Michael Jackson

[Renew Deal]

[Bicoastal]

1. Conducting an informal poll or something?

I already had that idea, but thought better of it.

[Renew Deal]

2. MJ will never be forgotten.

:D

[-..__...]

4. Michael who?

Ohhh... now I remember.

[Ex Lurker]

7. the greatest basketball player of all time. But he's not dead. I don't know what all the fuss

has been about lately.

[Iggo]

Yep. Magic Johnson. (n/t)

[Iggo]

14. Yep. Magic Johnson. (n/t)

[-..__...]

3. Reggie Jackson

[Kadie]

6. Samuel L. Jackson

[MajorChode]

11. Andrew

[OneBlueSky]

5. interesting you should mention him . . .

I'm probably not the only one who really doesn't know what to make of Michael Jackson . . . talented? . . . no question . . . a little strange? . . . sure . . . after that, I just don't know . . .

I don't know that MJ ever molested anyone . . . sometimes I think he may have, and other times I think he just saw himself as a big kid who liked hanging out with other kids -- something he apparently never got to do growing up . . .

from everything I see and hear, he was a devoted and attentive father who really loved his kids, and they loved him back . . . then I think about the contradiction between his sadness that he never had a normal childhood and how he isolated the kids so that they, too, had no chance of a normal childhood . . .

I do know that whatever was tormenting his soul, he died far too young, and left those kids in a legal limbo that could easily become a drawn out court battle with them at the center . . . should his 79 year old mom be charged with raising them? . . . if not her, then who? . . . I doubt that Diana Ross wants the responsibility, and if Debbie Rowe claims custody of the two oldest (who are hers), and is successful, where does that leave the youngest? . . . he's just lost his father, and now he's going to lose his siblings as well? . . . not a good option no matter how you slice it . . .

like I said, I don't know what to make of Michael Jackson . . . I just know that I'm sad that he died so young, sad that his kids have to endure the loss of the person central to their lives, sad that the Jackson family is apparently fighting over what to do with the remains, sad about the whole sorry mess that his life had become . . . with all his wealth and fame, it's a shame that he couldn't find real happiness, and the freedom to be himself, whoever that may have been . . .

[flakban]

12. fair points and well stated...

Concerning his choice to isolate (and even conceal) his children, my guess is that he was mainly attempting to protect them from harassment because of his highly controversial status. Further, I think he was doing his best to guard their identities as much as possible, since it was certainly within the realm of possibility for them to have become targets for a ransom-based abduction at some point (because of Jackson's high profile).

[buff2]

8. I'll never forget him

I have just about all his songs.He looked soooooooooo GOOD back in the 80's. Why oh why did he have to change his appearance so drastically? RIP Michael. You will be missed by millions. :cry:

[closeupready]

9. I am going to unrecommend every single MJ thread I see from here on.

Unless it is truly newsworthy, which, I don't see happening.

[Catherine Vincent]

10. Will never forget you!

Gone too soon. :(

[Critters2]

13. Hadn't given the man a moment's thought since his molestation trial.

Wouldn't give him a moment's thought now, if not for all the media craziness. Hasn't been relevant, musically, since "Bad". I don't get all the fuss over the death of a drug addict.

[EFerrari]

15. Amy Goodman played some of this vid to show him just as he was breaking out.

He's so young and so obviously overflowing the 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GveM_95x56k&feature=related

[EFerrari]

16. Nice compilation: I want you back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTz6ijP4N6I&feature=related