Music reviews : Michael Jackson and family tribute

Michael Jackson encyclopedia : albums, career and family: Hours after TMZ announced Michael Jackson‘s death, something “magical” happened. Everyone decided it was safe to be a fan of the King of Pop again. In a matter of minutes, maybe less, the whole world (more specifically, America) forgot about the corny punch lines they once shared to friends at the water cooler or the countless parodies they had come to enjoy, all of which developed this unfortunate post-2000 personification of an artist that, more or less, had become a modern myth. Up until that point, the name Michael Jackson didn’t necessarily spark memories of, say, Thriller, Bad, or the often forgotten 90’s masterpiece, Dangerous. Instead, trashy tabloids and shitty gags in Scary Movie, South Park, etc. took precedence. It’s a crap deal for someone who’s arguably the most inimitable force in music history, but that’s how things were prior to June 25, 2009. Still, death’s a curious thing.

At 10 years old, I assumed the video was shot somewhere in Egypt, because even though I no longer believed in bullshit like Santa Claus, I still accepted Michael Jackson at face value. Besides, nothing else he did seemed like it operated under any budgetary constraint. Only about a year ago did I learn that it was shot at Mack Sennett Studios in Silver Lake, a soundstage across the street from my apartment that I’d obliviously walked past thousands of times. It was one of those depressing realizations that makes much less sense than believing that Michael Jackson built a time machine and brought the star of Beverly Hills Cop, a supermodel, and the best point guard ever, along with him to the time of Ramses the Great. Watch that video again and tell me otherwise.

When Michael Jackson was alive, I received anonymous phone calls that my son Joshua would be kidnapped. Therefore I had to bring him to his father in 2003. Unfortunately, when I felt the situation had calmed down sufficiently, my ex-husband did not want my son to return to me. This led to a lengthy court case, where my ex abused his knowledge of Michael Jackson being my father by describing me as delusional. This lead to a mental examination, which showed my sanity was fine, but also revealed that I was seriously traumatized. The court ruled that Joshua should return to me. However, due to many delays and postponements the whole case dragged on for some 4 years! After that, a new judge decided that Joshua had already stayed so long with his father that he would stay there. The hell that my ex Charat Graafland put my child and me through because of the situation between me and Michael Jackson has made me lost a lots of time with my son Joshua. Read additional info at Michael Jackson Daughter.

People judge me for how I am leading my life, for my past and for what I believe to be true. They call me mentally ill and a liar because it is about Michael Jackson the Illusionist, the King of Pop. People talk about me like they know everything about me. I am just living my life. I want to be a part of the illusion of the life of Michael Jackson, the artist they call the King of Pop. For that, I have to go on the internet as the crazy woman for the rest of my life.

Got to Be There (1972): Chances are most of y’all haven’t even HEARD this album. Correct that oversight immediately. Now, Michael’s solo debut certainly doesn’t have the glitz you’d expect from a guy known for his bedazzled socks but give him a break – his first attempt to break away from his Jackson 5 roots sees him coming into his own sound. And man, his angelic voice instantly turns heads. Michael’s reliance on covers hurts this set just a bit but he handles them all so expertly that it’s hard to consider them a detriment. Listen to this set and you’ll immediately realize why this kid was destined to be a legend. Forgotten Favorites: “Rockin’ Robin,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Girl Don’t Take Your Love From Me”.