Michael: The thrill is back

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Michael: the thrill is back: twenty-five years after the record-breaking Thriller album, the king of pop shares a rare glimpse into his creativity, where he has been and where he is headed next... Ebony, Dec 2007, Joy T. Bennett (Part 1)

They call him "Mr. Jackson."

Dressed in black, a confident, mature Michael Jackson directs his staff', guides his child and peers over the reading glasses perched on the edge of his finely chiseled nose.

Reading glasses? Yes, Michael Jackson, now a twice-divorced father of three, will be 50 next year, more than a quarter century after the boyish impresario moonwalked onto the world stage. And even though he still has the trim body and the dancer moves of the Michael Jackson of Thriller days, those glasses confirm the passage of time.

In his first U.S. magazine interview and cover story in a decade, the King of Pop sat down in a New York City hotel suite with EBONY magazine and offered a rare look into the life of an icon. The commander of a multimillion-dollar empire and arguably the single-most talented entertainer of a generation has not spoken publicly since his 2005 trial and acquittal. But today, he reflects on Thriller and the struggles that put him on the world stage, and wonders aloud, where did the time go?

On this unseasonably warm fall day, Jackson contemplated his past--this is his seventh solo EBONY cover; he also had five EBONY covers with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5, the first one in 1970. He talked about what went into the creation of Thriller--the first demos were done in his home studio in early 1982 with his sister Janet and brother Randy singing background--and questioned the state of the music industry today.

When Thriller dropped in the U.S. on Nov. 30, 1982, America--and the world--were in transition. Ronald Reagan was president, E.T. was stunning movie crowds and Justin Timberlake was almost 2 years old. The United Kingdom and Argentina were sparring in the Falkland Islands, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high of 1,065.49, and Olivia Newton-John's album Physical was No. 1 on the charts.

And Michael Joseph Jackson was quietly working in the studio with Quincy Jones, about to make history.

Michael Jackson has been an international star since he was 6 years old. While most kids were watching Scooby-Doo, Michael was choreographing the patented stage moves for himself and his brothers, the Jackson 5.

"In some ways, Michael was like a child. And in some ways, he was very sophisticated," remembers Walter Yetnikoff, then head of CBS Records. "He was a very smart businessman, would read contracts as good as lawyers could. But in some ways, back then, he was like a baby."

Today that whispery, high-pitched voice has more bass in it. Those soft features have become more defined. Traces of that "baby" in Michael Jackson appear to have faded. His musical genius and influence still dominate the music world, 25 years after Thriller came out and went on to become the best-selling album of all time--selling more than 104 million copies worldwide, 54 million copies in the U.S., and spawning no less than seven Top 10 hits and two No. 1 singles.

But that complicated transition from youth to adulthood has left the star with many life lessons, a few scars and even a bit of wisdom.

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

Michael: the thrill is back: twenty-five years after the record-breaking Thriller album, the king of pop shares a rare glimpse into his creativity, where he has been and where he is headed next... Ebony, Dec 2007, Joy T. Bennett (Part 2)

On this day, as Michael's youngest child, Prince Michael Jackson II, 5--whom he affectionately calls "Blanket"--sits nearby watching cartoons and oblivious to the fuss everyone is making over his dad, Michael's life appears to have come full circle. (Jackson also has two other children, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 9, and Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. 10.)

As Jackson introduces his son, he instructs him about proper etiquette to greet his guests. "No, stand up and use THAT hand," he shows the boy, who is reluctant to put down his fistful of LifeSavers candy and shake hands.

In many ways, it is a very "normal" moment between a father and a son. And for Michael Jackson, after all his records and all the drama, that sense of normalcy--and maturity--seems to punctuate this phase of his life.

With nearly a dozen solo albums, and more than a dozen more No. 1 singles, 13 Grammys and more than 750 million records sold worldwide in his career to date, Michael is humble about and proud of his influence on music history and the current music scene.

"I always want to do music that influences and inspires each generation," he says. "Let's face it, who wants mortality?

You want what you create to live, and I give my all in my work because I want it to live."

Today, it's virtually impossible to watch a music video without seeing a Michael Jackson-influenced dance step, music or theme. Justin Timberlake and Usher imitate his moves. Akon and Ne-Yo admire his sound.

(Jackson reportedly has been working in the studio with Akon, Kanye West and William of the Black Eyed Peas on a new album, expected sometime in 2008.)

Teen sensation Chris Brown paid tribute to Michael Jackson at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. "There isn't an artist out now that hasn't been influenced or inspired by Michael Jackson. When I was 2 years old in diapers, I sang and danced to Michael Jackson," singer Brown tells EBONY. "Michael Jackson is as close to perfection as an artist can be."

Nevertheless, there was a certain poetic justice in that recent MTV tribute. It almost didn't happen.

In 1983, Jackson shattered an unwritten color barrier on MTV--initially the fledgling station was said to have refused to play his music videos. "They came right out and said it--they wouldn't play my music. It broke my heart," Jackson says now.

But that, says Jackson, lit a fire in him. "I refuse to be ignored. So I came up with Thriller and I was always trying to outdo myself," he remembers.

When MTV supposedly said they wouldn't play Jackson's videos, Yetnikoff; head of CBS Records, fired back, "'OK, I'm pulling Streisand, Chicago and everything else.'"

"Before Thriller--and Bob Pittman [founder of MTV in 1982] disagrees with me, but Bob Pittman is full of s***, and you can quote me--when MTV first started, it held itself out as a rock station," Yetnikoff tells EBONY from his office in New York. "And, when 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' came out, MTV didn't want to play it. They said, in effect, 'No, no, no, we're a rock kind of sensibility, and this is Michael Jackson and he's Black.'"

Although Pittman was not available to respond, Les Garland, co-founder and originator of MTV, VH1 and The Box told JET in 2006 that the story was a "myth." "There was never any hesitation. No fret. I called Bob [Pittman] to tell him, 'I just saw the greatest video I've ever seen in my life [Billie Jean]. It is off the dial it's so good.' He added it that day. How [the myth] turned into a story literally blew our minds."

However, Yetnikoff, now 74, says he recalls the episode vividly. "So I said, that's fine, but I am pulling my entire catalog, all my records, forget about it. You're not playing anything by CBS. And if that happened, you know Warner Brothers is going to follow suit."

(Among CBS' artists at the time were Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Living Colour and "tons and tons of artists.") "I said, 'C'mon, you are acting like a bunch of schmucks,'" Yetnikoff laughs.

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

Michael: the thrill is back: twenty-five years after the record-breaking Thriller album, the king of pop shares a rare glimpse into his creativity, where he has been and where he is headed next... Ebony, Dec 2007, Joy T. Bennett (Part 3)

Legendary music producer Quincy Jones, who was friends with the late Steven J. Ross--creator of parent media company Time Warner and father of MTV--remembers the MTV negotiations a bit differently but, nevertheless, acknowledges the importance of the network and the star. "The reality of it was that Michael and MTV rode each other to glory. Nobody had ever seen anything like that. And that can never happen again," says Jones.

"I think it was a milestone, in a sense, that I think it made MTV," adds Yotnikoff. "It made Michael into something that I think had not existed before. And it made CBS Records a lot of money." Yetnikoff estimates the album was responsible for more than $500 million to $1 billion for the company. "At one point, we were selling about a million records a week!"

Jones, who produced the Thriller album, suggests one slightly less visible reason for the huge sales. "You could listen to the record seven different ways, we'd have seven different 'hooks.' You don't get it all when you first listen to it. You'd have to listen to it six or seven times," he adds. "So when it was on vinyl, people would be wearing it out, buying three or four copies of the record, 'cause you couldn't listen to it all the first time."

Yetnikoff says that Michael and Thriller made his own career, too. "I owe this guy," he says. "HE may think he owes me, but it is pretty dear that I owe him."

However, compared to Michael and the Thriller era, today's music, he added, is a different story altogether. "It's like 'yucky-poo.' If one more artist tries to sound like Michael Jackson, I am going to throw up!" says Yetnikoff.

And Michael seems to agree. "I don't think people are being as experimental and innovative enough," he says. "I know people can easily say, 'Well, we don't have the Michael Jackson budget,'" he laughs. "Wrong, you can be so creative with almost nothing," Jackson adds. "And that's usually the best stuff, when you strip it down to the bare minimum and go inside yourself and invent. I think there's too much cookie-cutter stuff."

Greg Phillinganes, a veteran arranger and keyboard player and a key musician on Thriller and many other Jackson projects, remembers working on the album.

"It was always special working with Quincy and Michael," he says. "Those two bring out the best in everybody. You know going in that this is the A-Team so you have to bring the 'A' game." Michael had strong musical goals and a strong sense of what he wanted to achieve artistically, he says, but the making of Thriller was also a very enjoyable experience. "Quincy always brought fun into the room. He understands how to cast--like a casting director for a movie--he gets the right people for the right job, and Quincy does the same thing for music. It was a brilliant time. I just remember the fun of layering all the parts together, the bass and the strings and listening to Michael's vocals. We never saw the big sales coming. It was really very special, and Michael's performances speak for themselves."

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

Michael: the thrill is back: twenty-five years after the record-breaking Thriller album, the king of pop shares a rare glimpse into his creativity, where he has been and where he is headed next... Ebony, Dec 2007, Joy T. Bennett (Part 4)

James Ingram, a veteran singer and another protege of Jones, says, "Quincy is ruthless when it comes to music, he either thinks it's a hit or it's not, and he doesn't care who you are," says Ingram, who, with Jones, wrote "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," a Top 10 hit from Thriller.

"Quincy's wife Peggy [Lipton] brought home some lingerie called 'Pretty Young Things' and Quincy, being the genius that he is, said that would be a good title," Ingram recalls. Michael "just killed the song" in the studio recording, Ingram says, adding that he has never seen a performer dance through a re cording session like Michael Jackson. "Everybody I've ever seen when they go into the studio, they put all of their energy into the microphone--but here was Michael in there singing his butt off and dancing at the same time. That blew my mind," Ingram says now. "See, Quincy is not from this planet--he's a genius, and that's why he attracts all these geniuses [like Michael Jackson]."

Jackson also credits Jones for creating the magical moments that fueled Thriller, Off the Wall and influenced the rest of his musical career. "When I was 8 years old, Sammy Davis Jr. introduced me to Quincy Jones; I'll never forget it," Jackson says now. "And I overheard him say to Quincy, 'This guy is something; he's amazing.' I tucked it away subconsciously."

Years later he asked Jones to work with him on his albums. Their chemistry on the set of the 1978 film The Wiz sparked a golden collaboration. "What's great about working with Quincy is he lets you do your thing ..." Deliberate about the creative process, Jackson, who is a huge classical music fan, says, "Once the tight chemistry gets in the room, magic has to happen."

During the production of The Wiz, Jones saw something in Jackson he had never seen before. "In the process, I got to see a side of him that was never exposed to the public before," Jones tells EBONY. "I saw how smart he was, how sensitive, and that had never been represented on a record before."

But Jones almost didn't do the project. "You know Epic [Records, part of CBS] didn't want to use me ... They said, 'No way, Quincy's too jazzy.'"

But Michael pushed for the maestro, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Nearly every day, Jones sees the impact of the project across the globe. "Look, I've been around the world at least three times this year--Angkor Wat, Vietnam, Seoul, Rwanda, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Moscow--and, man, you cannot tell what city you are in because at 12 o'clock, they start kickin' that music, and you will hear 'Wanna Be Startin' Something' or 'Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough' or 'Billie Jean.' It blows my mind, like it was 25 years ago. I've said it before: The '80s were ours!"

Jackson is a product of diverse creative forces, from Bach to Bo Diddley.

"Classical music, in truth, is really my real first love," Jackson reveals, and then adds "that, and real Southern 'gutbucket,' as my uncle calls it; you feel it in your backbone."

Not surprisingly, Michael has a very intimate relationship with his music. For him, it's all about the melody, and he does a rough "template" of all his songs. "Getting the character of the riff like you want it takes a lot of work and a lot of time." He talks about the music as a protagonist, a story line. "Music is tapestry, it's different layers, it's weaving in and out, and if you look at it in layers, you understand it better."

The King of Pop says working with Jones was so wonderful because "he's genius enough to stay out of the way of the music. If something needs to be added, he would add it--like a nice riff. He would say, 'Smelly [a nickname Jones gave to Jackson], let the song talk to you. If a song needs strings, it will tell you. Get out of the way and leave room so that God can walk in.'"

Jones agrees. "That was my motto. You've got to leave space for God to walk through the room. It's not about us. The older I get, the more I see how little we all have to do with anything, really."

Jackson's spirituality is another source of his creativity.

"I believe strongly in a higher force, and I'm really thankful for all the blessings," he says. When he writes something that he knows is right, Jackson shares, he "gets down on his knees" and gives thanks.

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

Michael: the thrill is back: twenty-five years after the record-breaking Thriller album, the king of pop shares a rare glimpse into his creativity, where he has been and where he is headed next... Ebony, Dec 2007, Joy T. Bennett (Part 5)

On August 29 of next year, Michael Jackson will be 50. He admits that, while still in excellent shape--he doesn't have any special diet and rarely works out--and more creative than ever, he is a different man than he was at 24. "I always had this tug in the back of my head, the things I wanted to do, to raise children, have children. I'm enjoying it very much."

He says he travels with his three kids quite a bit, recently visiting South Africa. "I just love Africa. They have lots for us to do. They have simulator tides, movie theaters, wave pools, we go to the record stores, the candy store, the book store, there's so much there."

Today's Michael is maturing. And those who know him best can see it. The Rev. Jesse Jackson has known Michael for most of his life, since the early Jackson 5 days. In 2005, he was in daily contact with Michael during the California trial, and today he serves as a private adviser to the superstar.

"I think Michael is comfortable with himself," Rev. Jackson says. "He knows he has a special genius and talent, and he knows he has a special responsibility. And he knows he is a superstar. He seems to have a great sense of self-control, but like any great star he's like an enigma to many people. But underneath all of that he is devoted to his mother and father and brothers and sisters. In all that, he's a Jackson."

Will Michael Jackson still be moon-walking at 80? No, he says, sternly. He doesn't want to grow old doing concert after concert, flying from one mega-stadium to the next. He just doesn't want to go out like that. "Not the way James Brown did or Jackie Wilson did," he says. "They just kept going, running, killing themselves. In my opinion, I wish [Brown] could have slowed down and relaxed and enjoyed his hard work."

Michael has other plans for his next 25 years. "More in film, not on stage. I see myself more productive in film, and directing, and directing myself in film. Not so much [on stage] all over the world. Because [on stage] you're not capturing anything--it's fleeting. A concert is the most fleeting thing in the world. It's excellent to look at, but you can't capture it. With film you stop time."

For Michael Jackson, time has never stopped. With each year, each challenge, each child and each success, he grows a little bit wiser.

Michael Jackson has met the man in the mirror. And he likes him.

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Michael has other plans for his next 25 years. "More in film, not on stage. I see myself more productive in film, and directing, and directing myself in film. Not so much [on stage] all over the world. Because [on stage] you're not capturing anything--it's fleeting. A concert is the most fleeting thing in the world. It's excellent to look at, but you can't capture it. With film you stop time."

For Michael Jackson, time has never stopped. With each year, each challenge, each child and each success, he grows a little bit wiser.

Michael Jackson has met the man in the mirror. And he likes him.
[/color]

Unfortunately, this was not meant to be... Miss u so much, Michael... Take care wherever u are...

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

trinixdeangelov wrote:: As Jackson introduces his son, he instructs him about proper etiquette to greet his guests. "No, stand up and use THAT hand," he shows the boy, who is reluctant to put down his fistful of LifeSavers candy and shake hands.

In many ways, it is a very "normal" moment between a father and a son. And for Michael Jackson, after all his records and all the drama, that sense of normalcy--and maturity--seems to punctuate this phase of his life.
[/color]

& they say he's a terrible father... these ppl know nuts if u ask me

A MEGA MJ FAN Posts : 998 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 32

trinixdeangelov wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Michael has other plans for his next 25 years. "More in film, not on stage. I see myself more productive in film, and directing, and directing myself in film. Not so much [on stage] all over the world. Because [on stage] you're not capturing anything--it's fleeting. A concert is the most fleeting thing in the world. It's excellent to look at, but you can't capture it. With film you stop time."

For Michael Jackson, time has never stopped. With each year, each challenge, each child and each success, he grows a little bit wiser.

Michael Jackson has met the man in the mirror. And he likes him.
[/color]

Unfortunately, this was not meant to be... Miss u so much, Michael... Take care wherever u are...

yeah sighs =/ as long as he's happy where he is now...

A MEGA MJ FAN Posts : 1202 Join date : 2009-11-08 Age : 35

No matter what, he will live our heart forever.. Smile

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Michael has other plans for his next 25 years. "More in film, not on stage. I see myself more productive in film, and directing, and directing myself in film. Not so much [on stage] all over the world. Because [on stage] you're not capturing anything--it's fleeting. A concert is the most fleeting thing in the world. It's excellent to look at, but you can't capture it. With film you stop time."

For Michael Jackson, time has never stopped. With each year, each challenge, each child and each success, he grows a little bit wiser.

Michael Jackson has met the man in the mirror. And he likes him.
[/color]

Unfortunately, this was not meant to be... Miss u so much, Michael... Take care wherever u are...

yeah sighs =/ as long as he's happy where he is now...

Yeah... u read tt part abt the reading glasses? Hee... in a way answered ur question a lil bit... but who knows, I think he did use 'em when he was abt 40 onwards... just my take.. Hee.. anyways, I think he oozes sex appeal with glasses or without Embarassed

A MEGA MJ FAN Posts : 998 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 32

trinixdeangelov wrote:

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Michael has other plans for his next 25 years. "More in film, not on stage. I see myself more productive in film, and directing, and directing myself in film. Not so much [on stage] all over the world. Because [on stage] you're not capturing anything--it's fleeting. A concert is the most fleeting thing in the world. It's excellent to look at, but you can't capture it. With film you stop time."

For Michael Jackson, time has never stopped. With each year, each challenge, each child and each success, he grows a little bit wiser.

Michael Jackson has met the man in the mirror. And he likes him.
[/color]

Unfortunately, this was not meant to be... Miss u so much, Michael... Take care wherever u are...

yeah sighs =/ as long as he's happy where he is now...

Yeah... u read tt part abt the reading glasses? Hee... in a way answered ur question a lil bit... but who knows, I think he did use 'em when he was abt 40 onwards... just my take.. Hee.. anyways, I think he oozes sex appeal with glasses or without Embarassed

yep XD haha yeah. actually more curious abt the on stage etc, but still cool. Lol, I lost a contact inbetween going on stage before, super afraid I'd fall or something hahaha XD haha I see. yeah, though I love the "mirror" shades best Razz

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

Maybe he only needed 'em for reading... some ppl are like tt... who knows... might be hard to be with contacts when u're with those huge fans, etc or when u're perspiring like mad... I know & it's insane having contacts when u have to deal with all other stuff.

A MEGA MJ FAN Posts : 998 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 32

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Maybe he only needed 'em for reading... some ppl are like tt... who knows... might be hard to be with contacts when u're with those huge fans, etc or when u're perspiring like mad... I know & it's insane having contacts when u have to deal with all other stuff.

yeah...but if you can't see sometimes it's worse lol. thuogh heck, mine always drop out sometime or another.. I'll always end up with one or none when I need them most!

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Maybe he only needed 'em for reading... some ppl are like tt... who knows... might be hard to be with contacts when u're with those huge fans, etc or when u're perspiring like mad... I know & it's insane having contacts when u have to deal with all other stuff.

yeah...but if you can't see sometimes it's worse lol. thuogh heck, mine always drop out sometime or another.. I'll always end up with one or none when I need them most!

Make sure u don't mistake anyone for Michael one day then... LOLX

A MEGA MJ FAN Posts : 998 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 32

trinixdeangelov wrote:

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Maybe he only needed 'em for reading... some ppl are like tt... who knows... might be hard to be with contacts when u're with those huge fans, etc or when u're perspiring like mad... I know & it's insane having contacts when u have to deal with all other stuff.

yeah...but if you can't see sometimes it's worse lol. thuogh heck, mine always drop out sometime or another.. I'll always end up with one or none when I need them most!

Make sure u don't mistake anyone for Michael one day then... LOLX

hahaha omg that will be crazy man!!! Anw have you seen the comments on my wall frm our dear Star and Cat LOL. Cat ahh...come my fb page also can faint... LOL!!

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Maybe he only needed 'em for reading... some ppl are like tt... who knows... might be hard to be with contacts when u're with those huge fans, etc or when u're perspiring like mad... I know & it's insane having contacts when u have to deal with all other stuff.

yeah...but if you can't see sometimes it's worse lol. thuogh heck, mine always drop out sometime or another.. I'll always end up with one or none when I need them most!

Make sure u don't mistake anyone for Michael one day then... LOLX

hahaha omg that will be crazy man!!! Anw have you seen the comments on my wall frm our dear Star and Cat LOL. Cat ahh...come my fb page also can faint... LOL!!

Nope nv saw it... I go see now... LOLX... Cat is mad mah... more mad than us I think!

A MEGA MJ FAN Posts : 1202 Join date : 2009-11-08 Age : 35

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Maybe he only needed 'em for reading... some ppl are like tt... who knows... might be hard to be with contacts when u're with those huge fans, etc or when u're perspiring like mad... I know & it's insane having contacts when u have to deal with all other stuff.

yeah...but if you can't see sometimes it's worse lol. thuogh heck, mine always drop out sometime or another.. I'll always end up with one or none when I need them most!

Make sure u don't mistake anyone for Michael one day then... LOLX

hahaha omg that will be crazy man!!! Anw have you seen the comments on my wall frm our dear Star and Cat LOL. Cat ahh...come my fb page also can faint... LOL!!

i think she's anemic.. she's fainting anywhere at any time.. needa get ready to catch her!
*catch* o.. cat, you fainted again!

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

Star wrote:

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:

skyenat wrote:

trinixdeangelov wrote:: Maybe he only needed 'em for reading... some ppl are like tt... who knows... might be hard to be with contacts when u're with those huge fans, etc or when u're perspiring like mad... I know & it's insane having contacts when u have to deal with all other stuff.

yeah...but if you can't see sometimes it's worse lol. thuogh heck, mine always drop out sometime or another.. I'll always end up with one or none when I need them most!

Make sure u don't mistake anyone for Michael one day then... LOLX

hahaha omg that will be crazy man!!! Anw have you seen the comments on my wall frm our dear Star and Cat LOL. Cat ahh...come my fb page also can faint... LOL!!

i think she's anemic.. she's fainting anywhere at any time.. needa get ready to catch her!
*catch* o.. cat, you fainted again!

She probably does it hoping tt one day it'll be Michael tt catches her... Hee

Subject: Re: Michael: The thrill is back Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:21 am

Michael Jackson was a man. He was not feminine - and no, he was not gay.

The man totally defied typical American conventions of masculinity and sexuality, and people still don’t know how to process someone like him.

Just because a man is slim and not “ripped”, just because he doesn’t objectify women, just because he has a soft speaking voice, just because he’s shy, just because he ispretty, just because he isn’t afraid to be silly and act like a kid, just because he writes lovely songs about healing the world instead of writing about how juicy some bitch’s a** is, just because he doesn’t have a new woman hanging on his shoulder every week — does NOT make him any less of a MAN; does NOT make him feminine.

He stood up for what he believed in - always. Even when what he believed in drew ridicule, scorn, hatred from thousands of people.

He respected everyone, regardless of race, religion, color, gender, sexuality.

He gave thousands upon thousands of dollars to charity without a word to anyone - no bragging, no flaunting. He did it because he cared.

He loved his mother, his kids, his family. He loved and even respected his father after openly admitting to the entire world that he beat him and told him things a father should never tell his son.

And let’s not forget the fact that millions (millions!) of women all over the world lusted after him, fainted for him, would have given anything to be in his presence.

RESPECT, DIGNITY, PRIDE, COMPASSION - he had all of these things in spades.

If that isn’t a real man, then I don’t want a real man.

A man like no other. Even edward cullen pales in comparison.
cheers

Subject: Re: Michael: The thrill is back Sun Nov 22, 2009 6:32 am

radyalovesmjj wrote:: Michael Jackson was a man. He was not feminine - and no, he was not gay.

The man totally defied typical American conventions of masculinity and sexuality, and people still don’t know how to process someone like him.

Just because a man is slim and not “ripped”, just because he doesn’t objectify women, just because he has a soft speaking voice, just because he’s shy, just because he ispretty, just because he isn’t afraid to be silly and act like a kid, just because he writes lovely songs about healing the world instead of writing about how juicy some bitch’s a** is, just because he doesn’t have a new woman hanging on his shoulder every week — does NOT make him any less of a MAN; does NOT make him feminine.

He stood up for what he believed in - always. Even when what he believed in drew ridicule, scorn, hatred from thousands of people.

He respected everyone, regardless of race, religion, color, gender, sexuality.

He gave thousands upon thousands of dollars to charity without a word to anyone - no bragging, no flaunting. He did it because he cared.

He loved his mother, his kids, his family. He loved and even respected his father after openly admitting to the entire world that he beat him and told him things a father should never tell his son.

And let’s not forget the fact that millions (millions!) of women all over the world lusted after him, fainted for him, would have given anything to be in his presence.

RESPECT, DIGNITY, PRIDE, COMPASSION - he had all of these things in spades.

If that isn’t a real man, then I don’t want a real man.

A man like no other. Even edward cullen pales in comparison.

Very well said!! cheers

Michael is the best!

Admin Posts : 2852 Join date : 2009-11-02 Age : 41

Here's to Michael... CHEERS!!!! cheers

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