Michael Jackson - R.I.P.

[patricia]

Apparently, Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest and has been taken to the hospital. He was not breathing and could not be ressucitated.
Nobody knows yet if he's still alive. YIKES!!

[Valerie]

it's been confirmed by TMZ(?) if that means anything.

[patricia]

Just now, L.A. Times says that Jackson has died.

[kedoane]

I'm currently listening to CNN online. They have yet to confirm that he has died, but had reported that LA Times had reported about Jackson's death.

[Chuck Nessa]

NBC confirmed.

[kedoane]

AP confirmed his death. NY Times had just published what AP had wrote.

[Valerie]

Patricia: unfortunately, i guess, you should change the title thread.

what a tragic life for Michael.

[jesus marion joseph]

In some ways he's been dead for a long time. He seemed (from afar, anyway) to be a lost soul. Hopefully he's found some peace.

[Monte Smith]

Guess the sleeping in oxygen tents didn't work. Michael Jackson was a fucking freak. But all people deserve compassion, and also some of the music MJ made is the funkiest beats in the world. News reporters are saying it, but it is true: this reminds me of Elvis.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Valerie

Patricia: unfortunately, i guess, you should change the title thread.

what a tragic life for Michael.

I don't know how to change the thread title, Valerie.

Monte, I think that Jackson's freakishness had more to do with a very exploitive childhood resulting from his, and his siblings' talent being the sole support of his family.
As far as I can tell, the man had no hope of developing normally, along with his brothers and sisters, to a greater or lesser extent, once their father saw their potential.
Yes, Michael Jackson was odd. But, with his childhood, or more accurately, the theft of a childhood and/adolescence, it would have been more odd if he had been normal like you.


However, the parallel between Jackson and Elvis is eerie. Both led isolated lives, surrounded by sycophants.

[kedoane]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Guess the sleeping in oxygen tents didn't work. Michael Jackson was a fucking freak. But all people deserve compassion, and also some of the music MJ made is the funkiest beats in the world. News reporters are saying it, but it is true: this reminds me of Elvis.

I'm watching the CNN feed. This does remind me of Elvis' death, when the crowds surrounded his home. The crowds are surronding UCLA Hospital now.

Looks like that there is a small crowd gathering in front of Jackson's home, including a lot of the members of the media.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by patricia

Monte, I think that Jackson's freakishness had more to do with a very exploitive childhood resulting from his, and his siblings' talent being the sole support of his family.
As far as I can tell, the man had no hope of developing normally, along with his brothers and sisters, to a greater or lesser extent, once their father saw their potential.
Yes, Michael Jackson was odd. But, with his childhood, or more accurately, the theft of a childhood and/adolescence, it would have been more odd if he had been normal like you.

patricia, I have sympathy and all, but whatever. It was obvious in the early 1980s, when Jackson was at the height of his fame, that there was something not right about him. Like his weird childlike demeanor and his desire to be physically next to au currant child stars or to ET, The Extra Terrestrial (who he came to resemble). Eddie Murphy was making fun of him on Delirious (early 80s) as "not the world's most masculine man" in a comedic, and tragic, understatement. He was fucked up. He was really fucked up. Plenty of kids get exploited by parents and/or Hollywood and aren't that fucked up. The death of Michael Jackson is sad, but if he doesn't remind me of Elvis, then he reminds me of Charles Foster Kane. Improvement! When he was alive he reminded me of Mrs Haversham or his own character from Thriller.

Yet much of his music is unbelievably good. Against the Wall? Thriller? Come on. Yet the only way I have been able to enjoy early Michael Jackson in the past fifteen years is by pretending Chris Tucker sings it.

[kedoane]

CNN had just confirmed.

[JamesH]

It's best at times like this to focus on the positive. Michael was truly the "King of Pop" and he entertained me from my early teens well into my 20's.

Rest in peace brother.

[Lois Gilbert]

Michael was IMO one of the greatest entertainers of our time bar none

[clinthopson]

Where do I send flowers.

As if.

[john williams]

Everybody loves you when you're dead.

I'm not sure why wacko's entertainment credentials lets him off the hook. If he had been an ordinary joe and unable to pay his way out of kiddy fiddling charges, the mob would have crucified him years ago. I'm somewhat surprised he's dead but don't care. I never bought an album and literally hated his performance style and quite frankly the guy repulsed me. I think his own children are better off without him, so this might be a good thing for them in the long run.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Lois Gilbert

Michael was IMO one of the greatest entertainers of our time bar none

Indeed.
I still remember my oldest daughter, Robin, being totally mesmorized by Jackson's TV performance on Motown 25 - Yesterday Today Forever when she was just a tiny kid.
There was something compelling about Jackson that seemed to reach across generations.
Even when he was a six-year old, when I first saw him with The Jackson 5, he was a presence on a stage, much more than his brothers, and that is no mean achievement.

[kedoane]

I just listened to the press conference from the LAPD, that there is going to be an investigation into Michael's death.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by kedoane

...there is going to be an investigation into Michael's death.

Wonderful! People can't just die. Not if they are Michael Jackson-level people.

[Paul B]

As a New York Post headline once declaimed when he fell on stage years ago, "Wacko Jacko on His Backo." Guess that's permanent now.

[Chuck Nessa]

Feeding frenzy for lawyers.

[Jesse]

[Jesse]

Great jazz artists who were pedophiles? Cite one?
He was a pop singer who paid 22 million dollars to a family in a civil suit to prevent his pedophilia case from going to trial.
Eulogize that.

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Jesse

Great jazz artists who were pedophiles? Cite one?

Not jazz but I can name one glam rock pedophile.

[GoodSpeak]

Personally, I liked him better when he was Black.


Nevertheless, I sincerely hope he finds some peace now; he was a tortured soul to say the least.

[Scott Dolan]

Man, who'd have thought I'd be the one to step in and offer up the proper eulogy for Michael Jackson amongst the rest of you fucking hammerheads?

Yes, he was a tortured soul. Yes, he was a child molester. I can't think of a more egregious and despicable act than that. One that cannot be accepted, nor forgiven.

But, the way I see it is that were we to take into account the personal shortcomings of all entertainers/sports figures/etc., we'd hate about 98% of them.

That said, I would never consider myself a fan of Michael Jackson, or his music. But, one cannot deny the influence that he has had on the music world. Against The Wall and Thriller were huge, and for very good reason. Hell, even Bad had its moments. When he was on, he pretty much ruled the world. I see no reason why he shouldn't be considered in the same league as Elvis.

The music he made, the production style, the epic videos, the dance moves, they all can be seen in almost every corner of pop culture these days. You can hate the man, I never had much love for him, but you do have to wonder where music would be today without him.

I hated everything he represented musically in the 80's, but it's pretty difficult to deny the sheer power of an album like Thriller. It's the rare instance where being the all-time best seller in any entertainment genre is perfectly understandable.

No, he wasn't a "good guy". What drove him to the madness he succumbed to is beyond any of us to contemplate. But, the simple fact remains that he was a force of nature that had no peer in his heyday.

I'll never like the man, but can't help but tip my hat to him for all of ways he changed and advanced not only Pop music, but the entire culture surrounding it.

Smooth Criminal.

I can't think of any two words that describe him better.

I don't know if I want him to rest in peace, or not. But, he's gone. And we may never experience anyone else like him ever again.

I appreciate the many great things he left us with, and hope his personal demons gave him hell to the end.

[Brian Olewnick]

Originally Posted by Jesse

He was a pop singer who paid 22 million dollars to a family in a civil suit to prevent his pedophilia case from going to trial.
Eulogize that.

Amen.

Johnny Depp to play him in the movie.

[bigtiny]

I'm just amazed by the freakish, plastic surgery induced countenence in the photo on CNN's website.....he looks like Diana Ross playing the Joker! Jesus, plastic surgeons will do ANYTHING to someone for money, huh?

bigtiny

[lonely-at-the-top]

Don't get me wrong: to die at this age is tragic, however unlike Elvis he was a stale (defective?) product taken off the shelf long ago with the a few over-the-hill marketeers still pondering over a re-launch.

Entertainer? Yes he filled the stadiums in his primes. Musical Talent? Come on! He's been part of a machine that was not built to last coz' there are newer models on the market. BTW is his father still alive? Shame on you mister, you failed big time!

Why do I even bother?