Michael Jackson's Death: The Talent and the Tragedy

The tragedy of Michael Jackson's death at age 50, reportedly from cardiac arrest, pales in comparison to the tragedy of his life. To understand all that Jackson had and lost requires wiping away three decades of plastic surgeries that deformed him, erratic behavior that made his name synonymous with the warping powers of fame, and a 2005 trial for sexually abusing a child that, even though he was spared of any finding of wrongdoing, made him a pariah to all but the most brainwashed of fans.

But if you can forgive or forget all that, underneath was one of the most talented entertainers of the 20th century. Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson's quintessential solo albums, was devastated by the news of his passing. "I've lost my little brother today," Jones said in a statement. "Part of my soul has gone with him." Added Jones: "Divinity brought our souls together ... and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the '80s. To this day, the music we created together on Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world, and the reason for that is because he had it all."

Jackson was born in 1958, the seventh of nine Jackson children, and before he had reached age 6, he had joined his brothers in the Jackson Five. By age 8, he had taken over lead-singing duties with brother Jermaine, but there was no question who was the star of the group. Little Michael was the best dancer and singer of the bunch, and he also had the mysterious thing that record bosses and studio chiefs crave: star power. Michael appeared to be his best and most interesting self when everyone in the world was watching.

As Michael aged into adolescence, the Jackson Five, renamed the Jacksons after departing from Motown Records, inevitably lost some of its charm. A solo career followed, and after a steady stream of middling hits that attempted to milk the last bit of innocence from Jackson's voice, Jackson had the good fortune to hook up with Jones while filming The Wiz. The two shared a vision for what Jackson's career as an adult might be, and on 1979's Off the Wall, they executed it beyond even Jackson's dreams. With songwriting help from Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, Off the Wall spun off four Top 10 hits and two No. 1s — "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You."

At 22, Jackson became not only one of the most admired pop musicians in the world, but one of the globe's most famous people. And his fame only increased with the 1982 release of Thriller, which was to become the best-selling album of all time (until it was eclipsed in the late '90s by the Eagles' Greatest Hits, 1971-1975). Seven of the record's nine tracks made the Top 10, and the Jones-produced hooks remain awe-inspiring. In a cover story about Jackson and Thriller, TIME described Jackson as "a one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too."

While Jackson had few ambitions at the time beyond global domination, it's worth noting that "The Girl Is Mine" established interracial love as a pop-music theme, and "Beat It" (with Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo) bridged arena rock and soul four years before Run-D.M.C. met Aerosmith. On March 25, 1983, Jackson may have reached the very peak of his fame when he unveiled his signature dance move, the moonwalk, live on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special.

The years after Thriller, however, were marked by a slow descent into what was at first dismissible as eccentricity. Jackson attended the Grammys on a triple date with Emmanuel Lewis and Brooke Shields, purchased a chimpanzee named Bubbles and was given a diagnosis of vitiligo, a condition that he said was responsible for the steady lightening of his skin. But his songwriting genius remained undeniable. With Lionel Richie, he co-wrote "We Are the World," a 1985 charity single that raised an estimated $50 million for famine relief in Africa and ushered in the era of celebrity philanthropy.

After the release of 1987's Bad, a disappointing follow-up to Thriller, Jackson purchased the 2,800-acre Neverland Ranch in California, and his public weirdness became almost aggressive. In his biography Moonwalk, Jackson wrote of childhood abuse at the hands of his father and multiple plastic surgeries, subjects he returned to in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey that was one of the most watched non-sports programs in American history.

Shortly after, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse in a suit brought by Evan Chandler on behalf of Jordan, his then-13-year-old son. Jordan told a psychiatrist and police that he and Jackson had engaged in sexual acts that included oral sex; the boy gave a detailed description of Jackson's genitals. The case was settled out of court for a reported $22 million, but the strain led Jackson to begin taking painkillers. Eventually he became addicted.

To counteract the stigma that came with the allegations of pedophilia, Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in a relationship Elvis' only daughter later dismissed as a sham. Two years later, they divorced.

Given the tumult in his personal life, it's no surprise that the 1990s were a barren period for Jackson creatively. In 2001 he managed to pull himself together enough to release Invincible and stage two concerts celebrating his 30th anniversary as a performer at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The shows, held a few days before Sept. 11, were a capsule of all Jackson had become. There were bizarre cameos from friends Marlon Brando, Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor. Macaulay Culkin sat next to Jackson in a royal box. But several hours after the proceedings began, when Jackson finally took the stage, all the years of Wacko Jacko melted away. Then in his early 40s, he could still dance and sing better than almost anyone in the world, and he still had star power. The Jackson on display in those concerts was one the world admired and the one that will be missed.

FROM : TIME

Boring Holiday~~~ *-*

Urghh..
Holiday..
hrmm..'HOLIDAY' should be fun rite?..
but i dun think so..
have to rush for homework..
do revision for test when school reopen..
study..study..
damn bored..

besides studying..
sit in fronr of the laptop..
watch movies...read novels..

everyday..repeat the same thing..for 1o days n more..
haih~~..
there r so many movies that i wanna watch..
but..i have no car to drive..hrmm..
bro is studying..
busyin to finish his assignments..
hrmm..
luckily..this holiday is oni for 2 weeks..
if not..i will insane..XD..

ANYWAY..WISH EVERYONE HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY!!!!!!

说

急事，慢慢地说
大事，清楚地说
小说，幽默地说
没把握的事，谨慎地说
没发生的事，不要胡说
做不到的事，别乱说
伤害人的事，不能说
讨厌的事，对事不对人的说
开心的事，看场合说
伤心的事，不要见人就说
别人的事，小心地说
自己的事，听听自己的心怎么说
现在的事，做了再说
未来的事，未来再说

*Saw this article accidentally, it's meaningful^^*

Things happened!..^_^

I had have many months din sign in my blog..
busying..
busying..
working..
learning..
using to new car..
busy...busy..and busy..
Within these two months..
Many things happened..
i started to work on 1st Jan. 2008
i passed my driving test on 5th Jan. 2008
i got my license on 7th Jan. 2008
after that...
focused on my job..[fun job]..
enjoy the job..noe many new friends..
after 19 days..
chinese new year came..
stop workin for 2 days..
enjoyed my new year...although it was that fun like previous years..
all of us need to work....
have very few time to gather together..
i felt happy though..
after enjoying the off days..
back to work again..
until today..
im still working..
most of my holidays r spent on working..keke..
but i enrich my holidays..
not wasting time..
in between of working days..
im learning to drive..
im not used to drving yet..
my parents..
my uncle..
guided me well in driving..
from the dangerous driver..changed to safety driver..
now i noe..i keep learning to drive..
one day..i'll be a good driver..
my parents will not worry so much while im driving..

Why am I so Stupid??

Long time no 'see' blogspot..
since the last day of the SPM..
i din post any blog..

i feel so upset for these few days..
i attended the driving lesson..
i went together vf my bro..
the trainer is a'LAO AH PEK'..
an old man..
he is such a talkative guy..hehe
but i think he is good in teaching..
i understand what was he teaching..
but..dunno y..
i couldnt drive it properly..
i couldnt control my legs..
i stepped on the oil too hard..
and left the clutch to fast..
the car was like flying..
moves very fast..
like racing..keke..
but my bro drove very good..
i just felt i was so stupid..
an easy thing also cnt learn..also cant do well..
y??..
tml will the second lesson..
im scared..
im worrying..can i drive well??..
can i drive well like my bro did??..
will the trainer feel surprise on my improvement??

i was hoping to get my P Lisence as fast as possible..
but now..
im wondering..
will i pass the driving test??..
since the first driving lesson..

Ninth Day of SPM!!!

Today..the last day of SPM...
excited...
started from early in the morning..when i woke up...
during exam..
i was excited..
bcz i noe today is the last day of the exam..
i noe it...
paper 2 of accounts went first..
did paper 2..
some questions dunno how to do..
but my feeling was not ruined..
for this paper..
is okay...
did all..
did till the last minutes..
^^

finish...
we shouted..
'still left the last paper'
paper 1 then..
i used 30 minutes to finish the paper..
then...
hahahha..
the happy time..
i waited for 45 minutes to past..
looked at the clock hung on the wall..
'tick-tock'..
still left 30 minutes..
left 15 minutes..
5 minutes to go..
finally..
'Okay times up!!!!'
wow!!..
we screamed..
to celebrate...
went home vf excited-feeling..

haha...
no more exam!!!!!!!...
SPM is over~~~~
party time!!!!!!!





I was happy..
but there was something made me feel not happy..., angry..
i was supposed to have a tuition class...
will start tomorrow..
but i received a phone call..
there was my friend...
she told me the student that im goin to teach is her brother..
i was surprised...
she told...
the tuition class will be canceled..
she will teach her brother by herself..
omg...
my holiday plan was gone...
my pocket money for the holiday disappear..
bcz of her..
huh!!..
i dun think she could teach her brother..
her mother told me they will fight when teaching..
ok..
i'll wait for it..
i wanna noe how the sister teaches the brother!!!
*angry*
*dissapointed*








my happy day was ruined..
bcz of the phone call.. :(

Saya p. ke kumpulan ketiga!!![Eighth Day of SPM]

Saya kena NS...
baru-baru berasa sangat gembira...
kerana boleh pergi main..
ada banyak aktivit yang menarik...
ke dalam air...tinggal di dalam hutan...
tapi..saya juga berasa takut...
kerana...
perlu tinggal di tempat yang terperinci...
[got many ghosts]..blekxx..
tak ada orang teman saya...
bang saya tak kena..
kawan baik saya juga tak kena..
sayalah orang yang terlalu 'nasib baik'..sayalah orang yang kena..
oleh itu, saya tak mau p. NS...
saya mau main... tak mau main di NS...walaupun aktivitinya sangat seronok..
tetapi perlu tinggal di tempat 'itu'..saya tak mau...
jika boleh balik ke rumah selepas training...
saya mau pergi pulak...
tetapi...bukan saya yang ingin...
tak mau pergi..
hrmm...
saya tidak harap saya akan kena kumpulan 1...
kerana...kumpulan 1 perlu pergi di januari...
januari got new year, tahun baru cina...
baru habis spm..
jika pergi ke kumpulan 1...saya tdk dpt keluar dgn kawan2 saya...
perlu nanti hingga mac..
tak boleh tahan...
saya harap saya dpt kumpulan 2/3...
krn..jika saya terdpt kumpulan 2/3..
papa saya settle bagi saya..
saya sudah bersekolah..
pergi ke kolej atau apa-apa pun...

beberapa hari yang lalu..
kawan saya terdpt surat yang dikirim dari NS...
dia perlu pergi ke kumpulan 1..
saya mula rasa takut...
setiap hari tengok ke peti surat saya...
ada surat saya tak..
setiap hari doa tak mau terdpt surat itu...
sudah hampir satu minggu..
saya tetap tak dpt surattu...
gembira dan takut..
selepas itu...bang saya kata...boleh check kumpulan saya melalui internet..
saya cepat cepat p. check...
taip nombor i.c saya...
hait saya berdenyut-denyut...
semakin cepat semasa menanti untuk keputusannya...
bwahahha...
akhirnya...keputusan keluar...
keputusan seperti bawah:

NOKP : 911115xxxxxx
NAMA : CHEW TZY YENG
KUMPULAN : 3
PICKUP POINT : PENEMPATAN BAGI KUMPULAN 2 DAN 3 AKAN DIBERITAHU KELAK
NEGERI PKP : -
NAMA KEM : -
ALAMAT KEM1 : -
ALAMAT KEM2 : -
ALAMAT KEM3 : -
POSKOD KEM : -
BANDAR KEM : -
NEGERI KEM : -
TARIKH LAPOR : -
MASA LAPOR : -


SAYA KENA KUMPULAN KETIGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BOLEH KELUAR DENGAN KAWAN...
BOLEH MENYAMBUT NEW YEAR DAN TAHUN BARU CINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BWAHAHAH...!!!









Hrmm..
Ladies n Gentlemen...
after y'all read my blog..
you will know that i have gone wrong..
alil bit insane...
ya..you r correct...i have a lil bit insane now..
happiness covers my normality...
excited covers my worries..
now..no more worries...
SPM is nearly over...
oni one day to go...
today exam was not hard...of course not that easy too..
but i could still finish it..n answer it...
but..this did not make me feel worry...
the thing i most worry to is NS...
i dunno the batch i go...
now..
i know....
i checked...
i got the third batch!!!!!!!
haha...
this result covers my worries for est...
EST is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
worries r gone!!!!!!!!!








大伙儿们~~~开开心心，简简单单，高高兴兴，健健康康，快快乐乐，幸幸福福，轰轰烈烈，舒舒服服地过活吧！！！！！！
没有烦恼，没有焦虑~~
笑一笑没烦恼。。。
Happy go lucky！！！[我哥的名句]