CynicKill said:

What I took from most of his points is that true or not, MJ, like all celebrity, is an image and a creation of the media, and therefore not worthy of devotion or serious attention. All the points about pedophilia and hormones and puppetry and the like only certifies the point that we "know" too much. It's a soap opera that the media is all too willing to exploit and drag out as long as they can, and it has no relevance in terms of our individual realities.

Where is the emoticon of two hands clapping? Anyway you get it...applause that is.

Its funny, because judging from what he said ..he too knew quite a bit about the stories about MJ. How do we escape it? The celebrity around MJ was probably the most intriguing story for the last 32 years. MJ (and the media) really made himself into a modern day PT Barnum ( or more literally, a Barnum Freekshow). Everyone seems to know the MJ story (or some version of it) even if they seem removed from it.

CynicKill said:

Intrigueing, but is it true?

Compelling fact or intellectualism run amok?

I agree with much of what Chris Hedges is saying here. We live in a spiritually and intellectually bankrupt culture. Michael Jackson (and the cult which surrounds him) is certainly a reflection of that. However, when making parallels like that you've always got to be careful not to push it too far and he definitely crosses the line at certain points there, particularly in the first few sentences. He makes MJ sound almost passive which is absurd if you do a little research. Other than that though he's mostly on point.

DonRants said:

CynicKill said:

What I took from most of his points is that true or not, MJ, like all celebrity, is an image and a creation of the media, and therefore not worthy of devotion or serious attention. All the points about pedophilia and hormones and puppetry and the like only certifies the point that we "know" too much. It's a soap opera that the media is all too willing to exploit and drag out as long as they can, and it has no relevance in terms of our individual realities.

Where is the emoticon of two hands clapping? Anyway you get it...applause that is.

Its funny, because judging from what he said ..he too knew quite a bit about the stories about MJ. How do we escape it? The celebrity around MJ was probably the most intriguing story for the last 32 years. MJ (and the media) really made himself into a modern day PT Barnum ( or more literally, a Barnum Freekshow). Everyone seems to know the MJ story (or some version of it) even if they seem removed from it.

the real issue is that as MJ reached the pinnacle of his career with Thriller, he told his manager at the time FRANK DILEO that he wanted his career to be that like P.T. BARNUM, he wanted his life and career to be "the greatest show on earth"...

this is fact, no way getting aroudn it, and that's what he attempted to do when he didn't have to go that route...his talent alone did all the talking, that was the real show........by 1986, he started planted stories to the National Enquirer and selling pictures of him fueling the superficial image he attempted to create and was making beaucoup money from it

he could have maintained a seperation of his private life and his professional life and everything would have been cool

he never had to do it, he had already proven he was the best

CANUHELPME said:

I remember complaining to my brother about the stupid stories he was planting in the press. Before 1986 the press respected him as a great artist. He opened the door to the circus and the press rushed in. Also, I don't understand why he allowed himself to become a packaged product.

exactly....he never ever needed to go that route

he was bigger and he was better than that.....

he just dropped the greatest selling album of all time, greatest video of all time, and greatest on stage performance of all time and he did this all back to back to back, he did it all w/in the course of a year.....

he garnered so much respect, after the nation watched his performance on MOTOWN 25, schools celebrated MJ the next day by students not having to do coursework.....Principals and teachers were talking about that performance as much as we were as kids

he was celebrated by the entire country......

he never needed to do it, because when he did, they did him in

I think after reaching his pinnacle

MJ received god awful advice.....

not from his family

but opportunists w/in the industry looking to capitalize on his talent, his stature, his success

and then they busted up the family dynamic and when that happened, that's all she wrote.....

and when they saw that planned was finished, they left MJ out to dry

and this is why he said in teh song STRANGER IN MOSCOW

"all abandoned in my fame, armageddon of the brain".......

[Edited 8/21/14 21:11pm]

getxxxx said:

Is that Alejandra with her kids from Randy and Jermaine? I hear they're supposed to be getting a reality tv show

I'll watch it just to hear someone say Jermajesty

NaughtyKitty said:

getxxxx said:

Is that Alejandra with her kids from Randy and Jermaine? I hear they're supposed to be getting a reality tv show

NaughtyKitty said:

getxxxx said:

Is that Alejandra with her kids from Randy and Jermaine? I hear they're supposed to be getting a reality tv show

This will be a HOT mess. This woman is smiling and gleeful because she is being children she has by TWO Jackson brothers on national television Alejandra has no self respect at all....

mjscarousal said:

NaughtyKitty said:

Is that Alejandra with her kids from Randy and Jermaine? I hear they're supposed to be getting a reality tv show

This will be a HOT mess. This woman is smiling and gleeful because she is being children she has by TWO Jackson brothers on national television Alejandra has no self respect at all....

So, does it makes them cousins or siblings? Wow

Beautifulstarr123 said:

mjscarousal said:

This will be a HOT mess. This woman is smiling and gleeful because she is being children she has by TWO Jackson brothers on national television Alejandra has no self respect at all....

So, does it makes them cousins or siblings? Wow

Both! I wonder what Father's day looks like in that household? And as for self-respect, are you kidding me...just think how many women were dreaming of snagging one member of the Jacksons and she caught two..give the woman a medal (Tongue firmly in cheek).

[Edited 8/22/14 18:14pm]

Just saw on youtube that since "A Place with No Name" was released a week ago, it has been viewed approximately 2.5 million times. On the other hand Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" has been released for two days and has been viewed 43.1 million times. Hmmm...

DonRants said:

Just saw on youtube that since "A Place with No Name" was released a week ago, it has been viewed approximately 2.5 million times. On the other hand Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" has been released for two days and has been viewed 43.1 million times. Hmmm...

Exactly. The Estate needs to stop focusing on relevancy, and start focusing on legacy. There is no need to make a subpar music video with bookoo dancers and random footage of past mj videos being thrown here and there. I'm a huge mj fan and i didn't even sit through the video..

They started out on the right foot. "This Is It", The Cirque Du Soleil show, The MJ video game. All great releases. Idk, it just comes off as tacky the way they are handling things now.

Michael Jackson's genius gets compared to the likes of Mozart in Pop Art Exhibition

MJ portrait by the late Steve Kaufman

Grado, Italy – American Pop Art, Inc. is proud to present “Icons of Music: Then and Now,” a series of brilliant pop art portraits of the world’s most recognizable musicians, now through September 14, 2014 at The House of Music in Grado, Italy. This exhibition is curated by Serena Bobbo, and organized by the Municipality of Grado, and by Diana Vachier and Alberto Panizzoli of American Pop Art, Inc. and Steve Kaufman Art Licensing, LLC.
“Icons of Music: Then and Now” features original, unique portraits of famous musicians from Mozart to Michael Jackson—all painted by the late Steve Alan Kaufman (SAK), American pop artist and former assistant to Andy Warhol. Steve Kaufman is well known for his lavish use of color, and these crisp, impactful images will captivate people of all ages and restore memories of many songs.
Steve Kaufman’s tremendous passion for art made him look backwards into history before he would proceed forward. He was deeply moved by the great masters of art, music, and literature. And so, Steve Kaufman did a series of paintings during the mid 1990s to show his respect for those who preceded him and greatly influenced his life.
“Icons of Music: Then and Now,” offers visitors a vivid perspective of Mozart, Beethoven, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and even Marilyn Monroe. The artist calls attention to these great figures, these icons that are now part of the collective imagination. These stars became significant reference points of their time—not only in music, but also as legends in television, cinema, and high society events. Steve Kaufman transforms the influence of these personalities into moments of meditation on fame. Kaufman himself wore hand-embellished apparel of the distinguished artist that he had become, but he never forgot the life he had before fame, the people he met along the way, and those who had inspired him.

Particularly significant among the works of Steve Kaufman, in the context of the exhibition “Icons of Music: Then and Now,” are those who represent Michael Jackson and Mozart. First, these two icons represent of the genius of modernity and the eclectic image. Second, they represent the geniality and immortal revolution of music. Both were child prodigies and stars of the stage in their lifetimes, and both prematurely passed away. Mozart and Michael Jackson, as distinct characters of time and history, become the ‘face’ that is the essence of the homage that Steve Kaufman pays to such “iconicism.”
Steve Kaufman shows us these characters, these ‘icons’ in a fresh, new perspective—Art about art that draws on art, listens, and calls back to the art.
The House of Music in Grado, Italy (Comune Di Grado Casa Della Musica) is located at Piazza Biagio Marin 2, 34073 Grado, Italy. Exhibition hours are from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm daily. For more information about Steve Kaufman, please visithttp://www.americanpopartin c.com.

[Edited 8/23/14 15:27pm]

dm3857 said:

DonRants said:

Just saw on youtube that since "A Place with No Name" was released a week ago, it has been viewed approximately 2.5 million times. On the other hand Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" has been released for two days and has been viewed 43.1 million times. Hmmm...

Exactly. The Estate needs to stop focusing on relevancy, and start focusing on legacy. There is no need to make a subpar music video with bookoo dancers and random footage of past mj videos being thrown here and there. I'm a huge mj fan and i didn't even sit through the video..

They started out on the right foot. "This Is It", The Cirque Du Soleil show, The MJ video game. All great releases. Idk, it just comes off as tacky the way they are handling things now.

I agree.

They could have picked a stronger single to release. I personally think most of the re-worked tracks are awful but Xscape is fantastic they should have released that. What is the Estate thinking? They could have made a creative cartoon or a word lyric video like Weird Al or something artistic for the music video.

mjscarousal said:

MotownSubdivision said:

mjscarousal said:

I agree.

They could have picked a stronger single to release. I personally think most of the re-worked tracks are awful but Xscape is fantastic they should have released that. What is the Estate thinking? They could have made a creative cartoon or a word lyric video like Weird Al or something artistic for the music video.

Just because it's MJ's Estate doesn't mean they're as creative as MJ.

Very True. They did so many great things in the past and the video just seemed kinda half assed.

I'm not crazy about the remix or the video. Would rather watch dangerous short films instead of a mashup of new scenes with behind the scenes of a hit video (really???), it's lazy and lazy editing. Nikki is popular right now and sampled a popular song Baby Got Back, of course she'll get more hits.

mjscarousal said:

dm3857 said:

Exactly. The Estate needs to stop focusing on relevancy, and start focusing on legacy. There is no need to make a subpar music video with bookoo dancers and random footage of past mj videos being thrown here and there. I'm a huge mj fan and i didn't even sit through the video..

They started out on the right foot. "This Is It", The Cirque Du Soleil show, The MJ video game. All great releases. Idk, it just comes off as tacky the way they are handling things now.

I agree.

They could have picked a stronger single to release. I personally think most of the re-worked tracks are awful but Xscape is fantastic they should have released that. What is the Estate thinking? They could have made a creative cartoon or a word lyric video like Weird Al or something artistic for the music video.

They need to get some innovative directors to create his "new" videos, because the ones so far have been pretty dissapointing. I thought the unreleased "Behind the mask" video was in the right direction. There's no need to create similiar videos that Michael already did in the past. They could have done a far superior video for "a place with no name" than the boring ass video...

what they should go ahead and do, which I doubt will ever happen

release a DVD of that Triumph Tour

that will rock the world and then some........

it would be a magnificent experience.......

pure magic...no innuendo

Scorp said:

what they should go ahead and do, which I doubt will ever happen

release a DVD of that Triumph Tour

that will rock the world and then some........

it would be a magnificent experience.......

pure magic...no innuendo

It could happen. The brothers will forever try to keep the group together, and The Jacksons had their CDs remastered, so there is definitely a researched demand for their stuff.

Scorp said:

what they should go ahead and do, which I doubt will ever happen

release a DVD of that Triumph Tour

that will rock the world and then some........

it would be a magnificent experience.......

pure magic...no innuendo

The heck are they waiting for?! We ain't getting any younger...

Cinny said:

Scorp said:

what they should go ahead and do, which I doubt will ever happen

release a DVD of that Triumph Tour

that will rock the world and then some........

it would be a magnificent experience.......

pure magic...no innuendo

It could happen. The brothers will forever try to keep the group together, and The Jacksons had their CDs remastered, so there is definitely a researched demand for their stuff.

purplethunder3121 said:

Scorp said:

what they should go ahead and do, which I doubt will ever happen

release a DVD of that Triumph Tour

that will rock the world and then some........

it would be a magnificent experience.......

pure magic...no innuendo

The heck are they waiting for?! We ain't getting any younger...

whatsgoingon said:

A little off topic, what do you guys think of B Howard?I had dismissed the allegations if him being Michael's son, however I was recently on Jackie Jackson Twitter page and he had tweeted B Howard a tweet regarding his new single which read, "The Magic continues. Congratulations". I found this odd. And I am beginning to think there is more to the paternity story than I initially thought.

yeah lolll

the irony

Scorp said: