My heart is aching right now. I was born in the sixties, and the Jackson5 was the first group that was in my age group that I enjoyed. In fact, the first record that I ever bought was ABC.
I have never met Michael Jackson in person, but this is like losing a dear friend that I've known almost my entire life.
The singers today don't hold a candle to Michael, and I don't think anyone will ever break his record of having the greatest selling album of all time.
I have also admired Farrah Fawcet as a actress over the last twenty years, and hate that she had to suffer for soo long before she died today.
This has been a VERY sad day.
I hope that they are both at peace.
I have always told my family and friends to live life to the fulless every day, because tomorrow is not guarenteed to anyone.

Yes, Dry and chatty, hard week for Hollywood and just everyone.

First Ed McMahon and then Farrah and then Michael...very sad.

These things seem to come in three's and these three came so very close together.

I posted on another thread (Hello Maddicts, I THINK) about going on YouTube and watching his clip of Rock With You...the guy was just oozing talent and charisma when he was at his peak. Yes, he weirded out gradually until the last...but, we don't know what he had to deal with that made him the way he was, "judge not" and all that...I just know when he "had it" he REALLY "had it" (talent, charisma, The Whole Package)

RIP to all the lost ones this week and God give their families strength and comfort....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sQG4xCeHlj0

if that link doesn't work just look for the one by SevenPato that is notated to be HIGH QUALITY

what a talent.....

Billie Jean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-cHBv7UpA&feature=related

Gotta tell you 2 funny but true stories about the THRILLER album.

We bought THRILLER when it came out and my husband put it on first (I was busy with a new baby - more on that later.) As was his custom then, he lay on the ;iving room floor, listening with these enormous headphone, feet bouncing in time to the music, pausing between tracks. All of a sudden he sat bolt upright and swore, then laughed. He'd been startled by Vincent Price's sudden evil laugh. LOL.

And we ended up with not one but two copies of THRILLER, because of our newborn son. When he was six weeks old my maternity leave was up and I returned to work. We worked split shifts, my husband from 7:15 to 3:15 and me from 3 - 11 with a neighbor-sitter for the hour or so overlap. I had been at work for mayb an hour when my husband called me, nearly in tears and completely nonplussed, because our child was screaming non-stop and nothing he tried had consoled him. I told my husband to call my mother, who lived around the corner, and I was on my way home. As it turns out he had developed a royal case of colic, which kicked in every afternoon around 4 and ran for 2-3 hours of straight crying and howling. After trying eveything from gripe water (you Brits & Canadians will recognize that) to swaddling to car rides, we finally discovered that our sone LOVED the song "Billie Jean."

It was the only thing to calm him down: hold him upright against your shoulder and bounce around to "Billie Jean" - over and over and over again. We wore through the first copy of the album and nearly wore out the second before the colic tapered off.

So, thank you Michael for preserving our sanity 26 years ago. Rest in peace.

Gotta tell you 2 funny but true stories about the THRILLER album.

We bought THRILLER when it came out and my husband put it on first (I was busy with a new baby - more on that later.) As was his custom then, he lay on the living room floor, listening with these enormous headphones, feet bouncing in time to the music, pausing between tracks. All of a sudden he sat bolt upright and swore, then laughed. He'd been startled by Vincent Price's sudden evil laugh. LOL.

And we ended up with not one but two copies of THRILLER, because of our newborn son. When he was six weeks old my maternity leave was up and I returned to work. We worked split shifts, my husband from 7:15 to 3:15 and me from 3 - 11 with a neighbor-sitter for the hour or so overlap. I had been at work for maybe an hour when my husband called me, nearly in tears and completely nonplussed, because our child was screaming non-stop and nothing he tried had consoled him. I told my husband to call my mother, who lived around the corner, and I was on my way home. As it turns out the baby had developed a royal case of colic, which kicked in every afternoon around 4 and ran for 2-3 hours of straight crying and howling. After trying eveything from gripe water (you Brits & Canadians will recognize that) to swaddling to car rides, we finally discovered that our son LOVED the song "Billie Jean."

It was the only thing that worked to calm him down: hold him upright against your shoulder and bounce around to "Billie Jean" - over and over and over again. We wore through the first copy of the album and nearly wore out the second before the colic tapered off.

So, thank you Michael for preserving our sanity 26 years ago. Rest in peace.

Sorry about that duplication - my computer is acting up today...

Michael Jackson'sMad Men connection. Donielle Artese, who plays Sheila White is one of the dancers in this video. To be part of Mad Men and Michael's video legacy? Wow.

.....This is a terrible thing to say, but I think Michael lost his confidence with that whole ugly trial, and never got it back.

I'd heard about the drugs and the complete collapse, and don't even want to think about what was going on in Bahrain.

The "Peter Pan" trip was Michael's power source, on which was based everything he did creatively, and once that was besmirched in his own mind, he just lost it.

I never once believed he would make this farewell tour and wasn't the tiniest bit surprised to hear this news, for whatever reason. I just think he was "done."

I don't think Michael was ever anything but a child in his own mind, and had no idea how to be an aging, 50-something former pop star.

And I can't even comment on Farrah. I just can't.

Did anyone see her - I mean Ryan's - television special?

Poor Farrah and Mr. McMahon didn't even have one day for their own mourners.

R.I.P., all.....

What a week.

.....Great link, grin.....Her IMDb doesn't seem to reflect this, which bothers me.

It's often bothered me that various actors' voice-over, commercial, dance, choreography and other works weren't reflected very well, if at all, in the IMDb.

AA.....That story is a classic!

Was never a Michael Jackson fan, but I did think he was a great dancer. I often used to think that if the big studios had still been in business, he might have made some great singing and dancing movies in his youth. I thought "Thriller" was remarkable, and as I said, I wasn't even a fan.

Such a cute story, AA...hope that's written down in your son's baby book...

I kinda agree, Dry...I think he just felt like he couldn't win anymore...and I think he was definitely a case of arrested development, poor soul.

Z, yes, Thriller was a classic and very entertaining...plus, the first extended length (or whatever the hell MTV used to call it!) video.

He broke a lot of creative ground and was very talented...and like so many hugely talented folks, was personally tormented...whether of his own making (or his father's-- or others in his life) I guess is never going to be totally known.

.....Whoever owns Neverland Ranch now, should put all MJ's extraordinary personal effects BACK into the house, and turn it into another Graceland.

Man, that thing would be the money-making machine of the decade.

I was just looking at the sad news about Farrah Fawcett when the news flashed up about Michael...As you say....a BAD day. His music will go on, his influence has been great and he will be fondly remembered by all his British fans and people across the globe.

Now that's a great idea, Dry...if I remember right, when Priscilla decided to open Graceland to the public, E's estate was not in very good shape ---maybe even in the red (?) not sure---

Didn't take long for those tours (we took one way back in the '80's -- so delightfully tacky!) --- to get Lisa Marie...another MJ connection...married for a few years --- on the receiving end of a profitable venture that has caused her to be rich rich rich....good thing, because she can't sing all that well...come to think of it, didn't she sell Graceland recently?

A Very Powerful Day! A day we all will have to see sooner or later. A lot of historical moments from all three and talents that we may never see again. Each one having their own unique energy.
Fred M. - "Hereeeee's Johnny"! and Publisher's Clearing House Spokeperson.
Farrah F.- Her big beautiful hair and bright smile!
and last but not least Michael Joe Jackson - The King of Pop. Who touched lives all over the globe.
A Entertainment Icon, Humanitarian,Loving father, brother, son & friend.
May They All Rest in Peace with hopes that someone will have something positive to say about you at the end of your journey.

Fred died too? Oh no!

Very cute story Auburn :-)
Such a sad day indeed. I loved Farrah's hair. She was a fighter. I got the privilege to meet Ed McMahon back in the early 80's where I worked and he was such a nice nice man. He did like to drink though but he could handle it. My favorite MJ song is "The Way You Make me Feel" and my fav Jackson 5 song is "ABC"

....Yes it was, and Yes, she did.

There was never a better host/sidekick in showbiz than Johnny and Ed.

I hope Johnny was at The Gate to meet Ed saying, "Heeeeeeeere's Ed!" and they got to have a good laugh together.

Who's Fred??

Who's Fred???

.....You gotta hand it to Priscilla on that one. She had the head for business, and took that blind, messianic adoration and turned it into an extraordinary legacy for her and her family.

Good thing too because, as you said, I don't think Elvis had much in the way of assets by the time he died.

If Graceland sold, I haven't heard anything about it.

AMC has some new TV spots in anticipation for Season 3, but I don't want to steal Lily's thunder.....biting my fingers now......

They are clips from Seasons 1 and 2, and remind me again of what a beautifully-shot series this is.

You can probably Google them if you are interested.....

I think maybe pink meant "Ed", 60'chick.

I, being one of the main sufferers of CRS/Typo Fever on this forum, understand completely....just this post alone had 3 typos in it.....hope I got them all....

...sure enough....missed one....60s chick, I meant to type.....

Sorry Z, I really meant Ed McMahon, not Fred. Thank's SCfan for the clarity. I was listening to a comment Fred Astair made to Michael Jackson after a performance while posting, sorry. It was a sad day all three of them, Wow! 60's chick Fred was my typo. No new deaths that I know of sorry for the typo as they say; "My Bad"!
Redmond O'Neal is incarcerated, Ed's Family, Michael's children. Much love to all those families.
You just never know when it's time for Roll Call, and if your name's called you gotta go.
Sorry for the typos guys, my assistant is out for the weekend.

Sorry it's Astaire.

.....Well, another one bites the dust.

Billy Mays ("Oxyclean!!!") was found dead this morning.

Unbelievable, but this one sounds like a possible brain injury situation, if you read the article.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/28/20090628maysdies.html

Well, now I feel awful - I was bitchin' about his commercials on another thread a while back. I thought him obnoxious with his constant yelling - still feel that way, but I am sorry he had to die so young.

And yet another...

Gale Storm ("My Little Margie") gone at 87.

I never realized (or forgot) that it was her singing "Dark Moon" not a bad song.

Billy M. was 50, just like Michael Jackson...at least Gale S. was 87, and had had a very long life....

RIP folks......

I know too bad another one gone too young. I agree Dry sounds like a possible head injury like Natasha Richardson.

.....z.....He was just doing his job. The fact that he got your attention means he was good at it. They say he was a very nice and caring person. So sad.....

I'd been meaning to check out the Discovery series "Pitchmen," but haven't had a chance yet. It's pretty interesting.

Apparently, on a US Airways flight Saturday night, he was hit hard on the head with some luggage and even made a taped statement about it.

He said he didn't feel well before bed.

Why, oh WHY didn't his wife INSIST he go to the Emergency Room?

Two words - Natasha Richardson!

Well, Dry...I agree...she should have hogtied him if she had to and got him to the ER...head injuries can be very sneaky as to the damage not being immediately apparent...like you and Chelsea mentioned about Natasha R.

...and then again, Billy's wife may have tried (like Liam did) and he just refused....too bad in any case...those head injuries are not to be trifled with.

I just read an article that Billy Mays may have died from a heart attack. I'm sorry he's gone.Though I must say I really didn't like his yelling selling. Gave me a freaking headache.

So right, pink...I do feel for his wife, young daughter (3 years old--?) and grown up old son, though...very sad for them. I guess he went at the top of his profession at least....like the song says..."the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep"

We should all be so lucky when our time comes, actually.

So right, pink...I do feel for his wife, young daughter (3 years old--?) and grown up son, though...very sad for them. I guess he went at the top of his profession at least....like the song says..."the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep"

We should all be so lucky when our time comes, actually.

"grown up old son" I really do need to proof read better!

sorry about the double up, too...

Well Karl Malden died today, he was 79.

.....It must be cosmic or something.....They are dropping like flies!

You're right Dry! Oops, by the way Malden was 97.

.....We should be so lucky!

97 and in relatively good health and no pain...who could ask for more...if he was that is (Karl) all of that...haven't read the details of his passing yet.

I always liked him...esp. in "Pollyanna", "How the West Was Won", "Gypsy" and "On the Waterfront"

He was a wonderful talent...can't think of anything he was bad in.

I know Michael Douglas has stated before he owes him so much for putting him in "The Streets Of San Francisco" (at the request of Dad/Kirk D.? -- may not be true...I've just always heard that)

Anyway, he was a good actor.

Hope he remembered to not leave (here) without his AE travelers checks! lol

.....Oh, you're funny. I'd forgotten about that. He's another one who had a ton of work over the years.

97 doesn't suck, if you're in good health. You're right - can't ask for more than that.

This is starting to get scary. You wonder who will be next. I can't recall having this many celebrities die in such a short time.
There is longevity in my mother's family (she turned 80 in June). Her grandmother lived to be 104 and she still has two uncles in their 90's.
I only hope to live as long, if my health is good.
The only down side is that I wouldn't want to outlive my children and my neices.

So right Chatty. Enough is enough. I still feel so bad for Michael. You know they reaired that Martin Bashir interview with MJ and now after closing watching it again, I really don't believe MJ molested children. They really seemed to sckew the interview that way for ratings of course. I'm not saying he wasn't different of course. But he seemed to really have a kind heart and was so misunderstood. One broke my heart when as a teenage and he had acne a "fan" made fun of his face. People can be so insensitive. I mean celebrities are people too!IMHO.

Yes, Chelsea, so cruel -- it would have been great if he had been having his skin problem during the time of these new really effective acne treatments they have now. Perhaps he could have done commercial endorsements (a la Jessica Simpson, Julianne Hough, Vanessa Williams, etc.) and had his face cleared (and his confidence been boosted as a result)....well, it could have changed the mental picture he had of himself for the better, while he was still relatively young, and maybe the course of his life and esp. how he handled adversity.

He also took it to heart so much his father's comments about his nose. If he had stopped after that first rhinoplasty (which is all he really needed --if even that) I think his self image would not have deteriorated like it did and made him feel the need to continue cosmetic surgery after cosmetic surgery, and become addicted to it. Such a tragedy all around.

It's so utterly tragic that he had so much materially and seemed so bankrupt emotionally and in his relationships (except for his children, that is.) I have trouble understanding how his brothers and sisters and parents weren't able to get him some help before things got so bad....I guess just like with Elvis...you can't help someone who refuses to help themselves...I have a feeling there will be a months-long investigation on this case.

...someone who refuses to help himself

....I meant to say....

.....Donald Trump, who apparently was relatively close to Michael (?), said a few days ago that Michael was very aware he had had some bad plastic surgery.

He said it was what caused Michael to feel insecure, not want to go out in public, wearing the veils and the masks, etc. I'm sure it was a little more than just that, though.

Michael of course took that a step further by making his children wear masks in public, which they hated. In an effort to validate his "look?"

At one point in his life, he actually looked okay - you could still tell it was Michael. Then, apparently he had a really bad procedure, he developed a bad case of some kind of dysmorphia and things started to go downhill.

I'm sure all those heavy drugs didn't help his sense of reason. No coping skills, on top of extraordinary demands, responsibilities, all that childhood abuse, masked by lots of drugs.

Janet has talked about fighting ongoing deep depression over the abuse in that house, when they were kids.

The photos I've seen lately, compared to that other, handsome-looking Michael, much more closely resembled "The Joker" than Michael Jackson.

The sad thing there is that the rehearsal tapes for this concert series actually looked like maybe Michael could have pulled it off, after all. Maybe not, but he looked okay and he was bringing it, so to speak.

It's sad that, like many entertainers, Michael never really found happiness or peace.

It's a real "Elvis" syndrome, and it's my guess that Britney or Lindsay are next.

Yes, Dry, sad to say, but those two do seem headed down that road, as of now, anyway.....

I went to that special "tribute" section YouTube set up for MJ...the Billie Jean and Rock With You and Don't Stop Til You Get Enough vids were when he was still handsome and charismatic.....so sad...the whole dern thing...such a talent.

Seems Katherine Jackson (the mom) repeatedly chastised Joe over his treatment of the children...just didn't work though...wonder if she'll be raising those kids on a permanent basis?

This is one situation that will likely take months to sort out...I hope the kids can be kept insulated....

I find it amazing that with all the problems Michael Jackson was confronted with, he was still able to make so many people happy and accomplish so many great things in his life. It really didn't matter to him who we were, what we were about, it seems he enjoyed performing for all who could appreciate him. He made a difference with his music. I also don't believe he molested any children. If he really did, I am 100% sure the legal system would have brought him to justice. As for his emotional problems, they seemed to have started during his childhood. We will never know the complete truth, but we know that he was performing at a very young age and his childhood was sacrificed for his career. I am glad I lived to witness his musical legacy. R. I. P.! Michael Jackson 1958-2009.

.....I get the feeling that, like other entertainers who have said this, the stage and studio were the only places he ever really felt comfortable. That, and Neverland.

Considering how uncomfortable in his own skin he appeared, I can see how liberating performing must have been for someone as repressed, and yet so gifted, as him.

My husband worked on the crew of Oprah's Neverland interview with Michael a few years ago. Without violating any non-disclosure agreements, the one thing he did tell me was how very quiet, and still, Michael is when he's not "on."

Is......was, I meant.

.....And also how over the top it is at Neverland. There is an amusement park, huge Disney-character sculpted hedges, and a ton of other stuff I can't remember. I think the chimp was there at that time, also.....

He also just mentioned something else I didn't know, when I brought up turning Neverland into an attraction.

Apparently, it's VERY difficult to get to, off a minor highway north of Santa Barbara, with approximately 40 miles of windy, one-lane back roads, and a lot of quirky twists and turn-offs just to get there.

Logistically, they would have to bus people in for the day, which means addressing a different set of issues, such as restaurants, that Graceland doesn't have to contend with.

Just curious what's going to happen with that.

I'd love to know what mean old Joe Jackson took away in that truck the day after Michael died. He wasn't supposed to do that, but I don't see anyone talking about it beyond that.

It's hard to fathom mean old Joe showing up at the BET awards on Michael's behalf, and they actually cheered him, when Michael completely rejected his father in life.

As far as I am concerned, what happened to Michael in life, and death, was because of what Joe did to those kids.

I mean, how bad does it have to be, to turn a person into THAT "Michael Jackson?"

Was there anyone more bizarre and disconnected from reality than him?? ANYONE??

Sorry. I just had to say that.

All that plastic surgery was so unnecessary - he was such a cute little boy and a very attractive young man. At least until he started changing himself. If only he could have talked to a psychiatrist instead of a surgeon. Well, all the what ifs and if onlys in world won't change the sadness of reality. The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on, as the poet said.

Let's think of him as being at peace at last. How does that old Righteous Brothers song go:

If you believe in forever,
Then life is just a one-night stand.
If there's a rock and roll heaven,
Well you know they've got a hell of a band.

.........That's was cute, Z. Well I have some more news! Sorry to be the"Bad News Bear", but another celebrity was found dead today at 1:35pm. Former quaterback Steve McNair was found dead with his girlfriend at her condo in Nashville. Gunshot wound to the head.

.....There is a blanket rebellion, with self-raised children.

Anyone who has been abandoned, abused, neglected, used and otherwise violated.....

Those children tend to be very hard-headed. They listen to one voice - theirs or someone more manipulative - however screwed up it is.

Like so many have said about ALL these people - "XXXXXXXXX does what he/she wants - no one can tell them."

Shades of Michael, Anna Nicole, Britney, Lindsay, Elvis, YOU NAME 'EM.

The psychology is this: They had no one to depend on, so they don't listen to outside voices.

They are all about one thing - their comfort - and fuck anyone standing between them and that comfort.

Period.

Just sayin'.

That covers a lot of territory and they all are not celebrities. Welcome to the "Comfort Zone"!

....That's true.....

Couple of thoughts on Michael,

I loved his music since middle school and dancing to ABC.

I agree Dry what was Joe Jackson thinking how disgusting.

I think the reason he covered his children's faces is so they could remain incognito.

After seeing him so much on TV his failed plastic surgery is not as noticeable. Maybe he should have been more visable.

So many questions remain unaswered as to his drug abuse. But it's hard to help someone like hime with so much power. I stll don't think he was a child molester.... he has too much kindness in his heart.

I bet his x wife goes for child custody whether for money or to look good to her children down the road.... see kids I tried to get you .

Congressman Peter King is a total jerk!!