1. De votat de jdămii de ori, cât se poa': msg.com, până la 1 februarie. În marea finală a concertelor de la Madison Square Garden sunt, pot spune de pe acum, concertele Led Zeppelin (1973), Michael Jackson (2001) şi Michael Jackson (1988). Se votează şi concertele deceniului (2000-2009, deşi numărătoarea se începe întotdeauna de la 1, deci ar fi trebuit să fie 2001-2010, dar nu contează) - pe locul al II-lea e Aguilera (6,9%), pe locul I este Michael Jackson (86,4%) - comentatorii îi acuză pe fanii lui MJ că folosesc votul automat. Nu toţi îl folosesc, aşa că să ne scutească; de pildă, eu nu-l folosesc - nici nu-l recomand, oricum se poate vota o dată pe zi - totul e să perseverezi şi să-i agiţi şi pe prieteni. Asta e, n-au decât să-l folosească şi ei. Se mai poate arunca o privire şi la colecţia de topuri (a anilor '70, '80, '90 şi mileniul ăsta).
2. Pentru că mâine, luni - 25 ianuarie 2010, se împlinesc şapte luni de la plecare şi s-ar cuveni, creştineşte vorbind, oarece slujbă sau pomană (că tot a rămas indecis faţă de vreo confesiune anume), avem la adresa www.beliefnet.com o rugă compusă special pentru Michael Jackson (şi neamurile lui):Prayer for Michael Jackson and the Jackson Family
Let us pray for Michael Jackson and all those who love him.
BY: Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
Dear God, Divine Spirit of love and compassion,
Please grace us with your loving presence,
As we take a moment to remember Michael Jackson.
The world has been stunned by the loss of one so young,
We grieve that life has come to an end for this great talent.
Many fans share this time of pain and sorrow,
As well as the sadness of this shocking end to an era.
Please help those who are suffering through this loss,
We ask, especially, that you uphold his family,
That you comfort his grieving mother,
And that you embrace his children,
Who now must go on without a parent.
May they find solace, somehow, in the love flowing forth for their father.
For all those who grieve, please bring peace in knowing that his spirit, his music, and his contribution will live on.
Dearest Creator, we pray,
Gently guide the soul of your son, Michael Jackson, back home.
Hold him close, renew him.
Enfold him in your divine grace.
May he be healed and made whole again.
He was a bright star but also led a sad life.
Please heal the hurtful parts and those who may have been hurt in some way.
As we remember his contributions and controversies,
As we listen to his music and watch his videos,
As we hear so many recount their memories of him,
Let us be thankful for all he has given us,
And let us hope for healing for all from the darker side of fame and fortune.
Amen.
3. Tot la adresa beliefnetului se găsesc teme tratate de Rabbi Shmuley, de alţii şi articolul lui Michael Jackson citat de multe ori aici, iar noi vom citi mai jos articolul lui Rabbi Shumely Boteach, "The Day Michael Jackson Told Me He Could Save Hitler" - titlul este ales oarecum comercial - să atragă atenţia adică, pentru că discuţia lui Michael Jackson cu Rabbi Shmuley a fost foarte logică şi chiar plină de miez. Numai un bou nu ar înţelege ce a vrut Jackson să spună:Michael Jackson's comparison of himself to Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the videotaped testimony that recently aired at his trial will strike some people as yet another example of a bizarre man's stunning flight from reality. But it would be unjust to single out Michael as a warped celebrity with delusions of grandeur when in reality such far-fetched self-appraisal is thoroughly in keeping with how American celebrities see themselves.Şi, malhereusement, acum nu mai continuă cu nimic. Poate doar cu imaginaţia noastră. Când l-am citit (ăhăt), era întreg. Hm!
That American celebrities see themselves as gods and messiahs explains why they can behave so crassly and experience no shame. This belief that he is different-more elevated, more sensitive-than ordinary folk, and thus not subject to rules of right and wrong led to the destruction of the life and career of Michael Jackson, a man who once had considerable good in him. If you thought he was having too much plastic surgery, well, as a mere earthling you could never understand the image needs of a superstar. And if you thought that sharing a bed with a child, however platonic, was disgusting, well, that too is because seeing it from your mortal vantage point could never enlighten you as to how the self-proclaimed `voice for the voiceless' sees it.
I shall never forget how, when I was close to Michael and still believed that his celebrity could be used for positive ends, we sat down to produce, for the purpose of publication, hours of conversations about what he saw in children. The conversations were fascinating-Michael is much smarter and more insightful than people would otherwise believe.
On one occasion, the conversation turned to evil historical figures who had had abusive parenting, which helped to explain why they had grown up to be monsters. Michael said that there is good in everyone, and that he believed he could reach it, as the following transcript shows:
4. Tot Rabbi Shmuley - care este, din câte ştiu, patronul site-ului, mai are un articol foarte interesant:Michael Jackson: Lost in a Cultural NeverlandInteresante articole (bănuiesc că sunt, de fapt, predici de folos la templu). Nasol e că nea Shmuley îl foloseşte pe MJ pe post de cărăuş sau ca agent de propagare a ideilor shmulistice ... ori shmuliene.
'Don't try to make him normal' I was told. 'He's famous because he's not normal.'
The tragic events of Michael Jackson's arrest, which have broken the heart of all like me who know him, are an indictment not just of a man, but of a culture. America is increasingly becoming the land of damaged celebrity. But who is to blame for the fall of so many "heroes"?
Many accuse Michael Jackson of living in a world of fantasy. But superstars live in a world not of their own creation, but of our creation. Our worship of celebrities has gone from a pastime to a devotion, from a form of recreation to a form of veneration, from entertainment to religion.
Detached as we are from G-d and estranged from lofty pursuits, we have invented new gods here on earth. Where once people were awed by the heavenly stars, today they prostrate themselves before movie stars. Where once man pondered the secrets of the Universe, we today seek to uncover the enigma of Michael Jackson. Is it surprising, then, that the objects of this worship begin to believe that they have a right to make up and live by their own rules, even when it becomes completely ruinous?
Many believe that it is drugs and failed relationships that spoil celebrities. But I have discovered that it is sycophantic friends who are the worst poison of all. When I was close to Michael between 1999 and 2001, I tried to convey to him that famous or not, he must incorporate the basic ingredients of a healthy life, and that among these are time spent with family, involvement with a spiritual community, and being prepared to take criticism.
When he mentioned to me that his greatest wish was to promote the welfare of children, I told him he could only do so if he attained a modicum of credibility. This meant never being alone with children who were not his, meeting and learning from respected child-development and education experts, and speaking at serious rather than sensationalistic events.sursa (întotdeauna trebuie indicată sursa): www.beliefnet.com.
5. Şi mai este un site (faină denumirea lui - căci îi defineşte scopul): Rotten Tomatoes. Acolo sunt puricate filme de toată mâna şi, prin urmare, şi ale lui MJ (nu ascund faptul că, deşi nu mă bucură, filmele lui nu-s prea bine cotate, în afară de This Is It - cotă 80%). Chiar el - ca actor de film are cam 33% cotă.
