Другите за него с думи

'Butterflies' Writers Talk About Working With Michael (November 2001)

Acording to an interview on Yahoo/Launch, Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart, (the songwriters who penned Michael's 'Butterflies'), were very surprised when the King of Pop invited them to visit the studio while he was recording the song and asked them for their input.

It was incredible because he asked, he continually, asked, 'Marsh, what's the next harmony? Girls, does this sound right? What do you think? Is this what you were looking for? He was so open," Stewart said.

Ambrosius adds,

To begin with, I was kinda shook. Because you don't realize how you're going to feel until you're put in that kind of situation. I had the tears in my eyes and got kinda nervous. But as I got into it, I realized it was work, it was a job. I had to vocally conduct a legend."

andeli написа:Michael Jackson was ready to perform 50 live shows before his tragic death, says Brit stage wizard Mark Cunniffe

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Това е хубаво, че е бил готов /било е страхотно за онзи момент, когато се подготвяше и му предстояха концертите.../ Но аз тотално се обърквам от споделеното от хората, които са работили с Майкъл, според едни е бил много добре, готов за 50-те концерта, според други е бил зле и е нямало да успее...Всъщност зависи точно за каква готовност става въпрос - професионална или здравословно състояние, може би не съм разбрала добре. Аз доколкото мога да разбера от думите на Mark Cunniffe той говори за пълна готовност като подготовка, форма, в професионален план, защото професионализма и перфекционизма си няма как да ги изгуби...Но пък те нещата са свързани, ако човек е добре здравословно ще бъде във форма и за цялото това натоварване ... Дълго стана, спирам. Боли...

Analyzing Michael Jackson: The genius behind the music

Was Michael Jackson a genius?

No doubt about it, according to experts who convened over the weekend at the Harold Washington Library Center to explore the topic.

For more than three uninterrupted hours, the Jackson aficionados played audio tracks, showed video, traded anecdotes and otherwise analyzed one of the most prolific careers in American music – albeit one cut short by the singer-songwriter's tragic death last year, at age 50.

With a throng of Jackson admirers queuing up an hour in advance on Friday night, the connoisseurs were preaching to the choir – and they did not shy away from the "g" word.

"He IS a genius," proclaimed reissues producer Harry Weinger, refusing to revert to past tense.

By way of proof, Weinger played tracks from early Jackson recordings – many still unreleased – drawing from Weinger's work on forthcoming Motown and Jackson 5 catalog reissues. In one excerpt after another, listeners heard Jackson as a child, singing with remarkable prodigiousness.

The most shattering cut was an a cappella version of "Never Can Say Goodbye," a pre-teen Jackson phrasing like a master. Without the benefits of instrumental or rhythmic support, Jackson easily keeps time, but he also finds ways to stretch it. He unerringly holds his pitch, until he decides to bend it, for expressive purposes.

The yearning intensity of Jackson's tone, the disarming "oohs" and "aahs" he improvises at key moments in the song, the silvery clarity of his high-pitched voice simply defy rational explanation. No one under 12 can sing with such craft, ardor and musical wisdom without the benefit of extraordinary gifts.

Jackson's talents, of course, eventually made him an object of adoration around the globe, the crushing attention perhaps explaining some idiosyncracies of his personality.

"The guy was painfully shy," said keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, who recorded and toured prolifically with Jackson.

"You may wonder, 'How could he be so shy?'" asked Phillinganes, pointing to a performer who appeared fearless on stage.

"If you were chased (by fans), and you had to run for your life, if that's what you experience from 11, you would be a little different, too."

The real Michael Jackson, explained Phillinganes, was the man who stood before the microphone – particularly in the recording studio – and let all that glorious music flow out of him, without qualm or inhibition.

When Jackson was recording "She's Out of My Life," with Phillinganes on keyboard, they kept reworking and refining the performance, the pianist remembered.

"And at the end of every take, he'd cry," said Phillinganes. "And it was real."

All the panelists in the symposium, which was organized by the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago, concurred that Jackson was thoroughly "hands-on" in recording sessions.

Though he didn't play instruments – with the exception of a rare turn on drums – he routinely "would sing percussion parts and bass lines" and other musical details, recalled singer Siedah Garrett, who wrote "Man in the Mirror" with Jackson and duetted with him on the single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You."

Yet for all Jackson's involvement with musical and production aspects of his recordings, he often would playfully wreak havoc in the midst of sessions.

"Michael would make it his business to make other artists mess up," recalled Garrett, with a laugh. "He would sing his part. Then when I would sing my part, he would throw peanuts or something at me.

"And Q (producer Quincy Jones) would say (to Garrett), 'You're wasting studio time!' "

The cumulative effect of all these insider recollections and newly unearthed recordings proved quite moving, especially to those in the audience who already revered Jackson.

"You gave me the soundtrack to my life," one observer told those on the stage, a lineup that included Jackson drummer Ricky Lawson and former record executive Ed Eckstein.

Toward the end of the evening, 79-year-old Oscar Walden Jr., a Chicago TV and radio producer, got up from his seat in the crowd and, leaning on his cane, prepared to read a poem he had written for Jackson.

"I love Michael," he told the crowd, which fell to a hush.

"He was a genius."

andeli написа:Toward the end of the evening, 79-year-old Oscar Walden Jr., a Chicago TV and radio producer, got up from his seat in the crowd and, leaning on his cane, prepared to read a poem he had written for Jackson.

"I love Michael," he told the crowd, which fell to a hush.

"He was a genius."

С цялото ми уважение пред възрастта му и пред професионализма на 79-year-old Oscar Walden Jr., мога само да "стана на крака" и да аплодирам истинското възприятие на Майкъл, на неговия гений.
"Болезнено срамежлив", а в същото време гений...Сложна личност - пред 75000 души е себе си, във вихъра си на сцената, самия той, а в близък контакт с един, двама или няколко души е срамежлив до болка...Живота му почти започна на сцената, премина там, той живя за сцената и за децата, за планетата, за феновете, нормално е там да бъде изцяло освободен и отдаден, но как сцената не го промени в личното общуване, в живота му? Защо не му даде достатъчна освободеност и в реалния живот? А казват, че славата и парите променяли човека - НЕ, аз казвам, че зависи от ЧОВЕКА, а не от това колко пари и слава е натрупал!

With his guerrilla-filmmaking aesthetic and a black book that a "Surreal Life" casting director would kill for (Anna Nicole Smith, Evan Marriott and Christopher Knight are friends/collaborators), Bryan Michael Stoller takes pride in his Roger Corman-esque movies whose end credits read like back issues of "The National Enquirer."

So when Stoller needed to fill a pivotal role in his latest opus, he simply sent out a request to one of the world's most recognizable creative artists. By fax.

"We don't do e-mail. I don't even think he knows how to use e-mail," Stoller recently revealed while discussing his mega-famous friend. "It's all fax."

And who is Stoller's technology-impaired comrade? None other than Michael Jackson. Jacko co-stars in Stoller's B-movie epic, "Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls," and after two decades of standing by the legendary musician through all of his highs and lows, the director couldn't be more proud of their friendship.

"What makes it funny is, you have the Pope introducing Michael Jackson," Stoller marveled over a typically zany scene from his "Airplane!"-like spoof, recently released on DVD after a year or so of festival screenings (and a TV premiere in Russia). "It's just a silly movie; I didn't plan on [bringing about] world peace with this film. Here's Michael Jackson and Eric Roberts and Joe Millionaire in the same film, with quirky special effects."

"Miss Cast Away" begins with a plane full of beauty contestants crash-landing on a deserted island. Captain Maximus Powers (Roberts) and co-pilot Mike Saunders (Charlie Schlatter, from "Police Academy 7") have to pacify their curvaceous passengers while avoiding such threats as Jurassic Pork (an enormous prehistoric pig) and a collection of surly apes building an ark that would make Noah proud.

The pop superstar, meanwhile, appears as "Agent M.J.," a shadowy figure collaborating with the Vatican — right, the Vatican — to manipulate the shipwrecked crew.

"Michael was excited about it because, as most people know, he did a 30-second cameo in 'Men in Black II' where he wanted to be an agent, and they wouldn't let him, so that was the joke," Stoller said of the idea behind Jackson's sage-like presence, which he describes as an "Obi-Wan Kenobi character."

To shoot Jackson's scenes, Stoller was granted rare access to the Neverland Ranch; the eccentricities of the singer, however, presented challenges for which no film school could have prepared his crew.

"It's his home. It's all normal to him that there's a train running around the property tooting its horn," the director recalled of a noisy interruption that appears among the DVD's bonus features. "[Another time] his staff brought us soup, so we were sipping soup and talking, and these two elephants walk by outside. Michael's continuing to sip his soup like a fly flew by, and I turn to Michael and look at him and he's not even acknowledging the elephants. He looked at me and laughed.

"I didn't think of it until we were actually shooting; I didn't anticipate that we were going to shoot somewhere and there was going to be trains and elephants."

While Jackson's participation in "Cast Away" may come as a surprise to some, the moonwalker has frequently expressed a flirtation with filmmaking, from a performance in "The Wiz" to his groundbreaking mini-movie video for "Thriller."

"If you go to one of the buildings in Neverland Ranch, he's got, like, a miniature Blockbuster; he buys every DVD and VHS copy of every movie that comes out," Stoller said. "He's also a huge film buff; he almost wants to make movies more than he wants to make music now."
During Jackson's recent trial, Stoller comforted his friend with a screening of a classic.

"His favorite movie is 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' " the director said. "He has an actual 35-millimeter print of the movie. We watched it together once and, you know, he was into serious pieces.

"I said to him one day, 'You're living 'To Kill a Mockingbird' right now,' " Stoller remembered. "It was all about a black man who was on trial. And [both Jackson and the character in the film] were innocent. It was just really weird that that was his favorite film even before these allegations happened. The trial was kind of a modern version of 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'"

When Jackson was acquitted, Stoller once again utilized their preferred means of communication.

"The first thing I did was, I faxed him a piece of paper, and all it had on it was a happy face with a thumbs up," he remembered.

Stoller and Jackson became friends in the mid-1980s, when the director made a short film spoofing one of the singer's Pepsi commercials. "Miss Cast Away" marks the duo's first collaboration after two decades of talking about movies and, according to the director, it's just the beginning.

"We were sitting in his theater — this was probably '99 or 2000," Stoller said. "He handed me this book, 'They Cage the Animals at Night,' and said he'd been wanting to turn it into a movie and thought I'd be the perfect co-director for it.

"I submitted the book to Mel Gibson's Icon Productions, and Gibson actually liked the book a lot," he continued, saying that the threesome almost made the film in 2002. "I spoke with Mel and he wanted to meet Michael. They had never met personally; I set up a meeting between the three of us. It was pretty interesting: Here I am, a country boy from Canada, introducing Mel Gibson to Michael Jackson. We sat for three hours."

Although Gibson's company has since severed ties with the project, Jackson recently informed Stoller that he intends to make the film now that the trial is behind him.

"It's a true story of ['Cage' author Jennings Michael Burch] in the late '40s, growing up in orphanages, and how rough a time he had. He had no real friends — all he had was stuffed animals. Michael really relates to it because Michael feels that he grew up like an orphan; he wasn't imprisoned in an orphanage, but he was pretty much imprisoned in hotel rooms by his father, and Michael said he used to stare outside at the kids playing basketball or doing normal kid things."

Thus, perhaps the most famous pop-culture figure of the last quarter-century and his B-moviemaking partner are currently shopping "Cage" around Hollywood, and have even discussed financing the film independently. With Stoller insisting that he will continue to stand by his controversial friend, there might just be more thumbs-up faxes yet to come. Providing, of course, that they can convince the elephants to stay out of frame.

http://twitpic.com/photos/MJJPhotos
Слагам го тук. Има неща които ги знаем , но има и новички.

^ Мерси. Хубаво е да си е подреденичко.

My day with Michael
June 28, 2009 | Boca Raton, Florida



Разказ на стоматолог RandyUF.

It was an unbelievable experience that was surreal. I spent a day with Michael that has always been special and memorable, but now is sacred. It was 2004 and Michael was in need of dental care. He introduced himself as if he was an ordinary guy that I had never heard of. Soft spoken, gentle, and kind, talked highly of his family and had the utmost appreciation for what I was doing for him. He signed autographs, took pictures with us, and even sang. A private concert that I get to replay in my mind selfishly. The effect he had on everyone in the room was intense, and even more meaningful now. It was a privilege to have met him and I only hope he knew the way he touched our lives forever. There will never be another person as gifted as Michael in both music and life.

Стих, посветен на Майкъл от ravez:

MJ is no more (((((

How best to give you tribute,
oh my King of Pop.
May I praise your melodious voice
or your feet that never stopped.

Showing us a whole new way,
to express our prayers and fears.
You brought us all happiness,
even when you were in tears.

You gave meaning and purpose,
to the last three generations,
fittingly then you are mourned
by all of the world's nations.

How best to give you tribute,
my glorious King of Pop,
May humanity forever listen to your voice.
May your music never stop.

RIP MJ. We shall never forget you ((((

I recently heard of this interview airing and decided to get more information about it on Oprah's website. This is when I stumbled across this discussion and decided to share my story. I was diagnosed with a rare form of child bone cancer in 2000 at the age of fifteen. I was to start chemo therapy in August of that year. Not many people know this but Michael opened up Neverland several times each year for anyone to come and enjoy the park. Everything was free. Rides, games, food. A friend of mine who was a regular at Neverland called me one night and told me the park was going to be open for two weeks at the beginning of August that year. I asked my parents if they would take me the week before I was scheduled to start chemo. My doctors all advised against saying they feared I was too weak but I eventually talked my parents in to it. We had to drive what seemed like several miles after we went through the front gates of Neverland to get to where the actual park was with the rides. As we were driving down the winding road something came over me that I can't explain to this day. It was almost a feeling of peace.

When my family and I stepped out of the car we weren't sure if we should check in with someone or really what to do. A man finally walked over to us and introduced himself and then explained to my parents how everything worked. We signed in with our names and other information and were given matching wrist bands and told we could ride anything we wanted, eat anything we wanted, play any of the games, etc. The man mentioned that on occasion Michael would come outside and say hello to everyone there. My parents thanked the man and within minutes I was at the top of the ferris wheel with my Dad. We rode it three times in a row and then it was on to the swings. We rode the rides for hours before getting in line to get some cotton candy and popcorn. As we sat down at a table with our snacks we noticed a crowd of children running all in one direction. I stood up on the seat of the table we were at but couldn't see anything. Several minutes later the crowd began moving towards us and it was then that I saw Michael. Standing under a huge umbrella and laughing as children were pulling at his arms, legs, and hugging him.

My Mom then grabbed my hand and we made our way over to him. We introduced ourselves and my Mom told him what a wonderful time we were having. She then told him about my cancer and that I would be starting chemo the next week. When she said that Michael put one hand on my head and said, "God Bless you." When he touched me I felt the same feeling of peace and comfort that I did as I had when we drove through the gates of Neverland. He stood there and talked to us for a couple more minutes and then he left. I continued riding rides with my family and the other children but I couldn't stop thinking about meeting him. As we were leaving that night the man who we spoke to when we arrived stopped my dad and handed him a note. The note was from Michael and it was inviting the three of us to have dinner with him. Without hesitation my Dad accepted the invitation and the man then directed us to through another gate which led to the main house. I was surprised once we were in front of the house. I expected it to be this huge mansion but it wasn't. It wasn't small but it certainly wasn't huge. Several people who worked for him greeted us when we pulled up outside. We had dinner with Michael and his children that night and to this day it was the best night of my life. After dinner he asked my parents if it would be ok if he prayed with us and of course they said yes. I had never and still to this day have never heard anyone pray the way he did. At fifteen years old it made me cry.

After he finished praying I opened my eyes and looked to each of my parents who were in tears as well. Michael was gracious enough to give us a tour of some of the things were weren't able to see earlier in the day. He showed us the arcade and the movie theater. The movie theater at Neverland was not your typical theater. Not only were there seats like a real theater, there were also beds for the children who were too sick to sit up. After showing us around we said goodbye to Michael and thanked him for everything. Imagine my Mother's surprise when she received a call from him several days later! We assumed he had obtained our number from the sign in sheet that we filled out upon arriving at Neverland. He asked her how I was doing and she told him I would begin chemo on Monday. He then gave her a number in which to reach him directly and asked her to please call him and let him know how I was doing around the middle of the week. She agreed. I went that Monday morning to the hospital prepared to begin chemo. When the doctor walked in the room he asked both of my parents to sit down. The three of us feared he was going to say the cancer had spread. They had run blood work and some more scans on me two days prior which is typical prior to beginning treatment.

When the doctor began to speak he looked at my parents and said, "I don't know how to tell you this. I don't know how to explain this but Danielle no longer has cancer. There are no signs of it on any of the scans we just took." My Mom, my Dad, and I sat there and just stared at him and finally my Mom burst in to tears. We left the hospital and the first thing my Mom did when we got home was call Michael. I was embarrassed because she was crying on the phone but then she handed the phone to me to speak to him and it was obvious he had been crying as well. Through the years Michael remained in touch with my family and would call us several times a year on the phone to say hello. He would sometimes send us gifts and cards. I have been cancer free for ten years now. I can't explain what happened when I went to Neverland. It's defies explanation. I want people to know that I am not the only one who visited Neverland very sick only to become well after my visit. There are hundreds, if not thousands of us. Our stories were never made public because Michael didn't want that. He was a wonderful man. I have never met anyone who cared so deeply about not just children but people in general.

INFO: Patrick Treacy, is a cosmetic doctor and humanitarian from Dublin, Ireland,

“I first met Michael after his Santa Maria trial when he was living in Ireland (2006-2007),” said Treacy. "Michael had approached Treacy hoping he would take him on as a patient while there, to help him manage his dermatological conditions. From there, a professional relationship, as well as a friendship, blossomed."

Patrick Treacy did an interview on a radio show called "A Place In Your Heart" with Rev. Catherine Gross that Aired on September 24, 2010. So I'm a little late with this but, I just heard the interview and thought it was important info and wanted to share for those who may not have known this info?

The show was dedicated to the "Reflections on The Dance" website and the one who made the site and why she did it! During the interview Dr. Patrick Treacy phoned in! He wrote an article for the "Reflection on the dance" website about MJ and has talk through emails to the site maker!

He shared information about his experience with MJ and Propofol saying he was in the same situation with MJ and Propofol! He said MJ refused to used Propofol without a anesthetist and he has good evidence of this (graphic evidence!) The months that MJ was in Ireland and was friends with him he wrote one or two prescriptions for MJ that were for minor things like colds! None were for insomnia! He never seen drugs in MJ's home, always seen MJ in his full mental state and never sluggish!

He expresses his agreement with the opinion of the owner of the radio show about how she thinks Murray did this on purpose leaving MJ alone to die! He shares that he might be called as a witness so he can't share a lot on the show and would testify to defend MJ in court! He can not believe MJ would do this to himself knowing MJ refuse things such as Propofol with out proper care in the past and doesn't think in two yrs MJ would all of a sudden changed his opinion on that!

He says that where he lives he too been offered 5 to 6 figures to sell Michael out in the media just like others have, <_< he refused of course and said there isn't anything bad to say about MJ anyway! He makes a point that this doesn't happen in just America! He says he fears the trial cause he knows they will make MJ out to be a addict when he wasn't!

I truly hope Dr. Treacy is definitely called as a witness after hearing this info!

He also shares how MJ was a good, caring and funny person! Very talented and was good at playing guitar and piano and how knowledgeable and smart about many things MJ was that would surprise him! Things that he didn't even know about! lol

from the same thread posted by StephluvsMJ http://www.blogtalkradio.com/a-place-in-your-heart/2010/10/15/dr-patrick...

Quote
Dr Treacy also mentioned in a different interview that during Michael stay in Ireland, he had undergone a surgical procedure... MJ was in quite a bit of pain afterwards, and the doctor had offered him something to help ease the pain, and Michael flat-out refused it. He spent the rest of the recovery period putting up with the pain without taking any medication at all. He said it's hard to believe that in a two year period, Michael had gone from making up any excuse he could find NOT to take medication that he NEEDED, to pretty much accepting this dangerous drug that he didn't need, from doctor that was not qualified to give it to him.

posted by bluetopez

Quote
I Just finished hearing the interview and yes the Dr. Said MJ had a procedure done and it was on his nose! He went to MJ house after MJ had it done and MJ didn't want anything for the pain! He just sorta ran around the room sorta covering his face and saying "it hurts", "it burns!" He said something about MJ wanting to get the bridge of his nose extended!

If I'm not mistaken we heard rumors before that MJ got his nose fixed to look better? So it could be that the Dr. was talking about? Because MJ nose did look much more....what's the word?.... Thicker/bigger then previous times? If It's okay for me to say that here? Don't want to offend or be disrespectful but, it was part of the covo so I say it to try to understand why?!

He also mentions that MJ did use Propofol before while in his presents but, won't say for what the procedure it was used for!? And didn't want to say any other procedure MJ had with them!?

But, he said it was never used without a anesthetist and MJ wouldn't used any sedative like that without an anesthetist present!

So, yea same thing as before just a little more detailed and he feels this info will come into trial and that's why he won't say to much!

Винаги се намира нещо, което да ни накара да се завъртим на 180 градуса.

TOMMY MOTTOLA'S WIFE TALKS ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON FEUD

Thalia, Mottola's wife, was on a Latin American show talking about Michael since the show was a tribute and many Latin artists were invited to talk about Michael's influence in the Latin community. She said that, way before she was Tommy's wife, she was a huge fan. She said that she went to his Dangerous Tour 92' when he went to Mexico and that he was the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

They started asking her simple questions like her favorite song, and favorite outfits and things like that. But then, the reporter couldn't hold it any longer and asked her about the Michael/Mottola Feud.

She was very classy about the entire situation, and she answered every single question asked.
They asked her if the Feud continued up until the day of his death?

... She replied... "First of all, the fued did not continue with Tommy till the day of his death. Tommy is no longer President of Sony and if Michael had any difference with Sony, it was the company itself. Because Tommy left 2 years after Invincible. Michael and Tommy were on better terms.

... She then added.... "The fued ended a few weeks before I married Tommy. Tommy knew I was such a big fan of Michael, and I told him it was dispicable of him to have this ongoing problem with Michael."

"And with that, Tommy inivited him to our home. At first, Michael declined the invitation, but then he said yes because I asked him personally. Once he arrived to our home, he began to walk around the house and look at all the pictures. Tommy had gone out and I was the hostess for Michael until Tommy got home. I was so nervous, but I tried to keep it casual, I didn't want him to think I was a crazy fan. He looked at the pictures quietly and then saw one of myself with a white rose on my ear. He picked it up and smiled at it and told me that I looked beautiful. I started shaking."
... She continued... "After about an hour, Tommy and Michael began to talk to each other when Tommy got home. I told Tommy personally, a day before, for him to apologize and that's exactly what he did. Michael hesitated, but he accepted his apology like a true gentleman. Micheal has such a beautiful soul. And after this, I handed Michael an invitation to our wedding with Tommy. But, he looked at it and quickly said he wouldn't be able to make it and said thank you anyways."
At the end, she spoke about her wedding day and she said that that entire night was amazing. They had several parties, but the last reception was at Mottola's house.

Thalia was greeting her guests as she then noticed a bunch of "big black suits" coming through the door and in between them, was Michael. She said she was so happy, that she felt her stomach drop. Michael walked up to her, congratulated her, and gave her a small yellow box with a white ribbon on it. She said her eyes were glowing. And when she opened the box, it was a white rose.

He said, "Like in the picture."

She said she would never forget that day and she feels blessed to have met him on a personal account.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001391/board/thread/175032399

Среща Талия и Майкъл през 1994 година.

Олелеееееееееееееееее!!!! Само снимка съм виждала на това!
Как има такива късметлийки на светааа!!!!


Между другото е странно. Това е Талия, певицата, която по-късно стана съпруга на Томи Мотола.

Céline Lavail first crossed Michael Jackson’s path in 1996 while the superstar was staying in Monte Carlo, but it was only two years later that Michael, particularly touched by one of her creations, commissioned a first piece for his private collection. This was the beginning of a collaboration that gave birth to several commissioned portraits of the star : "Peter Pan", "Inspiration", "Archangel", "Allegory" and "Scared of the Moon".

"Mad Hatter", the very last piece produced for Michael Jackson that was meant to be delivered to him during the Summer of 2009 will be auctioned in early 2010 within the frame of "The Official Michael Jackson Opus" charity auctions.

Most of the pieces that Céline Lavail created for Michael Jackson are featured in the luxurious publication "The Official Michael Jackson Opus" (Kraken Opus Ed.). The Opus features tributes to the star by those who new him best, worked with him and those inspired by his work including Reverend Jesse Jackson, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Paula Abdul, John Landis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jimmy Jam, Spike Lee, Teddy Riley, Jane Fonda and many more.


Celine's story

"I was only 17 years old when I first met Michael Jackson. It was 1996 and he was staying in Monte Carlo for a few days. I’d always been a fan of his music and I’d heard he was also a massive art lover. At that time I used to draw and sketch a lot as a hobby. My plan was to go to his hotel and give some of my pictures to his security staff in the hope that they would reach him in some way. When I got there with the pictures, the security guards handed them to a member of his staff.

Amazingly, I was told that Michael wanted to see me. I couldn’t believe it. I was shaking. Thank god I had the drawings — if the worst came to the worst, I could always hide behind them. Suddenly I was being ushered up to his suite, by now terrified. As I entered the room — surrounded by his aides, people in suits — Michael was just standing there, welcoming me with a big smile. That relaxed me a little, but I knew things would be difficult because my English was not so good. I lived in Perpignan in France at the time, a town near the Spanish border, but I had only learned some of the language at school. “I’ve done something for you,” I said. He stared at my pictures. I’d brought five or six sketches, they were rough but I was pleased with them. “You study art?” he said. I told him that I didn’t and this caused the most unusual reaction: he started clapping. “You’ve got a gift,” he said. “It comes from God, you have to cherish this gift and feed it. Please keep on creating, I want to see more.” I felt proud and embarrassed at the same time. It was such a surreal experience. As I walked out of the suite, one member of his staff handed me a piece of paper. On it was the name of Michael’s assistant with a telephone number. I was told that “Mr Jackson would love to see more art,” and I walked away from the hotel, my head spinning, lost for words.

Almost immediately, I started sending sketches to Los Angeles without knowing exactly if they would eventually end up in Michael’s hands. I soon found out that they were getting through: I would sometimes get feedback from him or suggestions. I would ask Michael for hints. I wanted to know what I should work on and his answers varied from a single word like “royalty”, or a very precise scene he wanted to see. Most of all, he said, he wanted me to pull from my guts and be creative. He even called one day. The phone rang and a voice enquired, “Celine?” I recognised him straightaway, but I couldn’t believe it. Michael Jackson, the man who made Thriller, the dancer who moonwalked at the Motown 25 show, had called me. Still it was hard to match that person to the voice because he was so humble and normal. I had sent him some sketches of Peter Pan and he told me he loved them. I’d been drawing other Disney characters for him, but he told me to be “more creative.”

“You’ve got imagination, I know it,” he said. “Do something that has never been done before.”

He told me several times to study and to be inspired by the great artists. I was astonished when I realised how knowledgeable he was when it came to classic art. He told me about Michelangelo, Delacroix, Leonardo Da Vinci and Nicolas Poussin. We talked about modern popular illustrators such as Norman Rockwell or Scott Gustafson. In his hotel room there were often piles of art books. He was very fond of the figurative style and enjoyed everything related to fantasy. Following his advice I paced up and down most of Paris’ museums, staring at the work of all the greatest masters and worked hard to improve my craft.

By 1999, I decided it was time to show Michael the new piece I’d been working on: a portrait of him as Peter Pan. I knew he would love it, he was so fond of the Disney character. He was staying at the Ritz in Paris so I arranged a visit. When he saw the picture, he opened his eyes wide and hugged me really hard. “I love Peter Pan,” he laughed. “I am Peter Pan!”. That wasn’t all. Michael was about to commission an artwork from me. He pointed to the delicate mouldings on the walls that represented cherubs and softly explained the exact scene he had in mind: “Babies are adoring me with love and affection, which represent peace, love and harmony of all races,” he said. This artwork would later be named Inspiration.

During the creative process of this piece I occasionally received instructions from Michael’s part, asking me to add or remove details in the composition. In the picture, Michael is pictured reaching for the finger of a cherub who is Prince, his first son. When he finally found out about this “detail” he seemed happy. He believed I’d been inspired by Michelangelo’s Creation Of Adam. At first, this painting was hung in Neverland. Later it would be reproduced on the carts that were used to drive around the ranch, though I don’t know where they are now. Overall, I think he had five paintings of mine, plus a jacket I made for him and a book.

Looking back, one moment summed up our collaboration. I remember that Michael loved the fact that Michelangelo — one of his favourite artists — had inspired generations of others. His great achievements were still widely acknowledged centuries after his death. One day, I had a very interesting discussion with him about the power of art and the way it can transcend life, space and races. At the end of our meeting, Michael handed me a piece of paper. On it was written, “I know the creator will go, but his work survives, that is why to escape death I attempt to bind my soul to my work.” He looked at me. “Michelangelo said this,” he explained, though in hindsight, it’s probably a perfect way with which to describe Michael Jackson’s life".

http://www.celine-lavail.com/en/portfolio.php

After hearing the heartbreaking statements given last week I felt compelled to re-watch " This is It . " Feeling more in control of my emotions fueled by the anger at some of what has at last been disclosed in Court last week, I felt the need to view, what would undoubtedly have been a " Spectacular and Unsurpassable " Comeback for Michael.
Knowing now, the personal torment he was in living under in the care of a " Doctor " that was essentially acting as a " Pusher " made me keep asking myself - WHY?? Why, did the Crew, the Musicians, the Lighting and Camera technicians not ask more questions, How could they be SO blind to Michael's blatant fragility?? If Gag orders were indeed in place, this only makes this whole situation even more appalling. It has been the Dream of Millions Worldwide to work alongside Michael but by remaining SILENT they lost that Dream and we in turn lost Michael. As Karen Faye poignantly stated - " No one was paying attention.... " Michael was under enormous pressure to rehearse when he was clearly unwell, re-iterated by Ortega, yet was threatened by Phillips that schedules needed to be kept. In hindsight - seeing the situation, had the " entire " Production Team and Cast made a stand in Michaels defence, would or could that have saved his life?
As we all know only too well, there is more Power in Numbers and Unity. AEG would have had MORE of a fight on their hands.
No doubt there will be more leaked " stories " relating to the Rehearsals. Sadly they will have been told too late......
God Bless you Michael - You have been judged like No Other and for that You are Mankinds Personal Shame. You experienced Bullying on a Global Scale. You have left footprints where You have never been, You took Us to places we have never been and You showed us places we have never seen before..... You lived the Dream of Life.

...

Woman recalls 1984 meeting with Michael Jackson


When Ladonna Jones thinks about the King of Pop, she can't help but remember The Kiss

"People ask: 'Did he really kiss you on the cheek or did he give you a peck?' " she said. "He kissed me. He planted his lips on my cheek."



In July 1984, Ladonna, then 11, received national attention after she wrote a letter complaining about the way tickets for the Jacksons' Victory Tour were sold. The Lewisville girl worked hard to scrape together enough cash to buy a $30 ticket for a Texas Stadium performance, only to find out tickets had to be purchased in groups of four.



Jackson heard about the letter and mentioned her name during a press conference. Ladonna received free tickets to see the concert. She met him backstage, where he kissed her

Twenty-five years later, as she reflects on the concert, and Jackson's death Thursday, Jones says her idol is now at peace.



"I'm relieved he will be happy and he won't have to go through all the scrutiny he's gone through," Jones, 36, of Highland Village said Sunday. "No one will ever come close to matching what he did, not just musically. He changed the world. He helped so many people.



"Who today could die and have the impact that Michael Jackson has had?"



But it was Jones herself who made quite the impression on Jackson – and attracted intense media attention.



Jones did chores for neighbors and baby-sat to save enough money for a concert ticket. But when she learned that you couldn't buy just one ticket, she penned a letter to Jackson and mailed it to The Dallas Morning News. It ran in the paper

"Dear Michael," she wrote. "I've always believed you to be a person of feeling up until now. I'm so disappointed in you. How could you of all people be so selfish? Is your appearance here in Texas Stadium only for the rich?"



A few days later, Jackson announced he would donate concert tour money to charity and asked that the ticket-distribution policy be eliminated.



"The other day I got a letter from a girl in Texas named Ladonna Jones," Jackson said.



The News ran a front-page story with the headline: "Yes, Ladonna, dreams really do come true." She was featured in newspaper and television reports nationwide.



But Jones was a shy girl, so she wasn't thrilled with the media coverage. She said she didn't want to be famous

Jones received four tickets to a Jacksons performance, a limo ride to Texas Stadium and clothing to wear at the show. She wore a jacket with red pinstripes and a shirt featuring the face of her hero.



Backstage, Jones met Jackson.



"His hands were so big," she said. "That's what stuck out."



He told her he liked her shirt. He asked her if she liked his music. ("Of course," she told him.)



He autographed an album: "Love, Michael Jackson 1998." (She never figured out why he wrote 1998.)

After the kiss, she was floating.



"I'm going to die," she recalled thinking as she headed back to her seat. "It felt like my legs were going to give out. It was so weird."



When she sat down, people wanted her autograph.



"Here I am, 11 years old, barely learning cursive, and I'm trying to give autographs."



Jones said she feels blessed to have had the chance to meet the pop star and talk with him.



"Nothing in life tops that moment," she said. "Nothing comes close."



Source: Dallas News

About six months ago, Michael Jackson sent word through a common friend inviting Ashok Amritraj, the high profile independent Hollywood producer, to meet with him at the Venetian Resort Hotel in Las Vegas.

"I was thrilled and intrigued by the invitation," says Amritraj, who had never met Jackson before. Though he knew that Jackson wanted to discuss movie projects with him, Amritraj was still wondering what they would be. And he was, of course, thrilled to meet the entertainer he had admired for more than three decades.

"I had watched the Jackson Five perform in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace more than three decades ago," Amritraj recalled. "The images from the concerts are etched in my mind."

A former international tennis champion, Amritraj has produced or co-produced over 100 films in the past three decades, some with big Hollywood artistes. They include Sandra Bullock's Premonition, Steve Martin's Bringing Down The House, and Bruce Willis-Cate Blanchett's Bandits. "The first time I attend the Oscar ceremony, ET was competing against Gandhi," Amritraj continued. "You know, Jackson had contributed music for ET."

At their Las Vegas encounter, Amritraj says he met with a man who seemed ready for a spectacular comeback. "He told me he was also thinking of producing films and wanted to be a partner in those ventures," Amritraj said. But he also warned Amritraj that he was not going into film production immediately.

"He was looking ahead of the concerts," Amritraj said. "Naturally, the comeback concerts were foremost on his thoughts but he was feeling very confident of launching films and related projects."

Jackson said, Amritraj recalled, "I must first get my musical career up."

The sudden death of the icon stirred his emotions as it did with millions of fans across the world. "I am a big fan too," Amritraj continued. "Michael Jackson's rise was spectacular and what he was doing two decades ago was showing way to people of colour that they could cross the barriers and be accepted in the mainstream, like Sidney Poitier did before him, and many including Barack Obama would later."

When Amritraj ventured into filmmaking with projects like School Spirit, he got a lot of encouragement from Poitier, who remains a dear friend.

Over the years, people from minority cultures and foreign countries -- who were breaking into Hollywood -- looked up to pioneers including Jews such as Billy Wilder who fled Austria and Germany in the 1930s and established themselves in a very different but highly challenging milieu.

Michael Jackson was born and raised in America. But he was growing up in an era during which African Americans were fighting fiercely against deep entrenched discrimination.

"Somehow Jackson was able to connect with people of various background," Amritraj said. "It wasn't just great music and dance. It was great music and fabulous movements.

"When I began making films in Hollywood, I had changed my career," he continued. "I knew I was in a town where mistakes were not easily forgiven. I knew I came from a country that had just a handful of its people in Hollywood. So I look around and who are the people who inspired me? Sidney Poitier, the Jackson Five and Michael Jackson in particular."

During their lunch and subsequent meeting, Jackson also asked Amritraj about his early days in Hollywood and how he had found a place in the highly competitive tinsel town.

"He was not only a gracious host," Amritraj continued, "but he was also someone who was interested in you as a person."

Amritraj was in Chennai visiting the Velankanni shrine when he received text message that Jackson was died. "You think of so many things when you hear the news," Amritraj said. "You think of your own life and how life can be short for anyone. I am 53 but how many of us know what is going to happen to us today or day after tomorrow?"

How would he be remembering Jackson? "Regardless of the controversies that surrounded Jackson, we ought to remember him for his music, for his achievements including crossing the boundaries," he said.

Chris Brown and Jamie Foxx were on their way to see Michael rehearse for his final tour on the afternoon he died, it has been revealed. Chris Brown shared the story with US magazine, Nylon. Brown said that he and Jamie Foxx were on their way to Staples Centre in Downtown Los Angeles to see Michael practice his dance routines for the This Is It tour on June 25, 2009, the afternoon that Michael died.

He said, “Me and Jamie Foxx were going to see him and someone called and they were like ‘Hold up. He didn’t show up yet’. And then we got the call later and it was devastating.”

Christ Brown has been a lifelong fan of Michael.

Да, тъжно е. Всеки си има своята история за този ден. За онези, за които Майкъл беше нещо повече от Краля на поп - а тази дата беляза дните им по особено жесток и болезнен начин.
Да, и аз помня, накаралите ме за миг да стана студена като лед думи на Констадин Филипов:" Почина Майкъл Джаксън".

Aз също!

Може би най - хубавите и силни думи, които съм чувала за Майкъл напоследък, събрани само в няколко кратки изречения.

“A lot of singers today try to sound like Michael Jackson,” Santana continued.
“But Michael was unique, he was number one in making everyone feel childlike, in making us feel the innocence and purity.
He gives everybody supreme entertainment, and he gives everybody hope. To me, he’s number one in making people feel happy.”

"Много от изпълнителите днес се опитват да звучат като Майкъл Джаксън. Но Майкъл беше уникален, той беше номер едно в това да кара всички да се чувстват като деца, да ни кара да чувстваме невинността и чистотата. Той даваше на всички върховно представление и даряваше всички с надежда. За мен той е номер едно в това да прави хората щастливи."