"Michael", a biopic about Michael Jackson, is officially happening.

[etoile 37]

wait, what letter!?

Katherine wrote about it in her book:

Unfortunately, the stories disturbed Michael to the degree that he wound up penning an open letter to the press from his Tokyo hotel room.
Michael wrote:
"Like the old Indian proverb says, “Do not judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.”
Most people don’t know me. That is why they write such things .... I cry very, very often because it hurts and I worry about the children, all my children all over the world. I live for them ....
Animals strike not from malice, but because they want to live. It is the same with those who criticize. They desire our blood, not our pain.
But still I must achieve. I must seek truth in all things. I must endure for the power I was sent forth, for the world, for the children.
But have mercy, for I’ve been bleeding a long time now."
I cried when I read his letter. If only the press knew the Michael I know. I thought. So kind, so sensitive; childlike, yet wise.

 

[Choupine0099]

People saw MJ on top of the world during the Thriller era, such a happy time, not realizing he was privately dealing with vitiligo, lupus and painful scalp surgeries. Next time you watch the Victory tour, take a moment to remember that Michael had been severely burned just before that and how hard it must have been for him to go through that tour, pretending that everything was alright.

This exactly.
For me, i wont care whether the biopic address the Allegation. I view it more important to showcase his struggles other than the no childhood. Looking at the Thriller era, it is crazy how quickly he returned to the public eyes after the burn and even did a tour, when it is also when he started wearing head pieces and started experiencing baldness all that in the public eyes for someone that was very shy and having insecurities about his appearance. Adding to it Vitiligo and Lupus, it is not easy. People pick a lot at MJ from lipsynching post dangerous, but people forget that post dangerous MJ has been famous for 25 years and singing for 30. As a child he had the burden of singing not only because he loved it, but to be the primary breadwiner of his family. 30 years carreers singing and dancing is other people sometime whole life careers and he had that by 35. Nobody take the time to appreciat it fully. Lupus also in the long run takes a toll on the singers' voice even. I believe all these are so not known that it will be good to show that. If people get currious enough to do their research it will be a good outcome. LOT of information is available, and it is the beauty of the internet era, there is not just SINGLE narrative.

 

[etoile 37]

In the 2000s, this happened:

In the 80s, this happened:

And in the 70s, this happened (at 53:23):

The Jacksons

Podcast Episode · Questlove Supreme · 06/02/2021 · 2h 5m

podcasts.apple.com

The difference? We learned only recently about what happened in the 70s and the 80s because Michael never talked about it. As he got older, Michael started telling us about all the things he was going through and we went through them with him, whereas when he was younger he kept it all to himself and suffered in silence. So of course the 2000s were more painful for us the fans, but the early years were not easier for Michael despite us fans living happily in our ignorance of what was going on behind the scenes.

 

[Blues_Away2023]

From what I've seen in video footage of him and based on the funny stories shared by his children and friends, yes, outside of dark times (like the trial), he also had many fun, happy moments. He still enjoyed a good water balloon fight or playing pranks and goofing around. He still had ideas for projects and dreams for the future.

I'm not sure why MJ's last years always get singled out as being the worse years for him, when really he's been going through hardships his whole life. I remember MJ talking about how sad and frightened he was during his childhood and teenage years. I remember that sad, heartbreaking letter Michael wrote to the media during the Bad tour, a period that many fans view as the happiest time, because it was a happy time for them. But clearly Michael was suffering a lot even back then. The difference is that we didn't know about it, because it all happened behind closed doors, whereas his last years played out in public for all to see. People saw MJ on top of the world during the Thriller era, such a happy time, not realizing he was privately dealing with vitiligo, lupus and painful scalp surgeries. Next time you watch the Victory tour, take a moment to remember that Michael had been severely burned just before that and how hard it must have been for him to go through that tour, pretending that everything was alright. So in a way, his last years are not really different from his early years, just more of the same: MJ going through a lot of hard times, and trying to be as resilient as he could.

I appreciate your input but I’m not looking for a big debate about who’s wrong or who was right - sure there would have been plenty of personal happy times for him in his life during this period (2001 onwards) but overall, this was absolutely his worst decade.

I also agree he suffered throughout his life not just his later years but the strain of those earlier periods certainly caught up with him even more in the 00s.

The high of the 80s were long gone, his reputation was in tatters , he was a joke figure in the media and seen as a has-been who’s popularity was on the decline.

From the Bashir documentary and the baby dangling incident to the trial and then ultimately his death - I could go on and on but I won’t.

Michael in the 00’s was broken, and living in a fantasy world reliant on pain medication whilst dealing with serious mental trauma. Millions in debt and physically not looking good either due to excessive surgery and restoration work.

Here was a man who was the biggest celebrity on the planet adored by millions and had mega success - yet in 05 he was potentially facing the rest of his life in prison. You just need to look at the verdict day to see the impact this all had on him. He was done.