Latest on MJJC
- Latest Michael Jackson News
- Click Here to Join Our Community
- Follow us on X
- Wanna talk Michael? Come join the chat rooms
- The Michael Jackson Chart Watch
- Become an MJJC Patron
- Join the Premium Member Group and Get Lot's of Extra's
- Major Love Prayer - Worldwide Monthly Prayer Every 25th
- MJJC Exclusive Q&A - We talk to the family and those in and around Michael
- Join us in the Chat Rooms
- Find us on Facebook
Positive websites and videos that celebrate MJ
- Thread starter MJJLaugh
- Start date
- Status
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
Akon Remembers his 'Cool, Funny' Friend Michael Jackson
Akon has recorded tracks with some of the biggest and brightest stars in music. But there's one star who was bigger and brighter than all the rest: Michael Jackson.
In 2007, Akon spent time in a Las Vegas studio with the King of Pop, writing and recording songs for what Jackson intended to be his comeback album. Nearly three years later, only two of those songs have surfaced: a remix of Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" that appeared on the 25th anniversary edition of MJ's Thriller album and "Hold My Hand," a track featuring both artists (but written by Claude Kelly), that made the file-sharing rounds last year.
And after Jackson's death in June, who knows when more of the tracks will see the light of day? Akon said that he and Jackson recorded "days" of material, most of which never made it past the demo stages. And, really, he's not that concerned if they are ever released, because, in the wake of Jackson's passing, Akon would prefer to reminisce about the man, not the music.
"My favorite moment was the day we actually met, because I didn't expect him to be that cool," Akon said in MTV's "Michael Jackson's Human Nature" special, which aired over the weekend. "I expected him to be this diva — just hard to deal with, rarely speaks, got to send his message through someone else, you know? Because these are the stories you hear."
Before they recorded a note of music, Akon had a sitdown meeting with Jackson, one that began predictably — and seemed to confirm the producer's worst fears — but quickly became a life-changing event.
"So I'm going upstairs [to meet him], I knock on the door, his bodyguard opens and says, 'OK, he's waiting to meet you.' I walk in and [Michael's] in this spinning chair, but it's facing backwards, so I walk in the room, but his back is turned, and the guard says, 'Hey, Mike, Akon's here.' So he spins around, like it was choreographed — so right away I was like, 'Oh boy,' " he laughed.
"But as soon as he turns around, gets up, 'Yo, what up, man?!' and I was like, 'What up, Mike?' and he gave me a pound, we hugged each other. He's like, 'Yo, I've been waiting to meet you for so long, this is a great honor, thanks for showing up, thanks for making the time.' And in my mind I'm like, 'You know, I should be thanking you for making the time.'
"It was the craziest thing, because we sat down, we talked about Africa, we talked about my foundation [Konfidence], we talked about the music, we talked about girls. We had a great, incredible time that day," he continued. "He was extremely funny, he told jokes, and he liked to have fun."
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617492/20090803/akon.jhtml#more
Akon has recorded tracks with some of the biggest and brightest stars in music. But there's one star who was bigger and brighter than all the rest: Michael Jackson.
In 2007, Akon spent time in a Las Vegas studio with the King of Pop, writing and recording songs for what Jackson intended to be his comeback album. Nearly three years later, only two of those songs have surfaced: a remix of Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" that appeared on the 25th anniversary edition of MJ's Thriller album and "Hold My Hand," a track featuring both artists (but written by Claude Kelly), that made the file-sharing rounds last year.
And after Jackson's death in June, who knows when more of the tracks will see the light of day? Akon said that he and Jackson recorded "days" of material, most of which never made it past the demo stages. And, really, he's not that concerned if they are ever released, because, in the wake of Jackson's passing, Akon would prefer to reminisce about the man, not the music.
"My favorite moment was the day we actually met, because I didn't expect him to be that cool," Akon said in MTV's "Michael Jackson's Human Nature" special, which aired over the weekend. "I expected him to be this diva — just hard to deal with, rarely speaks, got to send his message through someone else, you know? Because these are the stories you hear."
Before they recorded a note of music, Akon had a sitdown meeting with Jackson, one that began predictably — and seemed to confirm the producer's worst fears — but quickly became a life-changing event.
"So I'm going upstairs [to meet him], I knock on the door, his bodyguard opens and says, 'OK, he's waiting to meet you.' I walk in and [Michael's] in this spinning chair, but it's facing backwards, so I walk in the room, but his back is turned, and the guard says, 'Hey, Mike, Akon's here.' So he spins around, like it was choreographed — so right away I was like, 'Oh boy,' " he laughed.
"But as soon as he turns around, gets up, 'Yo, what up, man?!' and I was like, 'What up, Mike?' and he gave me a pound, we hugged each other. He's like, 'Yo, I've been waiting to meet you for so long, this is a great honor, thanks for showing up, thanks for making the time.' And in my mind I'm like, 'You know, I should be thanking you for making the time.'
"It was the craziest thing, because we sat down, we talked about Africa, we talked about my foundation [Konfidence], we talked about the music, we talked about girls. We had a great, incredible time that day," he continued. "He was extremely funny, he told jokes, and he liked to have fun."
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617492/20090803/akon.jhtml#more
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
A Close Encounter with MJ in Manila
By Gwen Carino
The author (right) shares a light moment with Michael Jackson during a Christmas party for orphans in Manila on Dec. 7, 1996.
MANILA, Philippines - (The author, a former PR officer of the Manila Hotel, writes about her experience with hotel guest Michael Jackson in December 1996.)
When I was a public relations officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel.
MANILA, Philippines - (The author, a former PR officer of the Manila Hotel, writes about her experience with hotel guest Michael Jackson in December 1996.)
When I was a public relations officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel.
Two nights before, I had been fortunate to be part of his welcome line at the hotel lobby together with the rest of the PR and sales staff and saw him walk by.
The day before, a guy claiming to be Michael Jackson’s aide from Mamarao Productions came to the office. I couldn’t recall his name but he looked for the “person in charge“ and said his boss had read the announcement about the event in the Dear Guest flyers we had circulated to all the rooms a week before. Michael wanted to know how he could help. His aide went up to the Penthouse and down to the PR office several times after we gave our suggestions.
Michael offered to fill up the 300 loot bags with goodies and toys, candies and chocolates. But after getting close to 50 sponsors, it was actually a problem for us to dispose of everything.
So I thought hard... how can the King of Pop meaningfully join the affair? I couldn’t possibly have him be with the kids in the palayok game or the pabitin as he might end up being mobbed! And since the annual event was really all about giving, I mustered all my courage and told the Mamarao guy that the best thing I could think of was for Michael to literally be present to help distribute the loot bags, sign autographs and pose with the children for photos.
“Wow, that may not be easy. You’re talking about handing goodie bags to 300 children and I can just imagine the chaos. We’ll see. I’ll get back to you,” he said.
Lunch break came and it was the most hurried one I ever took in my life. It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that Michael’s aide came back and said, “Michael is more than happy to do whatever you suggest. How do we go about it tomorrow?” I wanted to scream. I had to calm myself and regain composure as the Lizzie Maguire in me said, “Get real, get back into focus.”
We agreed that Michael would come in after the games, musical program and snacks, at the last part to give out the loot bags. My colleague Annette Africano and boss Dulce Agnir requested for additional security around the garden and the stage area as this was where we decided to distribute the gifts. We made sure the children would form an orderly line.
Then the moment arrived. It was at the Champagne Gardens on Dec. 7, 1996. I was surprised to see him walking towards us, guided by his aide. Michael came up to me as I had to brief him.
“Hi, how are you? Thanks so much for letting me in, I know I’m early ’cause I didn’t want to miss the program.”
I said, “Are you kidding? Thanks so much for volunteering! Here’s what Michael – why don’t you just sit here and watch the musical numbers before we get into the gift giving. I will have to tweak the program a bit.”
He replied, “Sure, anything you say... (pausing to look at my name tag) Gwen!” I was stunned at how incredibly sweet and modest he was. And in my mind it was, “Oh my God, this is really happening!”
Amazing how he patiently sat through the whole program. Carol Banawa, then an “Ang TV” mainstay couldn’t believe MJ was watching her perform. She had her red blouse signed by him right after her number.
Then followed Stefano Mori’s dance number. Later, his back up singers and dancers came up on stage followed by select kids from different orphanages who danced to the beat of ‘Billie Jean’. Oh, the smile on Michael’s face was just amazing.
Then we announced that Michael will be distributing gifts onstage. I explained to him that there’s a loot bag for the younger kids and another for the older ones and he nodded. The thrill and excitement he gave those children was incredibly touching. It was in between the gift bag distribution that I caught a glimpse of MJ, not as a performer but as a person.
It was one in the afternoon. Santa Claus (David Endriga, a friend of fellow PR officer Francis Capistrano) was with us. The heat was
scorhing and I was worried that Michael felt so hot with his black long-sleeved signature attire and hat.
“Are you alright Michael? We can let you take a break,” I asked.
He said, “I’m cool, Gwen. Just imagine how Santa feels inside his velvet suit and beard. We’ll be fine.”
I never heard him complain or say a word about how hot it was or how long the line was. He had the most beautiful manners. He didn’t even ask for a drink or a towel to wipe his sweat but one of our banquet staff made sure he got a glass of fresh orange juice.
An hour passed and we were halfway through gift-giving when we noticed that the garden was getting filled up. Suddenly, there were people from media, politicians, officials and hotel guests, including those in a wedding reception at the nearby Champagne Room who deserted the newlyweds just to get a glimpse of the King of Pop.
“Oh, this isn’t supposed to be, I’m so sorry,” I said.
“It’s all right, we’ll get through it,” Michael said, smiling. As we finished giving out the last loot bag to an 11-year-old orphan, a new line of more kids and adults formed. Michael’s bodyguard, Wayne, said. “We can leave now.”
Michael replied calmly, “We can’t leave when there are still people in line. It’s Christmas, dude.”
I felt my heart beat faster and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. He wasn’t just the most electrifying performer, but the most generous person.
One of the most memorable moments was when a lady came up to him for an autograph. Laughing and holding his tummy, he said “Hey Gwen, you’ve gotta check this out.” He whispered, “It’s a blank check. The lady is making me sign on a blank check.”
We laughed hard and little did we know that it wasn’t even half of the comedy. He later showed me and Wayne other stuff people would use or pick up on the ground when they couldn’t find paper for him to sign on. One lady made him sign at the back of her elegant, designer Filipiniana gown. One teenager came up to him holding a dead leaf and another one, a popped balloon. Imagine how our laughter ballooned as well.
It was an amazing, genuine experience. At one point he asked if I was going to catch his History concert and I said, “Tomorrow night.”
“Oh, you’ll have a blast!” Michael told me.
At this point he became concerned about the stage as adults outnumbered the kids. His face had nervousness written all over it but he still didn’t complain. He tapped the wooden floor with his foot several times making sure it was sturdy enough not to fall apart.
“I’ve experienced the stage collapse and I just want to make sure we’re all safe here,” he explained.
Half of me wanted the line to finish because we were literally melting and worried about our safety, but half of me didn’t, knowing that once the line ended, Michael would leave.
At some point it did end. I managed to get an autograph for my sisters and me before our general manager, Clem Pablo, requested him to sing ‘Give Love on Christmas Day’.
Cesar Sarino, one of the hotel’s officials, addressed his thank you note to the King of Pop. Then I saw his guards and aides whisking Michael off stage. I said in my mind, “Oh man, I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.”
Suddenly, I saw Michael return on stage and say, “Thanks so much to you and your team, Gwen. This really means a lot.” Then he held me beside him and said, “I’ll see you at the concert.”
As Michael Jackson is laid to rest and returned to pristine condition in the afterlife, these two incredible acts of the King of Pop – volunteering for charity and unselfishly spending time with the less fortunate – will forever be the way I will remember this man.
Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=485687
By Gwen Carino
The author (right) shares a light moment with Michael Jackson during a Christmas party for orphans in Manila on Dec. 7, 1996.
MANILA, Philippines - (The author, a former PR officer of the Manila Hotel, writes about her experience with hotel guest Michael Jackson in December 1996.)
When I was a public relations officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel.
MANILA, Philippines - (The author, a former PR officer of the Manila Hotel, writes about her experience with hotel guest Michael Jackson in December 1996.)
When I was a public relations officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel.
Two nights before, I had been fortunate to be part of his welcome line at the hotel lobby together with the rest of the PR and sales staff and saw him walk by.
The day before, a guy claiming to be Michael Jackson’s aide from Mamarao Productions came to the office. I couldn’t recall his name but he looked for the “person in charge“ and said his boss had read the announcement about the event in the Dear Guest flyers we had circulated to all the rooms a week before. Michael wanted to know how he could help. His aide went up to the Penthouse and down to the PR office several times after we gave our suggestions.
Michael offered to fill up the 300 loot bags with goodies and toys, candies and chocolates. But after getting close to 50 sponsors, it was actually a problem for us to dispose of everything.
So I thought hard... how can the King of Pop meaningfully join the affair? I couldn’t possibly have him be with the kids in the palayok game or the pabitin as he might end up being mobbed! And since the annual event was really all about giving, I mustered all my courage and told the Mamarao guy that the best thing I could think of was for Michael to literally be present to help distribute the loot bags, sign autographs and pose with the children for photos.
“Wow, that may not be easy. You’re talking about handing goodie bags to 300 children and I can just imagine the chaos. We’ll see. I’ll get back to you,” he said.
Lunch break came and it was the most hurried one I ever took in my life. It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that Michael’s aide came back and said, “Michael is more than happy to do whatever you suggest. How do we go about it tomorrow?” I wanted to scream. I had to calm myself and regain composure as the Lizzie Maguire in me said, “Get real, get back into focus.”
We agreed that Michael would come in after the games, musical program and snacks, at the last part to give out the loot bags. My colleague Annette Africano and boss Dulce Agnir requested for additional security around the garden and the stage area as this was where we decided to distribute the gifts. We made sure the children would form an orderly line.
Then the moment arrived. It was at the Champagne Gardens on Dec. 7, 1996. I was surprised to see him walking towards us, guided by his aide. Michael came up to me as I had to brief him.
“Hi, how are you? Thanks so much for letting me in, I know I’m early ’cause I didn’t want to miss the program.”
I said, “Are you kidding? Thanks so much for volunteering! Here’s what Michael – why don’t you just sit here and watch the musical numbers before we get into the gift giving. I will have to tweak the program a bit.”
He replied, “Sure, anything you say... (pausing to look at my name tag) Gwen!” I was stunned at how incredibly sweet and modest he was. And in my mind it was, “Oh my God, this is really happening!”
Amazing how he patiently sat through the whole program. Carol Banawa, then an “Ang TV” mainstay couldn’t believe MJ was watching her perform. She had her red blouse signed by him right after her number.
Then followed Stefano Mori’s dance number. Later, his back up singers and dancers came up on stage followed by select kids from different orphanages who danced to the beat of ‘Billie Jean’. Oh, the smile on Michael’s face was just amazing.
Then we announced that Michael will be distributing gifts onstage. I explained to him that there’s a loot bag for the younger kids and another for the older ones and he nodded. The thrill and excitement he gave those children was incredibly touching. It was in between the gift bag distribution that I caught a glimpse of MJ, not as a performer but as a person.
It was one in the afternoon. Santa Claus (David Endriga, a friend of fellow PR officer Francis Capistrano) was with us. The heat was
scorhing and I was worried that Michael felt so hot with his black long-sleeved signature attire and hat.
“Are you alright Michael? We can let you take a break,” I asked.
He said, “I’m cool, Gwen. Just imagine how Santa feels inside his velvet suit and beard. We’ll be fine.”
I never heard him complain or say a word about how hot it was or how long the line was. He had the most beautiful manners. He didn’t even ask for a drink or a towel to wipe his sweat but one of our banquet staff made sure he got a glass of fresh orange juice.
An hour passed and we were halfway through gift-giving when we noticed that the garden was getting filled up. Suddenly, there were people from media, politicians, officials and hotel guests, including those in a wedding reception at the nearby Champagne Room who deserted the newlyweds just to get a glimpse of the King of Pop.
“Oh, this isn’t supposed to be, I’m so sorry,” I said.
“It’s all right, we’ll get through it,” Michael said, smiling. As we finished giving out the last loot bag to an 11-year-old orphan, a new line of more kids and adults formed. Michael’s bodyguard, Wayne, said. “We can leave now.”
Michael replied calmly, “We can’t leave when there are still people in line. It’s Christmas, dude.”
I felt my heart beat faster and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. He wasn’t just the most electrifying performer, but the most generous person.
One of the most memorable moments was when a lady came up to him for an autograph. Laughing and holding his tummy, he said “Hey Gwen, you’ve gotta check this out.” He whispered, “It’s a blank check. The lady is making me sign on a blank check.”
We laughed hard and little did we know that it wasn’t even half of the comedy. He later showed me and Wayne other stuff people would use or pick up on the ground when they couldn’t find paper for him to sign on. One lady made him sign at the back of her elegant, designer Filipiniana gown. One teenager came up to him holding a dead leaf and another one, a popped balloon. Imagine how our laughter ballooned as well.
It was an amazing, genuine experience. At one point he asked if I was going to catch his History concert and I said, “Tomorrow night.”
“Oh, you’ll have a blast!” Michael told me.
At this point he became concerned about the stage as adults outnumbered the kids. His face had nervousness written all over it but he still didn’t complain. He tapped the wooden floor with his foot several times making sure it was sturdy enough not to fall apart.
“I’ve experienced the stage collapse and I just want to make sure we’re all safe here,” he explained.
Half of me wanted the line to finish because we were literally melting and worried about our safety, but half of me didn’t, knowing that once the line ended, Michael would leave.
At some point it did end. I managed to get an autograph for my sisters and me before our general manager, Clem Pablo, requested him to sing ‘Give Love on Christmas Day’.
Cesar Sarino, one of the hotel’s officials, addressed his thank you note to the King of Pop. Then I saw his guards and aides whisking Michael off stage. I said in my mind, “Oh man, I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.”
Suddenly, I saw Michael return on stage and say, “Thanks so much to you and your team, Gwen. This really means a lot.” Then he held me beside him and said, “I’ll see you at the concert.”
As Michael Jackson is laid to rest and returned to pristine condition in the afterlife, these two incredible acts of the King of Pop – volunteering for charity and unselfishly spending time with the less fortunate – will forever be the way I will remember this man.
Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=485687
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
Michael Jackson hands out gifts to 300 orphans at an annual Christmas party in Manila
I have no words to describe the pure love I feel for this wonderful man who sat there in the scorching heat, for hours, happily handing out goody bags to orphans.
Michael, I love you! :heart:
At 1:54 the little boy says:
Boy: I got separated from my mom and siblings. That's how I ended up in an orphanage...
Interviewer: But how do you feel about Michael giving you a gift?
Boy: I became happier...It feels like...the sadness is gone. I'm not sad anymore.
I have no words to describe the pure love I feel for this wonderful man who sat there in the scorching heat, for hours, happily handing out goody bags to orphans.
Michael, I love you! :heart:
At 1:54 the little boy says:
Boy: I got separated from my mom and siblings. That's how I ended up in an orphanage...
Interviewer: But how do you feel about Michael giving you a gift?
Boy: I became happier...It feels like...the sadness is gone. I'm not sad anymore.
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
My Brush with Badness
A few weeks ago, I was at a staff meeting for new employees where everyone in the room was asked to mention one interesting thing about themselves that nobody else would know. I waited patiently 'til my turn came around, and then calmly explained how Michael Jackson once sent me to J.C. Penney to buy him underwear.
Since I have told my friends this story countless times, I was a little surprised by the strong reaction people had to my off-the-cuff comment. I guess I shouldn't have been. Like him or not, there is no denying that Michael Jackson is still a force of nature. Even my 5th graders are aware of him, and they were all of three years old when his last record came out! So to set the record straight, here is the account of my years with the so-called King of Pop.
Back in 1989, I was a fresh-faced college grad in Los Angeles searching for my first job. Since I was one of the six people that year who actually went to college just to learn how to work in a recording studio, I had no problem landing a position at one of the major studios in Hollywood. Of course, even with an expensive college degree, you couldn't just expect to start off working with bands inside the building, because that required actual EXPERIENCE, which of course was what everyone else was out getting while I was pursuing my worthless degree.
Instead, they stuck me out in the parking shack across the street for two months. Strangely enough, I had some experience in this area, as I had spent the summer working as a valet in a garage near Fenway Park.
Parking cars for rock stars certainly had its moments. Iggy Pop once drove up in a Hyundai with no windshield. Either Milli or Vanilli tipped me a dollar for parking their Jeep. The Beastie Boys all sped off laughing one day in their rented Escort, and then drove straight up to Mulholland Drive and pushed it over the cliff. And once a week during lunch, David Crosby handed me a twenty-dollar bill to take his brand-new BMW 750 to the car wash, which really only set me back like three bucks. Once when I brought it back to him, he handed me another twenty for a tip.
Nevertheless, a promotion was inevitable, and in the winter of '89. I was promoted to the midnight to eight janitorial position. At least I was happy to be inside the building, as it was getting cold in the unheated parking shack. But I knew absolutely nothing about cleaning toilets and mopping floors, as evidenced by the huge cloud of noxious smoke that spewed from the cleaning bucket on my first night when I mixed the bleach and ammonia together.
Washing David Crosby's car for twenty bucks was one thing. But cleaning the studio bathroom after David Crosby had been in there for twenty minutes was a different deal entirely. For starters, I was supposed to stay awake all night, but after six hours of cleaning the entire building, this was easier said then done. Finally, one morning as I was leaving, the studio manager asked me to take two small brass elephant bookends home and polish them up before my next shift. I spent the day looking for another job instead, and found one right away at a studio down the street on Sunset Blvd.
At my new job, I was hired on as a "runner," which meant I got to run errands all over LA in my trusty '84 VW Rabbit. A couple months later, they moved me out to a studio in the San Fernando Valley for a "special" project.
This project would eventually become Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" album. When I first started, Michael was working with three different groups of producers all trying to take the place of Quincy Jones, who had not been chosen to work on this project. I think Michael wanted to go out on his own for this one, but the problem was that he had no idea what he wanted! One day, Slash from Guns N' Roses would be recording a searing guitar solo, while the next day, a chorus of thirty children would be singing a nursery rhyme or something.
Michael didn't say much to me at first, until one day he ran in screaming that there was a "vagabond" sitting in the alley behind the studio. I took a look, expecting Charlie Chaplin to pop out or something, but there was just some homeless guy sipping malt liquor out of a bag on the back steps.
Eventually, Michael warmed up to me, and even started talking to me once in a while if he was in the mood. Once, he asked if I was going to have to go fight in the (Gulf) war. I told him I was probably too old to be drafted, and he responded by saying that he was relieved, because "if you went to the war, you could die."
He also started sending me out on errands, like going out with his credit card one afternoon to fill his huge Blazer up with gasoline. If I remember correctly, he had an auxiliary gas tank mounted, so he could get up to his ranch without having to get out and fill up along the way.
I guess I should mention at this point that Michael is an awful driver. He hit everyone's car in the studio lot at least once, including mine. One time, he rear-ended a guy on the 101 freeway, and just left the scene because the guy got out of his car and started screaming at him. Eventually, he gave up and got someone to drive him in to work every day.
Other memorable experiences include calling Tower Records (RIP) an hour before they closed, and having them shut down early so that Michael and I could go shopping. Even thought it was just up the road, I was glad to get out of MJ's car and into the safety of the store! I think he dropped about $1500 on CDs that night.
Anyway, one day Michael shyly asked me if I could do him a special favor. I'm pretty sure this was after he stopped driving, so I guess he really didn't have any other way to get stuff during the day. Of course I agreed, which was when he told me flat-out that he had just run out of underwear.
For pretty much the whole two years that I worked with him, Michael came in every day wearing black dress pants and a red button-down shirt. He had a whole rack of just these two items in his office, which I assume he either had cleaned and returned to him, or just threw away at the end of the day. But on this particular day, I guess he was running low on drawers.
At first, he just said that he wanted underwear. When I asked him what kind, he just repeated "Underwear!" When I told him I wasn't his mother and didn't know what to get, he kind of laughed, and then said "Hanes thirty please." When I was almost out the door however, he came running up and yelled "make them thirty-twos, I don't want them to be too tight!" So there it is folks. The King of Pop wears tightie-whities!
Other than that, I never saw any funny business going on for the two years I worked with him. I really enjoyed this experience, and even got my name on the CD! Michael was always polite and reserved in the studio, but he had his silly moments as well.
He was also really concerned about doing anything that would inadvertently upset anybody around him. Even though he was spending five thousand bucks a day on studio time, Michael left me this note one day on my desk. I kept it as a souvenir, and pull it out now and then if people ever question my story. It pretty much tells you everything you need to know about him as a person and an artist.
For the purposes of clarification, Michael was just telling me that he took a pen off my desk. Also, the French translation of "tightie-whities" to "panties," although humorous, is not accurate. The type of undergarment I am describing is just a plain white pair of men's cotton briefs. Many men continue to wear these into adulthood, though most switch to boxer shorts at some point.
by Sam L. Parity
Source: http://axecollectorblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/my-brush-with-badness.html
A few weeks ago, I was at a staff meeting for new employees where everyone in the room was asked to mention one interesting thing about themselves that nobody else would know. I waited patiently 'til my turn came around, and then calmly explained how Michael Jackson once sent me to J.C. Penney to buy him underwear.
Since I have told my friends this story countless times, I was a little surprised by the strong reaction people had to my off-the-cuff comment. I guess I shouldn't have been. Like him or not, there is no denying that Michael Jackson is still a force of nature. Even my 5th graders are aware of him, and they were all of three years old when his last record came out! So to set the record straight, here is the account of my years with the so-called King of Pop.
Back in 1989, I was a fresh-faced college grad in Los Angeles searching for my first job. Since I was one of the six people that year who actually went to college just to learn how to work in a recording studio, I had no problem landing a position at one of the major studios in Hollywood. Of course, even with an expensive college degree, you couldn't just expect to start off working with bands inside the building, because that required actual EXPERIENCE, which of course was what everyone else was out getting while I was pursuing my worthless degree.
Instead, they stuck me out in the parking shack across the street for two months. Strangely enough, I had some experience in this area, as I had spent the summer working as a valet in a garage near Fenway Park.
Parking cars for rock stars certainly had its moments. Iggy Pop once drove up in a Hyundai with no windshield. Either Milli or Vanilli tipped me a dollar for parking their Jeep. The Beastie Boys all sped off laughing one day in their rented Escort, and then drove straight up to Mulholland Drive and pushed it over the cliff. And once a week during lunch, David Crosby handed me a twenty-dollar bill to take his brand-new BMW 750 to the car wash, which really only set me back like three bucks. Once when I brought it back to him, he handed me another twenty for a tip.
Nevertheless, a promotion was inevitable, and in the winter of '89. I was promoted to the midnight to eight janitorial position. At least I was happy to be inside the building, as it was getting cold in the unheated parking shack. But I knew absolutely nothing about cleaning toilets and mopping floors, as evidenced by the huge cloud of noxious smoke that spewed from the cleaning bucket on my first night when I mixed the bleach and ammonia together.
Washing David Crosby's car for twenty bucks was one thing. But cleaning the studio bathroom after David Crosby had been in there for twenty minutes was a different deal entirely. For starters, I was supposed to stay awake all night, but after six hours of cleaning the entire building, this was easier said then done. Finally, one morning as I was leaving, the studio manager asked me to take two small brass elephant bookends home and polish them up before my next shift. I spent the day looking for another job instead, and found one right away at a studio down the street on Sunset Blvd.
At my new job, I was hired on as a "runner," which meant I got to run errands all over LA in my trusty '84 VW Rabbit. A couple months later, they moved me out to a studio in the San Fernando Valley for a "special" project.
This project would eventually become Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" album. When I first started, Michael was working with three different groups of producers all trying to take the place of Quincy Jones, who had not been chosen to work on this project. I think Michael wanted to go out on his own for this one, but the problem was that he had no idea what he wanted! One day, Slash from Guns N' Roses would be recording a searing guitar solo, while the next day, a chorus of thirty children would be singing a nursery rhyme or something.
Michael didn't say much to me at first, until one day he ran in screaming that there was a "vagabond" sitting in the alley behind the studio. I took a look, expecting Charlie Chaplin to pop out or something, but there was just some homeless guy sipping malt liquor out of a bag on the back steps.
Eventually, Michael warmed up to me, and even started talking to me once in a while if he was in the mood. Once, he asked if I was going to have to go fight in the (Gulf) war. I told him I was probably too old to be drafted, and he responded by saying that he was relieved, because "if you went to the war, you could die."
He also started sending me out on errands, like going out with his credit card one afternoon to fill his huge Blazer up with gasoline. If I remember correctly, he had an auxiliary gas tank mounted, so he could get up to his ranch without having to get out and fill up along the way.
I guess I should mention at this point that Michael is an awful driver. He hit everyone's car in the studio lot at least once, including mine. One time, he rear-ended a guy on the 101 freeway, and just left the scene because the guy got out of his car and started screaming at him. Eventually, he gave up and got someone to drive him in to work every day.
Other memorable experiences include calling Tower Records (RIP) an hour before they closed, and having them shut down early so that Michael and I could go shopping. Even thought it was just up the road, I was glad to get out of MJ's car and into the safety of the store! I think he dropped about $1500 on CDs that night.
Anyway, one day Michael shyly asked me if I could do him a special favor. I'm pretty sure this was after he stopped driving, so I guess he really didn't have any other way to get stuff during the day. Of course I agreed, which was when he told me flat-out that he had just run out of underwear.
For pretty much the whole two years that I worked with him, Michael came in every day wearing black dress pants and a red button-down shirt. He had a whole rack of just these two items in his office, which I assume he either had cleaned and returned to him, or just threw away at the end of the day. But on this particular day, I guess he was running low on drawers.
At first, he just said that he wanted underwear. When I asked him what kind, he just repeated "Underwear!" When I told him I wasn't his mother and didn't know what to get, he kind of laughed, and then said "Hanes thirty please." When I was almost out the door however, he came running up and yelled "make them thirty-twos, I don't want them to be too tight!" So there it is folks. The King of Pop wears tightie-whities!
Other than that, I never saw any funny business going on for the two years I worked with him. I really enjoyed this experience, and even got my name on the CD! Michael was always polite and reserved in the studio, but he had his silly moments as well.
He was also really concerned about doing anything that would inadvertently upset anybody around him. Even though he was spending five thousand bucks a day on studio time, Michael left me this note one day on my desk. I kept it as a souvenir, and pull it out now and then if people ever question my story. It pretty much tells you everything you need to know about him as a person and an artist.
For the purposes of clarification, Michael was just telling me that he took a pen off my desk. Also, the French translation of "tightie-whities" to "panties," although humorous, is not accurate. The type of undergarment I am describing is just a plain white pair of men's cotton briefs. Many men continue to wear these into adulthood, though most switch to boxer shorts at some point.
by Sam L. Parity
Source: http://axecollectorblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/my-brush-with-badness.html
Ashtanga
Proud Member
144000
Proud Member
beautiful that, the innocence of a child, answering the questions about receiving gifts from Michael, so gratefully. but the child should have been allowed to continue to express the pain of what he went through before. the interviewer, hopefully, wasn't stifling that. it's just wonderful that Michael came into those children's lives.
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
1958: A Look at the Year Michael was Born
Most of this, with a few noted exceptions, comes straight from Wikipedia, so this isn’t exactly rocket science research here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958. However, with Michael’s birthday right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the highlights from the year Michael was delivered to us. There is also some pretty amazing trivia here, especially in regard to Michael’s future father-in-law Elvis Presley and the things that were affecting his life and future path that year-things that would lead, inevitably, to the birth of Michael’s future wife, Lisa Marie.
What was going on in the world as Michael’s life journey was beginning? Overall, it was a fascinating year of space exploration, but paradoxically, many air and space disasters as well. It was a year of economic downturn for the USA (perhaps explaining how it so happened that Joe was laid off from the steel mill right around the time Michael was born) and growing racial tension, which would culminate in the 60′s Civil Rights movements. It was a year of mounting Cold War tension, and yet also the year the iconic peace symbol was born. It seems somehow fitting that Michael Jackson and the peace symbol should have been born the same year. Here are some of the facts I thought most interesting about the year 1958:
In January of 1958, as Michael was still just barely a twinkle in Joe and Katherine’s eyes:
The first of many air/space diasters occurs, as Sputnik falls to Earth.
14-year-old Bobby Fischer wins the United States chess championship.
There is a violent clash between Lumbee Native Americans and the KKK in North Carolina.
Hall of Fame baseball player Roy Campanella is involved in the auto accident that will paralyze him for the rest of his life.
America’ s first succesful satellite is launched.
Vintage 1958 Pin-Up Calendar
In February of 1958: Katherine probably still isn’t even aware of the new life inside her.
In the world at large:
The Arab Republic is born.
The word aerospace is coined.
The Tybee Bomb, a 7600 pound Mark 15 hydrogen bomb, is lost in the waters of Savannah, Georgia! (Ever see Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil? Maybe that’s where all the poisoned water came from!).
Ruth Carol Taylor, first African-American flight attendant, is hired (then subsequently fired-for being married!).
A Munich air disater kills eight Manchester United players and fifteen others.
A test rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral.
The peace symbol is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom, commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment.
With Nelson Mandela in 1996. Perhaps It's Fitting That Michael, Who Fought So Hard For Global Causes And World Peace...
...Was Born The Same Year As The Peace Symbol
The worst school bus accident in US history up to that time claims 29 lives in Kentucky.
In March of 1958: As Katherine is probably thinking, “Oh no, not again!”
The Turkish passenger ship Uskudar capsizes and sinks at Izmit Bay, Kocaeli, Turkey; at least 300 die.
The USS Wisconsin is decommissioned, leaving the United States Navy without an active battleship for the first time since 1896 (it is recommissioned October 22, 1988).
A U.S. B-47 bomber accidentally drops an atom bomb on Mars Bluff, South Carolina. Its conventional explosives destroy a house and injure several people, but no nuclear fission occurs.
The U.S. Army inducts Elvis Presley, transforming The King Of Rock & Roll into U.S. private #53310761. (While in the army, serving time in Germany, Elvis would meet 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, future mother of Lisa Marie).
Michael's Future Father-In-Law, Elvis Presley, Is Drafted Into The Army in March, 1958. Teenage Girls All Over America Cried As If The World Had Ended.
The United States launches Explorer 3.
The Bridge on The River Kwai wins 7 Academy Awards.
The era of Khrushchev is ushered in, when Nikita Khruschchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union.
In April of 1958: As the snows of the Gary winter are finally melting, the days growing warmer and Katherine coming to terms with “Yes, another one’s on the way…”:
The Recession of 1958 hits full swing, with unemployment in Detroit at an all-time high of 20%.
Castro’s Revoltionary Army attacks Havana.
In May of 1958: As little Michael is probably, no doubt, starting to make his presence known:
French Algerian protesters seize government offices in Algiers, leading to a military coup.
During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard M. Nixon’s car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3
This Times Photo Shows A Typical Unemplyment Office Scene In 1958. The Recession Hit Americans Hard.
In June of 1958: Summer is starting to weigh hot and heavy. Joe is working odd jobs, even picking potatoes, to make ends meet. The kids are excited about their new baby brother or sister coming, unaware of the adult concerns laying heavy on their parents’ minds.
In the world:
Charles de Gaulle is brought out of retirement to lead France by decree for 6 months
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald (yes, the one Gordon Lightfoot would eventually immortalize) was launched.
In July of 1958: The days are hot and long; tension and worry over money matters permeates the little house on 2300 Jackson Street. Still, the family is excited over the new addition. Little Michael is kicking, ready to come out and dance. In the world beyond 2300 Jackson Street:
Eisenhower signs the Alaska State Act into Unites States law.
Another American institution, IHOP, is born in Toluca Lake, California.
A 7.5 Richter scale earthquake in Lituya Bay, Alaska, causes a landslide that produces a huge 520-meter high wave
In Lebanon, 5,000 United States Marines land in the capital Beirut in order to protect the pro-Western government there.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom gives her son Charles the title of Prince of Wales (who knew that in 30 years, Michael would be flirting with his wife!).
In August of 1958: In the weeks immediatly leading up to Michael’s birth:
The last Tom and Jerry episode is produced.
The nuclear powered submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) becomes the first vessel to cross the North Pole under water
A 4-engine Super Constellation aircraft belonging to KLM crashes into the sea with 99 people on board (the worst crash in civil aviation history up to that time).
The first Thor-Able rocket is launched, carrying Pioneer 0, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 17. The launch fails due to a first stage malfunction
Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel Lolita is published.
Lisa Marie's Grandmother, Gladys Presley, Died Just Two Weeks Before Michael Was Born. Lisa's Grandfather, Vernon Presley, Would Die Years Later On June 26th. Doesn't Gladys In This Pic Look A Lot Like Lisa?
On August 14, 1958, a mere two weeks prior to Michael’s birth, Gladys Love Smith Presley, mother of Elvis and grandmother of Lisa Marie, dies in a Memphis hospital. (And Lisa’s grandfather, Vernon Presley, would die 21 years later on June 26th, 1979, so that now the anniversary of Lisa’s grandfather’s death falls just one day after that of her ex-husband).
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2846
August 29, 1958-Michael Joseph Jackson is born after a mad dash to Gary’s Mercy Hospital. Contrary to popular belief, he is not named “Joseph” after his father, but rather his maternal great-grandmother Josephine.
http://michaeljacksonbeat.blogspot.com/2008/08/michael-jacksons-family-tree.html
On that same day, August 29th, 1958:
The Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
George Harrison joins The Quarrymen, which later becomes The Beatles.
http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/august_29.html
The #1 song on the Billboard charts the day Michael was born (how fitting is this!):
Little Star, by The Elegants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hot_100_number-one_singles_of_1958_(U.S.)#Hot_100
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4svyb_the-elegants-meet-randy-the-rainbow_music
In the days just after Michael’s birth:
The United States begins nuclear testing over the South Atlantic.
Race riots between blacks and whites break out in-of all places-Notting Hill, London (yes, the charming and quaint little neighborhood we fell in love with in Hugh Grant’s Notting Hill).
In September of 1958: Little Michael is a newborn at home, taking in the world with those big dark eyes. One day, he will write songs and innovate dance steps that change the face of pop music. But for now, his biggest concerns are his bottle and getting his diaper changed. Meanwhile, the big ol’ world beyond beyond the crib rocks on:
The first Cold War begins between UK and Iceland.
Paul Robeson performs in concert at the Soviet Young Pioneer camp Artek Jack St. Clair Kilby invents the first integrated circuit.
Two rockets designed by German engineer Ernst Mohr (the first German post-war rockets) reach the upper atmosphere.
Typhoon Ida kills at least 1,269 in Honshū, Japan.
In France, a majority of 79% says yes to the constitution of the Fifth Republic.
The U.S.S.R. performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.
In October and November of 1958: Baby Michael is still adjusting to his new world. The recession continues. Joe is having a tough go of it supporting the family. Perhaps as a direct result of the recession, US birth rates actually drop for the first time since the Post-war boom, and an official “end” to the baby boom generation is declared. Michael, we can all be thankful, was an exception to the rule. Coincidentally, despire the declining birth rate, it would also be the the birth year for many other prominent celebrities, including the other two crown jewels in the Royal Pop Holy Crown-Madonna and Prince. Also during these months:
Pope Pius XII dies.
Pioneer 1 the second and most successful of the 3 project Able space probes, becomes the first spacecraft launched by the newly formed NASA.
UK TV series Blue Peterstarted.
The Life Peerages Act entitles women to sit in the House of Lords for the first time. Baroness Swanbourough, Lady Reading and Baroness Barbara Wooton are the first to take their seats.
Pope John XXIII succeeds Pope Pius XII as the 261st pope.
In December of 1958: Katherine isn’t yet a Jehovah’s Witness, so it’s possible little Michael experiences his first Christmas (the first of a very precious few, until many years later in his 30′s). The weather has turned cold again and the heavy Gary snows are starting to pile up. As the family looks ahead to a new year, no doubt hoping 1959 will be a turn for the better:
•At least 90 students and 3 nuns are killed in a fire at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago.
Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the UK by the Queen, when she dials a call from Bristol to Edinburgh and speaks to the Lord Provost.
Pop's Holy Trinity...
...Michael, Madonna, And Prince...
…Were All Born Just Weeks Apart From Each Other In The Summer Of 1958.
The Preston bypass, the United Kingdom’s first motorway, opens to traffic for the first time. This stretch is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.
The 3rd launch of a Thor-Able rocket, carrying Pioneer 2, is unsuccessful due to a 3rd stage ignition failure
The right-wing John Birch Society is founded in the USA by Robert Welch, a retired candy manufacturer.
The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first ever to reach the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility.
Arthur L. Schawlow and Charles H. Townes of Bell Laboratories publish a paper in Physical Review Letters setting out the principles of the optical laser.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower broadcasts a message from a Project SCORE satellite.
General Charles de Gaulle is elected president of France with 78.5% of the votes.
A BOAC Bristol Britannia (312 G-AOVD) crashes near Winkton, England during a test flight.
Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker (the George Balanchineversion) is shown on prime-time television in color for the first time, as an episode of the CBS anthology series Playhouse 90.
The Baltimore Colts beat The New York Giants 23–17 in overtime to win The NFL Championship.
Rebel troops under Che Guevara begin to invade Santa Clara, Cuba. Fulgencio Batista resigns two days later, on the night of the 31st
As the year draws to a close, tallies reveal that, for the first time, total passengers carried by air exceeds total passengers carried by sea in transatlantic service.
Clearly, in 1958, many American families were struggling. Yet people were also looking to the skies and beyond, to the stars. The future seemed bleak (with the Cold War and threats of nuclear attack ever looming) and yet filled with infinite possibilities. This was the world that Michael Joseph Jackson inherited. In many crucial ways, it was the world that molded and shaped him into the adult he became.
Check this out! The American Look (1958) : Takes a look at the prevailing styles and aesthetics of 1958:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9118785157777261461#
Source: http://www.allforloveblog.com/
Most of this, with a few noted exceptions, comes straight from Wikipedia, so this isn’t exactly rocket science research here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958. However, with Michael’s birthday right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the highlights from the year Michael was delivered to us. There is also some pretty amazing trivia here, especially in regard to Michael’s future father-in-law Elvis Presley and the things that were affecting his life and future path that year-things that would lead, inevitably, to the birth of Michael’s future wife, Lisa Marie.
What was going on in the world as Michael’s life journey was beginning? Overall, it was a fascinating year of space exploration, but paradoxically, many air and space disasters as well. It was a year of economic downturn for the USA (perhaps explaining how it so happened that Joe was laid off from the steel mill right around the time Michael was born) and growing racial tension, which would culminate in the 60′s Civil Rights movements. It was a year of mounting Cold War tension, and yet also the year the iconic peace symbol was born. It seems somehow fitting that Michael Jackson and the peace symbol should have been born the same year. Here are some of the facts I thought most interesting about the year 1958:
In January of 1958, as Michael was still just barely a twinkle in Joe and Katherine’s eyes:
The first of many air/space diasters occurs, as Sputnik falls to Earth.
14-year-old Bobby Fischer wins the United States chess championship.
There is a violent clash between Lumbee Native Americans and the KKK in North Carolina.
Hall of Fame baseball player Roy Campanella is involved in the auto accident that will paralyze him for the rest of his life.
America’ s first succesful satellite is launched.
Vintage 1958 Pin-Up Calendar
In February of 1958: Katherine probably still isn’t even aware of the new life inside her.
In the world at large:
The Arab Republic is born.
The word aerospace is coined.
The Tybee Bomb, a 7600 pound Mark 15 hydrogen bomb, is lost in the waters of Savannah, Georgia! (Ever see Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil? Maybe that’s where all the poisoned water came from!).
Ruth Carol Taylor, first African-American flight attendant, is hired (then subsequently fired-for being married!).
A Munich air disater kills eight Manchester United players and fifteen others.
A test rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral.
The peace symbol is designed and completed by Gerald Holtom, commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment.
With Nelson Mandela in 1996. Perhaps It's Fitting That Michael, Who Fought So Hard For Global Causes And World Peace...
...Was Born The Same Year As The Peace Symbol
The worst school bus accident in US history up to that time claims 29 lives in Kentucky.
In March of 1958: As Katherine is probably thinking, “Oh no, not again!”
The Turkish passenger ship Uskudar capsizes and sinks at Izmit Bay, Kocaeli, Turkey; at least 300 die.
The USS Wisconsin is decommissioned, leaving the United States Navy without an active battleship for the first time since 1896 (it is recommissioned October 22, 1988).
A U.S. B-47 bomber accidentally drops an atom bomb on Mars Bluff, South Carolina. Its conventional explosives destroy a house and injure several people, but no nuclear fission occurs.
The U.S. Army inducts Elvis Presley, transforming The King Of Rock & Roll into U.S. private #53310761. (While in the army, serving time in Germany, Elvis would meet 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, future mother of Lisa Marie).
Michael's Future Father-In-Law, Elvis Presley, Is Drafted Into The Army in March, 1958. Teenage Girls All Over America Cried As If The World Had Ended.
The United States launches Explorer 3.
The Bridge on The River Kwai wins 7 Academy Awards.
The era of Khrushchev is ushered in, when Nikita Khruschchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union.
In April of 1958: As the snows of the Gary winter are finally melting, the days growing warmer and Katherine coming to terms with “Yes, another one’s on the way…”:
The Recession of 1958 hits full swing, with unemployment in Detroit at an all-time high of 20%.
Castro’s Revoltionary Army attacks Havana.
In May of 1958: As little Michael is probably, no doubt, starting to make his presence known:
French Algerian protesters seize government offices in Algiers, leading to a military coup.
During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, Vice President Richard M. Nixon’s car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3
This Times Photo Shows A Typical Unemplyment Office Scene In 1958. The Recession Hit Americans Hard.
In June of 1958: Summer is starting to weigh hot and heavy. Joe is working odd jobs, even picking potatoes, to make ends meet. The kids are excited about their new baby brother or sister coming, unaware of the adult concerns laying heavy on their parents’ minds.
In the world:
Charles de Gaulle is brought out of retirement to lead France by decree for 6 months
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald (yes, the one Gordon Lightfoot would eventually immortalize) was launched.
In July of 1958: The days are hot and long; tension and worry over money matters permeates the little house on 2300 Jackson Street. Still, the family is excited over the new addition. Little Michael is kicking, ready to come out and dance. In the world beyond 2300 Jackson Street:
Eisenhower signs the Alaska State Act into Unites States law.
Another American institution, IHOP, is born in Toluca Lake, California.
A 7.5 Richter scale earthquake in Lituya Bay, Alaska, causes a landslide that produces a huge 520-meter high wave
In Lebanon, 5,000 United States Marines land in the capital Beirut in order to protect the pro-Western government there.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom gives her son Charles the title of Prince of Wales (who knew that in 30 years, Michael would be flirting with his wife!).
In August of 1958: In the weeks immediatly leading up to Michael’s birth:
The last Tom and Jerry episode is produced.
The nuclear powered submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) becomes the first vessel to cross the North Pole under water
A 4-engine Super Constellation aircraft belonging to KLM crashes into the sea with 99 people on board (the worst crash in civil aviation history up to that time).
The first Thor-Able rocket is launched, carrying Pioneer 0, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 17. The launch fails due to a first stage malfunction
Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel Lolita is published.
Lisa Marie's Grandmother, Gladys Presley, Died Just Two Weeks Before Michael Was Born. Lisa's Grandfather, Vernon Presley, Would Die Years Later On June 26th. Doesn't Gladys In This Pic Look A Lot Like Lisa?
On August 14, 1958, a mere two weeks prior to Michael’s birth, Gladys Love Smith Presley, mother of Elvis and grandmother of Lisa Marie, dies in a Memphis hospital. (And Lisa’s grandfather, Vernon Presley, would die 21 years later on June 26th, 1979, so that now the anniversary of Lisa’s grandfather’s death falls just one day after that of her ex-husband).
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2846
August 29, 1958-Michael Joseph Jackson is born after a mad dash to Gary’s Mercy Hospital. Contrary to popular belief, he is not named “Joseph” after his father, but rather his maternal great-grandmother Josephine.
http://michaeljacksonbeat.blogspot.com/2008/08/michael-jacksons-family-tree.html
On that same day, August 29th, 1958:
The Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
George Harrison joins The Quarrymen, which later becomes The Beatles.
http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/august_29.html
The #1 song on the Billboard charts the day Michael was born (how fitting is this!):
Little Star, by The Elegants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hot_100_number-one_singles_of_1958_(U.S.)#Hot_100
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4svyb_the-elegants-meet-randy-the-rainbow_music
In the days just after Michael’s birth:
The United States begins nuclear testing over the South Atlantic.
Race riots between blacks and whites break out in-of all places-Notting Hill, London (yes, the charming and quaint little neighborhood we fell in love with in Hugh Grant’s Notting Hill).
In September of 1958: Little Michael is a newborn at home, taking in the world with those big dark eyes. One day, he will write songs and innovate dance steps that change the face of pop music. But for now, his biggest concerns are his bottle and getting his diaper changed. Meanwhile, the big ol’ world beyond beyond the crib rocks on:
The first Cold War begins between UK and Iceland.
Paul Robeson performs in concert at the Soviet Young Pioneer camp Artek Jack St. Clair Kilby invents the first integrated circuit.
Two rockets designed by German engineer Ernst Mohr (the first German post-war rockets) reach the upper atmosphere.
Typhoon Ida kills at least 1,269 in Honshū, Japan.
In France, a majority of 79% says yes to the constitution of the Fifth Republic.
The U.S.S.R. performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya.
In October and November of 1958: Baby Michael is still adjusting to his new world. The recession continues. Joe is having a tough go of it supporting the family. Perhaps as a direct result of the recession, US birth rates actually drop for the first time since the Post-war boom, and an official “end” to the baby boom generation is declared. Michael, we can all be thankful, was an exception to the rule. Coincidentally, despire the declining birth rate, it would also be the the birth year for many other prominent celebrities, including the other two crown jewels in the Royal Pop Holy Crown-Madonna and Prince. Also during these months:
Pope Pius XII dies.
Pioneer 1 the second and most successful of the 3 project Able space probes, becomes the first spacecraft launched by the newly formed NASA.
UK TV series Blue Peterstarted.
The Life Peerages Act entitles women to sit in the House of Lords for the first time. Baroness Swanbourough, Lady Reading and Baroness Barbara Wooton are the first to take their seats.
Pope John XXIII succeeds Pope Pius XII as the 261st pope.
In December of 1958: Katherine isn’t yet a Jehovah’s Witness, so it’s possible little Michael experiences his first Christmas (the first of a very precious few, until many years later in his 30′s). The weather has turned cold again and the heavy Gary snows are starting to pile up. As the family looks ahead to a new year, no doubt hoping 1959 will be a turn for the better:
•At least 90 students and 3 nuns are killed in a fire at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago.
Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the UK by the Queen, when she dials a call from Bristol to Edinburgh and speaks to the Lord Provost.
Pop's Holy Trinity...
...Michael, Madonna, And Prince...
…Were All Born Just Weeks Apart From Each Other In The Summer Of 1958.
The Preston bypass, the United Kingdom’s first motorway, opens to traffic for the first time. This stretch is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.
The 3rd launch of a Thor-Able rocket, carrying Pioneer 2, is unsuccessful due to a 3rd stage ignition failure
The right-wing John Birch Society is founded in the USA by Robert Welch, a retired candy manufacturer.
The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first ever to reach the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility.
Arthur L. Schawlow and Charles H. Townes of Bell Laboratories publish a paper in Physical Review Letters setting out the principles of the optical laser.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower broadcasts a message from a Project SCORE satellite.
General Charles de Gaulle is elected president of France with 78.5% of the votes.
A BOAC Bristol Britannia (312 G-AOVD) crashes near Winkton, England during a test flight.
Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker (the George Balanchineversion) is shown on prime-time television in color for the first time, as an episode of the CBS anthology series Playhouse 90.
The Baltimore Colts beat The New York Giants 23–17 in overtime to win The NFL Championship.
Rebel troops under Che Guevara begin to invade Santa Clara, Cuba. Fulgencio Batista resigns two days later, on the night of the 31st
As the year draws to a close, tallies reveal that, for the first time, total passengers carried by air exceeds total passengers carried by sea in transatlantic service.
Clearly, in 1958, many American families were struggling. Yet people were also looking to the skies and beyond, to the stars. The future seemed bleak (with the Cold War and threats of nuclear attack ever looming) and yet filled with infinite possibilities. This was the world that Michael Joseph Jackson inherited. In many crucial ways, it was the world that molded and shaped him into the adult he became.
Check this out! The American Look (1958) : Takes a look at the prevailing styles and aesthetics of 1958:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9118785157777261461#
Source: http://www.allforloveblog.com/
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
Aug 29, 2009 would have been Michael's 51st birthday
Sweet, shy and sexy, that's our Michael, and ever so humble.
So great, a giant in giving to humanity all he had to give, yet staying so humble.
If only the rest of the world could know and see him as we do, as he really was, that is my greatest wish!
Sweet, shy and sexy, that's our Michael, and ever so humble.
So great, a giant in giving to humanity all he had to give, yet staying so humble.
If only the rest of the world could know and see him as we do, as he really was, that is my greatest wish!
Hi Everyone,Here are my 2 special websites,I made for Michael and the family one is for Michael's Birthday,Since it's coming up in a few days.I am still working on both websites.
http://mjspecialbdayfanmessagewebsite.webs.com
http://jacksonfamilyspecialfanmessagewebsite.webs.com
http://mjspecialbdayfanmessagewebsite.webs.com
http://jacksonfamilyspecialfanmessagewebsite.webs.com
Maria MJ
Proud Member
Kristy, beautiful websites! Thanks for your hard work.
And thanks to everybody here for their wonderful contributions.
Michael's spirit is shining and vibrating in this thread.
:wub:
And thanks to everybody here for their wonderful contributions.
Michael's spirit is shining and vibrating in this thread.
:wub:MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
The Pop Gospel According to Michael Jackson
posted: July 21, 2009
"...a time to mourn and a time to dance"--Ecclesiastes 3:4
"I guess God… and rehearsal."--Michael Jackson, when asked backstage after his Motown 25 performance who taught him to move like that (www.EbonyJet.com)
By David Buckna
Special to ASSIST News Service
March 5/09: Michael Jackson announces 10 concerts for London's O2 arena
CANADA (ANS) -- On June 25, 2009 pop music superstar Michael Jackson died after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 50. Known as the "King of Pop," Jackson's songs and innovative dance moves were enjoyed by fans around the world. Test your knowledge of some of the biblical connections to the music of the Jackson 5 and Michael's solo career with this 20 question quiz.
Questions
1. What was the first song Michael sang in public at age 5?
2. This gentle ballad by the Jackson 5 begins: "You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back". Name it.
3. What carol, first made popular by the Harry Simeone Chorale, appears on the Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970)?
4. What was the first single from the Jackson 5's Skywriter album (1973)?
5. What video for a song on The Jackson's Triumph album (1980) was voted one of the 100 best videos of all time, in a 2001 poll to mark the 20th anniversary of MTV?
6. This dance-pop R&B classic from Thriller (1982)--the best-selling album of all time--includes the lyric: "But the kid is not my son." Name the song.
Michael on set during 1983 video (Getty Images)
7. Also from Thriller, this song's theme echoes Proverbs 20:3 "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling." Name the song.
8. What 1985 song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie was recorded by a supergroup of 45 musicians billed as USA for Africa?
9. A gospel choir is heard on what song from Bad (1987)?
10. What song from Dangerous (1991) promotes racial unity?
11. This song includes the lyrics:"And you can go by feel/'Stead of circumstance/But the power's in believing/So give yourself a chance". Name the song.
12. On what song does Michael sing: "See the nations turn their swords into plowshares"?
13. What gospel-influenced song from Dangerous resembles a lament psalm?
14. What's the setting for the 1992 video, Remember the Time?
15. What 1995 ballad centers around the destruction and rebirth of planet Earth?
16. What music video directed by Spike Lee was filmed in Brazil, the streets of Salvador, and a shantytown in Rio de Janeiro?
17. What song from Invincible (2001) asks the question: "And will the sun ever shine in the blind man's eyes when he cries?"
18. What song did Michael ask pastors Andrae and Sandra Crouch to sing to him just weeks before his death?
19. When Michael was rehearsing "They Don't Care About Us" with dancers during a June 23 session at the Staples Center, a 1963 sound byte from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was added. What does King say?
20. What was the first song performed at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service? (July 7/09)
Answers
1. "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", at Garnett Elementary School in Gary, Indiana
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music, sung by the Mother Abbess to Maria. The inspirational song encourages others to take every step towards attaining their dreams.
Michael: "When I finished that song, the reaction in the auditorium overwhelmed me. The applause was thunderous and people were smiling; some of them were standing. My teachers were crying and I just couldn't believe it. I had made them all happy. It was such a great feeling. I felt a little confused too, because I didn't think I had done anything special. I was just singing the way I sang at home every night. When you're performing, you don't realize what you sound like or how you're coming across. You just open your mouth and sing."
Climb Ev'ry Mountain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIlawTy6gM
2. "I'll Be There". The song continues: "Where there is love, I'll be there/I'll reach out my hand to you/I'll have faith in all you do/Just call my name and I'll be there"
In the book of Jeremiah, God invites people to call to him:"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
3. "The Little Drummer Boy" (Davis/Onorati/Simeone). Also known as the Carol of the Drum, Katherine K. Davis first composed the words and music--transcribed from a traditional Czech carol--in 1941. The Trapp Family Singers recorded "Carol of the Drum" prior to their 1955 retirement. In 1968, Rankin-Bass produced a stop motion animated Christmas TV special based on The Little Drummer Boy.
Jackson 5 Gold album cover
4. "Hallelujah Day". The Hebrew "hallelujah" combines "hallelu" and "yah," and translates as "Praise God". The phrase is found in the book of Psalms (such as 113:1) and four times in the book of Revelation (such as 19:1)
From the song: "Somebody found the key/Somebody opened up the door/Now there'll be dancing in the streets/This is the day we've been waiting for"
(Matthew 7: 7-8) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened.
5. "Can You Feel It".
From the song: "Spread the word and try to teach the man/Who's hating his brother/When hate won't do"
(1 John 4:20) If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
The song continues:"'Cause we're all the same, yes/The blood inside of me is inside of you"
One Blood: The Biblical Answer to Racism
http://creation.com/one-blood-index
Racism, Racial Issues and Christianity
http://www.christiananswers.net/race.html
(Genesis 1:26-27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
6. "Billie Jean". Jackson says in his autobiography, Moonwalk (1988) that "Billie Jean" was based on the groupies he and his brothers encountered while part of The Jackson 5: "There never was a real Billie Jean. The girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone's child when it wasn't true."
In Genesis 38:25, Tamar sends a message to her father-in-law, Judah, saying, "I am pregnant by the man who owns these." [Judah's own seal, cord and staff]. Later,Tamar gives birth to twin boys. In Judah's case, the kids really are his sons.
7. "Beat It".
"They're out to get you, better leave while you can/Don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man/You wanna stay alive, better do what you can/So beat it, just beat it"
From (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_It): "The music video opens with the news of a fight circulating a diner. This scene repeats itself at a pool hall, where gang members arrive via foot, forklift, and out of sewers. The camera cuts to a scene of Jackson lying on a bed, contemplating the senseless violence. The singer leaves the room upon hearing the commotion caused by the rival gangs. Donning a red leather jacket, Jackson dances his way through the diner and pool hall, towards the fight. Arriving at the scene, the singer breaks up the fight and launches into a dance routine. The video ends with the gang members joining him in the dance, agreeing that violence is not the solution to their problems."
(Romans 12:18) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
8. "We Are the World". Frederica Mathewes-Green writes at
(www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=15208): "My favorite [Bible blooper] is a line from that 1980s anthem, 'We Are the World': 'As our God has shown us by turning stones to bread.' I picture the songwriters Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson thinking, 'Hey, we're singing to raise money for hunger relief and there's something in the Bible about bread and stones--Cool!' The Bible describes Jesus being tempted, but refusing to turn stones to bread. The composers, the instrumentalists, singers, and technicians must each have read over these lyrics at least once. Nobody said, 'Hmm, is that right? I'd better check a Bible.' "
(Matthew 4:1-4) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
Lionel Ritchie, co-writer of "We Are the World", sang "Jesus Is Love" (from the Commodores' 1980 album, Heroes) at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service with the First AME Church Choir (July 7/09). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aLnmRlYs_g
9. "Man in the Mirror" (words & music by Siedah Garrett/Glen Ballard). Jackson added background vocals from Siedah Garrett, The Winans, and the Andrae Crouch Choir.
"I'm starting with the man in the mirror/I'm asking him to change his ways/No message could have been any clearer/If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change"
(James 1:22-25) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like. But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it--not forgetting what they have heard but doing it--they will be blessed in what they do.
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone magazine writes: "When people first heard the studio version, he sounded full of himself. But at the [1988] Grammys, he took the song to church, with a full-blown gospel production that stands as one of his most stunning vocal workouts. In a way, this was as majestic and definitive as the Motown 25 moonwalk."
10. "Black or White". From the chorus: "But, if you're thinkin' about my baby/It don't matter if you're black or white"
How did different skin colors come about?
http://www.onehumanrace.com/docs/skin_color.asp
11. "Keep the Faith". Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(Hebrews 11:1)
12. "Heal the World".
(Isaiah 2:4) He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
13. "Will You Be There". The song begins: "Hold me, like the river Jordan/And I will then say to thee/ You are my friend".
Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-16)
"Carry me/like you are my brother"
(Isaiah 46:4) I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
"Weary/tell me will you hold me"
(Psalm 139:9-10) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
"When lost will you find me"
(Luke 15:3-6) Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'
Near the close of "Will You Be There", Michael speaks the following:
"In our darkest hour/In my deepest despair/Will you still care?/Will you be there?/In my trials/and my tribulations/Through our doubts/and frustrations/In my violence/In my turbulence/Through my fear/and my confessions/ In my anguish and my pains/Through my joy and my sorrow/In the promise of another tomorrow/I'll never let you part/For you're always in my heart."
Types of Psalms
http://www.crivoice.org/psalmtypes.html
http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/psalm-construction.html
Jennifer Hudson performed the song at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2mVK0--A5E
14. Ancient Egypt. The music video for "Remember the Time" became one of his longest at over 9 minutes. It featured groundbreaking visual effects and an appearance by Eddie Murphy as Pharaoh Rameses II--believed by many scholars to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
According to the Bible, Moses was the leader of the Israelites when they were delivered by God out of slavery in Egypt. Dr. Paul L. Maier writes: (http://www.equip.org/PDF/DA111.pdf): "The very name Moses is Egyptian, as witness pharaonic names such as Thut-mose and Ra-meses....It is true that few remains of encampments or artifacts from the Exodus era have been discovered archaeologically in the Sinai, but a nomadic, tribal migration would hardly leave behind permanent stone foundations of imposing buildings en route."
15. "Earth Song". Jackson and the Andrae Crouch Choir engage in a back and forth chant as the song reaches it's climatic finale. New York Times music critic Jon Pareles describes "Earth Song" as "a complaint to God about problems that range from war to endangered whales."
"What have we done to the world/Look what we've done/What about all the peace/That you pledge your only son"
"Earth Song"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BklGvlcLuEw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYHguBEXkac
(2 Peter 3: 10;13) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare....But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
16. "They Don't Care About Us". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrNRBHBJQs
"Some things in life they just don't wanna see/But if Martin Luther was livin'/He wouldn't let this be"
For the first time in his career, Jackson made a second music video for a single--also directed by Spike Lee. This second version was filmed in a prison. It also contains real footage of human rights abuses, such as the Rodney King beating.
(Matthew 25:44-46) "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
17. "Cry". The healing of a blind man is recounted in Mark 8.
The Bethsaida miracle - Jesus healing a blind man
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n8_v49/ai_19336556/print
D. Keith Mano writes: "As far as I can judge, this is irrefutable evidence that a miracle did occur at Bethsaida. Back in 30 A.D. the blind did not often receive sight: there were few, if any, eye surgeons and seldom a decent miracle-worker. No shill in the crowd could have faked it all by pretending to be blind--because only someone recently given his sight would see "men as trees, walking," would see the Cubist jumble that Virgil told Oliver Sacks about. A faker, not knowing about post-blind syndrome, would have reported that Jesus had given him perfect vision."
18. "It Won't Be Long", which begins: "It won't be long, then we'll be leaving here/It won't be long, we'll be going home".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NflCoYmoStM
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ["I Have a Dream"] AP Photo
19. "...in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation." This is part of the opening sentence in King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech delivered August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.
I Have a Dream
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
"They Don't Care About Us" [rehearsal, June 23/09]
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2009/07/02/vo.aeg.jackson.rehearsal.cnn
20. "Soon and Very Soon", sung by the Andrae Crouch Choir. The first verse: "Soon and very soon we are going to see the King...Hallelujah, hallelujah, we're going to see the King."
Facing a massive tour, Michael Jackson reached out to gospel superstar Andrae Crouch and his minister/musician sister Sandra weeks before his death [June 30, 2009] http://www.bullypulpit.com/
Quotes
Cher:"He [Michael Jackson] was a great singer. You know, it's like God gives you certain gifts. And some people he gives different gifts and some people he gives more gifts." (June 25/09, Larry King Live)
President Barack Obama:"I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. I grew up on his music, still have all--all his stuff on my iPod. You know, I think that his brilliance as a performer also was paired with a tragic and in many ways sad personal life. But, you know, I'm glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy that he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer." (Associated Press, July 2/09)
(James: 1:17) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Pastor Lucious W. Smith (Friendship Baptist Church, Pasadena, California) closed the Michael Jackson Memorial Service (July 7/09): "Our Heavenly Father, we thank you this day for the memory of Michael Jackson that means so much to us, even right now. Thank you for the gift of music that he gave us....Even now, the King of Pop must bow his knees to the King of Kings, and we pray that you remind us, Lord, that our lives are but dust, we are here for a moment and then we are gone."
Closing Prayer by Pastor Lucious W. Smith [begin at 2:30 sec. mark]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-87i5a9mSg
Source: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09070135.htm
posted: July 21, 2009
"...a time to mourn and a time to dance"--Ecclesiastes 3:4
"I guess God… and rehearsal."--Michael Jackson, when asked backstage after his Motown 25 performance who taught him to move like that (www.EbonyJet.com)
By David Buckna
Special to ASSIST News Service
March 5/09: Michael Jackson announces 10 concerts for London's O2 arena
CANADA (ANS) -- On June 25, 2009 pop music superstar Michael Jackson died after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 50. Known as the "King of Pop," Jackson's songs and innovative dance moves were enjoyed by fans around the world. Test your knowledge of some of the biblical connections to the music of the Jackson 5 and Michael's solo career with this 20 question quiz.
Questions
1. What was the first song Michael sang in public at age 5?
2. This gentle ballad by the Jackson 5 begins: "You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back". Name it.
3. What carol, first made popular by the Harry Simeone Chorale, appears on the Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970)?
4. What was the first single from the Jackson 5's Skywriter album (1973)?
5. What video for a song on The Jackson's Triumph album (1980) was voted one of the 100 best videos of all time, in a 2001 poll to mark the 20th anniversary of MTV?
6. This dance-pop R&B classic from Thriller (1982)--the best-selling album of all time--includes the lyric: "But the kid is not my son." Name the song.
Michael on set during 1983 video (Getty Images)
7. Also from Thriller, this song's theme echoes Proverbs 20:3 "Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling." Name the song.
8. What 1985 song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie was recorded by a supergroup of 45 musicians billed as USA for Africa?
9. A gospel choir is heard on what song from Bad (1987)?
10. What song from Dangerous (1991) promotes racial unity?
11. This song includes the lyrics:"And you can go by feel/'Stead of circumstance/But the power's in believing/So give yourself a chance". Name the song.
12. On what song does Michael sing: "See the nations turn their swords into plowshares"?
13. What gospel-influenced song from Dangerous resembles a lament psalm?
14. What's the setting for the 1992 video, Remember the Time?
15. What 1995 ballad centers around the destruction and rebirth of planet Earth?
16. What music video directed by Spike Lee was filmed in Brazil, the streets of Salvador, and a shantytown in Rio de Janeiro?
17. What song from Invincible (2001) asks the question: "And will the sun ever shine in the blind man's eyes when he cries?"
18. What song did Michael ask pastors Andrae and Sandra Crouch to sing to him just weeks before his death?
19. When Michael was rehearsing "They Don't Care About Us" with dancers during a June 23 session at the Staples Center, a 1963 sound byte from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was added. What does King say?
20. What was the first song performed at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service? (July 7/09)
Answers
1. "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", at Garnett Elementary School in Gary, Indiana
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music, sung by the Mother Abbess to Maria. The inspirational song encourages others to take every step towards attaining their dreams.
Michael: "When I finished that song, the reaction in the auditorium overwhelmed me. The applause was thunderous and people were smiling; some of them were standing. My teachers were crying and I just couldn't believe it. I had made them all happy. It was such a great feeling. I felt a little confused too, because I didn't think I had done anything special. I was just singing the way I sang at home every night. When you're performing, you don't realize what you sound like or how you're coming across. You just open your mouth and sing."
Climb Ev'ry Mountain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NIlawTy6gM
2. "I'll Be There". The song continues: "Where there is love, I'll be there/I'll reach out my hand to you/I'll have faith in all you do/Just call my name and I'll be there"
In the book of Jeremiah, God invites people to call to him:"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
3. "The Little Drummer Boy" (Davis/Onorati/Simeone). Also known as the Carol of the Drum, Katherine K. Davis first composed the words and music--transcribed from a traditional Czech carol--in 1941. The Trapp Family Singers recorded "Carol of the Drum" prior to their 1955 retirement. In 1968, Rankin-Bass produced a stop motion animated Christmas TV special based on The Little Drummer Boy.
Jackson 5 Gold album cover
4. "Hallelujah Day". The Hebrew "hallelujah" combines "hallelu" and "yah," and translates as "Praise God". The phrase is found in the book of Psalms (such as 113:1) and four times in the book of Revelation (such as 19:1)
From the song: "Somebody found the key/Somebody opened up the door/Now there'll be dancing in the streets/This is the day we've been waiting for"
(Matthew 7: 7-8) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened.
5. "Can You Feel It".
From the song: "Spread the word and try to teach the man/Who's hating his brother/When hate won't do"
(1 John 4:20) If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
The song continues:"'Cause we're all the same, yes/The blood inside of me is inside of you"
One Blood: The Biblical Answer to Racism
http://creation.com/one-blood-index
Racism, Racial Issues and Christianity
http://www.christiananswers.net/race.html
(Genesis 1:26-27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
6. "Billie Jean". Jackson says in his autobiography, Moonwalk (1988) that "Billie Jean" was based on the groupies he and his brothers encountered while part of The Jackson 5: "There never was a real Billie Jean. The girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone's child when it wasn't true."
In Genesis 38:25, Tamar sends a message to her father-in-law, Judah, saying, "I am pregnant by the man who owns these." [Judah's own seal, cord and staff]. Later,Tamar gives birth to twin boys. In Judah's case, the kids really are his sons.
7. "Beat It".
"They're out to get you, better leave while you can/Don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man/You wanna stay alive, better do what you can/So beat it, just beat it"
From (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_It): "The music video opens with the news of a fight circulating a diner. This scene repeats itself at a pool hall, where gang members arrive via foot, forklift, and out of sewers. The camera cuts to a scene of Jackson lying on a bed, contemplating the senseless violence. The singer leaves the room upon hearing the commotion caused by the rival gangs. Donning a red leather jacket, Jackson dances his way through the diner and pool hall, towards the fight. Arriving at the scene, the singer breaks up the fight and launches into a dance routine. The video ends with the gang members joining him in the dance, agreeing that violence is not the solution to their problems."
(Romans 12:18) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
8. "We Are the World". Frederica Mathewes-Green writes at
(www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=15208): "My favorite [Bible blooper] is a line from that 1980s anthem, 'We Are the World': 'As our God has shown us by turning stones to bread.' I picture the songwriters Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson thinking, 'Hey, we're singing to raise money for hunger relief and there's something in the Bible about bread and stones--Cool!' The Bible describes Jesus being tempted, but refusing to turn stones to bread. The composers, the instrumentalists, singers, and technicians must each have read over these lyrics at least once. Nobody said, 'Hmm, is that right? I'd better check a Bible.' "
(Matthew 4:1-4) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
Lionel Ritchie, co-writer of "We Are the World", sang "Jesus Is Love" (from the Commodores' 1980 album, Heroes) at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service with the First AME Church Choir (July 7/09). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aLnmRlYs_g
9. "Man in the Mirror" (words & music by Siedah Garrett/Glen Ballard). Jackson added background vocals from Siedah Garrett, The Winans, and the Andrae Crouch Choir.
"I'm starting with the man in the mirror/I'm asking him to change his ways/No message could have been any clearer/If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change"
(James 1:22-25) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like. But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continue in it--not forgetting what they have heard but doing it--they will be blessed in what they do.
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone magazine writes: "When people first heard the studio version, he sounded full of himself. But at the [1988] Grammys, he took the song to church, with a full-blown gospel production that stands as one of his most stunning vocal workouts. In a way, this was as majestic and definitive as the Motown 25 moonwalk."
10. "Black or White". From the chorus: "But, if you're thinkin' about my baby/It don't matter if you're black or white"
How did different skin colors come about?
http://www.onehumanrace.com/docs/skin_color.asp
11. "Keep the Faith". Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(Hebrews 11:1)
12. "Heal the World".
(Isaiah 2:4) He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
13. "Will You Be There". The song begins: "Hold me, like the river Jordan/And I will then say to thee/ You are my friend".
Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-16)
"Carry me/like you are my brother"
(Isaiah 46:4) I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
"Weary/tell me will you hold me"
(Psalm 139:9-10) If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
"When lost will you find me"
(Luke 15:3-6) Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'
Near the close of "Will You Be There", Michael speaks the following:
"In our darkest hour/In my deepest despair/Will you still care?/Will you be there?/In my trials/and my tribulations/Through our doubts/and frustrations/In my violence/In my turbulence/Through my fear/and my confessions/ In my anguish and my pains/Through my joy and my sorrow/In the promise of another tomorrow/I'll never let you part/For you're always in my heart."
Types of Psalms
http://www.crivoice.org/psalmtypes.html
http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/psalm-construction.html
Jennifer Hudson performed the song at the Michael Jackson Memorial Service http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2mVK0--A5E
14. Ancient Egypt. The music video for "Remember the Time" became one of his longest at over 9 minutes. It featured groundbreaking visual effects and an appearance by Eddie Murphy as Pharaoh Rameses II--believed by many scholars to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
According to the Bible, Moses was the leader of the Israelites when they were delivered by God out of slavery in Egypt. Dr. Paul L. Maier writes: (http://www.equip.org/PDF/DA111.pdf): "The very name Moses is Egyptian, as witness pharaonic names such as Thut-mose and Ra-meses....It is true that few remains of encampments or artifacts from the Exodus era have been discovered archaeologically in the Sinai, but a nomadic, tribal migration would hardly leave behind permanent stone foundations of imposing buildings en route."
15. "Earth Song". Jackson and the Andrae Crouch Choir engage in a back and forth chant as the song reaches it's climatic finale. New York Times music critic Jon Pareles describes "Earth Song" as "a complaint to God about problems that range from war to endangered whales."
"What have we done to the world/Look what we've done/What about all the peace/That you pledge your only son"
"Earth Song"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BklGvlcLuEw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYHguBEXkac
(2 Peter 3: 10;13) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare....But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
16. "They Don't Care About Us". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrNRBHBJQs
"Some things in life they just don't wanna see/But if Martin Luther was livin'/He wouldn't let this be"
For the first time in his career, Jackson made a second music video for a single--also directed by Spike Lee. This second version was filmed in a prison. It also contains real footage of human rights abuses, such as the Rodney King beating.
(Matthew 25:44-46) "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
17. "Cry". The healing of a blind man is recounted in Mark 8.
The Bethsaida miracle - Jesus healing a blind man
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n8_v49/ai_19336556/print
D. Keith Mano writes: "As far as I can judge, this is irrefutable evidence that a miracle did occur at Bethsaida. Back in 30 A.D. the blind did not often receive sight: there were few, if any, eye surgeons and seldom a decent miracle-worker. No shill in the crowd could have faked it all by pretending to be blind--because only someone recently given his sight would see "men as trees, walking," would see the Cubist jumble that Virgil told Oliver Sacks about. A faker, not knowing about post-blind syndrome, would have reported that Jesus had given him perfect vision."
18. "It Won't Be Long", which begins: "It won't be long, then we'll be leaving here/It won't be long, we'll be going home".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NflCoYmoStM
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ["I Have a Dream"] AP Photo
19. "...in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation." This is part of the opening sentence in King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech delivered August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.
I Have a Dream
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
"They Don't Care About Us" [rehearsal, June 23/09]
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2009/07/02/vo.aeg.jackson.rehearsal.cnn
20. "Soon and Very Soon", sung by the Andrae Crouch Choir. The first verse: "Soon and very soon we are going to see the King...Hallelujah, hallelujah, we're going to see the King."
Facing a massive tour, Michael Jackson reached out to gospel superstar Andrae Crouch and his minister/musician sister Sandra weeks before his death [June 30, 2009] http://www.bullypulpit.com/
Quotes
Cher:"He [Michael Jackson] was a great singer. You know, it's like God gives you certain gifts. And some people he gives different gifts and some people he gives more gifts." (June 25/09, Larry King Live)
President Barack Obama:"I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. I grew up on his music, still have all--all his stuff on my iPod. You know, I think that his brilliance as a performer also was paired with a tragic and in many ways sad personal life. But, you know, I'm glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy that he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer." (Associated Press, July 2/09)
(James: 1:17) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Pastor Lucious W. Smith (Friendship Baptist Church, Pasadena, California) closed the Michael Jackson Memorial Service (July 7/09): "Our Heavenly Father, we thank you this day for the memory of Michael Jackson that means so much to us, even right now. Thank you for the gift of music that he gave us....Even now, the King of Pop must bow his knees to the King of Kings, and we pray that you remind us, Lord, that our lives are but dust, we are here for a moment and then we are gone."
Closing Prayer by Pastor Lucious W. Smith [begin at 2:30 sec. mark]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-87i5a9mSg
Source: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09070135.htm
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
God (Written by Michael Jackson)
It's strange that God doesn't mind expressing Himself/Herself in all the religions of the world, while people still cling to the notion that their way is the only right way. Whatever you try to say about God, someone will take offense, even if you say everyone's love of God is right for them.
For me the form God takes is not the most important thing. What's most important is the essence. My songs and dances are outlines for Him to come in and fill. I hold out the form. She puts in the sweetness.
I've looked up at the night sky and beheld the stars so intimately close, it was as if my grandmother had made them for me. "How rich, how sumptuous," I thought. In that moment I saw God in His creation. I could as easily have seen Her in the beauty of a rainbow, the grace of a deer bounding through a meadow, the truth of a father's kiss. But for me the sweetest contact with God has no form. I close my eyes, look within, and enter a deep soft silence. The infinity of God's creation embraces me. We are one.
**DANCING THE DREAM by Michael Jackson**
(published 1992)
It's strange that God doesn't mind expressing Himself/Herself in all the religions of the world, while people still cling to the notion that their way is the only right way. Whatever you try to say about God, someone will take offense, even if you say everyone's love of God is right for them.
For me the form God takes is not the most important thing. What's most important is the essence. My songs and dances are outlines for Him to come in and fill. I hold out the form. She puts in the sweetness.
I've looked up at the night sky and beheld the stars so intimately close, it was as if my grandmother had made them for me. "How rich, how sumptuous," I thought. In that moment I saw God in His creation. I could as easily have seen Her in the beauty of a rainbow, the grace of a deer bounding through a meadow, the truth of a father's kiss. But for me the sweetest contact with God has no form. I close my eyes, look within, and enter a deep soft silence. The infinity of God's creation embraces me. We are one.
**DANCING THE DREAM by Michael Jackson**
(published 1992)
Ashtanga
Proud Member
:wub:
angelofhope
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2004
- Messages
- 1,649
- Points
- 63
An article that says why Michael was [/COLOR] NOT an addict (a good read)
Just noticed this article, well written apart from the line about Fibro- 'from an ailment such as fibromyalgia'. Fibromyalgia is REAL illness. I have it am in PHYSICAL AGONY everyday and have to take strong painkillers to function. My mum and I both have and she also has Lupus. People with Fibro have real problems sleeping too.
Just noticed this article, well written apart from the line about Fibro- 'from an ailment such as fibromyalgia'. Fibromyalgia is REAL illness. I have it am in PHYSICAL AGONY everyday and have to take strong painkillers to function. My mum and I both have and she also has Lupus. People with Fibro have real problems sleeping too.
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
Michael Jackson Most Downloaded Artist of All Time
Michael Jackson continues to set records even after his death. According to new records, the King of Pop is the most downloaded artist of all time.
Musicologist Geoff Roberts from Nokia's Ovi Music Store that conducted the search says, "Michael Jackson has always been a pop music legend. But the anniversary of his death and upcoming birthday celebrations seem to have revived Jackson fever as fans rediscover his songs - making him the most popular solo artist of all time."
He beats out Lady Gaga, Elvis, the Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna for the most downloads. But the U.S. still isn’t where he’s the most popular—it’s India!
There, Michael accounts for 26 per cent of the country's entire Ovi downloads, followed by the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Finland.
They don’t call him the King of Pop for nothing! Other artists may be at the top of the charts right now, but it takes a superstar to stay there even after death.
Michael Jackson continues to set records even after his death. According to new records, the King of Pop is the most downloaded artist of all time.
Musicologist Geoff Roberts from Nokia's Ovi Music Store that conducted the search says, "Michael Jackson has always been a pop music legend. But the anniversary of his death and upcoming birthday celebrations seem to have revived Jackson fever as fans rediscover his songs - making him the most popular solo artist of all time."
He beats out Lady Gaga, Elvis, the Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna for the most downloads. But the U.S. still isn’t where he’s the most popular—it’s India!
There, Michael accounts for 26 per cent of the country's entire Ovi downloads, followed by the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Finland.
They don’t call him the King of Pop for nothing! Other artists may be at the top of the charts right now, but it takes a superstar to stay there even after death.
paisleyCUTtop
Proud Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2011
- Messages
- 1,629
- Points
- 0
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
And I love you so Michael
My teacher, my mentor, my inspirator
Thank you for all the love-lessons
learning about pure, unconditional love
is truly the greatest gift
for it opened up my heart
in boundless joy.
Thank you! I love you! :heart:
My teacher, my mentor, my inspirator
Thank you for all the love-lessons
learning about pure, unconditional love
is truly the greatest gift
for it opened up my heart
in boundless joy.
Thank you! I love you! :heart:
CherubimII
Proud Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2011
- Messages
- 6,844
- Points
- 113
DANCING THE DREAM by Michael Jackson
(published 1992)
WINGS WITHOUT ME:
“When all life is seen as divine, everyone grows wings.”
GOD:
It's strange that God doesn't mind expressing Himself/Herself in all the religions of the world, while people still cling to the notion that their way is the only right way. Whatever you try to say about God, someone will take offense, even if you say everyone's love of God is right for them.
For me the form God takes is not the most important thing. What's most important is the essence. My songs and dances are outlines for Him to come in and fill. I hold out the form. She puts in the sweetness.
I've looked up at the night sky and beheld the stars so intimately close, it was as if my grandmother had made them for me. "How rich, how sumptuous," I thought. In that moment I saw God in His creation. I could as easily have seen Her in the beauty of a rainbow, the grace of a deer bounding through a meadow, the truth of a father's kiss.
But for me the sweetest contact with God has no form. I close my eyes, look within, and enter a deep soft silence. The infinity of God's creation embraces me. We are one.
ENJOY THE VIDEO and Be at Peace: The song is “Fly Away”:
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[youtube]caZCGlpozns"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[youtube]caZCGlpozns[/youtube][/URL]
(published 1992)
WINGS WITHOUT ME:
“When all life is seen as divine, everyone grows wings.”
GOD:
It's strange that God doesn't mind expressing Himself/Herself in all the religions of the world, while people still cling to the notion that their way is the only right way. Whatever you try to say about God, someone will take offense, even if you say everyone's love of God is right for them.
For me the form God takes is not the most important thing. What's most important is the essence. My songs and dances are outlines for Him to come in and fill. I hold out the form. She puts in the sweetness.
I've looked up at the night sky and beheld the stars so intimately close, it was as if my grandmother had made them for me. "How rich, how sumptuous," I thought. In that moment I saw God in His creation. I could as easily have seen Her in the beauty of a rainbow, the grace of a deer bounding through a meadow, the truth of a father's kiss.
But for me the sweetest contact with God has no form. I close my eyes, look within, and enter a deep soft silence. The infinity of God's creation embraces me. We are one.
ENJOY THE VIDEO and Be at Peace: The song is “Fly Away”:
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[youtube]caZCGlpozns"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[youtube]caZCGlpozns[/youtube][/URL]
witchanna
Proud Member
here is my small michael forums page i made for myself
you can join me
http://michaelsneverland.forumotion.net/
you can join me
http://michaelsneverland.forumotion.net/
Maria MJ
Proud Member
A fan made special vid with birthday messages for Michael:
[youtube]MePAUOyAPpY[/youtube]
[youtube]MePAUOyAPpY[/youtube]
MJJLaugh
Proud Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,977
- Points
- 0
Happy birthday Michael 2010.8.29
Song is "Happy Birthday" by Stevie Wonder
Karen Faye on MJ and his birthday
August 29th
From the beginning it was always a quandary
for me,
Michael’s birthday. From the first day we met, unfamiliar to me, I was
faced with his chosen religion, Jehovah’s Witness.
When Michael arrived for his photo shoot for THRILLER, two men
accompanied him impeccably dressed in suits, who sat over to the side on
some cushy couches and watched his every move.
Since this was the first time I worked with him, it didn’t feel
appropriate for me to ask who they could possibly be. I thought if he
wanted us to know, he would have told us. I just felt their presence
throughout the entire day. They left with him as mysteriously as they
had entered with him. At the time I really did not give it another
thought, because I had no idea of the adventure that was ahead of me.
The next shoot, there again…a mysterious gentleman, sitting in the
background.
As our working relationship and friendship began to grow, I asked. He
explained to me he was a Jehovah’s Witness. He was very active with the
church, and these gentlemen were monitors. They watched over him. He
also explained he went to bible study, and spent time going door-to-door
teaching the word each week. I had to take pause for a minute and
think about that one….
THRILLER had been released by the time he was explaining this to me.
“You mean to tell me, that you ring someone’s doorbell, they come to
answer it, and there stands Michael Jackson??????”
He gave me one of his hi pitched belly laughs…and said, “yeah”. He further
explained that he does it in disguise.
“Oh no you don’t.”
Still giggling, he paused and got amusingly serious. “Yeah, sure. After
they let me in, they usually begin to look at me funny, so I end up
admitting who I am.”
“Wow, I wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch that. I still can’t believe
you do that.” I said.
“It is a big part of being a Jehovah’s Witness. We also do not celebrate
holidays or birthdays. We believe that we should honor and celebrate
these things daily, and not have just one day.”
So I asked “No birthdays. No Christmas?”
“No” he replied.
“Isn’t that difficult, when the world around you is decorating and singing
carols?”.
“Yes, Turkle…it is always kind of sad, especially when I was a child,
because it looked like so much fun. But it is okay; we have things like
FAMILY DAY, where we all get together. There are hundreds of Jackson’s
and we all try and be there.”
I could genuinely see the sadness in his eyes and the sense his feeling
of loss, not celebrating Christmas with the other kids…so I changed the
subject.
One August 29th, we ended up working. Everyone was wishing him Happy
Birthday and giving him little presents. He smiled and graciously
accepted them. Once we were in the privacy of the trailer, he put the
gifts down on the seat, and looked down at them.
“I wish people wouldn’t do that. Please promise me, Turkle, don’t EVER say
Happy Birthday to me.”
I was torn. I once again saw how sad and conflicted he was on the
inside about this, but he remained loyal to his beliefs. It was so
difficult for me too. I wanted to give him a present and a big birthday
hug every time August 29th rolled around, and join in with the others
who were celebrating his birthday around him. I also wanted to comply
with his request not to even SAY happy birthday.
We were shooting SMOOTH CRIMINAL. I was accustomed to the monitors by
now. The filming was going on longer than planned, as usual. We were
preparing for a very big scene. Michael was surrounded by the alien
battalion in a gully, built on stage 14.
The special weapons and ammunition team had briefed Michael on how to
hold the machine gun and fire it. It was the last scene of the evening.
Michael was having fun with it, like a little boy playing army. He
took a strong stance, and fired as the cameras rolled.
That was a wrap for that evening, and we were given our call time for the next
morning.
Michael was a little late arriving the next day. I was waiting in his
trailer. He walked in so distraught. I didn’t understand, we were
having so much fun the night before. He was silent as he sat in the
makeup chair. I had to ask him please tell me. Please tell me what is
wrong.
His eyes welled up with tears. “Mother called last night. The church
called her, and told her that I held and fired a gun yesterday. They
ordered that I have to make decision. I must leave the church, or leave
the entertainment industry.” He was weeping as he uttered those words.
I was quite mortified. “What did your mother advise you to do?”
“She felt horrible. She told me it was up to me. She said she would stand by me
with whatever I decided.”
“I see, you are here today”.
“Yes”
“Mother is supporting my choice”.
It took a while for Michael to adjust to his choice. He continued to
feel uncomfortable with his birthday, but attended fan events in his
honor, and truly enjoyed them.
When I was around him during Christmas, he would hide in his own closet
to secretly wrap presents. He still held a tinge of guilt. I knew it
was difficult for him, but I know he loved all the decorations that
NEVER came down. He could freely give his children the birthdays that
he never had. I knew deep down inside the Jehovah Witness teachings
continued to hold a sacred place inside of him. That is why I was
forever torn by not saying “Happy Birthday”. He never released me from
my promise to not say it to him.
Source: http://karenfayeblog.com/
Song is "Happy Birthday" by Stevie Wonder
Karen Faye on MJ and his birthday
August 29th
From the beginning it was always a quandary
for me,
Michael’s birthday. From the first day we met, unfamiliar to me, I was
faced with his chosen religion, Jehovah’s Witness.
When Michael arrived for his photo shoot for THRILLER, two men
accompanied him impeccably dressed in suits, who sat over to the side on
some cushy couches and watched his every move.
Since this was the first time I worked with him, it didn’t feel
appropriate for me to ask who they could possibly be. I thought if he
wanted us to know, he would have told us. I just felt their presence
throughout the entire day. They left with him as mysteriously as they
had entered with him. At the time I really did not give it another
thought, because I had no idea of the adventure that was ahead of me.
The next shoot, there again…a mysterious gentleman, sitting in the
background.
As our working relationship and friendship began to grow, I asked. He
explained to me he was a Jehovah’s Witness. He was very active with the
church, and these gentlemen were monitors. They watched over him. He
also explained he went to bible study, and spent time going door-to-door
teaching the word each week. I had to take pause for a minute and
think about that one….
THRILLER had been released by the time he was explaining this to me.
“You mean to tell me, that you ring someone’s doorbell, they come to
answer it, and there stands Michael Jackson??????”
He gave me one of his hi pitched belly laughs…and said, “yeah”. He further
explained that he does it in disguise.
“Oh no you don’t.”
Still giggling, he paused and got amusingly serious. “Yeah, sure. After
they let me in, they usually begin to look at me funny, so I end up
admitting who I am.”
“Wow, I wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch that. I still can’t believe
you do that.” I said.
“It is a big part of being a Jehovah’s Witness. We also do not celebrate
holidays or birthdays. We believe that we should honor and celebrate
these things daily, and not have just one day.”
So I asked “No birthdays. No Christmas?”
“No” he replied.
“Isn’t that difficult, when the world around you is decorating and singing
carols?”.
“Yes, Turkle…it is always kind of sad, especially when I was a child,
because it looked like so much fun. But it is okay; we have things like
FAMILY DAY, where we all get together. There are hundreds of Jackson’s
and we all try and be there.”
I could genuinely see the sadness in his eyes and the sense his feeling
of loss, not celebrating Christmas with the other kids…so I changed the
subject.
One August 29th, we ended up working. Everyone was wishing him Happy
Birthday and giving him little presents. He smiled and graciously
accepted them. Once we were in the privacy of the trailer, he put the
gifts down on the seat, and looked down at them.
“I wish people wouldn’t do that. Please promise me, Turkle, don’t EVER say
Happy Birthday to me.”
I was torn. I once again saw how sad and conflicted he was on the
inside about this, but he remained loyal to his beliefs. It was so
difficult for me too. I wanted to give him a present and a big birthday
hug every time August 29th rolled around, and join in with the others
who were celebrating his birthday around him. I also wanted to comply
with his request not to even SAY happy birthday.
We were shooting SMOOTH CRIMINAL. I was accustomed to the monitors by
now. The filming was going on longer than planned, as usual. We were
preparing for a very big scene. Michael was surrounded by the alien
battalion in a gully, built on stage 14.
The special weapons and ammunition team had briefed Michael on how to
hold the machine gun and fire it. It was the last scene of the evening.
Michael was having fun with it, like a little boy playing army. He
took a strong stance, and fired as the cameras rolled.
That was a wrap for that evening, and we were given our call time for the next
morning.
Michael was a little late arriving the next day. I was waiting in his
trailer. He walked in so distraught. I didn’t understand, we were
having so much fun the night before. He was silent as he sat in the
makeup chair. I had to ask him please tell me. Please tell me what is
wrong.
His eyes welled up with tears. “Mother called last night. The church
called her, and told her that I held and fired a gun yesterday. They
ordered that I have to make decision. I must leave the church, or leave
the entertainment industry.” He was weeping as he uttered those words.
I was quite mortified. “What did your mother advise you to do?”
“She felt horrible. She told me it was up to me. She said she would stand by me
with whatever I decided.”
“I see, you are here today”.
“Yes”
“Mother is supporting my choice”.
It took a while for Michael to adjust to his choice. He continued to
feel uncomfortable with his birthday, but attended fan events in his
honor, and truly enjoyed them.
When I was around him during Christmas, he would hide in his own closet
to secretly wrap presents. He still held a tinge of guilt. I knew it
was difficult for him, but I know he loved all the decorations that
NEVER came down. He could freely give his children the birthdays that
he never had. I knew deep down inside the Jehovah Witness teachings
continued to hold a sacred place inside of him. That is why I was
forever torn by not saying “Happy Birthday”. He never released me from
my promise to not say it to him.
Source: http://karenfayeblog.com/
Ashtanga
Proud Member
^ ^
:wub:
:wub:
windy09
Proud Member
Elmira or anyone, do you know who did this? It was beautiful. :angel: I couldn't hold back the tears and still can't. :no::sad::sad2::girl_cry:
- Status