Michael Jackson Dead

[Evil Avatar]

I just saw on BBC News (and on CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson/index.html)) that entertainer Michael Jackson is dead at age 50.

http://evilavatar.com/images/thumbs/michael-jackson.jpg

[GraveMatter]

I just saw this myself..first Ed Mcmahon, then Farah Fawcett and now Michael Jackson. That rule of three thing is playing out again. What a sad week this has been.

[Emabulator]

I just heard about it on the radio while driving home from work.

I wonder if this will turn into another cable news Anna Nicole Smith style prescription drug saga? Another good reason to leave the television off.

[LikeTheRazor]

This is just viral marketing for the new Michael Jackson video game.

[Jamikazi]

The announcement of that new MJ game makes this even more eerily bizarre

RIP

[bean19]

Poor Prince Blanket (and the other 2 kids).

[Darcydian]

First cassette I ever bought when I was little. I personally have fond memories of Michael, weirdness aside he will be remembered.

[HALO 32]

Damn, this has been one messed up week.

[blackzc]

I just heard about it on the radio while driving home from work.

I wonder if this will turn into another cable news Anna Nicole Smith style prescription drug saga? Another good reason to leave the television off.

Keep it off, eventually you will start to realize TV really is worthless. The news will have a field day with this. But i wont be able to tell, TV is for poor people.

[Orz]

Sad to say, but the baggage and insinuations of his later years will completely undermine his legacy. His last two albums were his weakest, but he always did quality, occasionally revolutionary work. I would have liked to see how his 'comeback' materialized.

[eth3rton]

Sad news. I thought I read somewhere he had an upcoming last tour soon?

[Metal Khaos]

Who's bad?

[Nominal]

Keep it off, eventually you will start to realize TV really is worthless. The news will have a field day with this. But i wont be able to tell, TV is for poor people.
TV is for providing me with a paycheck with which I feed my family thanks to the poor people that somehow manage to scrape up enough money to buy premium cable channels even though they live in a beat up, roach-infested trailer and none of their children are wearing clothes.

Yeah I noticed this comment had nothing to do with Michael Jackson so I kind of had to tack the naked kids on there at the end.

(seriously though "Off The Wall" is still a pretty awesome album)

[JimmyDanger]

Amazing performer.

I hope he's at peace now.

I'm sad.

(and listening to Off The Wall)

[modeps]

He was a smooth criminal.

[Pumped'Up]

Very sad man, 50 is young...his music brought so much joy...he'll forever be remembered as the King of Pop.

[Flatulus]

RIP King of Pop!

[SuperMonkeyFighter2]

I was looking forward to hearing his future works. I feel Mike had a comeback in him. Despite it all, he really turned the music world on its ear and released some timeless music.
For those who saw it live back in the day, Mike's moonwalking was pretty crazy stuff.

[Wyrm]

He was a smooth criminal.

Even for you, that was lame. ;)

[ElfShotTheFood]

http://cc.img.v4.skyrock.net/cce/fabio-du-94/pics/1439874725_small.jpg

A bricklayer in New Jersey weeps.

[Blog]

I'll forever more see the "Dancing Zombie" in Plants vs. Zombies in a new and disturbing way now...

[Dag-Sabot]

Definitely news worthy.

[almightyorb]

I really wanted this episode to be on after work tonight. Instead I paid homage by singing "Happy Birthday Lisa" to my cat.



http://cc.img.v4.skyrock.net/cce/fabio-du-94/pics/1439874725_small.jpg

A bricklayer in New Jersey weeps.

[LilAbner]

Unbelievable. He transcended race, religion, and even musical tastes.

Pedophilia aside, he truly is the king of pop

[Evil Avatar]

Pedophilia aside, he truly is the king of pop

I think the point here is that you can't put pedophilia aside. He has no musical legacy to leave behind because the world will always and forever see him as a bizarre child molester.

[Major Dan]

I wanted him to make one more album at least, oh well he a good life.

[Orz]

I think the point here is that you can't put pedophilia aside. He has no musical legacy to leave behind because the world will always and forever see him as a bizarre child molester.

A criminal can still produce good art. You needn't condone a person, their acts, or their lifestyle, to be able to appreciate their artistic works and gifts. If every allegation about the man were true, yes he'd be a monster, but it wouldn't make any of his music any less monumental. His personal legacy will forever be tarnished, but that is completely separate from his musical legacy.

[MasterEvilAce]

The announcement of that new MJ game makes this even more eerily bizarre

RIP

Indeed. I'm waiting for MJ to come back, so I can make the connection to Plants vs Zombies.

RIP.

[LilBunnyFuFu]

A criminal can still produce good art. You needn't condone a person, their acts, or their lifestyle, to be able to appreciate their artistic works and gifts. If every allegation about the man were true, yes he'd be a monster, but it wouldn't make any of his music any less monumental. His personal legacy will forever be tarnished, but that is completely separate from his musical legacy.

Actually I have to disagree with you there. It may not be the same for everyone, but if I don't like a person, I don't like what they create. Their perversion perverts their art.

Bono is a good example. Millions of people love his music. I can't fucking stand him, and by association, his music.

RIP Michael. I will always treasure the times i spent sneaking off to listen to Dangerous so that my parents wouldn't know I bought it.

[Zander]

I think the point here is that you can't put pedophilia aside. He has no musical legacy to leave behind because the world will always and forever see him as a bizarre child molester.

He made thriller.







Thriller.

/davechappelle

[KingFire]

RIP MJ

Actually I have to disagree with you there. It may not be the same for everyone, but if I don't like a person, I don't like what they create. Their perversion perverts their art.

Bono is a good example. Millions of people love his music. I can't fucking stand him, and by association, his music.

RIP Michael. I will always treasure the times i spent sneaking off to listen to Dangerous so that my parents wouldn't know I bought it.
I absoulty hates CliffyB but I like his games.
You can like what someone is doing even if you like the person, there's a guy I really hate, but he's a great drawer and I like his drawing despite that I hate the drawer, go figure.
Listening to Thriller right now...

[TeeCakes]

RIP MJ


I absoulty hates CliffyB but I like his games.
You can like what someone is doing even if you like the person, there's a guy I really hate, but he's a great drawer and I like his drawing despite that I hate the drawer, go figure.
Listening to Thriller right now...

Another one-- I hate Gabe Newell with a passion, but the man is behind some of the best games ever.

More appropriate example, Roman Polanski is a CONVICTED statutory rapist (beeteedubya MJ has been acquitted on all counts ever brought against him), but that doesn't change the fact that Chinatown and The Pianist are two of the best films I've ever seen.

[Earth Djinn]

Relatively, he was still very young.

His troubled personal life aside, its tragic to have lost such a talented and influential artist.

[Shogunbattleship]

so sad to see him go!!!

RIP Michael Jackson!

[DarkDaY]

Unbelievable. He transcended race, religion, and even musical tastes.

Pedophilia aside, he truly is the king of pop

He sure did transcend race. Hell, he was both black and white and while id didn't matter if he was as he sang, he chose white. Ah surgery.

[brandonjclark]

A young Michael was my favorite. For me, I have to go back to the Jackson Five to see a pure person.

That said, when I saw him do the moonwalk during Billy Jean for the first time live on TV with my mother, I about shit my pants. I thought he was GOD, pure and simple.

Looking back on it all and taking some time to contemplate without rushing a post here, I'd have to say that time will show him as truly misunderstood and a leader in many different areas.

I'm not sad he's gone, however, as I don't believe a word when people say he's innocent of any child wrongdoing.

Watch this and tell me you don't feel something, though. He was a paragon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehal1eUG1jk

[ProfPuppet]

I hear NAMBLA is having a vigil at the local daycare.

[blackzc]

I hear NAMBLA is having a vigil at the local daycare.

Those are some nasty fuckers. I wouldnt put MJ (who thought he was still a kid in his head and though it was OK) in the same group as these fagots (pun) i suppose...

[lockwoodx]

http://image.take40.com/300x400/michael_jackson_thriller_vimage_mj_zombie_300x400. jpg

So I guess this is pretty accurate now?

[score]

Really sad news. RIP MJ

[Agnostic]

I have been listening to all of his albums in the past few hours. It's 2009 and the shit is still pretty good.

Now Playing: Smooth Criminal -Fucking Awesome!!!

[Ozena]

RIP Mike. No matter what he did or didn't do in the past, he's still a music icon.

[Apex]

Bono is a good example. Millions of people love his music. I can't fucking stand him, and by association, his music.


God I cant stand Bono either, if only everyone knew the extent of his hypocrisy while hes acting as the self righteous enviromentally friendly humanist fella.

Mr "Britons should holiday at home and not fly abroad for their holidays while I send my private jet, empty, to germany to pick up the one passenger for the return journey, my wife". And while hes ranting on about the evils of financial institutions while hes busy counting his money from his investment bank.

[WileE.Coyte]

Sad to say but at least his kids have half a chance of growing up somewhat normal now.

[bjornbarspingvinen]

I think the point here is that you can't put pedophilia aside. He has no musical legacy to leave behind because the world will always and forever see him as a bizarre child molester.
So the fact that he never was convicted of such a crime doesn´t matter? Sad world....
If anything he was an easy target for parents who wanted to "blackmail" him.

RIP King of pop

[AlfredT]

Yeah, I remember even in closed off Burma we knew of Michael Jackson. It has been said before, but his music did transcend culture, religion, race and sex.

As for the whole child molestation thing, I just don't know what to make of it. I don't know if he was a criminal or if he was just a bizarre child-man that was trying to recapture a lost childhood. I wasn't there I cannot judge.

Although I did notice a poster saying earlier that he cannot disassociate the man's actions from his accomplishments. Thats a hard credo to live by. Everything is usually associated in the past or present with something unsavory.

For example if you dont like Nazis (and I am sure many dont)

Volkswagen - Nazi Inspired
Ford - Henry Ford and Hitler were buddy buddy
Coke - Nazi related (through Fanta)
GM - Well its a moot point now.. but you get the idea.

[AlfredT]

Oh and fuck bono :)

[JazGalaxy]

As I said to a guy I was talking to earlier, he had thousands of kids go through his ranch over decades and the only reported cases of inproper conduct were from two groups, both of whom were more interested in suing than they were any legal proceeding wherein he could be found guilty of anything or go to jail?

The second case, which I followed very closesly was so ridiculous that it was eventually just dropped because it made no sense. The family were professional hangers on that had "befriended" severeal other celebrities such as Chris Tucker before they settled on Jackson, asking them all for money and favors like expensive watches.

The first case I wasn't familiar with because I was too young at the time, but this is all just ridiculous.

Nobody else every alleges any impropiety against Jackson, even celebrities like Cory Feldman and Macauley Caulkin.

Jackson spent untold amounts of time effort and money promoting the cause of children, specifically sick children.

The government raided his house and found NO child pornography anywhere on the premises and only, if I remember correctly, one count of adult pornography which was a hardback art book of some kind.

There's just no reason to believe the guy was a pedophole or a molester aside from choosing to do so because he was wierd and so that makes it convenient.

[Judas]

Ironic that your page listed another moonwalker game in development....

Perhaps you forsaw a dire image resurface, and consequence dictated his demise later that day...

that would be a thriller.

[Zeal]

personal problems aside, probably the greatest entertainer to ever walk the earth. really, really sad day.

[Scramble]

I'd been listening to MJ's stuff heaps recently the last couple of weeks. Heh, my brother bought me the MJ simpsons figurine they just released as a joke a couple of days ago. Really sad to wake up to hear the news that he'd died. I grew up with his music, as I'm sure many of the rest of you did. I'm not a rabid fan, but this is still a sad day.

A person who never had a private day in his life finally gets some peace in death. That's pretty fucking sad.

[Wyrm]

A person who never had a private day in his life finally gets some peace in death. That's pretty fucking sad.

It's not as though he made it easy on himself, hanging his baby out the window, building a theme park in his front yard, being weird as fuck, etc.

I'm going to get this out of the way first: yes, it is very sad the king of pop is dead. He was a fantastic musician, and he will be missed, as far as that is concerned.

But I think Kat Williams put it best when he talked about MJ in his stand up. He said something about how when he has bitches over, he has stuff in his fridge that makes bitches comfortable, like fruit juice and shit. He doesn't like fruit juice, but bitches like fruit juice, and when bitches are comfortable in your house, they are more likely to sleep with you.

So what exactly do you think the fifty year old dude who likes little kids would build in his front yard if he wanted kids to feel comfortable? A fucking amusement park.

That's all I'm saying about that to those people who would prefer to keep their blinders on.

And I disagree with those who say his musical legacy will stand separately from everything else. He will be remembered for both of the things he was famous for, which is highly unfortunate for him and his family.

[TeeCakes]

So what exactly do you think the fifty year old dude who likes little kids would build in his front yard if he wanted kids to feel comfortable? A fucking amusement park.

That's all I'm saying about that to those people who would prefer to keep their blinders on.

And I disagree with those who say his musical legacy will stand separately from everything else. He will be remembered for both of the things he was famous for, which is highly unfortunate for him and his family.

It's amazing that "evidence" was never used in a court of law against MJ! It's impossible to argue a rock-solid case like that! :rolleyes:

Michael Jackson is only seen as such a controversial figure because he achieved such a unprecedented level of fame. Fame that came from his musical talent. It's easy to separate the man's reputation from the man's works when you remember that the former is a mere side effect of the latter.

[blackzc]

It's not as though he made it easy on himself, hanging his baby out the window, building a theme park in his front yard, being weird as fuck, etc.

I'm going to get this out of the way first: yes, it is very sad the king of pop is dead. He was a fantastic musician, and he will be missed, as far as that is concerned.

But I think Kat Williams put it best when he talked about MJ in his stand up. He said something about how when he has bitches over, he has stuff in his fridge that makes bitches comfortable, like fruit juice and shit. He doesn't like fruit juice, but bitches like fruit juice, and when bitches are comfortable in your house, they are more likely to sleep with you.

So what exactly do you think the fifty year old dude who likes little kids would build in his front yard if he wanted kids to feel comfortable? A fucking amusement park.

That's all I'm saying about that to those people who would prefer to keep their blinders on.

And I disagree with those who say his musical legacy will stand separately from everything else. He will be remembered for both of the things he was famous for, which is highly unfortunate for him and his family.


Im not sure about the whole thing either, but the people that sued were found to be shady and had done things like this before. And the home alone kid stood up for him (shrug) maybe his weirdness made it to easy to just label him guilty

[Evil Avatar]

So the fact that he never was convicted of such a crime doesn´t matter?

Neither was OJ Simpson. The exceptions often prove the rule.

While it has been a while since I looked into the specifics of the case, you have to remember that they CHANGED THE LAW in California because Jackson (allegedly) paid off the family of children he had molested and they couldn't prosecute the cases without the statements from the witnesses.

After that happened, they changed the law so that they could prosecute these kind of cases even without co-operation from the witness -- specifically because of what Jackson had gotten away with in the past.

It is pretty hard core when a whole state changes the law because you got away with a crime once.

[JazGalaxy]

Neither was OJ Simpson. The exceptions often prove the rule.

While it has been a while since I looked into the specifics of the case, you have to remember that they CHANGED THE LAW in California because Jackson (allegedly) paid off the family of children he had molested and they couldn't prosecute the cases without the statements from the witnesses.

After that happened, they changed the law so that they could prosecute these kind of cases even without co-operation from the witness -- specifically because of what Jackson had gotten away with in the past.

It is pretty hard core when a whole state changes the law because you got away with a crime once.

I think it was more the reverse. Jackson admitted to paying the family of the accusers because, in his words, they basically made an offer and he asked his lawyers if they were sure they would win. They said they couldn't guarantee him 100% that they would win, and so he paid the money to solve the problem right away and for certain.

This was after the state had raided his ranch, temporarily imprisoned him, and many other high profile acts only to not be able to go to trial because the witness basically "got over" his supposed distress. I think the sheer embarrassment of that is what made them change the law.

I think what proves Jackson's innocence in my mind is the fact that they raided his ranch and found absolutely no child pornography at all. If someone is a pedophile and child predator, they are incredibly likely to have child pornography. Not only that, no one who has had any sort of emotional relationship with jackson has portrayed him to be anything other than straight. Even when they could easily suggest otherwise.

I don't think jackson was mentally healthy as we would consider it, but there is a large difference between being bizarre and being a criminal pervert.

[bean19]

It is pretty hard core when a whole state changes the law because you got away with a crime once.

$19 million is hardly getting away with a crime, and it is arguable whether or not that money is a better recovery for his victim than seeing Jackson prosecuted and sent to prison (even though this was Jackson's first crime, it allegedly occurred often enough that the multiple counts would not have resulted in just probation).

We know lots of things that pointed towards him being a pedophile:

1. Multiple children accused him (one liar seeking money is believable but multiple children become less believable).

2. His only relationships in his entire adulthood were with a) Lisa Marie Presley and b) the lady he paid to birth his children.

3. As others have pointed out, he fit the profile. . . afraid of aging or growing up and child-like behavior.

4. He openly admits sharing beds with children as a middle-aged adult who had "sleep overs".

5. His "Neverland Ranch" was basically a monument to what a pedophile without any shame or ability to edit himself would create to seduce children.

Of course he could have also just been a crazy person who loved the company of children due to his messed up youth and the isolation of fame. . . but I don't believe that.

I think pedophilia is gross. . . the idea of getting sexually excited by children is alien to me, and is as gross as the idea of getting excited by the elderly, or rape, or violence. All of these things have nothing to do with what I find sexy, but I think child molesters often face a larger social stigma than even murderers or violent offenders who cause people permanent injury. In some cases this makes sense as a child molester who molests hundreds of kids or the same kid over and over causes a huge amount of emotional damage, but I have far more disgust for a murderer or a violent thief who beats someone so bad they are paralyzed than I do a young adult who dated a little junior high kid (that's gross and is very bad for the little kid but it doesn't even come CLOSE to being as terrible as ending someone else's life or beating them to a pulp).

Anyway, my money is on him being a child molester. . . and a really bad one that hurt a lot of kids. I just mentioned all the rest of that because I want to be clear that while I think Michael Jackson was probably a terrible human being, I am certainly not among the crowd that are saying hateful shit about Michael Jackson's death like "Good Riddance Pedo".

[JazGalaxy]

Do you have any proof that multiple children accused him?

My understanding is that it has only been 2, one of which went to full trial and found Jackson innocent on all counts the other of which was settled out of court.

[bean19]

Do you have any proof that multiple children accused him?
I didn't follow it that closely and I'm not interested in looking it up, but I am pretty sure that his maid's son accused him too. The other boys that were called actually affirmed that Jackson never did anything (but was just odd). . . which is probably a big reason he got off in Florida.