The Three Of Me

2009-06-26 - 12:09 p.m.

You know the theory that celebrity deaths come in threes?

Well, that shoe dropped with Michael Jackson's passing.

Ed McMahon. Farrah Fawcett. And now, Jackson.

This article on Big Hollywood talks about why such deaths hit us hard - it's a reminder that we're getting old.

Hell, my knees and back are already telling me that.

===

There have been three Michael Jacksons. The first was the young man who sang with his brothers. The second was the Off The Wall/Thriller superstar.

The third is the one most folks will probably remember - the eccentric, lighter-skinned, plastic surgery altered, child-molestation-accused recluse.

And it's sad that the last one will most likely be his final legacy. Jackson was a tremendously talented showman, and he made some amazing music. While I wasn't a fan, I could appreciate his music and the dance moves.

I also was more than a little amazed at how he was...well, deified. At his final trial, one fan released doves as each not-guilty verdict was read. I swear, they could have found explicit video tape of him naked in the ball-crawl at Chuck E. Cheese with four underage male hookers, and his fans would swear it was manufactured or say Jackson was "misunderstood". Brin tells me that radio stations of every genre - right down to the hard-core hip-hop stations - were playing Michael Jackson music immediately after his passing.

The closest I could come to quantifying the response would be...Barack Obama. If (God forbid) Obama passed, the outpouring would be about the same.

Michael Jackson was that big.

===

When Jackson was rushed to the hospital, Perez Hilton blogged that he hoped Michael would get well soon.

Interesting thing - it seems that just a couple months ago when Jackson fell ill and had to cancel some concerts, Perez accused him of faking it.

Here's an article that has that blog entry from Hilton's site...an entry that, it seems, has disappeared.

Hmmmm.

===

Speaking of Things That Make You Go Hmmmm...

Anyone here old enough to remember The Arsenio Hall Show?

Michael Jackson once made an unscheduled appearance. For many shows afterward, there was a gold star on the stage where Jackson had stood and waved to the crowd.

Shortly after Jackson started having his plastic surgeries, Hall held a telephone poll asking whether his viewers preferred Jackson with his "original equipment" (a picture of the Jackson Five-era Michael was shown) or his new "aerodynamic" look (a current picture was then shown). There were two 900 numbers that folks could call.

The "original" won by a 2-1 margin. All the 900 number proceeds went to AIDS research. In a later show, Hall said that over $10,000 was raised.

===

And of course the jokes will live on, including this new one:

Because of the high plastic content in Michael Jackson's body due to the numerous surgeries, it has been decided to melt his body down and convert it to Lego blocks. That way, children can play with him for a change.

Oh, and since the title has been vacated, Mark Evanier has declared himself the King Of Pop.

I think the title should go to Bob Chance.

===

Much to do today.

Be seeing you.

John5 - 2009-06-26 20:20:22 -
*cough* David Carradine *cough*

===

Previous - Next - Leave A Note - Random