The Super Nova Super Star

This is the portion where I want to focus on the career of Michael Jackson. It will be short because there isn't much opinion to be added.

Jackson got his start as a youngster when he would dance to the beat of the washing machine. America was introduced to him in the 1960s via television appearances with his brothers in the group Jackson 5. The group's first 4 singles each went to #1, a feat that had not ever been accomplished.

Michael Jackson eventually left the group to delve into his own solo career. In his solo career, he continually set standards, reached standards, and broke standards. He collaborated and became friends with names all over the entertainment industry...names like Elizabeth Taylor, Paul McCartney, Steven Spielberg, and Diana Ross, just to name a few. Besides music, he also dabbled in movies and film.

I won't list his accomplishments here, as some will be the focus of more entries. If you want to read more on the numbers, go here.

I will leave you with this:

750.

Million.

The amount of Michael Jackson albums sold worldwide during his career, at the time of his death.

Next up: Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror

Why I Was Wrong

I pick up where I left off.

The reason I say I would be wrong when naming the Top 5 Entertainers of all time is that I wouldn't have fully thought it through. Having said that, I don't think I truly understood the scope of the reach. And I've never had any obsession, so to speak, with too many other icons. At least with Elvis and The Beatles, I have always been fascinated. I've had crash-courses on their lives and music.

I think, too, beginning with Elvis, he was gone before I was brought to earth. I knew who he was from a young age, but there was nothing else that could be added to his catalogue, to his legacy. This may sound strange but I've always felt a connection with him. I can say what year it was he died if asked because it was 5 years before my birth year. His dark hair (I didn't know he dyed it until recently!), hailing from the South, and love of music add to why I feel connected I'm sure. And what else can I say? He was Elvis.

The Beatles came and went before I was here, too. John Lennon was gone shortly before I was born. The same as Elvis, their calatogues and legacies had also been sealed. With The Beatles, I feel as though their music is timeless. And they were able to take a huge variety of styles (country, blues, rock, pop, soul, doo-wap, acoustic, etc) and corporate into their music. They weren't afraid of being innovative or pushing the envelope.

So who would I round out the Top 5 Entertainers with?

Michael Jackson.

Why wasn't he on my list before? I didn't know much about him, other than the songs I knew and the fact that he was Michael Jackson. His voice is very distinguishable. His dance moves were out of this world. And his appearance was always changing. I want to reiterate that I *do* and have always known who he was, I just hadn't devoted time to him like I had the other people on my list. Over the past 2 weeks, I have studied him. I've learned that his music, not only his voice, is distinguishable, still ahead of its time, still timeless, engaging, captivating, ground-breaking, and FUN! He is the first icon that has died to have made an impact on the world before my existence, and to continue making waves during my life.

Like I mentioned in the previous post, I always wondered how I would react to the death of a celebrity who has made an impact on my life. I think the only time I've felt remotely like I do was when Heath Ledger died. It was so shocking and so out of the blue that I couldn't believe it. That's how the death of MJ came, but on a scale massively larger. So how did I react? I engaged myself in videos, songs, interviews, documentaries, breaking news. I always thought I would break down and cry. Nope. Not until I saw his little girl stand in front of the world to tell us how much she loved her daddy. But that's for another time.

Next post: My take on Michael Jackson the Super Nova Super Star.




You know that love survives so we can rock forever. -"Rock With You"

Mourning After

Where do I start? I'm still having difficulty wrapping my head around it. It's mind-boggling. It happens everyday, but only once in a lifetime. And when it happens, that lifetime is over. And how do you define and describe a lifetime? I keep thinking that the family is so lucky and blessed to have their son's legacy and life chronicled in pictures, videos and music.

I thought today would be the last day of my mourning. But when I sat down to write this, I realized what I had to say would encompass more than what most readers (even if there are only 2 of you!) would want to read in one sitting, so I'll have to make multiple entries. This may, and more than likely will, lead to the entry of blogs on the subject in the future. And to clarify, when I said "mourning" I wasn't referring to the full act of mourning. I have gone through different phases...phases of shock, disbelief, confusion, sadness. Experience these phases don't change anything, or make anything better to be honest, it's just a part of the process.

I've always wondered what major celebrity would pass away in my lifetime. I've also wondered what it would be like when a favorite celebrity of mine passes away. Obviously, many celebrities pass away each year. And many icons have passed away in my lifetime. But none on a tremendous world-wide scale, or none at a time in my life when I realized the impact a person's death had on the whole world.

I don't know exactly how to word this.

I love the entertainment industry as a whole. There are many people who advance it, many people who derail it, and of course those lucky few who do nothing to better or worsen the industry. There are plenty of icons, and to say there are 10 icons or 1000 icons would both be right. For me, up until around January of this year, there were few people in the industry who remain timeless in my eyes. Without a lot of study and thought, if you were to ask me to name the Top 5 Entertainers of all time I would have said, "The Beatles as a whole, Elvis, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and that's all I've got." However, it's clear I wouldn't have thought that answer all the way through.

Stay tuned for my next entry on why I was wrong.

Lots of love,