Michael Jackson

[MrBen]

I'm with Keef's 2nd post above re. his past. Call me naive too. But thats my gut feel.

And I find it incredible anyone even contemplated 50 nights at the O2. We all kind of WANTED him to be good /well / bit of the old magic. But it was really about money grabbing fat men in suits and a fragile faded star looking to find himself again. There is real tragedy in that I think. Will not suprise me if it comes to pass that that pressure was just too much.

Writing a pop record better than Thriller was in its day (and still now) is not easy. It was arguably the greatest pop record of the 80's and will still be being played on digital radios or whatever in 50 years time....

[Eliza.D]

I think Thriller was written by a bloke from Cleethorpes.

[matthew123]

All these MJ fans say as a tribute, they will be listening to his music all day. I wonder what Hugh Hefner's fans will do when he dies ???

[bigbadwolf]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Actually BBW apparently Michael Jackson's dying

> wish was to be melted down and made into plastic

> bags so he could still be a danger to small

> children.

>

> err...sorry.

Ha ha ha that was very good Jah.

[JonC]

Do you think Pepsi cola will sponsor the cremation?

[Horsebox]

georgia Wrote:

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> Sorry can't resist....

>

> Apparently Michael Jackson died picking his nose.

> Doctors said they couldn't blame it on the

> sunshine or the moonlight. They blamed it on the

> bogey.

Latest reports suggest it wasn't a heart attack rather that he was found having a stroke in the children's ward.

[bigbadwolf]

O.K everyone can we stop the Jacko jokes for a few days because I think we've all had the deluge of texts from friends and collegues. Start again in a few days eh.

[giggirl]

I second that BBW. I'm bored already.

(Oh my giddy aunt I've just agreed with BBW - I must go and have a lie down until it passes)

[MrBen]

Business angle:

Spare a thought (but not too much) for Randy Phillips, chief exec of AEG Live the promoters for the 50 night run at the O2.

"We were unable to get insurance beyond his first 10 nights so are prepared to self insure the remaining 40". "It's a small price to pay to return the King of Pop back to his fans" said Phillips in a previous Guardian interview

The 40 night run would have cost AEG about $220M to cover internally - a whopping exposure for which they have basically taken a gamble on as potential returns were so high. My first thought is that this is sufficient to make them insolvent.

Nice work Randy!

[Sherwick]

how he died

[Asset]

I'm with Keef and MrBen.

I grew up with Michael Jackson.

I remember watching the Jackson 5 cartoon as a child, I remember listening to John Peel playing "don't Stop Til You Get Enough" on his show every night for weeks after Off The Wall came out, Billie-Jean was out when I was going out with my first love; staying up to watch the first screening of the Thriller video on telly, and I saw him in concert at Wembley about 20 yrs ago and it was fantastic - one of the best gigs I've ever seen.

He was a troubled man from a troubled family.

I shed a tear this morning for him.

[Asset]

Just read the LAPD are trying to trace the 'personal physician' who lived with MJ as autopsy shows he had been given a fatal dose of Demerol. The geezers done a runner.

['bout now]

@Asset Hear hear! I grew up with him as well, not my kind of music but even so I remember staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning to watch the video, he was a phenomenon at that time, sadly I'm not sure we will ever see the like of him again. Certainly won't see another artist selling 65 million copies of an album that's for sure.

Just heard that a band at Glastonbury (The Rakes?) have opened their set with "have you heard the good news?" Tools, utter tools.

[*Bob*]

'bout now Wrote:

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> Just heard that a band at Glastonbury (The Rakes?)

> have opened their set with "have you heard the

> good news?" Tools, utter tools.

That would depend on whether they consider Wacko to be a gentle, misunderstood musical genius, or a dangerous paedophile who could afford a good lawyer and the means to settle out of court.

[*Bob*]

Perhaps in the spirit of the timeless tradition that is Rock & Roll, they just don't give a sh1t.

Who knows.

[mockney piers]

"Uri Geller, Jackson's friend and now acting King of the Freaks, said: "I feel so desperately sorry for all the freaks today. He was their Diana, their Elvis, their Mother Theresa and their Jade Goody all rolled into one. Which is actually what he looked like too. Check out this spoon."

On the internet, chat forums were awash with Jackson tributes from people who were convinced he was a pervert and wanted him strung up, but who were now desperate to tell the world that he was a victim of the media and that Thriller was a ground-breaking work of genius.

Jen, from Milwaukee, wrote: "As you said Michael, Billie Jean was not your lover and neither was Macaulay Culkin, regardless of what I may or may not have written on my blog four years ago. I hope you find peace in freak heaven."

Pete, from London, said: "The way you danced like a zombie changed the way people thought about dancing like a zombie forever. Rest in Pop."" TDM

['bout now]

Probably, but I am in the naive area in which I don't believe that he was actually capable of heinous acts of paedophilia and was probably preyed on by parents who saw an opportunity. Either way I still don't find it amusing or "rock" to call the death of one the worlds biggest ever stars "good news".

[Jeremy]

My first thought was suicide. Things aren't exactly going his way these days, are they... and I expect he knew there was no way he'd be able to cope with all those shows.

[Asset]

I feel sorry for his kids, what's gonna happen to them now?

[*Bob*]

They're going to be filthy stinking rich.

[*Bob*]

Are they actually 'his' anyway?

[Jeremy]

Perhaps now they'll have someone to look after them who won't dangle them over balconies and keep their heads covered.

[Asset]

I don't think they will be rich, MJ around ?200 million in debt at time of death. Ownership of 50% of the Beatles' back catalogue his only asset and used as security on his loans. It was fairly well known he was in dire financial straits.

There will be a massive battle over who will get custody of them unless he's made provisions in a will.

[Horsebox]

Keef Wrote:

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> That was my first thought GG, thought maybe he'd

> do a "risen again" kind of stunt...

Like a Thriller part 2 but with a real 'living' zombie?

['bout now]

Kids will be very rich, I imagine his debt was wiped out by royalty payments and album sales today....probably.

It's amazing what having a bit of a heart attack can do for your profile, oh fatal of course.