Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett Pass Away

Early fame doesn’t always lead to a troubled adulthood but it does in most cases. Plus Michael Jackson’s fame is on another level compared to those you’ve mentioned and he has always been under very intense scrutiny and pressure since a very early age. Other factors such as his relationship with his father may have contributed to his issues. Yeah the rumours didn’t just come out of nowhere in some cases, people obviously picked up his eccentric behaviour and made huge stories about it because of his superstardom. It wasn’t just his eccentricity though, other vicious rumours were spread about MJ. I’m not saying that we should all just excuse MJ’s past behaviour but it helps to put things into context.

I agree Donna about judging him. The phrase ‘Who are we to judge?’ always pops up in my mind when talking about MJ. Yes it is in human nature for us to judge others based on limited information but people still need to take into account his whole personal situation before making sweeping and hurtful claims.

And Karona I’ve also read those things about Joe Jackson and it does make me a bit suspicious about him. We don’t know the full story about him but he has been portrayed quite badly by others and even Michael has admitted how scared he was of him and how abusive he was towards his family. MJ’s song ‘Man In The Mirror’ practically gives away why he wanted to change his appearance (so he doesn’t look like his father). At the end of the day, Joe’s son has passed away and people grieve in different ways. Joe could be acting better given the circumstances but I guess that’s just his character.

Chrissy, yes I can only watch past performances of MJ to see how amazing he was on stage. As I previously mentioned, my dad went to one of his shows in London in the early 90s so I was way too young to go and obviously my dad was absolutely blown away

I'm not saying he is guilty of those charges. I don't know. I wasn't in the room, i didn't see it happen. But i just think serious accusations like this should not be wiped away clean slate just because of who he is/was. Its annoying how some of his biased fans think him being a music icon is a good enough excuse. Its not.

I'm referring to this Thriller days SmileAWhile. He was on top of the world then! Its when he starting bleaching his skin and getting all that surgery and fucking up his face people started thinking he was weird. It was believed he had the mind-span/IQ of a 12 year old anyway so he wasn't the brightest individual.

Sorry but i don't buy that "i had a rough childhood" excuse for anyone. Whether they'd be a bum on the street or even Michael Jackson. Theres no excuse to be able to harm others and get away with it because YOU had a rough up bringing. Why should someone else suffer because you did? Two wrongs do not make a right. It absolutely disgusts me when i read about some fucker getting 2 years in psych care because they blamed their father for beating them as a child as an excuse to butcher someone to death. Hey thats our justice system for ya (if you even wanna call it that...) but thats a discussion for another day.

I know this sounds nasty, but believe me i try not to make it be but its not like he was in the prime of his career. He had past it i reckon. I know that doesn't make it any easier for you fans but its not like his career was just kicking off and people were starting to realise he was the real deal, kicking crappy hair metal bands off the charts forever and showing a different side to music, releases 2 albums and then all of a sudden...just dies like that. And having your death announced by Kurt Loader of all people...

Thats my 2 cents anyway. All the stories coming out are just bizarre. I called it when i knew all these assholes would jumped at the opportunity to make a quick buck from his death. I don't know what to believe...

Violet wrote:I'm not saying he is guilty of those charges. I don't know. I wasn't in the room, i didn't see it happen. But i just think serious accusations like this should not be wiped away clean slate just because of who he is/was. Its annoying how some of his biased fans think him being a music icon is a good enough excuse. Its not.

I'm referring to this Thriller days SmileAWhile. He was on top of the world then! Its when he starting bleaching his skin and getting all that surgery and fucking up his face people started thinking he was weird. It was believed he had the mind-span/IQ of a 12 year old away so he wasn't the brightest individual.

Sorry but i don't buy that "i had a rough childhood" excuse for anyone. Whether they'd be a bum on the street or even Michael Jackson. Theres no excuse to be able to harm others and get away with it because YOU had a rough up bringing. Why should someone else suffer because you did? Two wrongs do not make a right. It absolutely disgusts me when i read about some fucker getting 2 years in psych care because they blamed their father for beating them as a child as an excuse to butcher someone to death. Hey thats our justice system for ya (if you even wanna call it that...) but thats a discussion for another day.

I know this sounds nasty, but believe me i try not to make it be but its not like he was in the highlight of his career. He had past it i reckon. I know that doesn't make it any easier for you fans but its not like his career was just kicking off and people were starting to realise he was the real deal, kicking crappy hair metal bands off the charts forever and showing a different side to music, releases 2 albums and then all of a sudden...just dies like that.

Yeah I see what you're saying Vi. If you have child molestation in mind when you're talking about excuses for a rough childhood then of course I totally agree. Child molestation/child sexual abuse is absolutely wrong given any kind of circumstances and I am definitely not making excuses for MJ in relation to that. Just as you said, no of us were there so we don't know exactly what went on. When I'm referring to his troubled childhood, I'm mostly thinking about how his childhood and other personal affairs contributed to his eccentric behaviour that became more and more noticeable later on in his life. A troubled childhood, intense pressure and fame can definitely make an impact on someone's psychological well-being. Just as I said in one of my earlier posts, I agree that his fame should not be a factor when considering whether he's guilty or not. He should be treated like anyone else when it comes to the judicial system and that should have been the case when he was found not guilty.

Violet wrote:I'm not saying he is guilty of those charges. I don't know. I wasn't in the room, i didn't see it happen. But i just think serious accusations like this should not be wiped away clean slate just because of who he is/was. Its annoying how some of his biased fans think him being a music icon is a good enough excuse. Its not.

I'm referring to this Thriller days SmileAWhile. He was on top of the world then! Its when he starting bleaching his skin and getting all that surgery and fucking up his face people started thinking he was weird. It was believed he had the mind-span/IQ of a 12 year old anyway so he wasn't the brightest individual.

Sorry but i don't buy that "i had a rough childhood" excuse for anyone. Whether they'd be a bum on the street or even Michael Jackson. Theres no excuse to be able to harm others and get away with it because YOU had a rough up bringing. Why should someone else suffer because you did? Two wrongs do not make a right. It absolutely disgusts me when i read about some fucker getting 2 years in psych care because they blamed their father for beating them as a child as an excuse to butcher someone to death. Hey thats our justice system for ya (if you even wanna call it that...) but thats a discussion for another day.

I know this sounds nasty, but believe me i try not to make it be but its not like he was in the prime of his career. He had past it i reckon. I know that doesn't make it any easier for you fans but its not like his career was just kicking off and people were starting to realise he was the real deal, kicking crappy hair metal bands off the charts forever and showing a different side to music, releases 2 albums and then all of a sudden...just dies like that. And having your death announced by Kurt Loader of all people...

Thats my 2 cents anyway. All the stories coming out are just bizarre. I called it when i knew all these assholes would jumped at the opportunity to make a quick buck from his death. I don't know what to believe...

dont be dissin' da hair metal...its swwwwwwwweet!!

The childhood abuse allegations can't be explaination. None of the other Jackson's went weird (nobody mention Janet's "wardrobe malfunction"), or at least if they did it wasn't as highly publicised as Michael.
And yes, I know that Michael was the most talented one, but the whole Jackson 5 were as famous as each other at one stage.
But, in 1982, Bruce Springsteen's album Nebraska and MJ's Thriller were two of the biggest albums, but because Springsteen to hide, he was left alone, MJ complained about the media attention, but it was really a result of his hermit-like activity that he copped it. If he went about his business like normal I'm sure there wouldn't have been so much pressure from the paparazzi.
Plus Springsteen is still kicking arse. Anyone hear the theme song he did for The Wrestler? It's awesome!

The paparazzi in the 80's/early 90's were nothing like it is today. Especially now with the internet and celebrity bloggers like Perez out there to rip on their every move. No one has it worse when it comes to the paps then Britney Spears. That is fact.

Violet wrote:I'm referring to this Thriller days SmileAWhile. He was on top of the world then! Its when he starting bleaching his skin and getting all that surgery and fucking up his face people started thinking he was weird. It was believed he had the mind-span/IQ of a 12 year old anyway so he wasn't the brightest individual.

Sorry but i don't buy that "i had a rough childhood" excuse for anyone. Whether they'd be a bum on the street or even Michael Jackson. Theres no excuse to be able to harm others and get away with it because YOU had a rough up bringing. Why should someone else suffer because you did? Two wrongs do not make a right. It absolutely disgusts me when i read about some fucker getting 2 years in psych care because they blamed their father for beating them as a child as an excuse to butcher someone to death. Hey thats our justice system for ya (if you even wanna call it that...) but thats a discussion for another day.

People forget or don't realize he had the skin disorder vitiligo. He's said that in an interview before. So it must have been very upsetting for him.

There is no excuse for anybody with a troubled childhood to make someone else suffer. But I know it can be hard to get rid of the pain. I think that a lot of people and that includes Michael Jackson will harm themselves more than others. They are very confused and probably feel they are to blame for the abuse from they're parents.

Also, I've heard he was very intelligent.

When he was writing his songs he'd record them into a dictophone, which is pretty clever. A lot easier that way, to remember the timing and enounciation and melody.

It could be said that Michael had a mindset of a young boy at times but that doesn't say anything about his actual intelligence. I have no idea what his IQ was but he was pretty much a genius when it came to music and dance.

Yeah there is more a celebrity culture than the 80's and 90's but Michael got media attention/paparazzi treatment his whole life up until he died so he lived through the Internet age and it was only a few years ago that he had that Santa Barbara trial where eyes all over the world were well and truly on him. Also there are more people in the spotlight and considered 'celebrities' than a couple of decades ago with people these days getting their 15 seconds of fame. So back in those days, MJ was truly one of the most famous people in the world so an incredible amount of media attention, no matter how it was distributed, still focused on him. Britney does get it bad these days and again we can see how the media can bring people like her down.

Camm, I see what you're saying but I honestly believe you can't fully compare MJ's situation to people like his siblings. Yes, he was viewed as 'the most talented' therefore was under the most pressure and apparently a lot of abuse was directed towards him. People's situations are different and MJ was treated differently to others but we don't fully know what went on behind closed doors.

Soooo...to take a break from the intense discussion, let's remember the good times! Does anyone have a favourite song of his? I honestly can't choose but my top MJ songs at the moment are Billie Jean, Dirty Diana, They Don't Care About Us and Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

Beat It for me, Van Halen's solo is off the hook! (To use an 80's expression.)
Plus the film clip is awesome.

From E! Online:

The question of whether Michael Jackson had a valid will at the time of his death just got a little more complicated.

Yesterday, parents Joe and Katherine Jackson sought control of Michael's estate, claiming in court documents that the King of Pop died without a will. Hours later, one drafted in 2002 surfaced.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the document—which will no doubt be the centerpiece of a lengthy and ferocious legal battle in months to come—divides the superstar's estate among his mother, his three children (Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II) and at least one charity.

It's unclear what custody arrangements, if any, Jackson made for his three children. But a court ruling yesterday gave temporary guardianship to Katherine.

At least one aspect of the will does appear to be clear: Joe Jackson wasn't named as an heir.

Best. News. Ever.

^Thanks Karona! I love that news! I still wanna cry though..

my fav MJ songs are black or white and heal the world...this is my fav renditions of them though (fast forward to 1.36 and 2.40)

I love Heal The World. Mr G sounds amazing. I know it's supposed to be funny...but, oh my heart is gonna melt..

I'm not judging MJ in the least. I honestly don't know enough about the guy's past to make any certain comments. I'm only going on what evidence I saw with my own eyes on the news years ago. I found the baby balcony episode a bit shocking, so I'm seeing it mostly from the baby's point of view. Had the kiddy actually dropped to it's death I doubt the fathers' fame and lifestyle 'sending him a bit crazy' would have had him exonerated. It wouldn't have mattered then what was going through his mind. Of course it wasn't a purposeful, pre-planned act, that was obvious when seeing it but as a mum with small children of my own then, I found it shocking. Still do. Not because it was something Michael had done in particular as I would have felt just as appalled if a regular Joe Blogs had done it. I think it's because he WAS so famous that it made the act worse.

Of course Michael wanted to keep his kids from the public eye, and of course it's up to the parents to dress their kids as desired, but the masks didn't keep their identities hidden for that long, not with sly paparrazi and loyalty issues. Besides, there's a lot you have to put up with. That comes with the price of fame for a lot of stars.

And even if it is proved that Michael is not the dad, it takes more than a bit DNA to be a proper father. He raised those kids, albeit different than most kiddies, but I've no doubt whatsoever that they were happy, protected, and most of all loved and wanted. There'll be more rot to come out of the woodwork yet.