Jackson Death: How do you feel about it?

monster • Jun 25, 2009 10:34 pm
When a politician dies, there is almost always someone who "celebrates" because they believe their politics were evil and therefore so were they. Not so much for entertainers -there are those who mourn and those who don't care. But MJ's death seeems to be hitting the full range -and getting the same coverage in the US as Princess Di's death in the UK.

So how do you feel?
Juniper • Jun 25, 2009 10:35 pm
I just don't care and it bums me out that we'll be hearing so much about it on the news for a while.
morethanpretty • Jun 25, 2009 10:40 pm
I think its sad, his music was fun. He had a bad rap because of the molester stuff, but I'm not sure its true. I think he acted guilty about it, doesn't mean he was. Anyway, I think he was really screwed up in the head through no fault of his own. I wonder, what will happen to the kids?
monster • Jun 25, 2009 11:05 pm
you know, mostly I'm just pissed that I had him on last year's deadpool list and not this year. I think Swayze bumped him. Or maybe Winehouse. maybe Liz will be so overcome she'll toddle off too? -then I'll get my first point!
wolf • Jun 25, 2009 11:07 pm
Something else ...

Don't care.
Alluvial • Jun 25, 2009 11:12 pm
Very surprised at first - I wasn't expecting that. Then, I'm a little sad for his kids, that they lost their dad - losing a parent is always hard.

It makes me feel a little uneasy, 'cause he was only a year older than I was.

That's about it.
kerosene • Jun 25, 2009 11:13 pm
I am strangely saddened, but not sure why. I found out this afternoon through my husband, so I haven't seen any sensationalization by the media or anything (yet.)
monster • Jun 25, 2009 11:15 pm
Alluvial;577684 wrote:
he was only a year older than I was.


Than you were? Did you find a cure? For aging?
Master Cthulhu • Jun 25, 2009 11:30 pm
I respect him, but I never listened to his music often...

I can't wait for the conspiracy theories, although I can wait for the news to start fellating this a ton (well, it already has) + MJ's record sales will go through the roof.
Clodfobble • Jun 25, 2009 11:42 pm
Saddened. On the one hand, I'm certain (in my overly-cynical way) that it was a drug overdose. Right now they're calling it "cardiac arrest." You know, because cocaine does stop your heart. :rolleyes: On the other hand, I suspect he had a pretty miserable existence for the most part, and I wouldn't blame him for needing an escape.
Undertoad • Jun 25, 2009 11:55 pm
J5 was my introduction to pop music. I was like 10 when "I Want You Back" and "ABC" and "The Love You Save" were singles. I had no idea it was Motown for Children, but that's pretty much what it was.

Michael Jackson was physically and sexually abused from a very young age.
Aliantha • Jun 25, 2009 11:56 pm
I just think it's sad.
monster • Jun 26, 2009 12:01 am
Clodfobble;577694 wrote:
Saddened. On the one hand, I'm certain (in my overly-cynical way) that it was a drug overdose. Right now they're calling it "cardiac arrest." You know, because cocaine does stop your heart. :rolleyes: On the other hand, I suspect he had a pretty miserable existence for the most part, and I wouldn't blame him for needing an escape.


that's my take on it too
Undertoad • Jun 26, 2009 12:02 am
We'll know very soon: the coroner's report is due tomorrow 12 noon pacific time, or 15 hours from now.
Hoof Hearted • Jun 26, 2009 12:14 am
I voted 'other'.

I appreciated his talent in the 80s. He was fabulous, both with his songs and dancing however his extreme antics (child sleepovers, molestation rumors/accusations, perpetual-childhood, physical appearance changes, dangling babies) really made me question his mental state. I cannot imagine what his life must have been like, and how (I feel) he snapped and decided he'd be a child forever, in addition to trying to change his appearance to be something other than how he was born. What mental anguish he must have gone through. It just wasn't normal.
I hope he is finally at peace.
Clodfobble • Jun 26, 2009 12:17 am
Hoof Hearted wrote:
he snapped and decided he'd be a child forever,



If you've ever listened to the radio program Lovelines, Dr. Drew has said specifically that psychological maturation stops at the age the child was molested. I've heard him take calls and predict with frightening accuracy A.) that the caller was molested, and B.) at precisely what age.
xoxoxoBruce • Jun 26, 2009 1:02 am
I guess we'll never get to see his tit at the Superbowl, now. :headshake
lumberjim • Jun 26, 2009 1:27 am
I was surprised. had a really busy day today, and heard about it at around 6pm.

i am NOT a fan....but still.....it IS a bummer. it's like ......it's like, in my memory, he represents a period of my childhood.....but not one i identified with....one i loathed. as a Jr High kid, I HATED him. all the sycophantic minions that adored him made me ill. the height of his fame coincided with my darkest Black Sabbath/Ozzy/Metal Phase.

I grew out of that, and have recently developed a certain appreciation for the talent that he surely possessed....

And now he's gone. It's like some one else defeated your former worst enemy. Like somebody dumped your ex wife.

and yet....eh, fuck it.
Griff • Jun 26, 2009 6:58 am
I went with other. I understand his music's draw but there wasn't anything he did after childhood that particularly resonated with me. My gut reaction was one less abuser in the world. I see the effects of child abuse every day at work but as noted he was a victim as well. Bottom line it was an early end to a sad life, unfortunately the abuse doesn't stop with him. Lil' Pete had the best line, "Good riddance, God rest his soul."
Shawnee123 • Jun 26, 2009 6:58 am
I know a large portion of folks think he was guilty. I don't know. I really don't. For one thing, I've always wondered about the parents who allowed sleepovers when his urges, for want of a better word, were in question. That seems suspicious to me, not because of that starstruck mentality, but were there almost hopes for unpleasantries which could later bring large cash settlements? More specifically, did abuses actually occur? Signs point to yes, but I don't convict in my head based on what I hear in my little corner of the world.

Regardless, when I see old video of Michael when he was a little kid, belting out I'll Be There, I am just floored at his talent. Thriller was released in late 82, and during my freshman year of college in 83, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing it. He was an amazing entertainer, with the pop music and his dancing.

I think it's always sad when a pop culture icon dies. No, I didn't know him, it's not the same as losing a loved one, but part of them was part of our lives.

As was pointed out, I think he had a miserable existence too. It's just sad.
DanaC • Jun 26, 2009 7:23 am
I wasn't into his music either, and can't say his death has exactly rocke dmy world, but ... yeah, it is always sad when an icon dies. There are one or two fond childhood memories that I woldnt have had he not been around: I'm thinking in particular of staying up late the night they aired the Thriller video for the first time over here. That kind of thing stays with you.

Sad chap all in all. A walking tragedy.
glatt • Jun 26, 2009 8:48 am
I was shocked, SHOCKED!, when I turned on the tv at like 8:30 and they had a teaser about an upcoming special for Farrah, which I knew about, and Michael Jackson. Then they came back to the live coverage at the hospital.

I never owned any of his music, except the duets he did on McCartney's Pipes of Peace album. I wasn't a fan, but his music was everywhere and was catchy. So I know most of it note for note. He had a hell of a lot of talent. When I hear his more popular stuff now on the radio, or wherever, I like it.

The dude was a freak. I never really thought he was guilty of being an abuser. None of the charges ever stuck, and his civil payoffs were probably just to make the accusations go away. But it's very possible I'm wrong.

I don't care that he's dead. It's just shocking.
Alluvial • Jun 26, 2009 8:51 am
monster;577686 wrote:
Than you were? Did you find a cure? For aging?


Hahahaha! :D

I blame senility.
classicman • Jun 26, 2009 9:01 am
Hoof Hearted;577704 wrote:
trying to change his appearance to be something other than how he was born.

It was reported (FWIW) that he may have been trying to change his appearance from looking more like his father whom he despised. Does the reason someone has 500000000 facial plastic surgeries really matter? Guess not, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.


Shawnee123;577736 wrote:
I've always wondered about the parents who allowed sleepovers. That seems suspicious to me, ~snip~ but were there almost hopes for unpleasantries which could later bring large cash settlements?

I am just floored at his talent. He was an amazing entertainer.
It's just sad.

Spot on! great post.

glatt;577758 wrote:
his civil payoffs were probably just to make the accusations go away. But it's very possible I'm wrong.


Thats about where I am with this. I was glued to the tv for about an hour switching channels ... then I realized he was just another torn soul who, hopefully, is finally at peace.
dar512 • Jun 26, 2009 10:01 am
I think it's sad that he didn't get help when he needed it. I wonder if his siblings did anything to get him some counseling.
classicman • Jun 26, 2009 10:08 am
The guy said that the Anna Nicole Smith situation was nothing compared to this. I was shocked that someone from MJ's "inner circle" came out with this the very same day he died.
TheMercenary • Jun 26, 2009 10:08 am
I grew up listening to his music. He went from icon to traggic circus clown. I am quite surprised he lasted this long. It has been a long time coming.
morethanpretty • Jun 26, 2009 10:12 am
I saw a special on him a few years ago, I think it was 20/20. I remember all the family members they interviewed that there was ever any abuse, or anything wrong with MJ. I also remember one point were the interviewer (barbara walters mebbe) and him were in front of a mirror, he was all distressed because he didn't want to look at himself.
He lived a very sad life.
Kitsune • Jun 26, 2009 10:46 am
Wasn't into his music, so I don't feel much impact.

Annoyed that the "news" is going to ignore important world events for the next 96 hours and is pretty much going to be showing nothing but tributes and inane interviews with his crying fanbase. Last night I watched as no less than a dozen fully grown men stared slack-jawed for several hours at the TV above the bar showing looping cellphone camera footage of the ambulance pulling away. Even the scrolling 9/11 ticker at the bottom of the screen had aborted normal functions to switch into Celebrity Death Mode.

CNN continues to earn #CNNFail.
Trilby • Jun 26, 2009 11:32 am
don't really care.

I was gutted by the death of Nicholas Hughes.

ETA-- now they're saying MJ got a shot of Demerol at noon and it was "too much," - he got a daily shot of Demerol it seems. Was on lots of drugs...autopsy will out.
skysidhe • Jun 26, 2009 11:48 am
Brianna;577817 wrote:
don't really care.

I was gutted by the death of Nicholas Hughes.


Same, except it was layne staley's death which I found so tragic I wept a whole day. Mostly for the lonley state in which he died and no fan fare, media coverage.

Superficially I wonder what makes M.J. so much more worthy.
( [COLOR="Gray"]only for a split second and then it's back to apathy[/COLOR] )
Shawnee123 • Jun 26, 2009 11:50 am
I don't think the media coverage is about worthiness or non-worthiness, I think it's just that people had heard of MJ.
Beestie • Jun 26, 2009 12:01 pm
Shawnee123;577736 wrote:
For one thing, I've always wondered about the parents who allowed sleepovers when his urges, for want of a better word, were in question.
Good question. Not unlike other institutional cases of suspected or documented child abuse, the parents either aren't aware or unable to acknowledge the potential for abuse. Some of the parents might themselves be abusers or past victims who, never having come to terms with their own victimization, just don't see what's plain as day to the rest of us. Some of the parents were so in awe of MJ that I don't think they could even conceive what might happen not to mention that he was very generous with many of the parents some of whom were of modest means.

Its as unfortunate as it is inevitable that those who seek to prey on the defenseless will always be able to find an innocent victim.
Cloud • Jun 26, 2009 12:14 pm
I've never been a big fan of his, or of pop music in general, but there's no denying what a big star he was, and what a big impact he had on music and dance. In particular, every hip hop, R&B, and So You Think You Can Dance type people owe a major debt to him--it was all from him.

As to his personal life--I think there was something in him that never really grew up. It was internal, as well as deliberate. I don't know if he suffered abuse, or was an abuser himself, but I think there was something off about him sexually--I never really bought his presence in the videos where he was supposed to be "bad" or "sexy."
Shawnee123 • Jun 26, 2009 12:24 pm
Beestie;577824 wrote:
Good question. Not unlike other institutional cases of suspected or documented child abuse, the parents either aren't aware or unable to acknowledge the potential for abuse. Some of the parents might themselves be abusers or past victims who, never having come to terms with their own victimization, just don't see what's plain as day to the rest of us. Some of the parents were so in awe of MJ that I don't think they could even conceive what might happen not to mention that he was very generous with many of the parents some of whom were of modest means.

Its as unfortunate as it is inevitable that those who seek to prey on the defenseless will always be able to find an innocent victim.


All of this is true. However, I still see another angle. Not all parents are good ones. I believe the potential existed for the down the road accusations, whether anything untoward occurred or not. I believe it's easy to say one didn't know or were jaded by their past experiences. There are people who play victim, and who use their children to get attention and perhaps payoff in retribution for their past victimization.

This is, of course, as much speculation as is those who are sure it happened. I don't know that it did or didn't, but I think we need to look seriously at all sides of possibility.

End result is same: if abuse did indeed happen, the children were victims...this is the sad bottom line. Adults, regardless of their past or their financial situation or aspirations or even stupidity, are charged with making their children safe. It is their choice to not do so, and in my opinion, allowing sleepovers in this situation is a choice to throw the safety of their children to the wind in exchange for whatever they thought might be afforded them.
Undertoad • Jun 26, 2009 1:36 pm
Undertoad;577701 wrote:
We'll know very soon: the coroner's report is due tomorrow 12 noon pacific time, or 15 hours from now.


Oh now I get it: the initial autopsy report doesn't include toxicology lab work that takes a few weeks to happen.
dar512 • Jun 26, 2009 1:40 pm
They keep calling him the king of pop. If he ever was the king of pop, he hasn't been since thriller.
Shawnee123 • Jun 26, 2009 1:41 pm
They can deny you a job if they find anything in your piss in a quickie lab test, but it takes weeks to see if there were toxins in MJ's system?
dar512 • Jun 26, 2009 1:42 pm
Shawnee123;577864 wrote:
They can deny you a job if they find anything in your piss in a quickie lab test, but it takes weeks to see if there were toxins in MJ's system?

That's because it's so hard to get 'em to piss once they're dead. :D
Shawnee123 • Jun 26, 2009 1:44 pm
Don't I know it!

Oh, um...ooops. :bolt:
TheMercenary • Jun 26, 2009 1:51 pm
Shawnee123;577864 wrote:
They can deny you a job if they find anything in your piss in a quickie lab test, but it takes weeks to see if there were toxins in MJ's system?

Much different test. Pee tests are limited in scope and specificity. Hair, blood, and bone will tell the tale.
Shawnee123 • Jun 26, 2009 2:03 pm
Next time a potential employer wants a piss test, I'm going to ask them to do an autopsy, for accuracy. ;)
Trilby • Jun 26, 2009 4:00 pm
I would just like to ask where can I go to get a daily shot of Demerol?

Coz I'm liking the Demerol. Makes the world go all fuzzy and stuff.
dar512 • Jun 26, 2009 4:08 pm
Doesn't seem to have worked out too well in the long run, though.
BigV • Jun 26, 2009 4:10 pm
I'd travel south to be a part of the adoring grieving throng, but by the time I got there, he'd already be dead.
Happy Monkey • Jun 26, 2009 6:34 pm
Doctor Who Was With Jackson Believed to Be a Cardiologist.

Well, he's more of a Doctor of Everything, but he does have two hearts.
Trilby • Jun 26, 2009 7:26 pm
HI, Dr. Nick!
sweetwater • Jun 26, 2009 8:32 pm
The reactions and frenzy following any celebrity death still amazes me. His death has little to no effect on me except to make me thrilled I am not a celebrity. But some people are apparently ready to carry their grief forever.
Shawnee123 • Jun 26, 2009 8:46 pm
Yeah, I find it sad, but certainly nothing to get torn up about.

Though when Gregory Peck died, I called my mom and said "Atticus died!" I found it sad, but that's about it.

Except for this tattoo...j/k.
lumberjim • Jun 26, 2009 9:40 pm
So....tonight I had this really stupid guy in my office buying a car.

And he says...so, I'm buying my new car the day after Michael Jackson died.

And I said....well, that's one way to remember it.....
and he says.....'from food poisoning'


And I have not had time to fart, much less read the cellar for my news updates.....and I say...."Really?! is that what killed him?!"
and he says, "they found 10 year old nuts inhis mouth"

So i start laughing.....cuz i got the joke.....and he delivered it perfectly dead pan.....and i said....man...that's great....first one I've heard.......and, great delivery.....
so he just looks at me and says....'yeah....i still think it was because he was taking too many different kinds of medicine.'

so I'm like.....you get that it's a joke right?.....

and he's all like....yeah...but people take too many prescriptions....and....blah blah blah

he didn't get the joke he heard...and took it as though it was really what 'they' said

I'm still tickled
monster • Jun 26, 2009 9:49 pm
oh man, that's funny :lol:

poor guy. what extras did you sell him?
lumberjim • Jun 26, 2009 9:54 pm
Just Gap insurance......he had bad crebbits, and was capped on what he could finance.
Elspode • Jun 26, 2009 10:55 pm
A friend of mine sent me this earlier today. I think that it is well put, in typical Achewood fashion.

From here...

On the Sudden Passing of Michael Jackson.
Raymond Q. Smuckles
President, Prime Time Records

It’s bad. It’s bad around here. It’s like today was fake. Even the sunlight seems staged. I wish they’d take it away.

When I got the Celebrity Death Beep on my Blackberry, I blew it off as a dumb rumor. That service is good, but I can see it makin’ mistakes. A false headline at, like, The Onion coulda’ triggered it. Michael had an eye on his health constantly. You know that about him. We all know the lengths he went to for health. Dude slept in a hyperbaric chamber. I like my health, but I ain’t gonna go that far, you know? Michael’s health was, to him, a special, magical thing. Something worth machines.

What I think a lotta folks are feelin’ now is a regret. Not regret that a man died; no. They regret that for almost three decades they been mockin’ this guy. This guy who wrote Thriller, and PYT, and Billie Jean. You know who you are, you Michael deniers, listenin’ to your The Cure or Aerosmith. You always considered Michael’s music silly. Not serious. Lame, mainstream. “Popular.” And his life — everyone gets a kick outta’ watchin’ the mighty fall. It sells paper. It makes us feel falsely superior, from our low places. Yet now, now that he’ll never sing another note, you listen to those songs anew —ABC, I Want You Back, Beat It — and you know who he was. Michael had more talent in his little finger than any act today has among four men. Try wakin’ up tomorrow and writin’ We Are The World. See what you come up with. See if you can get Stevie and Tina to come down to the studio, along with Bruce and Billy and twenty other people who cost a whole hell of a lotta money at the time.

Michael was our music. The next time you’re out alone in your car, and Smooth Criminal comes on, it’s gonna mean somethin’ different to you. You’re not gonna change it this time. You’re gonna hear it and think to yourself, “I missed knowin’ his music in the moment.” I don’t blame The Cure. That was your call. The Cure is just out there, like car horns or people who make noise when they cry. The Cure is a choice. When we hear Michael, it is not a choice to feel the beat. It is not a choice to cock your head and straighten all the fingers on your right hand.

His story went out like a light today, and now all we have is his music. He can’t make any more mistakes.* We can’t say anything bad about him anymore.**

R.I.P., Michael. You moved more wax than anybody, player.***

-=Ray Smuckles=-
Achewood Estates, CA
June 25, 2009

* Unless there is something weird in his will.
** I wish this were true.
*** Except: The Beatles (they had a huge head start), Elvis (even bigger head start), and Bing Crosby (40-year head start, and declining super-fast).
Aliantha • Jun 26, 2009 11:30 pm
I'm just wondering how long it'll be before he's spotted at the local 7/11
lumberjim • Jun 27, 2009 12:25 am
that happened yesterday
Beestie • Jun 27, 2009 12:55 am
Aliantha;578005 wrote:
I'm just wondering how long it'll be before he's spotted at the local 7/11
Or in a piece of toast.
xoxoxoBruce • Jun 27, 2009 2:03 am
News of Mr. Jackson's death is sweeping around the world. Having worked for Mr. Jackson at his Neverland Ranch, I had the feeling that he was a hostage to his success. Finally, the King of Pop will find peace that he might never have gotten in life.
NoBoxes • Jun 27, 2009 2:09 am
Back in 2002, Michael Jackson was calling then Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola a racist and a devil in a well publicized falling out. Now [06/26/09], Tommy Mottola's current wife (he used to married to Mariah Carey), the Mexican singer-actress-entrepreneur Thalia has started a Michael Jackson tribute forum on her website. Thalia posts under the username "Lady T" on the bilingual board and here's the link: We all have a Michael Jackson Story
ZenGum • Jun 27, 2009 4:05 am
Via the ABC

A deluge of search queries for Michael Jackson led Google News, the news aggregator of Web search engine Google, to initially believe it was under attack, the internet giant said on Friday (local time).

Google, in a blog post on the company website, said that "millions and millions" of people around the world begin searching for news about the pop star on Thursday as reports emerged about his hospitalisation and death.

It rated the "hotness" of Jackson-related searches as "volcanic."

"The spike in searches related to Michael Jackson was so big that Google News initially mistook it for an automated attack," Google said.

"As a result, for about 25 minutes yesterday, when some people searched Google News they saw a 'We're sorry' page before finding the articles they were looking for," it said.

The "We're sorry" page tells users their query "looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application" and forces them to type in a series of squiggly characters before it will process their request.

Popular micro-blogging service Twitter also suffered a slowdown in performance on Thursday as users exchanged thousands of messages per minute about Jackson's death at the age of 50.

Web portal AOL said its AIM instant messaging service was down for about 40 minutes.

Yahoo! said the news area on its front page received five times its normal traffic and its front page story "Michael Jackson rushed to hospital" was its "highest clicking story" ever with 800,000 clicks within 10 minutes.

- AFP

Sundae • Jun 27, 2009 4:03 pm
Michael Jackson called himself the King of Pop. Okay, it was the media that made it stick, but I do think it's a cheat all the same. Like Ol' Blue Eyes. I'm trying to think up a nickname for myse;f that I can pass around too... Answers on a postcard, the judge's decision is final.

Anyway.
I've never been a Jackson fan. Didn't like the way he danced or the way he sang. His voice was too high, his trousers too tight, his pelvic thrusts and crotch-grabbing frankly unsettling. And I didn't like his enunciation. I have more misheard lyrics from Michael Jackson songs than all the rest of my misheard lyrics put together.

For example Annie are you okay as Annie are you walking and Keep on with the force don't stop as Get on to the Post Office. Even when I heard the lyrics they made little sense to me (dance on the floor in a round?)

My teen friends and I assumed he was gay. I judged him on that, because at the time I still thought it was a kind of deviancy. I laughed when he got married - what?! It was so obvious! Looking back I can still see that his style of dress, speech, dance and affectations were signs that something unhealthy was going on inside. It's just that now I have the sense to realise that being gay can be perfectly healthy, and it's unlikely to have been his issue anyway.

Do I think he had paedophilic tendencies? No, actually. I think his monstrous lifestyle warped his ability to experience real love and relationships. I don't think it necessarily translated into a sexual desire for children. In a more innocent time he would just have been an eccentric recluse. Then again, in a more innocent time he wouldn't have had the worldwide success that damaged him/ freed him to behave the way he wanted to.

I'm already tired of the tributes. I've just Sky-plused a load of episodes of Britain's Next Top Model to watch until it's safe to come out again. At least no-one is calling these girls geniuses.
slang • Jun 27, 2009 5:19 pm
Hearing that he had died was a shock. I'm a bit sad for his family but not quite to tears.

IMO he was a pedophile. No, he was not convicted. What normal man has sleepovers and the like with kids.

Sure, he was "just a nice guy", you say. OK. You keep believing that and my opinon hasn't changed.

To his credit however, I never saw him truly angry. He had become a joke to many people with his legal and financial troubles but never seemed to have anything bad to say about anyone. Never seemed to get mad.

It seems to me that he didn't really have any issues with anyone....but himself ( plastic surgery and all )

Did I miss some fit of outrage at some point?

The timing of his death was also bad. Just before redeeming himself ( professionally anyway ) .

He was a very strange man but I'm sorry to see him pass.
Sheldonrs • Jun 27, 2009 6:21 pm
Liked some of his music but since i didn't know him, it doesn't really matter to me that he died. He would have eventually anyway.
TheMercenary • Jun 27, 2009 8:21 pm
Somone has a sense of humor:
GOP Offers ‘Michael Jackson’ Cap & Trade Alternative
by Scott Ott for ScrappleFace · 18 Comments · · Print This Story
(2009-06-27) — Senate Republicans today introduced an “innovative alternative” to the 1,300-page cap-and-trade climate change bill which passed the House 219-212 virtually-unread Friday night as the nation sat transfixed by wall-to-wall coverage of the death of an iconic pop singer.

Supporters said the GOP-sponsored ‘Michael Jackson Energy Act’ will clear away a raft of environmental regulations that currently discourage construction of nuclear power plants, and will spark energy independence while reducing emissions of so-called greenhouse gases.

The 1,897-page Michael Jackson Energy bill includes more than a thousand pages of uninformed speculation about the cause of the performer’s death, gossip about the nature of his relationships with various adults and children, along with sweeping statements about his impact on the history of the world.

The bill includes a DVD tribute to Mr. Jackson, as well as dozens of before-and-after photos of his various bouts with cosmetic surgery. In addition, to a full-length foldout ‘Thriller’ poster, the bill contains several pages of language removing government-imposed barriers to the growth of a thriving private-sector nuclear energy industry.

“Although the substantive bipartisan opposition to the House cap-and-trade bill failed to capture the nation’s attention,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, “we’ve learned from our mistakes, and know how to present our alternative legislation in a way that will matter to the mainstream media.”
Undertoad • Jun 27, 2009 10:25 pm
You know MJ gets far too much credit for Thriller. Quincy Jones produced it, brought in top people to play on it and top engineers to record and mix it. MJ wrote half the songs on it, but you know those songs were fleshed out in the studio. For example, MJ is credited with "Beat It", but he didn't know what guitarist would be brought in to do the signature solo. MJ wrote "Billie Jean" but the engineer created the signature drum sound. Guys from Toto, who were long-time serious studio guys, wrote "Human Nature", and you can tell.

MJ had a remarkable voice at the time, and little vocal signature moves that were genius. He could dance like a mothafucka, and he still had enough shit together to be creative about things like that. I guess if there's no MJ, it's not a phenomenon, but there must be about 100 people who contributed to Thriller and made it what it was. Team effort.
Alibar • Jun 27, 2009 11:39 pm
He lived a life far removed from mine and I was sorry for him when it was obvious he was mental about his nose. He was so very talented, but, became a freak. Saw a photo of his children. All three are attractive. I liked his music and danced to it many a night back in the day. LOL
FuglyStick • Jun 28, 2009 1:05 am
We put too much value in the lives of celebrities. Michael Jackson contributed far more than the likes of, say, Anna Nicole Smith, but the media is responsible for blowing both deaths way out of proportion.
TheMercenary • Jun 28, 2009 5:47 am
That's only cause Farah couldn't dance.
Shawnee123 • Jun 28, 2009 10:45 am
FuglyStick;578269 wrote:
We put too much value in the lives of celebrities. Michael Jackson contributed far more than the likes of, say, Anna Nicole Smith, but the media is responsible for blowing both deaths way out of proportion.


Sadly, the media is giving the people what they want. If no one paid attention, they wouldn't cover it because no one would be watching.
Flint • Jun 28, 2009 7:45 pm
thread doubleplus ungood refs unpersons
capnhowdy • Jun 28, 2009 9:34 pm
..you gotta be kiddin me.
ZenGum • Jun 29, 2009 4:30 am
From here.

[ATTACH]24054[/ATTACH]
Chocolatl • Jun 29, 2009 9:43 am
My reaction was "Oh! That sucks." And then I moved on.

I was momentarily saddened for his children and family -- as someone said earlier, it's always hard to lose a family member. I think he contributed a fair bit to music and dance, but I've never been a big fan. I hope he's at peace.
Shawnee123 • Jun 29, 2009 9:57 am
I was watching some videos that were on yesterday. Whether you like that style of dance or not, you can't deny how freaking good he was. He did moves people still can't figure out.

But, I'm a big fan of great dancing, from Fred & Ginger to MJ.
York • Jun 29, 2009 2:52 pm
I loved him when i was a kid. ABC, The Wiz, Captain EO , Moonwalker.... All great stuff , full of fantasy like his Neverland. I guess he was a big (rich) kid and people will always try to take bits of that wealth! After "Bad" i found him getting weird and yep.... wacked! But his music was great , wether he made it or just sang it!
The Martin Bashir story shocked the world and more people suspected him on things never proven. I could understand more after the American interview... He just got lived and never had a real youth... But he was a great entertainer and ill miss him!
Undertoad • Jun 29, 2009 3:02 pm
This is a dude who wanted to die.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282009/news/nationalnews/report__michael_jacksons_horrific_autops_176587.htm

NYPost wrote:

An autopsy on Michael Jackson revealed that the King of Pop's emaciated body was riddled with needle marks and scars, and his head was virtually bald, it was reported today.

Jackson's body had wasted away to a mere 112 pounds, and his stomach was completely empty except for partially dissolved pills, according to the London Sun.

His hips, thighs and shoulders were covered with needle wounds, believed to have come from shots of painkillers, and he was wearing a wig when he was found because his hair had been reduced to a "peach fuzz" on his scalp, the report said.

"He was skin and bone, his hair had fallen out, and he had been eating nothing but pills when he died," a source close to the singer's entourage told the paper.
Sundae • Jun 29, 2009 4:07 pm
lumberjim;577992 wrote:
So....tonight I had this really stupid guy in my office buying a car [massive snip] I'm still tickled

I texted my Mum the actual joke. She sent one back saying Yu Tinker x. I forget she learned how to text from my 14 year old niece.

The full anecdote is now mine to tell though. I love it. I have no-one else to tell, sadly. But in years to come, when I have friends, it will be mine.

Anyway, to the point of this message...
I was sat in the town centre reading (a library book - resting from walking like a demon in the heat) and I almost-heard a woman reading out Michael Jackson jokes from her phone. What clued me in was the joke LJ heard of course, although it was 6 year old nuts in his throat. But she kept reading them, in a flat voice on and on and on. Nothing worse than a badly told joke, unless it's a badly told joke I can't hear properly.

When I got up to walk away I looked over to where they were. Two women, fag-ashing away. One with a 6 year old, one with a 10 year old in tow (approx ages). And she'd been reading these really quite filthy jokes out like a shopping list in front of them. Luckily they both looked as clueless as their mothers, so my hope is it won't do them any lasting harm.

FTR - anyone else concerned that Jackson Pere is going to be bringing up Michael's children?
Clodfobble • Jun 29, 2009 4:33 pm
I want to know who's been raising them up to this point. No way in hell do I believe MJ was doing it himself. I think the nanny, the tutor, and the chef probably ought to get custody.
Pooka • Jun 29, 2009 7:27 pm
I was only surprised it wasn't due to a glich in his hyperbaric chamber.
Pooka • Jun 29, 2009 7:28 pm
And... considering he had ownership of the elephant man's remains I wonder what his plans are for his own?
Undertoad • Jun 29, 2009 8:35 pm
Jesus, fog of war over this?

TMZ via LA coroner wrote:
"The report that is being published did not come from this office. I don't know where the information came from, or who that information came from. It is not accurate. Some of it is totally false."
Master Cthulhu • Jun 30, 2009 1:15 am
This is starting to piss me off.

People didn't rave and rave him before his death. Hell, most people made fun of him for being a convicted pedophile and being made of plastic!

Then, BOOM! All the sudden, without notice, he dies!

Now everyone is acting like they "were fans from the beginning" and have always loved him.
tw • Jun 30, 2009 1:57 am
Undertoad;578540 wrote:
This is a dude who wanted to die.
Peter Pan's magic was never strong enough to survive in the real world.
NoBoxes • Jun 30, 2009 4:17 am
Follow this link to the most sensible statement I've read on the subject
DanaC • Jun 30, 2009 4:43 am
What....no? Really? London's The Sun newspaper printing inaccuracies and lies? Surely some mistake.
Pie • Jun 30, 2009 8:29 am
One less creepy weirdo in the world. Less tabloid fodder. Good riddance.
classicman • Jun 30, 2009 9:14 am
Master Cthulhu;578632 wrote:
Hell, most people made fun of him for being a convicted pedophile and being made of plastic!


Not that I care, but to be accurate, he was acquitted, not convicted.
sugarpop • Jul 2, 2009 10:41 pm
Personally I could care less. Not really a fan, and everyone dies eventually. He changed music, and he changed dancing, and I know a lot of people are saddened. Frankly, I'm sick to death of hearing about it. Even the fucking NEWS networks are playing MJ nonstop. WTF. Like there isn't any other news happening in the world? It just goes to show what a bunch of morons we are in this country, when a freaking celebrity becomes more important than world events.
Aliantha • Jul 2, 2009 10:48 pm
it's not just the US. The same is happening here. I don't know if it's just because he was a celebrity though.

He's a man the world watched grow up. He's someone whose life was almost always mixed up and controversial. He's someone many people see as a hero (for a number of reasons aside from his music). He's a person many could relate to. He's someone individual who achieved greatness in his chosen field against the odds purely through his talent. He was a person many people felt they knew.

There aren't many people who walk the earth and influence or affect so many people one way or another. Whether you like it or not, his passing is big news to the world.
sugarpop • Jul 2, 2009 11:54 pm
Oh I'm not begrudging the news covering him, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with honoring his memory, and doing specials, and having segments in the news about him. What I am griping about is the NONSTOP coverage that is pushing everything else completely out of the news.
Aliantha • Jul 3, 2009 12:12 am
Maybe it's a slow news week? ;)
xoxoxoBruce • Jul 3, 2009 12:28 am
How did he come up with those dance moves?
[liveleak]854_1246457893[/liveleak]
Shawnee123 • Jul 3, 2009 12:14 pm
There is nothing new under the sun. ;)

Bravo! There is some great footage in that video, and I mean the pun as well.

The way some people can move!

I'll be sending that on to my mom, we both love dance and have seen and discussed much...she'll love this.
Shawnee123 • Jul 3, 2009 12:31 pm
Aliantha;579293 wrote:
it's not just the US. The same is happening here. I don't know if it's just because he was a celebrity though.

He's a man the world watched grow up. He's someone whose life was almost always mixed up and controversial. He's someone many people see as a hero (for a number of reasons aside from his music). He's a person many could relate to. He's someone individual who achieved greatness in his chosen field against the odds purely through his talent. He was a person many people felt they knew.

There aren't many people who walk the earth and influence or affect so many people one way or another. Whether you like it or not, his passing is big news to the world.


Very nicely said, Ali.

I understand the coverage is crazy, and annoying, but I really don't understand it being something that bothers me (I can ignore when I choose to) because it just is the truth, all the things you said.

Our heroes have not always been completely sypathetic characters. I can glean the amazing and let the rest fall away.
ZenGum • Jul 3, 2009 8:03 pm
Ukrainians seek to name village after Jackson

Posted Thu Jul 2, 2009 1:01pm AEST
Updated Thu Jul 2, 2009 1:00pm AEST

Residents of a Ukrainian village want to rename it after the late pop singer Michael Jackson.

Politician Oleg Kislitsyn says villagers in Oktyabrskoye, located in the Zaporizhia region in the country's south-east, have approached him with a proposal to rename the village "Jackson".

"There are many fans of Michael Jackson there. They want to immortalise him," said Mr Kislitsyn, adding that he was in favour of the proposal.

"They want to create a house museum and collect his records there.

"This is a depressed region, all the factories are closed. They hope this will attract tourists," he added.

Mr Kislitsyn's advisers met with villagers on Wednesday (local time) to discuss the proposal.

The village's municipal council is to consider the plan in August.

When asked what links existed between Oktyabrskoye and Jackson - whose death in Los Angeles last week has prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief - Mr Kislitsyn said the world was in the process of "globalisation".

He added: "I am not a fan but I respect his work. He had an iron-clad will for victory."

Oktyabrskoye is currently named after the October revolution of 1917, which swept the communists to power in Russia.

The name dates back to the Soviet era when Ukraine was under Moscow's control.

- AFP
Aliantha • Jul 3, 2009 8:24 pm
I reckon doing that would encourage tourists. Thousands of them. Any shrine to MJ is going to become a 'destination'.
York • Jul 5, 2009 3:47 am
I guess where theres money , there's trouble! What is find really sad is that Jordy Chandler dude saying in an short interview afters MJs death " im so sorry i could never apologise to him" " I lied because my dad wanted me to" It broke the man , it made him an emotional wreckage that didnt trust the kids he so loved!
Sundae • Jul 5, 2009 9:44 am
Master Cthulhu;578632 wrote:
People didn't rave and rave him before his death. Hell, most people made fun of him for being a convicted pedophile and being made of plastic!

Then, BOOM! All the sudden, without notice, he dies!

Now everyone is acting like they "were fans from the beginning" and have always loved him.

Not me.
Same as when Diana died.

The grief bandwagon doesn't seem to stop at my house.
Or maybe just that I don't trust the red tops to accurately portray my opinion.
ZenGum • Jul 6, 2009 9:35 am
[youtube]E-D9hcohusg[/youtube]

This guy makes it clear how good Jackson was.
Shawnee123 • Jul 6, 2009 9:44 am
Why does that video start out with Kenny from South Park?
Happy Monkey • Jul 6, 2009 12:39 pm
xoxoxoBruce;579315 wrote:
How did he come up with those dance moves?


Or this:

[youtube]L8mJsgPj1iU[/youtube]
capnhowdy • Jul 6, 2009 4:50 pm
I thought they'd cremate Jacko. Since he was mostly plastic, they could melt him down and make Legos®. Then little boys could play with HIM for a while.
Radar • Jul 6, 2009 6:17 pm
I voted other. I liked his music, especially the early stuff, but I wouldn't let him watch my kids. I am able to separate his private life from his music. I'm not broken up about it and I'm not really surprised since he always seemed delicate and sickly.

I'm not worried about his kids because I don't really believe they are his kids. I just think the gravy train is over for the Jackson family other than maybe Randy.
Aliantha • Jul 6, 2009 6:42 pm
Whether they're his biologically or not, they've been raised as his. What's the difference between his situation (whatever it is) and other adopted kids for example.

Your lack of compassion for them surprises me Radar.

The gravy train just got a whole lot richer thanks to his death. I'm pretty sure the whole family will be fine for many years to come.