MJ's memorial
- Thread starter JennieR
- Start date
heartymax
Cathlete
I thought it was very nice and very well organized. It was nice to hear how he other people were touched by Michael....I loved the story Magic Johnson told about the fried chicken. Brook Shields was just awesome! I loved the ending with We are the World and Heal the World. The whole memorial was very nice. It was longer than expected.
princessbear
Cathlete
I didn't watch it and would rather have seen the memorial for the soldier that was killed the same day MJ died... THAT would have been worth watching! While I recognize that MJ did contribute alot to the musical world in his early years, he had come a LONG way from the talented musician he was to ..... God knows what he became. Just my two cents.
janie1234
Cathlete
Mary. I stayed away from the MJ posts for the same reason. Gosh I hope I don't get ripped to shreds for saying this. I grew up with his music. I totaly agree the man was talented but let us not forget that he was arested for child molestation charges (although never convicted) my guts were telling me that he did something that was not right with that little boy and as a mom my stomach just can't get over the thought of "what if that was my kid."
princessbear
Cathlete
I had no idea Brooke Shields was a good friend of his... I have a whole new way of looking at her now... I mean, do you think she let HER kids hang out with him unsupervised? I bet not! The whole MJ thing is just crazy ... and what about poor Farrah? Where was her memorial? She suffered (and NOT self-imposed suffering) and struggled and FOUGHT... and the poor soldier whose family is grief-stricken - a young life lost ... I wasn't sure if I should post my feelings, but I just feel like "enough about MJ"... what exactly DID he do for the world other than perhaps put out some great music and likely cause some physical, mental and emotional distress to who knows how many young boys?
judilicious
Active Member
Actually he raised more money than anyone else for charity. He also supposedly left 20% of his estate for various charities. That being said I also have issues with his child molestation charges. Something improper happened. But other than the first child, the parents shared as much of the blame as Michael. Imo they pimped their kids.
carres1973
Cathlete
*skipping past the negativity*
I thought it was very well done. I actually got choked up when his daughter spoke. It was a wonderful tribute to a man who brought joy to so many people's lives.
Carrie
Beavs
Cathlete
I did too. I can't imagine how hard it must be for those children in light of everything. However, it cannot be ignored that something wasn't kosher with the man. That is not negativity (although my calling him creepy was).
nspire
Cathlete
I really enjoyed the memorial. I grew up on MJ, loved his music, but he got kind of weird on us in the end. I guess alot would attribute to what his brother Marlon said about not being able to do the things we take for granted like going to the store. However, I think the way he was betrayed in the media was in no comparison to the people who truly knew him. His daughter clinched it for me.
idream
Cathlete
I thought the memorial was surprisingly good. Not the circus I was expecting. My views on MJ havn't changed however, after watching the memorial, but I am now a little saddened at his passing, (I've also watched live performance of him when he reunited with his brothers. He really was a fantastic dancer! I'd never really given him much a
"attention" before.)
BUT but and double but, The eldest boy sat chewing a great big gob of gum, throughout the memorial. I didn't see any tears from any of the children during the memorial. Maybe they were overwhelmed, maybe they are all cried out. And dare I type this next bit,? ..............Was Paris genuine? I just have a terrible "feeling" it was all a bit of an act. I have watched her speech many times over. Forgive me if I am wrong or have offended.
"attention" before.)
BUT but and double but, The eldest boy sat chewing a great big gob of gum, throughout the memorial. I didn't see any tears from any of the children during the memorial. Maybe they were overwhelmed, maybe they are all cried out. And dare I type this next bit,? ..............Was Paris genuine? I just have a terrible "feeling" it was all a bit of an act. I have watched her speech many times over. Forgive me if I am wrong or have offended.
DEEDEE2
Cathlete
I'm waiting for the 'Michael's not really dead but living in the Las Vegas desert with Elvis and Bruce Lee' type rumors to start.
morningstar
Cathlete
Arrested- yes. Convicted - no. Anyone can be accused of anything. If it's a celebrity, it becomes instantly public and people assume you are guilty just because someone made the accusation. Once accused, it is very difficult for the stigma to go away, even if they are found to be not guilty- and that's for everyone, not just celebrities. We have people that were wrongfully convicted in Canada, who were let out of prison because it was proved conclusively that they were innocent, and people still think they were guilty. People just assume that where there's smoke, there's fire and judge accordingly.
Celebrities have a giant target on their backs and are constantly having to defend themselves in civil court because of frivolous lawsuits brought by people seeking to exploit them. People settle lawsuits all the time, just to make them go away. And who can blame them?
I'm not saying that MJ didn't make some decisions that I wouldn't have made, but I didn't have his background, life, career, genes, talent, family, etc., to determine the person I became. Trust me, I have made my own HUGE mistakes, and I think they rival his in magnitude. But I'm not a celebrity, so no one cares about the stupid things I've done.
I loved Brooke Shields, Al Sharpton, Jermaine singing "Smile" and Magic Johnson. It was the first time we've seen his kids. It's amazing how much Paris looks like her mother.
JennieR
Cathlete
Thank you Moringstar for saying that. That's exactly what I wanted to say, but didn't know how to say it. Thankfully, you did it for me.
Jennifit
Cathlete
M. Jackson was a civil rights leader being the first Black American on Mtv. He led the way for people like Oprah and Tiger to become huge celebrities. He is also the Guinness Book of World record holder for giving the most to charities than any other celebrity. The whole "We are the World" hunger drive was the first of its kind...way before Feed the Children, Farm Aid, World Aid...etc. He really did a lot that most people don't know about. He was also the most recognized name in the WORLD. The biggest pop star in history.
jnka825
Cathlete
mixed feelings
I watched the memorial also. I grew up in the 80s and MJ was a huge part of my childhood. I actually had the MJ Thriller doll and the extra outfit (from Beat It video). i had teh MJ collectible cards (they were like baseball cards) I even had a scrapbook. On Saturday nights, my dad would put on the Thriller album (it was a record!) and we would all dance in teh den in our pajamas to the whole album. So MJ has a place in my heart no matter what. I find the whole child molestation charges perplexing and not sure how much is true or not. The first time, he settled out of court and some take that as an admission of guilt but I don't know if he would be willing to fight it all the way (he's a lover not a fighter). The second time he was acquitted. We'll never really know the truth, the whole truth.
I cried watching it. there were some very tearful moments. I do think it was a bit like a circus though. I know they are all grieving, but Latoya with her big hat and holding on to Paris, I think that was for camera time, she is such a media hog. I think the whole ticket concept made it circus-like too, and having it at the Staples Center, although after hearing his tour director I kind of got why they did it, I still think it would have been better in a place that was not like an arena. Just my opinion. Before the memorial, Joe Jackson was being interviewed and he started talking about his new company. . . uh, what? Are you kidding me? That is bizarre.
I still loved the music, I loved how John Mayer did Human Nature on his guitar, but didn't sing the lyrics. . . that moved me. I loved the eulogies, especially Brooke Shields and Magic Johnson, and Smokey Robinson.
Like I said, mixed feelings
I watched the memorial also. I grew up in the 80s and MJ was a huge part of my childhood. I actually had the MJ Thriller doll and the extra outfit (from Beat It video). i had teh MJ collectible cards (they were like baseball cards) I even had a scrapbook. On Saturday nights, my dad would put on the Thriller album (it was a record!) and we would all dance in teh den in our pajamas to the whole album. So MJ has a place in my heart no matter what. I find the whole child molestation charges perplexing and not sure how much is true or not. The first time, he settled out of court and some take that as an admission of guilt but I don't know if he would be willing to fight it all the way (he's a lover not a fighter
). The second time he was acquitted. We'll never really know the truth, the whole truth. I cried watching it. there were some very tearful moments. I do think it was a bit like a circus though. I know they are all grieving, but Latoya with her big hat and holding on to Paris, I think that was for camera time, she is such a media hog. I think the whole ticket concept made it circus-like too, and having it at the Staples Center, although after hearing his tour director I kind of got why they did it, I still think it would have been better in a place that was not like an arena. Just my opinion. Before the memorial, Joe Jackson was being interviewed and he started talking about his new company. . . uh, what? Are you kidding me? That is bizarre.
I still loved the music, I loved how John Mayer did Human Nature on his guitar, but didn't sing the lyrics. . . that moved me. I loved the eulogies, especially Brooke Shields and Magic Johnson, and Smokey Robinson.
Like I said, mixed feelings
ladysaraii
Cathlete
I felt her speech was very genuine and was touched by it. As far as the kids chewing gum and not crying, that's normal. When my cousin was killed in Afghanistan, I cried so much that by the time the funeral rolled around I was all cried out. Tried, couldn't muster up a tear. Grief doesn't always make an appearance b/c it's "suppposed" to.