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Jun 25, 09 - 07:58 pm Comment from: binarypackrat

God bless Michael Jackson!

Jun 25, 09 - 07:59 pm Comment from: HotinPlaya

He got weird, but was always great, hope he finds peace

No. 1... again?

Jun 25, 09 - 08:10 pm Comment from: Murasaki

No suprise there. R.I.P. Michael Jackson

gah. why?

It goes without saying.

:'(

Jun 25, 09 - 08:35 pm Comment from: lodger

Give it a rest. Michael was still an amazing performer. May God bless him.

Jun 25, 09 - 08:39 pm Comment from: qka

This seemed appropriate:
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/001_300/228.html

This a littleless so:
http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/447.html

Poor Farrah, Michael stole her thunder.

I know, dark humor.

Unbelievable that he's dead :( but I'm sure he'll remain a Pop Icon for the rest of history. This day will also go down in history.

:(

God bless his family

SAL+

Jun 25, 09 - 08:56 pm Comment from: TowerTone

There are not many artist who were big when I was a kid that went on to become even bigger when my kids came along, and none more so than Michael.

Our entire family were fans.

Quite a shame.

And Farah's poster was single-handedly the reason my right arm was huge...

If we can carry with us one memory of Michael Jackson I hope it is that he was one in our time whose music brought all together.

RIP, MJ.

Jun 25, 09 - 09:39 pm Comment from: Spark

RIP. Jackson was a tremendous talent that burned bright and brilliant, and sadly burned out far to early. It was a sad life in retrospect, but we can take joy in the legacy of his music and videos that will live on showcasing the genius he possessed.

@MO- This is definitely a time where "if you can't say something nice, say nothing at all" holds true.

Jun 25, 09 - 09:41 pm Comment from: It's About Time

Another Elvis legacy in the making. He'll be bigger in death than in life. Great performer...

Sad to witness his personal woes diminish his performance skills and recording creativity. Yet, others have travelled a similar path, e.g. Jim Morrison and Elvis.

Jun 25, 09 - 09:51 pm Comment from: Sir Gill Bates

I still remember the first time I saw the 'Thriller' video on MTV. Man, it was the shits! And it was brilliant using Vincent Price for the dialog. Everyone who saw it really freaked out.
Yeah he went bonkers, but I'll always try to remember him the way he was before that.

Jun 25, 09 - 09:52 pm Comment from: maczac

What's wrong MDN can't face the truth that that Mr. Michael Jackson was a child molestor. I have particular knowledge of this. It sickens me and many others that he was allowed to continue a free man. So keep deleting the posts it's your site. I hope you can sleep well at night knowing that it wasn't your child, or that of a friend or relative.

Good riddance Pedophile.

@DS

I hope you die of a cardiac arrest and see how it feels. Oh wait...

Freak

"They don't care about us" the uncensored version... let me know if you find it. As for his past... I look to the art, not the man.

Many great artists (all arts - music, sculpture, painting, etc.) have been child molesters, rapists, addicts and various other scoundrels and often insane and/or emotionally troubled or sick at some point in their lives and/or careers, and many ended badly. If we (or you) can't excuse or forgive their pathology, at least we can respect the legacy of their creativity and influence on our culture (and for many of us our lives).

Sure, he ended up a kook, and probably dangerous, maybe even guilty of one of the greatest crimes we know. Doesn't change the music, and now that he's dead, the music will be the greater legacy on its own merits. Witness the iTunes resurgence.

MDN Word "Gone" - but not forgotten.

So it doesn't really bother you that he was a child molester? Was any of his music really good enough that it excused his little... Ahem... Extracurricular passtime?

I'd say, no. You could make the best music in the world but it still wouldn't really give you a free pass to fiddle the kiddies. There's a certain negative stigma attached to being a pedo, and this may lead to some people saying "good riddance pedophile" when you die. Yes, even if you made cool music.

That's just an unfortunate fact of life.

Jun 25, 09 - 10:51 pm Comment from: Lilochris

Terrible day.

A one of a kind Singer and actor in one day. I was shocked hearing that Farrah died after it seemed she was getting better. And Jackson who's been working hard to make a big comeback

I actually hoped it wasn't true & that it was a rumor just going widespread.

R.I.P. Farrah and Michael !!!!!

Jun 25, 09 - 11:00 pm Comment from: alansky

Ya gotta admit that all this "We love you, Michael!" stuff wears a little thin when you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, which features some very unwholesome realities. Calling this or that allegation "unproved" is just an elaborate form of denial when there are so many allegations! This isn't rocket science! I personally find it very revolting when people of such dubious reputation are entertaining our children to rapturous applause. There's something very wrong with this picture.

To all the haters:
Wasn't MJ acquitted of the charges? In the second case wasn't the mother charged with fraud in many other cases? Are all the facts really available? Maybe we should talk to Pete Townshend too.

No one knows what life for MJ was like, who can? It's hard to imagine being in the spotlight from such a young age. I don't condone pedophilia but maybe, just maybe we can try to remember the monumental talent, the breaking of the colour barriers (no black videos on MTV before MJ), the ground breaking videos (directed by John Landis and Martin Scorcese), the performances that are legendary (Motown special and more).

Save your bile for later and give just a bit of respect.

Jun 25, 09 - 11:13 pm Comment from: Always Right

Grrrillla says-
"Many great artists (all arts - music, sculpture, painting, etc.) have been child molesters, rapists, addicts and various other scoundrels and often insane and/or emotionally troubled or sick at some point in their lives and/or careers, and many ended badly. If we (or you) can't excuse or forgive their pathology, at least we can respect the legacy of their creativity and influence on our culture (and for many of us our lives)"

Are you nuts? There's a HUGE difference between child molestation/rape, and mental illness.

I repeat, are you nuts?

Jun 25, 09 - 11:19 pm Comment from: this guy

I was in line at Quiznos. And the kid behind the counter was shaking his head, and said "Jackson didnt care about me, why should I care about him? What has he done to change my life?"

I cant argue that. Soldiers dying every day. Babies dying from AIDS, people killed by drunk drivers. THESE are tragic events.

People die every day. Its a fact of life. What makes him so important that all these stations are canceling prime time shows for a tribute? Come on. Shows you where society has gone these days, whats wrong with the world today.

Jun 25, 09 - 11:26 pm Comment from: Always Right

Yeah, "this guy" is right.
How did they slap together those specials so fast?

Is Jackson even cold yet?

Pathetic.
But it's not the world.
It's AMERICA!!
Witness "American Idol".

Jun 25, 09 - 11:30 pm Comment from: Superior Being

@this guy

Michael Jackson was a prodigy. Think Mozart. Replace the classical music with R&B, Pop, and original dance. If you don't happen to like those genres, it has no bearing at all on Jackson's exceptional abilities.

I feel sorry for people who can't recognize blatant genius. Or want to diminish it because it magnifies their own drab ordinariness. Okay, Quiznos counter boy?

Watch the clip above. That's a 10 year old kid. And then he did it for 40 more years. Even as the extreme, abnormal fame ground him up.

The rest of us understand why your shitty prime time crap is being cancelled to cover the death of a talent that none of us will probably see the likes of again during our lifetimes.

That's not hyperbole, that's the truth.

Jun 26, 09 - 12:41 am Comment from: Chas

@ Superior Being

Jackson was a performer - and a great one, not a composer. Comparing him to Mozart makes no sense.

=:~)

Jun 26, 09 - 01:35 am Comment from: Snapper

Chas you're missing the point that he was a prodigy. Prodigies come in many forms, you could say Tiger Woods or Stephen Hawking are Prodigies, hell try Steve Jobs for that matter.
If MJ were born today he would still rise to the top.

Jun 26, 09 - 03:15 am Comment from: Macdoc

One less pedophile...

Jun 26, 09 - 03:28 am Comment from: mike_in_helsinki

Next big news .... the action price of the glove.

Jun 26, 09 - 04:19 am Comment from: HMCIV

Remember him for Thriler.

Jun 26, 09 - 04:44 am Comment from: Andy

One thing I have noticed is the number of mean-spirited people pouring out the woodwork who apparently condemn people on the basis of little to no evidence whatsoever. Sure, MJ was eccentric, but so what? He's been an entertainer since the age of five! I doubt he ever had the capacity, or inclination, to harm anyone.

I expect his musical legacy will ultimately overcome (finally) the braying of the pitchfork mob, as iTunes evidently shows already.

Jun 26, 09 - 06:46 am Comment from: twilightmoon

All the people calling him a pedophile are there any examples of boys that he supposedly molested who didn't sue him for his money?

Any time someone says they are raped and sue a rich celebrity for money you absolutely have to suspect them.

It's for this reason alone I'm still uncertain about those allegations.

But apparently unfounded allegations without definitive evidence is plenty for some people here.

Now i know how Ponchus Pilot felt!

Jun 26, 09 - 07:35 am Comment from: trex67

As a young boy, I loved some of the Jackson 5 hits. I liked MJ at that point. By the time he reached maturity, I had moved on, and his music lost its appeal. By the time Thriller was released I despised him (not personally, just that beat-centered synth heavy style of "music".) When he was accused of pedophilia, I wasn't particularly surprised, but it was still sad, because I considered the fact that he was deprived of a normal childhood and believed that was a contributing factor in his messed-up life.

Now that he's dead, we must sit through the hyperbole and hagiographies. That's expected when a pop-cultural icon dies. When John Lennon died, I was depressed for weeks. With Mr Jackson, I feel nothing - but I realize that he touched many people with his entertainment, so out of respect for those feelings I will refrain from mocking him publicly.

Jun 26, 09 - 07:45 am Comment from: BC Kelly

Here's a question ...

As of about 8:30 AM EDT Fri Morn 26 June

iTunes Store Top Song Singles has about 24 Mikey Songs listed

Some are $1.29 .... others are $0.99

What's the criteria ?

Any guesses ?


BC

Jun 26, 09 - 07:49 am Comment from: Always Right

@twilightmoon

you've seen the clip from the british documentary "living with Michael Jackson" where he says “Why can't you share your bed? The most loving thing to do is to share your bed with someone. It's very charming. It's very sweet. It's what the whole world should do.” He says this, on camera, with a young boy leaning on his shoulder

BTW- how ridiculous that MDN selectively removes posts.
You are not consistent with your own "free- market" "less oversight" standards.

People loved his music so much that they never thought to buy it when he was alive obviously.

Jun 26, 09 - 08:33 am Comment from: Demon

The only opinions of Michael Jackson (Wacko Jacko) are very bad and very rude. As he's passed away, I'll keep my opinions to myself.

Thankfully his kids are now free of the Wacko Jacko lifestyle. Let's all take a moment to reflect on Jackson's Kids. May they now have a more normal life and become free of the Wacko Jacko bonds that have overshadowed them all these years. I'd like to wish Jackson's kids all the best. I know your dad and basically sole parent is now gone but, life will be better so, say out of your dad drug cabinets and leave his Jesus Juice alone.

Except of the Jackson 5 stuff all of Wacko Jacko's music was lame, poorly produced, dribble, that defined all that is wrong with the Big Label Music Business, All promotion, no substance. Kind of like Elvis but, at least Elvis admitted it, embraced it and road it all the way to the grave. Jackson, lived in a world where he thought it was him and not the hype that the people loved, so, he died like his last album with a whimper and not a Bang.

Jun 26, 09 - 08:59 am Comment from: January 24, 1984

I suspect the widespread emotive rush we're all feeling is more a release from a year of financial tyranny. Jacko is just a ready focus.

Jun 26, 09 - 09:17 am Comment from: Urlow

How easy would it be for someone to fake their death and make a
boatload off it? I don't doubt he's gone, but goodness, it's gotta be
going through some musicians head right now.

And I am with the pedophile haters. I don't hate the guy, just have no respect for him or his music.

Jun 26, 09 - 09:19 am Comment from: Aldebaran

@M.X.N.T.4.1.
So selling 750 MILLION albums ion his career doesn't count? Sales records for Thriller alone, released in 1982, still have not been broken. Quoting from Wikipedia: "At its peak, the album was selling a million copies a week worldwide. In just over a year, Thriller became—and currently remains—the best-selling album of all time. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(album)
I suspect that many people writing here weren't even born when MJ was at his peak and have no idea of the cultural influence he truly had.

Jun 26, 09 - 09:36 am Comment from: Predrag

Music (like all art) is very subjective form and tastes around the world vary greatly. However, there is no doubt that if one applies some universally accepted standards, the music, the production values, the musicianship and showmanship of Michael Jackson was unique and innovative for his time. We can all look back twenty years now and think of it as lame (which pop artist of the time does not look lame today), but it is clear that some of the most respected names in music have consistently held the music and artistry of MJ in high acclaim. I was never a big fan of his music (nor pop in general), but being a musician with classical training, I can clearly recognise the properties of highly evolved and refined music form, even when it is packaged as the 80's pop.

As for his lifestyle, let's not forget; from the age of 5, Michael Jackson's life was recording studios, tour buses and concert stages. He never saw one day of normal life. He just had no idea what it was. Anyone can choose to believe whatever they want, but two very high-profile investigations (and one of them a criminal trial as well) failed to find any substantial evidence of wrongdoing, even with all the help of media that overwhelmingly turned against the guy.

MJ shattered very many records in the music industry, so it is difficult to argue his artistry was anything but great, regardless of our personal tastes.

As someone said, if you can't say anything good, don't say anything, so I won't share my personal opinion of his musical style (not a big fan of pop), but the facts will remain that he was one of the seminal characters in popular music of the 20th century, shoulder to shoulder with the greatest of them.

Jun 26, 09 - 09:44 am Comment from: DeRS

"What's wrong MDN can't face the truth that that Mr. Michael Jackson was a child molestor. I have particular knowledge of this."

**************************************************
How strange then that neither police nor court know of your "knowledge".

Because those two ten-years-apart "cases" were attempts by registered swindlers to get to Michael Jackson.

In the first one, there was a father who for years ignored his daughter and son while they lived with their mother and step-father. However, just when the family got to visit Neverland (there was a plenty of space; there were many guests 24/7), that father appeared all of sudden with his screenwriter aspirations (while he was actually dentist-swindler, whose practice was banned in several states).

Now, Jackson did not like those wheelwrights to finance them with tens of millions of dollars, and then the father threatened -- it is recorded on tape and can be heard on YouTune -- that if he will not "get what" he "wants", then he will ruin Michael's career, he will drag him to hell.

Shortly after father took the boy out of his current family and few months later accusations appeared. And, as any normal father he did not call police, he went shopping for civil money lawyers.

Prosecution then held two Grand Juries which found no basis to indict Jackson (description of his genitalia did not match to photos of MJ). So the only option was not criminal, but civil suit. Which would last up to seven years of hell. Of course Jackson said, heck with it, forget and move on, and the father took the money happy.

Ten years after, the story was even more obvious. The mother of the family started shopping civil money lawyers two years before her family even met with Jackson. She taught her sons to claim that MJ showed them the porn which did not even exist in nature in the alleged time, what was cracked in the court. She also claimed Jackson wanted to kidnap her to Brazil in hot air baloon.

No wonder that the jury, which considered "evidence" from both this and last "cases", answered 144 times "no" on 12 indicting questions.

Jun 26, 09 - 09:46 am Comment from: DeRS

"wheelwrights" = "screenplays" ))

Jun 26, 09 - 09:49 am Comment from: Noodlefarmer

We still have Tito.

Jun 26, 09 - 09:50 am Comment from: DeRS

Addition to this: "The mother of the family started shopping civil money lawyers two years before her family even met with Jackson."

Not only she simply shopped for civil money lawyers: she specifically asked about possibility of suing Michael Jackson. And, she found the same civil money lawyer who got money for the previous swindler ten years earlier.

Jun 26, 09 - 10:02 am Comment from: Mr. Reeee

A talented guy, no doubt, if you like that kind of drivel.

For all his success and all his money, you think he would have been smart enough to have gotten himself some HELP.

Sometimes, people can have too much money...
and be surround by sycophants and their money siphons.

Poor bastard.

How long before the first bio-pic appears?
__________________________

@SuperiorBeing... Can you share your dealer's phone number with us? Me? I be wantin' summa dat shit chu be on.

Jun 26, 09 - 10:24 am Comment from: Predrag

Actually, the SuperiorBeing fellow is fairly close to the money. MJ actually DID write quite a few of his songs (successful ones), and his achievements are unparalleled in the world of music (Pop or otherwise). You may want to do some research on him before passing judgment (start with Wikipedia and go from there).

Again, not a fan of MJ, or pop in general, but facts remain facts.