Michael and His Fans.. It Is All About LOVE !

MJ TinkerBell

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Michael and His Fans It Is All About LOVE !



Michael Jackson's one great and serious love affair was with his fans.

A common exchange between Michael and a fan was:


I love you Michael, I love you more.

He wasnt kidding. He meant it. Literally. Lots of entertainers profess to love their fans but will not go out of their way to be kind or to see them certainly, as a force or a cultural base to change the world. Many rockers have been known to take advantage of vulnerable female fans. Michael had opportunities to do just that but was restrained and respectful of his fans, especially females. Michael seemed to feel not only their love, but their pain in not being able to express their feelings for him with physical closeness. Those feelings were not unrequited. But Michael seemed to understand that not being able to access the object of adolescent crushes and first loves is exquisitely painful. He was wise to that and able to feel it. Michael frequently dissolved into tears on stage after or during an encounter with a female fan.

An exquisitely lonely man, Michael admitted to his pain of separation and described that loneliness to many who knew him. He was one of the most visible people in the world and yet one of the most lonely. Imagine being in a hotel room in just about any city in the world with adoring fans camped outside your lodgings and not being able to see them, access them, chat with them or have any meaningful interactions. Imagine all that love coming toward you and not being able to access any of it personally, closely, physically or with sexual fulfilment. Michael called himself a gentleman when it came to women and the typical Rocker story exploitations of fans are glaring in their absence.

Michael would often hand write multiple copies of notes to fans while in his hotel rooms and sneak downstairs to glimpse his fans who were diehard and camped out silently near and around hotels just to be near him and his energy. Or he would write them notes that proclaimed that he could feel their love through the walls and would profusely thank them for their love and loyalty. He is known for delivering them himself if it was safe and at other times his security would hand them to fans. Have you ever heard of a Rockstar who did that? Michael would often direct his staff to purchase and deliver blankets and pillows to fans who were camped out in the cold overnight.

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In his concerts in the 80s and 90s Michael would have bodyguards either allow or bring a fan onstage to be with Michael and dance with him while he sang a ballad, often She's Out of My Life. He did this consistently despite confessing that fans sometimes scared him because they tend to forget manners and convention in their frenzied state and they can pull hair and cause bodily harm. What is remarkable is what happened with each of those fans who made it onto the stage to touch him. Winding their arms around him not wanting to let go, they would vocalize their love for him with I love you, Michael, obvious with lip reading.

Many times they sobbed uncontrollably. Sometimes they fainted. One female fan fainted while standing with him on stage and Michael gently lifted her, carrying her across the stage to a bodyguard while he continued to sing. Every time, without fail, Michael would hug female fans genuinely and tenderly while firmly spanning and cradling the back of their head in his hand. Who does that? Only a man who understands women and knows what love really feels like—being held securely and cherished with a simple gesture. Often he would display the chivalrous bowing before the female object of his attention. Michael loved. He loved tenderly. He loved fiercely. Its in his body language. And the one steady object of his adoration was his fans.

At his arraignment before the 2005 trial, he leaped onto the roof of a car to wave to fans and to have his videographer capture their presence and support at a difficult time in his life. Michael had his crew film everything. He was heavily criticized for that gesture. The media categorized it as a circus atmosphere, the judge didn't appreciate it and to those who didn't know Michael like his fans and who didn't know what fans meant to him, saw it as disrespectful to the process and as cavalier and arrogant.

That gesture was to thank the fans, acknowledge them and to reassure himself that despite the circumstances, he was still beloved and that fans hadn't deserted him. Michael's gesture was spontaneous and typical Michael. He gave no thought to how it might be interpreted by the cynical audience and media frenzy that surrounded that trial. In every country he visited, Michael might jump on the roofs of vehicles to avoid the crush of rushing and aroused fans or to give them a better look. But the public had no way of knowing that. Michael's constant and only support during the five month ordeal were his fans and family. The absence of celebrities or friends flocking to support him was jarring. Michael needed his fans and to feel their love in order to withstand the relentless legal and personal assaults on his character during the gruelling five months of that trial. He needed their energy to prop him up to withstand the daily barrage of insults and assaults upon his personhood and character. Fans got him through the trial. Fans and family.

I didnt know about Michael Jackson fans until after his death. I supposed he had fans, but I didnt really know them until I began researching about Michael and his life. Michaels fans are all over the world and number in the millions. The Thriller album sold more than a hundred million copies.

Like any other celebrity, Michaels fans are steadfast and loyal but there is an element that goes beyond the worldly manifestation of fan clubs for other entertainers. The exchange between Michael and his fans is, well otherworldly. There is a tone surrounding Michaels fans that is hard to describe. Its as if each of them knows him personally, defends his reputation and his honor at any and every offence or assault, and they are kind and loving people. I began to read their postings as I began researching after his death and it became quickly evident that they all love him and believe implicitly in him and his character through everything that plagued this man throughout his lifetime. They have the facts; they have the evidence to back it all up. Because they follow everything about Michael, they have a context and a history that others are not privy to. Michael Jackson was and still is beloved. Agape? Of course. But he was and is beloved in the spiritual sense of the word. And it was not unrequited.

Michaels fans have followed every event of his life; they know every career turn; they know all the albums and lyrics; they have followed press reports about the superstar; they know all the data. But something else defines Michael Jackson fans and I am at a loss to convey in any understandable terms. There is an unusual almost ethereal communication among his fans and his relationship with them was highly unusual. It is hard to describe and even harder to understand. But there was an element of recognition—a love force or energy, an energetic exchange between Michael and his fans that transcends norms. It couldnt be seen with the naked eye but it was there. Its as if they feel each other. Whatever it is or was, it is a new kind of language that the rest of us dont speak.

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During the 2005 trial and at other times, Michael Jackson fans were described as rabid or in some way unreasonable. Often they were depicted as being a little or a lot loony but that is simply not the case. They also were thought to be so enamoured and blinded by the star that they abandoned all sense of propriety, reality or reason when it came to anything Michael. But that too, is simply not the case. MJ fans, as they call themselves know the man. They have a kind of advantage over the rest of society in understanding what non-fans and critics saw as eccentricities having simple and plausible explanations. To them it was Michael just being Michael. Because they know the history and have a fuller context of who Michael Jackson was. They have a mental timeline of who Michael was and what he did and there was a deeper understanding than the general public. They dont excuse his behavior or overlook it because there is no need to. They understood that Michael was different and they fully accept that and see it as a grand reason to love him even more. This historical knowledge and timeline does make a difference—it places events into a context unavailable to most.

True MJ fans which is a moniker, speak with one voice regarding his character and his interactions with people and particularly with children. They even have a common language. One of the things that stands out when reading comments by his fans is the familiarity of all of them with what they call MJ haters. There is something unsettling and disturbing about the practices of these so called MJ haters. They show up on blogs and postings belittling him, his appearance and his character. They appear to be mostly males, mostly conservative Christians by the language and the slant of their posts, and they have very graphic and explicit damning things to say about his interest in children. They have twisted it into a caricature of thick, dark human shadow. They dont seem to be aware that Michael Jackson was acquitted of all charges in his much publicized trial. Not guilty does not make for good tabloid fodder or economics and the yellow press milked the publicity in order to sell copy, so it is conceivable that these males actually did not hear or understand that the trial ended with a favorable outcome for Michael. But the peculiarity and specificity of their language is especially disturbing. Its violent.

One has to wonder why these MJ haters as they are called, bother to monitor the Michael Jackson fan areas and take the opportunity to spew a vile brew of accusation, sensation and condemnation toward a man long ago found innocent. Its not unusual to see duplicate postings on several sites, sometimes using the same name and obviously the same author. Those postings smack of sexual arousal, machismo gone rogue and a parallel thread of violence. It is obviously designed to arouse someone, but whom? It appears autoerotic. It does get a reaction. These comments are often followed by a true Michael fan commenting later to ignore the hater. Apparently the fans have experience with this kind of bating. It is apparent also that no amount of factual intervention will convince the unenlightened. There is something really disturbing about the nature of these entries and how forceful they are.

Freudian theory would suppose that the haters themselves are latent homosexuals who project their hatred of themselves and their closeted sexual identity confusion onto a representative target—i.e. Michael Jackson. Jung would probably say they are displaying their own impotence with a demonstration of jealousy twisted toward a well known man who criticized and lacked machismo, embodied androgyny and sexuality and who aroused the paradox of sexual and maternal feelings in females. That too is evident in the comments by female fans who remark about Michaels body. That has always been true; the sexual awakening in young females often finds a safe and inaccessible target. And they swoon. It was true for Elvis fans in his day and Frank Sinatra before him. The screaming of Beatles fans illustrates the same phenomena.

Michael was beloved everywhere in the world. No matter where he went, there were throngs of fans who loved Michael. The irony and paradox that stuns is the knowledge that he could not go out into public and interact with those who loved him because he would not be safe. While it is touching to be the target of so much love and adoration, the fame comes at an enormous cost. No privacy. No friends who know you just as Michael and not as Michael Jackson the mega-star.

Like any public figure and especially a celebrity, Michael attracted fans that could meet the definition of crazed but they arent many. I have corresponded with Michaels fans from all over the world and have found them to be thoughtful, dedicated to justice, generous, philanthropic and highly intelligent. They range from children to doctoral candidates. And almost every one I have interacted with have Michaels ministrations and message in mind—change the world and make it a better place. Love more. And I can tell you from personal experience—they do.

Michael Jackson's fans saw in Michael a light. A light, a love and a goodness that was a shroud that surrounded Michael's being. He shone and his love was shimmering. Fans knew it because they could feel it. It was that real and that palpable. And it is because of Michael that they are committed to making the world a better place. Michael was the messenger. His fans now are the message. Watch. Listen. Learn. Meet a Force that means to change the world.
(c) B. Kaufmann 2009 and beyond. Reprinted by permission

 
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Fans Kiss and Hug Michael Jackson

[YOUTUBE]23mArDS2X58[/YOUTUBE]

Michael Jackson’s Last Close-Up

The team of paparazzi who took the now infamous final photograph of Michael Jackson had fixated on the King of Pop—both with their cameras and without—for years, camping outside his gate and communing with his most fervent fans. In exclusive interviews, they recount the play-by-play of the shot seen round the world.
By Michael Joseph Gross

WEB EXCLUSIVE July 2, 2009

Christopher Weiss wants to be a doctor, but he is not, at first glance, a dream candidate for medical school. He went to junior college and got mediocre grades—and then he spent the better part of the next decade trying to make up for his feckless youth. Getting his bachelor’s degree at U.S.C., doing breast-cancer lab research, working as an E.M.T., and getting his paramedic’s license, the 29-year-old slowly built a résumé that could impress admissions boards. But he always worried that he wasn’t saving enough of his income, that med school would require him to take on a crushing load of debt. Then, in 2007, his boyhood friend Ben Evenstad, also 29, offered Weiss a chance to make a lot of money. When Evenstad co-founded the photo agency National Photo Group, he hired Weiss and taught him how to be a paparazzo.

Though Weiss says he’s not very interested in celebrities, he came to enjoy the job, especially when he got to shoot Michael Jackson. “From the first time I saw him in person, at a Barnes & Noble, when he was wearing Band-Aids on his face, I was mesmerized,” Weiss says. His boss, Evenstad, shares the fascination: “As a pap, you spend most of your time chasing sex symbols, but M.J. was different, almost like a Howard Hughes character,” he says. “With the masks and the umbrellas and the mystery, I thought Michael was more interesting than any other celebrity, and he has more interesting fans than any other celebrity—this group, mostly female, who would follow him all over the world. If he went to Ireland, France, Bahrain, Neverland, they were there. The same individuals. Nobody else had what he had. I set out to document why.”

Evenstad started as a pap in 1999 (he was also a professional autograph collector at the time), and he worked for a photo agency that questioned the amount of time he spent chasing Jackson, during a period when photos of the singer were not commanding premium prices. “For me, it was kind of a fan thing. As a fan, I wanted to get his photo. It wasn’t until 2003 when his legal troubles got bad that pictures of him started to be worth a lot again,” Evenstad says.

Although this may sound self-justifying, it is in earnest. I have known Evenstad for eight years—I wrote about him for The New York Times Magazine, in 2001—and from the day we met, he named Jackson as his favorite quarry.

Jackson’s most devoted fans recognized a fellow enthusiast in Evenstad, and they developed a mutually beneficial relationship, exchanging tips with one another about the singer’s comings and goings.

National Photo Group, from the beginning, “wanted to be the Michael Jackson agency,” Evenstad says. “There’s always money to be made with Michael, so we started shooting him every day.” Last fall, when Jackson moved into the Bel-Air Hotel, in Los Angeles, Christopher Weiss and another photographer were assigned to be, as Weiss puts it, “soldiers of the sit.” He, too, became friendly with the singer’s core group of fans: mostly young, attractive, European women. Jackson and one of his many young female fans, October 2008. Despite his penchant for wearing masks, he was not afraid of physical contact with his admirers. By Dean/National Photo Group.

Weiss, whose voice has the clear, generous intelligence of a Boy Scout, remembers, “The girls would huddle outside the hotel gate that was closest to Jackson’s bungalow, sitting very quietly so that security would not find them. And sometimes Michael would come out and say hello. One time he handed out five handwritten letters that said things like ‘I can feel your energy through the walls. You inspire me so much. I love you all. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for loving me. With all the love in my heart, Michael Jackson.’ I was always impressed by that, how deeply he seemed to care for these girls. When he hugged one of them, he would put one hand on her neck, behind her head, that extra-comforting move like you would do to a person you know. The writing in those letters had a style that was personal, deep, flowery, ornate. It was not ‘Thanks guys. Have a good night. I hope you like the music.’

This, too, may sound like a sentimental exaggeration, but it is not. I spent a week with the women that Weiss and Evenstad are talking about, while researching Starstruck, a book I wrote about relationships between celebrities and fans. No star was more generous to fans (every member of the core group of Jackson fans that I met had, at some point, been invited into his house to have dinner or to watch movies and hang out), and no group of fans treated one another with more generosity than these women.

“To figure out who would get the letters that Michael wrote to the group,” Weiss says, “the girls would draw straws. They would write their names on pieces of paper and throw them in my camera bag, and I would reach in and draw names. The girl who got the letter would take it and make photocopies and give them to all of the others.”

Two notes Jackson reportedly wrote to fans at the Los Angeles hotel he was staying at last November. “I truly love all of you[.] I am recording tonight, for all of you, you are my true inspiration forever. I am living for you, and the children,” he wrote in one. And “You make me sooo happy.… The sky is the limit. Higher consciousness always.… I love you. Michael Jackson.

He was the only celebrity that, if you were devoted enough, he would let you into his house. You think somebody could go to Bruce Willis’s house and say, ‘I love you, I love you,’ that you’d get in? He’d call the police. That’s what all of them would do. All but Michael. If you said ‘I love you, I love you’ to Michael, he would assume you meant you loved him, and he would let you in.”

Jackson’s death leaves a void not only in the fans’ lives but also in Evenstad’s. As much as he may mourn the singer, though, Evenstad also mourns the rare complexity of relationships that surrounded the King of Pop.
 
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Michael Jackson performing at the Jamaican National Stadium in April 1975.

In Memory of Michael Jackson - The Gloved One Who Visited Jamaica
By Joan A. Muir, Ph.D. Published Jun 30, 2009


In my life. I loved his voice, clear as a bell reaching high notes in songs like "I'll be there" or giving unconditional love in the beautiful song dedicated to his pet Ben. For all I knew, he was singing to me when he declared to Ben:

“If you ever look behind
And don’t like what you find
There’s something you should know
You’ve got a place to go”


As far I knew he was talking to me, heart to heart and I loved it. I was going to grow up and marry Michael Jackson, whatever it took to get rid of the millions of other girls in line. I was convinced it was my destiny.
St Andrew High was full of Jackson 5 adulation. I thought the most enthusiastic, if unregistered Jackson 5 fan club was filled with my classmates, a clique of six girls. They loved the Jacksons, talked about them incessantly and formed a dance group that started for the sole purpose of performing Jackson 5 hits.
And they practiced hard, performing with gusto at school barbecues and other events.
They spent hours planning and scheming how to host their own show at Carib Theater in Crossroads, imitating the Jackson 5.

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Michael Jackson performing at the Jamaican National Stadium in April 1975.

Of course, they all went to the concert, while I had to spend another Saturday night watching “Little House on the Prairie, a morally sound television show approved by my mother. My friend Michelle had obtained tickets through her mother’s connections for seats right up front of the stage at the National Stadium.
Michelle and the entire group of girls lucky to attend the Saturday night concert arrived at school on Monday morning dazed and ecstatic. They had discovered that the Jackson 5 were staying at the Sheraton Hotel in New Kingston. We headed over the there right after school, walking in the sun from St. Andrew. If my mother only knew! Apparently, the other high school girls in Kingston had obtained the ‘Lets go see Michael’ memo. There were scores of girls scattered all over the hotel lobby and in the pool area, hoping for a glimpse of Michael or any of his handsome brothers. The Jacksons emerged in about half hour after we arrived, dressed for a basketball game against Kingston’s finest high school players. I remember first seeing Marlon’s head on the top of the stairs, then Jermaine, Jackie and finally Michael. The girls screamed as in mass frenzy, they rushed up the short flight of stairs. I saw the look of panic on Michael’s face before he ran back and we never saw him again. I wonder now how many of those frightening encounters set back his childhood development and created the recluse he became out of necessity.

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Member of the Jackson 5 including Michael (far right) performing at the Jamaican National Stadium in April 1975.

I do not recall how long it took to quieten the crowd and bring order to the Sheraton lobby or how the Jacksons got out. Eventually we took a bus to the National Arena and spent the rest of the afternoon drooling at Marlon, Tito and Jackie Jackson playing against the Jamaican boys. I recognized only two boys from Kingston College and if they played like NBA stars, I could not tell you. I had eyes only for the Jacksons, mesmerized by their billowing Afros, their sparkling smiles, their powerful legs in those short shorts; it was my dream come true. I may have missed the concert but I had seen Michael, the boy of my dreams and his gorgeous brothers in the flesh, and now I have my friend Michelle to thank for the memories.
Special thanks to Michelle for the photos.

The Source:
http://www.jamaicans.com/articles/p...f-michael-jackson--the-gloved-one-who-v.shtml
 
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Michael Jackson during a visit to Moscow’s Red Square. REUTERS

Michael Jackson and Me: Strangers in Moscow Travel Stories:

by Jeffrey Tayler 06.26.09 | 2:35 PM ET

Recalls a cold night in 1993 when he took a break from writing his first book to see a performance by the "King of Pop"


It was mid-September 1993. I had moved to Moscow a couple of months earlier, during the warm if somewhat gritty doldrums of summer. Now, as autumn set in, it was raining endlessly from low clouds, greasy blackish mud made sidewalks slippery, and streets at night, with few lit-up advertisements, were mostly dark. Moscow, in short, had a shabby, sooty, worn-out, still-Soviet look. I hadn’t yet gotten my Russian “sea legs.” Moscow was new and strange and even threatening to me. (It was strange and threatening for many Russians, too, of course, given the heightening political tension that would flare into armed revolt against President Yeltsin by the month’s end.) But when I found out Michael Jackson was scheduled to perform live at Luzhniki Stadium as part of his “Dangerous” world tour, I did what I’d never done before: I bought a ticket to his concert. It lifted my mood, and made bearable my days locked away writing my first book, Siberian Dawn, in my roach-riddled, noisy, one-room apartment in a crumbling cement-block Khrushchovka building.

This was before Michael’s sex scandals. His popularity then was far higher than it has been in recent years; he was the most famous American on the planet, one whose name aroused well-nigh universal admiration. He had been this famous for years, however. While I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Marrakech a couple of years before, Moroccans often asked me if, being American, I knew him. Russians weren’t so naïve, but it seemed everyone in Moscow back then had an opinion about Michael: Usually, they loved him. That such an American superstar was about to arrive in their capital meant something to them. Foreigners were still a novelty in Russia, times were hard and dark, and his promised appearance was shedding copious glittering light well in advance.

The centralized heating still hadn’t come on in my building. On the evening of the concert, I recall feeling damp and cold as I put on my raincoat, grabbed my umbrella, and readied myself to leave. I wasn’t yet quite in the mood. In my journal for that day I later wrote: “Seraya zhizn’ [the gray life]. I walked out into the drizzle and looked at the soupy gray sky and shabby gray concrete buildings and huge mucky puddles ... Being alone in this miserable flat ... living poor ... struggling with my book, my last chance.” I took the metro to Luzhniki. The crowd in the cars was mostly young and excited, and every now and then, between the roar of the train in the tunnels, I’d hear “Dzhekson ... Dzhekson ... Michael Dzhekson!”

Seventy thousand fans didn’t fill the huge stadium; there were empty seats, probably owing to the high price of the tickets and the terrible weather. I recall standing some 30 yards from the stage. The rain barreled down and I could see people’s breaths puffing; we got soaked, umbrellas or no, raincoats or no. He was one hour late, then two hours. Periodically, images of his catlike eyes would glow into view on a huge video screen above the stage, and people would start screaming. I didn’t scream, but I was certainly excited. The images would then fade. In the intervals, people were largely silent, as if by speaking they might scare him away. Breath puffed into the rain, the sky darkened, and there was no future: only a trembling expectation.

After two and a half hours, a light gradually illumined the center-stage and revealed Michael standing there, already posed, hand on hat, knee cocked. His breath puffed white in the now-frigid rain. (“He’s breathing!” a girl shouted next to me.) The crowd roared, people began jumping up and down. He launched into “Jam.” My journal notes don’t record more than this, but I remember his performance as stunning. I had somehow expected him to disappoint, as though careful editing of video clips might have made him out to be a better dancer than he was.

Soon someone in the management apparently decided that the rain posed a threat to Michael. Mop-wielding little old ladies (of the type once so common in Moscow) in headscarves shuffled out onto the stage, as he sang and gyrated and pranced, and wiped away the excess water, so he wouldn’t slip. He danced among them, around them, and never missed a step, never appeared to even notice them. He was soon into “Billie Jean,” and, by the time of his first moonwalk, I didn’t notice the rain or the little old ladies.

At some point, he took a break and the stage went dark. It seemed we all held our breath. No one spoke, everyone just stared at the stage. A few minutes later, the stage lights came on and we heard his voice, rather tender and feminine: “It’s cold as ice out there!” He felt the cold as we did, but he was able to perform and dazzle us all. This seemed simply incredible. I was already sore and stiff from standing there, yet he could dance. I had never thought of music stars as suffering from the cold on stage. (This was, after all, my first concert of any kind.) He returned and sang for another hour.

His brief stay in Moscow apparently hit him hard, making him feel lonely. At least we can gather as much from his later, soul-wrenching slow song, Stranger in Moscow. It contains the lines, “I was wandering in the rain/Sunny days seem far away ... Kremlin shadows belittling me/Stalin’s tomb won’t let me be ... KGB was doggin’ me ... stranger in Moscow.” The KGB surely did not dog him in 1993, but his words well expressed how lonely I often felt during my first year in the Russian capital.

Michael united me with the Russian audience in a visceral way. Better said, there were no Americans, no Russians in that audience; we were all just admirers of Michael.

I have never been to a concert since then. His performance, and what it meant for those who witnessed it on that long-ago, rainy September day, set a standard too high to match. Rest in peace, Michael. The people of Moscow, and I, will never forget you.
 
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nice sentiments...except that i don't know how the first observer could know anything about MJ's personal life. no one can know that much about anyone else's personal life. and the fact that Paris had to speak after MJ's death in order for him to be seen as human, makes me shudder.
 
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Michael Jackson (1958-2009) The first time ever I saw his face.
By Ayo Ositelu.. Monday, 10 August 2009



“He that is diligent in his work, shall stand before Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, and not mere men,” says the Holy Book. Michael Jackson was obviously diligent in his work all his young life, and fittingly, when he died, he was buried like a ‘King’ that he was, and still is. In the words of Berry Gordy, his early mentor, he was not just king of pop, he was “the greatest entertainer that ever lived.”



When news broke that Michael had passed on, one song, incidentally not Michael’s, came to mind. The song titled The first time ever I saw your face was the work of ballad singer Roberta Flack. I immediately remembered the day I met Michael, back in 1971, when he was only 13. Much has been said, written, and broadcast about the undisputed king of pop, during his action-packed life, and after the sudden demise of a true “wonder boy”, a “boy-man” who hailed from the little town of Gary, Indiana, a town which shares a border with the State of Illinois, the “land of Lincoln,” a town which is only about 30 miles away from Chicago a.k.a the “Windy City,” which I had made my home in the 1970s. Having earlier lived in Miami, Florida, precisely in Opa Locka in the Miami Dade county, and visited cities like Boston, Phoenix, New York, the “Big Apple”, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Malibu, and Indian Wells, my first comment on a weekend visit to a friend in Gary was something like: can anything good come out of this quiet and sleepy town? Hearing me think aloud, my host on whose invitation I was there answered. “This is the city, mind you, which gave the Jackson Five to the world,” my friend enlightened me. Then he asked: “Do you know that Jackson Five’s latest track single ABC has been on top of the Billboard chart in the last six weeks?” “Big deal”, I replied. “The Beatles used to churn out chart-bursting albums and singles, almost one after another, until they (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harison and drummer Ringo Starr) went their separate ways very recently… Even the highly successful Supremes (an all-female cast) led by Diana Ross, sang Someday we’ll be together while breaking up, and as in the case of the Beatles, never came back as one, to the disappointment of their fans around the world. So what is so special about this new group?” My friend fell just short of predicting that Gary’s Jackson Five was going to be the world’s biggest-ever. In trying to convince me, he simply concluded, “This group is something special. Sooner than later, the entire world would start singing their songs.” Unfortunately, my American friend, whom I met on the Tennis courts of Rainbow Beach in southside Chicago, died soon after, in an automobile accident.

I actually loved Jackson Five’s hit song ABC, but I was not too sure about my friend’s exaggerated optimism, especially in a music world that boasted of experienced groups like the Temptations, Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Undisputed Truth, the O Jays, ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears,’ Stylistics etc. I was convinced that, even though the Jackson Five were fabulous and had exceptional natural talent, and that their lead singer (not even of teenage yet) was really “something special,” I felt there was no room in such fiercely competitive industry for such children act to survive. I was sure they would be so choked that they would have no other choice than return to their school work and do what others their age would naturally pursue –– their studies, potentially leading to College (University) scholarships in Basketball, Baseball, NFL (Gridiron) Football, or Track. At that time, Tennis, Golf, and Ice Hockey were exclusive rights of whites.

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His dancing –– from an emulation of James Brown, the Godfather of soul –– to his own innovations which blew everybody’s mind all over the world, it was sheer magic. MICHAEL did not stop there. He did not know how to stop. All he knew was making people all over the world happy with his talent, and also to constantly re-invent himself to suit his latest musical product. He sought to, and succeeded in uniting the world, breaking all barriers to make, in the words of one of his songs, “the world a better place.” As in one of his solo songs, he could “not stop until you've got enough.” And the world certainly could not get enough of Michael Jackson.” After that massively successful and trend-changing album came Thriller, which broke all previous world records in sales. He practically introduced the video as a marketing strategy, unmatched till this day.

Michael became the biggest money making “machine” in the history of showbiz. He was an entertainer-businessman-philanthropist all rolled into one. No one invested more in charities all over the world. Never tired of success on all fronts, next came the album Bad, and when he did the moonwalk in dance to the tune Billie Jean, the world stood dazed in astonishment and admiration. Michael had lifted the music world yet again to another level. Then he sang We are the world which became the world’s anthem. In January 1993, when he sang Heal the world and Black or White during the half-time of Super Bowl XXVII, it was the closest thing to being in heavenly bliss for the screaming and adoring fans.

And heavenly bliss is what Michael is enjoying right now, in the bossom of his Creator. As a Muslim friend said to me when Michael’s death was broken to us in Badagry on that fateful June 25 day, “Unknown to us, this man (Michael) is an anobi (Yoruba for God’s messenger). He has creditably answered God’s errand while he was with us. Anywhere he is now, he is at peace, and smiling at those of us (the human race, black or white, rich or poor) he left behind.

Michael sacrificed so much for humanity that it was not until his daughter, Paris Jackson paid her dad a tearful tribute on Tuesday that we realised that he is a father to some beautiful children. Many, especially skeptics or the murderous “PHD” (Pull Him Down) holders who abound in all walks of life all over the world, even in local politics, hardly realised that Michael indeed was a dutiful and affectionate father, who as a human being, could be hurt and could bleed in the heart like the rest of us.

It took 11 year-old Paris Jackson to educate us all when she paid a tearful tribute to her father, who was lying cold and helpless in a golden casket appropriately draped with roses, a memorial beamed live to around the globe. “Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine” she sobbed “And I just want to say that I love him, so much,” Paris managed to add as she broke down in tears and collapsed in the waiting hands of her aunt, Janet.

Perhaps we all can now heed Michael’s plea –– “Leave me alone.” As Queen Latifah said, “we had him.” And as Rev Al Sharpton told Michael’s children, “there weren’t nothing strange about your daddy… It was strange what your daddy had to deal with, but he dealt with it.”

MY own family and I, will never forget you, Michael. Yours was like a soundtrack of our own lives. We sang with you, danced with you, and cried with you, in troubled times. We also will never forget the words of Rev. Sharpton, who also said, “Michael rose to the top. He out sang, outdanced and outperformed the pessimists. Every time he got knocked down, he got back up. Every time you counted him out, he came back in. Michael never stopped! Michael never stopped!! Michael never stopped!!!

The world will never stop loving you. If anyone asked for my favourite Michael song and video, it is the “Earth song.”


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Only a genius could have come up with such concept. Unto the earth we were born, on to earth shall we return.

Michael’s dad, Joseph said his son would even be bigger in death than in life. How profound. How accurate.
Michael, you will live for ever, in the minds of your fans world-wide, whom you loved so much.
 
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5 Things Michael Jackson Taught His Fans
By Maryann Reid

The recent death of Michael Jackson on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 will never be forgotten or written about enough. Stay tuned for the tell-alls, scores of books, and entire franchises built around his death a la Elvis Presley, John Lennon, etc. But Michael gave his fans more than music, he gave them a way of being in the world. Not perfect or totally relatable, like most of us, he was unique. He taught his fans 5 things:

1) Compassion--Due to his many court cases, his fans were taken on a world wind type of tour that had little to do with flashing lights, at least not the kind that Michael shined under. With each court case and trouble, his true fans believed in his word of innocence, and they stood by him time and time again, though at times, with questions, but steadfast.

2) Individuality--Michael was a true celebration of what it meant to be an individual. He was getting plastic surgery when nobody else really knew about it. Whatever reason caused him to change his appearance, was his own reason, a private, personal matter that only Michael would understand. He dressed differently, spoke differently, and was a sort of a pseudo-spokesperson for anyone who ever felt unloved, or out of place.

3) Possibility--His modest background as a child in Indiana to a superstar known in every corner of the world is a fairytale story. It shows his fans that dreams are possible, anything is achievable, and there are no excuses.

4) Dance--Anybody can dance to a Michael Jackson song from the 2 year old to the 85 year old Mongolian monk. There was a different tune, a different groove in all of his songs that made it easy to move to from rock to ballads.

5) Kindness--Michael was one of the most charitable entertainers in the world donating millions to organizations for children, etc.

Before we judge or criticize, take a look at the "man in the mirror." That's what Michael would say.

The Source:
http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Things-M...ans&id=2530246

:clapping::bow: Thank-you earthlyme for sharing this Story:clapping:

Sincerely Your,
MJJC
Legacy
Team
 
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Michael Jackson: Purpose and Passion that Touched the World
June 26, 2009 by Valorie Burton

I was standing in the nose-bleed seats on the fifth level of Mile High Stadium with my parents, my cousin Tyrone, his dad &#8211; and most importantly, my binoculars. This was my first concert. I was never an excitable kid, but when Michael Jackson stepped onto the stage with his brothers for the &#8220;Victory&#8221; tour concert that night, my hands flailed in the air and I screamed uncontrollably &#8211; like one of those silly girls I&#8217;d previously made fun of from old footage of The Beatles. I was in 7th grade and I thought he was the cutest, sweetest, most talented, most entertaining guy in the world. His photo graced the inside of my locker at school. I marveled at his dance moves, regularly sliding backwards across the kitchen floor in my socks fruitlessly attempting to moonwalk. I sat for hours and listened to every song on the Thriller album, memorizing all the words, and when the Thriller video came out, my parents let me stay up late one night to see it.

His music is the soundtrack of so many happy, childhood memories. The first memory happened one afternoon in 1978. I can still picture our three smiling faces &#8211; rocking back and forth and snapping our fingers to Michael&#8217;s hit &#8220;Rock with You.&#8221; I still love to dance, but that day at five years old in the living room with my mom and Tyrone is my first memory of dancing. Then and now, his music never fails to make me feel good &#8211; and for me personally, that is his legacy.
We wonder how people can feel emotional when someone they never knew passes. But the truth is, in this media age, we let many people into our lives that we don&#8217;t know &#8211; we buy their music, watch their movies, and invite them into our homes through our television sets. In moments with people we know and care about, these entertainers and public figures become a part of both our milestones and everyday moments. We don&#8217;t know them personally, but the gifts they share become a memorable part of our life experience.

I often write about the importance of knowing your purpose &#8211; and how that purpose emerges from your innate talents. And even though his talent is far beyond what most of us can imagine for ourselves, he was an example of the power of using what God gave you to make an impact. Your purpose can be as simple as &#8220;bringing joy,&#8221; &#8220;provoking thought,&#8221; or &#8220;influencing attitudes&#8221; &#8211; in his case, he probably did all three through music and entertainment.

Your purpose should answer this simple question: How is someone&#8217;s life better because they cross your path? Besides elevating the music industry and breaking records, Michael Jackson gave millions of us entertainment that made us smile, dance, and connect with the people around us &#8211; and I can say for sure that my life has been richer for it.

Coachable Moment:
How is someone&#8217;s life better because they cross your path? You don&#8217;t have to be a megastar or have immense talent to have an impact. Know your gift and use it to the best of your ability.


The Source:
http://valorieburton.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/michael-jackson-purpose-and-passion-epitomized/
 
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A Michael Jackson Fan Youtube Videos in Berlin 2002

Footage taken by Tanja Kovac over a period of a week in November 2002.
This documents Michael Jackson's trip to attend the Bambi awards in Berlin, Germany.


MICHAEL JACKSON with fans - Berlin Nov 2002 - Part 1
[youtube]BEc1VZ_ikvE[/youtube]

MICHAEL JACKSON with fans - Berlin Nov 2002 - Part 2
[youtube]iR5wLxzwM5M[/youtube]

MICHAEL JACKSON with fans - Berlin Nov 2002 - Part 3
[youtube]Beo2L0zvHo8[/youtube]

MICHAEL JACKSON with fans - Berlin Nov 2002 - Part 4
[youtube]YcbE78mz-J0[/youtube]

MICHAEL JACKSON with fans - Berlin Nov 2002 - Part 5
[youtube]WDAvDMV5axs[/youtube]


© 2010 Tanja Kovac
 
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Michael in the Michael Jackson Suite (Royal Plaza Hotel)

The Blog Article:

Fan/Singer Talks About Meeting Michael Jackson at Royal Plaza

It was a Thrilling Year 1983, late November, Thriller had hit the scene and slammed to #1 for over a year and Michael was on top of the world! I was singing in my band, "Double Vision" working the Florida local club scene. Being a Disney girl from way back, born and raised in Florida and worked at Disney World Magic Kingdom in the mid-1970's, I was extremely comfortable performing for the Florida crowd!

As many people had been, I too was a huge fan of Michael Jackson! I had been a fan since he (and I) were little children back in the days of the Jackson five. I had Jackson 5 & Michael Jackson Posters plastered all over my bedroom walls by the time I was in (I think) about 2nd grade! I watched their TV show, along with millions of others across the US and the world! We all watched Michael grow and develop, and become the powerful King of Pop! When he went solo, was about the time I was 19 and got into my first traveling band. I was very fortunate to be able to sing some of Michaels songs and learn more about his solo career, during my early band days. My thoughts and attitude about Michael had change from School Girl crush, to legitimate colleague in the industry (on a smaller scale than him, but none the less), I was in the same industry and had hopes to cross paths with him someday!!

So back to 1983, when I had the surprise and best day of my life! Michael Jackson was always in Love with Disney World (as am I) and when the Royal Plaza Hotel in Lake Buena Vista Florida opened, Michael had a suite designed in the penthouse where he displayed all of his Grammy's and Awards and costumes, etc... in the suite. Now this suite is not just for Michael, other people could pay (a very large nightly cost) to stay in the Michael Jackson Suite at the Royal Plaza. The deal Michael made with Disney was that he would store his awards there in the suite if he could come and stay anytime he wanted. Of course Disney agreed!

The Royal Plaza had a small nightclub called "The Giraffe", I believe the Giraffe is still there only now-a-days it's a cafe. Well, the Giraffe brought in Local bands to play 5 sets a night 6 nights a week and it was a real hotspot for the local Kissimmee crowd back then. My Top-40 band was fortunate enough to have a local agent who booked The Giraffe and so he booked us in there late November 1983. We had a 2 week engagement. At that time I was not aware of the plans for the Michael Jackson suite to open at the end of that year, and had no idea that Michael himself would be there.

My band and I spent hours each day in the Lounge rehearsing new songs, and of course Michael had so many chart toppers at that time, that many of the songs on our set list were Michael's songs! My birthday just so happened to be occurring during our gig at The Giraffe and so my band guys had some fun plans and presents for my birthday. I was turning "22" and my birthday falls on the 11/22, and the year was 83 (in numerology equals 11), so it was a very magical birthday. And I was performing at Disney's Royal Plaza hotel in the Giraffe so it was all very magical! I had no idea just how magical it would all turn out! I'm so thankful for the meeting and feel very fortunate and honored that the universe allowed Michael and I to meet!

We arrived at "The Giraffe" early, as usual, to get setup and warmed up before the 9:00pm 1st set. It was a Tuesday night, so the club was not too busy (yet). My band had some fun presents for me, and started the alcohol flowing as well, to kick off my Birthday celebration. Now, I don't drink at all these days (I actually developed a toxic allergy to alcohol in 1988), but back then touring with bands, gigging nightclubs, and partying until dawn, I drank my share of cocktails and shooters.

I had been of legal age for only a couple of years, and in bands for only a couple of years, so this entire scene was so new and fresh to me, I was naive and very easily influenced.... The 1st set began and my band had bought me this incredible percussion tree filled with cowbells, chimes, clackers, and a new tambourine, so I was in my glory!! The first set went great and the crowd was starting to fill up the place. We ended the set and went off stage for a 15 minute break. Of course many of my family and friends had come in to celebrate with me so the party had started!

We downed a shot and got back on stage. This was my favorite set because I got to sing "Wanna be Starting Somethin' Michael's hit song on the Thriller album! Yes, this was the days when vinyl records and cassette tapes were still being used, CD's did not come out for another few years. So, we broke into the song "Starting Something" and the crowd packed the dance floor! We jammed it long and hard and I really sang my heart out that night. I must have because on the next break, a waiter from the El Sid restaurant next door came through the backstage section to the side of the backstage area and gave me a message...

It was from Michael!!!! He had this little piece of paper (like the back of an order ticket) and Michael had written "I love how you sang my song, "Wanna be starting somethin'"!! MJ." The waiter told me it was a huge secret that Michael was there so not to announce it or tell anyone (except maybe my band if they could keep it secret). Of course I told my band, and my Mom (who was there), but no one else. I was ecstatic!! I was on cloud nine, Michael Jackson had just told me he loved the way I sang his song!!! Nothing else mattered, I was living a dream!!

I asked the waiter about Michael being next door and he said that Michael was staying in his New Suite there at the hotel and he had slipped down a back elevator at 10:00pm when the restaurant closed. He told me that they had prepared Michael a very special vegetarian meal, and that Michael was ready to leave, but stayed a bit longer when he heard me singing his song! Then he left after writing this little message and asking the waiter to deliver it to me. I was just, well you can imagine, there are no words to describe how I felt!!....


So, of course, it's my birthday, I had a few drinks in me, and I had just received a message from my Idol, and the next set is starting! I sang like I'd never sang before, the entire set, my feet were off the ground and I was floating on cloud nine! The next break (3rd), this tall handsome young man (maybe 25 to 30's) was in the club near the end of the bar closest to the stage. He was very tall (I'm petite 5 foot tall, so everyone's tall to me), he was taller than most, his head stuck out above the crowd it seemed. He had blonde hair if I remember correctly, and he came up to me on the next break and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Angus, can I buy you a birthday drink?" he said. "Well, sure!", I said "Thanks!".

He bought me an exotic shot I had never heard of before, and then another. Before I knew it, this guy had tossed 3 shots down my belly and I was getting very drunk! I had 2 more sets to do, and wow, I was having too much fun! I got back on stage after the fifteen minute, drunk break, and sang and danced like I'd never, again! I was just in the zone, and of course everyone in the crowd always requested Michael Jackson songs, so I sang more of his songs throughout the night!

When you sing a 45 minute set, you use a lot of energy and sweat a lot due to the hot lights on the stage. So, it usually would help me to sober up a bit. The bad thing is, everyone by that time was sending shots up to the stage during our set, as well as Angus sending his exotic shots up, so I did not get the chance to work off any of the alcohol, and I was lit! The last break before the final set, was more drinking and a potty break, then right back on stage for the final set! And oh the drinks were rolling, people always buy tons of drinks before last call, and tonight was even worse.

Angus, the mysterious guy who was buying me more drinks than my little body could handle, seemed innocent and just wanting to party and get to know me. I was used to this, being the lead singer in the band, people (especially men) always wanted to get to know me and buy me drinks. I never even considered, all night long, that he was in Michael's entourage.

So the night was finally over, and OMG, I am too drunk! I had fun and the night was incredibly magical, but now it was over. Angus, came up to me and asked me what I was doing after work. Well, of course I got asked that a lot too by wanting men. So, I told him, "Well, after wearing high heels all night, I'm going to go and put my feet in the Jacuzzi after I say good night to everyone and change my clothes.". He asked me if he could hang out and talk with me while I did that, and to be nice I said ok, but only for a short while. If I only knew what was to come next!!!

Oh God, why wasn't I smarter then, why did I drink so much, UGH! It was my birthday, and well, I was partying! But, what happened in the end, it was all planned and I did not know it at all. So, I got finished saying goodnight to all my friends and family, the band was finishing up with their friends and packing gear up, etc... So I went to the ladies room to change into my jeans so I could go out to the pool area where there were several hot tubs that I would soak my aching feet in after work, before heading back to the band house that my band and I were put up in by the Royal Plaza.

As I came out of the ladies room, there was Angus waiting for me. By this time it is about 3:00am in the morning and I'm seeing double vision (the name of my band but no pun intended and it was not the band I was seeing). I bopped out and saw Angus and said "Come on, let's go!!" and he followed me out the side door to the pool area. If you knew me, you'd know that I talk a lot (I'm a vocalist, what can I say). So I'm babbling to Angus, and he says, "Hey, wait, before you go to the hot tub, come over here, there's someone over here who wants to meet you!". And once again, I'm so naive, it did not dawn on me that I was getting ready to meet Michael Jackson. I thought maybe one of Angus' friends was over there or something, and so we veered over to the last hot tub at the end of the row of hot tubs, back in a private alcove in the back corner of the pool area.

As I turned the corner into the alcove, keep in mind I'm still very drunk and happy from the great night, I see Michael Jackson in the hot tub. In the Hot Tub, with only shorts on!! I had this instant incredible rush of excitement come over me and without thinking and before I knew it, I was in the hot tub with Michael (in my jeans and all)!! Oh, I am still to this day, so embarrassed and upset at myself about this!! If Angus had not bought me all those drinks, and had I been smart enough not to drink them all, I would have never done that!! I scared Michael!!! And the instant I was in the water, I sobered up a bit and said emphatically to Michael "I am sooo sorry!, It's my birthday and everyone bought me too many drinks, I'm so sorry please don't let me scare you!" and I got out of the water. Again I said" Oh Michael, I'm so sorry to scare you!! I didn't mean to, I Love You!" and he said "I Love you more!"

I must have looked like a drowned rat! Michael, was so quiet and shy, he looked like a young boy of about 13 years old, even though he was 25 at this time. His long ringlet curls were dangling in the water, and he had no makeup on, and he was, well the way he looked on the Thriller album, very very handsome! In my opinion, he was the most handsome, talented man on the planet and I had just made a big fool of myself! I was so sorry, and he said "It's ok, I understand, it's your Birthday" "Happy Birthday, Linda" very quietly. He spoke in almost a whisper, it was so faint. He was there with two bodyguard guys and he motioned to one to come over to him. He said very quietly, "Please have some dry clothes sent down for her from my suite."

Angus was still there, standing off to the side, not saying a word. He knew all night that Michael wanted to meet me and had planned to, but never told me. Instead of telling me, he kept it a surprise and he got me so drunk, now it seems on purpose, that he was intentionally sabotaging me so I would not impress Michael. Michael was so amazingly sweet and kind, he did not actually seem to be offended by my actions. He was just apprehensive because he did not know what to expect from me once I was in the water with him.

So, Michael says "Wait, I'll have some dry clothes for you in a minute". As if I was going to leave! I never wanted to be apart from him, I just wanted to stay near him. His presence was so powerful and radiating. Like a warm summer breeze in a field of wild flowers! I then said, "Oh gosh thank you, that's ok, please don't go to any trouble." He said, "It's no trouble, I don't want you to catch a cold.". What a thoughtful guy, this megastar who doesn't know me other than I jumped in a hot tub with him (fully clothed) and he was worried that I'd catch cold!

One other thing about me, I am not an autograph hound. I feel like stars like Michael are so hammered for their autograph all the time, that I don't want to bother about an autograph. But because, I knew my Mother was a big MJ fan as well, I decided to ask Michael for his autograph for my Mother. Of course, out at a hot tub, no one had any paper, but I had a dollar bill and a pen in my purse, so I gave it to him and he signed the dollar bill for my Mom. She was ecstatic the next day when I gave it to her!!

The guy with the dry clothes got there and handed them to me. A Mickey Mouse Towel, a pair of grey Mickey Mouse sweat pants and Mickey Mouse sweat shirt. I didn't leave to go and put them on, I just stayed wet and wrapped the sweat shirt around my shoulders. I didn't want to part from Michael Jackson any sooner than I had to. Oddly enough, nobody in the area had a camera! This must have been one of the only times in Michael's life that there were no camera's around and he probably loved it, but what I would have done for a camera. I remember saying at one point, "Oh, I wish I had my camera!!".

As you realize, this occurred 26 years ago, and as I indicated, I was very drunk. It's not strange, but it is strange, that I cannot remember another thing. Not just about this night, but about the entire rest of the week. I don't remember going home that night, I don't know how I got home. I don't remember performing the rest of the gig at the Giraffe. My mind is so blank, I don't remember much at all from the time while I was still with Michael, until about a week later, when I start remembering my life again.

It's as if my memory has been removed, what happened next is a complete mystery to me. It's as if time stopped or changed or didn't exist. You would think, how could anyone forget part of what occurred during their meeting with Michael Jackson. And I wonder the same thing. How could I possibly not know what happened?

I know that my Mom was excited with her Dollar bill signed by Michael Jackson. I gave it to her, but I honestly don't remember giving it to her. Not only that, but I never really talked about it much to anyone. I don't even remember telling my band that I met him and got in the hot tub with him. I'm sure I did, but I don't remember doing it. And also, it has taken me 26 years to reflect on this amazing meeting with Michael. I was on the road for about 15 years, and never even thought about my meeting with him much!! Why not? I can't explain it, it doesn't make any sense to me at all.

Now, after all this time, the day he died has brought the memory of the meeting to the surface and I can't stop thinking about it because the way I got to meet him and because of the memory loss I am still experiencing. I have done some research and found that I am not the only girl who Michael tried to be friends with, that his entourage sabotaged one way or another. I guess everyone around him did everything they could to keep him single. It was probably what they thought was best for PR and his career. But he was very lonely and wanted friends, I feel so sorry for him that they kept him so alone. And he probably never even realized how many times his people around him pushed girls, friends of all kinds, away from getting too close to Michael...

It's a shame even back then Michael had people around him who tried to interfere in his personal life. Didn't they realize they worked for Michael and not the other way around? Why couldn't they push/keep the people who didn't have good intentions away from him? I mean, trying to get her drunk so she wouldn't make a good impression on Michael...what's up with that?
 
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The Blog Article:

The Love of Michael Jackson's Music Led to Aussie Marriage
By Kate Sikora The Daily Telegraph June 27, 2009 12:00AM


SHE was the girl in the white pants and shirt picked from the audience to dance with Michael Jackson.

He was the porter who carried Jackson's bags to his hotel room at the Sheraton on the Park.
When asked, the now-married couple say they met "through a mutual friend".

Little did Loretta Tolnay, then single and 23, know that her future husband, Eduardo Bolton, was sitting in the audience at the SCG in 1996 watching her dance with Michael Jackson.

But Mr Bolton knew exactly who she was when she visited the Sheraton a year later, asking to have a "sneak peek" at the presidential suite where Jackson married nurse Debbie Rowe.

"He said to me 'your that girl in the white who got up on stage and danced with Michael Jackson'," Mrs Bolton recalled yesterday.

They married six years later and danced the bridal waltz to Jackson's ballad I Can't Help It.

When their son Miguel was born they didn't name him Michael only because he would have had the name of another famous singer - Michael Bolton.


:pray::heart::pray:​
 
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The Blog Article:

I Danced with Michael Jackson

The then 16-year-old Laila Enoksen had an experience she will never forget. She was in fact pulled up on stage and
danced with pop king in front of the 35 000 in Oslo. I screamed and cried as I hugged him. It has not yet dawned on me what really happened on the scene, but here are the pictures that show that it's me, told an excited and happy 16-year-old to VG next day.

She was selected by the security guards and carried to the stage when Jackson performed "You are not alone." But the incredible experience was not quite it. It was at the end of the song when in fact Michael Jackson got down on his knees next to Laila.

The girl from the region had been a fan since she was a child and had spent all the savings on what must have been an experience of a lifetime. As children we burst into tears when we heard or saw [Michael] Jackson. Therefore, we have used all our time to save money and our vacation, she told VG."

When she married in late May, she entertained her guests at the special show.
- "I danced for the song "Smooth Criminal". I met my husband, Ole Magnus, while I danced for Michael. Therefore it was appropriate to do it again, this time in my own wedding. It shows that Michael will always be with me."

Original Source [Edited and Translated from Article]

The Source:
http://www.truemichaeljackson.com/true-stories/dance-and-weddings/


:pray::heart::pray:​
 
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The Article:
Me and Michael Jackson: When I met the King of Pop By Fiona Cummins 25/06/2009

I can still remember every single detail about the first time I met Michael Jackson.
The lavender smell of his skin, his softly-spoken voice, the way he spontaneously hugged me to him even though he had never met me before.....
As I sit at my desk at home and write these words, I can barely believe it. The King of Pop is dead.
Michael suffered a massive heart attack at his home in Los Angeles but was dead by the time he got to hospital. He was just 50.
In one twist of fate, a life snuffed out before he had the chance to make his longed-for comeback and prove to the world that he still had it.
He was a conundrum, Michael Jackson. Never quite able to shake off allegations of child abuse, although he vehemently protested his innocence, but one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
We first met at Harrods three years ago when he was visiting his old friend Mohammed Al Fayed and he agreed to grant me a private audience.
I have met a lot of celebrities over the years but none have quite enjoyed the legendary status of Michael, probably the most famous man in the world.
Unusually for me, I was nervous and not quite sure what to expect. I had read the stories about his plastic surgery gone wrong, obsession with face masks, the Peter Pan syndrome of a boy locked in a man's body.
So it was something of a surprise to be greeted with a surprisingly firm handshake, a smile and a pleasing lack of artifice.
In fact, he wore barely a trace of make-up and exuded warmth, flinging his muscular arms around me in a welcoming hug.
We chatted for several minutes and he was alert and interested and interesting.
I knew, even then, that when he finally returned to the stage, it would be to give the performance of a lifetime.
Michael was never afraid of hard work and when he committed to something, he gave it his all.
The full details of his death will emerge in due course but knowing what I do about the man, I fear he put his body through such a punishing regime there was no way it could cope with the strain.
He didn't do things by halves, you see. He wanted to prove that he could still dance and sing with the best of them.
But now he will never make that triumphant return to the glory days that we were all hoping for.
The world has lost one of its brightest stars, the Jackson family have lost their most famous son and three children have lost their dad.


The Source:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news...n-when-i-met-the-king-of-pop-115875-21471876/
 
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Just Why Is Michael Jackson So Important?
June 25th, 2010

Today marks the one year anniversary of the King of Pop&#8217;s passing, so you know we gotta have somethin&#8217;. No exclusives or comps on this side, we&#8217;ll leave that to YN&#8217;s comprehensive mixes which you really need to get familiar with if you haven&#8217;t already. I was thinkin&#8217; back to the coverage that began after MJ&#8217;s death and remembered a piece I pennedfor City On My Back after reading one too many &#8216;MJ was overrated&#8217; stories by some online hack. Check out the link or hit the jump for the full article. One love.

It seems like the backlash is finally kicking into effect. Too much TV coverage, too much print coverage, even too many online discussions apparently. At first I had a list of blogs and media outlets giving opinion pieces on why Jackson was overrated and really not the special talent that they feel some are making him out to be. Then I thought why on Earth would I want to drive traffic to their sites due to their half-baked ideas, attention-baiting claims and un-researched facts? If you really want to seek them out, go ahead and Google the words why is Michael Jackson important and try not to throw anything at the screen.
There's a reason why Michael Jackson was more important than 99.9% of his fellow artists. Actually, I can think of ten. And if you're so inclined, I'll share some with you.

Thriller. Let's start with the most obvious. To this day it's still considered the benchmark for the quintessential classic album. Seven successful singles on a nine track LP, genre-defining videos and a Guinness Book World Record of 110 million copies sold (double that of its nearest competitor). But what about the music itself? While most of his peers struggled to come to terms with a post-Disco landscape, some wallowing in empty electronic and soulless synth, Jackson shrewdly strode the line between Funk, Rock and R&B. Thriller was a clinic course in crossover fusion. Perhaps the most vital element of the album however was its ability to distinctly set MJ apart from other musicians. His sound and style were starkly unique and defined his music from this moment on and for the better part of his career.

He saved the music industry. It wasn't just about the music and sales of the album, it was also the impact it had on music commerce in general. Thriller hit shelves in 1982 during one of the worst post-war recessions in the US. The music industry was flailing, but its release helped spark an immediate repatriation between casual consumers and music stores. Previously, entertainment had been an afterthought in their budget, but as the LP's buzz and critical acclaim roared unchallenged, it suddenly became an essential item in the home rather than a luxury. Once back in the stores, people weren't just picking up Michael Jackson's album, they were picking up others as well. The commercial stimulus was enough to keep the industry afloat until the recession passed.

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He boosted Compact Disc technology sales. 1982 also saw the first year of CD pressings for music in the States. Potential customers however were a little sceptical. How did this new technology fare against their beloved vinyl and tape cassettes? Was the sound quality worth shelling out a paycheque for the new equipment? In Thriller, store clerks had the perfect demo product. Masterfully produced by Quincy Jones, its layered tracks and sound effects utilized the CD's abilities to its fullest. With the album selling out in stores, it only made sense that early adaptors and 80s hipsters would want to be part of the exclusive group that could hear songs like Beat It in the quality it was recorded. The CD format never looked back and within a decade had cancelled out its predecessors.

He broke the colour barrier on MTV. Thriller, CDs and off-the-shoulder neon t-shirts weren't the only craze of the early 80s. Music videos were slowly capturing the imagination of the country thanks to a new cable channel called MTV. Just one problem, they'd almost only ever play rock music and weren't terribly interested in showing faces of colour on white America's TV screens. The decision became so unsubtle that during a 1983 interview with a station VJ, the legendary David Bowie abruptly asked "Why are there practically no Black artists on the network?" When it came time to shop the Billie Jean video, CBS Records were rebuffed, prompting president Walter Yetnikoff to famously tell the station I'm not going to give you any more videos [from any CBS artists] and I'm going to go public and tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy. MTV relented and played Billie Jean. And Beat It. And Thriller. The rest is history.

He transformed advertising and marketing. Following Michael Jackson's successful bidding for The Beatles catalogue in 1985, the singer quickly flipped the licensing rights for Revolution to Nike. The emerging shoe manufacturer was shaping up a television marketing campaign for a new line with budding superstar Michael Jordan. Yet, this was untraveled territory. It was rare to hear many big name songs on commercials at the time due to expenses and conflicts of interest, much less one from The Beatles. Unaffected by the firestorm of controversy it cooked up (and the threat of legal action from Paul McCartney himself), MJ pushed the deal through. The experiment was a hit and every smart marketing company soon followed suit. Just over 20 years later, the usage of big market music is common place in all commercials from clothing to tourism to technology.

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His immense influence. Let's take it from the top. The Jackson 5 were the prototype for almost every boy band that followed. The New Editions, the New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys et all. And when the kiddie singers wanted to grow up? It was MJ's style they turned to. Whether it was Justin Timberlake going from looking like KD Lang to doing his best "Off The Wall" impression on Rock Your Body or Usher and Chris Brown and his arsenal of dance moves, Michael Jackson never said a word. He never complained of being imitated or ripped off because he was secure in his musical legacy. Countless heirs, but only one king.

He was an open resource, and supporter, of hip-hop sampling. During a time when some successful black artists were still turning their nose up at what they considered a fad culture, Michael Jackson openly embraced rap music, even collaborating at one point with the King of New York himself. And then there are the breaks the countless rap classics crafted from his sound. Nas, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, 2Pac, De La Soul, Puffy, Ghostface¦. the list literally goes on.

He was a peerless philanthropist. A supporter of 39 listed charities with over $300 million in donations, some will remember Michael Jackson purely for his generosity. With his Heal the World Foundation, MJ was dedicated to helping a range of causes from domestic drug and alcohol addiction to starvation and famine abroad. He frequently donated the profits earned from humanitarian singles such as Man in the Mirror & Heal the World and co-wrote the all-star fundraising single We Are the World alongside Lionel Richie. The millennium issue of the Guinness Book of World Records formally recognized Michael Jackson as the most charitable entertainer of all time a feat which may stand for some time yet.

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He was a Global Icon. At one point he was considered the most recognizable man on the planet. Michael Jackson's success didn't merely stop at American radio or the Eurasian borders, his music was fanatically loved across the world from Accra to Riyadh to Tokyo. He could sell out a concert, or 50, at the drop of a hat. His performances and music were so electrifying that they crossed all cultural conflicts and language barriers. With over 750 million records sold (and those are only the one that have been scanned, most critics believe the final figure is closer to 1 billion, if not over it. Yes, you read that right¦ 1 BILLION.) Michael Jackson exists in a realm populated by only two other acts Elvis and the Beatles.

He was the American Dream, for better or worse. For the comet that blazes across the sky too fast and falls to Earth too soon. Michael Jackson was an American story. Born into a working class family of nine with every odd against him to achieve, he took his talents and mastered them. His work ethic was infamous, practicing and perfecting every spin, every slide and every song. The blue collar attitude instilled in him from a young age (amongst other more negative traits) took his star from the frigid streets of Gary, Indiana into a galaxy of its own. Why is Michael Jackson so important? Because he was bigger than music. Because he instituted change. Because he was just that damn good. And we are never going to forget him.
R.I.P.
&#8212; Snoop Bloggy Blogg

The Source:
http://www.steadybloggin.com/just-why-is-michael-jackson-so-important/
 
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MICHAEL JACKSON FANS ARE A RARE BREED
- A MUST READ
- BE PROUD MJ FANS!


"Michael Jackson fans are a strange breed. One would be hard pressed to find another fan community whose object of admiration is the subject of so much unnecessary condemnation. Over time, Michael Jackson enthusiasts have watched their beloved's seemingly global idolization transform into apparent worldwide mischaracterization and mistreatment by the press and public alike.
Yet, through it all, true Michael Jackson fans have not abandoned him. If anything, the harder Michael's opponents try to shove him to the depths of despair, the harder his devotees love him, if only for summoning the courage to persist in the midst of it all. Michael's continued endurance is an exercise in strength and resilience in the face of adversity and uncertainty. Michael's fans have learned well the lesson, as they steadfastly brave the almost daily emotional roller coaster ride that is a requisite experience of every Jackson supporter. They marvel at his seemingly inexhaustible talents and applaud his victories. They laugh with him in his happiness; weep with him in his sorrow and pray for him in troubled times. Their hearts are warmed when he is embraced, and bleed when he is ill-treated.
Despite the stratospheric highs and seemingly cavernous lows that come with being a Michael Jackson fan, they remain loyal. They, like Michael, refuse to allow naysayers to steal their joy, obstruct their way or shape their opinions. They, like Michael, refuse to have their destiny defined or dictated by another. They also refuse to stand idly by as others attempt to deny Michael his rightfully earned legacy. Simply, Michael Jackson's fans are just like Michael in that they will not be deterred.
By nature of their calling, Michael's fans are constantly summoned to put on the full Armour, stand on the front lines and fight. Oftentimes with their pen as their sword, they fight alongside and for Michael's right of humanity. By so doing, they fight for tolerance over prejudice, unconditional love over criticism; wisdom over ignorance and justice over inequality - not only for Michael, but for themselves as well. The battles are never-ending, hard-fought and oftentimes mentally and physically exhausting. Still, rather than surrender or reconcile, Michael's fans resist. They resist the desire to abandon Michael when all seems lost. They forsake the notion that theirs is a lost cause. They refuse to throw in the towel and resign themselves to the path of least resistance, which so often involves renouncing their fan support of Michael.
When the going gets tough, with weary minds and heavy hearts, they press on. They press on through Michael's tribulations and the attacks to which he is subjected. They press on in spite of tire. They press on despite mockery and question as to why they bother fight at all for Michael Jackson, a man some deem undeserving of their adoration.
Hazrat Inayat Khan once said, "God breaks the heart again and again until it stays open". Michael's devotees can see him as living proof of this idea, as he seems to be the embodiment of the notion. His own heart has been broken much and his fans personally feel the sting of each break. By the grace of God, Michael's heart does not become hardened as a result of its frequent fractures. To the contrary, his shattered heart allows for its tenderness and openness. Since out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, Michael's fans are able to truly see the fullness of his heart when they listen to him articulate his desire for acceptance, understanding, positivism, love and peace through song and speech.
As their efforts to break Jackson himself have continually proven unsuccessful, some Michael Jackson opponents have turned their focus to attempting to disband the fan community by attacking his defenders. Time after time, the press uses condescending, defamatory terms to describe Michael's fans. Being referred to as "delusional" and "*****" is not foreign to Jackson's supporters. However, Michael's devotees choose to ignore the juvenile name-calling and taglines bestowed on them by the media. The fans refuse to allow the press to project its negative, inaccurate perception onto them. This is because Michael Jackson fans realize that such inflammatory terms do not depict their true nature as intelligent, grounded individuals with a healthy admiration for Michael's music, vision and humanitarianism among other things.
Interestingly enough, Michael Jackson's influence is global and thus, so is his fan base. His detractors are under the false impression that his fan base is minuscule as well as one-dimensional. To the contrary, Michael Jackson enthusiasts are nothing if not vast and multi-dimensional. They can be found on every continent, in every country worldwide. Michael's fans transcend racial, age and socioeconomic boundaries. The fact that Michael's fans are so diverse adds to their beauty.
Few entertainers, if any, can lay claim to having the type of dynamic and varied fan base of which Michael Jackson can boast. If it is true our lives are open books for others to read, then the fans' study of Michael Jackson has taught them more than they ever could have imagined they would learn about life, love and survival.
Michael Jackson is a living testament of the notion that whatever one dreams and desires for his or her life can be achieved. Michael lives by the mantra that love should have no limitations -no conditions. Michael has shown all who dare take notice that it is possible to not only stay alive, but to thrive, with grace and fortitude despite adversity. By merely existing, Michael Jackson has taught his fans what it is to dream without fear, to create without boundaries, to listen without prejudice and to love without judgment. Simply, Michael Jackson's fans are a hard act to outshine.
Their loyalty, enthusiasm, intelligence and genuine adoration of their musical idol is unparalleled by other artists' fan communities. However, for all their attributes, when it comes to one particular matter, Michael Jackson's admiring fans will always be bested. For try as they might, no matter to what infinite degree they say and believe they love Michael Jackson, the King of Pop in true regal fashion, will always say and prove he loves them more ... "
- written by Fantam

:bow: Thank-you Robyn Starkand Creator of The One Rose for Michael Jackson Facebook Page :clapping:

The Source:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/OneRose4MJ/
 
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We must spread this message through all social sites. The Medialoids
will not do this for us, so we must do it.
For Michael and all that he means to us.
Michael was touched by God and persecuted by Man but honored by Us, his Fans.


THis is my new tribute no like other, to remember the king of pop.i made it with all my heart. i hope you enjoy it. Michael Jackson born in August 1958 ,he was an international superstar, and many in the black community herald him for breaking down racial barriers in th...e music industry. He made culture accept a person of color, way before Barack Obama Michael did with music what they later did in sports and in politics and in television. And no controversy will erase the historic impact Jackson continued as a pioneer in the black culture when he broke barriers by appearing on MTV, and by breaking sales records with the 1982 album, "Thriller. The world was impressed by Michael Jackson not only for his works in Music but also for his charity and social work activities what he was doing around the world.

By Phonchrist

http://twitter.com/#!/Phonchrist
 
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Fans Turn Out for Michael Jackson's This Is It

The Way You Make Me Feel
Fans dance to get themselves in the mood before the New York screening of This Is It. Across the country in Los Angeles, Michael Jackson's brothers attended the premiere and were joined by the likes of Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr.

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I Just Can't Stop Loving You
A Michael Jackson impersonator attends the London screening in Leicester Square. The movie was pieced together from 100 hours worth of footage shot at rehearsals for the star's ill-fated comeback shows in the English capital.

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Heal the World
French fans hold up banners of their hero in Paris. Simultaneous premieres were held in 18 cities around the world and, by this weekend, it will have been shown in 110 countries.

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Rock With You
Fans sporting the legendary single white gloves and clutching posters of the late pop star shrieked as the lookalikes danced in unison to hits such as "Thriller" and "Beat It" outside the central Beijing cinema where the film was screened at midnight. The newspaper Yangzi Wanbao in Nanjing, Eastern China remarked: "This is not just a documentary, but in true Hollywood style a dead person was brought back to life."

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Smooth Criminal
More Michael Jackson impersonators are seen dancing outside the premiere of This is It, in Taipei, Taiwan. Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson said he thought the film was "very positive, very entertaining" and it had made him feel "really, really proud."

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Black or White
The passionate crowd in London sings and dances to Michael Jackson's iconic songs at the This Is It premiere. However, some fans protested outside the screenings, claiming the film covers up Jackson's declining health.

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Man In The Mirror
Le Grand Rex theater in Paris, France, provides a Jackson lookalike with the perfect stage to pay tribute to the King of Pop.

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Thriller
In Johannesburg, Michael Jackson's fans dance along to their late hero's music. Tens of thousands of tickets were sold in advance in South Africa, tripling the previous pre-sale record. Personal messages left at theaters were to be collected for a bound album to be sent to the Jackson family.

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The Source:
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1932876_1974797,00.html
 
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Michael Jackson on Creating Magic
February 28, 2010 by Jayanti Noömi, singer, songstress..

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Michael Jackson is my mentor, that is how I feel. He inspires me like no other. I learned how to cultivate my voice, by listening to his early work, like "Ben", "Ain’t No Sunshine" and "I Wanna Be Where You Are" when I was a little girl. I’d perform these songs with my afro wig on, at talent shows and weddings. After writing my first song “Starlight” when I was 7 and had just gotten back from a family visit in the States and was longing to go back, watching the tiny specks of light of airplanes moving across the sky, I studied Michael’s work on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad and was amazed by the art of creating songs. The game of making up songs was called songwriting, and the melodies I hummed were compositions, the way I changed the melody when I found the right words were arrangements… How marvelous!!

My mom took me to his concerts and each time, we’d fly (that’s how I remember it, now I really don’t understand how she did it!) all the way to the front row, me and mama, nobody in front of us, just a clear view of The Master. She taught me one of my most valued life lessons: picture yourself already standing there, it is where you’re supposed to be! The security guards even placed me in front of the barrier when I was really young and even shorter than I am now (yeah..) so I was able to dance and run and feel like I was hanging out with Mike while he was performing… Amazing!

Part 1
On this full moon, I would like to share a rare interview my mom found (yes, mom, you were right…. it’s beautiful and I should have watched it right away and I didn’t and I’m an idiot…) which I think is so special, because he really talks about the process of creating and you can see little J5 Michael in his face, his gestures, his voice, his smile. His smile… :eek:)

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Part 2
Thank you, Michael, and happy Full Moon to you, may your spirit be blessed and dance on the tides of the universe, as it always has!! I love you…

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About Jayanti
Singing is my deepest passion, melodies are magical to me. I adore stories, and this blog is part of mine. Welcome to the Songstress Plane, where any time is a great time to fly... :eek:)


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@Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/jayanti.me

The Source:
http://cmtk3.webring.org/l/rd?ring=mijak;id=320;url=http://lastthoughtsonmichaeljackson.blogspot.ca/
 
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Why We Love Michael Jackson

With the passing of Michael Jackson, fans all over the world have joined together in a common purpose; to do justice for a man who experienced so much injustice. For some reason, this tends to baffle those outside of the MJ Community. They mock our loyalty, our dedication, and sometimes even our sanity. I&#8217;ve seen several references of fans being labeled "as crazy as he was."

They think we are crazy for loving a man who they criticized for his changing appearance. Maybe they don&#8217;t understand that the color of a man&#8217;s skin doesn&#8217;t make the man. We loved him when he had the appearance of a black man and we loved him when he had the appearance of a white man. His skin color was irrelevant to us. They don&#8217;t understand that we didn&#8217;t care how many plastic surgeries he did or didn&#8217;t have. That was a personal matter for him.

They don&#8217;t understand we weren&#8217;t bothered by his eccentricities, and his love of animals and children wasn&#8217;t strange to us. They don&#8217;t understand why we didn&#8217;t convict him in the court of public opinion. It&#8217;s because our opinion of him was based on his character, not lies. In the words of John Wooden "Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

They wonder how we could still be caught up in "Michael Jackson." They can&#8217;t believe we still think about him every day. They are blown away by the fact that we can still get emotional about his death.

The love we have for him goes deeper than the admiration of an Icon. It has developed into a genuine respect for the man. Apart from his music, which speaks for itself, we admire the strength and resilience he exhibited in the face of challenges he encountered. His kindness, caring and compassion for humanity is something we all now strive to emulate, but most of all we love him because of how he made us feel.

Have you ever had anybody show you unconditional love? Have you ever been told directly and repeatedly that you are important? Have you ever had anybody dedicate their entire life to you? That&#8217;s what Michael did for us.

He understood the power of expressing love. It was his emotional interactions with us that made us feel like we mattered. Whether it was an excited wave outside his hotel window to a sea of fans, a heartfelt "I love you more" during a concert, or him singing so intensely that he broke down in tears on stage; those things had an impact on us.

Michael spoke the tenets of what he referred to as a "Children&#8217;s Bill of Rights," in his Oxford Speech in 2001; the first of which was "The right to be loved without having to earn it." He may not have realized it, but that&#8217;s also how he treated us.

He understood the significance of appreciating fans in a way that few other entertainers have grasped. It helped him become very successful, but the sacrifice that came with it is one that most others are unwilling to make. He couldn&#8217;t leave his house without being mobbed by fans, yet he didn&#8217;t let that stop him from showing love to them. Here are some examples:

At a trip to Disney World in 2002, he was mobbed after exiting the Peter Pan ride. With his entourage in tow, and his son Prince by his side, he took the time to stop and acknowledge some fans and sign autographs for them. (Click here to watch the video)

Another time, he was shopping for a birthday present at a mall with his daughter Paris, when he suddenly had a trail of people following him, all feverishly trying to get near him. Still, he was gracious and loving, reaching out to shake the hands of several fans, and once again expressing his love to them.

When he performed, he constantly expressed his appreciation verbally and physically to his fans. With a sweeping gesture of his arms and a hand held close to his heart, he would declare his undying love to us. He would let one girl come up on stage and spend a few minutes showering her with affection. A passionate embrace and a love song sung directly to her was a move so poignant that some girls would faint in his arms.

He didn&#8217;t only show his love to fans on stage. There were many times he expressed it in writing. In an excerpt in one such letter released to his fans via various fan clubs, he wrote: "I would like to thank you for the beautiful cards, photographs, messages, videos, and gifts sent to me on my birthday. I was overwhelmed by your kindness. Your continued love and support means so much to me. I really love and appreciate you all... from the bottom of my heart."

Even at his trial, he took the time to acknowledge the presence and love of his fans, much to the criticism of the press. One of his last gestures to his fans was during the planning stages of his concert This Is It. He wanted to sing the songs we wanted to hear, so he put up a website and let us decide which of his songs would be included in the show; a great way to illustrate who really mattered.

He gave so much to his fans, that we now feel an obligation to honor him with love. How each fan goes about that is different. Some feel they can best show their love by making sure the truth is told. Others feel a sense of responsibility to ensure justice is served in his death. His humanitarian work is carried out by fans who feel they can honor him best by continuing his work with children. Some fans simply want to spread his message of love. I feel I can honor him best by keeping him alive in the hearts of fans through my articles and videos. Jerry Biederman felt he could honor him best by organizing a tribute. David Ilan felt he could honor him best through his artwork. That&#8217;s why the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait exists today.

To those of you who wonder why Michael Jackson&#8217;s fans are so loyal, it&#8217;s because he was loyal to us. If you question why we are so dedicated to him, it&#8217;s because he was dedicated to us. His constant love, acknowledgment and appreciation of his fans, has made a difference for people all over the world in ways outsiders couldn&#8217;t possibly know. Some fans have even credited him with saving their lives.

His sincerity in those gestures has created a bond with him and an allegiance to him that is unbreakable. It is a testament to the power of Love and it has left us with a feeling of gratitude that we will never forget.

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That is why we love Michael Jackson!

Linda Higgins - Director of Community Development

The Source:
http://www.michaeljacksontributeportrait.com/article.php?article_id=70
 
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Enterprising Fans Originally Posted June 18, 1970 Los Angeles Sentinel


Today we may marvel at the idea of seeing the Jackson 5 live for $3.50 -- and getting the best seats in the house for just $6.50. But back in 1970, even the lowest ticket prices were more than many young fans could afford. And considering that many of them were so young, they had to take an older sibling, parent, or aunt along, so you'd have to double the ticket price.

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Nine-year-old Jill Jackson and her friends set up a lemonade stand in their Los Angeles neighborhood to raise the money for their tickets to the J5's June 20, 1970, show at the Forum. A photograph of these young entrepreneurs appeared in J. Randy Taraborrelli's book Motown: Hot Wax, City Cool and Solid Gold.

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I found the backstory, as well as their names (and addresses!) in the June 18, 1970, issue of the Los Angeles Sentinel.

I hope Jill and her friends earned enough money for their tickets. At 5¢ a glass, that's a lot of lemonade, even for the $3.50 seats.

The Source:
http://j5collector.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/enterprising-fans.html
 

Michael and fans at neverland.
They came far away to say I Love you and to support him.
 
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Michael Jackson Interview Prank 1990..

I had to share this Youtube Video that leaves a german reporter sad and devastated that her extremely rare interview and performance
with the one and only "Michael Jackson" that technically never really happened at all !! :hysterical:​
 
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