebrity life. Could you imagine being trapped like that and having the entire world think you are a child molester when you weren’t? They said he paid off the ‘victims’ b/c he couldn’t emotionally take it anymore.

    I hope he finally has found some peace and can appreciate all the smiles and great memories he created for people throughout the world.

  • SJ

    Last night I listened to some of his music on U tube, you may not like him for a host of reasons, but one thing you have to admit his music was great.

    They just don’t make music like that again so credit has to be given to him for his genius. I hope now he can finally have some rest, we so love to speculate and talk about people even when we are not sure what is the truth.

    Rest in peace MJ.

  • Kathleen Wynne

    SusanUnPC,

    I agree. While I am saddened by Michael’s passing, I found that I was even more saddened by Farrah’s! What she did by documenting what it’s like to be ravaged by cancer (and as a celebrity willing to display it “warts and all”) took great courage and really put a face on how horrible the disease is.

    Sadly, courage and grace in the face of death does not trump celebrity in our culture today.

    • http://firefox AnnieCollier

      How rare that ability to reveal herself in the face of her earlier image. She became even more beautiful than she ever was before. Isn’t that the quality the best performers bring though? The ability to share who they really are through their art?

  • Docelder

    I am wondering… did he actually “live” a life? Or, did he spend his time here on Earth performing… pretending to live his life. The whole thing is just one big tragedy.

  • trixta

    Aside from Michael’s musical genius (much like Elvis’) and dancing talent (much like Fred Astaire’s), his music transcended racial divides still very much at play during his time. I distinctly remember when this new thing called MTV was mainly a venue for white artists, simply because the creators didn’t think black artists would attract viewers. In fact, only after a great struggle with the creators of MTV was Michael Jackson allowed to have one of his videos appear on those airwaves — and the rest is history, as they say.

    As a kid in junior high I danced to the music of the Jackson Five, and loved all of their work during that era. But perhaps my favorite album was Off the Wall, which basically revived dance music after disco. As I recall, the backlash against disco was so great that dance music — all dance music — was held in utter disdain by many (I happen to like disco, although I was in Spain when the phenomenon hit in the US). Then Michael Jackson came along — a lone voice against the onslaught of New Wave and Punk music — with his Off the Wall album, reviving dance music once again for the next generation. This is quite a feat for one artist, I would say.

  • Tess

    Margo Jefferson’s “On Michael Jackson” is a very rich study of him.

    • trixta

      Thanks, Tess.

  • inconsiderable wretch

    A good article by Gideon Yago at the DailyBeast:

    “Michael gave pure, groovy, joyous escape. His music wasn’t really political, it wasn’t really sexual, it didn’t have all that much honesty or soul, sometimes it didn’t make sense, but it was danceable and in that it was completely perfect. I defy you to put on Off the Wall and not instantly get taken in by the sound, the abstract self-affirmations, the worship of beats, the heaven on a dance floor. If Elvis’ great act of iconoclasm was to walk on stage, swivel his hips and tell a generation of American it was okay to fuck, then Michael Jackson’s was to moonwalk on stage, grab his crotch and tell America it was okay to ignore reality if the production quality was good enough. He gave us all tickets to our own private Neverland and we forgave him everything: the idiosyncrasies, the seclusion, the self-mutilation, the decadence.”

  • Karma

    Farrah and Michael had such an impact on entertainment. When there was only the big three networks. Farrah was huge. Charlie’s Angels was huge. Her poster was everywhere….even in our garage.

    Her hairstyle was a must have in towns across America. It would be easier to name friends who didn’t have the style versus those who did. While Jennifer Aniston had a brief experience with the hairstyle adoration. It was nothing compared to Farrah’s and her style which lasted for several years on young girls and women.

    How can you not admire the tv movies she did? Showing that she was more than a pretty face, she was captivating as an actress, even in dramas. Which was nice to know. She probably would have been typecast had she stayed with Charlie’s Angels. It was a brave move to prove herself…especially at that time with so few entertainment venues.

    Though I couldn’t watch the cancer program she put on tv, since it hits too close to home. I hope they run it again so I can muster up the courage to do so.

    Michael Jackson, well, he was always a star. I can remember going to the art house movie theater in San Francisco to see ‘The Wiz’ with my parents. He held his own against Diana Ross. It was a big event that most of the kids at school weren’t able to see since it was across the bay and not in local theaters. We bought our tickets and then went to dinner. Shortly after taking our seats ‘Bambi vs Godzilla’ opened the night with goosebumps on my arms.

    Can’t forget roller skating to ‘Off the Wall’ and everyone picking up their pace and dance moves around the floor. Or the Motown 25th Anniversary when he moonwalked across the stage. More goosebumps.

    When Thriller came out, we had to stay at a friend’s house to see the premiere, because MTV still wasn’t available in most of our town. We almost missed it because the friend’s dad decided at the very moment it was going to come on, he wanted to watch something else. Nooooo! All that effort for nothing. Whew. He let us watch it and we happily gave up the tv.

    A good friend of mine had the jacket from ‘Beat it’, and tried to have me wear it one day. She could carry it off…me not so much….lol…I protested but she insisted.

    His career lasted my entire life. I don’t know of any other artist that had such a run. Unfortunately, I have to give Olbermann, of all people, the h/t to pointing that out. It is true.

    Just the other day, I was watching the most memorable moments on the BET awards. Needing to get away from the news. They showed several clips of Michael honoring James Brown by first coming out with Brown’s cape, surprising him, and draping it over his shoulders, then doing some dance moves. It then showed Michael clearly taken over by emotion as he tried to share how much James Brown meant to him. I was struck at how much he felt for James Brown and the tears it inspired versus when he spoke about his father. It made your heart go out to him and that little boy without a loving father.

    Michael tearing up and hugging James at 1:29mins

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeFUvW5YInQ

    Both Michael and Farrah had a huge impact on kids my age. They marked moments in time for many of us.

    Hope you don’t mind that I shared some of those on a political board.

  • hokma

    Good old Obama didn’t say anything about Jackson’s passing and Gibbs just issued a rather cold statement of regret. I guess Obama would have had more to say if Michael was a Mullah.

  • trixta

    Great post, Karma. Your comments take me back. Yeah, James Brown (another one of my favorite singers) inspired Jackson while he watched Brown perform at the Apollo…but then you probably knew that already.

    Doesn’t it seem like the pop artists of today are just poor imitations of those one-of-a-kind artists of the late 20th-century, such as Michael Jackson and Madonna (and yes, she’s still going strong with a fantastic album and one of the most successful concert tours of all time)?

    • Karma

      Thanks Trixta, I was a little embarrassed to share them…lol.

      And I agree.

      It does seem like the pop stars of today are just poor imitations. There is something missing from the mix. I don’t know if they just don’t have the same amount of time to perfect a song or make an album/cd a complete project.

      It just seems like they are flat out copying other people’s work. Rather than building on the inspiration of past eras. And more often than not, how they look is more important than talent.

      Would a James Brown even make it in this market? I would like to think he would, but it makes you wonder if these huge talents would make it past modern executives.

      Think of all those riffs gone because James Brown isn’t as cute as Usher, Britney, or Justin Timberlake.

  • madamsecretaryofstatehrc

    I am amazed at some of the comments here about Michael. Until you have a sudden death in the family and have to listen to people talk about things they know nothing about, you have no idea of the pain it causes the survivors.

    Please be gracious! There will be plenty of time to go back to all the cat/dog fights.

    You can then go back to praising and worshipping Mousavi and the other “Reformers” in Iran, bashing Cheney and whatever else you do most on this site.

    But for just this period, let those of us who love Michael post our remembrances of him.

    I notice that since Michael bought the Beatles Anthology that there has been speculation as to when he will have to sell to pay debts etc. That is where all this insane jealousy is coming from. Check yourselves.

    Elvis Presley married a 16 year old, took drugs, was a bloated recluse at the end of his life, but he is still revered. I have no problems with that. But do you hear anyone harping about his faults everytime they mention his name.

    Rest In Peace Michael. We will miss you. Thanks for the music.

    • Hg

      But I liked Elvis, even if he did not wear a jock strap as an outer garment. M. Jackson?, the ultimate creep, even if he did marry Elvis’ daughter. Moon Walk is right, Jackson was always spaced out. LOL!

    • fif

      You can then go back to praising and worshipping Mousavi and the other “Reformers” in Iran, bashing Cheney and whatever else you do most on this site.

      I was with you until you made the comment above. If you are not familiar with this site, which many of us visit regularly, you might want to be “gracious” when you comment too…

  • http://firefox AnnieCollier

    Not a fan, never bought his music, all over produced. And did I believe the pedophile accusations? Yes I did and do. I watched everything around the trial; the Martin Bashier interview, read what the little boys said about their encounters. And, most of all, during the Bashier interview watched his clueless attempt to justify sleeping with boys.

    As for the Vitiligo…if you can’t bear to be revealed to your public, how about pulling a Greta Garbo and retire, living on your legend rather than mutilating your face and body.

    The Jackson family right now are trying to figure out how to partner up with the people who took back Neverland to turn it into a joint venture/museum modeled on Graceland. They will forever manipulate perceptions of him for the family coffers. His parents were maybe the worst stage parents in history. They abused him, lived off him and turned him into a twisted freak. I blame them almost more than him because they stunted his growth. But in the long run everyone is responsible for their own evolution. God knows he had the money to get help but like Anna Nicole, Elvis and all the others, they self medicated and tried to mask their problems, relying instead on changing the outside and keeping the glitz going. Keep on looking at the sparkly uniforms and pay no attention to your lying eyes. Like Michael Jackson’s nose and Smith’s silicone, it was all too obvious that they fell prey to their own demons and never figured it out. Observation is one thing but needing every detail of their lives quite another.

    I lost two old friends this week…one on Friday and one yesterday and I couldn’t care less about all the chest beating and hysteria from people who ought to get serious and get a life. Living vicariously through celebrities or a fraud like Obama is simply as twisted and sick as they are. And how alike they are. Jackson and Obama: manufactured for your illusions.

    What I pray for are those poor little children he bought. We’ll never know what happened to them in his house because they will be owned by the “estate” and will be fed the same swill the public has been living on about The Jacksons. I hope after investigation of the drugs and his sad life it will be obvious they shouldn’t be turned over to these sick dysfunctional people. In the meantime, if Fox doesn’t get back to business, I’ll watch PBS and the Home Channel.

    • hokma

      As for the Vitiligo…if you can’t bear to be revealed to your public, how about pulling a Greta Garbo and retire, living on your legend rather than mutilating your face and body. . . . . turned him into a twisted freak.

      Clearly you don’t know anything about vitiligo and its effects.

      • http://firefox AnnieCollier

        I know about vitiligo and body scars. I am a licensed Esthestician. Having experienced 75% 3rd degree burns at an early age, I know about body image. I know about prescription addiction. I know about Demerol and Morphine, tranquilizers and mood elevators. So don’t presume that I don’t know what I’m talking about.

        When you are hooked on externals, sudden changes in your body image can sink you…all your value is on how you appear, overshadowing your inner voice…or it can let you know that when outer beauty disappears and you find yourself in a panic, you have no internal development and need to grow and mature. If you are lucky enough for that epiphany, you do all you can to gain self understanding and develop yourself from the inside out. Both images are important. But if you only have outer development without the other you are prey to addiction and false adulation. We all have choices and he had his too.
        I was lucky to be offered and chose meditation as a means to take care of my hospital/doctor driven drug addictions; side effects were losing interest in alcohol and smoking. It’s a beautiful tool to get to know yourself. It was a long road but at the end came owning myself and viewing the world with a clear head when I woke in the morning rather than a dull Nembutal fog. We all make mistakes in life and no one I know comes in looking for or has attained sainthood. I feel sorry for Michael Jackson but that doesn’t mean you let him off the hook for what he chose.

        • http://firefox AnnieCollier

          BTW, I was a 23 y/o divorced mother of two when I had my trial by fire and certainly didn’t have a fortune to rely on. But in the long run, maybe his fortune was his curse because it allowed him to stay stuck, someone who could call the shots and surround himself with enablers…which many of his fans were as well.

          I had to sink or swim and it was a long arduous process beginning on the shrink’s couch, leading to many other tools of self discovery.

          • hokma

            “I feel sorry for Michael Jackson but that doesn’t mean you let him off the hook for what he chose”

            I will repeat because based on your answers you are presuming you knew his condition. Before the menu of drugs and obvious additions came his having to deal with the disfiguring condition of vitiligo. Do you know why he started wearing a glove? Why he started wearing only long sleeved, high collared shirts and long pants? Do you know why he bleached his skin? Or even why he walked with an umbrella? When you can understand the slow development of vitiligo you will understand the physical nature of it.

            Then there is the emotional trauma that african americans and latino kids have to deal with long before other means of escape. You consider yourself a freak and an outcast. Now you take a young man whose living depends on his looks as well as his talents. A young man without a strong support system because of the nature of his family and his reliance on leach handlers. You do whatever you can to mask evidence of disfigurement as your self-esteem and dignity slowly slip away.

            All of his odd behavior and physical changes all derived from Michael’s battle with vitiligo.

            • http://firefox AnnieCollier

              Excuses and justifications are what got him to where he was yesterday. He had choices. He did not have to maintain his celebrity and hide behind his condition. If you have serious back pain, you don’t have to continue to dance on Demerol. He could have had a fat bank account marketing his legend with all you people. His over the top spending was just one symptom of trying to fill himself up. He created a viscous circle and became entrapped.

              And you don’t know the extent of his disease either…or whether he was skin bleaching because of self hate. You have no idea what was under that pancake makeup.

              • http://firefox AnnieCollier

                BTW, do you not know what burn scars covering your body look like for a 23 y/o woman? Vitiligo? Nothing even close. Boo hoo for the AA’s and the Latinos. I empathize but I didn’t hide.

                • http://in Elizabeth

                  An addiction to painkillers brought on by the 1984 burn injury/reconstructive surgery and humiliation over the abuse charges has been known since 1993 as the reason a worldwide tour for “Dangerous” was cancelled. He was happiest, most self-assured, on stage and sacrified practically everything to continue the entertainment that has brought so much joy to millions of people. Friends and family apparently did all they could to try and penetrate the wall of denial and life threatening Hollywood culture of doctors over-prescribing drugs to celebrities.

                  Like Lisa Marie said, the end was practically preordained and I’m certainly going to be the last to judge. No one will ever come close to walking in those shoes.

              • hokma

                “And you don’t know the extent of his disease either…or whether he was skin bleaching because of self hate. You have no idea what was under that pancake makeup.”

                He was bleaching his skin for one reason and it was self-hate.

                You can invent whatever excuse you want and that is one of the problems with vitiligo and what young African American and Latino kids who have it have to endure – ridicule from uninformed people like you.

              • fif

                Wow. Judge much? You have no clue what his inner life was like. Yes, we all have choices, but is your life so perfect?

        • fif

          Let him off the hook? He’s dead for God’s sake. What do you want to do, kick him while he’s 6 ft. under?

    • trixta

      I’m so sorry you lost close friends this weekend, Annie. I hope you and others were able commemorate what they meant to you. This said, that was some tongue lashing directed at those of us reminiscing about someone who may have given us some joy in life. Also, I don’t think you should assume that posters here are so spell-bound by MJ that we couldn’t see some of his flaws. I wish you a better week.

    • fif

      You are being very judgmental and making A LOT of assumptions. For many of this, it is very personal–about our own childhoods. As for the accusations–you watched a very sensational documentary and read reports by the accusers and that’s all the proof you need to condemn a man? You weren’t in the courtroom and did not hear the evidence that the jury who found him not guilty obviously did. I saw that documentary–it was like The Enquirer. None of us know the truth, but you seem to know better. That’s arrogance and insensitivity to other people’s legitimate experiences. Just because you don’t feel it, you don’t need to be so condescending.

  • http://firefox AnnieCollier

    Guess next time I’ll copy before I post… first time I can remember being spammed by you folks. Surely I don’t have to be a fan to put on my take.

    • http://sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ American Girl in Italy

      don’t assume you were censored. i just found your post in the spam filter. no one monitors that thing. it filters out comments automatically. if you get spammed, let us know, and we can fish it out.

      • TeakWoodKite

        And it truely must be like fishing too.

        Thats the thing about technology, it isn’t personal…Anne the filter gods will eat your post but sooner or later it will show up.

        • http://firefox AnnieCollier

          Thank you. It’s been a strange week. I’m probably a little prickly. I haven’t been posting because of our family death followed by 3 family house moves and sorting out our loved one’s estate over the past two months.

          My friends who passed away in the past two days were lucky enough to live long…one a surprise, the other not.

          • TeakWoodKite

            Condolenses for your loss and hope when tings settle down in your home, there is no place like it.

            Just put on some reggie music.

          • Karma

            That is a lot of turmoil hitting very close to home. I can see why a celebrity death would almost be offensive by comparison, so being prickly is understandable.

            My condolences for your losses. Finding a new normal sucks to be blunt. So, I hope you remember to take care of yourself while you help your family and friends.

            Hugs to you and yours.

    • fif

      It’s not about being a fan–your “take” just sounds really cold and sanctimonious.

      • http://firefox AnnieCollier

        How about realistic. And I don’t indulge in celebrity worship. Ever. With anyone. It’s not healthy to believe you have a personal relationship with anyone that is not one-to-one in the flesh…only pure fantasy. I don’t get excited, nor does my heart go pitty-pat when I see Clint in the grocery store…even if he did support McCain/Palin.

        Of course, no one likes to be criticized or challenged for spending time, attention and money on pretending and believing the press and PR spin that celebrities manufacture. It’s all about $$$. I mentioned earlier, the Jacksons have already been to Neverland figuring out how to turn it into a permanent cash cow ala Graceland. And they haven’t even had the funeral yet. Talk about cold. Does that mean they didn’t care about him? How would anyone know? You don’t know them…only the spin, spin, spin which is getting smarmier by the minute with Rev. Al declaring him the greatest entertainer in the history of the world, etc., etc., etc., he’ll “lie in state”.

        One of his entertainer friends even referred to the Jacksons as “The Black Kennedys”…and “royalty”. Why this obsession by the black community with emulating the discredited (not royalty) Kennedy family? Even Jackie, as much as I liked her style early on, set everyone up after the assassination with the myth of JFK and Camelot. No one ever heard of it before. Just another attempt after the fact to glorify him further before the rumors were proven true about his womanizing and to shore up her own image. Cold? Sanctimonious? No, I’m just not taken in. What does shock me is that so many in this forum easily see how Obama bamboozled the public but can’t comprehend that Michael Jackson did the same thing. Yes indeed. RIP.

  • http://www.lesstalkmoreactivism.blogspot.com whoframedrudy

    If you measure his life by how much fun and good times he gave to countless millions — wow! At my age, you remember The Jackson 5 breaking out with ‘Stop, the Love You Save May Be Your Own’ — I was 14! Wow. And in the U.S., I can’t even fathom the global thing with Jackson.

    I never believed that stuff about him painting himself white. First, he didn’t even look Caucasian, he looked Polynesian, if anything. It was never plausible that he hated being black–his blackness is all over his music. He did the brave and right thing by going public about his vitiligo.

    The weirdness — he was weird like Salvador Dali was weird. It’s the artist’s duty to be different and think different — and pay the price.

    I admit it, I’m a sucker for royalty. I just ate it up when he started wearing that royal braid on his jackets. We don’t have an official monarchy, so we anointed Jackson has our own ‘royal highness’ and brutalized him savagely his whole life. It really, really sucks that he’s dead.

    • http://firefox AnnieCollier

      And here I thought it was the Kennedys who were our royalty. But wait…isn’t that why our forefathers left England?

      I don’t think it’s the artist’s duty to be different. It’s their duty to know themselves as the unique, creative individual they are and to reveal that through their art.

  • http://firefox AnnieCollier

    Nite all. It’s been a wild week…month.

    • TeakWoodKite

      year decade life.

  • ACPD

    It’s hard for most of us to separate the artist from his/her work. The work can be great and the person less than a good role model. Some even think it is not possible to produce great art without great suffering and deviant behavior. No matter…we live in a country in which few people make these distinctions and what people see, as entertainment is for them reality. It is a measure of the lack of depth and maturity of our culture that a person’s monetary success becomes the greatest measure of the person’s significance and essence. Michael Jackson appears to have been a great and gifted artist, while being a deeply flawed and troubled person. The distinction is important and seems to be sadly lost on most of his “fans.”

  • http://! stodgie

    the media and their infatuation with celebrity leaves me irriatated. my sympathy to the jackson family for their loss. i never believed michael was guilty of the charges. i believe he was guilty of being naive and immature. i also believe he was a great talent. sadly that often goes hand and hand with tragedy.

  • sjc-tx

    Dawnelle… and all the rest of you…

    When they created the word FREAK it had a tag with MJackson

    It astounds me how so many think they are so knowlegable and perfect to be passing ANY kind of judgement on another human being. Micheal Jackson was a tortured soul long before he was part of a prying world. Like him or not, he was a gifted and musical genius. And yes. The man had problems… But I don;t think there is anyone here who can put themselves above him. How many ANYWHERE can say they know/knew him intimately? He was abused, exploited, and slandered.

    You all should look in the mirror and then pass your judgements.

    Rest in peace Micheal.

  • Chris Vosburg

    Ian Anderson wrote, and I think it’s worth repeating here:

    The disc brakes drag,
    The chequered flag sweeps across the oil-slick track.
    The young man’s home; dry as a bone.
    His helmet off, he waves: the crowd waves back.
    One lap victory roll. Gladiator soul.
    The taker of the day in winning has to say,
    Isn’t it grand to be playing to the stand,
    Dead or alive.

    The sunlight streaks through the curtain cracks,
    Touches the old man where he sleeps.
    The nurse brings up a cup of tea —
    Two biscuits and the morning paper mystery.
    The hard road’s end, the white god’s-send
    Is nearer everyday, in dying the old man says,
    Isn’t it grand to be playing to the stand,
    Dead or alive.

    The still-born child can’t feel the rain
    As the chequered flag falls once again.
    The deaf composer completes his final score.
    He’ll never hear the sweet encore.
    The chequered flag, the bull’s red rag,
    The lemming-hearted hordes
    Running ever faster to the shore singing,
    Isn’t it grand to be playing to the stand,
    Dead or alive.

  • http://360yahoo.com/ommotherlifeforce fred heidrick

    what can i say but child molesters go to hell.he payed $20 million to one boy , $15 million to multiple boys to shut them up.why would he pay millions and millions of dollars if he didnt do any thing ? on the documentery he had a boy resting his head on his sholder and said he saw nothing wrong with sleeping with boys.i was molested as a child by men and i know that boy was being molested. so rot in hell you child molester for ever!!

    • BARB

      From: http://www.jollypeople.com/blog

      Michael Jackson led a troubled life and had angry critics and devoted fans, but while memorials have flooded the internet this week after his death, it is the legacy of his music and his problems that are getting publicity, not his works of charity.

      How many people recall that, in his heyday, Jackson wrote a number of hugely influential songs for remarkable charity events and campaigns? Gone Too Soon was in honor of pediatric AIDS victim Ryan White, We Are The World was written by Michael and Lionel Ritchie and the proceeds of the record were donated to those starving in Africa, while all sales of Man In the Mirror went to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times for cancer children.

      Finally, Heal The World was the flag song for the Foundation of the same name that Michael set up to hlep numerous international charity organizations combat poverty, hunger, abuse, cancer, AIDS, disease, racism and illiteracy.

      Michael Jackson was a troubled man, but he leaves behind a loud legacy of music, and a quiet legacy of a life in international charity work.

      • http://in Elizabeth

        Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundations, charity singles, and support of 39 charities.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

        Here is a list I found of some charities that Michael has contributed to and supported:

        - AIDS Project L.A.
        - American Cancer Society
        - Angel Food
        - Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles
        - BMI Foundation, Inc.
        - Brotherhood Crusade
        - Brothman Burn Center
        - Camp Ronald McDonald
        - Childhelp U.S.A.
        - Children’s Institute International
        - Cities and Schools Scholarship Fund
        - Community Youth Sports & Arts Foundation
        - Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
        - Dakar Foundation
        - Dreamstreet Kids
        - Dreams Come True Charity
        - Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation
        - Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
        - Love Match
        - Make-A-Wish Foundation
        - Michael Jackson Burn Center
        - Minority Aids Project
        - Motown Museum
        - NAACP
        - National Rainbow Coalition
        - Rotary Club of Australia
        - Society of Singers
        - Starlight Foundation
        - The Carter Center’s Atlanta Project
        - The Sickle Cell Research Foundation
        - Transafrica
        - United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
        - United Negro College Fund Ladder’s of Hope
        - Volunteers of America
        - Watts Summer Festival
        - Wish Granting
        - YMCA – 28th Street/Crenshaw

        • Onofre’s arm

          Jackson departed this existence half a billion in debt. It would seem that the entities he is so deeply in debt to should be the ones given credit for the charitable donations. If you borrow money to give to charity, and then stiff the lender, you should be considered a thief, not a philanthropist.

      • http://360yagoo.com/ommotherlifeforce fredheidrick

        i dont care i hated all of his music,i did not like him,that boys head on his sholder proves to me he was a child molester.what normal man likes to sleep with little boys that arnt his children?i dont care how much money he had ,or the other things he did for children out of moralistic gilt,he was a pervert.

    • http://in Elizabeth

      Well if I had been abused I certainly wouldn’t be accepting a pay off. I would want the world to know what a sick person my abuser was and make sure that it couldn’t happen to anyone ever again. So really I have to question the motives of someone who can bought off with cash like that, surely it makes one think they are only doing it for the money?

      By settling, Michael did not have to go to court in the civil case and reveal his defense strategy for the criminal case to the prosecution. The civil trial could also have taken several months, which would have cost him millions of dollars in legal fees. If he ended up losing anyway, the 20 million would probably have been the cheaper route.

      He was acquitted on 10 charges because 30 boys adamently denied there was ever any misconduct despite being repeatedly and blatently force fed accusations by the police. The three accusers came from sketchy families, with strong evidence in one case of outright extortion.

      There is a taped phone conversation between Evan Chandler (the alleged victim’s father) and Dave Schwartz (the allged victim’s stepfather) where Chandler says, “Everything’s going according to a certain plan that isn’t just mine… and if I go through with this, I win big time. There’s no way I lose. I’ve checked that inside out. I will get everything I want, and they will be destroyed forever. June will lose [custody of the son]… and Michael’s career will be over.” This tape was played all over news networks and also on the Prime Time Live interview with Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley in 1994. It seems, however, that the media has conveniently forgotten about it.

  • BARB

    While so many here are still claiming Michael Jackson guilty of the child abuse, he was found not guilty of, very little has been said of his continued support of charities:

    http://www.examiner.com/

    This list is from Jackson Action and it is a chronology of all of his charitable contributions:

    January 10, 1984: Michael visits the unit for burn victims at Brotman-Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.

    April 9, 1984: David Smithee, a 14-year-old boy who suffers from cystic fibroses is invited to Michael’s home. It was David’s last wish to meet Michael. He dies 7 weeks later.

    April 14, 1984: Michael equips a 19-bed-unit at Mount Senai New York Medical Center. This center is part of the T.J. Martell-Foundation for leukemia and cancer research.

    July 5, 1984: During the Jackson’s press conference at Tavern On The Green, Michael announces that his part of the earnings from the Victory Tour will be donated to three charitable organizations: The United Negro College Fund, Camp Good Times, and the T.J. Martell-Foundation.

    July 14, 1984: After the first concert of the Victory Tour, Michael meets 8 terminally ill children backstage.

    December 13, 1984: Michael visits the Brotman Memorial Hospital, where he had been treated when he was burned very badly during the producing of a Pepsi commercial. He donates all the money he receives from Pepsi, $1.5 million, to the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.

    January 28, 1985: Michael and 44 other artists meet to record “We Are The World”, written by Michael and Lionel Ritchie. The proceeds of this record are donated to the starving people in Africa.

    1986: Michael set up the “Michael Jackson UNCF Endowed Scholarship Fund”. This $1.5 million fund is aimed towards students majoring in performance art and communications, with money given each year to students attending a UNCF member college or university.

    February 28, 1986: After having had a heart-transplant, 14-year-old Donna Ashlock from California gets a call from Michael Jackson. He had heard that she is a big fan of his. Michael invites her to his home as soon as she is feeling better. This visit takes place on March 8th. Donna stays for dinner and watches a movie together with Michael.

    September 13, 1987: Michael supports a campaign against racism. He supports efforts of the NAACP, to fight prejudices against black artists.

    October 1987: At the end of his Bad Tour, Michael donates some personal items to the UNESCO for a charitable auction. The proceeds will be for the education of children in developing countries.

    February 1, 1988: The Song “Man In the Mirror” enters the charts. The proceeds from the sales of this record goes to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a camp for children who suffer from cancer.

    March 1, 1988: At a press conference held by his sponsor Pepsi, Michael presents a $600,000 check to the United Negro College Fund.

    April 1988: Free tickets are given away for three concerts in Atlanta, Georgia to the Make A Wish Foundation.

    May 22, 1988: Michael visits children who suffer from cancer in the Bambini-Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome. He signs autographs and gives away sweets and records to the little patients. He promises a check of 100,000 pounds to the hospital.

    July 16, 1988: Before a concert at Wembley Stadium Michael meets the Prince of Wales and his wife Diana. He hands over a check of 150,000 pounds for the Prince’s Trust, and a check of 100,000 pounds for the children’s hospital at Great Ormond Street.

    July 20, 1988: Michael visits terminally ill children at Great Ormond Street Hospital. At a unit for less critical patients he stays a little bit longer and tells a story.

    August 29, 1988: At his 30th birthday Michael performs a concert in Leeds, England for the English charity-organization “Give For Life”. The goal of this organization is the immunization of children. Michael presents a check for 65,000 pounds.

    December 1988: Michael visits 12-year-old David Rothenburg. His father had 5 years earlier burned him very badly in an act of revenge against his former wife.

    January 1989: The proceeds of one of Michael’s shows in Los Angeles are donated to Childhelp USA, the biggest charity-organization against child-abuse. In appreciation of the contributions of Michael, Childhelp of Southern California is founding the “Michael Jackson International Institute for Research On Child Abuse”.

    January 10, 1989: The Bad Tour comes to an end. Under-privileged children are donated tickets for each concert and Michael donates money to hospitals, orphanages and charity-organizations.

    February 7, 1989: Michael visits the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California. Some weeks earlier a 25-year-old man had fired at the school’s playground. 5 children had been killed and 39 had been wounded.

    March 5, 1989: Michael invites 200 deprived children of the St. Vincent Institute for handicapped children and of the organization Big Brothers and Big Sisters to the Circus Vargas in Santa Barbara. After this event he invites them to his ranch to introduce his private zoo at his Neverland Ranch to them.

    November 13, 1989: The organization “Wishes Granted” helps 4-year-old Darian Pagan, who suffers from leukemia to meet Michael. Michael invites the little boy to a performance of Canadian acrobats.

    December 28, 1989: Young Ryan White, who suffers from hemophilia, spends his holidays on Michael’s ranch. Ryan had been infected with AIDS by contaminated blood transfusions in 1984. After he was excluded from his school in Kokomo, Ryan fought against the discrimination of AIDS victims.

    January 6, 1990: Michael invites 82 abused and neglected children through Childhelp to his Neverland Ranch. There are games, a Barbeque and a movie show provided for them.

    July 1990: 45 children from the Project Dream Street, Los Angeles, for children with life-threatening illness are invited to Neverland Valley.

    August 18, 1990: Michael invites 130 children of the YMCA summer program of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara to his Neverland Ranch.

    May 6, 1991: Michael is invited to the Jane Goodall Charity event. Michael supports her, an advocate of behavioral research concerning chimpanzees in Gombe, Nigeria for more than 30 years.

    July 26, 1991: Michael pays a visit to the Youth Sports & Art Foundation in Los Angeles. This Foundation supports families of gang members, and helps dealing with drug-abuse. Michael talks to the kids and presents them with a wide-screen TV set and a financial gift.

    December 1991: Michael’s office MJJ Productions treats needy families in Los Angeles with more than 200 turkey dinners.

    February 1992: Within 11 days Michael covers 30,000 miles in Africa, to visit hospitals, orphanages, schools, churches, and institutions for mentally handicapped children.

    February 3, 1992: At a press conference at the New York Radio City Music Hall, Michael announces that he is planning a new world tour, to raise funds for his new “Heal The World” Foundation. This Foundation will support the fight against AIDS, Juvenile Diabetes and will support the Camp Ronald McDonald and the Make A Wish Foundation.

    May 6, 1992: Michael defrays the funeral-expenses for Ramon Sanchez, who was killed during the Los Angeles riots.

    June 23, 1992: At a press conference in London, Michael makes an announcement about his Heal The World Foundation.

    June 26, 1992: Michael presents the Mayor of Munich, Mr. Kronawitter, with a 40,000 DM-check for the needy people of the city.

    June 29, 1992: Michael visits the Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam and presents a check for 100,000 pounds.

    July 1992: Michael donated L. 821,477,296 to La Partita del Cuore (The Heart Match) in Rome and donated 120,000 DM to children’s charities in Estonia and Latvia.

    July 25, 1992: On the occasion of a concert in Dublin, Ireland, Michael announces that he will give 400,000 pounds of the tour earnings to various charities.

    July 29, 1992: Michael visits the Queen Elizabeth Children’s Hospital in London. To the surprise the children, he brings Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Euro-Disney to the hospital.

    July 31, 1992: On the Eve of his second concert at Wembley Stadium, Michael presents Prince Charles with a check of 200,000 pounds for the Prince’s Trust.

    August 16, 1992: 6 year old Nicholas Killen, who lost his eyesight caused by a life aiding cancer surgery, meets Michael backstage in Leeds, England.

    September 1992: Michael donated 1 million pesetas to charity headed by the Queen of Spain.

    September 30, 1992: President Iliescu of Romania inaugurates a playground for 500 orphans which Michael has financed. Michael discusses his Heal The World Foundation.

    October 1, 1992: Michael chooses a concert in Bucharest, Romania for worldwide television broadcast. Bucharest is a logical choice due to the numerous orphanages the country is known for.

    November 24, 1992: At Kennedy Airport in New York, Michael supervises the loading of 43 tons of medication, blankets, and winter clothes destined for Sarajevo. The Heal The World Foundation collaborates with AmeriCares to bring resources totaling $2.1 million to Sarajevo. They will be allocated under the supervision of the United Nations.

    December 10, 1992: During a press conference at the American Ambassy in Tokyo Michael is presented with a check for $100,000 for the Heal The World Foundation by Tour Sponsor Pepsi.

    December 26, 1992: During a broadcast request for donations to the United Negro College Fund, Michael declares: “Black Colleges and Universities are breeding some of the leading personalities of our time. They are on top in business, justice, science and technologies, politics and religion. I am proud, that the Michael Jackson Scholarship Program enabled more than 200 young men and women to get a qualified education.”

    January 19, 1993: Michael is one of the stars to perform at the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton. Before he sings “Gone Too Soon” he draws the attention to the plights of the victims of AIDS and mentions his friend Ryan White.

    January 26, 1993: At a press conference held at Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, Michael is presented with a $200,000 donation from the National Football League and the Sponsors of the Super Bowl. He gets another $500,000 from the BEST Foundation for his Heal The World Foundation. At this occasion the foundation of “Heal L.A.” is officially announced.

    February 1993: In association with Sega, launched an initiative to distribute more than $108,000 of computer games and equipment to children’s hospitals, children’s homes, and children’s charities throughout the U.K.

    March 1993: The foundation of an independent film company is announced. They will produce family-oriented movies. A part of the earnings will go to the Heal The World Foundation.

    March 27, 1993: At a meeting at Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, Michael gives a 5-minute speech to 1200 teachers and politicians.

    April 26, 1993: Within his “Heal LA” tour, Michael visits the Watta Health Foundation, and two schools in Los Angeles South Central.

    May 5, 1993: Former President Jimmy Carter and Michael, who are chairmen of the “Heal Our Children/Heal The World” initiative, are in Atlanta to promote their “Atlanta Project Immunization Drive”.

    June 1993: Michael has announced that he will donate $1.25 million for children who have suffered from the riots in Los Angeles.

    June 1993: 100 children from the Challengers Boys and Girls Club visit Neverland.

    June 10, 1993: Michael promotes the new DARE-program. The purpose of the program is to inform children about the dangers of drug abuse.

    June 18, 1993: Michael pays a visit to a hospital in Washington. He spends several hours with the young patients and plays chess with some of them.

    August 1993: With Pepsi-Cola Thailand, donated $40,000 to Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s charity, the Rural School Children and Youth Development Fund, in support of school lunch programs in rural villages in Thailand.

    August 1993: In conjunction with Pepsi-Cola International, donated new ambulances to the Contacts One Independent Living Center for Children in Moscow, Russia and the Hospital de Ninos Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    October 1993: Donated $100,000 to the Children’s Defense Fund, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation, the Atlanta Project, and the Boys and Girl Clubs of Newark, New Jersey.

    October 22, 1993: Michael visits a hospital in Santiago.

    October 28, 1993: Michael makes it possible for 5000 underprivileged children to visit the Reino Aventura Park, where the whale Keiko (“Free Willy”) is living.

    November 5, 1993: Michael is guest at a children’s party at the Hard Rock Cafe in Mexico City.

    December 1993: With the Gorbachev Foundation, airlifted 60,000 doses of children’s vaccines to Tblisi, Georgia.

    December 16, 1993: The Heal The World Foundation UK supports “Operation Christmas Child” delivering toys, sweets, gifts and food to children in former Yugoslavia.

    1994: Michael donates $500,000 to Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS Foundation.

    January 7, 1994: On the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Michael gives a party for more than 100 underprivileged children at his Neverland Ranch.

    February 22, 1994: “The Jackson Family Honors” is televised. The earnings of the show are given to their own newly formed charity, “Family Caring for Families”.

    August 6, 1994: Michael and his wife Lisa Marie are visiting two children’s hospitals in Budapest. They distribute toys to the ill children.

    1995: Michael wants to free dolphins who have been locked up for years. He believes there should be legal guidelines about the way dolphins have to live in zoos and parks.

    March 1995: Little Bela Farkas received a new liver. Michael and Lisa Marie met this 4-year-old boy during their trip to Hungary in 1994. Michael did everything to help Bela, whose only chance to live was getting a new liver. The Heal The World Foundation covered the surgery and the cost for caring.

    June 21, 1996: Michael donated a four-times platinum disc of “HIStory” in aid of the Dunblane appeal at the Royal Oak Hotel, Sevenoaks in England.

    July 18, 1996: In Soweto, South Africa Michael is laying down a wreath of flowers for youngsters who have been killed during the fights involving Apartheid.

    September 1996: The first Sports Festival “Hope” was held for orphans and disadvantaged children. 3000 children and 600 volunteers took part in the Sports Festival and Michael Jackson was a special guest.

    September 6, 1996: Michael visits the children’s unit of a hospital in Prague.

    October 1996: Michael visited a hospital for mentally challenged children in Kaoshiung, Taiwan and offered 2,000 free tickets to the sold out performance in Kaoshiung.

    October 1, 1996: Michael donated the proceeds of his Tunisia concert to “The National Solidarity Fund”, a charity dedicated to fighting poverty.

    October 3, 1996: Michael visits a children’s hospital and brings small gifts for the patients during a HIStory tour visit in Amsterdam. A room in the hospital (for parents who want to be with their children) is named after Michael.

    November 1, 1996: Michael donates most of the earnings from a HIStory concert in Bombay, India to the poor people of the country.

    November 7, 1996: Before his first concert in Auckland, New Zealand, Michael fulfills the wish of little Emely Smith, who is suffering from cancer, who wants to meet Michael.

    November 25, 1996: Michael visited the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, delivering toys, signing autographs, and visiting with children.

    December 9, 1996: During a HIStory tour visit in Manila, Michael visits a children’s hospital. He announces that a part of his concert earnings will be donated to the renovation of the hospital.

    January 25, 1997: Michael waved his personal fee for his Bombay appearance and donated $1.1 million to a local charity helping to educate children living in slums.

    April 4, 1997: British magazine “OK!” is publishing exclusive photos of Michael’s son Prince. The magazine pays about 1 million pounds for the photos. Michael donates the money to charity.

    June 18, 1997: Michael signed the “Children in Need” book auctioned by the charity UNESCO.

    September 1998: Michael meets 5 year old Aza Woods, who suffers from cancer, at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. Michael introduces Aza to the attraction “Star Trek: The Experience” and spends the rest of the afternoon with the little boy. Finally Michael invites Aza to spend some time with him at his Neverland Ranch.

    November 16, 1998: Michael arrives in Harare, Zimbabwe. He is a member of the American Delegation invited by the Minister of Defense. The delegation thanks the government of Zimbabwe for helping to keep the peace in this area.

    September 4, 1999: Michael presented Nelson Mandela with a check for 1,000,000 South African rand for the “Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.    ”

    January 22, 2000: During Christmas last year a violent storm ravaged the park of the Chateau de Versailles and destroyed 10,000 trees in the park. The estimated cost for rebuilding the park is around $20 million. Some celebrities are supporting the restoration of the park. French officials are reporting that Michael Jackson is one of them. He was one of the first people to donate money to this cause.

    October 28, 2000:Michael painted a plate to be auctioned for the “Carousel of Hope Ball” benefiting childhood diabetes research.

    March 6, 2001: Michael donated a black hat, a birthday phone-call and a jacket worn at the Monaco Music Awards in 2000 to the Movie Action for Children auction, an event being given by UNICEF with all proceeds will going to UNICEF’s efforts to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in Africa.

    March 26, 2001: Michael handed out books to young people at a Newark, NJ theater. The event, which helped to launch the Michael Jackson International Book Club, part of his new Heal the Kids charity, aims to promote childhood reading and encourage parents to return to reading bedtime stories.

    September 15, 2002: Michael donated 16 exclusively autographed items consisting of CD’s, videos and 2 cotton napkins to aid in the support of the victims of a severe flood in Germany. These items were auctioned off for charity and managed to raise 3935 Euro (US$ 3,814).

    October 12, 2002: Michael Jackson invited more than 200 Team Vandenberg members, who recently returned from overseas deployments, and their families to his Neverland Ranch. This was to show his appreciation for the sacrifices the military in his community make.

    November 19-29, 2002: Michael donated an autographed teddy bear dressed in his likeness to Siegfried & Roy’s celebrity teddy bear auction. This auction benefits Opportunity Village which is a non-profit organization based in Las Vegas (USA) that enhances the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. Michael’s autographed teddy bear raised $5,000 for the charity.

    November 21, 2002: Michael donated a jacket to the The Bambi Charity Event in Berlin which raised $16,000.

    April 25, 2002: Michael Jackson performed at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee at the Apollo Theater in Harlem helping to raise nearly $3 million dollars towards voter registration.

    June 2003: The Wolf family, who experienced serious damages to their belongings during the flood in Saxony, Germany last August, was invited to Berlin by Michael Jackson when he was at the Bambi Awards. On that occasion Michael invited them to Neverland. In June, they spent three days at Neverland, meeting Michael and his children.

    Charity Awards

    May 14, 1984: At a ceremony in the White House President Reagan presents Michael an award for special efforts; he is honored for his participation in a national ad campaign against drunk driving.

    January 1989: The “Say Yes To A Youngsters Future” program honors Michael in recognition of his efforts to encourage children to natural sciences and award him with the “National Urban Coalition Artist/Humanitarian Of The Year Award”.

    March 1989: At the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California, Michael receives the Black Radio Special Award for his humanitarian efforts.

    September 22, 1989: The Capital Children’s Museum awards Michael with the Best Of Washington 1989 Humanitarian Award in recognition of his efforts to raise money for the museum, and for his never-ending support of children.

    February 3, 1990: From Japan Michael receives a Role Model Award.

    April 5, 1990: During a ceremony, where Michael is awarded as “Entertainer Of The Decade”, Michael meets President George Bush, who honors him with the “Point Of Light” award. Michael receives this award for his philanthropic activities. President Bush explains Michael’s humanitarian commitments to the press.

    September 14, 1990: The Council of the American Scouts honors Michael with the first “Good Scout Humanitarian Award”. Michael receives this award for his humanitarian activities by supporting the Make A Wish Foundation, the Prince’s Trust, the United Negro College Fund and Childhelp USA.

    October 23, 1990: Michael Jackson and Elton John will be the first recipients of the award in memory of Ryan White, which will be handed over in 1991.

    May 1, 1992: President George Bush presents Michael with the “Point of Light” award for his continuing support of deprived children. During his stay, Michael visits little Raynal Pope, who had been injured very badly by dogs.

    June 3, 1992: The organization “One To One”, who is caring for better living conditions of young people, honors Michael with an award for his commitment to deprived youngsters.

    July 1993: The American Friends of Hebrew University honors Michael with the Scopus Award 1993.

    (this is not the complete list)


    He was listed in the 2000 edition of the Guiness Book Of World Records for breaking the world record for the “Most Charities Supported By a Pop Star”. It states that Michael Jackson has supported 39 charity organizations either with monetary donations through sponsorships of their projects or by participating in their silent auction.

    • http://in Elizabeth

      I’ve never heard him described in any other way but
      a “really, really kind, sweet, gentle person.” One thing for sure, is the happiness MJ got out of life was paltry compared to what he gave the world.

      • http://firefox AnnieCollier

        Seems he always did his “charity” publicly so that he got maximum PR and image rebuilding out of it. Do you believe he ever did anything anonymously? You blame his accusers for being paid off but not him for paying them off? If it’s true that “he just couldn’t stand to go through a trial to prove his innocence”, why not apply that to the boys not wanting to be savaged by a millionaire’s lawyers to prove his guilt?

        As far as only being described as kind, sweet, etc…you left out pedophile and drug addict.

  • NomNomNom

    funny video of 1500 Phillipino inmates reenacting Thriller:
    http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2007/07/21/cpdrc-inmates-practice-thriller-music-video/

  • NomNomNom

    oops, Philippines; Filipino sorry

  • Anon 1

    Mu only wish is that Jordan Chandler all gorwn and not under the inlfuence of his father would come clean and let the world know if indeed he was molested by MJ. To this day many people that Micahel did not want to go through the rigors of a court trial and that the case was just extortion by Chandler dad.

    If MJ did indeed molest Jordan, why did the father not proveeed with a criminaly case? WHo would take money if they feel their kid was hurt?

    This kid is all grown up and he need to talk.

    We all know not everybody who accuse the dead Catholic priest of pedophilia were telling the truth.

    MJ was a strange guy but I think when it came to kids he was asexual. Although he may have been attracted to younger men but not boys.

    • fif

      I think I heard on a report that now that he is dead, the contracts he signed with those families are null and void–thus, the gag rules will no longer apply. It will be interesting to see if anyone talks.

      Just imagine what that must have been like if he really was innocent. What a total nightmare.

  • steve

    I miss Michael, for his music and dancing. The media can go way overboard on this kind of thing, though.

  • RIPMichaelJackson

    The world was recently saddened by the sudden loss of pop icon Michael Jackson. In memoriam of this legendary and one-of-a-kind performer, Ztarlet Star Registry has dedicated an actual star in his memory – as a symbol of the bright light that Jackson brought to the music industry and his millions of loyal fans across the globe.

    http://digg.com/celebrity/Michael_Jackson_Immortalized_with_Dedication_of_Star

    Digg this!

  • elise

    Farrah Fawcett’s funeral was held today and received almost no notice in the news since all attention is on the circus of Michael Jackson’s life and death.

    To be clear, I was a fan of his music. Like many fans, I watched his transformation with sadness and more than a little disgust. After seeing his “loving” father’s reaction to his death, I can almost understand why he disintegrated, and I don’t want to leave out the two plastic sisters either.

    There was the BET Awards show intended to be a celebration of his life and talent and instead became a Jamie Foxx post-racial, racist rant. Then the news none of his children are his, biologically speaking, and his wife Debbie was a surrogate who contributed none of her own DNA to the creation of these babies. The third child’s origins are also unknown.

    Of course there is a will, which everyone plans to contest. Thank God he had enough sense left to disinherit the scum who sired him, but there is enough insanity in that family to keep the circus going on longer that Anna Smith’s.

    We were visiting with one of our neighbors Sunday and he said he had heard a rumor years ago that Michael had undergone “chemical castration” as a child to insure his voice would not change. And that is the point of my late comment on this thread. Could this possibly be true? Would it show up in an autopsy? If true, could the person(s) responsible be guilty of a crime?

    This isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound on the surface. This was done, I believe, for many years to members of the Vienna Boy’s Choir. Does anyone else remember hearing anything like this? It would go a long way in explaining why this talented boy became the talented, but pathetic man he was at the time of his death.

  • http://www.cheapcosmeticsurgery.co.uk.com ereteetuela

    Cheap Cosmetic Surgery – MIchael Jackson

    Like many patients, Jackson sought to hide his cosmetic surgery from the public.

    For years, fans looked on as Michael Jackson radically transformed his appearance. But despite his obviously altered look, the singer only ever admitted to two nose jobs – and blamed his progressively paler skin on the condition vitiligo.

    In fact, says a Los Angeles surgeon who shared a practice with one of Jackson’s surgeons, the King of Pop – who died of cardiac arrest June 25 – was a frequent customer.

    “He had multiple surgeries,” says Dr. Wallace Goodstein, who worked beside Jackson’s surgeon in the 1990s. “He came in approximately every two months. It was about 10 to 12 surgeries in two years, while I was there.”

    As for the specifics, says Goodstein, Jackson “had multiple nose jobs, cheek implants and he had a cleft put in his chin. He had eyelid surgery … You name it he had it.” Goodstein also opines that Jackson underwent operations that he never should have: “He had so many things that were inappropriate.”

    Clandestine Visits to Cheap Cosmetic Surgery

    Like many patients, Jackson sought to hide his cosmetic surgery from the public, says another source with knowledge of the situation. “Michael Jackson always wanted to do these operations in a clandestine manner,” says the source. “They were done in the evening when personnel had to come in so no one else in the office could see him going in or out.”

    Eventually, the surgeries took a toll on his face. “His nose became so small because he was operated on repeatedly,” says the source. “He has barely anything left for a nose.”

    Reversing the Procedures

    Jackson eventually turned to dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein for a solution. “I rebuilt it nose] … using fillers,” Klein revealed in a July 8 interview with Larry King. “I used hyaluronic acids, and they worked very well. It’s an arduous procedure, because you don’t want to put too much in. And you have to do it exactly, so you can flow the material so it’s perfectly smooth.”

    Jackson was pleased with the results, says his dermatologist. “I’m telling you that he was beginning to look like the nose was normal again,” Klein – who recently addressed rumors that he is the biological father of Jackson’s children Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 – said in the TV interview. “And that’s all I wanted, and regain the breathing passages of his nose, because there was a total collapse of the cartilage.”

    Pale Skin

    Klein says Jackson also relied on him to help in treating the skin condition vitiligo, which destroys pigment-producing cells and can cause patches of uneven tone. “His was bad because he began to get a totally speckled look over his body,” said Klein. “was] all over his body, but on his face significantly on his hands, which were very difficult to treat.”

    “You have one choice where you can use certain drugs and ultraviolet light treatments to try to make the white spots turn dark,” Klein explained. However, Jackson’s vitiligo “became so severe, that the easier way is to use certain creams” – very likely hydroquinone derivatives, say other industry experts – “that will make the dark spots turn light so you can even out the pigments totally.”

    The treatment resulted in a uniform – albeit pale – skin tone. “That’s ultimately what the decision had to be. He would have to wear heavy, heavy makeup on stage, which would be ridiculous. And he couldn’t really go out in public without looking terribly peculiar.”

    Interesting, what do you think?

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