MICHAEL JACKSON DEAD

[ROBOTRON]

Now I just heard "Billy Mays" was found dead at home (Oxi-clean guy).

David Carridene
Ed McMahon
M Jackson
Farrah Fawcett
Billy Mays

Whats going on here?

[Ed Oscuro]

Now I just heard "Billy Mays" was found dead at home (Oxi-clean guy).

Read all about it!

[Udderdude]

Now I just heard "Billy Mays" was found dead at home (Oxi-clean guy).

David Carridene
Ed McMahon
M Jackson
Farrah Fawcett
Billy Mays

Whats going on here?

I don't know about you, but if I were a celeb, I'd be hiding under my bed right about now.

[Ed Oscuro]

Funny thing, looking at that list - names of my family members are in there :O

I guess Ed McMahon died for my sake.

[it290]

You have a relative named Farrah?

[Super Laydock]

Ulala

Got to give him credit for that.

[The Coop]

Now that things have begun to settle down, I guess I'll give my thoughts on all this...

I've never been the biggest Michael Jackson fan. That's not to say I didn't recognize his talents, or hated the man. He could dance like no one's business back during his prime (when Fred Astaire said MJ was the best dancer he'd ever seen, it's a compliment that's hard to ignore), and he made some memorable music and videos. He went through a rough and odd childhood, only to become a man-boy as he tried to recapture the childhood he never got to fully experience. There's a part of me that thinks his man-boy personality is what brought him to hang around the young boys so much, and that he really wasn't some child touchy-feely sicko. He just wanted to be around kids, and play. But I do feel this is part of what lead to his downward spiral.

See, there's another part of me that can't help but wonder about the first case he was accused of. The ones that followed it, I questioned, as it could easily have been a "Look how much that kid got!"-type of situation. Once that first case came and went, I could easily see others trying to cash in. But that first case isn't something that's fades away so easily for me, as it kind of came out of nowhere.

Then of course, was all the odd behavior. The repeated plastic surgeries, the tabloid-like tidbits, his antics during court cases, holding a baby over a balcony railing... it became almost circus-like at times. He went from "The King of Pop", to "Wacko Jacko". He also went from a black man in Thriller, to the female monkey from the Planet of the Apes remake, in roughly a twenty year span. It's hard for me to just push such strange and seemingly self destructive happenings aside... and it seemed to be much the same for him, as it certainly consumed him quite a bit at times.

But now he's gone (unless you buy into the whole X-Files "He faked his own death so he could spend the rest of his life in peace and solitude from everyone" stuff... though I hear he'll be working at the same 7-11 with 2Pac). He left behind a tragic, strange, and sometimes humorous legacy... one dotted with songs that stick with you, videos that were more like movie productions, and dance steps that untold millions tried to learn. That's something no one can take away from him, and that's why he'll be remembered for many years to come.

Was he an icon? An idol? A force in music that can never be matched? No... I don't think he was. As I said, I feel he had talent, and he made some great music. But he wasn't the messiah, and every song he made wasn't golden. He had hits and misses like so many others artists... musical and personal ups and downs that let us know he wasn't anything other than human. An imperfect, talented, human. Not a god, not an idol, and not someone whose death has forever lessened the music world. I say this not to be mean, or to try and flame bait any rabid fans, but because it's my opinion. There are artists whose music I've enjoyed more of, songs by others that were just as memorable, and there are other artists who had profound effects in their own way. Michael was a one of a kind artist. That much is certain. But he's not the only one to be one of a kind. I think people are forgetting that fact.

With that, I bring my post to a close. It's a shame we'll never know if his comeback would have worked. I was curious to see just what he was going to pull out of his hat, seeing as he was 50 years old. Would he still have the stamina and voice to do show after show, and song after song? Did he still have the song writing abilities that got him so much adoration? Guess we'll never get an answer to that... at least until any unreleased songs surface.

So R.I.P. Michael, and here's hoping you found some of that peace you were trying so hard to obtain.

[RGC]

.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

He also donated tons of monies to charities which is always a + in my book regardless of whether or not he did it to deduct from his taxes.

[Ed Oscuro]

Jon Stewart asked if it's too much to give a brother a "Mr. Jackson" (instead of the alternative the tabloids love to use).

And now there's questions about whether he actually is the father to his children...oh boy.

I was hoping this would all get settled down...but the more I read the more it seems that his comeback tour would've just been another period in the cycle of self-destruction.

[BryanM]

Nah, the man was going to kick ass and take names. He delayed the shows because he wanted everything to be perfect.

Shit, remember when he danced on top of that car at his trial? He loved that people loved him, and was probably looking forward to it for a long time.

Also hilarious: the first kid claimed Mike was circumcised.... and he wasn't. It's fucked up some money grubby assholes could ruin a creepy weirdo so throughly.

[Elixir]

So I'm playing Moonwalker, and I'm stuck on 1-3. So I hit up GameFAQs.

http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/ ... ker_13.png

The one girl I couldn't find was in the fucking window. You know, this one.



Then I noticed something.



But I just had to check for myself.



Sure enough, pedobear didn't transcend time into Moonwalker.

User submitted content on Gamefaqs is a great idea.

[MX7]

I read in the paper today that Michael Jackson is still dead.

[Udderdude]

I read in the paper today that Michael Jackson is still dead.

Holy shit dude you are totally on top of this shit.

Actually he's still in the news, sadly, as it turns out he was abusing some pretty powerful medications (that should never have been used or prescribed outside of an IC unit). Probably contributed to his death.

Lupus + Hardcore prescription drug abuse + Not taking care of himself + Preparing for a huge month-long concert = Dead MJ.

[BryanM]

Month long? I thought it was going to be years long?

[neorichieb1971]

Neverland will open to the masses soon, fully restored to its former glory. $50 entry fee.

[Shatterhand]

I believe his memorial routine was the first big musical show ever with a brainless corpse in the middle of the stage.

Priceless.

[BulletMagnet]

I believe his memorial routine was the first big musical show ever with a brainless corpse in the middle of the stage.

*Insert Keith Richards joke here*

[Dale]

I read in the paper today that Michael Jackson is still dead.

Give it a month or two.

[Ed Oscuro]

300 items designed by Jackson, coming to stores near you

Given his notorious hard-bargain pressing through life, I have to wonder if this really was intended to be the "last call." But in any case, it is.

No news on whether an update of the Moonwalker arcade game is one of those 300 items...although I'd sooner expect a lot of giant statues, baseball caps, and golf cart stencils, all plastered with copious amounts of gold leaf