RIP Michael Jackson

[markseven]

You can say Wikipedia is crap, but here's what I'm talking about:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_child_sexual_abuse_accusations_against_Michael_Jackson

I think this is the article I'm talking about (but I don't have time to read it (wife's pissed I"m not leaving for dinner yet)): http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/a.../01/orth199401

Listen, I could be wrong. Researching this stuff is not a hobby of mine.

Haha, this morning Maureen Orth was on Joe Scarborough's radio show (Mika Brezenski is the hawtness).

[deutschman]

RIP MJ... it's sad how misunderstood you were.

misunderstood?...
why is he misunderstood? would you send your kid over to his house to sleep in his bed with him? if the answer is yeas your as bad as he was.
just because some one is very talented and rich does not make it ok for them to behave the way he did. if any one ells had slumber parties with a bunch of young children they would be gone and in jail faster then you could say prepubescent. why does the fact that he could sing and dance make his behavior ok? it is not acceptable behavior for anyone ells and it was not acceptable for him. why don't people get that?

[george graves]

"Not a big MJ guy — never was — but after listening to the nostalgia orgies of the past twenty four hours, I’m reminded that art can matter. That the stuff of great artists — their songs, their paintings, their books — becomes a part of our lives, and that whether you’re talking about the first time you saw the "Thriller" video or the first time you tried to moonwalk, you’re not really talking about Michael Jackson. You’re talking about yourself. The art is just a marker, allowing each of us to find our way back to some earlier, happier, more carefree version of ourselves." — Richard Dorment

[jflip2002]

Id say Im surprised with R3v's (not all of you obviously) attitude towards MJ's death. The man had some problems, I think thats safe to say. Im sure you would also if your father was Joe Jackson, and you were in the spotlight as a child star. All things considered, he held himself very well considering how we have seen other child stars end up.

Ok, so the guy allegedly liked to sleep (not have sex with, just SLEEP with) kids. It's not the most decent or respectable thing to do. From his point of view, who were the only people nice to him, who did not judge him? Kids. So I can see where he felt the security and comfort with this group of people, who just happen to be younger people. There have been NUMEROUS people on TV over the last couple days that said they have had their children stay at his house and no sort of nonsense went on.

The first kid who alleged Michael of touching him did not win in court. There was no evidence, and HIS OWN PARENTS were even against his claims. This most recent one also had nothing ton convict MJ. He actually paid the kid the money AFTER the trial.

He was a guy with problems, definitely. But overall a genuinely kind person with undisputed musical talent. He's in a better place, where there's no one to judge the man.

(I know there are going to be pieces of shit who will come back with other nonsense, go for it.)

[Pinepig]

One piece of shit right here.

[ragged325]

I find it hard to believe that I'm siding with Pinepig here.

I get that there are those people who ask, "why is everyone calling this great guy a pedophile?"

The other side is, "why is everyone talking about how well the pedophile could sing and dance?"

In my mind, the guy was a complete freak. The naming his kid "prince blanket" thing. The surrogate mother thing. The baby dangling, turning himself white, giraffes, chimp, talking like a little girl. The whole fucking thing. What more do you have to do to distinguish yourself as a complete fucking freak? The nose, the chin. What does it take? I'll bet if a sex tape leaked of him fucking one of his giraffes, people would just shrug it off. I don't get it. To me, it was just one completely fucked up thing after another.

I was born in 1966. When I was a kid, MJ was the coolest person in the whole world. He was like <10 and not only did he perform on tv with his own band, he was amazing.



When Thriller came out, I was in high school. MTV was just starting and MJ was the biggest star around. I'm not saying I bought his albums though. All of my friends listened to Led Zeppelin, Rush, etc. and Thriller was an album your little sister bought.

Then he started going everywhere with Emanuel Lewis.* I'm trying to avoid arguing on the internet, but IMO, it's NEVER okay for an adult male to sleep alone with other people's kids. PERIOD. The idea that MJ was just a little eccentric and that it was just his thing, to me is apeshit insane.

I guess it has a lot to do with personal stuff in my own life, but it seems rare to find just normal people that act like adults. Everyone's got some excuse to why they can't just get their shit together. I think I'm just getting grumpier as I'm getting older.

*

[jflip2002]

Theres a statement that the first kid, the one who accused him of molesting him in 1993, confessed today that he was lying for the money. His father made him lie, and later attempted to kill the kid with a dumbell.

The childs real name isnt blanket, either.

[apathy]

Theres a statement that the first kid, the one who accused him of molesting him in 1993, confessed today that he was lying for the money. His father made him lie, and later attempted to kill the kid with a dumbell.

Where did you read/hear this??

[markseven]

When Thriller came out, I was in high school. MTV was just starting and MJ was the biggest star around. I'm not saying I bought his albums though. All of my friends listened to Led Zeppelin, Rush, etc. and Thriller was an album your little sister bought.

I agree with your entire post, but this is the absolute truth. I was born in 70, and when thriller came out I was listening to Agent Orange the most. So, for all the MJ music fanatics out in r3v land, are you going to freak out when cher and madonna die? It's pretty much the same music, ya know ;)

[kishg]

So, for all the MJ music fanatics out in r3v land, are you going to freak out when cher and madonna die? It's pretty much the same music, ya know ;)

yes :)

taste is subjective, it doesn't mean one doesn't respect the work of great artists. i'm not a rembrandt fan but that doesn't mean isn't one of the great masters..

[ThePotsy]

Who are the two girls at 2:08, what used to be there, and why did it change???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-cHBv7UpA

[jflip2002]

I dont know if you guys have seen this, but its definitely pretty cool.



(The same inmates have done a choreographed version of thriller, also).

[markseven]

yes :)

taste is subjective, it doesn't mean one doesn't respect the work of great artists. i'm not a rembrandt fan but that doesn't mean isn't one of the great masters..

Kish, yes, taste and preference are subjective, case closed. I could be waaaay off base, but these are my opinions, nothing more, nothing less: I do not consider some of the abstract pieces art, nor do I consider a majority of 'performance art' art. cher, madonna, the boy bands, and just about any other top 40 act, it's just over-produced, synthetic tripe. It doesn't mean anything to me that the masses are in agreement or in awe of of this crap. Very few possess the talent, class, poise and humility required, in my book, to deserve the title 'super star'. Just my $.02 :D

[jflip2002]

If Michael Jackson wasnt a superstar, who exactly is your idea of a superstar?

[Erik]