Michael Jackson, dead?

[andreww]

He actually showed up at the Pearly Gates yesterday at 12:50PM...

Saint Peter's told him to "Beat It"...

I can't believe I just said that...

.

Thats "Bad"

[sul]

RIP

[numptyj]

Thats "Bad"

Jackson hasn't been this stiff since Macaulay Culkin stayed over.

[TeeJay]

True, he never was convicted. But, he did pay the first victim something like 15 million to keep his mouth shut.

The second kid was poor I believe, his parents tried for a settlement as well. That hurt the prosecution, as Jackson's attorneys had ammunition to contend that it was a case of extortion.

An attorney that attended the trial stated that "at the very least, it was a very inappropriate relationship".

To say that nothing happened because there was no conviction is very naive on your part.

Exactly. That was what won the day for Jackson in the end. It took the focus off of what he may or may not have done, and put it onto the motives of the parents. I don't think anyone will forget the phrase 'Jesus Juice' for a while...

[jojo90]

Thats "Bad"

No, this is bad: Rumors of Michael Jackson's autobiography have been released.... Apparently, it's a pop-up aimed at children.

Edited June 26, 2009 by jojo90

[Virgil Hilts]

I've got a Motown 25 concert story:

I was a college sophomore. A buddy of mine called me the day before the actual live show. He had an extra ticket. I told him I couldn't go because I had to finish a term paper or I was gonna flunk my English Lit class. What did I miss? Not much:

Michael's first Moonwalk.

One of Marvin Gaye's last public performances - it was a year before he died.

Diana Ross and the Supremes getting together and Ross being bitchy onstage (which they cut out of the tv version).

Tops and Temps.

Smokey and the Miracles.

My buddy calls me the next day and can't stop talking about how incredible it was. And I missed it because of an f'ing term paper. Damn, I wish I had just gone ahead and flunked that class. RIP Michael.

[gioarmani]

He actually showed up at the Pearly Gates yesterday at 12:50PM...

Saint Peter's told him to "Beat It"...

I can't believe I just said that...

.

Odd; I heard that he was having a hard time telling MJ & Farrah apart lately.

I also understand that when the priest showed up to do the last rights, the neighborhood kids thought it was a double date...

Edited June 26, 2009 by gioarmani

[Chronus]

This is the king of pop no regular person.

i have listen to him since i was 4yr old.

a sad day may he rest in peace

I grew up with his music as well... one of the first things to get me into music!

What a legacy to leave... it's granted him immortality.

Did you know the Neptunes wrote the album that Justin Timberlake recorded for Michael Jackson... can you imagine him singing those songs? Would have been one hell of a comeback at that time!

[jlowdo]

Not a big fan of Jackson, although some of his tunes over the last however many years are great, and his music is iconic to millions. I think some perspective is needed when we all pass judgement on him though.

Shakespeare, Mozart, Monet, Hemmingway et al. form the tenet of a lot of what we call culture today, but we have formed this appreciation based on their legacy, ie their work, and not their personal attributes, as most, if not all of them had huge character defects that would be pounced on and demonized by todays media.

Objectively, we should be able to separate what he has given to society from what he has done as a person, as surely this is what we are in a position to judge him on.

If i am being narrow minded, well then i beg your pardon, but i don't think there are many people alive today that have given so much joy to so many people as MJ did, and i think it is churlish to deny that.

If he was a troubled person and damaged others then that is wrong, but there are many people in the world that have done likewise, and i'll wager none have given an iota of what he has to society.

amen brothers

[chiefwiggum]

This is what he'll look like in three months.

Also - Glam Rocker Gary Glitter has stated that he will take on several of Jackson's missed dates in August, namely;

Joel (Aged 11), Steve (Aged 7) and Justin (Aged 9 and 3/4's)

Edited June 26, 2009 by chiefwiggum

[Agrippa]

Regardless of whether or not he ever actually fiddled around with the dangly bits of his house guests, I don't think that the term paedophile can be applied to Jacko. Mentally the guy was obviously still a child himself and had real trouble relating to adults and the adult world in a realistic way. The guy should have had some genuine friends and some serious help, rather than an army of bloodsuckers, leeches and half deranged hangers-on, but I guess that's show biz for ya.

[Dani]

Regardless of whether or not he ever actually fiddled around with the dangly bits of his house guests, I don't think that the term paedophile can be applied to Jacko. Mentally the guy was obviously still a child himself and had real trouble relating to adults and the adult world in a realistic way. The guy should have had some genuine friends and some serious help, rather than an army of bloodsuckers, leeches and half deranged hangers-on, but I guess that's show biz for ya.

well said.

[TeeJay]

well said.

+1

[Slartibartfast]

Pleas just remeber the good things

And there are good things to remember.

[numptyj]

Apparently it wasn't a heart attack he died of, it was food poisoning from eating 12 year old nuts.

[Guest Sql_pl]

You Guys should really show more respect.....

[Agrippa]

Respect and the internet are pretty much mutually exclusive. Being an ass is simply too tempting when there is no chance of real life repercussions or confrontations.

[KB]

Regardless of whether or not he ever actually fiddled around with the dangly bits of his house guests, I don't think that the term paedophile can be applied to Jacko. Mentally the guy was obviously still a child himself and had real trouble relating to adults and the adult world in a realistic way. The guy should have had some genuine friends and some serious help, rather than an army of bloodsuckers, leeches and half deranged hangers-on, but I guess that's show biz for ya.

Thats an interesting theory, so what you are saying is that Micheal Jackson should be deemed innocent on the grounds of diminished responsibility?

Sorry but the mans music shows he was very aware of societies social mores and that is without mentioning the fact that he had already been a husband and father when the acts may or may not have happened.

As I said earlier he was a brilliant musician but as a father of a 7yo myself I neither owe nor will give him any respect.

Ken

[Agrippa]

Thats an interesting theory, so what you are saying is that Micheal Jackson should be deemed innocent on the grounds of diminished responsibility?

I'm fairly sure that I said nothing of the sort.

Sorry but the mans music shows he was very aware of societies social mores

I'm fairly sure I never said he wasn't.

and that is without mentioning the fact that he had already been a husband and father when the acts may or may not have happened.

Well, at least he was a husband and father in name. Whether he was so in deed as well is a different matter.

As I said earlier he was a brilliant musician but as a father of a 7yo myself I neither owe nor will give him any respect.

Personally I think the only reasonable thing to do is to assume that the court which acquitted him had access to more and better information than I do and hence assume he was innocent. "Innocent until proven guilty", remember? That largely ignored statement upon which all functioning judicial systems are built? Unless of course you are in possession of information pertinent to the case which no-one else is aware of.

Who you respect and not is of course entirely up to you. Personally though I try to base that particular decision on things I know and have experienced myself, rather than on things I'm fed by the media.

[Demsey]

I wish I had his talent. Only. Not that I would have applied it to music, but I just might have been a Bob Hoover or a Chuck Yaeger or a Hunter S. or a Salinger.

Having said that though, I remember seeing and first noticing the Jackson 5 on American Bandstand when I was ten. They performed The Love You Save and I'll Be There. In the interim interview, [censored] Clark focused on Michael and announced his age at the time; ten. I looked at his life and looked at mine. It was an almost claustophobic feeling. I realized two things, "Black" people were cooler than the Beatles (something, ironically, I'm sure the Beatles themselves would admit, and yes, it is a racist comment. I've noticed all my life how the other races were far superior, in some ways, to my own) and I had better start applying myself to set and reach whatever goals I could dream up for myself that Saturday. I nailed them. Thanks Michael.

Certainly never reached his height of success, whatever that is, but looking at his mug shot for the alleged inaproppriate behaviour across every news channel/blog today and then thinking back on that Saturday in 1970, and those two ten year olds? I win.

It's terrible how a world can beat up on a person. All God's Angels Come to Us Disguised.

[TeeJay]

Personally I think the only reasonable thing to do is to assume that the court which acquitted him had access to more and better information than I do and hence assume he was innocent. "Innocent until proven guilty", remember? That largely ignored statement upon which all functioning judicial systems are built? Unless of course you are in possession of information pertinent to the case which no-one else is aware of.

That is such a naive defense. If someone is arrested while plunging a knife into someone/selling drugs/abusing someone, then they are guilty, regardless of their position in the judicial review process. It does not take a trial to determine that they are, as already known, guilty (or mysteriously innocent)... Okay, so MJ was never actually arrested in the act, but to simply say "Innocent until proven guilty" is not a 100% defense of someone. As I mentioned to Dani, OJ was originally found innocent, and look how that turned out... I agree with your above post that he (MJ) needed help, and not just hangers on, but at the end of the day, anyone entrusting children to his care, knowing the 'allegations' which existed, was seriously negligent, and as Andreww pointed out yesterday:

True, he never was convicted. But, he did pay the first victim something like 15 million to keep his mouth shut.

The second kid was poor I believe, his parents tried for a settlement as well. That hurt the prosecution, as Jackson's attorneys had ammunition to contend that it was a case of extortion.

An attorney that attended the trial stated that "at the very least, it was a very inappropriate relationship".

To say that nothing happened because there was no conviction is very naive on your part.

I think that sums up the overall situation perfectly, and the bold text speaks volumes about that particular instance.

As I've said before, he was an incredibly gifted artist, but that is where my respect for him finishes.

[b16a2]

Having been a Michael Jackson fan from a very young age, I am absoultely devastated at this. I don't care what anyone says, he was the best entertainer the world has ever seen. No one else will have such a far reaching impact on the world that he has had.

As for the controversy in his life, the media is an absolute @rse. People should not condemn him based on reports in the news. If you don't read the news you are uninformed, if you read the news you are misinformed. We cannot and should not make conclusions on his life, nor conclude thoughts about his life on what we read in the papers.

I hate the way the media has treated him over the years and have now done a complete 360 by celebrating what a fabulous talent he was. If they had recognised this and focused on his talents over the past few years rather than condemn him and spread vicious rubbish around like he is a play thing, he might still be with us today.

RIP Michael, my thoughts and prayers aree with your family, you are going to be missed by the world!

[TeeJay]

Having been a Michael Jackson fan from a very young age, I am absoultely devastated at this. I don't care what anyone says, he was the best entertainer the world has ever seen. No one else will have such a far reaching impact on the world that he has had.

As for the controversy in his life, the media is an absolute @rse. People should not condemn him based on reports in the news. If you don't read the news you are uninformed, if you read the news you are misinformed. We cannot and should not make conclusions on his life, nor conclude thoughts about his life on what we read in the papers.

I hate the way the media has treated him over the years and have now done a complete 360 by celebrating what a fabulous talent he was. If they had recognised this and focused on his talents over the past few years rather than condemn him and spread vicious rubbish around like he is a play thing, he might still be with us today.

RIP Michael, my thoughts and prayers aree with your family, you are going to be missed by the world!

I agree with that 100%, but that does not mean people should ignore other aspects of his life which were, frankly, utterly disturbing. I've said for years that he needed help, and I genuinely felt sorry for the life he endured from such a young age, but that does not for one instant excuse or make acceptable his other behaviors, which would have landed a non-celebrity, if not behind bars, most likely with their children taken into care and on a sex offenders register.

I think he was without doubt the best entertainer the world has seen, and was an incredibly gifted artist. I don't think that there can ever be any question or doubt about his talents, but it will take nothing short of a revelation from above to change my opinion about his lifestyle.

Peace to all, I've said all I can about my own feelings on the topic, so I'm going to bow out before things get heated.

[perry563]

I was huge fan of MJ at all. The guy was a mega talent there is no doubt. He was also a troubled person based upon his childhood where he really never was allowed to actually have a childhood. This is why I think as an adult he formed closer rlationships with children than he did with adults. He was trying to live the childhood he never had....at least IMO. An adult worth billions hanging out with children equels eventual legal action by those who want a piece of the pie. Its a real shame beyond words if indeed he was an innocent troubled person who was labeled a pedofile even though he did nothing of the sort. Since the court case was a total sham..an obvious shake down for money and there really never was any evidence that came out that showed MJ was indeed a pedofile why are we trying to label this guy with the worst possible trait a human being can exhibit? Pedofiles generally just dont have one victim but many over the years so if indeed he was guilty something much more concrete would have come out by now....at least IMO.

[TeeJay]

I was huge fan of MJ at all. The guy was a mega talent there is no doubt. He was also a troubled person based upon his childhood where he really never was allowed to actually have a childhood. This is why I think as an adult he formed closer rlationships with children than he did with adults. He was trying to live the childhood he never had....at least IMO. An adult worth billions hanging out with children equels eventual legal action by those who want a piece of the pie. Its a real shame beyond words if indeed he was an innocent troubled person who was labeled a pedofile even though he did nothing of the sort. Since the court case was a total sham..an obvious shake down for money and there really never was any evidence that came out that showed MJ was indeed a pedofile why are we trying to label this guy with the worst possible trait a human being can exhibit? Pedofiles generally just dont have one victim but many over the years so if indeed he was guilty something much more concrete would have come out by now....at least IMO.

I don't mean to jump back in, as I had said I'd leave things, but I can't leave such a statement without commenting.

As Andreww said before, there was a payout to one person, and an attorney saying that the relationship was inappropriate. The only reason why he won the last trial, was because his defense were able to make it look like a case of extortion (which, to a degree, it probably was, but that in itself still does not justify any inappropriate behavior on someone's part) so that just goes to show that court cases (especially celebrity court cases) are often about who makes the best presentation, rather than the actual truth of the matter. Maybe he did have many victims over the years, maybe he didn't, maybe we'll never know, or, maybe now he's dead, people will start talking about things. I don't know. Personally, I feel that regardless of if MJ was guilty or innocent, the last case only failed (for the claimants) because the jury felt the mother was 'the boy who cried wolf' one too many times, it did nothing to make me believe he was a totally innocent victim of extortion.

Peace