Gone With or Without fanfare

[mrsl]

Yes Klondike, I recall those couple of days of Bob and Jimmie, and I also recall feeling somewhat treacherous in thinking Bob was being overlooked because although I was a huge Stewart fan, Bob was the one who set my heart a-twirl. The sad thing is MJ is still in people's minds because of the foolish stunts he's pulled lately, not for his music or videos. Farrah's 'day' may have been a long time ago, but I'd wager there wasn't a single boy between the ages of 12 and 20 who didn't get a tweek when they looked at that poster which imdB says sold an unbroken record of 12 million. When she finally broke out of the beauty queen roles with The Burning Bed, she proved she could act and changed a lot of people's minds about her. More than anything it seems the media has totally forgotten that Ed McMahon died days before, but worst yet, the war in Iran and Iraq, and Korea must have called some sort of truce so all of the media could go nuts.

Anne

[MichiganJ]

Gotta say, I'm rather bemused at the idea about whose death is getting more attention. Is anyone surprised that Farrah Fawcett mercifully died? The "news" has been chronicling her "decline" for the past year, and there was a two-hour network TV special, produced by Fawcett herself, on her career and cancer, which aired only last month.

Jackson, on the other hand, was preparing for a huge 50-concert comeback, a comeback which--and I guess I'm alone, here--I was eagerly anticipating. It's a shame about Farrah's passing (and McMahon's, too, but again, is that much of a surprise?), but Michael Jackson's passing was unexpected, shocking, and yes, more newsworthy.

As for their legacies, I think it's pretty generous to call Fawcett a good actress. She had one or two fine performances, was fortunate to be cast in a groundbreaking TV series (and to be the blonde with the hair), and seemed to have been a generous and genuinely nice person. I'm with jdb1 that her looks improved as she aged (and I fall right into Anne's demographic), and there's no doubt that her poster, her smile, etc. has some lasting impact.

But Jackson provided the soundtrack to an entire decade +, he revolutionized music and the music business, re-invented the music video, had oodles of signature moves and apparel (for better or worse, but Fred Astaire himself, called Jackson, congratulating him after seeing Jackson do the moonwalk). His worldwide impact is enormous, with stories coming from Iran (where his records were banned, but didn't stop them from being played) to pretty much the entire Continent of Africa. If Jackson's legacy only consisted of his timeless songs from the Jackson 5 (ABC, I Want You Back, I'll Be There, Never Can Say Goodbye just to name a few of the GIANTS), his loss is still tragic. But factor in all of the great music since (like his music or not, there's no denying we all KNOW it), and the films and videos (which, even if you don't like his music, are pretty amazing, still), Jackson is responsible for bringing a lot (a lot) of joy (and thought), into the world.

As for Jackson's personal life; he's a pretty good example of separating "art" from the "artist"; difficult to do, especially in these times, but really only fair. There's no defending the "baby over the railing" incident, and the media has run that clip nearly as much as the ambulance taking away his body. The skin-lightening? Who knows what's was going on (or if that's even possible), but it should be remembered that Jackson (and CBS records) were the ones who broke the color barrier on MTV. And his trial. Acquitted on all counts, but condemned by public opinion.

I was really pulling for Jackson and his comeback and had high hopes that he might restore some legitimacy to the world of pop. It really is a sad day.

Finally, the passing of Sky Saxon, legendary vocalist for The Seeds, should be noted. He also died on the 25th. Talk about the day the music died...

[klondike]

Gotta say, I'm rather bemused at the idea about whose death is getting more attention. Is anyone surprised that Farrah Fawcett mercifully died? The "news" has been chronicling her "decline" for the past year, and there was a two-hour network TV special, produced by Fawcett herself, on her career and cancer, which aired only last month.

Jackson, on the other hand, was preparing for a huge 50-concert comeback, a comeback which--and I guess I'm alone, here--I was eagerly anticipating. It's a shame about Farrah's passing (and McMahon's, too, but again, is that much of a surprise?), but Michael Jackson's passing was unexpected, shocking, and yes, more newsworthy.

As for their legacies, I think it's pretty generous to call Fawcett a good actress. She had one or two fine performances, was fortunate to be cast in a groundbreaking TV series (and to be the blonde with the hair), and seemed to have been a generous and genuinely nice person. I'm with jdb1 that her looks improved as she aged (and I fall right into Anne's demographic), and there's no doubt that her poster, her smile, etc. has some lasting impact.

But Jackson provided the soundtrack to an entire decade +, he revolutionized music and the music business, re-invented the music video, had oodles of signature moves and apparel (for better or worse, but Fred Astaire himself, called Jackson, congratulating him after seeing Jackson do the moonwalk). His worldwide impact is enormous, with stories coming from Iran (where his records were banned, but didn't stop them from being played) to pretty much the entire Continent of Africa. If Jackson's legacy only consisted of his timeless songs from the Jackson 5 (ABC, I Want You Back, I'll Be There, Never Can Say Goodbye just to name a few of the GIANTS), his loss is still tragic. But factor in all of the great music since (like his music or not, there's no denying we all KNOW it), and the films and videos (which, even if you don't like his music, are pretty amazing, still), Jackson is responsible for bringing a lot (a lot) of joy (and thought), into the world.

For my money, that is all pretty much true & accurate, though one could split hairs by saying that: A) it would have been a lot more relevent had James Brown called to congratulate Michael on "his" moonwalk, as JB had been doing that "signature move" in concert for nearly 20 years himself, and: 2) technically, "Never Can Say Goodbye" was a cover of an old Della Reese standard, which had been a popular-selling tune for her.

As for Jackson's personal life; he's a pretty good example of separating "art" from the "artist"; difficult to do, especially in these times, but really only fair.

Fair & reasonable also; I cringe over MJ's illicit child dealings, but I also cringe when remembering the report of Walter Brennan's joyous "victory dance" upon hearing of the MLK, Jr assassination, or Ward Bond volunteering to help Tailgunner Joe drive them commies out of Hollywood, or Lana Turner ignoring husbands & lovers molesting her daughter.

The skin-lightening? Who knows what's was going on (or if that's even possible),

Pigmentation alteration is indeed possible, but in most situations is considered not worth the risks as it involves long, painful treatments with various strains of bio-toxins similar to chemotherapy drugs, resulting in high probability of collateral organ damage; it is also nearly universally prohibitive by expense, and is usually aggressively discouraged by the AMA, and many state & fedreal health laws. Its anti-melanin results are often uneven & patchwork in appearance, which might explain why none of Jackson's skin below his neck, or above his wrists have been publicly seen in the last 12 or 13 years.

And his trial. Acquitted on all counts, but condemned by public opinion.

OJ Simpson was also acquitted, but I wouldn't say he deceived many people following the news.
In Michael's case, though there was only the one trial, there were multiple different allegations, involving multiple male children, stemming from alleged incidents in different years and in different homes owned by Jackson; in all those cases, indictments were overturned, and/or settlements were paid. During the course of his trial in the mid-90's, it was revealed that the acquittal rested in large part on MJ's attorneys' success in getting a large quantity of photos, phone tapes, correspondences & forensic medical tests ruled as inadmissable during trial on technicalities. Another example of a wealthy celebrity buying his/her way out of a felony.

I was really pulling for Jackson and his comeback and had high hopes that he might restore some legitimacy to the world of pop. It really is a sad day.

You weren't alone; just look at the lead article in the brand new issue of Rolling Stone, which hit the newsstands just yesterday: boy-o-boy, talk about misgauging a deadline!

Finally, the passing of Sky Saxon, legendary vocalist for The Seeds, should be noted. He also died on the 25th. Talk about the day the music died...

Great point, Mich, thank you! See ya over at the Record party!

[charliechaplinfan]

If he was innocent of charges why pay large amounts of money to hush it up? Also here, you can only convict someone if you are absolutely sure that the crime was committed. If in doubt through it out. A not guilty verdict doesn't always follow that everyone believes the verdict, just that there wasn't enough proof presented to the jury. I think his memory will ever be tainted by the allegations.

He was an important musician, for the last 15 years he has more a living legend than a great artist. Listening to his earlier work from Off The Wall I can't help thinking that it's a shame that he didn't carry on like Madonna bringing out albums every couple of years.

Poor Farrah Fawcett, she didn't really register here, I'm glad Texas at least gave her her due. I believe she was very brave in her fight against the cancer that killed her. I hope her bravery gained much needed funds to help in the fight against cancer.

Is Lee Majors still alive? I don't remember Farrah that much, I was a little too young, I remember Cheryl Ladd instead. I do remember Lee Majors, I think he was my first crush, either him or Captain Kirk.

[mrsl]

I apologize to everyone because my post DID sound like I was deciphering who received more media attention and that was terribly wrong of me. MJ was long past my time. I was a young mother of 4 when he came on the scene so he never affected me. I guess I have heard his songs, but I couldn't tell you if they were his or not. I know every single one of Elvis' patents and some of the Beetles, not all because I was not a fan of them either, but a lot of Lennons' music does have a fine intensity to it with phrases that ring true. I don't believe I've ever seen a MJ video because I would have changed the channel before it came on. You see he had done a song early on in which he did a lot of screaming and that turned me off to him. Later in life, I'm sorry but he goes into the same category as Woody Allen - I don't care if he was acquitted, there were too many claims made, as Klondike pointed out. If I were a very rich person, I would not waste money on his records and such.

Having said all of that, I feel that when a celebrity dies, a few lines from the family and maybe a tribute or two from their entertainment venue is sufficient as in the case of Paul Newman. Turning the nightly news into an MJ obiturary is grossly indelicate and not everybody is that interested. A true fan already knows all the little newsy things they say. Everybody knew that Paul Newman carried a can opener on a chain around his neck until the beer cans were remodeled with the pull off stopper. Everybody had seen Farrah's poster at least once, and I'm sure we all know the Thriller video was an epitome' of MJ's. What I mean is, all these news reports just rehash what the last station said an hour ago. When Paul Newman died, the family gave a press release and held a press conference. Most TV channels put his photo up between shows with his DOB and DOD, and the movie channels did tributes like TCM. Quiet, dignified, and sufficient.

Anne

[movieman1957]

At the risk of sounding crass I'm almost surprised something didn't happen to Jackson sooner. Apparently, he was a long time addict of pain killers and with what has been declining health, at least from his appearance it was bound to happen.

[silentscreen]

Is Lee Majors still alive? I don't remember Farrah that much, I was a little too young, I remember Cheryl Ladd instead. I do remember Lee Majors, I think he was my first crush, either him or Captain Kirk.

Yes, he's still alive and working, and very gracious about his ex-wife too.

On the death of his ex-wife, Farrah Fawcett]: She fought a tremendous battle against a terrible disease. She was an angel on earth and now an angel forever.

Oddly enough, Ryan O'Neal was his best friend, he asked him to look out for her while he was away shooting a film. Well, he looked out for her okay.

[MichiganJ]

klondike wrote: (please, assume the smiley emoticons. I can't seem to place them where I intend.)

t would have been a lot more relevent had James Brown called to congratulate Michael on "his" moonwalk, as JB had been doing that "signature move" in concert for nearly 20 years himself

Huh, and I thought it was Marcel Marceau (that darn wind!) As Astaire's dancing on the ceiling in Royal Wedding was done first by Douglas Fairbanks Sr in When the Clouds Roll By, it's still Astaire's...

technically, "Never Can Say Goodbye" was a cover of an old Della Reese standard, which had been a popular-selling tune for her.

And Aretha's Respect is Otis Redding's. Are you gonna tell her? (While I don't have Della doing Never Can Say Goodbye, I do have the Issac Hayes version, which opens with a great, driving bass. And we'd be remiss in not mentioning Gloria Gaynor's version. Still think The Jackson 5 is the best, though.)

Pigmentation alteration is indeed possible...

I know little, nor really care about Jackson's skin color. My feeble attempt at the point was that, despite his obvious pasty (and grotesque) "new" look, I doubt he was trying to become "white". Maybe he was, but he seemed to embrace his blackness, at least early in his career, and should be credited for helping to break the color barriers in performance, music, MTV, etc.

In Michael's case, though there was only the one trial, there were multiple different allegations, involving multiple male children, stemming from alleged incidents in different years and in different homes owned by Jackson; in all those cases, indictments were overturned, and/or settlements were paid. During the course of his trial in the mid-90's, it was revealed that the acquittal rested in large part on MJ's attorneys' success in getting a large quantity of photos, phone tapes, correspondences & forensic medical tests ruled as inadmissable during trial on technicalities. Another example of a wealthy celebrity buying his/her way out of a felony.

After sitting on a jury on a rape/murder of an 88-year old woman, my assessment of our criminal justice system is pretty bleak. I did not follow either the OJ or Jackson trials (and it says something that Jackson's trial lasted months when "my" trial was a day and a half), and I know little about out of court settlements, etc. I'll take your word, but with one caveat, most settlements are closed, so we don't know the particulars (this may not be true for Jackson, again, I don't know), and we all know there are opportunists out there who bring lawsuits, etc, knowing that the case is bogus but too expensive and time-consuming so a settlement is the cheapest way to go. Jackson's penchant for sleeping with children is obviously troubling, and frankly flat out wrong. My sense, though (and this is only my conjecture, I have nothing to base it on) is that it was not in any way sexual. I always saw Jackson asexual.

No doubt, though, he was a greatly disturbed person, who, at least early on, was surrounded by sycophants. And perhaps he deserves all the suspicion and outright condemnation. I don't know.
My hope was that his come back would be part of an atonement, on both his and the public's part (let's face it, we adore building up icons, knocking them flat, and then "forgiving them" again), and who knows what direction pop music could have gone. At least we still have American Idol.

You weren't alone; just look at the lead article in the brand new issue of Rolling Stone

Haven't read Rolling Stone since they announced dropping their long-form journalism. Miss it, though.

See ya over at the Record party!

For months now my computer freezes when I try to join the record party. I have a new computer on my birthday list (late July), but, in the meantime, if you could spin something from The Seeds, I'd appreciate it.

[klondike]

For months now my computer freezes when I try to join the record party. I have a new computer on my birthday list (late July), but, in the meantime, if you could spin something from The Seeds, I'd appreciate it.

I'll give it my best shot, Bro!
[And you were right about Marcel & Aretha & Otis & Gloria . . man, how could I have neglected them, having mentioned anyone else at all? ]

[klondike]

Sorry, don't mean to double-post here, but -

Is this # 4, or #5? I've lost count for June!!

FAA -- Billy Wasn't Wearing a Seat Belt on Plane
Posted Jun 28th 2009 12:58PM by TMZ Staff

The FAA is already deflecting blame for the death of Billy Mays -- claiming the legendary TV pitchman wasn't wearing a seat belt when he took a shot to the head during a rough landing on a flight he was on yesterday.

Here's what we know -- Billy Mays was aboard US Airways Flight 1241 flying from Philadelphia, which landed roughly when the front tire blew out as it touched down. After the flight, Billy told FOX 13 in Tampa that something struck him in the head -- here's Billy's actual quote:

"All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."

We called the FAA for comment, and a spokesperson told us, "The passenger needs to wear a seat belt during landing and he didn't."

A spokesperson for US Airways did not want to comment until more information comes to light.

Billy posted about it last on his Twitter last night, saying, "Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air."

[charliechaplinfan]

Silentscreen, that's lovely what Lee Majors had to say about Farrah. I'm glad you posted that.

The papers and news are still full of Michael Jackson here. Seems everyone has something to say. I remember seeing hos interview with Martin Bashir when he admitted to sleeping with young boys, I think it was innocent, perhaps he was tryingto recapture his childhood with these boys. I don't really see him as a sexual predator, asexual is a good way to describe him.

I only hope that he has a dignified send off ang his famililes wishes are adhered too.

I just read the above report, I don't know the guy, he isn't famous here. From what I've read it sounds like he must have got off the flight and passed away later on, it sounds like he was a little negligent not having a safety belt on. Poor guy, RIP.

[klondike]

Personally, I suspect foul play, and consider the ShamWow guy to be the prime suspect, followed closely by the Aussie dude with the stick-up lights!!

[moira finnie]

Gale Storm, a Texas beauty who became an actress and singer, and was, by her own assessment, "the star of my own cornball B movie", has died at age 87. As an early television pioneer in several programs that are still repeated on television, Storm may be affectionately recalled as the center of “My Little Margie” with Charlie Farrell as her vexed father, seen below.

With Charles Farrell in "My Little Margie"

Ms. Storm, who made her debut in Tom Brown's Schooldays (1940) with no less than Sir Cedric Hardwicke in the cast, also went on to appear in some minor classics, of a kind. Among them were the proto-juvenile delinquency flick with a grown Jackie Cooper in Where Are Your Children? (1943) and several enjoyable Roy Rogers movies. Her own favorite film was a holiday movie with Don DeFore called It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947). This film, featuring a talented supporting cast including Ann Harding, Charlie Ruggles and Victor Moore is available on DVD.

The lady seemed to be a really good-natured person in her public appearances over the years. She wrote honestly about her struggles with being a working mother and, for a time, an active alcoholic. You can see veteran journalist Bob Thomas' obituary, one of many fully detailed obituaries for the actress, here.

[Ollie]

I certainly wish we could have our news inundated with Gale Storm coverage instead...

But, this just in from the "How Dumb Can I Be?" Department, I've been watching the Borzage box-set and enjoyed Charles Farrell. Then reading the tributes to Gale, and, "Hah - what a coincidence - a man who looks like he's 30-40 years older than Borgaze's Farrell was playing Gale's father - about 30-40 years older. How clever!"

Without even needing Wifey's rolling-pin, IMDB prompted me to realize, "Uh, SAME PERSON, idjut."

Oh well, this is the same thing I did with Barton MacLane, one of my favorite character actors, and coincidentally only enjoyed General Peterson from TV's I DREAM OF JEANNIE. Without connecting the two. Jeepers. No wonder I get so much abuse.

[charliechaplinfan]

My six year old daughter has just asked us who Michael Jackson is, seems everyone is talking about it at school, so it must be news even to six year olds. It struck me that she is the same age I was when Elvis died and I remember him dying but wasn't sure who he was. Thank heavens for youtube, we spent half an hour looking at his early career up to Thriller, it gave me a wake up call, I haven't been a fan for years but I had forgotten how good he was in his childhood and early adulthood. I think it is an awful shame how his life played out.