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HE WAS A VERY JOYFUL PERSON

 
“I asked him up in Denver, ‘Do you work out?’ and he said ‘No, I should, shouldn’t I?’ He was really guilty about it. I said, ‘Hey, whatever you’re doing is working”. He was so much fun to be around. It wasn’t all darkness. We’d laugh so much. He had a great sense of humor, loved practical jokes….We’d be walking along and he’d break out into song. But not like Michael Jackson. He would sing like it was a man in the shower, just singing. I hated to see that joy go out of his life because he was a very joyful person. He was a happy person and just great fun to be around. […] [When I first met him,], he had a red corduroy shirt and black pants on and loafers that were kind of broken down in back. That’s the way he dressed most of the time when I knew him. When he wasn’t in public. He lived so simply. Michael never wore any jewelry, no rings, no belts, no watches, nothing, ever. The only time he wore those things were onstage. I was just so impressed with how simply he lived.” ~ David Nordahl

THEY'D SIT AND WAIT; HE'D SIT AND WATCH

 

“Whenever I got into it like that, Mr. Jackson would always talk me down. ‘Bill, be nice to my fans,’ he’d say. ‘They’re not going to let anything happen to me. They’re harmless.’

 

Part of our apprehension was that at first we didn’t understand what his relationship with his fans was. We were surprised to learn that he stayed in touch with some of them, would correspond with them. They would call his manager and send messages through her. When he talked to them, there were a lot of exchanges of ‘I love you’ and ‘I love you more.’ They were always bringing him presents, personal things. They’d say, ‘I made this for you’; ‘Here’s a stuffed animal’; ‘Here’s a Peter Pan trinket.’

 

His relationship with his fans—I’d never seen anything like it with other celebrities. Never. No matter how famous. With other celebrities, you see the groupies hanging around, but these were not groupies. Mr. Jackson actually knew a lot of them individually. He remembered what show he first met them at, how many years they’d known each other. He’d point out fans that he’d seen in other countries. Here we were in Las Vegas, and he was going, ‘That one there, I remember him from Germany.’

 

It was an interesting relationship, him and the fans. He loved them as much as they loved him. From his bedroom window upstairs, he could look directly out to the street where they were camped out. Sometimes we’d glance up and see him, looking out from behind the curtains, just watching them, observing them. They’d sit and wait; he’d sit and watch.”

 

~ Remember the time: Protecting Michael Jackson in his final days

FAKTA #62

 
Michael var nära vän med Bill Clinton och hans familj.

AT A COURT APPEARANCE

INNOCENCE

 
"I'm in love with innocence. That's what I'm in love with."

FAKTA #61

 
Videon till "Say say say" är inspelad på Sycamore Ranch i Santa Ynez Valley, Kalifornien. Michael köpte sedan ranchen och namngav den Neverland Ranch. Samma ställe!

FAKTA #60

 
Michael handlade gärna grejer från eBay.

DOKUMENTÄR IKVÄLL PÅ TV3

 
Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon går på TV3 klockan 23:10 ikväll! Tack för tipset, Patricia! Denna dokumentär är väldigt bra. Ni kan även se den på hemsidan Swefilmer.com.

DAGENS BILD

GENUINE SWEETNESS

 
“He was very sweet. He came to our apartment. My mother cooked dinner. He was very easy to be with. There was a genuine sweetness about him. And treating everybody the same way. Didn’t matter who it was — my family, the crew. The only time he expressed [a production demand], and again it was out of compassion — the older man is getting mugged and gets pushed at one point. And we did it a couple of takes and he was nervous about that. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt. We didn’t know if we had it on film and we said, Let’s do it again. And he begged me not to do it again. He said, ‘Please, this shouldn’t be violent.’ So I didn’t do it.” ~ Martin Scorsese

THE OFFICE

DANGEROUS TOUR REHEARSALS

 
Här har ni något roligt att se – rehearsals för Dangerous Tour!

STRIPPED OF ALL DIGNITY

 

Stripped of all dignity

 

"...There was nothing more humiliating for Michael Jackson than when police strip-searched him while investigating the allegations that he had molested 13-year-old Jordie Chandler.

 

The boy had given a detailed description of the star’s body and the detectives needed to check if it was true. Jackson was warned that if he refused to cooperate, he’d be arrested and taken away in handcuffs.

 

After the police arrived at Neverland, it took lawyers an hour to persuade him to leave his bedroom. Finally, he came into the living room clearly agitated, wearing a brown dressing gown. He blocked his face with his hands, as if thwarting the paparazzi.

 

He was told to stand on a platform in the middle of the room. 'Please don't make me do this,' he said, his doe-like eyes watery. 'This is terrible. Don't make me.' 'Sir, we have no choice,’ said one of the detectives.

 

Staring at a picture of Elizabeth Taylor on the wall, Jackson removed the dressing gown, to reveal a bathing suit. ‘You’ll have to take that off, too, sir,’ said the detective. Michael slipped off the bathing suit … under which he was wearing boxers. ‘Sir, please,’ the detective said.

 

Crying softly now, Michael took off the boxers and stood, naked, stripped not only of his clothes, but of all his dignity. All eyes peered at him to see if he was circumcised, as Jordie had claimed (he wasn’t). ‘Oh my God,’ Michael whimpered. He looked as if he was about to faint.

 

The police circled him slowly, making notes about his body, the colour of his buttocks and private parts. A photographer took pictures before Jackson jumped off the platform. ‘That’s enough,’ he said, before fleeing the room.

 

He was persuaded to return by his lawyers after 15 minutes of cries, shrieks and pleas. A plaintive wail resonated through the house. Michael Jackson had been broken. He pounded his feet against the floor.

 

Again, he stood naked. More pictures. Then videotape. ‘Please, can we stop now?’ Michael pleaded.

 

One of the doctors produced a ruler, at which point Jackson’s doctor intervened. ‘That’s it,’ he said firmly. ‘Mike, get dressed. This is a joke. I can’t believe it myself’. Jackson ran from the room, shaking and screaming: ‘How could this happen to me?’ Observers said it looked as if he was about to have a melt-down. ‘How could this happen to me?’ he kept repeating…”

 

~ The magic and madness, J.R. Taraborelli

DEPTH

 
"I will always love Michael from the depth of my being and nothing can separate us."
~ Elizabeth Taylor

I PAUSED

 
I hugged him and asked him to give each of his children a big hug for me and get a good nights rest. I told him I Ioved him and I would see him tomorrow. As he got into the cart, he said ‘I love you more’…it was just what we always said. I paused and watched the cart drive off. 5 years ago, that was the last time I ever saw Michael alive ~ Karen Faye

MIN RAPPORT I ENGELSKAN

Minns ni detta? Jag valde att gå i motsatt riktning och skriva om hans välgörenhetsarbete istället för pedofilanklagelserna. Det känns mycket, mycket viktigare, eftersom det dels inte handlar om lögner och dels är det någonting som är värt mer uppmärksamhet än det får. Detta är rapporten i sin helhet, bortsett från källorna, och om ni inte har skrivit en rapport tidigare så är det många rubriker där man måste beskriva specifika delar, många gånger upprepa saker och ting. "Objective and hypothesis" var för mig svårast, för det är ju svårt att gissa sig till någonting man vet med säkerhet, haha. "Description and analysis" är själva resultatet, som ni kanske vet måste vara ren fakta (inga personliga vinklar), men sedan reflekterar jag resultatdelen i "Conclusions". (Ja, jag vet att jag snodde Berry Gordys citat i det absolut sista stycket, haha). Jag fick A på denna rapport.
 
MICHAEL JACKSON'S MUSICAL AND NON-MUSICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
1. Introduction
 
We all know who Michael Jackson is. We all think of him when we hear the words "King of Pop". It is widely known, for sure, that the name Michael Jackson is linked to this grand title, and vice versa. Everywhere you go, in every corner of the Earth, you will find people knowing who you are referring to, if you either decide to call him by his name or his title. But why and how did it happen? For what reasons did the entire world suddenly agree to call this musical artist "The King of Pop"?
 
There are many aspects to why his title is undisputed, since it is a matter of facts mixed with personal views. I have gathered – both major and minor – details from the professional life of Michael Jackson, that all contribute reasons, and finally an answer to why he is seen worldwide as the king of popular music.
 
I think it is important to learn about "the greats" – people who have dramatically changed and influenced an era to become immortalized in human history. Michael Jackson is one of these people, and should therefore be cherished. No other musical artist has reached as far as he did.
 
Other than being announced as The Most Successful Entertainer Of All Time by Guinness World Records, he was also a humanitarian, who cared deeply for the world. Not only did he donate a mind-boggling amount of money to charities in his lifetime; he put a lot of his time to interact with disadvantaged children all around the world, as well.
 
The questions I will base my work on are following:
 
1) Why is Michael Jackson called "The King of Pop"?
2) For what reasons was Michael Jackson a humanitarian?
 
2. Objective and hypothesis
 
I believe Michael Jackson must have been a loveable artist, and had an extraordinary impact on the entertainment business, to be accepted by everyone as "The King of Pop". I believe he was, in fact, the most influential artist ever, since he is seen as the best in the business by many of today's artists and dancers. I do not know any other musical artist that has been able to create that much hysteria and appreciation, for as long time as four decades. without falling from the very top of the industry.
 
As a humanitarian, I know he has released many songs about making the world a better place, and acted in different ways to accomplish it. I am sure that he must have been a loveable persona, as well as an artist, to earn the title "The King of Pop", since it is a matter of respect on various levels.
 
In order to find out the reasons for his undisputed title and to learn about his humanitarian work, I will read articles and books, watch videos and discover what people who knew him personally has to say.
 
3. Used theories and methods
 
To find valuable information in order to answer the questions I based my work on, I used the Internet and three books (one of them was Michael Jackson's autobiography, Moonwalk). Videos on YouTube were valuable, as well.
 
My theories on how the information was going to be, was true. He was, indeed, the most influential artist ever, and his humanitarian work was as equally grand as inspirational. I think what people who knew him personally had to say, was valuable, since Michael Jackson was not a very public figure – he liked his privacy, so he rarely gave interviews, and such things.
 
4. Disposition
 
My idea for how I was going to expose the essay, and answer my first question I based my work on, I decided that every subtitle under "Description and analysis" described one contributing factor for Michael Jackson being "The King of Pop". It was because of Elizabeth Taylor's statement, his lifelong career, his inventions and innovations, and his awards and achievements.
 
The second question, for what reasons he was a humanitarian, I simply described general facts and some (he had done so much, so it was impossible to include them all) of his humanitarian actions. I described this under the subtitle "A humanitarian".
 
5. Description and analysis
 
5.1 Elizabeth Taylor's statement
 
Michael Jackson did not proclaim himself to be "The King of Pop". Elizabeth Taylor called him "The King of Pop, Rock and Soul" in 1989, at Soul Train Awards. After that, Michael Jackson became known as "The King of Pop".
 
In Michael's interview with Oprah, in 1993, he explained how it happened: "I did not proclaim myself to be anything. I'm happy to be alive, I'm happy to be who I am. 'King of Pop' was first said by Elizabeth Taylor on one of the award shows. [...] Then fans, all the stadiums that we played at, they'd bring banners that said 'King of Pop' and jackets that said 'King of Pop' and T-shirts that said 'King of Pop', and they chanted outside my hotel, 'King of Pop! King of Pop!', so it just became something that just, you know, that happened all around the world."
 
5.2 His lifelong career
 
Michael Jackson became the lead singer in his brothers' band at the age of five, as soon as his father, Joseph, heard him sing. He was the youngest band member in The Jackson 5, and the one who got the most attention. When they auditioned for Motown, a record company funded by Berry Gordy, Michael was nine years old. It was after this audition, which Berry Gordy described himself to be shocked by, their career really set off. They were welcomed into the Motown family and had a song-writing team put together for them. The Jackson 5 was the only group in history to ever have their first four singles to go number one on the charts ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There"). Releasing a succession of four albums in one year, The Jackson 5 had replaced The Supremes as Motown's best selling group. They continued their success with singles such as "Mama's Pearl", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Sugar Daddy", giving them a total of seven top ten singles within a two-year period.
 
This was the beginning of a lifelong career. He was fifty when he passed away and five when he started in the show-business; he gave forty-five years of his life entertaining the world with his talent, until the very end rehearsing for the This Is It concerts.
 
Together with Jackson 5, Michael released twelve albums. They are called Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969), ABC (1970). Third Album (1970), The Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970), Maybe Tomorrow (1971), Goin' Back To Indiana (1971), Lookin' Through The Windows (1972), Skywriter (1973), The Jackson 5 In Japan (1973), Get It Together (1973), Dancing Machine (1974) and Moving Violation (1975). They also toured, both nationally and internationally, ten times – one tour for almost every album.
 
During this period of time, there was, in fact, a thing called "Jacksonmania". The Jackson 5 signed with another record company in 1975: Epic Records. They had to start calling themselves The Jacksons, since their former name belonged to Motown. At Motown, Michael was not allowed to decied anything concerning his artistry – it was the grown-ups who told him what songs to sing and how to sing them. Now, at Epic Records, the brothers got the chance to experiment, and were allowed full creative control on their recordings.
 
The Jacksons released six albums before Michael, in 1984, officially left his brothers' band and became solely a solo artist. Their albums are called: The Jacksons (1976), Goin' Places (1977), Triumph (1980), The Jacksons Live! (1981) and Victory (1984). They also went on five tours as The Jacksons.
 
On his own, as a solo artist, Michael released eleven albums throughout his life. While he was signed to Motown, he released four solo albums, which are called Got To Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973) and Forever, Michael (1975). During the filming of his movie The Wiz (1978), he met the producer Quincy Jones, and they ended up making three albums together – Off The Wall in 1979, Thriller in 1982, Bad in 1987 – a collaboration that changed pop forever. In 1991, Michael released the album Dangerous, then HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 in 1995, Blood On the Dance Floor in 1997 and Invincible in 2001. He went on three tours: Bad World Tour (1987-1989), Dangerous World Tour (1992-1993) and HIStory World Tour (1996-1997).
 
In 2009, Michael announced he would perform a seris of fifty concerts, held at the O2 Arena in London. The cancelled shows, the record-breaking ticket sales and the potential for a world tour, made Jackson's shows "the greatest concert[s] that never happened", due to his passing in June the same year.
 
5.3 An inventor and innovator
 
Along with two co-inventors, Michael Jackson patented the anti-gravity shoes in 1993. The abstract reads: "A system for allowing shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes which will engage with a hitch member movably projectably through a stage surface. The shoes have a specially designed heel slot which can be detachably engaged with the hitch member by simply sliding the shoe wearer's foot forward, thereby engaging with the hitch member." This lean had people in awe when he, in the video for "Smooth Criminal" (1988), showed it for the first time.
 
The crotch-grab was also invented by him into a dance move. It was impactful, as it was widely copied.
 
As an innovator, he did many things that were never done or seen before. He revolutionized an art form with his music videos – with the start of "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller", in 1983. Before Michael Jackson, most artists just fronted bands or sang in settings. Michael added storylines, cameo appearances by well known personalities, special effects and production numbers. After Michael, music videos were not just for music anymore. They became mini-movie musicals.
 
It is very popular to do a synchronized group dance in today's music videos – and Michael is the one who also made it a whole new art form. About this, Marcus Miller, a famous composer and producer, said: "Watching Michael Jackson was like taking a history lesson and a lesson on the future at the same time. If that weren't enough, Michael then went and single-handedly revolutionized music videos. It's amazing that today, some twenty-five years later, everyone who makes a pop music video still feels obligated to include a 'group dance' sequence like the one Michael pioneered in 'Beat It'. That's how influential and ahead of the time he was."
 
"My attitude is if fashion says it's forbidden, I'm going to do it", said Michael Jackson in his autobiography. One glove, Fedora hat, white socks and black loafers, sunglassed, tape around his fingers, belts and military jackets are some of his fashion trademarks. After Thriller (1982) came out, it even became okay to wear your pants high around your ankles again.
 
His longtime customer, Michael Bush, said that "Michael's concept was, 'I want the fashion designers in the world, the big conglomerates, I want them to copy me. I don't want to wear what's out there. I want to push my individuality, and being that my music is me, my look should be me.'" It happened – everybody wanted the zipper-covered "Beat It"-jacket, for instance, and fashion-shows that honour his style has occurred.
 
Michael did not invent the moonwalk, but he did innovate it. This move was already out on the street, created by black kids in the ghetto – all Michael did was enhance it and bring it into the public. It is the same thing with the robot dance, which Michael also made popular, while performing on Soul Train in 1973. Other dance moves that are linked to him, apart from the anti-gravity lean, the crotch-grab, the moonwalk and the robot dance, are the toe stand, the leg kick, the foot shuffle, the spin, and the pelvic thrust, for example. He is famous for his hand gestures, as well, in dancing.
 
Michael Jackson was also an innovator in terms of using the wind/smoke channel, the cherry picker and projected silhouette into his performance. He also virtually redefined the concept of the modern pop star.
 
5.4 Awards and achievements
 
Michael Jackson has sold more than 750 million records worldwide. He had 47 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. He won 13 Grammy Awards, was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Jackson 5 and as a solo artist) and received the American Music Awards' Artist of the Century Awards. In 1988, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award, which has later been renamed after him (calling it the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), and in 1993, he received the Grammy Legend Award. The Guinness Book of World Records cites the singer as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time.
 
No other musical artist has won as many awards as Michael Jackson – more than 739 awards won in his lifetime. He has won 26 American Music Awards, 89 Billboard Awards, 75 MTV Awards, 100 RIAA Awards, 18 World Music Awards and 39 Guinness World Records, to name a few.
 
Thriller (1982) has sold over 104.000.000 copies, making it the biggest-selling studio album in history. It sold one million copies per week at its peek. It spent 37 weeks at the top of the Billboard albums chart, and it remained in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart for a full year. The album won a record-breaking 8 Grammy Awards in 1984. Seven songs – out of a total track of nine – reached the top ten Billboard singles chart, including "Billie Jean" and "Beat It". The same year, Michael won 8 American Music Awards, the Special Award of Merit and three MTV Video Music Awards. Thriller was recognised as the world's best selling album on February 7, 1984, when it was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records.
 
Bad (1987) is the fifth best selling album, and Dangerous (1991) is the thirteenth. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 (1995) and Off The Wall (1979) are also two of the best selling albums in history. His final studio album, Invincible (2001), reached the number one Billboard spot and remained on the chart for twenty-eight weeks.
 
Before Michael Jackson, MTV did not embrace black pop music. In 1983, that stopped being an option when "Billie Jean" was released, along with "Beat It" and "Thriller". "Billie Jean" was the first music video made by a black artist that aired regularly by the channel. At the height of its popularity, MTV ran the 14-minute long "Thriller" video twice an hour to meet demand. Michael Jackson was a pioneer in the black culture when he broke barriers by appearing on MTV, and by breaking sales records with Thriller.
 
The music video for "Thriller" has been voted as the most influential pop music video of all time, and Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the "most successful music video". It is also the biggest selling video to be released by an artist. In 2009, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receieve this honour, for being "culturally historically or aesthetically" significant. The Registry also titled "Thriller" as "the most famous music video of all time".
 
Some of the Guinness World Records Michael Jackson holds are Most Successful Concert Series and Largest Attendance of Audience for Bad World Tour, Largest Entertainment Contract Ever ($890 million), Most Successful Entertainer Of All Time, Youngest Vocalist To Top The US Singles Chart (aged eleven), Most Grammy Awards Won In A Single Year By A Person, Highest Paid Entertainer Of All Time and Most Weeks At The Top Of The US Album Charts (37 weeks for Thriller). By the end of the 1980s, Michael had more number one singles than any other artist for the decade. As a solo artist, thirteen of his singles went to number one – and an additional four songs by The Jackson 5 also topped the chart.
 
In 1993, Michael Jackson performed at the Super Bowl XXVII. It was the first Super Bowl where the audience figures actually increased during the half-time show. This performance is still considered as the most watched television broadcasts in American television history. The viewership was 133.4 million viewers watching, and Michael Jackson ended up in Guinness Book of World Records for Greatest Audience.
 
5.5 A humanitarian
 
Michael Jackson donated over $300 million to charity in his lifetime. He was listed in the 2000 book of Guinness World Records for his support of more charities than any other entertainer or personality. He supported 39 charities through cash donations and sponsorships.
 
Heal The World Foundation was founded by Michael Jackson in 1992 as a charitable organization which would aid children and the environment. Its goals included providing medicine for children and fighting world hunger, drug and alcohol abuse, and children abuse. The charity organization brought underpriviliged children to his Neverland ranch to ride theme park rides the entertainer had built on the property. Heal The World Foundation gave millions of dollar to help children around the world who were threatened by war and illnesses. Through his foundation, Michael Jackson airlifted 46 tons of supplies to Sarajevo, instituted drug and alcohol abuse education and donated millions of dollars to disadvantaged children, including the full payment of a Hungarian's child's liver transplant.
 
He released several songs about making the world a better place, for example "Can You Feel It", "Man In The Mirror", "Earth Song", "Black Or White", "We Are The World", "Heal The World" and "History". He visited many orphanages and hospitals around the world, to visit with children, bringing gifts and trying to make their conditions better.
 
During the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1984, Michael suffered third-degree burns on his scalps. A pyrotechnics accident set his hair on fire. Michael sued PepsiCo and settled out of court for $1.5 million. The settlement was donated to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California, where Michael received treatment for his burns. Using the money donated by Michael, Brotman was able to get the best available technology for treating burn victims. The burn ward at the hospital was later named the "Michael Jackson Burn Center" to honour Michael and his contribution.
 
Michael Jackson was invited to the White House in 1984, where he received a Special Achievement Award for his support of drug and alcohol abuse charities. Michael donated the use of his song "Beat It" to a national advertising campaign against drinking whilst driving. The award was presented by President Ronald Reagan.
 
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote the charity single "We Are The World" in 1985. Both artist were among the 39 musicians who recorded the song. The single was released around the world to help the needy in Africa and the U.S. Almost 20 million copies of "We Are The World" were sold, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. The project raised millions for famine relief.
 
Michael started the Dangerous World Tour on June 27, 1992 and completed it on November 11, 1992, after entertaining 3.5 million people at 67 concerts. All of Michael's profits from the concerts were donated to the Heal The World Foundation. He donated 100 percent of the profits from his single "Man In The Mirror" to charity, and the same goes with his profits from Victory Tour. He also donated hundreds of tickets to shows in all of his solo tours to unpriviliged children.
 
"Michael spent a third of a billion dollars on helping children, paying for surgeries, building hospital wings, orphanages, a burn center and on and on and on. The good things he did he would never talk about them. You'd always have to hear it from people who were around him because Michael always thought if you did a charitable act and then you talked about it or bragged about it or something, all of the good you're trying to do, that it negated all of that. So he would never talk about those things", said the American painter, David Nordahl.
 
6. Conclusions
 
Michael Jackson stayed on the top of the music industry throughout his whole life, since the age of ten, and never came down. This really proves how loved he was as an artist. He sold out, after all, 50 concerts in an instance the same year he passed away. To make it even grander, it is worth mentioning that all those concerts would be performed in the same city – people from all over the world was coming to see him. At the age of 50, he would perform 50 concerts, and the tickets were outsold within only a few hours. Wow, is all I have to say, really! I do not know any other musical artist has been able to stay that popular for over four decades. His music catalogue is amazing, as well; he has released so many songs in his life.
 
I believe that the fact Michael was an artist since he was five years old, is a contributing factor for him being "The King of Pop". If you think about the multiple, great moments that he gave the public, with his music, for such a long period of time, while knowing he was an artist at a very young age, it makes you feel like he was born to create music and be an entertainer. It makes him worthier of the title.
 
Everyone wanted to dance like Michael Jackson. Music might have made him a star, but from the sensuality of the crotch-grab, to the laser-sharp spins, snaps, heel pivots and rotating slide, to the mesmerizing 'group dance' sequences in his music videos, to, of course, the otherwordly impossibility that was his moonwalk (and the anti-gravity lean), dance launched Michael into the stratosphere. When the world watched him walking forward, but moving backwards in his black loafers with a liquid smoothness during the 25th anniversary of Motown in 1983, no one had ever seen anything like it.
 
He knew that his dance would be enhanced if he dressed right; he outfitted himself to show off his moves. Black shoes with white, glittering sock – he knew no one could ignore feet turned out like that. He wore pants that were "too short" to emphasise movements on his legs. He wore tape on his fingers (though some say it all started because he wanted to cover his skin disease) to give an illusion of extension. He wore big belt buckles to bring attention to his hips. He liked sequenced clothing and clothing with lots of zips and buckles, so each movement he made would make a noise. In conclusion, the man was a genius – hands down!
 
The world has not seen anything like the success of an album since Thriller. I have read that Michael Jackson would often write notes to himself, scribble down a goal for his album on his mirror, so he would see it everyday as a reminder. He would then work and strategize toward actualizing his goal. He strived to be the best in his field. For example, before Thriller, he had the intention to create the best-selling album of all time. He was a visionary and specifik in his ambition. "Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of", said Berry Gordy, and I believe that to be very true.
 
The fact that Thriller alone helped pave the way for racial diversity on MTV, is spectacular. This proves how much music influence people, when great art crash down barriers. Thriller really changed everything, because all of the sudden, for the first time ever, music did not have a colour. He was too good to be put in any box.
 
That kind of impact on popular culture, Michael Jackson had – we have never seen anything like it. There was no blueprint for his level of success; there was no one before him that reached that level of success. Everywhere you go, people will know who Michael Jackson was. He is the most famous person in the world.
 
I believe the Pepsi-incident in 1984, was the starting shot for Michael Jackson to go into the direction to help others through charity. He had been interested in making the world a better place long before, but he became very charity-minded after that. The fact that he donated over $300 million to charity in his lifetime is a lot – even for a successful artist, who was very wealthy. No other entertainer or personality has been that generous with their money. It is sensational that he toured for years, and then donated all the profits he earned to charity! It is like you need to say no more about him as a humanitarian than that. But at the same time, I think the fact that he travelled around the world to visit disadvantaged children at hospitals and orphanages, and that he opened up his own home for children to come and play at the amusement park for free, outshines the amount of money he donated to charity, because you understand how kind he was on a personal level.
 
Because of the fact that the press feels like only negative news sell, Michael Jackson has never got the credit he deserved for his humanitarian work. I think this is beyond saddening. He never did all of those good things to show off in the spotlight, no, he did it because he truly cared. I think it is saddening that this man poured his heart out in so many ways, and the world returned so little when he was still alive. Now, the world praised him – even the press – but he is not here to see it. Why is it that someone needs to disappear in order to have the appreciation they deserved?
 
Madonna's speech at the Video Music Awards in 2009 brought this up, which I am thankful for. She said: "When I first heard that Michael Jackson had died, [...] all I could about in that moment was, ' I had abandoned him', that we had abandoned him. That we had allowed this magnificent creature who had once set the world on fire to somehoe slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career, we were all busy passing judgement. Most of us had turned our backs on him."
 
Though it ended way too soon, Michael's life was beautiful. I do not think "The King of Pop" was big enough for him. I think he is simply "The Greatest Entertainer That Has Ever Lived".

BLAST AND DANCE

 
Five years ago today we all lost the most INCREDIBLE father, brother, son and the most talented performer this world has ever known! If Michael were here today he would tell us all to celebrate his life and not to mourn his death. Michael was all about love and peace and in honor of my brother I ask you to please do something kind for someone today, and, BLAST and DANCE to all the beautiful music he left us all. I will spend this day celebrating his life by listening to his music, looking through old home photos, watching his videos and concerts. MICHAEL I LOVE YOU FOREVER and if you were here today I know you would say, “I LOVE YOU MORE!” ~ LaToya Jackson (till ABC idag)

RIP

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For you're always in our hearts

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YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER

SAFE AND SOUND

THEY MEANT MORE TO HIM THAN HE DID TO THEM

 
"They should take all these fake ass people (the celebrities at Michael's memorial) and put them out in the streets, open up the doors and let his fans in. They're the ones who deserve to be here for this. His fans were the only ones who never deserted him. Whenever the fans said 'We love you, Michael' he'd always say 'I love you more'. And he meant it. They meant more to him than he did to them. He cared for them so deeply that in some ways they constituted the only sustained, committed relationship in his life – the only real love affair." ~ Bill Whitfield (f.d. livvakt till Michael)

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DAGENS BILD

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BORN

  
  
  

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THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

 
Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael's loved ones today as we remember the kind, gentle and giving spirit who generously shared his amazing artistic gifts with the world along with a limitless empathy for those in need. Time has shown that with each passing year the world's appreciation deepens not just for Michael's talent but also for his lifelong passion to spread peace, unity, love and hope across every culture and society. Michael's friendship, kindness, humor and joyful warmth will always be missed. The world is a far better place for having known him.
 
~ John Branca & John McClain (skrivet idag)

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ÄNGEL

FAKTA #59

  
  
 
Invincible var det första albumet sedan Michael hade blivit förälder, och det tog en lång tid att färdigställa albumet då Michael ofta blev förkyld av sina barn.

SIMPLE

 
Ett utdrag från Michaels dikt "Magical Child".

MADAME TUSSAUDS

 
 
Madame Tussauds har släppt detta material, där Michael dansar för dess skulptörer!

IT'S NOT FAIR

 

"I’m very privileged. I’m very lucky to have collaborated with an artist like that, someone so amazing… and it’s not fair, you know? He was only fifty. It’s not fair, I’m very upset. I feel stupid, I’m sorry." ~ John Landis

DAGENS BILD

ELEFANT

 
Den där gången då Elizabeth Taylor köpte som present en elefant till Michael... Haha.

BACKSTAGE AT BRIT AWARDS

MOONWALKER PÅ TV4

 
Moonwalker kommer att visas på TV4 på onsdag, 25 juni (vi alla vet vad denna dag innebär), klockan 23:20.

HURTING

 
"The fans don't know how much I love them so. It really can get to a hurting feeling inside due to how strong I love them all."

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VIDEO "LOVE NEVER FELT SO GOOD"

 
En ny video med "Love never felt so good", denna gång utan Timberlake.

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GLAD MIDSOMMAR!

A GOOD LAUGH

 
”One time, we were driving and Blanket started to say something, and Mr. Jackson kinda shushed him. The kids kept giggling and Mr. Jackson kept going, ‘Shhh! No, I didn’t! No, I didn’t!’ Blanket said, ‘Yes, you did, Daddy. You said that Bill looked like..’ ‘Shhh! ‘
So now I was curious. I said, ‘Bill looks like what?’ I looked in the rearview mirror. Blanket and Mr. Jackson were both staring at each other like, Who’s gonna tell him?
Blanket looked at me and said, ‘Bill, Daddy says you look like the Thing!”
“The Thing? What’s the Thing?’
'You know,' Blanket said, 'the guy from the Fantastic Four! Daddy said you look like the Thing from the Fantastic Four.'
And I was like, Wow. Okay. The brother’s got jokes. Then Blanket said, ‘And Javon looks like Frozone from The Incredibles!’
We all had a good laugh about it.”
 
~ Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard (livvakter)

I SAVE

HE HAD TO HANG ON TO SOMETHING

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HE HELPED ME

 
We would always talk about how he prepared to make his music, how he prepared for concerts. He would teach me what he did: How to make a ‘Thriller’ album, a ‘Bad’ album, all the details that went into it. It was all the validation that I needed – to know that I had to focus on my craft and never waver. Because what he did – and how he did it – was psychotic. He helped me get to a level where I was able to win three titles playing with Shaq because of my preparation, my study. And it’s only all grown. That’s the mentality that I have – it’s not an athletic one. It’s not from Michael Jordan. It’s not from other athletes. It’s from Michael Jackson. ~ Kobe Bryant

LIGHT

PROTECTING MICHAEL JACKSON

 
6 juni släpptes denna bok, skriven av två av Michaels livvakter som jobbade för honom den sista tiden. Vill ha!

DAGENS BILD

 

BILL WHITFIELD AND JAVON BEARD

 

What Michael Jackson Would Have Felt About Xscape

 

by Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard

 

Michael Jackson’s bodyguards Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard imagine how the King of Pop would have reacted to a remixed album of unreleased tracks.

 

Ever since Michael Jackson died, there have been many arguments over how his estate has handled his musical legacy. The latest one erupted last month with the release of Xscape, the album of Michael Jackson’s unfinished demos, updated and polished by LA Reid, Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins and others. Last week, we even got a hologram of Mr. Jackson, singing and dancing from beyond the grave. Some fans are overjoyed just to have his music back in the spotlight. Others are calling it a terrible violation of what Jackson would have wanted if he were alive.

 

In the studio, Jackson was a perfectionist, carefully obsessing over every detail of his songs before releasing them to the public, and it was well-established in his lifetime that he didn’t like his record label remixing and changing his music. But whenever you’re dealing with the legacy of a great artist, things are going to get complicated. Having worked as Mr. Jackson’s personal security team for two-and-a-half years, spending days and weeks at his side, going to and from the recording studio and listening to him work at home, we feel we can offer some unique insight on how he might feel about this album and the controversy it’s created.

 

We were with Mr. Jackson during the time he was working on the remixes for the 25th anniversary release of Thriller. Those remixes were Sony’s idea, not his. We’d hear him on the phone all the time, arguing with his manager about not wanting to do them. Whenever the subject of the remixes came up, he’d say, “There are some things you should never touch.” We must have heard him say it a dozen times. As far as he was concerned, that album was perfect. You don’t go back and add hip-hop beats to Thriller. It’s a classic, and you don’t touch it. But Sony told him he had to. They told him he had to get in the studio and do these remixes to make himself new and hip again.

 

We first started taking him to the studio to do work on the tracks around February of 2007, and from there the process just dragged on forever. At that point, the anniversary of the release date was ten months off, in November. That came and went, and the album still wasn’t done. He kept putting it off and putting it off and the remixes kept taking longer and longer to finish. All sorts of stuff had been planned, TV specials, appearances—none of it happened. He wasn’t cool with it. By January of 2008, Jackson was living at the Palms resort in Las Vegas, using the recording studio there. One of us was with him in the studio nearly 24/7 while he worked, trying to catch up and finish these songs he was contractually obligated to do, but that he didn’t want to do. He wasn’t going in there with enthusiasm. You could tell that. Once the album came out there was all this hype in the media, but inside his camp it barely registered. He never talked about it like it was a big deal. We heard more excitement in his voice talking about going to the movies than we ever heard when he was talking about Thriller 25.

 

So, yes, he hated remixes. But we saw another side of Jackson, too. There was one night when we were staying at the Palms, at the same time he was working on these remixes for Thriller 25. He told us he wanted to go to the club downstairs. He didn’t want to make an appearance; he just wanted to hang out and do some people watching. This club had a VIP balcony that overlooked the crowd, so we set it up for him to go down there. We were in the club for maybe two to three minutes when all of sudden the deejay started playing one of his songs; they were mixing it, cutting it together with a bunch of other tunes. Mr. Jackson was bopping his head along to it, and he said, “Wow, I didn’t know that they still played my music.”

 

We were like, “What?!” We told him, “Sir, they still play your music all the time. In bars, clubs, everywhere.”

 

He said, “Really?”

 

He seemed surprised. He’d been out of the spotlight and beaten up by the tabloids for so long at that point that he really felt like maybe the world had moved on, that he wasn’t as popular anymore. It really made him happy to hear his songs in the club like that. He wanted his music to be remembered. Other artists often reached out for permission to sample his songs. Jackson’s attorney would call and say, “Tell Michael that Kanye West wants to sample such-and-such. What does he want to charge?”

 

We’d relay the message to Jackson, and he’d say, “Nothing. Tell them it’s fine if they just use it. The more they use my music, that means my music stays alive.” He could have charged a fortune, but he didn’t. He just wanted his music to be out there in the world. He wanted to be an inspiration, to be connected to this younger generation of artists and producers who were following in his footsteps. He wanted them to build on his legacy.

 

Jackson believed there are some things you should never touch, but he also wanted his music to be used and kept alive. So what would he have thought of Xscape? Honestly, he probably would enjoyed some aspects of it, and other aspects not so much. If he were here and he listened to the album and he heard even one wrong note, he’d be furious. He’d obsess over it for days, not stopping until he found a way to make it right. But if he saw young people in the club, dancing to this new single “Love Never Felt So Good”? That would have filled his heart with joy like you couldn’t imagine. To hear all these young producers talking about his genius in the studio? To have the #1 album in over 50 different countries? To know that he was still the King of Pop? That was important to him, too.

 

Michael Jackson’s final years took a heavy toll on him. He was hunted by the paparazzi, run down by the tabloids, beset by legal and financial problems. That we witnessed, only two things brought him real happiness during that difficult time: the love of his three children and the dedication of his fans, the people who never forgot about the music while the media was only obsessed with scandals and rumors. Those fans may never agree on whether the Jackson estate is doing the right thing or the wrong thing. We may never agree about the best way to honor his legacy, and we will all make our own choices about what albums to buy and what projects to support. But we can all agree on one thing Michael Jackson would have wanted: he’d want us to keep the music alive—in the club, on the dance floor, and in our hearts.

I AM A FATHER MYSELF

 
"But now I am a father myself, and one day I was thinking about my own children, Prince and Paris and how I wanted them to think of me when they grow up. To be sure, I would like them to remember how I always wanted them with me wherever I went, how I always tried to put them before everything else. But there are also challenges in their lives. Because my kids are stalked by paparazzi, they can’t always go to a park or a movie with me. So what if they grow older and resent me, and how my choices impacted their youth? “Why weren’t we given an average childhood like all the other kids”, they might ask?
 

And at that moment I pray that my children will give me the benefit of the doubt. That they will say to themselves: “Our daddy did the best he could, given the unique circumstances that he faced. He may not have been perfect, but he was a warm and decent man, who tried to give us all the love in the world.”

 

I hope that they will always focus on the positive things, on the sacrifices I willingly made for them, and not criticise the things they had to give up, or the errors I’ve made, and will certainly continue to make, in raising them. For we have all been someone’s child, and we know that despite the very best of plans and efforts, mistakes will always occur. That’s just being human.”

MICHAEL HOLDING A TEDDY BEAR

 
<3

TRUST IN ME, JUST IN ME

 
Nu är det så här va, att jag har lyssnat på "Morphine" om och om igen ikväll. Denna låt får mitt hjärta att likt en dränkt trasa att kramas i diskhon men istället för vatten så är det en uttömning av allt jag anser är rätt och gott, och vad som återstår är medkänsla och en massa frustration. Denna låt är ren guld.

Instrumenten är genialiska; finns det någonting liknande i andra låtar? Texten är genialisk; den behandlar alla perspektiv i en drogsituation av användning som läkemedel – den innehåller personifieringar av användaren, drogen, utomstående och läkaren. Denna låt är en svåröverkomlig strid i sinnet, med innehav av plåga, ilska, press, förvirring och ett skrik efter hjälp.
 
I första delen talar drogen där den säger saker som I need your body och Trust in me, samtidigt som den säger att den är A swine och So unreliable. I en lugnande, melodisk röst sjungs Relax, this won't hurt you. Before I put it in, close your eyes and count to ten. Don't cry, I won't convert you. There's no need to dismay, close your eyes and drift away, vilket är något en läkare skulle säga innan injektionen. Även de utomstående, eller övriga personer i användarens omgivning, är inkluderade, där de i sin förskräckelse och alienation av ämnet kommenterar och kritiserar Oh God, he's taking Demerol!
 
Sedan berättas historien om striden i sinnet (där "she" är drogen och "he" användaren): He's tried hard to convince her, to be over what he had – today he wants it twice as bad. Don't cry, I won't resent you. Yesterday you had his trust, today he's taking twice as much. Den första meningen refererar till att användaren har försökt att överkomma drogbehovet, men misslyckas. I andra meningen lovar drogen att inte skada sin partner, och i tredje meningen skrattar drogen bakom dens rygg för att ha lyckats bli ett behov.
 
Nu far låten tillbaka till hardcore och aggression, men ännu mera så.
 
En tankeställare; inte en låt som man förstår dess betydelse rakt av. Balansen mellan det snabba, hårda och mittdelarna älskar jag.
 
Men vad annat kan man förvänta sig när den är skriven av Michael Jackson ensam? Min beundran för honom kommer aldrig att svalna. För hans intention var att förmedla sanning i allt han skapade.
 
 
(Detta är min tolkning av låten, det finns naturligtvis andra tolkningar)

DAGENS BILD

RARE PICTURE

HÄFTIGA BILDER FRÅN BAD TOUR

 
I större format: bild 1, bild 2, bild 3, bild 4.

INTIMATE PHOTOS FROM THE TEENAGE YEARS

 
Klicka här för att se bilder som Rolling Stones har lagt upp från Michaels tonår.

BED HAIR

 

 

Marlo Henderson played guitar on Michael’s Off the Wall and HIStory albums. He also worked on some J5 albums.

 

Marlo needed a photo for his resume so called the studio for permission, then went to the studio where they were mixing Thriller where he found Michael asleep as he had been up all night. He shook and woke Michael up to ask him for the pics. Michael was gracious but said “What!!” He did not want to wake up! However he came out front and took the photo and then went back to sleep.

 

Of the pic, Marlo said Michael is looking at me as if to say “I can not believe this guy actually woke me up to take a picture,” but posed for the pic along with his “bed hair”. Marlo recalls Michael was really “nice about it”.

 

Marlo, who lived near Michael, met him in 1971 and then again at a local car wash that Michael used to go to every week in Encino. They would meet every Thursday at 2pm for 5 months and chat for hours in a local donut shop whilst the cars were cleaned. Marlo remembers Michael as unpretentious, serious, wanting to break barriers, curious and a prankster. He cherishes the picture as it is so raw.

MICHAEL OCH BROOKE

DAGENS BILD

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SHOW THEM, GIVE THEM

 
"I pray for peace all the time, and the most important thing I pray for is the protection for children and babies. That's the thing that concerns me the most. I want them to be protected and to have more children's rights in the world, or there is a day for children, a celebration for children. Just show them, give them a little more attention and love"

IT WAS A NICE, UNEXPECTED BREAK

 
En berättelse av Brad om en gång då strömmen gick i studion: "Michael took a spot against one of the living room walls and found the whole thing amusing. I seem to remember him laughing pretty hard about it at first, then we just settled in and enjoyed each other’s company and had blinding flashlight wars in the dark. It was a nice, unexpected break. I happen to bring my camera that day and grabbed a few shots (with flash, which is why the “black out” isn’t so obvious)."

MICHAEL VAR INTE DROGMISSBRUKARE

 
Anonym: FAAAN, ikväll sänder Kanal 4 det usla programmet "Autopsy- Michael Jacksons final hours" klockan 9! Folk kommer få helt fel bild av honom! De framställer Michael som en drogmissbrukande idiot som ljuger om bla sin "skin bleaching". Blir så irriterad! Kan de inte visa någon av hans konserter istället? -.-
 
Men nej :( Jag hatar att människor tror att han var drogmissbrukare! Så fel bild av situationen.

QUINCY JONES ON MICHAEL AND "XSCAPE"

DAGENS BILD

THAT HAIR!

DAGENS BILD

 
Jag älskar den här bilden, för den visar hur mycket vi älskade honom, och hur glad han var för det.

THEY'RE SMART

 
"The tabloid press are bastards, and you’ve got to have rhinoceros skin to deal with that kind of ignorance mentality. They do it simply to sell papers, because bad news sell, not good news. They simply make it up. If they don’t have anything, they just make it up. I’m nothing like the way the tabloids have painted me out to be, nothing. Nothing like that. They’re the ones who are crazy. They’re ignorant. I always say to my fans ‘Let’s have a tabloid burning. Let’s make a big mountain out of tabloids and just burn them.’ The real fans who love me know that garbage isn’t true. They know. They’re smart.

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A WONDERFUL FEELING

 
"I love to put my soul into something and have people accept it and like it. That's a wonderful feeling."
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