OT: Michael Jackson

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:22 pm

Supposedly rushed by ambulance to UCLA hospital....possible cardiac arrest?

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-m ... 8163.story

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:37 pm

TMZ just talked with his dad, Joe Jackson, who said Michael wasn't doing well. Dude is only 50.

Take care,
PK

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:39 pm

Crazy. I had just read this story about him on Rolling Stone's website earlier today:

Inside Michael Jackson’s Troubled London Comeback
6/25/09, 8:27 am EST

Will he or won’t he? That’s the question dogging Michael Jackson as the King of Pop edges closer to his 50 sold-out concerts at London’s O2 Arena, which are scheduled to begin July 13th. Will Jackson will able to complete the run that would once again cement him as one of the biggest stars on the planet — as well as save him from the giant debt the Thriller singer has accumulated during his lengthy hiatus? In the new issue of Rolling Stone, Fred Goodman takes an in-depth look at the This Is It! concerts, the challenges facing Jackson and promoter AEG Live, and how Jackson’s perfectionism has already forced the postponement of the run’s opening four dates.

In England, bookies at betting parlors are already increasing the odds that Jackson will cancel some shows — a prospect that would devastate fans who snatched up more than 750,000 seats (at prices starting at $81 per ticket). While Jackson has been rumored to be frequently absent from his Los Angeles rehearsals with choreographer and musical director Kenny Ortega, the technical complexity of the shows, as well as Jackson’s perfectionism has been cited for the delayed starting dates. (Jackson is reportedly seeking a children’s choir that knows sign language and is “exactly equal” in racial diversity.)

For Jackson, the stakes are high, as he’s amassed a massive debt of unpaid wages, lawsuits, upkeep on his former Neverland Ranch and a lifestyle that has been described as “a millionaire who spends like a billionaire.” But the pressure is also on for AEG Live, who have fronted all the cash for Jackson’s run, putting the singer up in a lavish estate during its duration and paying $5 million up front to a Bahrainian prince to settle a lawsuit that would have prevented Jackson from performing at all. If all goes well, the London shows would net Jackson and AEG Live $70 million and kick-start a three-year, three-part worldwide deal between the pair. If it fails, Jackson may have burned his last bridge. “He’s doing it mostly for his fans,” Jackson’s former spokesman Dr. Tohme Tohme tells RS. “And he’s doing it for his children and the children of the world.”

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:43 pm

Hopefully "This Isn't It."

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:51 pm

TMZ is reporting that MJ has died. Take this with a grain of salt.

http://www.tmz.com/

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:07 pm

I don't know, Rod: TMZ usually nails this Hollywood stuff. It has tons of sources there.

Very sad, if true. Two entertainment giants gone in one day. Let's hope bad things don't come in threes.

Take care,
PK

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:09 pm

pk500 wrote:I don't know, Rod: TMZ usually nails this Hollywood stuff. It has tons of sources there.

Very sad, if true. Two entertainment giants gone in one day. Let's hope bad things don't come in threes.

Take care,
PK

Numerous Radio Stations in LA are claiming he was dead by the time Paramedics arrived. Crazy genius, crazy sad.

johnvon314 · Post by **johnvon314** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:15 pm

Sad news if true. I remember when he was as big (or bigger) than the Beatles. Everything he wrote turned to gold. And then a downfall of such freakish proportions.

I guess this would quality as the third of three with Ed McMahon and Farah Fawcett.

John

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:21 pm

Believe it now, as the LA Times is reporting it through sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... -ruda.html

Gregg's succinct description of Jacko and his early death is perfect. RIP.

Take care,
PK

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:21 pm

johnvon314 wrote:Sad news if true. I remember when he was as big (or bigger) than the Beatles. Everything he wrote turned to gold. And then a downfall of such freakish proportions.

I guess this would quality as the third of three with Ed McMahon and Farah Fawcett.

John

I remember his album after Thriller got song by song reviews in the newspapers. He was a huge talent back in the 80's and 90's. I hope the worst is not true.

Of course Mr. Sensationalist Fox News Geraldo Rivera is reporting of drugs at his home which cause the cardiac arrest. Man I dislike that guy.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:26 pm

pk500 wrote:I don't know, Rod: TMZ usually nails this Hollywood stuff. It has tons of sources there.

Very sad, if true. Two entertainment giants gone in one day. Let's hope bad things don't come in threes.

Take care,
PK

Ed McMahon

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:35 pm

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:41 pm

I'm kinda stunned. I'm a big fan of his. RIP Michael. We won't ever see a singer like him ever again.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:43 pm

Spooky wrote:
pk500 wrote:I don't know, Rod: TMZ usually nails this Hollywood stuff. It has tons of sources there.

Very sad, if true. Two entertainment giants gone in one day. Let's hope bad things don't come in threes.

Take care,
PK
Ed McMahon

True about Ed. But I said today. But you're right: This is enough Hollywood legends gone for one week, no doubt.

Take care,
PK

Smurfy · Post by **Smurfy** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:48 pm

This is so sad.

Thriller came out when I was 13. Back then I was into the heavy metal stuff my friends was listening to. Yet I had no problem saying I liked Thriller.

I can still remember the excitement in those days as each new video or TV performance was anticipated.

He was messed up, but boy did he create some magic when his was at his best.

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:03 pm

Smurfy wrote: He was messed up, but boy did he create some magic when his was at his best.

Word. Sums it up for me.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:04 pm

I liked "Off The Wall" better than "Thriller." Both were superb pop records, though.

Take care,
PK

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:31 pm

pk500 wrote:I liked "Off The Wall" better than "Thriller." Both were superb pop records, though.

Take care,
PK

Off the Wall is an amazing album and still gets regular play in my car and my ipod. Sad day....

RIP Michael.

Tim

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:56 pm

Sad indeed. The freak show finally comes to an end, but it's difficult to overstate his fame and how beloved he was in the 80s.

I was pretty young, but I'll never forget watching the premiere of the Bad music video on prime time network TV with my parents. It's a rare talent who can mesmerize viewers aged 7-45 in the same performance. I was really pulling for him in his comeback, if only to temporarily remind us of the performer he was.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:03 pm

Wow. It's stunning to me and I still haven't digested the reality of it. Just plain hard to believe. It's not like he was pumping out the material the last ten years, but still, it's hard to accept that he is truly gone, forever. Outlived by his father, too, which is f***ed up on all kinds of levels.

I was never a very big fan, but I always appreciated his immense talent. And the guy wasn't really a great talent, he was a transcendent talent; one of, if not the absolute best child performers, and after he grew up, such a great professional performer for a very long time when he was really the King of the pop world. It's hard to measure the degree of his impact to the world of pop music, especially for those of us who never really loved his stuff, but in a lot of ways he did change the game of pop music stardom, and for a good many years there he really was in his own class at the top of the heap.

A great talent. Truly the King of Pop in his time for me, and I don't even like his stuff all that much. RIP Michael.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:22 pm

I'm sad he's gone, but moreso because this icon who I grew up with whom you always thought would live forever is gone.

That said, if what was reported about him is true regarding the child molestation charges, I find it hard to be that sad he's gone. But to play devils advocate, I can also see that he might have been taken advantage of for his money. I honestly do not know what to believe. He obviously has serious issues, but one thing is true; his devotion to children all over the world.

Either way, I was always hoping he would do a tell all interview about his life (what the true story was about his skin, marriage, the adoption of his kids, etc.) I know I'm being selfish and it's really very personal to only him, but I envisioned the true story to come from him one day when he was retired. Is there any doubt will there be a movie about his life?

R.I.P. Michael Jackson (feels very strange to type that)

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:36 pm

It reminds me of when Elvis died. Jackson was long past his prime but still such an icon, and it's one of those news-stopping stories.

Despite the problems he brought upon himself, I always felt sorry for him because he never really had an opportunity to be normal. His family and professional life warped him at such an early age. Sad.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:39 pm

Well, he is now looking at the ultimate man in the mirror.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:39 pm

Wow, first my first crush dies and then the first musical artist I became a fan of dies. I might have gone from listening to "Thriller" to "Ride the Lightning" in '84 but that doesn't mean I don't look back on watching the Jackson 5 cartoon, and "Off the Wall" and "Thriller" fondly. In his heyday he was pure magic. I remember the first time I saw him do the moonwalk. It's too bad he'll be remembered as a freak show. I've always hoped the child molestation accusations were false, but you never know. Sorry if I'm rambling, I'm still just pretty shocked about the whole thing. Crazy. R.I.P MJ.

Sport73 · Post by **Sport73** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:00 pm

He was an incredible musical talent, but also a likely pedophile; I hope the world/media remember that we would NOT likely 'honor' most with such dubious accusations. If even partially true, it's hard to feel to bad about his passing.

FUNNY JOKE THOUGH:

"Did you hear the news? It turns out preteen semen is really high in Cholesterol".

Flame away. Tasteless? Sure. Funny? Yes. I just can't feel bad about a pedophile passing.

PS> I got your nose.