If We All Cry At The Same Time Tonight...

[denise]

Look at the "crown" being lowered onto Jackson's head by the two cheribim (sp?)... and the title of this album, just "Michael". Like the arch-angel...very disturbing.... especially that it's coming out two weeks before Christmas...

http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/11/04/mi ... lbum-cover

Michael Jackson-Sony sets December 14 release date and album cover

[El Gallo]

That cover art and its symbology look very much like the weird occultic murals at the Denver Airport.

[denise]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oCCnxBos10

Music video by Michael Jackson Duet with Akon performing Hold My Hand.

First "new" video off of album.... it's creepy.... the new generation, being led astray...

[laney]

I really like the song.

[denise]

Two things I recently found interesting...

http://www.oyetimes.com/music/mainstrea ... rking-hard

Michael Jackson: still dead but working hard

(snip)

The Estate

Wikipedia states that Jackson became the best selling artist of 2009. The Washington Post reports that Jackson's estate will have earned $250 million by the first anniversary of his death and is well on its way of paying off all loans. It goes on to estimate that Jackson's half of his Sony partnership is now worth $1 billion.

Forbes in their 2010 list of the 13 top-earning dead celebrities said Jackson, with gross earnings of $275 million, made more than the other 12 combined. Number two was Elvis Presley with $60 million.

Apparently Jackson has numerous unreleased recordings; possibly hundreds of them. (see the Wikipedia article below about this) This past year has seen some "new" songs from the King of Pop and it would seem his estate has much to sell to the world to keep Mr. Jackson at the top of Forbes list. Certainly his children will never have any financial worries in their lifetimes. And probably their children as well.

Final Word

I have to chuckle thinking that one is worth more dead than alive. (Then again, I should take a look in the mirror. That idea could very well be applicable to me!)

Michael Jackson was an amazing, talented, and unique performer. It is unfortunate to see someone in circumstances so far removed from the normalcy of everyday life that he would progressively see life in a distorted manner. I guess if you're so far up the ladder from the rest of us common folk, you forget - if you ever knew - what normal life really is. Then again, what's odd in normal life turns out to be what creates that artistic output. Is it a trade-off? Normalcy for greatness?

Looking at the estate, it is just mind-boggling to think about the wealth being generated by this entertainer even after his death. What a legacy and what a testimony to his popularity.

http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/03/ ... du-soleil/

Cirque du Soleil : Cirque du Soleil Introduces Michael Jackson Show

By Jessica Sinclair on March 21st, 2011

Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour kicks off in October 02, 2011 in Canada.

From Cirque du Soleil comes a show dedicated to Michael Jackson.

The show is described as “A riveting fusion of visuals, dance, music and fantasy that immerses audiences in Michael’s creative world and literally turns his signature moves upside down, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour unfolds Michael Jackson’s artistry before the eyes of the audience. Aimed at lifelong fans as well as those experiencing Michael’s creative genius for the first time, the show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of the King of Pop, celebrating a legacy that continues to transcend generations,” (Cirquedusoleil.com)

The Immortal World Tour takes place in a fantasy world where viewers will journey to Michael’s inspirational Giving Tree where the secrets of Michael’s inner world are revealed— his love of music and dance, fairy tale and magic, and the fragile beauty of nature.The tour hits New York in April 2012 and Uniondale Saturday, April 7,2012!

And how many people will line up to pay to see this? Too many....

[denise]

And to those who still think I beat a dead horse, here's what the "new" Michael Jackson, Lady GaGa is preaching to the youth of today...

http://www.metrolyrics.com/born-this-wa ... -gaga.html

Lady GaGa: Born This Way Lyrics

(snip)

No matter gay, straight or bi
lesbian, transgendered life
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to survive
No matter black, white or beige
chola or orient made
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to be brave

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

[denise]

I feel like this particular thread has morphed into the "cult of personality" or "pop-culture" thread... the death of Elizabeth Taylor, to me, falls under this catagory. This article from today, highlights what I've been posting about pretty effectively...

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/obi ... 4_CV_N.htm

Elizabeth Taylor: The biggest star ever?

It could be said of the death of Elizabeth Taylor: Now she belongs to the ages. But the truth is, Taylor has always belonged to the ages — it's why her absence is so significant to millions. How can it be that Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor won't be around to admire, envy and gawk over, ever again?

Taylor, who died Wednesday at age 79 of congestive heart failure after weeks in a hospital in Los Angeles, once said she wanted her tombstone to read: "She lived." And oh, did she ever.

"She embodied everything it is to be a movie star," says Turner Classic Movies weekend host and film expert Ben Mankiewicz. "There's such a tendency to diminish her talent while looking at her stardom. I don't think they have to be separated, they're one and the same. But you can't escape the awesome power of her stardom."

Her legacy is lengthy: three Oscars, several memorable films (National Velvet, Cleopatra, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Butterfield 8), her role in encouraging more acceptance for gay people, and her clarion call for more attention to the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic at a time of widespread indifference. She has been iconic virtually since World War II, one of the last products of the old Hollywood studio system. And, thanks to her friendships with the likes of Michael Jackson and Elton John, she has been a forerunner of today's celebrity-driven pop culture. Her last important movie was in 1966, and still her star power endured.

Liz (she actually disliked the headline-friendly nickname) Taylor is the gold standard, says Nancy Schoenberger, co-author of Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century. "The level of her fame and glamour and the sheer dazzle of the woman was unparalleled. I don't know if we'll have that kind of movie stardom again."

AFP/Getty Images

Elizabeth Taylor with friend Michael Jackson at the American Music Awards, Jan. 25, 1993.

There are actresses who aren't stars, and stars who aren't actresses — "and she was both," says Howard Bragman, longtime Hollywood publicist and author of Where's My Fifteen Minutes?

Superlatives usually failed to capture the Taylor aura. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, she was the greatest movie goddess in the world. She also suffered from multiple medical ailments and nearly died several times in her nearly eight decades.

"Elizabeth Taylor is immortal — as long as we're speaking about Hollywood, we'll be talking about Elizabeth Taylor, the pre-eminent cinematic star of the 20th century," says one of her biographers, C. David Heymann, author of Liz: An Intimate Biography of Elizabeth Taylor. "She was a comet, an 80-year comet."
'We got it all with her'

But the biggest star ever? "Who more than Elizabeth Taylor?" says another of her biographers, William Mann, author of How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood. "She was so remarkable at making us care equally about her personal life as much as we cared about her movies. We got it all with her."

She was the most notorious, the most tempestuous, the most bejeweled, the most generous, the most blessed, the most tragic screen star in the Hollywood firmament. She was a supernova celebrity who pioneered a new standard of fame even before 24/7 media. As one of the first stars to live her life almost entirely in the global public eye, she could teach Angelina, Lindsay and Gaga and, yes, Charlie, a thing or two about grace and gauche under pressure.

"Today, you can't be a big celebrity unless we know everything about you, and that goes back to Elizabeth," Mann says. "She showed that you take the parts of your life that will resonate with the public and use them to your advantage. Everything that is standard about celebrities today can be traced to Elizabeth Taylor, whether it's causes or personal lives or the marketing."