Reflections on Michael Jackson : Articles, Blogs & Stories Thread



The Article:

Michael Jackson's Lawyer, Bob Sanger, Talks to West Coast Sound About the Pop Star, His Life -- and His Reading Habits..By Randall Roberts Thu., Jun. 25 2009 at 7:08 PM

In the wake of the the untimely death this afternoon of Michael Jackson, West Coast Sound contacted the late King of Pop's longtime attorney, Bob Sanger. Sanger represented Michael Jackson for 16 years, and sat at the table with Jackson throughout the high-profile 2005 case in which the family of a boy accused Jackson of child sexual abuse. We spoke with Sanger late this afternoon.

Bob Sanger: This is what I want to say. I do think it's appropriate to speak out at this point in honor of Michael. First of all, he was a great musician and performer, and his impact on music goes on today. I saw something on television today, I forgot who it was, but I looked at it, a current star doing a music video, and thought, 'That's Michael Jackson.' You can just see where all that came from that didn't exist before he started doing that sort of thing. The beat, and the music and everything else. That's an impact that he'll have forever, or certainly for a long time. I think that what people don't appreciate about Michael Jackson was as a human being, which I got to see, was privileged to see this, because he does have a lot of people around him.

When you represent him, which I did, unfortunately - unfortunately for him that we had to do this, but you do get very close to a person, and I sat next to him for four months in the criminal case - it took a full four months, and he was there every day. But what I did learn in the years that I represented him - particularly in that last case - is that he is a very kind person. Truly from his heart. And his whole family is like that. His mother, Katherine, and his sisters, LaToya and Janet - they have their own personalities onstage and everything, but they are the kindest, sweetest people you'll ever want to meet. And his brothers are very nice; they offer to do what they can for you.

I remember having a family meeting out at the ranch, in a room out there that was nicely appointed, as everything was. And we were all going to sit down and have a big meeting. And Janet says, 'Bob, you don't have a place to sit.' I told her it was okay, I could stand, and she said, 'No, no, no, I'll get you a chair.' She walks out the door, and I figure she's going to get someone to bring me a chair. She walks in with this big wing-backed armchair that she's carrying into the room - Janet Jackson - for me to sit in. It wasn't remarkable in that it was any different that what you'd expect from anyone in that family, or from her.

They were very kind. You would go to the ranch, or a house elsewhere where we met on other occasions, and you couldn't get away without being offered something to eat or drink. And personally, and I don't mean snap your fingers and someone comes to do it, they would be very concerned and very kind and generous about everything. And Michael was the same way. He believed that one of the things he could do in life in addition to entertainment was that he could really help children. And I know that's going to immediately get some kind of sarcastic response, but it's absolutely true.

I was there at his ranch when he wasn't even there on at least two occasions when he had a giant group of kids come up. One, a bunch of kids who were from hospitals down in LA -- children's wards -- came up with their families and everything else, and another time it was disadvantaged kids with their families, they were brought up and came up on buses - he had a couple of buses - and he would bring people up and it was like they were at Disneyland. His staff was there, and at one point he had a hundred-something people on staff. They would be offering everybody candy, and something to drink, and play in the game room, and go to the movie theater. And you'd see these kids, and it was just remarkable to see these kids and their eyes so wide and being treated this way.


Did the attorney in you ever become concerned with that? Here are hundreds of strangers coming into this multimillionaire's home, and anyone of them could have ulterior motives.

Bob Sanger: Well, I don't want to get into all that.

No, no, I understand.

Bob Sanger: Well, you know what? Yeah, the attorney in me, I look at what clients do and I always wonder. But, I've got to tell you: until we saw what this last family tried to do to him, which was so completely bizarre and off-the-wall, unfounded, manipulative -- the DA was so committed to get back at Michael Jackson that they just looked with blinders at these people, and ignored the fact that they had scammed other people, and so on. But when you saw that family and looked at that, you had to say, 'Oh my god, how vulnerable' - clearly he was vulnerable. But for a family like this to be able to get the attention of a district attorney and law enforcement was just remarkable. And it just shows you how vulnerable people can be.

And I've certainly seen that in my career in representing people for the last 35 years, certainly there are cases - people are prosecuted because they're guilty, sure, but people are also prosecuted because the government can, and sometimes there are some bad motives. And I don't want to talk about the particulars of that case, but it was just so clear how vulnerable he was.

The groups stopped at that point because we were in the trial - or at least I didn't see any, because I was busy trying to save his life, basically. But prior to that when I'd see these people come in, the generosity, and the kindness - the staff was told at all times, whenever you go to Neverland, or to his house elsewhere, the staff was always instructed to be absolutely kind to everybody. The kindness ran from the top down. And it wasn't the obsequious kind of stuff. It was true kindness, and it came from the top. Michael was kind, the whole family was. And that's the stuff that people don't see. They don't understand how deep the concept of kindness ran in his family. And the third thing was that Michael was extremely well-read.


I didn't know that.

Bob Sanger: No. Few people did. In trial - and I knew Michael, but I got to know him a lot better at the trial. The judge was doing jury selection, and it was time for break. Judge Melville said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that jury service is very, very important.' He's trying to convince people not to have stupid excuses to get out of jury service. All judges do this. He says, 'The jury system is a very time-honored system. It's been around for 200 years. We're going to take a break and come back in 15 minutes.

We stand up and the judge leaves, and Michael turns to me and says, "Bob, the jury system is much older than 200 years, isn't it?' I said, 'Well, yeah, it goes back to the Greeks.' He says, 'Oh yeah, Socrates had a jury trial, didn't he?' I said, 'Yeah, well, you know how it turned out for him.' Michael says, 'Yeah, he had to drink the hemlock.' That's just one little tidbit. We talked about psychology, Freud and Jung, Hawthorne, sociology, black history and sociology dealing with race issues. But he was very well read in the classics of psychology and history and literature.


That's fascinating.

Bob Sanger: He loved to read. He had over 10,000 books at his house. And I know that because - and I hate to keep referring to the case, because I don't want the case - the case should not define him. But one of the things that we learned - the DA went through his entire library and found, for instance, a German art book from 1930-something. And it turned out that the guy who was the artist behind the book had been prosecuted by the Nazis. Nobody knew that, but then the cops get up there and say, 'We found this book with pictures of nude people in it.' But it was art, with a lot of text. It was art. And they found some other things, a briefcase that didn't belong to him that had some Playboys in it or something. But they went through the guy's entire house, 10,000 books. And it caused us to do the same thing, and look at it.

And there were places that he liked to sit, and you could see the books with his bookmarks in it, with notes and everything in it where he liked to sit and read. And I can tell you from talking to him that he had a very - especially for someone who was self-taught, as it were, and had his own reading list - he was very well-read. And I don't want to say that I'm well-read, but I've certainly read a lot, let's put it that way, and I enjoy philosophy and history and everything myself, and it was very nice to talk to him, because he was very intellectual, and he liked to talk about those things. But he didn't flaunt it, and it was very seldom that he would initiate the conversation like that, but if you got into a conversation like that with him, he was there.

Do you remember the last time you saw him, or talked to him?

Bob Sanger: The last time I talked to him was right after the trial, and then he moved out of the country. I had not seen him personally, in person - I talked to him on the phone - since them. Of course, I talked to people around him, because we still took care of matters for him. But the best I can say, and I don't want to oversell my significance in his world, but I want to convey this side of him that people didn't see. I just hate - every time I hear Jay Leno or somebody take a cheap shot - and Jay Leno I think is a very funny man - but every time they take a cheap shot I think, that really isn't fair, because that's not who he is. And few people had an opportunity to really experience the kindness of him and his family. And few people really had the opportunity the have these intellectual discussions about great thinkers and writers. Freud and Jung - go down the street and try and find five people who can talk about Freud and Jung.

So I have to ask. Are you representing his estate?

Bob Sanger: No, no. I represented him up here for Santa Barbara-type matters.

And what's the status of Neverland Ranch?

Bob Sanger: I don't know the exact - I always hesitate to comment on this because I don't know exactly. It was taken over by an investor. I don't know that it was sold outright, I'm not sure exactly. But Michael - after having it raided three times by the cops to no avail for them, it shook him. He was living there up until the trial, and continued to live there during the trial, but just before the trial, they got a search warrant and went back out, allegedly because they wanted to find as-built plans for the house. And they could have asked us and we would have given them to him. They could have made a motion in court and we would have given them to him. They could have gone down to the archives and got them. But it was just an excuse to go out and raid it one more time. They roused him early in the morning, and his kids were there, and after that he said, 'I don't think I can live here anymore.' And it was a shame. He had his tree. He would go up in this tree, and he wrote some of his songs there. It's kind of like a historic place, but for him it was a very personal place.

The Source:
http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2009/06/michael_jackson_lawyer_bob_san.php

:pray::heart::pray:​
 
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Idilvice Fashion Rocks: Story behind the pic ~

The Blog Article:

Michael Jackson
The King of Pop is now living in history... Thursday, June 25, 2009

That small, framed picture on my grandmothers piano magnetized me immensely when I was a young girl. Michael Jackson. Back then, I am sure I did not quiet grasp how big of an icon he really was.

Years later when my grandmother died, my family asked me (I was already living in the US) what I would want from her house as a keepsake and I did not have to think long and said: "I want the picture with Michael Jackson from the piano!" And so it has been in my possession for years now, framed hanging always on the wall in all my different apartments, I never failed to bring it along. Needless to say I am a big fan of Michael Jackson.

To have this personal piece of history means a lot to me and I like to share it here and now. Pictured backstage at a concert in Switzerland are my uncle Dr. Rudy Meyer (a surgeon of Mr. Jackson), his wife, his son and girlfriend and my aunt Estelle Hoefflin surrounding Michael Jackson. We never found out who the little girl in the picture is...The little girl in the photo is backing singer Dorian Holley's daughter.

R.I.P Michael Jackson



The Idilvice Fashion Blog:
http://idilvice.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/michael-jackson.html
 
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Lighting Man for Victory Tour shares his memories of Michael Jackson

Life is building memories with the family and friends we make along the way.

And 1984 was a great year for me. I worked for Ozzy Osbourne for six months as the touring Lighting Designer on Bark at the Moon.

Ozzy ended and I moved on to The Jackson&#8217;s Victory Tour as lighting crew chief. We spent time in Los Angeles rehearsing and then we flew to Arrowhead for more practice and to kick off their national tour.

I had a little bit of time off to see some of the sights in Kansas City. I met a pretty little woman, just like the song. We had a long distance relationship and in 1985 I moved here and we got married.

The Victory Tour created our chance meeting.

Our daughter was born in 1988.

I continued to work in the concert touring industry until the summer of 1993. I wanted to spend more time at home with my wife, my stepson and my daughter instead of in a bunk on a tour bus.

Lady luck looked my way again and I took over as General Manager at Sandstone. I stayed for 11 boiling hot summers.

I made a lot of friends during my years touring.

It was like getting a new set of brothers and sisters every six months.

However the Victory Tour was the largest touring family I had ever experienced. We would grow and change personnel constantly, but there was a core group of 140 who were pretty much there for the whole tour. And I have kept in contact with a few of my old touring friends through the years.

The day after Michael Jackson&#8217;s untimely death, I had some calls and emails. We were all sad and surprised. On each call or in every email we shared little snippets of our time with Michael. He was shy when he was off stage. Michael usually had an entourage of one or two bodyguards, but he would always say hello to anyone in the crew who happened his way. We respected him and his brothers for their talent and drive.

The Victory Tour was on the road for six months in 1984. We experienced heat, rain, and cold as we crossed the country playing each weekend.

Every night the show kicked off with all of the brothers on stage performing.

Michael had thirty or more minutes solo about an hour into the show. There were a lot of us on the crew who were regulars at finding a spot to watch him perform as often as we could.

The transformation from the shy, soft spoken persona to field commander on the stage took place as soon as his microphone was on. The strength and vision Michael had was incredible. He hit every cue. He was a perfectionist. It was all about giving the fans the best.

I learned right away how Michael memorized everything. We had more than 800 lights operating over his head. In one of our first full nights of rehearsal, four lights were not working. He stopped the song to make sure I knew the lights were out. I was stunned that he noticed and even more surprised at how polite he was. It was my first conversation with him and he just wanted to make sure I knew about the malfunction.

One of my cues on the Victory Tour was at the start of the show; I had to push buttons to operate equipment from the side of the stage. I stood in an area masked to the audience, but I had a clear view of the lighting equipment moving higher over the stage set.

Michael would stand beside me often and look out at the stadium of excited fans screaming in anticipation. Michael knew I was busy, so he would grab my elbow to let me know he was there so I would not be startled. I would wish him a great show each time and he would thank me and then take his place for the entrance.

In 1992, I was in Atlanta lighting a television special. Michael was a guest on the show. I was backstage for a moment before we were going to tape his segment. One of his bodyguards saw me and came over to say hello. He told me I should go into the dressing room and say hello to Michael. I said I would be surprised if Michael remembered me, but he told me, Michael already spotted me and would like it if I had the time to come by his dressing room. I walked in and Michael hugged me and asked how I had been. We talked for a couple of minutes but both of us had to get back to work.

On the Victory Tour, Michael and his brothers had parties for the band and crew in a few cities after the show. Hindsight is 20/20. I have worked for a lot of famous people through the years and I wish I had a picture or autograph from each one, but at one of the Victory Tour parties I took the opportunity to sit with Michael and one of my friends took our picture.

My daughter called when she heard the tragic news about Michael. She asked me if I still had the picture she had seen at home as she was growing up. She asked if I could scan it and send it to her. She teased me about my hair having color 25 years ago. I reminded her that gray is a color.

Michael Jackson and his brothers started my life and career in Kansas City. I am grateful for the many memories. I am sad for the loss of a truly gifted performer and someone I had the privilege to know and work with.

Larry Hovick

General Manager, the Midland by AMC

The Source:
kcconfidential.com
 
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Really good story from that "Lighting Man,' very touching. I'm happy to know he started off his own family that way. It's a sweet story, and nice photo. You were incredibly lucky...
 



Heal the World: Michael Jackson as the King of Charity


Michael Jackson was not only the King where music was concerned, but he was also the King of charity. The Millennium-Issue of the "Guinness Book of Records" named Michael as the Pop Star that supports the most charities. In all, 39 international organizations were named, but Michael was known to give away anonymously and to local charities often, with an estimated $500 million charity donations made in his lifetime.
His most notable charity work came in the form of a song that he co-wrote with Lionel Ritchie in order to help children who lived in countries that were suffering from poverty and civil unrest. "We are the World" was produced by Quincy Jones and performed by Michael and 45 other musicians, friends and actors. The proceeds of the song were donated to those who were starving in Africa.

This led Michael to create the Heal the World Foundation, which was formed to improve the lives of children and teach them how to help others. The foundation helped international charity organizations fight poverty, hunger, cancer, abuse, AIDS, disease, illiteracy and racism. Michael also wrote the flagship song for the organization called Heal The World.

During the History Tour in Bombay, Michael donated the proceeds of his concerts to local hospitals and charities. This is only one example of the many times where Michael would donate proceeds of his concerts to those that were most in need. He also donated his personal items for auction to UNESCO.

In addition, Michael wrote many of his songs to support charity and noteworthy campaigns. His song Gone Too Soon was written in honor of AIDS victim Ryan White, who received a contaminated blood transfusion early on in life. Ironically, White was from Michael's home state of Indiana. All sales of Man In the Mirror went to the Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times for cancer children.

Other famous charities to which Michael donated were the Make A Wish Foundation, the Minority Aids Project, Angel Food, the American Cancer Society and the Society of Singers. While his voice went Platinum many times over in the record world, his heart was golden.

The Source:
http://voices.yahoo.com/heal-world-michael-jackson-as-king-charity-4124247.html

Thank-you thrillerchild for Originally Posting this:clapping:
 
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"But He Never Calls Me !"

Maximilian Schell, Hollywood Reporter, November 1993

In November of 1993, as the media feasted on the first child sex abuse allegation to be made against Michael Jackson, Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell sent the following letter to the Hollywood Reporter and paid for it to be printed on the back page of every copy of the publication.
Transcript follows. Many thanks to Robert Schnakenberg.


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MAXIMILIAN SCHELL

NOV, 19
1993

TO: MICHAEL JACKSON
(SOMEWHERE ON THIS PLANET)

DEAR MICHAEL,

I AM DEEPLY ASHAMED &#8212; FOR THE PRESS, FOR THE MEDIA, FOR THE WORLD &#8211; I don&#8217;t know you &#8211; we met only ONCE on one of those Award-Dinners (&#8220;ENTERTAINER of the DECADE&#8221;) &#8211; We shook hands &#8211; you were kind and polite &#8211; I don&#8217;t think you knew who I was &#8211; HOW SHOULD YOU? OUR WORLDS ARE TOO FAR APART &#8211; (I am more, &#8220;CLASSICAL&#8221; &#8211; minded -) but I looked into your eyes &#8212; THEY WERE KIND &#8211;

You are a great artist and I admire you &#8211; my little daughter (she is 9½) LOVES YOU! DEEPLY &#8211; SHE EVEN WANTS TO MARRY YOU! (-&#8221;BUT HE NEVER CALLS ME!&#8221;) SHE IMITATES YOU ALL THE TIME &#8211; and quite well -

WE ALL LOVE YOU

I would like her more to listen to MOZART &#8211; but she loves YOU! AND I RESPECT HER TASTE! &#8211;

THAT YOU SURVIVE THIS AVALANCHE OF DIRT THROWN AT YOU &#8211; I ADMIRE TREMENDOUSLY -

THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE!

GOD BLESS YOU

Maximilian Schell

P.S. &#8220;ONE CAN ONLY SEE GOOD WITH THE HEART &#8211; THE ESSENTIAL IS INVISIBLE FOR THE EYES&#8221; &#8211; (&#8220;THE LITTLE PRINCE&#8221;)


The Source:
http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/01/but-he-never-calls-me.html
 
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Thank-you Anitka for Originally Posting this Article

The professionals in radio and the music industry who were welcomed aboard and helped contribute to the MJ phenomenon recall many of those moments when they learned firsthand the work ethic, discipline, passion and pursuit of excellence through which Michael defined not only his artistry but his very lifeform—a template upon which to build a better world.


Quote~ When I first met Michael Jackson, he was 10 years old. A friend of mine, Mavis Staples of the world-famous Staples Singers, introduced me and said, “You are not going to believe this.” She was right…I was knocked off my feet. Without a shadow of doubt, Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer ever to grace the face of this earth. The pop culture world is measured by this man—a man who had a good and kind soul. During one of the tours, he wanted to visit Haiti. When we arrived, it was a cultural shock for all of us, but to see the hurt on Michael’s face—at these poverty-stricken people—it was devastating to him. He was real quiet all the way back.

I have been very fortunate to be raised with James Brown, to work with Elvis Presley and to know Michael Jackson. It just don’t get no better than this, to know Michael Jackson—the man, the pioneer, the humanitarian. There are so many who owe this man so much.
—Lonnell “King Ro” Conley, Announcer and Blues Director Jazz City Radio

Quote~ I’ve had the opportunity to talk with people like Nelson Mandela and Oprah Winfrey, but the relationship with Michael was very special. Every time I left him, I’d be sad seeing him standing on the porch waving good-bye. He was always so welcoming, so hospitable. He was never about selfishness or harming anyone. He was always about trying to be closer to God, to be Christ-like. He loved more than he was loved and was always trying to get closer to God, to do the right thing even though it wasn’t always what he wanted to do. And whenever he was tested, he looked for his strength within, from bringing God into his body and putting him first in his life. Michael was really very spiritual and put God in control of his life. He was truly blessed by God.

Michael was truly the greatest performer. When he hit that zone, no one could touch him. I remember him doing three shows in a row and Justin Timberlake was supposed to join him onstage, but when Justin came out, he just froze and Michael was poppin’! Awesome! He didn’t need the special effects or anything else; he was the real performer.

And you could see him going into that spiritual zone backstage when he was getting ready for a show. He was always calm, relaxed, smooth. He would do his own makeup and take a few minutes alone in his dressing room where he had a picture of The Three Stooges that he liked on the wall. Then he would very calmly emerge and just blow the audience away. Even in Japan on his comeback tour when he was a little nervous about how people felt about him then, he always had the utmost professionalism and was always on time, and again, just blew them away.

Japan has more orphanages than any place in the world and Michael wanted to do something for them while he was there so we picked one to visit that just so happened to be supported by Bill and Melinda Gates. Michael would arrive with no publicity and with multiple toys for each child. His own kids would go with him and he would be educating them as to what was going on. The kids were delighted, but Michael would also take the time to personally shake the hands of each of the nuns at the orphanage thanking each of them for taking care of the children.

And people just melted around him. One time when he was taking his kids to Disneyland, word had gotten out that he was coming and everyone knew his favorite ride was Peter Pan, so there was gridlock by the time he arrived. But he just held his hands up and the crowd opened up like parting the Red Sea. Then he would watch the parade from the Main Street rooftop and eat hot dogs and French fries with his kids. I thank God everyday that I was graced by this angel and am reminded even moreso that we can’t take our time here for granted. There is no tomorrow promised and you’ve gotta let people know you love them. That’s what Michael was about.
—Qadree El-Amin, Southpaw Entertainment

Quote~ On the occasions that I talked with Michael, I found him to be very attentive, a very good listener, and he was very much in control of that group even though he was the youngest member. He knew his place on stage, and as quiet as he seemed to be with his soft-spoken voice, when he was on stage, he was in command…There was something about him that was attractive. He had two decades of greatness, and it’s easy to see that staying power was not going away. When he walked into a room, even CEOs of major companies acted like groupies, running to the stage, doing everything they could to get autographs. His persona was gigantic, and his talent matched that. Michael’s music is his legacy…
-“Super” Jay Johnson, ABC/Citadel Media, Dallas, Texas

Quote~ I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Jackson a few years ago at BET CEO Debra Lee’s home. Down to earth. That sums him up, and he deserves every accolade bestowed upon him!
—Rosalind R. Ray, Esq, Co-Manager The O’Jays

Quote~ The thing I admired most about Michael was what a hard worker he was. He was a perfectionist who gave his all to whatever he did, writing, dancing or singing We all need something that drives us and pushes us into staying on top of our game, no matter what it is. Michael worked so hard that he’s still making money even though he’s no longer with us! He only wanted us to have his best.
—Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” founder of REACH Media, Inc, the Tom Joyner Foundation and BlackAmericaWeb.com

Quote~ Though it ended way too soon, Michael’s life was beautiful. Sure there were some sad times, but Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of.
My memories of Michael are of a 10-year old, whose passion was to be the greatest entertainer in the world and he was willing to work as hard and do whatever it took to become what he indeed became—the undisputed “King of Pop” the world over. What kid wouldn’t give his right arm to fulfill his wildest childhood dreams? Michael loved it all…every moment on stage, every moment in rehearsal. Michael loved creating what had never been done before. He loved everything and everybody. Especially his fans. Off stage Michael was shy, soft-spoken and child-like. But when he took that stage in front of his screaming fans, he turned into another person, a master, a “take no prisoners” showman. It was kill or be killed. I mean, Michael was awesome!!! Totally in charge. In fact, the more I remember and talk about Michael Jackson, the more I feel the “King of Pop” is not big enough for him. I think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived.
–Berry Gordy, Founder of Motown

Quote~ Michael should be the Man of Every Year! He was truly a nice person who put his everything into everything he did. He was more gifted than anyone I’ve ever known.
—Ron Isley

Quote~ Michael has always had a big heart. One time he came to Atlanta at the request of me and then President Jimmy Carter and his appearance enabled us to immunize some 37,000 pre-school kids. He was phenomenal.
—former UN Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young

Quote~ I remember in 1975 as a “lil girl” I won a Jackson 5 ‘45 from the legendary AM 850 WRAP in Norfolk, Virginia. OMG! Still today I can recall my excitement. At the time Michael Jackson had all the potential to be a musical genius–a star in the making. He became that and more and I will always treasure the fact that from the beginning I would live to see the entire legacy of this musical genius as a fan and professional. The world has not yet grasped the true loss of this icon. With his solid encore performances in “Michael,” we get to hear musically what was on Michael’s heart and the message that he wanted to give the world. His trademark sound is heard throughout the project, but I wonder what it would’ve sounded like if it had Michael’s final touches on it, a promotional tour to see this giant at his best with his signature style and dance performances… we can only dream, but thank God I have an archive of music and memories to last me a life time.
—Frankie Darcell, syndicated host of the “Mid-Day Mix” and “Sunday Morning Talk of the Town” on WMXD-FM (Mix 92.3) in Detroit, Michigan

Quote~ All the explosions, nakedness and poorly choreographed steps we see today couldn’t replace ONE of Michael’s “moonwalks.” All I can say is Michael, the WORLD misses you! Your time, dedication, sacrifice and financial support will never be forgotten. Your life itself was a gift to all of us!
—Skip Dillard, PD Inner City Broadcasting UAC WBLS-FM (107.5), New York City

Quote~ Some people spend their lives loving Michael as a fan.
Some people fulfill their life’s dream working with Michael as a colleague.
Some people were blessed to know Michael as a friend.
I have experienced all three and my life is enriched because of it.
There are a million beautiful and personal memories of Michael worth more than the most precious thing the world has to offer.
I will cherish those memories forever.
–Greg Phillinganes, musician, artist

Quote~ I’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the best, from Frank Sinatra to Elton John, Dylan to Garth Brooks…and, then there was Michael. Mike was more fun than Barnum and Bailey, exciting, incredibly smart, with unbelievable and unequaled gifts. There is no doubt he was the greatest entertainer of all time.
—Norman Winter, More Than the Norm

The Sources:

http://respeconize.com/tag/jesse-jackson/

www.mjj-777.com
 
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The Article:

Michael Jackson Opinion by bubbles0/ 2010

Michael Jackson carried so much hope and light for the world. Through his beautiful voice, amazing dance, and tireless devotion to others, God worked miracles through Michael Jackson.

However, his neglected childhood would become the catalyst to multi faceted complexities that would combust in a lifetime of struggle. Many never realized and do not take the time to understand that Michael was truly a child at heart. Michael never experienced a childhood. He never enjoyed the years that would teach him the many things he would later need in life. And by his own admission, he over compensated for it. While he was gifted, educated, intelligent, and well read, these lost formative years deprived him of insight into mature boundaries and the difference between intelligence and common sense.

When Michael was entering his 20s, his Pop star was on the rise. While on one side, Michael Jackson stood as a "once in forever" genius entertainer and businessman, Michael stood on the other as a boy destitute of significant childhood experiences that would balance his life. Perhaps this was God's plan. Someone once said to me, "The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you."

To the "collective", to the "media" I ask, where was our love, our compassion, our justice?

Michael once pleaded in the autobiographical lyrics of "Childhood", "Before you judge me, try hard to love me." Jesus said, "Do not judge, lest ye be judged." The dichotomy of Michael Jackson was clearly a complex mix of brilliant superstardom that rose so high, you had to look down to see heaven and a journey so low, you were blinded by the depths of his despair. It is through his perfection and his flaws, his "perfect imperfection" that we have glimpsed ourselves; that we have witnessed the human condition.

The media brutalized a lovely human being. Often misunderstood, Michael would spend a lifetime facing unyielding pressures and scrutiny while he tried to live a balance between the professional and the personal, always attempting to overcome the boundaries between the surreal and the real. Until his death, he searched for truth, and through his inner child, I am convinced that God called him home.

He had the heart of a child, the patience of Job, and the drive of a warrior. Michael Jackson is worthy of our respect. He was on the front lines every day fighting for the sake of others who could not help themselves. He used his blessings to create a magical place for kids and the kid at heart to visit...to escape the torments of life, even if just for a short while. He used his musical influence to heal the planet and help special needs, at risk, and sick children across the globe. Throughout his life, he contributed $300 Million (some sources say $500 Million) to worldwide charities, forever relentless in his fight to help others.

I am sick and tired of hearing and reading that Michael Jackson should not be celebrated as a hero. Michael Jackson is EXACTLY the kind of hero we should be celebrating. We should celebrate the man who gave us everything he had to give, despite horrific abuse, a neglected childhood, lupus, skin disorders, chronic pain from relentless physical exertion, and unimaginable stress he would have to endure at the hands of those who would seek to destroy him.

Though he was an idiosyncratic, flawed man, this gentle soul could never cause harm. In the end, he would not be able to escape the effects of life's personal torment. He deserves our respect; our love; our compassion. He made the world a better place.

God blessed Michael with inimitable gifts. His light shone because of Jesus. Those of us who know the truth, we hurt because we sense the loss of that light. But truly, Michael's spirit has finally discovered peace. The miracle is that Jesus continues to do His work through Michael even now, after his death. Many are now understanding what this man did for the world through God's gifts.

Evangelists Andrae and Sandra Crouch (brother and sister), worked with Michael on many projects. They were friends to the end. There has been a lot written about Michael's faith. Michael believed in God. Michael believed in Jesus. He met with Andrae and Sandra three weeks prior to his death, and while they both have clarified they did not pray what is called the "sinners prayer", they prayed together over the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

God knew Michael's heart. I like to think in his final moments, the Holy Spirit came upon him, and not only did Michael accept, he ran into the open arms of his Lord. At last, he has found rest.

Michael is asleep now. We will see him again.

The light will continue to shine, and Michael will continue to smile.

The Source:
http://www.fanpop.com/spots/michael-jackson/articles/42784/title/michael-jackson
:heart::pray::heart:
 
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Tom Bahler's soulful memories with Michael Jackson

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DAYTON, Ohio &#8211; Electrifying sell-out crowds, with distinguished vocals and mind-blowing dance routines is one way fans remember Michael Jackson. For Tom Bahler, memories of Jackson are meaningful, filled with harmonies, laughter and Motown soul.

As a songwriter, studio singer, arranger and producer, Bahler has worked with a variety of artists, including the Temptations, Barbara Streisand, Elvis Presley and Smokey Robinson. Among his list of seasoned performers is Michael Jackson, dating back to the early 1970s. "Back in the day when I first met Michael, he was warm, and at the same time, inside of himself," Bahler said. "He knew there was a fire inside of himself."

Bahler, along with his brother John Bahler began working at Motown Records in 1972. They were given multiple tasks, including background singing and vocal arranging. Together, they worked with the Jackson 5. "We use to start [around] 4:30 p.m., after school [let out,]" Tom said. "They'd arrive in a limousine from school and go straight into the studio."

According to Tom, he and John treasure their memories at Motown because of the music. "It was a wonderful chapter in our lives," he said. "It was the greatest experience ever. I think it was spiritually fulfilling."

Tom reminisces about Jackson and considers his memories to be priceless. He said it's hard to pinpoint specific memories because there are many, but said he will never forget what Jackson did one day in Motown's studio. "Being the youngest of the Jackson 5, everybody was always telling Michael where to stand," he said. "It wasn't because he was &#8216;Michael Jackson,' but because he was the youngest. One day, Michael walked over and leaned against a piano and just started singing. I was thinking, &#8216;A kid this young with this much soul.' It was just extraordinary."

In 1973, Tom began working with Quincy Jones. (He arranged Jones' album "Body Heat.") The two became fast friends and enjoyed working together. At the same time, Tom and John continued working with a variety of artists, including the Jackson 5. Jones knew who the group was, but never worked with them musically.

Both Tom and Jones remained busy with music-related projects, but stayed connected. In 1977, Jones began directing the 1978-released film "The Wiz." Tom worked behind the cameras as the film's vocal arranger. The cast featured a star-studded lineup, including Diana Ross as "Dorothy," Nipsey Russell as the "Tin Man," Ted Ross as the "Cowardly Lion," Lena Horn as "Glinda the Good Witch," Richard Pryor as "The Wiz" and Jackson as the "Scarecrow." "When we did &#8216;The Wiz' I knew Michael, but Quincy was [just getting better acquainted with him,]" Tom said. "It was fun seeing that relationship grow. It shows you what can happen when you have the right combination of mind and spirit."

The same year, 1977, Tom wrote a ballad describing emotional heartbreak, detailing what was currently going on in his life. The song was called "She's Out of My Life." "I was going with a wonderful woman and woke up with her, and she wanted to get married, and I wasn't ready," he said. "These thoughts were going through my mind on the freeway one night. I said [to myself,] &#8216;Hey man, you made a choice. Face it. She's out of your life.' I was like &#8216;Wow' at what I was thinking. By the time I got home, the song was written in 13 minutes."

Tom's ballad is featured on Jackson's 1979 solo album Off the Wall. According to him, Jackson wasn't his original choice to sing the track. "But [Michael] understood drama," he said. Jackson was moved by the song and tearful toward the end of every recording he made. Tom said Jones had Jackson record the song 12 times before deciding to keep the emotional ending. The version released on Off the Wall is the first recording Jackson made. "When he sang &#8216;She's Out of My Life," he cried," Tom said. "People don't hear how he apologized at the end of every take. I asked Michael on a break if he was alright. I said, &#8216;Hey man, sorry if I hit a chord.' [Michael] said, &#8216;No man, I was just getting into the lyrics."

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Throughout his career, Tom and John remained connected with Jackson, becoming his vocal arrangers. "Any time he'd do something on voices, he'd call us," Tom said. "Michael was great. He was always open [to our comments.] But at the same time, he was an incredible singer."

Tom said he can't remember every song he worked on with Jackson while at Motown, but said he has beautiful memories, filled with "funny moments." "There were so many songs, that if I hear them, then I can remember them," he said. Still, one song stands out in his mind: Jackson's version of "Rockin' Robin." Tom remembers helping him practice his vocals for the song. Another reason the track is important to him is because of a memory he has with Jackson years later. "John and I met with Michael at Neverland Ranch, and when he came into the room and sat down, John and I got on each side of him and started singing, &#8216;Tweedly-deedly-dee. Tweedly-deedly-dee.' [Michael] was a fun guy. He had such a bright spirit."

Memories of music fill Tom's head when thinking of Jackson, and are close to his heart. "Michael was an amazing spirit and had a real gift for singing," he said. "Everything he did, I found to be unique, funky, hip and tasteful. He was one of the greatest entertainers I've ever encountered and I'll never forget him."


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Christina Chaffin - About the Author:
As a freelance writer based in Dayton, Ohio, I have published over 20 articles for a small newspaper in the Midwest. I have spent time covering multiple topics including the economy and entertainment. However, my passion revolves around writing artist profiles, album reviews and anything else music-related. To get in touch, e-mail cmchaffin@gmail.com.

The Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-a...ul-memories-with-michael-jackson-2720728.html
 
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does any know were i can find the article calling michael the king of pop? thank you
 
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Reflections on Michael Jackson's Number 1 Hits
Michael Jackson Lived on Billboard Charts, Especially in the 80's
Wendy Dawn, Yahoo! Contributor Network

With the passing of the "King of Pop," an era of musical history ends. Despite your personal opinions of Michael Jackson, his talent and artistry is undeniable. Michael Jackson is known and loved all over the world.
"Thriller" is the first song, album, and video to come to mind when you mention Michael Jackson. That single album went platinum 28 times, according to Billboard.com. "Thriller" became the top-selling studio album in the United States, surpassed only by the Eagles Greatest Hits collection, reports Billboard.com.

As a child of the 80's, I don't need to look at Billboard or any other chart to remember the impact of Michael Jackson's music. He created an entire new era of music. He put the "pop" in pop and proclaimed himself the "King of Pop." His passing is eerily reminiscent of "The King," Elvis Presley's passing.

As a solo artist, Michael Jackson had 13 hits at number 1 on Billboard's charts. The following songs hit number one on Billboard.

"You are Not Alone" was Michael Jackson's last album to hit the number one spot, Sept 2, 1995.

Other number one hits include:

Who is it? - 1993

In the Closet - 1992

Remember the Time - 1992

Black or White - 1991

Another Part of Me - 1988

Dirty Diana - 1988

Man in the Mirror - 1988

The Way You Make Me Feel - 1988

Bad - 1987

I Just Can't Stop Loving You - 1987

We are the World - 1985

Say, Say, Say - 1983

Beat It - 1983

Billie Jean - 1983

Rock with You - 1980

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - 1979

Ben - 1972

Reading through Michael Jackson's list of number one Billboard hits is like taking a walk down memory lane. It was Michael Jackson's music that kept us moving, dancing, and inspired through the tough years of middle school and high school in the 1980s.

Everyone tried to imitate his seemingly fluid dance moves, very few ever came close.

While pop music was on the rise all around him, Michael Jackson rose to be the cream of the crop in the pop music field.

This doesn't even take into consideration the soulful music that Michael began making on-stage at the age of four. The influence of the Jackson 5 is just as profound for their era. The Jackson 5 helped usher Motown in to the mainstream.

The impact of Michael Jackson's music will never be forgotten, nor will the day of his death.

The Source:
http://voices.yahoo.com/reflections-michael-jacksons-number-1-hits-3675002.html?cat=9
 
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Never Can Say Goodbye:
Michael Jackson One Year On

Just a little warning, this isn’t anything more than me wanting to put down on paper how Michael Jackson influenced me, made me think about things, brought music into my life. It is not supposed to be any sort of well researched biography - there are plenty of those around, and one or two of them well written and quite informative actually!
I can tell you exactly where I was 365 days ago today. I could even narrow it down to within a few centimeters as I was in this very same spot (ironically both physically and mentally, but thats another story). I was sat here chatting to my girlfriend when on the twitter stream came up some breaking news of Michael Jackson being hospitalized having suffered a heart attack. We carried on chatting, talk now moved on to just one topic and we watched the reports and rumors kept streaming through in disbelief.
The gossip sites were going crazy with rumors but there just seemed to be a lack of credibility about it all, it did not seem believable - it’s Michael Jackson, your heroes don’t die, they live on forever. They are meant to still be banging out the old hits until you are old enough to know better like the Stones, living off their former bands glory like McCartney, being a recluse like the blonde one from ABBA, maybe even start spreading whispers of a come back with a modern ueber-cool producer of the day like Neil Diamond but they don’t go and die. But actually now I’ve written that list, and I read it through again, Michael had already done all of that. In fact he had done most of it by about 1987.
In some ways I feel that I was born, and so came to his music, too late to truly appreciate how ground breaking it was at the time. I missed out on all the Motown classics, the Jacksons and the teenage solo albums and Off The Wall. I guess I really missed out on the cultural shockwave that Thriller and the videos to those tracks must have been at the time so I don’t think it would be fair to use hindsight and knowledge gained to talk impartially on just how good all that music is. It must have been around 1985 or ’86 when I first consciously took notice of Michael’s music. Of the mega stars of the 1980’s, Michael, Prince and Madonna, there was only one in our house. My dad has only ever had about three tapes in his car. Thriller was the one we wanted all the time. I didn’t know it at the time of course but those car journeys were the start of my musical journey - everything I have been into since can be traced through Michael, everything that influenced him to everything he influenced after him.
From the opening stabs of duff-duff-duff here comes the funk, we are going on a journey and you wanna be startin’ something? Too right! What a start to an album. It is clearly the biggest selling album of all-time for a reason. The reason isn’t some clever marketing brainwash to tell everyone to buy it for a fashion. It is because it is the best 40 minutes of hit followed by even bigger and better hit ever. I mean Beat It into Billie Jean into Human Nature into PYT - most artists don’t have that many good tracks in a career. Michael had them all on side two. I even love the corny chatty bit at the end of The Girl Is Mine! Even as a kid though, I always, and still do, wondered how The Lady In My Life made it on as the last track? But I kind of like Michael the flawed genius and anyway the thing good about that track was that it meant I was only a few minutes away from the start of the tape again.
That tape became a right of passage or a ritual for our family. When my older brother got his first car, my dad left Thriller in there. When that car went to the great scrapheap in the sky, the only thing he had to make 101% sure he took out was that tape. The evening I picked up my first car, dad gave me the tape. I purposely drove around long enough to listen to the whole album.
I think I must have got the Bad tape for my 6th birthday in 1988, there is no way my uncle would have been the sort of person to buy a record on release date, plus as a 5 year old I must have wanted to know all the singles first so given that it came out in August ’87, I think it must have already been just over a year old when I got my copy. Now this wasn’t like the family’s Thriller tape - that was a proper official release version, Bad was a taped copy off my uncle’s lp but I didn’t mind. Just like Thriller, Bad was and still is the sort of album you just put on and listen straight through and then start it again, there just aren’t really any weak tracks. Again, it was the b-side of the lp where all my favourite section of the album is; Another Part Of Me, Man In The Mirror, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal. I remember constantly rewinding the tape trying to catch the lyrics to Smooth Criminal. Listening to it again now it isn’t hard at all and I know we have since had super fast rappers like Twista and every juke track out at the moment uses sped up r’n’b vocals, but back then, I just couldn’t believe how fast the verses were.
I remember when we went to see Moonwalker and again I have just had to check the release date because I’m sure we went to see it in the summer holidays yet it was released in October 1988 - it must have either still been on 9 months later or had a re-release for the summer. I must have been the biggest fan at the moment - and the most annoying kid about it. I can still remember to this day me and my brothers were given a choice of a treat day out during the holidays, they wanted to go swimming and I wanted to see Michael Jackson. God only knows how despite being out voted, we ended up going to the pictures - my mind must have blocked out whatever fuss I kicked up! Well despite the fact it had no plot, only the briefest snippets of what were (with hindsight) his best work with the Jackson 5 and some pretty dreadful acting, I loved it. I wanted to dance to Speed Demon with a 6 foot rabbit, I wanted to hear him pay himself the royalties for covering Beatles songs and I really wanted to be able to defy gravity and lean over THAT far!
Then it all went quiet. The late ‘80s and early ‘90s meant new and weird sounds from Chicago, Detroit and Manchester coming via my brothers bedroom. Anonymous, slightly illicit records just seemed to complete opposite of the high production values and mini movies of Michael Jackson. My tastes changed and yet word of comeback still brought levels of hysteria and excitement that something special was coming.
I vividly remember the first time I saw the video to Black Or White on TV. Or more specifically the first two times I saw it as the very first time was on prime time and it stopped at what I think is generally accepted as the standard video edit version these days, after all the faces change on the final chorus. I felt a little underwhelmed by both the song and the video in all honesty - after all I had been waiting four years for this moment and this wasn’t to be my Thriller moment. I soon saw the full version where he smashes up a car and dances on top of it, I think my brother must have taped it but I can’t think now which channel would have shown it, we certainly didn’t have MTV then. Anyway, the dancing told me he still had it.
Yet Dangerous followed on where Black Or White had left me, unimpressed. There were some decent tracks there but nothing even then I felt was up to his exceptionally high (and clearly unrealistic) standards. Then there was the fact that almost every track on the album seemed to be a released as a single. I must have been feeling a little cynical at the time but I just couldn’t believe that one, he needed the money to release every track or two, that he thought all of them tracks were strong enough.
Although I now thought was making the first weak records of his career, if I had dug a little deeper, I would have seen that actually he did have his ear to the ground, utilizing the producers I was now idolizing to remix his back catalogue - Masters At Work, Brothers In Rhythm and Roger Sanchez to name but a few - on the b-sides to singles for the HIStory album.
I don’t really want to speak too much about all the controversies about his private life that began emerging around this time. It did nothing to diminish his crown as the King of Pop in my eyes as it has nothing to do with his music and that is all I love him for - the music. I admired him as a philanthropist and charity worker, I worried about him as a person, his state of mind but the love was never questioned, it was all about the music.
So musically at least, he went quiet again and off my radar. Then as a teenager I began working backwards, checking all the old records as my favourite djs and producers name checked Off The Wall as their most influential record of all time. At the same time bootleg remixes and records based almost entirely on samples of his tracks started floating around. It seemed that momentum was again leading up to something big - rumors abound of working with the most in demand producers of the day, The Neptunes. It all seemed so plausible - they had transformed Justin Timberlake from boy band nobody to the coolest guy in the world by basically ripping off every Michael trick in the book - in fact his best record, Rock Your Body, had been written for Michael.
As it tuned out, he went for what I felt was a safer option, using Teddy Riley again as on the Dangerous work. I actually like a lot of Invincible, You Rock My Word and Butterflies are the obvious classics and although it was never likely to be the next Thriller, it is certainly a lot more listenable than a lot of other big budget r’n’b stars make of their albums.
From what I have seen of the rehearsals for the This Is It shows, it looked as he was back on form. I guess that was one of the big reasons it seemed so unbelievable he was gone - he looked better than he had done for a number of years, he was moving better than any 18 year old Pop Idol wannabe and his voice sounded strong. He looked fighting fit.
I have spent the past few days listening to a lot of Michael’s stuff from across the years to try to find some inspiration to maybe find some unique twist on the conversations and debates that have run throughout his career and intensified over the past 12 months. If you like popular music you will find a Michael at least one track for you; soul, disco, ballads, rock, jazz, house, check, check, check. I think the legacy will unfortunately always be tainted with the controversy but ultimately in the way that, say, Elvis will forever be caricatured in the lost-it Vegas years but no-one in the right mind ever listens to anything but the ’57 rock’n’roll hits up to the ’68 comeback special classics, I guess Michael will always be seen as the guy in the red outfit from Thriller, but the voice, the music will live on.

The Source:
http://northernbynature.blogspot.ca/2010/06/never-can-say-goodbye-michael-jackson.html
 
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'WIZ' PRODUCER RECALLS JACKSON'S SENSITIVITY
By ROB COHEN

Film director Rob Cohen met Michael Jackson in New York in 1978 while producing "The Wiz," the film version of an all-black Broadway production of "The Wizard of Oz" starring Diana Ross.

He was such a sensitive guy that when we would go out to dinner -- he was a vegetarian -- he would apologize to each vegetable before he ate it. He ordered steamed vegetables and he literally would say, "I'm sorry, Mr. Carrot" and "I'm sorry, Mr. Broccoli." He was so empathetic to other people and all living things -- that's really what I remember most about Michael, even more than his dancing and singing. When you talked to Michael, you really felt he was feeling what you were feeling.

I remember one night doing a recording session for "Ease On Down the Road," and Quincy [Jones] was in the studio laying down the tracks. Michael was there with Diana, and Diana was singing her part, and then it was like "OK, Michael, let's bring in your part." Michael did a riff from "Ease on Down the Road" in that sweet angelic voice, and Quincy's eyes just lit up -- I'll never forget it. It was like watching a leopard looking at a goat. Quincy was just like, "What?" And from that moment on, those two were united, and soon they went on to do "Off The Wall" together and then "Thriller," and it was all started there in that moment.

He loved New York City. We got him and La Toya an apartment on Central Park West and sometimes I'd pick him up or drop him off and I'd always notice tons of crates of Perrier water.

I said, finally, "Michael, what's with all the Perrier?" And he said, "I like to bathe in it. I like the bubbles." Every once in a while I'd get him to come out with me to Studio 54 on a weekend night, and we'd always go with a big group of fashion models and he would get out there and dance and just ignite the place. He already had those moves, you know? He didn't just invent them for his videos. He didn't go as far with it back then, but he did the spins and the moonwalk, a little Fosse, a little Astaire.

He had no idea the effect he already had on people. We'd get back in the limo with him at the end of the night and I'd say, "Michael, you know you could go home with this girl, or you could go home with that girl. Why don't you take some of these girls home with you?" And he'd say, "Really, you really think they like me?"
 
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@mj TinkerBell, thank you i am just now seeing your response to my question. thank you very much.
 
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Kobe Bryant remembers Michael Jackson By J.E. Skeets


In a special commemorative edition of TIME on Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant thinks back on his relationship with the "King of Pop".

"One of the things he always told me was, don't be afraid to be different. In other words, when you have that desire, that drive, people are going to try to pull you away from that, and pull you closer to the pack to be 'normal.' And he was saying, It's O.K. to be that driven; it's O.K. to be obsessed with what you want to do. That's perfectly fine. Don't be afraid to not deviate from that. One of the books that he gave me that helped him communicate with me was "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," which was about that.

Beyond the genius of what he was, he was just a genuinely, genuinely nice person. He got me hooked on movies that I would normally never watch. Fred Astaire movies. All the old classics. I would never, never watch those. I remember my fiancée and I telling him we were getting married, and him just being really excited and actually just offering up the ranch to have our wedding there, because privacy was going to be an issue. We wanted to get married in a church, so that's what we wound up doing. But he made the offer. He was just a genuinely nice person who was exceptionally bright, exceptionally bright, and driven and talented. You mix those things together, man, you have Michael Jackson."

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Kobe Bryant, says his on-court mentality comes from advice offered by the King of Pop.

Out of nowhere one afternoon, Michael Jackson made a call to the irrepressible and isolated Kobe Bryant(notes), and so much changed for him. From a distance, the King of Pop could sense so much of his own obsessive genius within the prodigy. Bryant was the 18-year-old wonder for the Los Angeles Lakers, and no one knew what to make of a restlessness borne of a desperate desire for greatness.

&#8220;He noticed I was getting a lot of [expletive] for being different,&#8221; Bryant said.

They would talk for hours and hours, visiting at Neverland Ranch, and Bryant has long been fortified by the lessons Jackson instilled about the burden of honoring true talent, about the ways to open your mind to be smarter, sharper and insatiable in the chase.

&#8220;It sounds weird, I guess, but it&#8217;s true: I was really mentored by the preparation of Michael Jackson,&#8221; Bryant told Yahoo! Sports.

Bryant isn&#8217;t much for nostalgia and sentimentality, but it hung in the air as he cut into his steak over dinner recently in the fourth-floor restaurant at the Graves Hotel. Jackson is gone, but Bryant is going on 15 years with the Lakers.

&#8220;We would always talk about how he prepared to make his music, how he prepared for concerts,&#8221; Bryant said. &#8220;He would teach me what he did: How to make a &#8216;Thriller&#8217; album, a &#8216;Bad&#8217; album, all the details that went into it. It was all the validation that I needed &#8211; to know that I had to focus on my craft and never waver. Because what he did &#8211; and how he did it &#8211; was psychotic. He helped me get to a level where I was able to win three titles playing with Shaq because of my preparation, my study. And it&#8217;s only all grown.

&#8220;That&#8217;s the mentality that I have &#8211; it&#8217;s not an athletic one. It&#8217;s not from [Michael] Jordan. It&#8217;s not from other athletes.

&#8220;It&#8217;s from Michael Jackson.&#8221;​

Michael&#8217;s genius, work ethic and desire to be the greatest in his field, not only influences other musical artists, but sports figures as well. How many other musical icons have had this much influence on just about anyone with a desire to be great?
 
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REMEMBERING &#8220;MICHAEL JACKSON&#8221;
Posted by teddybishop on June 25, 2010 THE TIME ~BY TEDDY BISHOP


Wow! I remember when I was just a young boy and my mother and I were
watching the television and I saw the Jackson 5 for the first time. I
remember saying to my mom, &#8220;who is that&#8221;! And my mother said that&#8217;s
The Jackson 5. At that time they were performing on the Carol Burnett
Show. I was absolutely floored by these five black kids dancing and
playing instruments. From that day forward I knew I wanted to create
music. Looking back in retrospect my mother new what she was doing and I think that she saw a little bit of Michael Jackson in me.

My mother used to always say to me that I was going to do something
with my hands as she picked them up and looked at them as if she was
anointing me. I started playing drums at the age of 4 years old but I
didn&#8217;t get exposed to The Jackson 5 till maybe around the age of 8
years old. My mother would set up pots and pans when there was going
to be and appearance by the Jackson 5 on television I.e. The Carol
Burnett Show, American Bandstand, or Soul Train. Later when I got
In my teenage years, I was listening to all types of music, EWF, Chaka Chan, Funkadelic, Al Green, Debarge, Stevie Wonder, Prince, but I
never could get my ears off any of the songs Michael and his brothers
were singing. I remember at that time I was over at a neighbors house watching a very popular TV show called &#8220;midnight special&#8221; hosted by a
DJ named Wolfman Jack. He announced that the Jackson&#8217;s were going be performing at the end of the show singing their hit songs at that time
&#8220;Enjoy Yourself&#8221; and &#8220;Show You The Way To Go&#8221;. My eyes were glued to the TV until they performed.

After that aired, I went immediately out the next day and spent my whole
allowance on the album and some of the records that came before the
&#8220;Enjoy Yourself&#8221; album. I would sit in my room for hours listening to
every song, inflection, and instrument. At that time it was very rare
that you would even see Michael Jackson, it would take like 2 or 3 years
before he was seen again. So I had to look at video recordings of MJ
to study his moves, because by that time I had put together a dance
group and we would perform like we were the Jackson&#8217;s. The group
consisted of myself as Michael Jackson of course lol, Timothy Thomas
as Randy Jackson, a high school friend Todd Bridges as Jackie Jackson,
and a girl who could dance her ass off, Divina Buzy as Marlon
Jackson. We didn&#8217;t really care about having a Jermaine or Tito
because they never really danced like the other Jackson brothers,
however the problem came when everybody in the group wanted to be
Michael Jackson so guess what? like Mj I went solo.

When I tell you that I was a true MJ fan, I had every picture of
him and the Jackson&#8217;s on my wall. I practiced dancing like him every
day, I even wore my hair like MJ. I come from a family of
beauticians, my mother and grandmother started a successful beauty shop called &#8221; Hair Dressers For Christ&#8221;. So when the jerri curl hit the
hair industry I got my mother to give me one and damit! I was really
Michael Jackson then. When I would walk through malls or go the
movies, or when walking down the hallways of school, people would be
like dam! You look just like Michael Jackson!

Shortly after The Jackson&#8217;s &#8220;Destiny Album&#8221; Michael&#8217;s &#8221; Off The
Wall and then The Thriller Album&#8221;, Mj&#8217;s music and energy was
everywhere! When MTV premiered &#8220;Thriller&#8221; I really believe that the
whole world stood still for that 30 minutes the video was played. After that you couldn&#8217;t go anywhere without people black, white, hispanic, asian
mentioning Michael Jackson. At that time in my life, I was dealing
with some things I&#8217;m sure every teenager deals with, from trying to
figure out what to do with my life, to even the way I felt about
myself confidence. So, that year I enter myself into the schools
talent show. I remember having to report to the principles office to
let the show coordinator know what type of performance I was going to
do, and when I said, I&#8217;m going to dance like Mike Jackson, the folks
in that office looked at me like as if to say yeah right! See you had
to be on your shit if your were gonna be Mj because the guys that did
it before me got booed off the stage. So at any rate I filled out my
talent show form and walked out.

We didn&#8217;t have that much money but I got up the nerves to ask my
mother to buy me the Thriller jacket that Michael wore in the video.
The jacket cost $500.00 and when my mother heard the cost her
words to me were &#8220;boy! you better go and get one of those fake jackets for
$50 up the street, aint nobody gonna know the difference when your up
there on stage boy&#8221;! I was like but momma, I got to have the real thing
or I will get laughed at. Once my mother saw how serious I was and how hard I practiced, about two days before the show she took me the mall in Detroit call Northland Mall and bought the real Thriller jacket for me and it was on and popin at that point.

There was this great anticipation throughout the school about me
imitating MJ because others that did it before me were booed or they
would pop lock all throught the performance and then slide in a little Mike
move here and there, but nevertheless I got up there and rocked it, I
danced like Mike to the tee, the audience stood up and screamed to
whole entire time I was up there. What floored them was the famous
Michael Jackson pose when I opened up, my mother was even in the crowd cheering me on.

After my high school days I eventually grew out of whole imitating
Michael Jackson phase, but his music and his perfection stayed with
me. I started exploring the production side of music and I got into
studying producers like Quincy Jones, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,
Teddy Riley and LA Reid and Babyface, to whom which gave me my start in the music business.

Michael Jackson was more than an artist to me, through his music he was
my musical big brother. I once told Teddy Riley that I knew him
before I met him, because through his music were are cut from the same
cloth and that&#8217;s how I felt about Michael Jackson, via his music, I got
to know his creative spirit, which taught me how to work hard, perfect
what I do, be confident, and to have humility about it. I had the
opportunity to meet Michael once very briefly, and I will never forget
it, but what I&#8217;m going to hold on to the most about him is how he
shaped my life as a young kid aspiring to make my path through music.
Michael Jackson gave me the biggest hope in the world to dream big and I only hope that I can accomplish a mere faction of what he gave to this world through his music. God called home and angel that walked on this earth with us. R.I.P. Michael Jackson. 1958-2009.

&#8220;If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.&#8221; ~Michael Jackson

[LONG LIVE THE KING OF POP]

~TB

The Source:
http://teddybishop.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/remembering-michael-jackson/
 
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King of Pop Calms the Crowds during Haiti Aid Mission !
Michael Jackson is always there, even though he is no longer here..
By SETH ROBSON Stars and Stripes..Published: March 2, 2010


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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti &#8212; The late Michael Jackson is helping U.S. soldiers in Haiti deliver aid and start to rebuild the earthquake-shattered nation.

Soldiers working with the 82nd Airborne Division in Port-au-Prince are using Jackson&#8217;s music along with other American and Haitian pop songs to calm crowds during aid distribution missions.

One of the soldiers, Spc. Max &#8212; commanders asked that the last names of soldiers in the unit not be disclosed because of the nature of their jobs &#8212; said he hit upon the idea of using music for crowd control during an aid distribution mission last month.

The Haitians were trying to push ahead in line for aid,&#8221; he said.

&#8220;I put my iPod into the sound system and played some songs and the people were calmer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It reduced tension within the crowd. The next day we went out and it got the same effect.&#8221;

Max said his unit told Army leaders in Haiti about the effectiveness of music for crowd control and that its use is spreading.

&#8220;We went to another food distribution recently and some Brazilians (soldiers) showed up and they started playing music,&#8221;&#8221;he said.

When the troops played Haitian hip-hop star Wyclef Jean&#8217;s &#8220;The Sweetest Girl&#8221; through speakers mounted on the roof of a Humvee during a mission last week, Haitians responded by singing along and dancing.

&#8220;We play Akon, Wyclef Jean and Bob Marley and we were lucky enough to get some Haitian music from [a soldier who is a Haitian linguist],&#8221; Max said.

Another soldier, Spc. Anthony, said he&#8217;s heard plenty of Haitian pop since he came to Port-au-Prince.

&#8220;Maybe if I understood what they were saying I would get into it,&#8221; he said.

Max doesn&#8217;t even bother to play the 1990s alternative music that makes up the bulk of songs on his iPod.

&#8220;Most of the songs with a slow beat the Haitians give a hand signal,&#8221; he said, gesturing with crossed wrists. &#8220;It means they don&#8217;t want to hear that and skip to the next song.&#8221;

Michael Jackson songs are, by far, the most popular with crowds, Max said. The Haitians try to mimic Michael Jackson&#8217;s dance moves and incorporate some hip-hop steps, he said.

The linguist, who grew up in Haiti before moving to the U.S. at 19, said Port-au-Prince had many nightclubs when he lived there in the 1980s, and even after-school music clubs for kids.

U.S. Navy commander Michele Hancock, a medical plans and operations specialist who deployed to Haiti the day after the earthquake, said one of her enduring memories of the deployment will be the voices of women singing in a remote village at night.

&#8220;That is how they express their grief,&#8221; she said, adding that patients she saw being treated at U.S. facilities often sang when they were in pain.

Max said he doesn&#8217;t know if the way his unit has used music in Haiti could transfer to Iraq or Afghanistan but, he said, &#8220;I think on humanitarian aid missions where people have to do crowd control it would definitely be useful.&#8221;

The Source:
http://cmtk3.webring.org/l/rd?ring=mijak;id=320;url=http://lastthoughtsonmichaeljackson.blogspot.ca/
 
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Andrew Young reflects on friend Michael Jackson

When we contacted him Thursday night, Former UN ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young provided some fascinating and unique perspective on his old friend Michael Jackson.



Young had known Jackson since he was a child and a member of the Jackson 5. As CNN&#8217;s nonstop coverage of the pop star&#8217;s death played in the background, Young paused in his New York City hotel room to reflect on the departed pop icon.

&#8220;My children idolized him as a little boy, Young told us. &#8220;They all wanted to grow out their afros just like his.&#8221;

&#8220;He was a man of great vision,&#8221; Young recalled. &#8220;He was a genius at everything he did. But he paid the price for his genius. When you&#8217;re that prominent and that talented, it&#8217;s so hard to find true love. I think that&#8217;s why he related to children so well.&#8221;

Two years ago, Young and another business associate flew to Jackson&#8217;s home in Las Vegas. Jackson wanted to discuss a &#8220;long-range&#8221; business plan that would put artists back in control of their music.

&#8220;I was a sounding board,&#8221; Young explained. &#8220;Through most of his life, he had been exploited and manipulated by adults. He wanted to take back that control. His grasp of the music business blew my mind. He was talking about billion dollar transactions.&#8221;

Throughout the two-hour meeting, Jackson&#8217;s children played in the room around the adults. Young said he marveled at watching the little boy he first met now playing dad.

&#8220;He was a good father. I remember him telling them, &#8216;Play time is over now. It&#8217;s dinner time.&#8217; &#8221;

As Atlanta mayor in the early 1980s, Young had to intercede when Jackson was mistakenly handcuffed by an overzealous security guard at a pricey Peachtree Street antiques store.

&#8220;Back then, if you were a young black man dressed in blue jeans, a leather jacket, wearing sunglasses and asking to see a $2,000 bracelet, it was thought you were going to steal something.&#8221;

Young sent then-Atlanta City Council President and lawyer Marvin Arrington to diffuse the situation. The charges were dropped once Jackson&#8217;s own Los Angeles security guard arrived on the scene and the embarrassed store owners discovered the identity of their famous customer.

Reflected Young: &#8220;I&#8217;m happy to say that things are much different today with our young rappers. They are welcomed into such stores as good customers.&#8221;

Jackson later went to City Hall to thank Young personally.

&#8220;He wasn&#8217;t bitter,&#8221; Young said. &#8220;He knew it was all a part of the price of fame. It was really a class conflict of the time.&#8221;

Young recalled that Jackson later returned to Atlanta in the early 1990s to work with former President Jimmy Carter on an initiative &#8220;to encourage the immunization of all children.&#8221;

Quote:
Michael always had a big heart. Once arrived in Atlanta at the request of me and then-President Jimmy Carter and his presence allowed us to immunize about 37,000 preschoolers. He was phenomenal.
~ Former UN Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young

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http://blogs.ajc.com/peachbuzz/2009/...chael-jackson/
 
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Andrew Lloyd Webber: Michael Jackson Could Easily Have Been The Phantom
September 24th, 2012

The composer behind Cats, Evita and The Phantom of the Opera recalls how Michael Jackson hung around the theatre early in Phantom's New York run - and how he had a keen interest in starring in the film:

'He could have easily have been the Phantom. I think it would have been a very interesting, different take on it. He had a very good voice. I suspect he would have sung it quite well.'

There is no doubt that fans would have been thrilled to see Michael Jackson take on some roles in acting. His videos/short films are some of the greatest in music, and Jackson would have certainly been successful had he launched a career in acting.

The Source:
http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/mobile-vi...ckson-could-easily-have-been-the-phantom.html
 
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[YOUTUBE]KO76BmVeQUo&feature=player_embedded[/YOUTUBE]

Michael would have been completely moved by this little baby, just like I was !!:clapping::wild::pray::clapping:

A 2-Year-old Kid enjoys Michael Jackson Music.. November 12, 2009

This kid is mesmerized with the song of Michael Jackson's called "You Are Not Alone".
 
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Nate Giorgio: Artist and Friend of Michael Jackson

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Nate Giorgio Portraits: Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, & Michael Jackson


There often exists a close relationship between dancers and other artists.

From musicians and singers, to photographers and other types of visual artists, often, their careers are closely intertwined with those in the dance world. One such artist is Nate Giorgio.

Nate Giorgio is one of today’s most respected, influential and award-winning fine artists. Known for his masterful paintings and stunning portraits, Nate was born in Binghamton, New York, began his professional art career in New York City, and later moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1984, Nate Giorgio, signed an exclusive contract to be Michael Jackson’s personal artist. In addition to the private commissions, exhibits and artwork sold around the world, his illustrations appear inside and on the cover of the ‘Michael Jackson Opus‘ and in Michael’s book ‘Dancing the Dream‘, to name just a few.

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How did Nate Giorgio originally meet Michael Jackson?

Nate Giorgio: “I read how he loved art so I did a few paintings and sent them off to his office. I was still in NY and one day his assistant called me. She said MJ’s right here dancing around when he saw your art, he wants to meet you. Within a few weeks he flew me out to his home in Encino and we met. We went to see a rough cartoon version of Captain EO! At Disney studios, him and I just sitting there eating popcorn checking out the film. It blew me away and it was still rough, hand drawn segments mixed with live action.”

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The Artwork of Nate Giorgio
About this photograph below of Nate Giorgio and Michael Jackson:

Nate Giorgio: “Sam Emerson, Michael Jackson’s Personal photographer, took this picture of me and MJ. At the time, in 1988, I was MJ’s guest on his BAD tour in Rome. We were actually at a party in this photo, just hanging out when MJ just asked Sam to get a shot of the two of us together. This party might have been at one of the Embassy’s. I’m not sure.”

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Michael Jackson and Nate Giorgio (Photo by Sam Emerson, Rome, 1988)

The notion of celebrity and Nate Giorgio’s take on this phenomenon with Michael Jackson

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DanseTrack:

If a person lives long enough, it is not that unusual–maybe at least once in a while–to encounter someone who is considered famous. Especially if you live in areas such as New York City or Los Angeles, celebrity sightings can be a relatively common occurrence. In most of these instances, however, you get the feeling that the person can lead a relatively normal life. Sure, they get double takes and the occasional request for an autograph, but by and large, the person of particular recognition can go out wherever or whenever they please.

With Michael Jackson, however, that was definitely not the case. I think you probably got a glimpse of that when you worked with him. What insight do you have into that aspect of Michael Jackson’s life?

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Nate Giorgio:

“Yeah, MJ couldn’t go anywhere without being mobbed. I saw a lot of that from early on at the height right up to the time he passed. I would see this when I would visit him at the Carolwood home. At one of my visits to his house, in 2009, there was the usual crowd of fans at the front gate. When I met with him inside a short while later, I said, “Man, how do you do it? Day in and day out, you constantly have to deal with people wherever you turn.”

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“MJ just looked at me and smiled as though it did not bother him one bit. He had that expression on his face that said that this was something he dealt with because it was a part of him. From such an early age, he had just gotten so used to it. MJ felt that the fans truly were an extension of his image. He thrived on it, and this is one of the reasons he commissioned paintings like the hero pieces I did. These paintings represented the image he wanted to project for the fans, as much as for himself.”

“People always talked about how he was a prisoner, and that he could not go anywhere. Like all serious artists, however, he was mostly just a loner. MJ did not seem to worry about living a normal life. When an artist creates, that artist steps into his own little world, which is a much stronger place than people think. That world is not fragile, but is instead full of power and creativity. MJ, I believe, was like this. It is very difficult to even compare him with any other celebrity. Because of his unparalleled artistry, MJ viewed his isolation much differently than one would expect.”

“And, at times, he did go out and there were his children, who meant the world to him. MJ loved studying and discussing art and frequently met with other creative people he admired. So fame never kept him from doing what he loved. That’s for sure.”

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Nate Giorgio:

“This is a photo I took in Italy, in 1988, while looking out the window and down at the tour bus I rode in with MJ while in Rome for his Bad concert tour. Fans would swarm the front and back, so we couldn’t move. I think we were getting ready to go somewhere and I took this quick shot from my room. Such an incredible time…”

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Bus used by MIchael Jackson during his BAD concert our (Photo by Nate Giorgio, 1988)

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The Source:
http://dansetrack.com/nate-giorgio-artist-and-friend-of-michael-jackson/

To find more information about Nate Giorgio, and to see more of his work:

Official Website for Nate Giorgio:
http://nategiorgio.com/

Website for Michael Jackson’s OPUS, illustrations by Nate Giorgio:
http://www.thisisopus.com/michael-jackson/

Interview at MJJ-777 - which has an in-depth discussion with Nate Giorgio about his artwork and experience working with Michael Jackson:
http://www.mj-777.com/?p=6993
 
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How Michael Jackson Taught Me to Dance..
By Mark Taylor


Michael Jackson died in Los Angeles yesterday at 2:26pm. He was 50 years old and had been a star for as long as I can remember. The Jackson story that has always stayed with me is how Michael and his family came from nothing, formed a family band, learned to play instruments and rehearsed as though their lives depended on it. Even after The Jackson Five was signed to Motown and became a huge sensation, they continued to work even more frantically than they had before attaining success. Somehow it always appeared as if Michael worked even harder; as the band's voice his burden was just a little heavier than that of his brothers. I guess I attribute the bizarre behavior of Michael's later years to the boy who bore that burden, the kid whose talent pulled his family out of desperate poverty and made them into American icons. Even though the true extent of his genius didn't become apparent until the '80s and '90s, the Michael Jackson I remember is the one who taught me to dance.

This is my Michael Jackson story:
In third grade I learned to do the robot. I was living in Oak Park, a housing project built for the families of military personnel stationed at Camp Roberts, a small army base located 15 miles north of Paso Robles, my home town. Oak Park was a melancholy place, but it was populated with many kids my age and our grammar school was within walking distance.

My cousin Doris, who was a year older than me, had worked up a dance routine for the school talent show with two other girls, Sonia Mitchell and Yvette Dancey. Unfortunately, like most girl groups, they broke up. Yvette and Sonia got into a screaming match a week before the event and Yvette dropped out. (Yvette had a very hot temper; she beat me up at school once over a tetherball match that remained tied throughout one recess. Frustrated by her inability to win the game, she punched me in the face.) Down a member, Sonia and Doris needed someone to occupy the middle space in their trio, so they taught me how to dance.

We did a piece inspired by the moves we'd seen Michael Jackson do to "Dancing Machine" on TV. The beginning and end of the dance was done in unison, but the center section was an extended "robot" that I improvised alone, while the girls repeated the routine on either side of me. We didn't perform to "Dancing Machine" but chose another song, which I can't remember anymore; it may have been "Space Race" by Billy Preston. The routine that Sonia and Doris had designed must have been good, we ended up winning the talent show and I, like many others in my generation, learned to dance by imitating Michael.

The Source:
http://www.kqed.org/arts/music/article.jsp?essid=24938
 
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Called To Do Great Things - Who, Me ?


In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. ~ Mother Teresa


Michael Jackson: King of Pop; worldwide mega superstar; musical & artistic genius; phenomenal dancer and singer; greatest entertainer of all time; creator and producer of the largest selling album of all time; trailblazer; trendsetter; fashion leader; spiritual messenger; love guru; global humanitarian; philanthropist; donator of hundreds of millions of dollars to charities around the world; winner of more awards than anybody…ever! I’m certain I could come up with many more adjectives and titles to describe this man-wonder who left behind the largest following of anyone…ever…to continue doing his work in the world.

One of the things that impressed me the most about Michael Jackson is the way he never stopped pushing the boundaries, striving to go beyond the limits of anything anyone had done before, including himself! Great things? That’s just about all this man did for his entire life! From the time he was in diapers dancing and moving to the rhythm of the washing machine, until his untimely death last year at the age of 50 when he was poised to give us the greatest show …ever! He gave us nothing short of greatness, perfection, and magic in everything he did.

And he loved at the same level! No matter what the challenges he faced or the ridicule hurled at him from all directions, Michael Jackson never gave up his belief in the power of love. He gave all of himself in order to show us how to be the kind of people who could make a difference in this world. He believed in our ability to heal the world and he believed in us. What a remarkable gift!

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Those of us who have experienced an awakening since Michael’s death last June have felt compelled to find ways to carry on his work. Not unlike his dedicated long-time fans, we heard the message, we received the invitation, we recognize the need and we are determined to keep his legacy of love alive. We know Michael’s dream of a world with no fear, no hurt or sorrow…for the children. We know that he lived for the children and that he needs us to take his place - to do everything we can to make his dream come true.

Michael’s love has inspired the discovery of new talents and breathed new life into old ones for many of us. We have been so moved by the staggering scope of gifts he shared with us while he was here, that we have achieved heights we never dreamed possible with our own gifts and dreams. Sometimes I ask myself if I am worthy of such a treasure, and I have to say, I’ve had my doubts. I have spent a significant amount of time on this 14 month adventure vacillating between feeling bold, confident, capable, and worthy, to then wondering if Michael and God really knew what they were doing when they recruited me! I ask myself, “How in the world am I going to do anything big enough to make a difference on this great planet? Could it be really me you’re calling to do this tremendous work? What’s the catch? Is there a punch line to this huge cosmic joke?”

I have struggled sometimes to understand what I was being called to do while on this journey of discovery about Michael. Many of my earlier poems reflect that struggle, because I just couldn't understand how little ol' me could make a difference - especially when compared to the difference Michael made. Nobody will ever come near to making the impact he did, just by the sheer number of people whose hearts he touched all around the world! If I allow myself to think about it too much, it becomes very overwhelming!

Well, along this path, I have learned a few things here and there about this recruitment business and I have come to realize that, first of all, I can't say 'no' to this calling - it's virtually impossible! My whole being has been changed forever and it's like my entire life - everything, good & bad, that's happened leading up to this point, was all in preparation for this moment in time! This is where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing from now on. This Is It! All I have to do is remain open to receive divine guidance and inspiration from God and Michael. (They're in this together, you know!) It's not too difficult when I put my mind to it and when I invest my heart and soul into seeking the truth. Every single time I pray about what I am to do to help heal the world, answers come to me, usually within 24 hours. And I know when it's the right thing for me - it just fits, you know? Like Cinderella's glass slipper - it will only fit one foot, and you know when it slides right on without effort, there is no question about it. It's crystal clear.

And these things that he lays before me - they are not small. They may look small to the outside observer, but they feel huge to me, because they are each and every one a very precious gift for me to experience the joy of doing something significant that touches another. Something that will make a difference in the bigger picture, whether it's for one individual or for many. By doing one "small" thing, it grows and blossoms as it ripples out to many others who catch the wave of love and are touched, directly or indirectly, by the light which is cast from its origin. Nothing we do with great love is small! That's the bottom line. And I believe that's what Michael was here to teach us.

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There is also great power in numbers. There have been times when group projects have come to my attention and I will lend my own individual abilities to help put it together. One small part, but a team effort. Each part is just as important as the next, and if any part were left out, it could not be done. Working together on a mutually inspired project increases its value and its impact. As Michael sang so passionately in the powerful song We've Had Enough, "There's nothing that can't be done if we raise our voice as one!" When I think of what Michael left for us - all the people around the world who love him and believe in his goodness - we have a rich and fertile foundation of many who share a common belief and a common goal to carry on Michael’s work in the world, to make a difference in his name. Altogether, we are a powerful force for good which is bound to have a significant impact!

When individuals work on projects alone, they can share their ideas through the use of modern technology, providing inspiration for others to do the same. I have a friend who happens to be gifted not only in making beautiful videos about Michael, but also in coming up with creative ideas for projects she can do in her own community. I was intrigued with a particular project she worked on recently when she shared her video with me, showing what she had done. I was so impressed with this “small” project which was done with such great love, I knew immediately that this was something I would love to do, and I am planning to do it very soon in my little corner of Oregon. I also have made plans with another MJ friend in Oregon to meet half-way between our two communities and spend a day together spreading Michael’s love in this very special way.

My friend, Wednesday55, has given me permission to share her video with you here. You may have already seen it as it has recently been featured on the Tribute Portrait website and has been spreading among the MJ fan community on the internet. Take a look:


[youtube]YyK4ShANKnU[/youtube]


Now, doesn’t that just fill your heart with warmth and love? This idea - sharing pieces of Michael's heart & soul - his words, which were one of the most precious gifts he left for us - so simple, yet so profound!! What a wonderful tribute to him and a beautiful way to give some very blessed people an opportunity to have a glimpse into Michael's true heart and to feel his love! I just know Michael is grinning from ear to ear over this wonderful project being passed along from one to another and spreading with love around the world! By doing this, people who may not otherwise have noticed are unexpectedly receiving the gift of his brilliant light - his Divine inspiration!! How divine is that?

Sometimes we may feel that the “small” things we do are insignificant in the bigger picture, but when we perform a random act of kindness from our hearts with great love, as in this project, and when we share it with others via email, facebook, twitter, YouTube - any of the mediums available to us - there starts the ripple, and the wave of love & light spreads far and wide. Imagine for a moment the people who will stumble upon these little gems. Maybe one of the messages is found by someone who needed some extra love that day, or who had been searching for something to add meaning to their life, but hadn't quite found it yet. Upon reading this message from Michael, their hearts are touched by his words and they decide to find out more about this man, just as we all have done, and thus begins their journey back to their own heart and to a place where they can help others too. This is not small! This is how we as individuals and as a collective force for goodness and love, will make a difference in the world - and that is bigger than the moon and the stars!

Small things done with great love ARE great things!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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The Call

We don’t always know what form it will take
Whisper of creation sends an invitation,
Makes the call
God’s message delivered to seal our fate
Asks us to serve, to give it our all

Can’t ignore the call from The Man
It’s the real deal, part of the plan
Of what we are to be and do
An amazing gift for me and you

The wind holds the clue
Holy Spirit, life anew
Speaks to your soul from heaven above
Wrapped in a blanket of love

Listen carefully and you will know
The greatest show in all of creation
Is yours to unfold
Your light to behold!

God will take your hand, never leave you alone
As you make your stand and set the tone
For love and peace and harmony
The world is your stage for eternity

You may wonder, how can one person be
Everything to all humanity?

By joining hands with others
One cause, one message, its strength will grow
It’s all for LOVE, don’t you know?

Plain and simple, it shouldn’t be hard
Love is the answer to all that we are
This world needs it right from the start
Good for the soul, feeds the heart

Creation sings to one and all
The message is LOVE
This is the call !


Thank-you MJJLaugh for sharing this story :agree:

The Source:
http://mjreflecdtionsheart2heart.blogspot.com/2010/08/called-to-do-great-things-who-me.html
!:wub::clapping::wub:​
 
&#8220;A Gift from God&#8221; African American music history
By Ahmad Daniels

Perceptive, courageous, gifted and self-actualized are just a few of the adjectives that so inadequately describe Michael Jackson; a man whose untimely death has taken the world by surprise. Michael&#8217;s demise epitomizes the passing of an icon whose words continue to touch the very soul of the multitudes who loved him dearly.

I join the ranks of those who were surprised at just how moved they were upon hearing of his initial hospitalization to quickly follow by the incredulous announcement of Michael Jackson&#8217;s death.

Michael&#8217;s international appeal was legendary. Personally, nothing is more indicative of this than his stellar performance in Romania before a spellbound crowd of tens of thousands. His &#8220;Man in the Mirror&#8221; wasn&#8217;t executed as a song as much as an anthem appreciatively received by compatriots.

Cameras scanning the massive crowd showed women and yes men crying unapologetically as Michael evoked emotions on what I believe was a cellular level, a level that penetrated deeper and deeper with every, &#8220;Ooh!&#8221; &#8220;Ooh!&#8221; &#8220;Ooh!&#8221;that would leave his mouth as he spun around and around before being totally consumed by his own musical genius and falling to what must have been an energy filled stage only to rebound with increased vitality; vitality that would further whip the crowd into a more intense frenzy.

I understand the sentiments of the attendees holding the banner that read, &#8220;Michael A Gift from God.&#8221; His incredible talent and depth of compassion confirms that.

Yet, I also believe every human is a gift from God. Michael, however, had the discipline and sense of focus to remain true to his gift and not allow life&#8217;s distractions to take him permanently off course. Surely he had his trials and tribulations but it is his loving ways that many will remember and hold in their heart.

It has been said there are occurrences so breathe taking, so mind boggling that they could only have happened when all that stars in the universe were perfectly aligned.
Bob Beamon long jumping his way into the record books at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games is such a moment in history.

His jump of 29&#8217; 2 1/2&#8242;&#8221; shattered the previous world record by almost 2 feet In an event where records are broken by the inch or part thereof. The election of Barack Obama to the White House is another point in time when the stars uniquely aligned and history was made. Michael Jackson has never competed in the Olympics nor has he ever sought political office.

Yet, he has leaped into the hearts of a world-wide audience unlike any other performer in all of history with a music and a presence so loved his constituents they elected him the King of Pop.

Of course no one can say when such an alignment of the stars will again take place.

Yet we can express limitless gratitude to the celestial for doing so and gifting us with Michael Jackson.

To Your Journey.
http://www.soultic.com/articles/mic...rom-godafrican-american-music-history-part-2/
 
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