Michael Jackson dies

[scumonkey]

http://www.foxnews.com/images/467665/0_22_jacko_nu450.jpg

michael jackson hospitalized at UCLA medical center for cardiac arrest
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --
Michael Jackson (http://www.accesshollywood.com/michael-jackson) has been hospitalized in Los Angeles, according to a number of sources.
TMZ (http://www.tmz.com/) first reported on Thursday afternoon that the star was picked up at around 12:21 PM PST by paramedics, who then administered CPR in the ambulance. The site further reported that Michael had suffered from cardiac arrest.
The Los Angeles Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/pop-star-michael-jackson-was-rushed-to-a-hospital-this-afternoon-by-los-angeles-fire-department-paramedics--capt-steve-ruda.html) reported that according to Capt. Steve Ruda with the Los Angeles Fire Department, Jackson was not breathing when they arrived. Ruda corroborated the report that CPR was administered.
Access Hollywood has confirmed that the LA City Fire Department received a 911 call to Michael’s Holmby Hills neighborhood on Thursday afternoon.
However, when contacted by NBC News, a rep for Michael said the reports were “absolutely untrue.” It is unclear what they claim is untrue, at this time.
According to several outlets, including the LA Times, TMZ and KABC (http://www.kabc.com/), Michael has been taken to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, Calif.
The star is slated to headline 50 sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena beginning in July, billed “This Is It” – his final London performances.
In March, AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke, whose company is behind the shows, told Billboard (http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/michael-jackson-may-play-25-london-shows-1003948204.story) that Michael was “very healthy.”
“Despite everything you read about him, he was fine,” Leiweke said. “The man took a physical for us to go do these concerts.”

CNN is now reporting that the story is true

from Fox news:
Michael Jackson (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529103,00.html#) has been rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, police confirmed to FOX News Thursday.
The legendary singer, 50, reportedly went into cardiac arrest and had to receive CPR in the ambulance, according to a report from TMZ.
Joe Jackson (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529103,00.html#), his father, told multiple news sources that his son is not doing well.
According to a report in the Los Angeles (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529103,00.html#) Times, paramedics responded to a 911 call at around 12:26 p.m. PDT. He was reportedly not breathing at the time of their arrival.

[stache]

I wonder if he was rehearsing or trying to get into shape at the time?

[scumonkey]

Michael Jackson dies: Report

FROM NEWSDAY.COM5:44 PM EDT, June 25, 2009Michael Jackson (http://www.newsday.com/topic/entertainment/michael-jackson-PECLB002548.topic) suffered a heart attack this afternoon at his home and paramedics were not able to revive him, TMZ reported. Jackson was administered CPR in the ambulance.

[MidtownGuy]

-speechless-
:eek:

[scumonkey]

Michael Jackson dies: Report

FROM NEWSDAY.COM5:44 PM EDT, June 25, 2009Michael Jackson (http://www.newsday.com/topic/entertainment/michael-jackson-PECLB002548.topic) suffered a heart attack this afternoon at his home and paramedics were not able to revive him, TMZ reported. Jackson was administered CPR in the ambulance.


From TNZWe've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.

Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.

We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911.

La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

[OmegaNYC]

They're reporting on CNN, that he is hospitalized w/ cardiac arrest.

edit: Now ABC 7, is reporting he is in a coma. OMG.. :(

[scumonkey]

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/thriller-michael-jackson.jpg

[Fabrizio]

Totally upstaged Farrah.

[stache]

Who's next?????????

[OmegaNYC]

^^ please don't think that.

[scumonkey]

CBS news and the LA Times confirm...
Micheal Jackson is DEAD :o

[Fabrizio]

Performing "Ben" at 13 (going on 40) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSqo17o2a1w

[Alonzo-ny]

Well, I didnt expect him to go out quietly. End of a troubled but spectacular life.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Michael Jackson & Joan Crawford.

Together at last.

[Jasonik]

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/michaeljackson-gal-before.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P06fI4n1MH8)

[195Broadway]

Will someone please slow down the passage of time? Another bit of my childhood evaporates into the ether..... :(

Remember when?.....

The Jacksons on Wonderama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OHN9FBRtdI

[195Broadway]

Performing "Ben" at 13 (going on 40) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSqo17o2a1w


One of the most moving performances, ever. So relevant to his life.

[Troyeth]

It is surprising to me the death of someone I never knew could be so painful.

The passing of Michael Jackson is not simply a death, it is a tragedy.

[The Benniest]

Wow.... what a tragic day. Found out from a customer tonight at work that both Farrah AND Michael died. I was in shock. I mean, I wasn't to big of a fan of Michael, but it's just.... shocking. Wow...:confused:

[Fabrizio]

He's the last with that kind of showmanship. He got to perform as a child and young man when the great American variety television shows still existed. So there was a true old-style show-biz vein instilled in him. And he broke into MTV when music videos were still relevant, still a force. That training ground just doesn't exist anymore. All gone.

[Alonzo-ny]

MJ was so popular that when he died he broke Google and Twitter and he has all top 15 spots on Amazon.com according to the BBC!

[Merry]

The passing of Michael Jackson is not simply a death, it is a tragedy.

Unfortunately, a lot of his life was also a tragedy. It's all so very sad.

[ZippyTheChimp]

There was no one to rescue him.

He was denied a childhood, so he tried to invent one as an adult, all while under the public eye. Maybe in the last few years, when he somewhat retreated into the background, he was getting his life together.

We'll never know.

[stache]

Now they can make the movie. I wonder who will portray him?
Edit - There's a very good obituary in the L.A. Times -

[Daquan13]

Late yesterday afternoon, evening, last night, and now this morning, the spotlight & biography has been mostly on MJ, and not nearly as much for Farrah.

I think that there will be more people attending HIS funeral than hers.

Even in death, he STILL gets the last world and trounces over anyone who died just before him.

Ed McMahon died earlier this week, yet even HE is not getting as much attention as Michael is right now! :(

[Alonzo-ny]

And you're surprised?

[Daquan13]

Actually, no, because he was the most electrifying of the three.

But ALL THREE should get equal recognition, not just him.

[stache]

It doesn't work that way.

[Ninjahedge]

I feel bad for anyone dying, but the amount of attension he is receiving on the morning news and everywhere is more thana bit distracting. It is like every person on the street coming up to you and saying:

"Hey, did you hear Michael Jackson is dead? Let me tell you about his life!!!"

Harumph.

Like I have said elsewhere, I feel for him dying, but he seems to have died a long time before this. He was an excelent showman, but a complete freak. A broken man that treated his kid like a posession (dangling him out the window) and a man desperately trying to regain what he was denied.

A man who hated who he was so much, he tried his hardest to keep changing it to something he liked (noe jobs? Bleaching, other cosmetic surgery).

The sad part is, I feel more sorry for his LIFE than his death... :(


As for his influence, it is undeniable. Like I said, he was a showman. And that will be something many will find hard to not acknowledge or draw from in the future. Motown to Pop to Video Music, he hit the stream and the stream ate him alive.

[Fabrizio]

But guys you have to understand that he's only one of a handful of celebrities that have been around so long yet was still in the news. He was a star in the 1960s... a career 40 years long... but his vibe was still that of a contemporary celebrity.

[Ninjahedge]

Actually Fab, I got the vibe that he was a freakish has-beeen trying to make a come back.

People may still fondly remember him and how he influenced their lives, but saying he was a current affair really does not fit in the states. Maybe elsewhere, but just not here.

[stache]

More like an undercurrent.

[Ninjahedge]

Ba-dum-bum TSSSSSSSSH!

[Fabrizio]

If I thought he was a "current" celebrity that is what I would have said. But that's not what I said.

Is there anyone performing from the 60's that if they kicked the bucket you'd see such a reaction from so many young people? (And that's in the US BTW).

Who? Mccartney? Cher? Jagger? Dylan? I don't think so.

And to many young black people he was still very much an icon.

So in that way yes, his vibe was that of a contemporary celebrity. Plastic surgery, freakish behavior, hopeful comback and all.

From the NYTimes: fans react to his death:

"Legions of grief-stricken fans mourned the sudden death of Michael Jackson...."

If it had been the passing of those I mentioned above the quote probably would have been:

"Legions of grief-stricken baby-boomer fans mourned the sudden death of ...."

Slideshow: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/06/25/arts/20090625-JACKSONREAX_index.html

And: "When word spread of Michael Jackson’s death on Thursday, shocked fans took to the streets of New York and Los Angeles and beyond to sing, dance and connect."

"And that celebration continues. A quick look at Twitter and Facebook reveals the various vigils being planned throughout New York. These social media sites have quickly become a virtual town square for information on where and when to celebrate the man and his music."

"On Thursday evening, crowds gathered outside the UCLA Medical Center where Mr. Jackson was pronounced dead, as well as outside the Apollo Theater where the Jackson 5 performed in 1969. Fans sang and danced to Mr. Jackson’s hit songs and swapped stories about Mr. Jackson’s concerts."

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/dancing-in-the-streets-to-remember-jackson/?hp

---

[TREPYE]

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/thriller-michael-jackson.jpg

He looked so normal here, before all of that ultrabizzare series of plastic surgeries that degenerated his looks into this:


http://www.foxnews.com/images/467665/0_22_jacko_nu450.jpg



And adequately enough the bizzare behavior accomapnied it. I never understood what drove him to do it.

[Ninjahedge]

But guys you have to understand that he's only one of a handful of celebrities that have been around so long yet was still in the news. He was a star in the 1960s... a career 40 years long... but his vibe was still that of a contemporary celebrity.


Um, Isn't "current" a synonym of "contemporary"....

:confused:


Me reads well for Amurican!!!

[Fabrizio]

^Really?

"....his vibe was still that of a contemporary celebrity."

His what?

"....his vibe"


You said: "people may still fondly remember him and how he influenced their lives, but saying he was a current affair really does not fit in the states."


I did not say "he was a current affair"

I said "....his vibe was still that of a contemporary celebrity."

See my above post and links for context.

thanks.

--

[Ninjahedge]

^Really?

"....his vibe was still that of a contemporary celebrity."

His what?

"....his vibe"

Ah, I get it, a persons "vibe" has nothing to do with the person.

K.


You said: "people may still fondly remember him and how he influenced their lives, but saying he was a current affair really does not fit in the states."


I did not say "he was a current affair"

Um, I have a few more nits if you want to pick them.

What you said and what it conveyed upon its readers may heve been two different things.

Lucky I didn't read it, I just put my face up next to the screen and felt it.


I said "....his vibe was still that of a contemporary celebrity."

See my above post and links for context.

thanks.

--

Bitte.

And keep your post to yourself young man!!!!!!

[195Broadway]

^
Is it the rain?

[Fabrizio]

195Broadway: rain or shine, it's just the regular ol' strawmanning, putting words in anothers mouth.

another example: "Ah, I get it, a persons "vibe" has nothing to do with the person."

*sigh*

I completely understand disageement on an issue... and note I have no prob with Ninja's opinion. But please let's not strawman... and so forth. Discuss the issue. And note I have no disagreement about the fact that MJ was indeed a freakish has-been trying to make a come back. (although I might have defined him as a not-quite-yet-has-been).

But despite all of that, stuff we all know... was his vibe still that of a contemporary celebrity? IMHO I say yes and gave my reasons with examples. I one feels differently all they have to do is counter with an opposing viewpoint.

I think it could be the stuff of an interesting conversation... but no...

--

[Daquan13]

MJ did some pretty controversial things during his life and career, but I guess in the end, his death made everyone forget all those things, throw them in the trash and everyone came together began to embrace the memory and legacy that he created for himself and bid farewell to him.

He had some followers and some haters. The ones who hated or didn't like him were the ones trying to bring him down and blackball him.

But I think that the forthcoming tour that he was about to do and the embattling pressure he took through the years might have added to his often hectic schedule. :(

[Citytect]

I'm going to be honest at the risk of sounding insensitive... I find Jackson's death neither shocking nor saddening. He was so bizarrely reckless and irresponsible that I sort of assumed he would not live to an old age. I just don't feel it's a great loss at this point. He had already lost control of himself years ago, and his personal and professional life was a freakshow. And I don't think for a minute that his farewell tour was going to be a return to form for him. It's pretty clear that his debt situation made it impossible for him NOT to do those concerts regardless of his ability to perform respectably. He had no choice despite being in apparent poor health. To the end, it seems he was content playing the victim.

Having said that, I'm sorry for his family, especially his children. I'm sure they loved him regardless of his flaws.

[ablarc]

^ A sober assessment.

[Daquan13]

The latest news report now on MJ's death is that he may have been using a drug called Deprivan (Poporil), which if not use correctly can cause instant death!

He's been said to have asked for the use of this drug as a way to help him get some sleep and was denied.

It can stop the heart from beating. Jackson may have had some of this drug in his body before he died. All theories seems to point to an overdose of several or a shot of one powerful drug as the culprit that likely felled him. :eek:

[ZippyTheChimp]

Well, I'm not in the will, so I've lost all interest in this story.

[Daquan13]

Maybe the kids will put you in one. :D

[RandySavage]

I hadn't given much thought to Michael Jackson in a long, long time. Then I heard about his London concerts and thought it would be interesting to see if he could pull it off; rooting for an old-timer underdog to make a respectable comeback.

When I learned of his death, I was surprised at my own shock and sadness. I had assumed that I would be as indifferent as I am to most celebrity deaths. Then I realized it was losing a piece of my childhoold. As a kid of the 80s, he was very present in my life.

No one can deny that he made immense contributions to music, dance & music-videos. I can't think of a post-1980 artist that left as big or widespread impact on his/her art form.

[eddhead]

He;ld have pulled it off. The shows were say sold out. As to weather or not his comeback would have stuck... that is still an open issue.

I am just catching up on this thread but I agree with both Fab and Zippy. From Zippy's perspective, you have to view his adult life through the lens of over compensating from a lack of true childhood. He is not the only child star who has suffered as a result of premature adulthood. To Fab's point, irrespective of the fact that he may or may not be relevant, he epitomized all that makes up our contemporary pop culture. Others like Dylan may be more artistically relevant, but within the construct of today's pop culture, would resonate less with gen y.

[Daquan13]

I still find it awfully hard to believe that he's gone!

I wished that he kept himself normal looking and did the right thing. No doubt, if he did, then he still would have been with us right now!!

[kz1000ps]

OP-ED COLUMNIST
Behind the Facade

By BOB HERBERT
Published: July 3, 2009

Meeting Michael Jackson in the mid-1980s was one of the creepier experiences of my life. I was an editor at The Daily News and had to present him with an award in a large room with just a handful of onlookers and a photographer at Madison Square Garden.

I wasn’t put off by the fact that Jackson, then in his mid-20s, couldn’t make small talk. Lots of people have trouble with that. There was something about his overall behavior that weirded me out. He seemed, even then, to be a person who was trying with all of his being to step outside of reality and leave it behind.

Emmanuel Lewis, the child star of the hit TV series “Webster,” was with Jackson that evening. The undersized Lewis was probably 13 at the time, but he looked much younger, maybe 7 or 8.

Jackson seemed to relate only to Lewis. He made faces at the tiny boy and giggled as Lewis hopped around and climbed over furniture, much to Jackson’s delight. I remember thinking as I left the Garden that Jackson had treated Lewis almost as a pet.

I’ve never heard any suggestion of anything improper about the relationship between Jackson and Lewis. But what I wish I had thought more about in those long-ago days of Michael-mania was the era of extreme immaturity and grotesque irresponsibility that was already well under way in America. The craziness played out on a shockingly broad front and Jackson’s life, among many others, would prove to be a shining and ultimately tragic example.

Ronald Reagan was president, making promises he couldn’t keep about taxes and deficits and allowing the readings of a West Coast astrologer to shape his public schedule. The movie “Wall Street” would soon appear, accurately reflecting the nation’s wholesale acceptance of unrestrained greed and other excesses of the rich and powerful.

In neighborhoods through much of black America, crack was taking a fearful toll. Young criminals were arming themselves with ever more powerful weapons, and prison garb was used to set fashion trends.

Motown was the label that gave us the Jackson 5. But when Michael and his brothers released their first album in 1969, the label had already reached its creative peak and most of the best work — the stunning originality of the Miracles, the Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, the Supremes, the Temptations, and others — had been done. Hip-hop would soon appear, and then the violence and misogyny of gangsta rap.

All kinds of restraints were coming off. It was almost as if the adults had gone into hiding. The deregulation that we were told would be great for the economy was being applied to the culture as a whole. Women could be treated as sex objects again as misogyny, hardly limited to hip-hop, went mainstream. (Have you looked at network television lately, or listened to the radio?) Astonishing numbers of men abandoned their children with impunity. Most of the nation seemed fine with the idea of going to war without a draft and without raising taxes.

In many ways we descended as a society into a fantasyland, trying to leave the limits and consequences and obligations of the real world behind. Politicians stopped talking about the poor. We built up staggering amounts of debt and called it an economic boom. We shipped jobs overseas by the millions without ever thinking seriously about how to replace them. We let New Orleans drown.

Jackson was the perfect star for the era, the embodiment of fantasy gone wild. He tried to carve himself up into another person, but, of course, there was the same Michael Jackson underneath — talented but psychologically disabled to the point where he was a danger to himself and others.

Reality is unforgiving. There is no escape. Behind the Jackson facade was the horror of child abuse. Court records and reams of well-documented media accounts contain a stream of serious allegations of child sex abuse and other inappropriate behavior with very young boys. Jackson, a multimillionaire megastar, was excused as an eccentric. Small children were delivered into his company, to spend the night in his bed, often by their parents.

One case of alleged pedophilia against Jackson, the details of which would make your hair stand on end, was settled for a reported $25 million. He beat another case in court.

The Michael-mania that has erupted since Jackson’s death — not just an appreciation of his music, but a giddy celebration of his life — is yet another spasm of the culture opting for fantasy over reality. We don’t want to look under the rock that was Jackson’s real life.

As with so many other things, we don’t want to know.

Link (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/opinion/04herbert.html?em)

[stache]

Is he trying to lump Katrina in with the '80's? :confused:

[Daquan13]

Maculay Culkin also spent a lot of time with him when HE was a little boy as well.

But he defended MJ very highly, saying that nothing bad or perverted went on toward him or the other kids.

[kz1000ps]

Is he trying to lump Katrina in with the '80's? :confused:

Yeah, there's some real lumpy writing in that piece. But I posted it because I think the overarching message is just.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Is he trying to lump Katrina in with the '80's? :confused:

A bridge from seeds sown in the 80s to behavior today.

War without gravity.
Inability to handle crises.
Wealth built on nothing.

Non-adults running the world, with the inevitable collapse.

Herbert sees Jackson's life as a metaphor.

[scumonkey]

Michael Jackson dies...

...now if only the story & hub bub would!:rolleyes:

[Daquan13]

But it won't.

Because in the public's eyes, he was more than just a superstar. He was electricity and dynamic as well as immensely popular in just about every corner of the world.

Just like Elivis was before HE died. MJ may be gone, but his music, spirit and popularity will live on forever, like so many others before him.

His music and memoralbelia will sell even more, and his popularity will be 10 times as strong. Like fine wine, he'll still be unstoppable even in death. :)

[stache]

I'm guessing a 'Day of the Locust' revisit on Tuesday -

[lofter1]

For those of you who don't have a clue what that ^ refers to ...

Watch this to get you in the mood:

"The Day of the Locust" movie trailer 1975 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WDcrAFk7Ow)

Then, for the real fun ...

Dramatic Climax Scene From "The Day of the Locust" 1975 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pp14CdBci0)

Gotta LOVE Karen Black (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z0AoQTRjtA) :D

SHe's a real testament to why one shouldn't stay in LA for too long.

It's enough to make a girl crazy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU572Zqef80&feature=related).

:cool:

[scumonkey]

Like fine wine, he'll still be unstoppable even in death.I don't like whine either;)
Talented maybe but....he was just a man- time to move on!
Give me back my news (real news)

[lofter1]

Anybody wanna guess who played the little girl who torments Donald Sutherland in that scene from DOTL?

[kz1000ps]

Non-adults running the world, with the inevitable collapse.

Parents who try to be their child's friend more than their elder, giving rise to a new generation of narcissists (my generation, unfortunately).

[scumonkey]

Anybody wanna guess who played the little girl who torments Donald Sutherland in that scene from DOTL?
a young Jackie Haley ;)

[stache]

A boy in a bad wig.

[Daquan13]

At first, I thought for a while, that this was just another hoax or rumor of him dying.

Myself along with others had thought that it might have been some weird cruel joke. That he would spring up and not be dead because the guy had wanted to live for about 150 years in that glass tube.

[scumonkey]

Some people need to get a grip...
Wake up!
here a little dose of reality!
Congressman on Jackson: 'He Was a Pedophile'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyA_R0Wm2MA

[Ninjahedge]

His parents were jackasses that pushed his entire family both into stardom and out of sanity. They are all a LITTLE bonkers, to say the least, and Michaels huge success, at such a young age, cemented his dementia very early.

But there is only one thnig that can make someone SO popular hate themselves so much that they want to drastically change their appearance as he did. Someone had to tell him how hated he was.

Amazing how I have not heard a SINGLE word about him and his greedy moves almost immediately after his sons death.



And do not even get me started on Sharpton. That racist SOB is trying to ride the coattails of a deadman as far as he can get before MJ is "scattered" wherever they decide to. The idea of his ashes sprinkled over Neverland creeps me out, and they may want to just enshrine him, but that is another discussion.


While I an see that many people of my own generation grew up with him and may have indeed poured their heart out over one of his albums or another, but I still cannot see whty SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SO REMOVED FROM THEIR OWN SAD REALITIES THAT THEY TAKE THE DEATH OF A WASHED UP POP STAR SO SERIOUSLY THAT EVERYTHING ELSE IN THEIR OWN LIVES IS SECONDARY.

The whole LA memorial thnig sickens me. Almost a million people?


Maybe he should have been at the MMM? Eh? :mad:

[Alonzo-ny]

And do not even get me started on Sharpton. That racist SOB is trying to ride the coattails of a deadman as far as he can get before MJ is "scattered" wherever they decide to.

That is his life, I prefer to ignore him. Its all of his followers I feel sorry for because they buy what he is selling.

[Ninjahedge]

Used velour track suits?

[kz1000ps]

Congressman on Jackson: 'He Was a Pedophile'

Maybe I'm in denial, but I simply don't believe it. His attraction to children never seemed to come from a sexually driven place. Maybe deep, deep down it did, but until that's proven without a doubt, I'll have my own.

IMO he wanted to be around the innocence and purity that only children can have, and he seemed aware enough to understand that doing anything sexual with them would all but erase that innocence he was so blindly obsessed with.

[scumonkey]

At the very least he was a drug abuser-
still not worth listening about 24-7 for almost two weeks;)

[kz1000ps]

Agreed!

[Daquan13]

I can kind of understand the reason why MJ wanted to be around children and what he went through when prying eyes were trying to cook up and fabricate a child molestation case against him.

He wanted to FEEL like a kid by being with them, which made himself a kid at heart.

In January this year, I was a victim of a supposed child abuse case. I tutored children at one of Boston's public schools. One of the boys whom I tutored had went to his teacher and told him that I was making him feel uncomfortable.

I was in his art class room. His teacher had invited me there. From what his teacher told me, he (the boy) said that I was invading his space to be with his classmates. I imagine that he was getting peer pressure from his classmates that day. They wanted to know if I was related to the boy at all.

But nothing inappropriate had ever happened. But the school's principal had turned me away after I was told by the program that everything was ok and that I could go back there to tutor the kids!

I ended up losing my tutoring job there! The principal, deep down, thinks that something sexual might have happened, but nothing did at all.

I really got attached to this child, and he got attached to me! I treated him like he was my son or nephew. Guess if you let children get real close to you, small minds begin thinking the worst, as what happened with Michael!!

But I was never even arrested or prosecuted. No charges were filed, my CORI & SORI record are clean, but because the boy told his teacher what he thought might have been happening, I lost my job there. I was so heartbroken and devestated over that. That is why I say that I know what Michael went through, but in HIS case, the greedy perpetrators wanted money from him because they knew that he had it! :mad:

[Ninjahedge]

I really do not know D13.

Michael was way beyond what you were feeling. I know what you are saying, and I know that was a component of what Michael was feeling, but as a full grown adult, you do not invite a bunch of children over (or, worse yet, only a select few) for an unsupervised sleepover.

It is also nice to say that all he wanted was to be a kid again, but there is that nasty puberty thing that removes your chance of anything being truly 100% innocent anymore.

I am not saying he did anything, well, invasive, but I am sure some lines were crossed (either by desire, or just plain or deliberate ignorance of them).

It is one thing to try to recapture your childhood, it is another to think you are Peter Pan.

[Troyeth]

If any of you believe Michael Jackson is a sexual predator you have zero idea what being a typical pedophile entails (of course, pedophiles come in all shapes, sizes, religions and m.o's). Certainly it does not entail preying on random children once every 11 years--beginning most peculiarly at age 35--nor does it entail making public your affection for children in music, highly-publicized speeches and even home design.

Of course, that does not stop any of you from casting aspersions on Michael Jackson, simply because if there is any one such person whom it is acceptable to dish such ill-will toward it is Mr. Jackson and his unfairly tarnished reputation.

Food for thought; Michael Jackson had the nastiest reputation of any person in the public sphere upon commencement of his trial in 2003, yet he was still acquitted of his charges. That may not mean anything to the congressman, but it certainly indicates something to me. He's not guilty.

Unusual, peculiar, maybe even a user of tough narcotics; sure. We'll find out the latter soon. That does not make him criminal.

Most likely an emotionally fragile Mr. Jackson was deserving of our compassion, not your ridicule.

[scumonkey]

I'm not trying to ridicule MJ- just the hysterical (hypocritical) masses,
and the bloated news & TV coverage.;)

[Daquan13]

Michael DID however, make people very suspicious of him for the fact that he always had kids over at Neverland Ranch for sleepovers. He was declared innocent, but again, small minds & pedophile suspicion has reared its ugly head. Afterwards, it had appeared that he distanced himself from being around children as much.

Even Eminem got in the act and poked fun at MJ when he mimicked Michael in videos with the nose falling off prank, the baby dangling incident with a doll baby and sitting at the foot of a bed with kids jumping around on it!

This had infuriated Michael and he went on the air and demanded that the prank vids be pulled.

[stache]

Sleeping with children is rarely a good idea.

[Troyeth]

No disagreement here.

[Daquan13]

I once used to have kids over for sleepovers, but nothing happened and they slept in a separate room. :p

[stache]

It's still playing with fire.

[Troyeth]

Might want to keep that to yourself Daquan, or else please confess to your local authorities.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I'm not trying to ridicule MJ- just the hysterical (hypocritical) masses,
and the bloated news & TV coverage.;)One day last week about noon, a banner at the bottom of the screen at MSNBC stated,


"Michael Jackson autopsy to begin in minutes."

It remained for many, many minutes.

[Daquan13]

There IS nothing wrong with having kids over for sleepovers as long as certain things are followed.

1. That they sleep in a separate bed and in a separate room.

2. Thay they keep themselves well-mannered and respectful.

3. That they don't sneak into YOUR OWN bed after you've gone to sleep!

Now if it's a baby, that's different, as you wouldn't leave a helpless baby by himself or herself if you were watching a baby. That could be dangerous.

Older children should know better and they should be taught better at home not to sleep in the same bed with adults. The kids back then, wanted to come over, so I set their boundery lines, and if they felt as though they didn't want to follow them, I did not allow them to come back over.

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
You left out the most important rule:

Make sure other adults are present who can back you up.

[stache]

^ + + + + + + + +

[NYatKNIGHT]

Saw a photo of a girl who scored a ticket to MJ's memorial service. She was beaming ear-to-ear with glee, holding the ticket high, shouting a sort of woo-hoo! She could not have looked more happy and excited. It just looked so....wrong.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I think the best way for everyone to handle the death of a person with two completely different aspects of their lives:

1. Let those that want to grieve (or rejoice) have their time.

2. For those somewhat (or not much) interested, you note the accomplishments he left behind. The Wacko-Jacko person is gone. He can't do anything else.

There's plenty of time in the future to analyze and reconcile the two Jacksons.

[lofter1]

Really. Whatever happened to a respectful space of time from death until burial?

There's plenty of time later, for those so inclined, to shovel the shindig on the deceased.

[Daquan13]

Yes Zippy, there WERE adults there to back me up.

MJ's memorial services are now being broadcast on TVOne right now as we speak, for those of you who want to see it.

And his body IS there.

[Ninjahedge]

I hope they don't make his casket do the moonwalk to the grave........




You know what scares me? The remote possibility of this (actually) happening!

[The Benniest]

Saw a photo of a girl who scored a ticket to MJ's memorial service. She was beaming ear-to-ear with glee, holding the ticket high, shouting a sort of woo-hoo! She could not have looked more happy and excited. It just looked so....wrong.
Saw this picture as well. And had the same feelings about it. It was weird.

[scumonkey]

MJ's memorial services are now being broadcast on TVOne right now as we speakAnd channels 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14.....:rolleyes:

[Daquan13]

Maybe so, but isn't it all the same one? Hello? :rolleyes:

[ZippyTheChimp]

MJ's memorial services are now being broadcast on TVOne right now as we speak, for those of you who want to see it.

And his body IS there.Technically, doesn't that mean it's a wake.

[scumonkey]

Maybe so, but isn't it all the same one? Hello? Maybe in e boston but not in NY- you mj fans really need to get a grip ;) goodby MJ- may we NEVER hear about you again!

[ZippyTheChimp]

We can only hope there isn't a lot of money to fight over.

[Daquan13]

But Zippy, it might be, but they're calling it a memorial service. The word wake is never mentioned.

Controversy is even brewing since MJ died. His 2nd ex-wife is planning to fight for custody of the two older children. Who is Blanket's mom?

Scumonkey, you're cold & cruel. Where is your sympathy? He was loved by everyone! Get a grip? May you never hear about him again? Come up here and say that to his fans and see if you're not run out of here on a rail.

Oh. You'll hear about him more than you think because like Elvis and everyone else before them, you WILL be hearing his music and you WILL be hearing about him and the battles over who will win custody over the kids! You will not get away from hearing things about him.

There may even be a street, building or memorial named after him. As long as you're alive, you will hear SOMETHING about him. I guarrooooontee it. Haha!! :p

[ZippyTheChimp]

So much for that.



July 7, 2009


Is Jackson Worth More Dead Than Alive?


Surge In Music Sales, Turning Neverland Ranch Into
Tourist Destination Could Boost His Estate's Value

(CBS/ AP) Before he died, Michael Jackson claimed to have a net worth of $236 million. He also had a great deal of debt, but a recent surge in record sales is offering a glimpse of a potential financial windfall in waiting.

Despite the debt, a court filing estimates that his estate will be worth more than $500 million. His assets are destined for a private trust.

Jackson owned a 50 percent stake in the massive Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalog, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers.

In life, Jackson was the best-selling artist of all time. And in the days following his death, he's topped the charts once again.

"It's unprecendented. The furor for his music online; in stores, where they literally can't keep Michael Jackson products on the shelves," Billboard magazine's Bill Werde observed.

Fans have downloaded over 2.6 million Jackson songs in the past week-and-a-half alone.

One option for Jackson's family could be to turn the Neverland Ranch into a major tourist destination.

Neverland, Jackson's one-time sprawling estate and private theme park, could be a place of pilgrimage - and a cash cow in years to come.

The home of another late superstar, Elvis, is a Mecca for fans. Some 600,000 visit Graceland each year.

Though he died more than 30 years ago, Elvis' empire of music and memorabilia continues to generate wealth. Forbes cited earnings of $52 million last year, outselling even Madonna, who earned just $40 million.

And that's just for previously released material; now there's word Jackson wrapped production on a brand new DVD and recorded a dozen new songs before he died.

His future earnings, some experts say, could hit $50 million a year from his music, his image, his name, etc.

"As troubled as Michael Jackson's finances have been over the last years, he'll be in better shape and probably more sound financially in death than he was in life," brand attorney David Reeder predicted.

But, according to estate attorney Howard Weitzman, Jackson's potential fortune will have to be protected. "There will be a lot that will be done, sending out cease-and-desist letters to people who are bootlegging or pirating merchandise."

© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc.

[Daquan13]

His music will be more popular now than when he was alive.

Wait until the new stuff is released. It'll be grabbed up like hotcakes! :)

[scumonkey]

Scumonkey, you're cold & cruel. Where is your sympathy? Daquan-no It is YOU who are cold and cruel-
making us all keep reading your borderline, manic, MJ dribble (hell you even changed your avatar- again),
where is your sympathy for those that are sick to death of this fiasco? Did you personaly know him?
I myself do not fawn over movie or pop stars...dead or alive.
As for my sympathy- I'm saving that for you, I'm sooo sorry you didn't get tickets to go see today's circus,
you must be devastated?!;)

He was loved by everyone!(now take a seat Daquan- your gonna need one),It may suprise you to know-
There are many-MANY people in this world who didn't "love" him/her!!!
Hell- i could NEVER even listen to his wretched pop music-
not when he was a cute little African American boy in the 60's,
or the stuff that was made when he changed
into that ugly white woman (:eek:ohhh- sacrilege- i'm sure i'll burn):D

[ZippyTheChimp]

His music will be more popular now than when he was alive.

Wait until the new stuff is released. It'll be grabbed up like hotcakes! :)

Will Weird Al (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqz1ojIQTBk&feature=fvsr) make another video?

"I'm dead. I'm dead."

[lofter1]

Wow - For someone who doesn't care the screaming sure seems to go on and on.

Try turning off the TV and the computer. Go for a walk.

If MJ didn't do it for you then fine.

It was a great memorial service.

[kz1000ps]

^^ Zippy --- oh no you di'n't!


..his wretched pop music..

Do you like any pop music?

I ask because MJ was one of the best at making that stuff, and if you think his pop music is wretched, I can't imagine how you feel about those in the industry who don't measure up to his standard (which is easily 95% of 'em all).

Also, your tone in this discussion is becoming increasingly haughty, as if you're taking glee in proclaiming your hatred for all this hooplah. You say Daquan's cold and cruel for making you read his drivel, but nobody on this board is forcing you to do anything.

If all this MJ coverage is bothering you sooo much, why on earth are you reading this thread?

[Fabrizio]

A very good friend of mine is hired every year to do Janet Jackson's Christmas tree.

I just thought I'd throw that out there.

[lofter1]

Did he ^ happen to be responsible for LT's fantastic hat today?

[Fabrizio]

Did he ^ happen to be responsible for LT's fantastic hat today?


I'm sorry, but you don't hire the guy who does your sister's Christmas tree to design the hat you'll be wearing to your brother's funeral.

It just wouldn't be right.

(Well, maybe I would... but that's me.)

[scumonkey]

Wow - For someone who doesn't care the screaming sure seems to go on and on.If your talking about me, I Challenge you to find a post anywhere in this thread where I posted those words...;)


Try turning off the TV and the computer.My TV hasn't been on for more than a few minutes for over a week (checking to see if people have come back to their senses and, to see if I could watch some real news)- appears not to be the case.:(
There is a lot happening in the world right now, while all of America is being sidelined with this one story.
day 1- breaking news, understandable, day two, some words- ok (but nothing except this story...for almost 2 weeks), today's service- i can understand that- but all the rest "Day of the Locust" (thank you Stache)


Go for a walk.I wish I could, but I had an accident and, badly damaged my back- i can't walk more than a few feet at a time, and that's to open the door to let my physical therapist in.
I'm stuck in a chair for a few more months:o


Do you like any pop music? i find very little of it tolerable -it's not really my style.


If all this MJ coverage is bothering you sooo much, why on earth are you reading this thread? Well look who started the thread;)
I thought it would die off like the Farrah, Billy,etc threads:confused:
Also, some of the comments (which have been quit interesting), have had very little to do with mj's death,
And with this construction slump, not many other fresh posts to go to...I also find some of the comments quite funny:D


your tone in this discussion is becoming increasingly haughty, as if you're taking glee in proclaiming your hatred for all this hooplah.Funny I happen to remember, the last time I posted a comment (not a link , or a direct response to a member with 17 posts whose views i disagree with), you happened to agree with me:rolleyes:

At the very least he was a drug abuser-
still not worth listening about 24-7 for almost two weeks;)
Agreed!

[Fabrizio]

No one mentions how the Jackson 5 were part of that movement ...the dopey bubble-gum music that was sort of an antidote to the serious heights rock music was reaching by the later part of the 60's. You had the Beatles doing AbbeyRoad and the White Album,the Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Procul Harem, the Moody Blues, Cream, the Who and so many others... and then in the midst of all of that you get stuff like "I Want You Back".

It was kind of the beginning of the end.

Bubblegum pop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubblegum_pop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1xL5wQ1gQ&feature=related

[Daquan13]

Scumonkey, It is my belief that you definitely have a serious problem. You've got issues. You're whining and ranting over small potatoes.

Where is it written that I can't change my avatar and have as many pic of MJ in it as I want to? Hmm?

If it bothers you that much that this thread is getting a lot of replies and I'm posting here often, then maybe you should go to one of the others and wait for this one to stop getting replies.

I'm NOT the problem here. No one else is complaining. You're the only one.

So you don't like pop music that much or very little of it. Does that mean that you can alienate those who do? Take a chill pill, pal.

Relax and breath in slowly, then exhale slowly. You'll get it after a while. Stop chastising those who think of MJ as one of the greatest singers of all time, please.

Whether you like it or not, his spirit will be with everyone forever.

[kz1000ps]

And with this construction slump, not many other fresh posts to go to

Valid reason right there ;)


Funny I happen to remember, the last time I posted a comment.... you happened to agree with me:rolleyes:

Yes I'm tired of the coverage, but I'm not perturbed by it as you seem to be. And I happen to like a good amount of MJ's music -- pop can be extremely satisfying (IMO as much so as a Coltrane solo or a Dvorak suite), and within the realm of pop a Quincy-produced, MJ-performed number is as good as it gets.
.

[scumonkey]

Daquan13, It is my belief that you definitely have a serious problem. You've got big MJ issues...:rolleyes:

Where is it written that I can't change my avatar and have as many pic of MJ in it as I want to? Hmm?No where- and I didn't write that either;)
So you like MJ-Does that mean that you can alienate those who don't ?
Relax and breath in slowly, then exhale slowly. You'll get it after a while.
Whether you like it or not, his spirit will not be with me, or like minded thinkers- ever.:D

[scumonkey]

Yes I'm tired of the coverage, but I'm not peturbed by it as you seem to be. And I happen to like a good amount of MJ's musicFair enough- but you like his music, and aren't confined to a chair at the moment (I am,hence my perturbed feelings- I can't get away from it):o

a Quincy-produced, MJ-performed number is as good as it gets. I rather watch the ballet, or a Broadway play- but that's just me;):D

[Daquan13]

Seems all apparent that you've come to this thread to argue with me and whoever else that doesn't agree with you.

No need to repeat my post. I don't have any issues with Michael Jackson. On the other hand, you seem so torn up and bent out of shape, I guess because this thread has gone this far and that most of us liked MJ and his music.

You don't have to read it, you know. You choose to, so you're only upsetting yourself, no one else.

I for one, like his music, and I always will. Umm, as a matter of fact, I'm listening to him right now. Great pop singer!! I'm gloating in my glory over his music. :)

[lofter1]

OK, I get the frustration. But still ...




... It may suprise you to know-
There are many-MANY people in this world who didn't "love" him/her!!!

Hell- i could NEVER even listen to his wretched pop music-
not when he was a cute little African American boy in the 60's,
or the stuff that was made when he changed
into that ugly white woman (:eek:ohhh- sacrilege- i'm sure i'll burn):D


Maybe some Diprivan would help? ;)

[Daquan13]

I think what he needs is to listen to some of MJ's music to help him relieve some of that stress and put him in a relaxing happy mood.

Works wonders, ya know? :p

[scumonkey]

Daquan13
While Lofter is somewhat amusing (I watched nurse Jackie take drugs instead of me taking the Diprivan)
- you are not
I'll say a prayer for you tonight...
meanwhile:
http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/Untitled-1-11.jpg

[Daquan13]

Not mow. I'm listening to MJ's pop music.

You should try it too.

So Michael change his appearance and face over the years. I'm not happy that he did that either, but at the same time, I'm not pulling my hair out over it either - as you seem to be.

Like you said, get a grip. You're just gonna have to LIVE with the fact that everyone will still have memories of him in their hearts and minds, like they do with Elvis Presley. You just need a dose of Get over it. Deal with it. :p

[scumonkey]

Good for you (there's no accounting for ones taste);)
But You are the one that needs to get a clue, and or a grip of yourself-
Go back and read the gist of all my posts- while I never really liked MJ,
(and I'm certainly not pulling my hair out- your not worth it),
my beef has not been with him, but the extraordinary, over the top coverage,
he's getting in the media- to the exclusion of all else.
Oh by the way- he's dead and, not coming back so...
Get over it. Deal with it!

[Daquan13]

Back for more? Can't resist the temptation to read more posts here now, can you?

I could really give a crap less if you didn't like MJ and don't like all the attention and publicity he's been getting since his death. Never once did I say that he was comming back. I said in an earlier post that I thought that it might have been another joke from someone.

Deal with the fact that he'll still gain popularity. Get over the fact that you're acting like a little brat.

Here are some things that you might like to do;

1. Turn off the TV or change the channel.

2. Walk your dog if you have one.

3. Go for a swim.

4. Listen to some music.

5. Go jogging.

6. Go see a movie.

7. Go eat out.

8. Read a book.

9. Otherwise, get ready to be bombarded with MJ's publicity from the media. Don't you just love it? :cool:

[ZippyTheChimp]

Deal with the fact that he'll still gain popularity. Get over the fact that you're acting like a little brat.Envying the dead.

LOL

[scumonkey]

Quite Sad actually (and utterly delusional).

"Can't resist the temptation to read more posts here now, can you? "
If only you could read, instead of blathering on and on...
Just another locust in the swarm;):D

[RandySavage]

"He is simply the greatest entertainer who ever lived." - Berry Gordy

If this statement is true in any sense (in abstract, financially, breadth of recognition) then it goes a long way to explaining and maybe justifying all the hoopla.

Who else would make that short list?

Elvis was before my time, but I imagine the follow-up was similar... and pre-dated the media-pop culture supernova that has been the last couple decades.

[Daquan13]

Scumonkey, can't you make a post without constantly repeating what I've already said in some of mine? Go get a life, will you, please?

[scumonkey]

See these marks " "
It's not repeating- it's quoting- there is a difference ;)
Also, I have a life- one of my own, not an imaginary one where I think
MJ was my best friend (but only after he died)
- where's yours?:confused:
You have a problem, continually repeating yourself about some get a life nonsense-
shoot me a PM so I can ignore you there,
and let the topic get back on track;)
your a broken MJ album:rolleyes:

[kz1000ps]

I rather watch the ballet, or a Broadway play- but that's just me;):D

I'd rather be listening to Stevie Wonder or Herbie Hancock, but that's neither here nor there!

[Daquan13]

I'm ignoring you now.

Your latest posts don't make any sense, and if you had a life like you say that you do, then you wouldn't be up right now spending all of your bedtime here waiting for me or others to reply. :rolleyes:

[scumonkey]

I listend to Herbie Hancock- back in the day ;):D

[scumonkey]

I'm ignoring you now.Promises promises!

waiting for me or others to reply
Don't flatter yourself!
(I work at night bedtime not until 7am);)

[Alonzo-ny]

I am extremely disturbed that MJ's coffin was on the stage. I know he had alot of his life on stage but show him some respect in death.

[Daquan13]

Scumonkey, I told you that you just don't get it.

That's the third time that you repeated my posts. Very bright are you. :rolleyes:

[ZippyTheChimp]

Do we know who was in that coffin?

I'm just jump-starting the conspiracy theories.

How long until the first MJ sighting? And how long until someone spots MJ and Elvis at a roadside diner near Topeka Kansas?

[stache]

Wasn't that coffin empty? Didn't they get two or three coffins in order to try to fool the press?

[Daquan13]

He was supposed to be in the one shown during the services. The Man in the Golden Casket.

The cost of the memorial services so far, is around $13M.

[Ninjahedge]

Technically, doesn't that mean it's a wake.


Not until you drag it in the water.

[scumonkey]

I'm ignoring you now.You already broke your promise.
Scumonkey, I told you that you just don't get it.

That's the third time that you repeated my posts. Very bright are you. :rolleyes:Maybe now that all the media hysteria has gone away (real news back on today:D),
You'll have time to Google the word "Quote"

Your latest posts don't make any senseIt would seem- YOU just don't get it:rolleyes:

[Ninjahedge]

I am extremely disturbed that MJ's coffin was on the stage. I know he had alot of his life on stage but show him some respect in death.


Funny. I remember saying I was fearing they would make his coffin do the moonwalk, but I can't remember if it was here!! ;)


As for the bickering, I can see both sides and I think you are both reacting a bit too strongly.

Scum, we get it you don't like MJ. I don't either. But it just is not worth getting that pissed over. This morning I got annoyed when ALL the morning news channels decided to start talking about him, or airing the tape from "his" kids crying about how they knew him since they were born??!? (i feel sorry for the kid, but the airing of this just is not right).

But getting this annoyed over it is not worth it. Go download something and watch it!! ;)

And Daquan.... Um, what can I say. You liked him. He was unarguably the most popular singer in modern times, but as for the best? I really do not think so.

I think that others, such as Prince, show much more MUSICAL tallent than he does, although he cannot dance quite as well. Then again, I do not exactly rate MUSICIANS by their coreography, but rather on what they write and play. (BTW, I do not LIKE Prince either, but I have to grudgingly admit his tallent!).

I too regret the passing of MJ, but not in the here and now. I regret it even before the Thriller days. He was dying shortly after he and his family hit the stage and was nailed to the media by their money grubbing father. He had true tallent, great moves and an awesome voice, but that somehow never developed into anything musically I can credit any more than any other decent pop star of that era. Thing is, he struck a groove and got drowned in it.

Whatever was left of the boy was killed and he tried his entire life to get it back, denying his own age, and sadly, his own self.

I have no problem with people feeling sad about an entertainer passing, but the extent that people are going to over this guy is a sad testiment to our own human seperation from reality that struck many a teen with Elvis and the Beetles (and probably many others).

He was just teh right guy at the right time. And it killed him. Slowly.

So, as with the others here that expressed puzzlement and bewilderment at the SMILING EXCITED FACES of those that got TICKETS to see his memorial. To see that much joy over seeing someone laid out is more than weird.

It is just plain sad.

[ZippyTheChimp]

There was potential for disaster, but it seems the memorial went off quite well.

[Ninjahedge]

Well, it wasn't as if the Lakers won something......:cool:

[ZippyTheChimp]

I think that others, such as Prince, show much more MUSICAL tallent than he does, although he cannot dance quite as well. Then again, I do not exactly rate MUSICIANS by their coreography, but rather on what they write and play. (BTW, I do not LIKE Prince either, but I have to grudgingly admit his tallent!)Well. I guess it comes down to what we mean by musical talent. That MJ was a tremendous creative force in pop music is hard to argue against.

The Jackson 5 was off my radar, just Bubblegum in which I had no interest. I saw MJ as as somewhat similar to film child-actors, with adult-like skills. Like them, his adulthood would catch up to his ability, and he would make the transition or not.

For me, that changed in 1982. when I first heard this/ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHoDWc22B0). It's my favorite, the quintessential Michael Jackson. It revolutionized music-video, and put MJ at a different plateau, which he maintained until his personal life began to unravel. That was painful to watch.

It was probably best that he sort of retreated from public consciousness the last few years. He topped the "Most Foolish American" list 4 straight years, in 2006 beating out #2 Dick Cheney. Lest we get smug, #3 was the Average American.

In 2007, MJ was bumped down the list by, who else - Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

[Daquan13]

You already broke your promise.Maybe now that all the media hysteria has gone away (real news back on today:D),
You'll have time to Google the word "Quote"
It would seem- YOU just don't get it:rolleyes:





And BTW, get ready for Michael Jackson Week coming later this month on TVOne. A whole week devoted to the man who made music history in his own right!
It begins with The Michael Jackson Story which details the life & times of yours truly, Michael Joseph Jackson! Hopefully, the services will be rebroadcasted again! I just can't wait!!

You'll just be truly amazed and dazzled over the true history of an American icon who changed the scope of music forever! It might be your last chance to see one of America's greatest stars strut his stuff on stage and dance his way into your heart. You'll just love him forever.

Now go play some of his music and relax in your favorite easy chair. :) :p

[kz1000ps]

You'll just be truly amazed and dazzled over the true history of an American icon who changed the scope of music forever! It might be your last chance to see one of America's greatest stars strut his stuff on stage and dance his way into your heart. You'll just love him forever.


Oh spare us the saccharine PR talk. You sound like a bad Billy Mays imitator.

[Daquan13]

It IS TRUE, he WILL be on TVOne though.

"HEY! ARE YOU GUYS WATCHING MICHAEL JACKSON?!! YA KNOW, I SOLD HIM SOME OXICLEAN ONCE!!"

[ZippyTheChimp]

You'll just be truly amazed and dazzled over the true history of an American icon who changed the scope of music forever!The true history might turn out different than what you think.

May be better to let sleeping dogs lie.

[kz1000ps]

It IS TRUE, he WILL be on TVOne though.

I'm not arguing with what you said, it's HOW you said it.

"once in a lifetime!!"
"you'll be razzle-dazzled!!"
"dance his way into your heart!!"

barf.

[Fabrizio]

How did he change the scope of music forever?

What real trend did he start? When Bill Haley hit, that changed things, Elvis changed things, the Beatles, Nirvana... but what did Jackson change?

[Daquan13]

I DID however, watch & record The Jackson Story, which details how the boys grew up and how their their then mean & nasty dad mercilessly beat them, especially Michael, if & when he thought that they weren't performing right.

But I think they were just actors playing the family. Ever wonder why he's not mentioned in the will? I think that MJ took that hatred with him to his grave. :)

[kz1000ps]

How did he change the scope of music forever?

For one, he made it so that music videos were all but a requisite to being a (famous) musician.

But for the actual music... Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous... they were all on top of the trends of their times, but they weren't by any means game-changers. After all, if you remove the sheen of modern production styles you'll find that today's pop song is hardly any different from those of twenty, thirty or fourty years ago.

[Fabrizio]

But I think they were just actors playing the family. Ever wonder why he's not mentioned in the will? I think that MJ took that hatred with him to his grave. :)


They were just actors playing the family? What a let down.

La Toya was the best of the bunch though.

With a name like that you're really asking to be abused.

[scumonkey]

http://www.zimmermann-lemgo.de/oeffentlich/smileys/bubblegum.gifhttp://www.esnips.com/nsdoc/cb5b5504-83f5-4cc0-94bf-7691693b7597

[stache]

^ ( How did he do that???) :confused:

[Daquan13]

Michael never forgot how he was tormented and beaten by his dad. He spoke very highly of the rest of his family, but never about dad.

Whether they settled their differences as Michael grew up, it was never revealed. Michael loved his mom, but he didn't have much of anything kind to say about his dad.

This is somewhat reminiscent to Little Richard when HE was a small child. HIS dad beat & abused him because as a child, he liked to dress up as a girl and wear lipstick. His dad hated that because he didn't want him to end up being gay.

[stache]

And look what happened there.

[Ninjahedge]

For one, he made it so that music videos were all but a requisite to being a (famous) musician.

But for the actual music... Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous... they were all on top of the trends of their times, but they weren't by any means game-changers. After all, if you remove the sheen of modern production styles you'll find that today's pop song is hardly any different from those of twenty, thirty or fourty years ago.


At its base, but we have a bit more diversification due to the different waves of influence.

You get pop-rock, R+B-pop, dance-pop, alternative-pop, etc etc.

All stemming from different roots.

For better or worse, the biggest thing Michael did was turn music into a production. One where it is more important how you dress and how you move on stage than what you actually play or sing.

It is not as if he was teh first though. Look at the vid for "kung foo fighting" by Kool and the Gang. I swear not a single one is playing or singing anything, they are just dancing around he stage to a rather hack song base and some incredibly STUPID lyrics. But those spangled bell bottoms and fale Karate moves convinced people that it shoul rise in the charts!

So whatever. He did have an influence on modern music (both good and bad) and we all acknowledge him for that. But somehow praising him like some sort of messiah of modern music is a little much.

I wonder if they will keep his remains in the same freezer as Walt...... ;)

[Ninjahedge]

This is somewhat reminiscent to Little Richard when HE was a small child. HIS dad beat & abused him because as a child, he liked to dress up as a girl and wear lipstick. His dad hated that because he didn't want him to end up being gay.


And look what happened!!!!!


















He ended up doing Geico ads. Such a sad sad ending.... At least he can keep Joan Rivers company!!!



What? What did you think I was gonna say? ;)

[meesalikeu]

i thought the staples memorial was very touching. i liked the personal anecdotes (even tho i'd heard many of them before over the years) and it was a nice sendoff for the king of pop.

http://seanpercival.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/19800101_zaf_s85_0011.jpg
Michael Jackson at the Sonesta Hotel, Amsterdam, Holland promoting ”Off the Wall” in 1980

http://blogs.trb.com/features/family/parenting/blog/jackson-old.jpg http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2009-04/46284540.jpg

[Daquan13]

That looks like John Travolta with him in the bottom left pic.

Yeah, it was very moving, what I was able to see of it. Hopefully, it will air again so that I can see all of it.

It was just reported on the local network news that MJ's songs are still flying off the store shelves! :)

[stache]

I think it's on hulu.

[Daquan13]

The week that TVOne plans to air the week-long tribute to MJ will be called Forever Michael Week (taken from the title of one of his albums). :)

[lofter1]

This covers just about everything that happened the week before the 4th, and eventually gets to a very weird (sung) statement from Michael Jackson's attorney ...

Auto-Tune the News #6: Michael Jackson. drugs. Palin. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Psfn6iOfS8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fandrewsullivan%2Etheatlantic%2Ec om%2F&feature=player_embedded)

[kz1000ps]

Amazing... Youtube is the best. Between the ^ above and my recent discoveries of Yacht Rock (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=yacht+rock&search_type=&aq=f) and The Pooter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7Ei3_nTHoo) I've got about as many new sources of humor as I can take!

[Daquan13]

Whoever made or had anything to do with that vid reguarding the segment on Michael Jackson, that was very distasteful and in very poor humor.

In my book, they are poking fun at a dead person who is no longer with us, and I hope that his family sees this and decides to sue the pants off the perpetrators!! :mad:

[lofter1]

MJ was a human being, talented but flawed.

You might want to take up your argument with the purported lawyer of Mr. Jackson, who made the bizarre comment.

[Daquan13]

I thought that only his family can file charges against them, but I think I can bring it to his lawyer's attention.

Then he might make the family aware of it. :mad:

[ZippyTheChimp]

File charges for what?

[Daquan13]

The dispicable & obnoxious behavior that was dispayed in that video against MJ.

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Z2MP8vMWU&feature=related

[Daquan13]

Authorities were leaning toward possible homicide as the cause of MJ's death, but are not now. TMZ thinks it still might be.

Never-before-released video clips from behind, show MJ's hair on fire during the Pepsi commercial that he was rehersing for in '84. And the people with him trying to extinguish it.

Officials think that the pain-killing medicine that he received when he was hospitalized back then, might have sparked an addiction of medicines which perhaps could have lead to his death. :eek:

[windycity]

Authorities were leaning toward possible homicide as the cause of MJ's death, but are not now. TMZ thinks it still might be.

Never-before-released video clips from behind, show MJ's hair on fire during the Pepsi commercial that he was rehersing in '84. And the people with him trying to extinguish it.

Officials think that the pain-killing medicine that he received when he was hospitalized back then, might have sparked an addiction of medicines which perhaps could have lead to his death. :eek:

10 xanax bars a day seems more like a psychological problem then a simple addiction acquired form hospital meds. He had some demons.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/10/jackson.thursday/index.html

[Alonzo-ny]

There were some disgusting pics in a local paper today showing needle marks and a huge mark on his leg supposedly from drugs.

[ZippyTheChimp]

The Tin Foil Hat People will now take over the investigation.

[Daquan13]

His sister Latoya came forward the other day, saying that she questioned his doc about what happened.

She seems to think that her bro got involved with and began to associate with the wrong kind of people - cutthroats. That they did not have his best interest at heart.

Guess they were like vultures swooping down for the kill!

[Ninjahedge]

His sister Latoya came forward the other day, saying that she questioned his doc about what happened.

She seems to think that her bro got involved with and began to associate with the wrong kind of people - cutthroats. That they did not have his best interest at heart.

Guess they were like vultures swooping down for the kill!


Daddy?

[eddhead]

His sister Latoya came forward the other day, saying that she questioned his doc about what happened.

She seems to think that her bro got involved with and began to associate with the wrong kind of people - cutthroats. That they did not have his best interest at heart.

Guess they were like vultures swooping down for the kill!

I understand that if you play "Thriller" backwards, you hear the words "I buried Michael"

[Daquan13]

Propofol is the targeted drug that's being focused on.

The LAPD has ruled out homicide.

So I think now, an OD is being thought of as a possible culprit. The final results of the autopsy should be released by tomorrow or Saturday.

[Ninjahedge]

He was a hyperactive twing in his, what, 40's? The guy did not LOOK healthy to begin with and then you add something like medz to the pot.

The thing is, I think he would have fared much better if he just had a bit more stability upstairs. Not having a good mindset can really screw up your entire system (depression breeds sickness).

[stache]

He died at 50 years of age.

[Daquan13]

And sloppiness breeds inefficiency! I think that MJ began to get careless and sloppy about who he hung with.

A former child singer who, starting out as a sweet little adorable looking heart throb child, had captured the hearts of many, excelled in the music bisiness and was once on top of the world, ranking himself right up there with the Beatles and Elvis Presley as the most highly paid entertainer, has taken a very hard fall.

Elvis, as we all know, died from an OD, and now it appears that the final findings behind Michael's tragic death may be leaning in that same direction as well! :(

[lofter1]

MJ CHOSE Who he hung with. Seems if those close by didn't give him what he asked for then they were shut out and he moved on to the next willing accomplice.

Sad, but many of those who are brought up in chaos bend towards the chaotic as life moves on as that is what they know how to deal with. Doesn't matter if you're uber-talented & mega-rich or jsut some ordinary Joe in a tract home.

[Daquan13]

Shit stinks, it rubs off and the smell travels. He was definitely being judged by the company that he kept.

Yeah, when he was a little boy and starting out, he was blatently abused and beaten by his dad and in the end, seems as though his life ended by abuse.

Sad, but so true. :(

[Gregory Tenenbaum]

Ebony Magazine in 1985

"What Michael Jackson Would Look Like in the Year 2000"

http://cdnll-8.liveleak.com/s/18/media18/2009/Jul/16/LiveLeak-dot-com-81064bfc79ed-somebodygotitwrong.jpg?h=d6b834450e3fd0bbf51bc1a42 3cfd350&e=1248632903&rs=150

[Daquan13]

In that photo, he looks like a cross between Little Richard and Prince.

Also, go here;

http://www.forartist.com/forensic/modification/modificationpg.htm .

Scroll down a little until you see his pic as a child sporting that famous big Afro, which he and his bros were always famous for. Can't miss it.

Click on that, and that pic will appear larger with two more pics of him in age progression at ages 45 & 70. He would have looked like a REAL Afro-American with a handsome bigger nose, and at age 70, his complextion would have naturally gotten lighter!

Of course, at 70, the pic shows him as having gained some weight. This, all of course, had he not had any nose jobs and facelifts done.

Yes, I also, think that he pretty much did himself in. Word is out that he didn't want to look like his dad, so he had undergone so many changes to his nose & face to get rid of that adorable look that he once had as a child & teenager.

[scumonkey]

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/scumonkey/wear3.jpg

[BrooklynRider]

That is too funny!:p

[Daquan13]

There is also a pic of him with his nose falling off.

[stache]

Poor thing. :eek:

[Daquan13]

Info has now surfaced that there might have been at least 20 docs involved in MJ's care just before he died!

They are all being questioned, and instead of murder, involuntary manslaughter charges could be filed against one or more of them.

Meanwhile, MJ's dad Joseph was talking to Larry King, saying the his son's death is wrong.

In other developments, the kids, Prince Miachael, Paris and Blanket are still with MJ's mom while the custody battle rages on in court. :(

[ZippyTheChimp]

Eye, Ear, Nose, Throat, etc, etc.

[Alonzo-ny]

Wait, his kid was actually called blanket! I thought that was a joke by this guy. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxh3SZTN1lc)

[Troyeth]

Blanket is merely a nickname.

[Daquan13]

Given to him because MJ had dangled him over the hotel balcony in Germany with his head covered by a blanket when he was a baby.

His real name is Prince Michael II.

[Troyeth]

Given to him because MJ had dangled him over the hotel balcony in Germany with head colorer by rudr nosneddits oftghern eys seve the giubd dnoe thefre allmol;losess Ifrsiven NGFS

Quoted for posterity.

[Daquan13]

I corrected the words in the post, as they were spelled wrong.

But the kid looks just like Michael with his long stringy hair and hat. :cool:

[ZippyTheChimp]

I thought that was German.

[stache]

He was born with a hat?

[Ninjahedge]

His real name is Prince Michael II.

So MJ is (was) as intelligent as George Foreman?

And just about as egotistical I see too. Prince? Why not Duke, or Earl, or King? Hell, why not Pope Michael??!?

>wark<

[Alonzo-ny]

And Prince Michael the First is the Second's older brother?

[Daquan13]

Yes.

And Paris is in the middle.

MJ's 2nd wife might still be trying to get the 2 older ones out of the three.

Supposedly, what she said earlier about not wanting them was a rumor.

That leaves Blanket. Who will get to keep him?

But this is mainly just speculation right now, and of course, a DNA test has to be done to determine if that woman is really the older kids' mom, or if she's lying.

[Daquan13]

Latest info now, is that for one of MJ's former docs, his office in Houston was raided by the DEA in search of possible evidence that could link him to manslaughter charges.

[ThisIsntMyRealName]

Did anyone else hear that Michael Jackson just died?

[eddhead]

who?

[kz1000ps]

In all seriousness, I can't believe it's already been a month since he passed away...

[stache]

And he's still not buried. That's gross.

[lofter1]

Some say (http://www.snopes.com/disney/waltdisn/frozen.asp) his hero, Walt Disney, isn't either. Walt's been gone for over 40 years.

But, really, what's the big difference between being embalmed and still above ground or having the body encrypted somewhere?

[stache]

Walt is frozen in a tank.

[scumonkey]

And Plastic take decades to decompose ;)

[lofter1]

Walt is frozen in a tank.

Debunked (check the link)

[stache]

Walt is frozen in Forest Lawn! ;)

[Daquan13]

Stache;

I find this even hard to believe that MJ hasn't been buried yet. Not saying that you're lying, but if I remember correctly, the same type of senerio happened when James Brown had died!

Why does this crap happen with famous dead Afo-American celebs?!! There is no need of it! :mad:

[stache]

Choose a spot and stick it in!

[Daquan13]

And get it done with! :(

[Ninjahedge]

If I remember right they were not burying him because they needed to keep him on ice for a few weeks for a proper autopsy and investigation into the probable cause of death (something about the brain....).


411

[ZippyTheChimp]

Jackson's death certificate (http://michaeljacksonfuneral.org/death-certificate.pdf)

Cause of death listed as DEFERRED. Pending neuropathology tests.

Place of burial is listed as Forest Lawn, but TEMPORARY. I think California law requires a place be designated before the body is released, even if not the final burial site.

[Daquan13]

Why are some of the things on the certificate hidden ? :confused:

[ZippyTheChimp]

You mean like SS#, street addresses, etc?

What do you think?

[Daquan13]

Well, does it really matter now? I mean is anyone going to try to take advantage of that?

[ZippyTheChimp]

So what's the point of your question? Are you implying something conspiratory?

[195Broadway]

Hey guys, I wasn't going to mention it at this point, but I bought M.J.'s remains.

[ZippyTheChimp]

All you need now is the Elephant Man.

[Daquan13]

No.

But even if someone wanted to try to get into his files and try to corrupt things, I think that they would still have a rough time trying to access anything.

[ZippyTheChimp]

That's still not the point.

The items were probably blacked out according to some bureaucratic standard procedure. SS #s are accounts that may stay active after death if there are survivor benefits. And they aren't secure anyway. They were never meant to be "taxpayer ID #s.

The point is that nothing was blacked out that should be of interest to you.

[Daquan13]

I got it before.

[Daquan13]

The latest news on MJ now, it that the police are at his doc's home in Las Vegas, searching for possible evidence that could still tie hin in with manslaughter charges.

[stache]

When the news first came out it sounded to me like he had been dead for a while before anyone phoned 911.

[Daquan13]

It's a very strong possibility that he WAS dead for a while. I think while several attempts were made to revive him.

The news had first came out as speculation, then NBC later confirmed it that he actually was dead.

[Daquan13]

It has not yet been officially confirmed, but speculation has it that MJ might have fathered an older son out there some 20+ years ago.

His dad has supposedly broken his silence about it. Has anyone else heard about it as well? :confused:

[scumonkey]

It has not yet been officially confirmed, but speculation has it that MJ might have fathered an older son out there some 20+ years ago.

His dad has supposedly broken his silence about it. Has anyone else heard about it as well? :confused:

I found a picture of him!
http://www.adelaidecomicsandbooks.com/images/Plastic_Man_18_AEsm.jpg

[lofter1]

The latest (too late?) HIT from MJ:

Michael Jackson - Morphine (DEMEROL) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rQZ-L8KC_A)

:(

[Daquan13]

More & more info seems to be pouring out on this case by the day.

It now appears that MJ's doc is having financial problems, is facing a possible foreclosure on his home in Las Vegas, and that he could end up doing jail time for non child support. :p

[Troyeth]

So MJ is (was) as intelligent as George Foreman?

And just about as egotistical I see too. Prince? Why not Duke, or Earl, or King? Hell, why not Pope Michael??!?

>wark<


No. Michael Jackson was simply carrying on a family tradition established in history by his mother's male relatives/ancestors, specifically, naming their children Prince and having them take their fathers' first name as their middle name (e.g. Prince Albert Scruse, Katherine Jackson's father).

Despite the real eccentricities (plastic surgery, though overplayed/ media shyness/ childlike environs), most of the seemingly outlandish Jackson stories have a very sensible reason for being, so I have discovered.

[Ninjahedge]

Actually Troy, that just shows they have a long record of egotism.......

[Daquan13]

Info has surfaced saying that by the time that everything is said and done with MJ's death, his estate and other assets could total over $2b.

What would you do with that much money?

His old music still continues to fly off the store shelves.

[Daquan13]

The judge has officially awarded custody of the chrildren to Katherine with visitation rights to MJ's 2nd wife.

The toxicology report on MJ's actual cause of death is expected to be released sometime this week.

[Ninjahedge]

He's still dead, right?

[Daquan13]

Yes, but what is the point that you're trying to make? Tell me something that I DON'T know. :confused:

[ZippyTheChimp]

http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1491/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1491R-1025891.jpghttp://www.rogueopera.org/Images/ImageManager/La_Boheme_Finale_Web.jpg

[stache]

Was there a Mimi Jackson?

[ZippyTheChimp]

Latoya's real name.

[Daquan13]

It's official now.

According to the latest findings, the final results of the toxicology tests have revealed that the powerful drug Proporol that was administered into MJ's system WAS the actual cause of death for the pop star.

That and another drug were found to be in excessive and leathal amounts. That means that his doc who was with him at the time of his death could be held liable and possibly be charged and tried for manslaughter. :(

[Daquan13]

Latest shocker now;

The godfather of the kids has now come forward, claiming to be the biological dad of one of the kids!

This is nuts! :mad:

[stache]

Somebody had to make the donation...

[Daquan13]

Former child star Mark Lester is making that claim to be the real dad of one of the kids - Paris, the little girl who cried while giving a speech at MJ's funeral.

[scumonkey]

??????????????????????????????????

http://extratv.warnerbros.com/images/news/0810lester.jpg

[lofter1]

Hmmmm ...

http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/imageBank/m/Mark-Lester1.jpg..http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/jul2009/5/0/08-07-09-image-6-25591840.jpg

Mark Lester (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMBd-Njt-UI) + MJ: Same age, both child stars.

Jack Wild Mark Lester Oliver Reunion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9g99F_MSdk)

Jack Wild (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2DE9joiIIc&feature=related) (The Artful Dodger in "Oliver!") passed away (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2DE9joiIIc&feature=related) in 2006.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Hope there's someone out there to help this girl.

[Daquan13]

What puzzles me is why now?

Why all of a friggen sudden is this guy supposedly showing up and coming forward now, to make this claim? Is he looking to get something from MJ's passing or what?

Why did he remain hidden for 12 years and then all of a sudden show up NOW to make this claim? :confused:

[NYatKNIGHT]

Because a circus of leeches has always followed Michael Jackson around, alive or dead.

[ZippyTheChimp]

He sure looks like her.

[Daquan13]

You're so right, NYatKnight!

Yeah, and they've even come to pick his bones dry like a swarm of vultures & buzzards coming to feast on his remains. :mad:

[stache]

Except for the implants.

[Alonzo-ny]

What puzzles me is why now?

Why all of a friggen sudden is this guy supposedly showing up and coming forward now, to make this claim? Is he looking to get something from MJ's passing or what?

Why did he remain hidden for 12 years and then all of a sudden show up NOW to make this claim? :confused:

Considering that custody is an issue its not overly surprising.