Positive websites and videos that celebrate MJ

[Ashtanga]

Once upon a time in the holy land of Indiana was born a musical messiah, who was called the “King of Pop” after he created history with his music. But before he was the “King of Pop”, he was simply, Michael Jackson. This kind and compassionate artist was a great empath and felt the pain of entire mankind(esp children), animals and mother earth. He wanted to heal the world though his love and music and was much misunderstood in his lifetime. Here is a story of compassion from his younger days.
One day in the spring, Majestik (a close Jackson family friend) and fledgling super star but not yet King of Pop, Michael were at the compound at Hayvenhurst, the Jackson home, just hanging out together. They were headed down the driveway to the studio at the back of the property. They were bantering back and forth in conversation while walking along. Majestik was talking to Michael when he realized Michael was no longer next to him but was leaning down looking at the ground and crying.

He said “Michael, What are you doing?” Michael responded with tears streaming down his face, “Look it’s a baby bird and its dead!” Majestik not being of the same soft heart for nature as MJ and with his mind on where he was heading said “Michael, it is just a bird. There’s nothin’ you can do about it now. Man, its dead. Come on. We got to go. Let’s go.” Michael stood up and looked at him and in his soft voice and from his huge heart pleaded, “Majestik, this was a living creature with a heart and a soul just like us. We have to do something!”

Majestik emphatically insisted, “What are you gonna do, Michael? It’s already dead. There’s nothing you can do now.” As he was trying to convince Michael to just keep walking he realized that Michael is now down on the ground on his knees, digging a hole with his bare hands to bury the bird, while saying “We have to bury it. We have to bury this bird. We can’t just leave it here and we HAVE to say a prayer for this bird.”

He then finishes digging the hole, places the bird in the hole and covers it with dirt, as he finishes burying the bird he pats the ground gently with his hand, then stands and insists that Majestik stand right there with him over the new grave of the fallen bird while together they say a prayer. Michael leads the two of them in a prayer and asks God to bless the little baby bird and take it to heaven.


They are done praying and Majestik again tries to spur Michael on saying, “Ok, come on now. Come on. We got work to do. Let’s go! We’re done. Let’s go now!” But Michael is riveted and ignoring his pleas, instead looks up realizing the baby bird had fallen to its death out of a nearby tree. Suddenly he ascends up into the tree. Climbing the tree to the spot of the bird’s nest, where he then carefully fixes the nest so no more birdie babies will fall out and die.

Oh Michael.... :wub:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Neighbours share memories of Michael Jackson’s childhood

Jerry Macon was the first audience that Michael Jackson ever had.

Jerry’s mother, Leola, was best friends with Michael’s mother Katherine, or Kate, from the Jehovah’s Witness church. The Macons would go and watch the Jackson boys perform in their tiny living room — before Michael Jackson even began to sing.

“Me and my mother used to go over to their house and we used to watch them practise,” Mr Macon told The Times. “I remember when they first started practising, he used to play the bongos. “They would be playing a song and he would be playing the bongos and he would put them down and get up and dance. He was about five years old.

“He wasn’t dancing like he was dancing later, but he was a good dancer,” he said. That was before he even started singing,” he said.

I knew he was going to be somebody because of the way he would play them bongos and just get up and start dancing. To me, it just seemed like he had more talent than his brothers.”

Mr Macon, 53, is now a pistol-packing appliance repairman in the “Rust Belt” town of Gary, Indiana, once dubbed “the Murder Capital of America”. He still lives just blocks from the rickety white bungalow where Kate and Joseph Jackson, a crane driver at a steel mill, raised their nine children — the girls sleeping in bunk beds in one room, and the boys all in another.

Jackson’s death has undammed a flood of nostalgia for better times in the steel town just outside Chicago, now full of abandoned buildings and ravaged by drugs and crime.

Residents have left dozens of teddybears in front of the Jacksons’ old home — a ritual copied, some say, from the makeshift memorials to local murder victims. Jackson’s old block has become a street party, with fans dressing up as the King of Pop and moonwalking to Thriller.

Jackson was a micro-star in Gary long before he became a superstar elsewhere. The Jackson 5 performed at clubs, school dances and even busked in their backyard.

“We would see him dancing on the corner,” recalled Cynthia Addison, 60, who lives near the Jacksons’ old home at 2300 Jackson Street (named after President Andrew Jackson).

“When kids were going to the store, they would say, ‘Hey Mike, dance for us. He would do a few steps for them.”

Jeffrey Hurt, 53, played Little League baseball with the Jackson boys at the ground across the street from the family’s bungalow.

“Michael walked around in a baseball uniform, but he would not play,” he recalled. “They used to go in the back yard and the band would play. The mother would take up a collection from the baseball fans.”

The Jackson 5 were soon playing as the opening act at local venues like Club 007 and at school “sock-hops”.

“We had ‘sock-hops’. You would take off your shoes and dance in the gymnasium. The Jacksons used to play. Michael was very talented,” Sarah Ligon, 50, said. “They were young. It was exciting. You didn’t see a lot of really young children perform.

“Everybody around loved them,” she said. “It was a time when all of our parents worked at the steel mills and you could walk the streets and leave your door open.”

Leola Macon, now 78, said she and Mrs Kate Jackson used to sing at the Kingdom Hall church and shared an allotment where they grew string-beans and black-eyed peas for their kitchens.

“Kate and Joe were good parents. What I was hearing about Joe being a hard-driver, well, he just wanted them to be successful — and he succeeded," Mrs Macon said.

“They were a lovely couple. I never saw them fight or anything. The kids were all manner-able and at peace with one another. When it came time to practise their music, they wanted to stay outside and play but Joe made them come in and practise.

“Michael was a great little boy — very manner-able and somewhat shy. He would not talk that much, only when you talked to him. He always had a good voice, but I did not think too much of it. I did not ever think they would become famous. They started playing instruments, and I said, ‘Wait a minute. You all are getting down!’”

Mr Macon said he and his brother Stevie formed their own group like the Jackson 5, as did many of their friends.

“At that time, a lot of little groups were formed. Me and my brother had a group at the same time they did. We would go around to barber shops and beauty shops and perform for those people and they would give us nickels and quarters. We even were in a couple of talent shows.

“I remember when I was in the 4th grade and the Jackson 5 were performing at our school, it cost 25 cents to get in and see them. I even remember what they had on — black pants, white shirts and a red cummerbund around the waist, all of them.”

He said that Mrs Jackson kept the family home spotless, even though she struggled to feed her nine children.

“Every now and then Michael’s mother would fix dinner for the family and I would be over there,” he said. “The last meal I ate was black-eyed peas and corn bread. They did not have no meat. But we had ice cream for dessert.”

Mr Macon acknowledged, however, that, even before all the allegations that he abused his children, Joe Jackson was “kind of screwed up”.

“A lot of people said he was a mean man,” Mr Macon recalled. “One time he sent Tito to the school to beat me up because I had accidentally pushed LaToya down and made her knee bleed. It was an accident. We were playing because me and LaToya were walking home from school.

“The next day, Tito, who was not at the same school, came to my school. Me and Tito were scuffling. The principal came and broke it up. The principal asked Tito why he was there screwing with me. Tito told the principal his father told him to come because I pushed his sister down.”

Ms Addison was present as a child at the school talent contest where, according to local legend, Diana Ross of the Supremes discovered the Jackson 5.


Source:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ne...article6597923.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1

“In Gary, you do not think these people are going to be famous,” she said. “At the talent show, nobody was thinking about Michael Jackson when he got down - and he did get down. We were looking for Diana Ross. Nobody thought she was going to discover him.”

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson - Childhood


Who can truly imagine what it must be like to perform from a very early age until the wee hours of the morning in clubs meant for adults only, not having friends to play with other than your siblings, not having the time and freedom to be a child, living in a fantasy world, with imaginary friends and pretend-games.
To skip your childhood must make you long for something that is just beyond the rainbow, a heartbreaking thought.
But Michael had great inner strength and determination and he gave thousands of children a chance at a happier life, or at least a joyous, happy, carefree day at Neverland. Giving youngsters of all ages and races what he had lacked in his own youth, a chance at happiness. and being able to give and to share from his heart must have given him some joy and happiness, a heartwarming thought . :heart:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Celine Lavail's Art is Featured in the Opus

Céline Lavail first crossed Michael Jackson’s path in 1996 while the superstar was staying in Monte Carlo, but it was only two years later that Michael, particularly touched by one of her creations, commissioned a first piece for his private collection. This was the beginning of a collaboration that gave birth to several commissioned portraits of the star : "Peter Pan", "Inspiration", "Archangel", "Allegory" and "Scared of the Moon".

"Mad Hatter", the very last piece produced for Michael Jackson that was meant to be delivered to him during the Summer of 2009 will be auctioned in early 2010 within the frame of "The Official Michael Jackson Opus" charity auctions.

Most of the pieces that Céline Lavail created for Michael Jackson are featured in the luxurious publication "The Official Michael Jackson Opus" (Kraken Opus Ed.). The Opus features tributes to the star by those who new him best, worked with him and those inspired by his work including Reverend Jesse Jackson, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Paula Abdul, John Landis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jimmy Jam, Spike Lee, Teddy Riley, Jane Fonda and many more.

"The Official Michael Jackson Opus" website : http://www.michaeljacksonopus.com

The Official Michael Jackson Opus

IF YOU CLICK ON THIS LINK YOU CAN SEE OTHER WORK SHE PAINTED FOR MICHAEL:
http://www.celine-lavail.com/en/portfolio.php

------------------------------------------------------------------

Celine's story

"I was only 17 years old when I first met Michael Jackson. It was 1996 and he was staying in Monte Carlo for a few days. I’d always been a fan of his music and I’d heard he was also a massive art lover. At that time I used to draw and sketch a lot as a hobby. My plan was to go to his hotel and give some of my pictures to his security staff in the hope that they would reach him in some way. When I got there with the pictures, the security guards handed them to a member of his staff.

Amazingly, I was told that Michael wanted to see me. I couldn’t believe it. I was shaking. Thank god I had the drawings — if the worst came to the worst, I could always hide behind them. Suddenly I was being ushered up to his suite, by now terrified. As I entered the room — surrounded by his aides, people in suits — Michael was just standing there, welcoming me with a big smile. That relaxed me a little, but I knew things would be difficult because my English was not so good. I lived in Perpignan in France at the time, a town near the Spanish border, but I had only learned some of the language at school. “I’ve done something for you,” I said. He stared at my pictures. I’d brought five or six sketches, they were rough but I was pleased with them. “You study art?” he said. I told him that I didn’t and this caused the most unusual reaction: he started clapping. “You’ve got a gift,” he said. “It comes from God, you have to cherish this gift and feed it. Please keep on creating, I want to see more.” I felt proud and embarrassed at the same time. It was such a surreal experience. As I walked out of the suite, one member of his staff handed me a piece of paper. On it was the name of Michael’s assistant with a telephone number. I was told that “Mr Jackson would love to see more art,” and I walked away from the hotel, my head spinning, lost for words.

Almost immediately, I started sending sketches to Los Angeles without knowing exactly if they would eventually end up in Michael’s hands. I soon found out that they were getting through: I would sometimes get feedback from him or suggestions. I would ask Michael for hints. I wanted to know what I should work on and his answers varied from a single word like “royalty”, or a very precise scene he wanted to see. Most of all, he said, he wanted me to pull from my guts and be creative. He even called one day. The phone rang and a voice enquired, “Celine?” I recognised him straightaway, but I couldn’t believe it. Michael Jackson, the man who made Thriller, the dancer who moonwalked at the Motown 25 show, had called me. Still it was hard to match that person to the voice because he was so humble and normal. I had sent him some sketches of Peter Pan and he told me he loved them. I’d been drawing other Disney characters for him, but he told me to be “more creative.”

“You’ve got imagination, I know it,” he said. “Do something that has never been done before.”

He told me several times to study and to be inspired by the great artists. I was astonished when I realised how knowledgeable he was when it came to classic art. He told me about Michelangelo, Delacroix, Leonardo Da Vinci and Nicolas Poussin. We talked about modern popular illustrators such as Norman Rockwell or Scott Gustafson. In his hotel room there were often piles of art books. He was very fond of the figurative style and enjoyed everything related to fantasy. Following his advice I paced up and down most of Paris’ museums, staring at the work of all the greatest masters and worked hard to improve my craft.

By 1999, I decided it was time to show Michael the new piece I’d been working on: a portrait of him as Peter Pan. I knew he would love it, he was so fond of the Disney character. He was staying at the Ritz in Paris so I arranged a visit. When he saw the picture, he opened his eyes wide and hugged me really hard. “I love Peter Pan,” he laughed. “I am Peter Pan!”. That wasn’t all. Michael was about to commission an artwork from me. He pointed to the delicate mouldings on the walls that represented cherubs and softly explained the exact scene he had in mind: “Babies are adoring me with love and affection, which represent peace, love and harmony of all races,” he said. This artwork would later be named Inspiration.

During the creative process of this piece I occasionally received instructions from Michael’s part, asking me to add or remove details in the composition. In the picture, Michael is pictured reaching for the finger of a cherub who is Prince, his first son. When he finally found out about this “detail” he seemed happy. He believed I’d been inspired by Michelangelo’s Creation Of Adam. At first, this painting was hung in Neverland. Later it would be reproduced on the carts that were used to drive around the ranch, though I don’t know where they are now. Overall, I think he had five paintings of mine, plus a jacket I made for him and a book.

Looking back, one moment summed up our collaboration. I remember that Michael loved the fact that Michelangelo — one of his favourite artists — had inspired generations of others. His great achievements were still widely acknowledged centuries after his death. One day, I had a very interesting discussion with him about the power of art and the way it can transcend life, space and races. At the end of our meeting, Michael handed me a piece of paper. On it was written, “I know the creator will go, but his work survives, that is why to escape death I attempt to bind my soul to my work.” He looked at me. “Michelangelo said this,” he explained, though in hindsight, it’s probably a perfect way with which to describe Michael Jackson’s life".


Source:

http://www.celine-lavail.com/en/michael-jackson.php

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson - Very Rare Pictures


What is the definition of playful, sexy, funny, adventurous, mischievous, handsome, soulful look in the eyes, inspirational genius, extraordinary human, wildy talented, cute, shy, gentle, kind and caring ?
Yes, you guessed it = Michael Jackson

[YouTube]pi3O2rps[/youTube]

 

[MJJLaugh]

JAM

The song "JAM" is another one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. It's very hard to explain why I like it so much because normally I'm not into rap and those kind of songs at all, really.
But then again, Michael is in a league all his own!
Who can sing a song that is cool, sounds groovy, funky and dancable and sing lyrics about the world's problems and our role in all of this.
And it's not the name of the reigion, but having faith that matters.
This is a song with a message of hope and love and caring. That must be why it appeals so much, that and the video. Seeing Michael having fun, hearing his laugh....


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Nation To Nation
All The World
Must Come Together
Face The Problems
That We See
Then Maybe Somehow We Can Work It Out
I Asked My Neighbor
For A Favor
She Said Later
What Has Come Of
All The People
Have We Lost Love
Of What It's About

I Have To Find My Peace Cuz
No One Seems To Let Me Be
False Prophets Cry Of Doom
What Are The Possibilities
I Told My Brother
There'll Be Problems,
Times And Tears For Fears,
We Must Live Each Day
Like It's The Last

Go With It
Go With It
Jam
It Ain't Too Much Stuff
It Ain't Too Much
It Ain't Too Much For Me To
Jam
It Ain't
It Ain't Too Much Stuff
It Ain't
Don't You
It Ain't Too Much For Me To

The World Keeps Changing
Rearranging Minds
And Thoughts
Predictions Fly Of Doom
The Baby Boom
Has Come Of Age
We'll Work It Out

I Told My Brothers
Don't You Ask Me
For No Favors
I'm Conditioned By
The System
Don't You Talk To Me
Don't Scream And Shout

She Pray To God, To Buddha
Then She Sings A
Talmud Song
Confusions Contradict
The Self
Do We Know Right
From Wrong
I Just Want You To
Recognize Me
In The Temple
You Can't Hurt Me
I Found Peace
Within Myself

Go With It
Go With It
Jam
It Ain't
It Ain't Too Much Stuff
It Ain't Too Much
It Ain't Too Much For Me To
Jam
It Ain't
It Ain't Too Much Stuff
It Ain't
Don't You
It Ain't Too Much For Me To
Jam
It Ain't Too Much Stuff
It Ain't Too Much
It Ain't Too Much For Me To
Jam
It Ain't
It Ain't Too Much Stuff
It Ain't
Don't You
It Ain't Too Much For Me To



Michael Jackson - Jam (Neverland Rehearsal)


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"Jam" is a song by Michael Jackson from his 1991 Dangerous album. It appears as track one on Dangerous and track two on his 2009 This Is It compilation album. The single was re-released in 2006 as part of Jackson's Visionary: The Video Singles collection. "Jam" is a mix of aggressive hard funk, dance and rap, or funk hip hop. The bridge features a rap performed by Heavy D (of the group Heavy D & the Boyz).

Michael also performed Jam during the the Superbowl in 1993. Probably got thousands new fans from that day forward


Michael Jackson - Live Royal Concert Brunei 1996 - Jam - ReMastered - High Definiton


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I just LOVE the military type style dance, starting at 3:05


Producer Teddy Riley told Musicradar.com that Jackson had the original idea for this track. He explained: "He told me to see what I could do with it so I took it and created some more instruments and reproduced the record &#8211; and he loved it. That's the way it worked a lot of the time. He'd come in with an idea and I'd flesh it out in the studio. He bought it to me as a DAT, and he told me there were things he wanted done, and I did them. It was my idea to get the rapper Heavy D to perform on there as well. He was Michael's favourite rapper at the time."

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam_(song)

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2605

 

[MJJLaugh]

The Symphony of Life


A couple of nights ago I was lying awake while the creative part of my brain was playing with the words of music as a metaphor for life. There were beautiful lines that surprised me in their simplicity, yet at the same time conveying the message perfectly. But we all know what happens when you don't write down the words, they vaporize when morning comes.
I was sure that Michael had inspired me to let my inner poet out, because there were other poems floating around unhinged, waiting to be born in the still of the night.
I let them go, in free flight,
these precious poems of the night.
But know this, when inspiration strikes again,
I will grab paper and pen,
and jot down the words as they flow
Whether they come or go

CLICK ON THE ARROW BELOW TO READ THE POEM IN THE 6-PAGE SLIDESHOW>


The Symphony Of Life[/b]View more presentations from Anna *.

Michael Jackson - I Hear A Symphony


Michael heard symphonies, dictated and beatboxed them to tape, to have them translated by musicians. By using his voice in an unique way, he conveyed his message through his song, through a quiver of his voice, a mischievous Hee Hee, an elated oooooooh, or an ooooooh with a depth of depair. The lyrics blended in so perfectly with the music, that our hearts jumped up in joy and rejoiced with him, leaving our minds far behind.

Such are the songs of life, like a symphony, a sweet melody, or a painful memory.
Simply enjoy Michael's sweet young voice, powerful and filled with hope and aspirations...

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

(Michael sang this in the LWMJ documentary when asked about his favorite things)

 

[Ashtanga]

Michael Jackson - Very Rare Pictures


:wild: :wild: :wild:

 

[MJ~And~Me]

:wub::wub::wub::wub:

 

[olga30100]

My close encounter with Michael Jackson

By Gwen J. Cariño (The Philippine Star) Updated July 05, 2009

MANILA, Philippines – When I was a PR officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel.

Two nights before, I had been fortunate to be part of his welcome line at the hotel lobby together with the rest of the PR and sales staff but was content enough to see him walk by.

The day before, a guy claiming to be Michael Jackson’s aide from Mamarao Productions came to the office. I couldn’t recall his name but he looked for the “person in charge” and said his boss had read the announcement about the event in the Dear Guest flyers we had circulated to all the rooms a week before. Michael wanted to know how he could help. His aide went up to the Penthouse and down to the PR office several times after we gave our suggestions.

Michael offered to fill up the 300 loot bags with goodies and toys, candies and chocolates. But after getting close to 50 sponsors, it was actually a problem for us to dispose of everything.

So I thought hard…how can the King of Pop meaningfully join the affair? I couldn’t possibly have him be with the kids in the palayok game or the pabitin as he might end up being mobbed! And since the annual event was really all about giving, I mustered all my courage and told the Mamarao guy that the best thing I could think of was for Michael to literally be present to help distribute the loot bags, sign autographs and pose with the children for photos. “Wow, that may not be easy. You’re talking about handing goodie bags to 300 children and I can just imagine the chaos. We’ll see, Ms. Jacinto. I’ll get back to you,” he said.

Lunch break came and it was the most hurried one I ever took in my entire life. It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that Michael‘s aide came back and said, “Michael is more than happy to do whatever you suggest. How do we go about it tomorrow?”

I wanted to scream. I had to calm myself and regain composure as the Lizzie Maguire in me said, “Get real, get back into focus.”

We agreed that Michael would join after the games, musical program and snacks, and at the last part to give out the loot bags. My colleague Annette Africano and boss Dulce Agnir requested for additional security
around the garden and the stage area as this was where we decided to distribute the gifts. We made sure the children would form an orderly line.

Then the moment arrived. It was at the Champagne Gardens on Dec. 7, 1996. I was surprised to see him walking towards us, guided by his aide. Michael came up to me as I had to brief him.

“Hi, how are you? Thanks so much for letting me in, I know I’m early ’coz I didn’t want to miss the program.”

I said, “Are you kidding? Thanks so much for volunteering! Here’s what Michael, why don’t you just sit here and watch the musical numbers before we get into the gift giving. I will have to tweak the program a bit.”

He replied, “Sure, anything you say… (pausing to look at my name tag) Gwen!”

I was stunned at how incredibly sweet and modest he was. And in my mind it was, “Oh my God, this is really happening!”

Amazing how he patiently sat through the whole program. Carol Banawa, then an Ang TV mainstay couldn’t believe MJ was watching her perform. She had her red blouse signed by him right after her number. Then followed Stefano Mori’s dance number. Later, his back up singers and dancers came up on stage followed by select kids from different orphanages who danced to the beat of Billie Jean. Oh, the smile on Michael’s face was just amazing.

Then we announced that Michael will be distributing gifts onstage. I explained to him that there’s a loot bag for the younger kids and another for the older ones and he nodded. The thrill and excitement he gave those children was incredibly touching. It was in between the gift bag distribution that I caught a glimpse of MJ, not as a performer but as a person.

It was one in the afternoon. Santa Claus
(David Endriga, a friend of fellow PR officer Francis Capistrano) was with us. The heat was scourging and I was worried that Michael felt so hot with his black long-sleeved signature attire and hat.

“Are you alright Michael? We can let you take a break,” I asked.

He said, “I’m cool Gwen. Just imagine how Santa feels inside his velvet suit and beard. We’ll be fine.”

I never heard him complain or say a word about how hot it was or how long the line was. He had the most beautiful manners. He didn’t even ask for a drink or a towel to wipe his sweat but one of our banquet staff made sure he got a glass of fresh orange juice.

An hour passed and we were halfway through gift-giving when we noticed that the garden was getting filled up. Suddenly, there were people from media, politicians, officials and hotel guests including those in a wedding reception at the nearby Champagne Room who deserted the newly-weds just to get a glimpse of the King of Pop.

“Oh oh, this isn’t supposed to be, I’m so sorry,” I said. It’s all right, we’ll get through it,” Michael said smiling.

As we finished giving out the last loot bag to an 11-year-old orphan, a new line of more kids and adults formed. Michael’s bodyguard, Wayne, said. “We can leave now.”

Michael replied calmly, “We can’t leave when there are still people in line. It’s Christmas, dude.”

I felt my heart beat faster and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. He wasn’t just the most electrifying performer, but the most generous person.

One of the most memorable moments was when a lady came up to him for an autograph. Laughing and holding his tummy, he said “Hey Gwen, you’ve gotta check this out. He whispered, “It’s a blank check. The lady is making me sign on a blank check.”

We laughed hard and little did we know that it wasn’t even half of the comedy. He later showed me and Wayne other stuff people would use or pick up on the ground when they couldn’t find paper for him to sign on. One lady made him sign at the back of her elegant, designer Filipiniana gown. One teenager came up to him holding a dead leaf and another one, a popped balloon. Imagine how our laughter ballooned as well.

It was an amazing, genuine experience. At one point he asked if I was going to catch his History concert and I said “tomorrow night.”

“Oh, you’ll have a blast!” Michael told me.

At this point he became concerned about the stage as adults outnumbered the kids. His face had nervousness written all over it but he still didn’t complain. He tapped the wooden floor with his foot several times making sure it was sturdy enough not to fall apart. “I’ve experienced the stage collapse and I just want to make sure we’re all safe here,” he explained.

Half of me wanted the line to finish because we were literally melting and worried about our safety, but half of me didn’t, knowing that once the line ended, Michael will leave.

At some point it did end. I managed to get an autograph for my sisters and me before our general manager, Clem Pablo, requested him to sing Give Love on Christmas Day.

Cesar Sarino, one of the hotel’s officials, addressed his thank you note to the King of Pop. Then I saw his guards and aides whisking Michael off stage.

I said in my mind, “Oh man, I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.”

Suddenly, I saw Michael return on stage and say, “Thanks so much to you and your team, Gwen. This really means a lot.”

Then he held me beside him and said, “I’ll see you at the concert.”

As Michael Jackson is laid to rest and returned to pristine condition in the afterlife, these two incredible acts of the King of Pop — volunteering for charity and unselfishly spending time with the less fortunate, will forever be the way I will remember this man.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=483815

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km_oerjy-_o&feature=player_embedded

 

[MJ~And~Me]

Re: My close encounter with Michael Jackson

that was soooooo nice,and wellcome

 

[MJJLaugh]

My story of Christian fellowship with the King of Pop

By David Pack

In August of 1986, the famous composer Leonard Bernstein was in Los Angeles to conduct a classical concert at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Knowing that his birthday would fall on the same week, I asked him what he wanted. Without missing a beat, Leonard said, “I want to meet Michael Jackson.”

At the time, Michael was the biggest pop star in the universe. He was just coming off the massive global success of Thriller, a sold-out world tour, and multiple Grammy wins that catapulted him into the rarified air of Beatlesque pandemonium wherever he went. He was seen inside the music industry as the greatest raw talent of a generation, and the combination of Michael and Quincy Jones in the studio set a standard that may never be equaled.

Leonard was a global superstar and TV personality in his own right—he is listed in many publications as the most celebrated musician, conductor, and composer of the 20th century. Yet Leonard was awestruck by the talent of Michael, describing him to me once as “the most electrifying pop star I’ve seen since the Beatles.” Leonard wanted to introduce Michael to classical music and maybe inspire Michael toward a collaboration of classical and pop music.

I was determined to grant Leonard his birthday wish by making the meeting of my two friends happen. So I called another friend, Quincy Jones, also a musical titan and legend whom I’d introduced to Leonard the previous year at yet another dinner.

Quincy idolized Leonard Bernstein, so he said he’d call Michael and ask. An hour later, he called to say that Michael couldn’t make it. When I told Leonard that Michael wouldn’t be there, he said, “What? You tell him that I, Leonard Bernstein, command him to come to my concert!” I got back on the phone with Quincy. Two hours later, Quincy called to say that Michael would be there. “But he’s never been to a classical concert, so this should be interesting!”

At the concert, Michael loved watching Leonard, who at one point leapt three feet in the air during a section of the score and landed with a loud ‘thud.’ (Quincy, Michael, and I were pretty sure this was Leonard trying to show off for Michael.)

Later that night, during a dinner at my house, I came to see Michael as a man with one of the sweetest souls I’ve ever known. He thanked me over and over for “commanding” him to come to the concert. He asked me to remind him of some of my hit songs with Ambrosia, so I sang a chorus of “Biggest Part of Me.” His eyes lit up like a little kid’s, and he took over and sang the entire chorus back to me.

At one point, Leonard draped his long white scarf around his neck and Michael’s for a series of photos, then stood up and gave Michael a conducting lesson on the spot. Later, these two musical giants bonded over . . . acne! They both had problems with it, and somehow that very embarrassing personal topic was their major connecting point. Leonard would talk about this for years to come. Michael called me the next day and asked for photos from that night, and he was thrilled when he got them.

During that special evening, I felt the need to share my faith with him, to let him know that another Christian artist was sitting next to him. So when he whispered, “How can I ever thank you for this wonderful night?” I said, “Michael, I didn’t put this together, God did!” He said, “Oh yes, I believe that with all of my heart.”

I told him I was a Christian, and he said he was, too. We talked about the first Christian song we’d both heard as children: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong.” With the dinner party loudly going on around us, we both quietly leaned in and sang the song, smiling like choirboys. “Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.” Then we gave each other a short embrace.

I knew at that moment that this sweet-spirited young genius was going to find his eternal peace in heaven. I did not find Michael weird, messed up, or anything you’ve ever heard about him. I want to say that I feel all of the allegations ever charged against Michael were false, and that in my discernment, he did not have the capacity to ever do anything except love children and let them know he would do anything to stand up for them, and help them. Just look at the magnificent work he did on their behalf in writing and co-producing “We Are The World,” and the 39 charities for children he gave to generously. That was Michael. I believe that during his trials he related to the suffering of Christ, and prayed for intervention, because he was being accused over what he loved most—children. This caused him perhaps more pain than anything in his life.

I know Michael loved Jesus with all his heart. Quincy had told me about his work sharing his faith with others, often door-to-door, because he’d been raised a devout Jehovah’s Witness. Later in life he told people he was a non-denominational Christian. Still more recently, reports circulated that he’d converted to Islam. But the Michael I knew had seriously contemplated giving up music to spend full-time in Christian ministry.

If there’s anything that gives me peace during this moment of loss, it’s knowing that one of the greatest artists of our time is now moon-walking along the gold paved roads of heaven, where streets have no name, with a broad smile on his face, and a band of angels welcoming him home.

Michael, my friend, rest in heavenly peace.

David Pack is a Grammy winning recording artist, producer, and music director.

Ambrosia - Biggest Part of Me (1980)

This is the song referenced in the article that Michael was singing with David Pack, the author of this article.

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Source: http://mjjrealrealm.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!A679A9B694DD1478!3085.entry

 

[Ashtanga]

My story of Christian fellowship with the King of Pop



Beautiful story! :wub:

 

[MJ~And~Me]

:mello::mello::mello:

 

[MJJLaugh]

There's Just Something About Michael
by Charlene Vickers Burgess

On August 29, 1958 a little bundle of energy and magic named Michael Joseph Jackson entered this world and would leave it forever changed on June 25, 2009 when his earthly life ended at the age of 50.

Such a short time for one gentle soul to make such a huge impact! But it was his gentle spirit which ended up being exactly what the world needed. We just didn&#8217;t know it yet! Many around the world would experience an overwhelming awareness of the true spirit of Michael following his death. And there are many more who have yet to discover the depth of this tender soul and his reason for being on this planet. Time will reveal even more of the profound truth of this unlikely messenger who was sent here to show us the way to love. His brilliant light shone brightly for nearly 51 years, 40 of which were lived in the spotlight of the world on the musical stage. His star reached heights unknown to any other artist before him and will likely remain unreachable for generations to come. This little fella with a heart as big as Texas blessed us with his talent, his charm, his childlike spirit, his humility and his genuine love and compassion for others.

In 1969 when the Jackson5 signed with Motown Records and hit it big right out of the starting gates with 4 consecutive #1 hits, things would never be the same for their youngest member and lead singer, Michael. He was magnetic, super talented, a natural at singing and dancing, and cute as a button to boot! This young entertainer was born with an immense gift, and his talents were as natural to him as breathing - you can&#8217;t teach that. Even when he and his brothers were all doing the same dance moves, there was just something about Michael - your eyes would naturally be drawn to him. It's been said that there could be 60 of the best dancers on stage with him, all choreographed and dancing their hearts out, but you would still only watch Michael. He didn&#8217;t just have the &#8220;it factor&#8221;, he was the it factor! He didn&#8217;t just have the beat, we was the beat, as Debbie Allen so aptly stated. Michael&#8217;s mother, Katherine, has said that from the time he was born, she knew he was special. She said he didn&#8217;t have the same jerky movements that most babies have. His movements were smooth and controlled even as an infant. She has also told the story of when Michael was a baby, still in diapers, dancing and moving in perfect time to the rhythm of their old warn out washing machine. You can&#8217;t teach that!

Throughout his career, the energy Michael projected from the stage was clearly unlike any performer we had ever seen! If you watch his hands closely during a performance, there are times when you'll see the fingertips on his free hand fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird - pure energy! And this is only one very subtle example. It was an energy that came through him or from a source deep inside which responded to the music, traveled through his entire body and commanded it to move in ways that were not always predictable! People who have performed with Michael have said that they had to be prepared to improvise during a performance because Michael would sometimes do something entirely different than what they had rehearsed, depending on how the music or the audience was moving him! Michael himself stated in the infamous 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey that he wasn't always aware of certain dance moves he would do during a performance - he was just responding to the music. You can't teach that!

Michael shared some of his own reflections about his natural gift of dance in his writings, one of my favorites being from &#8220;Dance of Life&#8221; in his book Dancing the Dream:

&#8220;&#8230;my body has always been moving. Since childhood I have reacted to the moon this way, as her favorite lunatic, and not just hers. The stars draw me near, close enough so that I see through their twinkling act. They&#8217;re dancing, too, doing a soft molecular jiggle that makes my carbon atoms jump in time.&#8221;

This speaks volumes about the creative soul of this musical genius we had in our midst for 50 years. Michael's carbon atoms have been jumping in time since his birth in 1958! He was truly magical and, as some have said&#8230;other-worldly!

With an intense charisma on stage and a shy nature off stage, his complex blend of personality traits would intrigue the public and the media for his entire life. As a young entertainer he sang ballads with the soul of a mature man, expressing emotions through his voice that only a person with a rich history of life experiences would know or understand. When asked by interviewers about his ability to understand the mature themes of many of his songs, he humbly proclaimed, &#8220;I just feel it&#8230; I don&#8217;t sing it if I don&#8217;t mean it.&#8221; This single statement spoken as a young boy would establish an understanding of everything he would sing for the rest of his life! Michael taught us how to feel the music. And his commitment to offer only music that he honestly believed in set the stage for a lifetime of delivering messages through his lyrics and passionate performances that would take the world by storm, grab our attention and never let us go!

Michael knew from a very early age that he was gifted and that he was to use his gifts to bring joy to people and, once famous, to use his success for good. He just seemed to understand that, which in and of itself is an amazing kind of awareness for such a young person. I recently read an article in which one of his brothers stated that Michael was still quite young when the Jackson5 did a benefit performance at a children&#8217;s hospital. After coming home from that performance, Michael spent the night crying in his room because he couldn&#8217;t bear to see all those sick children. It was then that his &#8220;real work&#8221; began as he started writing letters to children in hospitals, just reaching out and being friendly, hoping to bring some joy into their lives. Many of these children were near his own age. Can you imagine any other 9 or 10 year old doing the same thing? This kind of compassion is usually not something that comes naturally to children at such a young age, especially those that are rising stars. You can&#8217;t teach that! This would be the beginning of a lifelong quest of Michael&#8217;s to make the lives of ill or disadvantaged children around the world just a little bit better by visiting them, inviting them to his Neverland Ranch, or sharing his resources with them in whatever way was needed. A deeply generous man to the very end, he left the world a much better place with his kind heart and compassionate spirit!

As his career and his fame progressed, he never lost touch with his Divine partner and he always recognized that his gifts were not of his own making, often stating that he was the instrument through which the music and the dancing were delivered. Whenever I see a picture of Michael as a young boy looking as if he&#8217;s deep in thought, I wonder if those were the times he was thinking about his life&#8217;s purpose. Was he planning even then his strategy for delivering the messages he knew we needed to hear? Did he understand the magnitude of what he was sent here to do, and how he was to do it? Looking back on his life&#8217;s work and all the ways he got our attention and prepared us for those very important messages, it seems as if it was all planned ahead of time - choreographed to make the most powerful impact at just the right moment in time! Could this be? Was he aware of this early on? Is it possible for someone so young to understand this kind of thing - to establish a mission and to see it through, never losing track of the goal throughout his entire life? If so, his instincts were tuned in to a much higher frequency than the rest of the world. You can&#8217;t teach that!

In the early years, Michael was often called an &#8220;old soul&#8221;, and as he matured he carried with him into adulthood the heart of a child. It was this childlike spirit that would endear him to children all around the world. Just as he was drawn to their innocent souls, they too would be drawn to his gentle nature and his magnetic and innocent charm. They felt safe with him, as well they should have! He had only the purest kind of love in his heart for them and they instinctively knew that. Today, there are many young children around the world who are being drawn to the magnetism and sparkle of Michael Jackson through his music. They are his youngest fans, learning of him since his death from their parents and grandparents. They are feeling his magic, dancing to his beat, and learning the lessons he taught us through his example and his music. His love and his energy are infectious. There is a magical kind of joy that comes through the frequency of his voice and the music that just makes you want to move and dance and sing along! Children can feel it, and they respond to it. And I can confidently say that any adult who is in tune with their own inner child can feel it also, and they respond to it as well! Michael said as much in his poem &#8220;Magical Child&#8221; from his book Dancing the Dream:

If you could for one moment know
This spark of creation, this exquisite glow
You would come and dance with me
Kindle this fire so we could see
All the children of the Earth
Weave their magic and give new birth
To a world of freedom with no pain
A world of joy, much more sane
Deep inside, you know it&#8217;s true
Just find that child, it&#8217;s hiding in you.

Michael's youngest fans, children of all ages, will be the ones sharing his messages, passing them along for generations to come. They will see the world become a better place because of him. And they will be the first to tell you, there's just something about Michael!
Although Michael is no longer physically present on this earth, his energy and his love live on through the millions of people who have heard his messages, received his love and who have been touched by the immense light he left in our hearts.

May the Force of Love continue in your name, dear Michael..."One who is most like God!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you Charlene for letting me post articles and poems from your blog. We've only recently got acqainted virtually, yet you already feel like an old friend. That's the magic touch in the world of MJ isn't it ?
Much love to you!

Source:

http://mjreflecdtionsheart2heart.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

 

[MJJLaugh]

Keep Smiling, Michael Jackson

 

[Ashtanga]

There's Just Something About Michael
by Charlene Vickers Burgess



:heart: :heart: :heart:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson Interviews on Songwriting

With the first posthumous album being released just about now, I thought it would be nice to read some interviews where Michael explains how the entire songwriting process takes place. I cannot make music or write music, I only know what I like and dislike but it is amazing how well Michael can explain something to outsiders that comes so naturally to him. I know now, for example, that any self-respecting song will have a bridge. The bridge makes it interesting and captivates the attention of the listener, being that it is slightly or very different from the verses and the chorus and gives the song depth, like spices do for food is what the bridge does for songs.
I learned all that from Michael and I smiled because it all made sense! I understood exactly what he meant on a very intuitive level.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Online Audio Chat

Anthony: Tell us about a couple of those tracks. I mean, were there special guests, or were you working with new producers, or how you wrote them.



Michael: Well, the songwriting process is something very difficult to explain
because it's very spiritual. It's, uh...You really have it in the hands of God, and it's
as if its been written already - that's the real truth. As if its been written in its
entirety before were born and you're just really the source through which the songs
come. Really. Because there is...they just fall right into your lap in it's entirety.
You don't have to do much thinking about it. And I feel guilty having to put my
name, sometimes, on the songs that I - I do write them - I compose them, I write
them, I do the scoring, I do the lyrics, I do the melodies but still, it's a...it's a
work of God.

Michael: It was, um, it's hard to explain. It was quite exciting, to feel the audience
and to see them and to be accepted so warmly by them. Um, it's just an incredible
feeling. It really is. They're there to support you and to love you and to hear their
favorite songs and you're just standing there and they're just giving you so much
adulation and love and the sprit is just full of love, it's wonderful. It's very
emotional. It, uh, brings me to tears. It's wonderful.



Anthony: I remember in your book you describe that like sometime on stage is
when you feel the most alive, that those are the moments that, you know, really
are the whole -- kind of the most transporting for you.


Michael: It is. It's being offstage that's difficult for me. Uh, being on stage ...
either writing music or writing poetry, and being on stage, and watching cartoons
are my favorite things to do in the entire world. Um, that's what brings me to life.
I love that. That's what inspires me to do what I do, you know?

Michael: Well, I let the song pretty much speak to me and I get in a room and I
pretty much start making notes... You know, I'll speak to a writer -- like Stephen
King and myself, both of us wrote Ghosts, the short film Ghosts, and we just on
the telephone started writing it and let it create itself and go where it wants to go.
But we try to do things that are very unusual. And it's... it's not an easy thing to
do because you have to time it with the song, and you can't spend too much time,
and the special effects can take 5 months sometimes to execute. So, it's just ..
.it's kinda difficult thing and the record company's saying, "Come on, come on,
come on, we have to go, we have to go." So, I understand. So we try to do the
best we can in the amount of time that we can execute it in.


VH1 Interview

Question: If you could spend one day in complete anonymity, where would you go
and what would you do?


Michael: Probably go to Neverland, or an isolated island somewhere. What would I
do? Probably write music or kind of create some music or stage play or something
- something creative. I never stop working.


Question: Does the real Billie Jean know about the song and if she did what was
her reaction?

Michael: There is a girl named Billie Jean, but it's not about that Billie Jean. Billie
Jean is kinda anonymous. It represents a lot of girls who used to - they used to
call them groupies in the '60s - they would hang around backstage doors and any
band that would come to town they would have a relationship with. And I think I
wrote this out of experience with my brothers when I was little. There were a lot of
Billie Jeans out there. Every girl claimed that their son was related to my brothers.

Question: Which songs of yours are autobiographical?

Michael: Stranger in Moscow, Heal the World, We Are The World, I'll Be There.
Those type of songs.

Question: What inspired the song Sranger in Moscow?

Michael: I wrote that in Moscow. The lyrics are totally autobiographical. When you
hear lines like, "Here abondoned in my fame...Armageddon of the brain" - at the
time, on the last tour when we were in Moscow - that's how I really felt. It kinda
created itself. It fell into my lap, because that's how I was feeling at the time. Just
alone in my hotel and it was raining and I just started writing it.

Simulchat

Midway Gal: How did you get into music?

Michael: I don't think I can answer that without sounding philosophical. We never
had music or dance lessons. We were a family that sang all the time. We watched
TV. We would entertain ourselves...we would take the furniture out of the living
room and dance. I think you're pretty much born with a gift and you're compelled
to create. That is what I have always felt. I remember when I was really little there
was rain outside and we would make up songs. Janet and I would have a
songwriting game while we washed the dishes...while we were cleaning. I think
most kids don't do that these days. It was our destiny.

Even Beevu: Do you come up with the ideas for all your videos?

Michael: A lot of them I do come up with. A lot of the concepts do originate with
me. After singing "Thriller" I knew that I wanted to do a short film. A simple guy
goes out on a date and confesses to her that he's different. I wanted to transform
into different things. It was fun. I had so much fun making that. "Beat It" is
another concept I came up with. Confrontaion - two gangs - West Side Story. I
wanted real gang members. I wanted to see real truisms...in the walk, in the
character, in the clothes. I think it came across.

Pelon: What has been your proudest musical achievement?


Michael: One of them - it is a really difficult question to answer because I am not
a woman, but writing a song is like concieving a child. I love all the songs. "We
Are the World" is one of the most favorite things that I've done. I am proud of
that...it has reached a lot of people, it has touched a lot of people. My secreatry
called when I was in the car and said pull over. And it was like a prayer when all of
the radio stations played it. I had tears.

MJJ: What is your process from going from creating a rhythm on your human voice
box to the album version, such as in songs "Who Is It" and "Tabloid Junkie"?


Michael: The process is creating a rhythm to a click track - which is a sound, a
timed beat. And you're doing these mouth sounds to that beat. These sounds can
be taped according to how you sample it in the computer again and again. This is
the foundation for the entire track - everything plays off this. It's the rhythm, like
a beatbox rhythm. Every song I've written since I was very little I've done that
way. I still do it that way.


TV Guide

TV Guide: Did you ever imagine that Thriller and the videos from the album would

catapult your career into the stratosphere?

Michael: I didn't really think about how the album would do; I just wanted to
create what I would enjoy seeing. And my main goal for [the video] "Thriller" was
to do something that would be scary, fun and exciting.

TV Guide: How do you look back on that era now?

Michael: I see it as a happy time and a sad time. Because it made a lot of my
dreams come true. The notoriety was wonderful.

TV Guide: You also said it was a sad time.

Michael: Yeah. If I don't get exactly what I'm looking for, I get very depressed.

TV Guide: You mean the album still didn't live up to what you had envisioned?

Michael: Not completely.

TV Guide: Which songs disappointed you?

Michael: "Wanna Be Startin' Something." Songwriting is a very frustrating art form.
You have to get on tape exactly what's playing inside your head. When I hear it
up here [points to his head], it's wonderful. I have to transcribe that onto tape.

"The Girl Is Mine" [his duet with Paul McCartney] wasn't completely what I wanted,

but it's very nice. But "Billie Jean" is there. I worked so hard on that. I worked for

three weeks on the bass lick alone.

Source:

http://www.composelikemichael.com/apps/blog/show/2953667-michael-jackson-on-songwriting-interviews

 

[MJJLaugh]

Michael Jackson talks about songwriting


If the above was TL DR, then you can always listen to Michael explain the songwriting process in his own words. He is so humble and gives God credit for his work "I'm just the source through which it comes." Doesn't that just make you love him even more ?





Michael Jackson - Epitome of Artistry

I posted this video in this thread before and I'm so happy to have found an excuse to be able to post it here again. Against the backdrop of the powerful, gripping music, Michael explains his craft - "artists get in the way of the music. Get out of the way of the music."

 

[Ashtanga]

My close encounter with Michael Jackson

By Gwen J. Cariño (The Philippine Star) Updated July 05, 2009

MANILA, Philippines – When I was a PR officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel.

Two nights before, I had been fortunate to be part of his welcome line at the hotel lobby together with the rest of the PR and sales staff but was content enough to see him walk by.

The day before, a guy claiming to be Michael Jackson’s aide from Mamarao Productions came to the office. I couldn’t recall his name but he looked for the “person in charge” and said his boss had read the announcement about the event in the Dear Guest flyers we had circulated to all the rooms a week before. Michael wanted to know how he could help. His aide went up to the Penthouse and down to the PR office several times after we gave our suggestions.

Michael offered to fill up the 300 loot bags with goodies and toys, candies and chocolates. But after getting close to 50 sponsors, it was actually a problem for us to dispose of everything.

So I thought hard…how can the King of Pop meaningfully join the affair? I couldn’t possibly have him be with the kids in the palayok game or the pabitin as he might end up being mobbed! And since the annual event was really all about giving, I mustered all my courage and told the Mamarao guy that the best thing I could think of was for Michael to literally be present to help distribute the loot bags, sign autographs and pose with the children for photos. “Wow, that may not be easy. You’re talking about handing goodie bags to 300 children and I can just imagine the chaos. We’ll see, Ms. Jacinto. I’ll get back to you,” he said.

Lunch break came and it was the most hurried one I ever took in my entire life. It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that Michael‘s aide came back and said, “Michael is more than happy to do whatever you suggest. How do we go about it tomorrow?”

I wanted to scream. I had to calm myself and regain composure as the Lizzie Maguire in me said, “Get real, get back into focus.”

We agreed that Michael would join after the games, musical program and snacks, and at the last part to give out the loot bags. My colleague Annette Africano and boss Dulce Agnir requested for additional security
around the garden and the stage area as this was where we decided to distribute the gifts. We made sure the children would form an orderly line.

Then the moment arrived. It was at the Champagne Gardens on Dec. 7, 1996. I was surprised to see him walking towards us, guided by his aide. Michael came up to me as I had to brief him.

“Hi, how are you? Thanks so much for letting me in, I know I’m early ’coz I didn’t want to miss the program.”

I said, “Are you kidding? Thanks so much for volunteering! Here’s what Michael, why don’t you just sit here and watch the musical numbers before we get into the gift giving. I will have to tweak the program a bit.”

He replied, “Sure, anything you say… (pausing to look at my name tag) Gwen!”

I was stunned at how incredibly sweet and modest he was. And in my mind it was, “Oh my God, this is really happening!”

Amazing how he patiently sat through the whole program. Carol Banawa, then an Ang TV mainstay couldn’t believe MJ was watching her perform. She had her red blouse signed by him right after her number. Then followed Stefano Mori’s dance number. Later, his back up singers and dancers came up on stage followed by select kids from different orphanages who danced to the beat of Billie Jean. Oh, the smile on Michael’s face was just amazing.

Then we announced that Michael will be distributing gifts onstage. I explained to him that there’s a loot bag for the younger kids and another for the older ones and he nodded. The thrill and excitement he gave those children was incredibly touching. It was in between the gift bag distribution that I caught a glimpse of MJ, not as a performer but as a person.

It was one in the afternoon. Santa Claus
(David Endriga, a friend of fellow PR officer Francis Capistrano) was with us. The heat was scourging and I was worried that Michael felt so hot with his black long-sleeved signature attire and hat.

“Are you alright Michael? We can let you take a break,” I asked.

He said, “I’m cool Gwen. Just imagine how Santa feels inside his velvet suit and beard. We’ll be fine.”

I never heard him complain or say a word about how hot it was or how long the line was. He had the most beautiful manners. He didn’t even ask for a drink or a towel to wipe his sweat but one of our banquet staff made sure he got a glass of fresh orange juice.

An hour passed and we were halfway through gift-giving when we noticed that the garden was getting filled up. Suddenly, there were people from media, politicians, officials and hotel guests including those in a wedding reception at the nearby Champagne Room who deserted the newly-weds just to get a glimpse of the King of Pop.

“Oh oh, this isn’t supposed to be, I’m so sorry,” I said. It’s all right, we’ll get through it,” Michael said smiling.

As we finished giving out the last loot bag to an 11-year-old orphan, a new line of more kids and adults formed. Michael’s bodyguard, Wayne, said. “We can leave now.”

Michael replied calmly, “We can’t leave when there are still people in line. It’s Christmas, dude.”

I felt my heart beat faster and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. He wasn’t just the most electrifying performer, but the most generous person.

One of the most memorable moments was when a lady came up to him for an autograph. Laughing and holding his tummy, he said “Hey Gwen, you’ve gotta check this out. He whispered, “It’s a blank check. The lady is making me sign on a blank check.”

We laughed hard and little did we know that it wasn’t even half of the comedy. He later showed me and Wayne other stuff people would use or pick up on the ground when they couldn’t find paper for him to sign on. One lady made him sign at the back of her elegant, designer Filipiniana gown. One teenager came up to him holding a dead leaf and another one, a popped balloon. Imagine how our laughter ballooned as well.

It was an amazing, genuine experience. At one point he asked if I was going to catch his History concert and I said “tomorrow night.”

“Oh, you’ll have a blast!” Michael told me.

At this point he became concerned about the stage as adults outnumbered the kids. His face had nervousness written all over it but he still didn’t complain. He tapped the wooden floor with his foot several times making sure it was sturdy enough not to fall apart. “I’ve experienced the stage collapse and I just want to make sure we’re all safe here,” he explained.

Half of me wanted the line to finish because we were literally melting and worried about our safety, but half of me didn’t, knowing that once the line ended, Michael will leave.

At some point it did end. I managed to get an autograph for my sisters and me before our general manager, Clem Pablo, requested him to sing Give Love on Christmas Day.

Cesar Sarino, one of the hotel’s officials, addressed his thank you note to the King of Pop. Then I saw his guards and aides whisking Michael off stage.

I said in my mind, “Oh man, I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.”

Suddenly, I saw Michael return on stage and say, “Thanks so much to you and your team, Gwen. This really means a lot.”

Then he held me beside him and said, “I’ll see you at the concert.”

As Michael Jackson is laid to rest and returned to pristine condition in the afterlife, these two incredible acts of the King of Pop — volunteering for charity and unselfishly spending time with the less fortunate, will forever be the way I will remember this man.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=483815

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km_oerjy-_o&feature=player_embedded

Beautiful story.... :wub: :heart:

 

[Ashtanga]

Michael Jackson Interviews on Songwriting


:heart: :heart: :heart:

 

[MJJLaugh]

That Smile

Magical
Enchanting
It lights up a room
Changes the atmosphere
Obliterates gloom
Piercing my defense
It invites me to dance
Sends love on a journey through my soul
Bathes me in light
Gives me courage to take a chance

Joy and tenderness
Reflected from within
An offering, a gift from your heart
Shining through the veil of shadow
It opens the door
Becomes a part of me
Extends an invitation to make a new start

That smile could end wars
Dispel hatred and fear
Bring peace throughout the land
A simple gesture bestowed in love
Creates harmony
Bids all people of the world to walk hand in hand

Accept it
Embrace it
Absorb its light
Let it warm your soul
Feel it down to your bones
Hear its music
Move to its rhythm
Take that chance
Open your heart
Invite others to join in the dance

Allow that smile to work its magic
As a flame ignites a burning love
Melting hearts around the world
A gem that sparkles and shines
Transforms humankind
Like a grain of sand turned into a pearl

That smile…
Created to beguile
To inspire, to delight
Brings darkness to its knees
And offers LOVE to light up the night

11/23/10
Copyright © 2010 by Charlene Burgess


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Source:

http://mjreflecdtionsheart2heart.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

 

[Ashtanga]

That Smile



:girl_sigh:


This is the most beautiful smile I've ever seen... :wub:

 

[MJJLaugh]

Respect


Recently I was thinking how much Michael means to me and what friendships I would forsake if need be. Michael is number one on my list, for a thousand reasons, and if I were to name them all, you would quickly see the common denominator: love and respect.
Sure enough, my words were put to the test as so-called friends started saying very mean things about Michael, while they know that I love him and his music. They showed a lack of respect and they showed their true nature. ( They are no longer friends of mine).
This experience made me want to do a post on respect and how this was denied Michael for most of his life, especially when he became a superstar in the limelight.

Just remember when someone steps on your soul and hurts you deliberately with words: it says absolutely nothing about you ,or our beloved Michael, but everything about the person uttering these meanspirited words.
Be the change you want to see in the world and let love and compassion guide you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I respect, another mans religion, or color or creed.
I respect, and follow, the will of my maker.
I respect, the truth, no matter how unpopular.

I respect, a good work ethic.
I respect, the values on which this country was founded.
I respect, those who would champion the under privileged.
I respect, those of differences, who seek common ground.

I respect, the concept of monogamy.
I respect, those faithful to principal.
I respect, change, that is for the better.
I respect, an honest days work.

I respect, the great talents of the entertainment world.
I respect, thought provoking works, of the written word.
I respect, the unquenchable thirst of creativity.
I respect, the farmers and workers that toil in the field.

I respect, the good in man.
I respect, the virtue in woman.
I respect, the innocence of children.
I respect, the generosity of mankind.

Most of all...I respect the maker of
life and the love, that each of us
have within us.


© Joe Fazio

Reaching for the stars and dancing in the moonlight

Ever the artist, not an iota of stagefright

Singlehandedly breaking musical and humanitarian records

Polite, humble, funny, gentle and caring

Excellent songs, thank you for sharing!

Children inspired you, you saw God in their faces

Teacher of love to mankind of all races.

I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me . . . All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.
~ Jackie Robinson

Reputation is what the world thinks a man is; character is what he really is.
~ Anonymous


Michael Jackson - Respect

Michael tells Barbara Walters how he feels the media have treated him. Listen to the lyrics of songs like "Privacy", "Tabloid Junkie" and the real lyrics of the song "Monster".
The greater the fame, the more vicious the attacks become. Is being different that scary to people ? Is the color of his skin an inkling to his character ?

To make it positive, let's keep these lyrics of 'Cry' in mind:

You can change the world (I can’t do it by myself)
You can touch the sky (It’s gonna take somebody’s help)
You’re the chosen one (I’m gonna need some kind of sign)
If we all cry at the same time tonight

And when that flag glows there’ll be no more wars
And when all cause I will answer all your prayers (Prayers)
Show the world…


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Sources:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/respect-39/

 

[Ashtanga]

Respect




:clapping: and :heart:

 

[Mundy]

Beautiful post MJJLaugh :wub: Thank you

 

[MJJLaugh]

Remember The Time

"Remember the Time" is a single by American singer Michael Jackson Recorded in the Hit Factory Miami. The song was released by Epic Records on January 14, 1992 as the second single from Jackson's eighth studio album, Dangerous. Written and composed by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson and Bernard Belle, the song was produced by Riley and Jackson. "Remember the Time" was a successful attempt by Jackson to create a New jack swing-flavored jam with the accompaniment of co-producer Riley. Musically, the song is dance-oriented and its instruments include a piano and guitar. "Remember the Time" lyrics are about remembering being in love with someone.

Songfacts

This was the second single released from Dangerous. The song was written and composed by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson and Bernard Belle. It was an attempt at connecting the smooth New Jack Swing sound that Riley was renowned for, with Jackson's more earthy R&B.

This won the 1993 Soul Train Award for Best Male R&B Single. Jackson, who was laid up with a severely twisted ankle, gave a memorable performance of the song at the award show in a chair.

A promo 9 minutes short film, directed by John Singleton, had an Egyptian theme. It co-starred Eddie Murphy as Pharaoh Ramses, supermodel Iman as Queen Nefertiti and pro-basketball star Magic Johnson as a slave. Michael shared his first on-screen kiss with Iman.

Egyptian Symbols

Some of the symbols we can see in the short film are: pyramid, the sphinx, an hourglass, sands of time, hieroglyphics, cat and a lion, falcon, camel, people being barefoot, snakes in a basket, five women dancing around Michael - four of them dressed in white and one in yellow garb, the colors darkblue and gold are prominent ( there is a pretty girl with blue hair), and the crowns of the pharaoh and the queen each contain an upright cobra at the front, theme of magic transformation.

Carved from the bedrock of the Giza plateau, the Sphinx is truly a mysterious marvel from the days of ancient Egypt. The body of a lion with the head of a king or god, the sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom.

Gold and its qualities in ancient Egypt
Both the sun and gold were yellow and shared the qualities of being imperishable, eternal and indestructible. Thus anything portrayed as yellow in Egyptian art generally carried this connotation. The skin and bones of the gods were believed to be made of gold. Thus statues of gods were often made of, or plated with gold. Also, mummy masks and cases of the pharoahs were often made of gold.

Egyptian Blue and its quality in ancient Egypt
Blue was symbolic of the sky and of water. In a cosmic sense, this extended its symbolism to the heavens and of the primeval floods. In both of these cases, blue took on a meaning of life and re-birth.
Blue was naturally also a symbol of the Nile and its associated crops, offerings and fertility.

Pyramid - Symbol of Ascencion

Hieroglyphics

Ankh

Ankh is commonly known to mean life in Ancient Egyptian language. It symbolizes eternal life and also power. Egyptian Gods and Kings are often shown carrying the Ankh to distinguish them from mortals. The amulet is a powerful talisman that provides the wearer with protection from the evil forces of decay and degeneration. The loop of the Ankh is held by the Gods.


Cobra

he cobra was sacred to Wadjet, the cobra goddess of Buto, who represented Lower Egypt and kingship. The cobra goddess Renenet was a fertility goddess who was sometimes depicted as nursing children and as protector of pharaoh.

Cat
Many deities were depicted as cats, both domestic or wild, and so they were seen as benevolent, sacred animals.

Lion

was connected with the rising and the setting of the sun, and so were thought to be guardians of the horizon and were linked to solar deities. The earth god Aker was shown in the form of a 'double sphinx' - two lions seated back to back - and was thought to guard the sun as it entered and exited the underworld at the eastern and western horizons. Shu, god of dry air, and Tefnut, goddess of moist air, were lion-headed and lioness-headed deities respectively.


Falcon

The sacred bird of the falcon-headed solar god Horus, it was also regarded as his Ba. The falcon was a bird that had protective powers, and was frequently linked with royalty, where it was depicted as hovering over the head of the pharaoh, with outstretched wings.


Remember The Time (Dangerous Tour - Rehearsal)

From 1:50 onwards MJ is in the video, rehearsing for the Dangerous tour. Make sure that you watch until the very end because MJ talks to the musical director about the effects that should happen at that time, very cute!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remember_the_Time

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=16060

http://www.mjtunes.com/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?cid=1&lid=173

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/animalgods.htm

 

[Ashtanga]

Remember The Time



Remember the Time is perfect!!! :wild: :wub:

 

[MJJLaugh]

When Michael Jackson Visited Mainland China

At 5:26am on June 26, Michael Jackson, the 'King of Pop'' passed away at the age of 50 when his heart stopped. His Chinese fans feel deep regret that he was never able to hold a concert in mainland China. However, what few people know is that the pop star visited Zhongshan City 22 years ago. In 1987, when on holiday in Hong Kong, Jackson visited Zhongshan as a tourist. This was the only visit he made to mainland China during his lifetime.


On the evening of June 27, with the assistance of the Zhongshan China International Travel Service [Zhongshan CITS], our reporter contacted Liu Guangzhi, who now lives in the United States. He is a Zhongshanese and once worked for Zhongshan CITS. On October 23, 1987, he accompanied Michael Jackson as a tour guide during his one-day visit to Zhongshan.



HIS ONLY VISIT TO MAINLAND CHINA


"He came to Zhongshan to see what China was like." says Liu Guangzhi, who now lives in the U.S. state of Maryland. Having a good command of English, on that day in October 1987, Liu was assigned to receive a tourist group, among which was Michael Jackson. At the time, Liu was only 23 years old.


Jackson was wearing dark green shirt, black trousers and black frame glasses. He appeared friendly and quiet. "It wasn't until I got the list of tourists that I discovered I would be receiving Michael Jackson." Liu's excitement was still evident as he spoke of the events of that day, twenty-two years ago.

Liu Guangzhi (Douglas Liu) poses for photography together with Michael Jackson during the superstar's trip to the city of Zhongshan, Guangdong Province on October 23rd, 1987.


"On the list there were arrangements for vehicles and restaurants. Then I realized that a superstar was coming!" That very tourist list is still kept in very good condition. Michael Jackson’s name is on the top. Under the column "occupation," it reads "Entertainment Industry."

Lui agrees that, "Most of his fans in China feel regret that he never performed on the mainland. However, 22 years ago, he stepped on China ground."



VISITING YONGMO VILLAGE, SANXIANG TOWN

It was a sunny day and that morning, 12 tourists including Michael came to the Gongbei Customs office from Hong Kong. Liu guided them to Yongmo Village, Sanxiang Town, then on to Cuiheng Village, Nanlang Town, in order for them to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the hometown of a great man [Dr. Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China].

In 1987, although China still wasn't very open to foreign pop music, a large group of young people in Zhongshan knew of Michael Jackson thanks to his best selling CD Thriller.

"He was very nice. At that time, he wasn't surrounded by a large group of bodyguards. In Yongmo Village, many foreign tourists and villagers recognized him and asked for photographs and signatures."

Michael only spent 40 minutes in Yongmo Village. He was obviously quite interested in the Chinese village, which was not modernized. "He was fascinated by the rice fields, water buffalo and ducks in the pond. Along the road there were villages and farmhouses." Liu said that the friendliness and hospitality of the villagers, as well as their simple lifestyle, attracted Jackson deeply. "He walked on the bluestone road in Yongmo Village, looking with great interest at a baby wrapped in swaddling cloth. He also said 'Hi' to children and took photos with an old woman in front of her house. He and his companions took lots of pictures and videos of the village."

Jackson took a group photo with children in Yongmo Village (below), which appears in his autobiography. In the photo Liu sent to our reporter, the young "King of Pop" was surrounded by several lovely children. On his face there's a free and sweet smile, which makes him look like the "King of the kids." Michael wrote down his feelings below the photo: "When I saw the Chinese kids, I couldn’t resist them."

Visiting Zhongshan city in Guangdong Province,
the hometown of the revered father of modern
China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Michael Jackson poses
with some local children, in October 1987.



VISITING THE DR. SUN YAT-SEN MUSEUM


"He admired Dr. Sun Yat-sen and was interested in his Chinese tunic."
They had lunch at the Zhongshan Hot Spring Resort. A large group of Americans saw him there and recognized him. So they took photos with him excitingly. "Michael Jackson was a vegetarian at the time, so we prepared vegetarian food for him. Other than that, it seemed that he wasn’t very picky about food."


After lunch, they went to Cuiheng Village, Nanlang Town. They visited the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the Zhongshan Memorial Middle School. "As the main attraction in Zhongshan, the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and the houses in Cuiheng Village were the "must-go" places for many foreigners." Liu said.

Michael-with-hongkong-actress-Wang-Mingquan


Before he came to China, Jackson wasn't familiar with Dr. Sun Yat-sen. He listened to Liu’s introduction and gradually came to understand the revolutionary road of Sun. "In the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, he showed great interest in architecture with Chinese characteristics. He asked me to tell him stories about Dr. Sun Yat-sen. He seemed to admire him a lot."

The photograph of Dr. Sun Yat-sen wearing a Chinese tunic suit attracted Michael’s attention (photo, left). He inquired about the origin and design of the Chinese tunic suit. "It was said that he had a Chinese tunic made to order in Hong Kong and brought it back to the United States."


The seven-hour-visit was soon over. Before he left, Jackson told Liu Guangzhi that, "the scenery of Zhongshan is similar to Switzerland. Everything is green."


"He left us with good memories. He was very quiet but also very friendly and would greet the children and take pictures with them. His stay was so short that we didn’t have a chance to discuss specific topics in any detail."


Liu feels regret over this. But he was touched by Michael’s carefulness. "When he went back to Hong Kong, he asked his agent to send the group photo to me - and he signed it."


Together with the photo of Liu [photo upper, right], he sent the photos of the kids and the old woman in Yongmo Village as well. Liu sent those photos back to the village. To this day, many of these photos remain in the villager’s homes. "To us, it was a wonderful memory. And Michael had kept it for us."


In 1990, Liu Guangzhi applied for further study in the United States. He brought these memories to the U.S. with him, including the tourist list and photos taken at that time. Now Liu counts them as some of his most precious things. "Though he is gone, I will always think of him when I look at those photos. He's an extraordinary superstar and will remain in our minds."



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Source:

http://worldmeets.us/ http://worldmeets.us/CSNews000001.shtml#ixzz18JR8a4Vs

 

[Ashtanga]

When Michael Jackson Visited Mainland China


:wub: