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Michael Jackson: End of a signature era

June 28, 2009
We all wore them -- the black loafers, white ankle socks, rhinestone brooches, cropped military jackets and fedoras. Michael Jackson's sartorial signatures filled our closets in the 1980s. And his passing marks the end of an era when a pop singer's individual style could leave an imprint on the critical mass of a generation.

Just try to think of any singer since the days of Jackson, Madonna, David Bowie and Boy George whose looks were so distinctive that they could take over the street.
"Michael Jackson took something simple that everyone could emulate and turned it into a signature style," says Keanan Duffty, the New York-based musician-turned-menswear designer and co-author of "Rebel, Rebel: Anti-Style," due in September. "It was a genius signature styling detail because any kid from India to the U.K. to Bali could put on a white glove and emulate Michael Jackson."

Jim Moore, creative director of GQ magazine, agrees. "He had a uniform. When I think of him, I think of that leather jacket with the sleeves pushed up that we've been seeing on runway for few seasons, the white socks and loafers that were a bit of an homage to James Dean, and the short pants long before Thom Browne was doing them. Designers are always making reference to him."

In the early 1970s through the 1980s, if you were a pop star, you cultivated an onstage, tour-driven look, says Harold Koda, co-curator of the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, who organized the "Rock Style" exhibit in 1999. "An entertainer's personality was driven by creating a caricature that relied on costume."

So you had Stevie Nicks' bohemian, velvet gypsy-style dresses and high boots, Madonna's bras and vintage-looking crinolines and Adam Ant's New Romantic pirate shirts and white stripe of face paint.

For fans, getting the look was about improvising. Style couldn't be bought right off the rack, even if the pieces could be, so there was an element of fantasy that made it all the more appealing.

What changed in the 1990s was the co-opting of pop music by the fashion industry, and the rise of celebrity clothing lines and celebrity stylists. With celebrities in the media cross hairs like never before, there was a defensive shift from "Stand out!" to "Look unassailable, bland and marketable" -- and stars turned to the taste policing of stylists.

"Stylists have taken the power away from the pop star, creating a look based more on fashion than signature style," Duffty says.

It is now a status symbol for pop stars to be associated with a certain designer or house (not to mention a way to get a ton of freebies). Fashion connoisseurship (à la Kanye West) trumps individual style, says Koda.

It can also be quite lucrative. Luxury fashion houses and cosmetics companies pay pop stars top dollar to appear in ads, Rihanna for Gucci for example, and Beyoncé for L'Oreal. Other stars have their own clothing lines, which sell a name but not necessarily a distinct style. It's all about jeans and T-shirts. Interestingly, attaching his name to a line was something that Jackson was just getting into, collaborating on an upcoming collection with Christian Audigier.

For her current "I Am" tour, Beyoncé collaborated with French fashion designer Thierry Mugler on futuristic, sculpted leotards. But when you see her on the red carpet, she's more likely to be wearing a diaphanous gown. "There isn't this blurring of onstage and offstage identity the way there used to be," Koda says.

The other reason pop star style is not as potent today is that the sheer number of celebrities and images of celebrities -- from TV, film, the Internet and music -- has exploded. And that has created a smorgasbord of influences to choose from. With the advent of reality TV and paparazzi shots, the fantasy has shifted. Now, many fans would rather emulate the "real" grocery store-going and Coffee Bean-swilling star, the one who's "just like you and me" -- not the staged and styled one.

"It's not that there isn't a following for rock star style, it's that it's just one of a vast menu of styles," Koda says. "Some women may be emulating Katy Perry's Daisy Mae 'Dogpatch glamour puss with gingham' look, but it's lost because there are so many other options. And even if you do follow Katy Perry's look, on the red carpet she may be wearing a lamé dress. The multiplicity of personalities and images diffuses things."

Some pop looks do still resonate, just not as loudly.

"You can do a Justin Timberlake by putting on porkpie hat and a vest. It's not quite as iconic, but nostalgia does come into play a lot, and we look at the past through rose-tinted glasses," Duftty says. "I'm sure people were doing that when Elvis came along, saying that gold suit won't be remembered like Frank Sinatra's trilby."

How Jackson would have played to the next generation of fans we'll never know. His style had become even more quirky as the years went on.

"That's what Michael Jackson was facing with this new tour," says Arianne Phillips, a stylist and costume designer who has helped Madonna create her ever-evolving looks. "There is such a rapid turnover and constant reinvention of pop stars today that it's rare when an artist embraces a look that it works for them over and over."

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Один из близких Майкла Джексона рассказал, как тот за четыре дня до смерти признался, что хочет умереть.
- Ничего не выйдет, - сказал Джексон. - Мне лучше умереть. Мне некуда больше спрятаться. Со мной покончено.

Это было 21 июня. А 25-го днем король поп-музыки скончался в своей постели.

- Майкл не ел, не спал, ему снились кошмары, что его убивают, - подтверждает эти слова помощник покойного певца. - Он боялся, что разочарует фанатов. Он даже сказал, что ему кажется, что он умрет еще до начала концертов в Лондоне.

На Майкла давили кредиторы, родственники, банкиры и продюсеры - всем нужны были эти шоу, всем, кроме Майкла. Если бы не шоу, он был бы жив.

- Но Майкл уже не мог петь, - продолжает приближенный певца. - Он мог, в лучшем случае, отстоять час на сцене и, если чувствовал себя хорошо, станцевать. Но петь он не был способен. Он мог только повторять слова под фонограмму.

Сейчас медики, которые когда-либо соприкасались с историей болезни певца, говорят, что его легкие могло погубить генетическое заболевание, называемое Альфа-1 - антитрипсиновая недостаточность. Проще говоря, нехватка протеина, который обычно защищает легкие.

Выбор

Медицинская запущенность Джексона открылась после его кончины. Оказалось, что доктор Конрад Мюррей, который был в последний момент жизни Майкла рядом с ним, и, предположительно, сделал тот самый смертельный укол морфина, работал с семьей всего 13 дней! Его пригласили специально для поднятия тонуса Майкла накануне концертов в Лондоне. Пока Мюррей не считается подозреваемым и даже начал сотрудничать с полицией. Но его есть за что укорять.

Это он проявил чудеса непрофессионализма - в тот момент, когда доктор звонил в "скорую", Майкл лежал на кровати. Это отражено в аудиозаписи телефонного звонка, которая стала доступна общественности. В том же разговоре с оператором "скорой" доктор Мюррей утверждал, что делал Джексону искусственное дыхание,.. но недопустимо делать искусственное дыхание, когда больной лежит не на жесткой поверхности, например, на полу, а в мягкой постели. Это знают даже новички в медицине!

За доктором Конрадом Мюрреем тянется большой шлейф судебных тяжб. Он должен сотни тысяч долларов своим кредиторам. 51-летний кардиолог также судится с пятью женщинами, которые утверждают, что были беременны от него и родили детей.

Сразу после смерти доктор скрылся, но затем вышел на связь с полицейскими и дал показания.

Покой

Ближайший помощник Майкла спустя всего два часа с момента смерти звезды сказал так:

- Майкл устал от жизни. Люди из его окружения просто пичкали его наркотиками, не интересуясь, отчего именно он испытывает такую боль. Все причастны к его смерти. Он стал полной развалиной. А сейчас он наконец нашел покой.

Джексон на небесах - уверены поклонники, хотя его изможденное тело до сих пор находится в морозильной камере где-то в Лос-Анджелесе и пока не погребено.

Сейчас Майклу спокойно и тепло, как считают родные. Может быть, этим и объясняется ужасающе веселый настрой отца Джексона Джо. Папа певца заливисто смеялся у ворот поместья Энчино, когда с момента смерти Майкла не прошлое еще и полутора суток. Хотя поклонники, дожидавшиеся у ворот особняка решения, которое вынесет собравшийся там совет, были шокированы поведением самого старшего из Джексонов.

Free Michael Jackson Address
Jackson Michael address for fans and autograph seekers, e-mail, photographs, pictures, posters, movies, DVDs, CDs and other memorabilia items. You can explore our site for many more celebrities addresses (below you can find Michael's). Some may contain more than one address, it depends on the celebrity you are trying to find.

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Address: 9255 West Sunset Blvd. #1100
Los Angeles, CA 900693309
USA

c/o MJJ Productions
13351 D Riverside Drive
Unit 663
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
USA

NeverLand Ranch
P.O. BOX 9
Los Olivos, CA 93441-0009
USA

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Biography:

ichael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana), is an African-American singer, dancer, screenwriter, songwriter, philanthropist and record producer. Jackson began his career as the lead singer of Motown act The Jackson 5 in the 1960s and 1970s. After beginning a full-fledged solo career in 1979, Jackson went on to become the most successful solo artist in music history (certifications from World Music Awards, the official partner of IFPI, from 1993, 1996, 2000 years). He is known as the King of Pop, a nickname that Elizabeth Taylor gave him in 1989 during an awards ceremony. His innovative dance moves, music videos and diverse musical tastes have inspired and influenced a lot of today's singers, such as Usher, Beyonce, Missy Elliot, and Justin Timberlake.

One of the most awarded entertainers, Jackson has won many of music industry's highest honors including 18 Grammys and was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 for his solo accomplishments. He has sold about 250 million records worldwide as a solo artist and another estimated 170 million records with The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons. Many music industry critics consider his Thriller video to be the greatest music video of all time and a large step forward in artistic quality for music videos. MTV and Rolling Stone magazine, in a list compiled in 2000, named four of his songs ("Billie Jean" #5, The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" #9, "Beat It" #22, and "Rock with You" #82) among the 100 greatest pop songs of all time. His Thriller is the world's all time best-selling album with over 59 million copies sold.

Jackson is also heralded for his humanitarian efforts often giving out to needy children all over the world. He showcased his support in penning songs like "We Are the World" (1985), "Man in the Mirror" (1987), "Heal the World" (1992) and "What More Can I Give?" (2003). In the former, he created the Heal the World foundation in establishing a need to heal many. He is fond of children, and, apart from having his own, he has had friendships with a number of other children, ranging from disadvantaged children to child celebrities. He has invited many groups of children to his ranch and has sponsored a number of charity drives for children, such as his We are the World album in 1985.

However, Jackson's relationship with children, both his own and others, has been controversial in the past. Jackson's sleepover parties at his mansion, Neverland Ranch, have received widespread critical media coverage, especially after he revealed that they sometimes slept in the same bed. He has been accused of sexually molesting some of these children. As a result of one of these allegations, he was tried, but found not guilty on all charges on June 13, 2005.

He has also been dogged by media fascination with his alleged transracially changing physical appearance and what some perceive as an eccentric lifestyle. Jackson's skin color, which he attributes to vitiligo, is believed to have been bleached by some. Jackson uses makeup in his public appearances, and is protected from the sun by a parasol when he is outdoors.

Jackson was born the seventh of nine children in Gary, Indiana, to Joseph and Katherine Jackson. The entire family--including older siblings Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, and Marlon, and younger siblings Randy and Janet--lived in a tiny two-bedroom house, and Jackson's father Joseph Jackson earned a meager living working in a steel mill.

At the behest of their mother Katherine, but against Joseph's wishes, the Jackson children were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses and practiced door-to-door evangelization. Michael continued to do so after becoming famous, but then in disguise. His career and flamboyant style led to friction with congregation elders. At one point, his sister LaToya was shunned by Jehovah's Witnesses, and in 1987, he formally left the religion.

Due to Joseph Jackson's strict rules, the children were kept locked in their house while he worked the night shift. However, the children would sneak out of the house to their neighbors where they practiced singing and playing music. Eventually, Jackson found out about their musical abilities and decided to capitalize upon it in order to leave Gary for California. Michael later attended and graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School.

Jackson has been living at his 11 km² (2600 acres) Neverland Ranch in Santa Ynez, California, named after the magical kingdom Neverland featured in the children's story Peter Pan, since purchasing the property in 1988. Jackson claims that his relationships with children stem from the sense of innocence they have, an innocence he feels he lost too soon. Like Peter Pan, Jackson did not want to grow up. He has said he is compensating for his "lost childhood". Neverland contains a small zoo and amusement park. About once a week he has been inviting a bus full of children (especially the sick and poor) there for a day of fun.

Jackson kept a chimpanzee, Bubbles, in Neverland, which he valued highly, treating him more like a friend than a pet. This chimp, and the other one, slept with Jackson in his bedroom numerously. Bubbles was moved from the ranch after reaching maturity because adult chimpanzees are very strong and can be dangerous. He once told an interviewer that he liked climbing trees and said he had written songs sitting in his favorite tree at Neverland, which he calls the Giving Tree, because, "it's inspiring".

The "Heal The World" foundation was created by Jackson solely in 1992, with further assistance of Jimmy Carter. Michael is also the godfather of Lionel Richie's adopted daughter Nicole Richie.

It has been rumored that Jackson has used extensive plastic surgery to modify his appearance, although he claims to have had only three operations: Two rhinoplastic surgeries (the first of which he claims was to repair a broken nose resulting from a dancing accident in 1978, and the second to correct imperfections in the first surgery - that is what media believe, though Jackson did not state that) and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin (Jackson often omits mentioning the cleft as insignificant, comparing to media nonsense claims that he rebuild his whole face, when listing his cosmetic surgery, but he confirms the surgery in his 1988 autobiography Moon Walk).

Jackson's alleged extensive use of plastic surgery has now caused increased concerns of media's surgeons for possible cartilage and nose collapse. They agree that Jackson's nose structure could easily collapse during an altercation. Other experts, however, claim that in the last 27 years, Jackson had totally only two nosal bone structure surgeries, the latest in 1982, and three other minor corrections of the cartilage in 1983, 1990, 2000.

In 1994 Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley; the marriage lasted less than two years, ending in divorce. In 1996, he married Debbie Rowe, with whom he had a son, Prince Michael, and a daughter, Paris Katherine. They were divorced in 1999. Rowe later said that she wanted Jackson have the children as a "gift", she offered it even while Jackson was married to Presley. Rowe had given up her parental rights to the children, but as of 2005 a family court case is under way regarding visitation. The godparents of these two children are Macaulay Culkin and Elizabeth Taylor.

Around February 2002 Jackson had another son, Prince Michael II, also called "Blanket", apparently with a surrogate mother whose identity has not been disclosed. In late 2002, Jackson stirred up controversy while staying at the Adlon hotel in Berlin by briefly suspending him over the edge of the railing of a balcony. Jackson defended his actions, saying that he held the child very tightly with his tennis player-sized arms. Jackson's children are veiled or masked when they appear in public with him, which he describes as a security measure. Jackson's second wife, Rowe, said it was her idea from the very beginning.

There had been rumors that Jackson was having children by various women with one women claiming that she was giving birth to quadruplets and the father was Jackson's but was later confirmed not to be his at all. He suffered the same problem two decades earlier with a woman claiming Michael was a father to one of her fraternal twins. Jackson wrote the memorable "Billie Jean" as a result.

Five of the Jackson brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, formed the Jackson 5, an R&B musical act, in the mid 1960s. With Michael as the lead singer, the group built up a following and a buzz by playing at clubs and bars throughout the Midwest, and even winning an Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. The Jackson 5 signed their first recording contract with the local Steeltown label in 1967, and had a regional hit with "Big Boy" in 1968.

The Jackson 5 were discovered by both Gladys Knight & the Pips and Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, who brought them to Motown Records in 1968. Label head Berry Gordy bought out the Jackson 5's Steeltown contract and signed the group to Motown in March 1969. Gordy then moved the Jackson family to Los Angeles, California, and proceeded to turn them into international stars. In fall 1969, The Jackson 5 were presented to the public by Diana Ross and were officially launched as the next big Motown act. The group's first four singles, "I Want You Back" from 1969, and "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" from 1970 all became #1 hits in the US. Later hits included "Mama's Pearl" & "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1971), "Lookin' Through the Windows" (1972), "Get It Together" (1973) and "Dancing Machine" (1974). Most of the Jackson 5 hits were produced by The Corporation™, a collective of songwriters and record producers including Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, and Deke Richards.

With Motown Records, the Jackson 5 made 14 albums, and Michael also recorded four albums as a solo artist. Among Michael's early solo hits were "Got to Be There" (1971, his solo debut); and "Rockin' Robin", "I Wanna Be Where You Are", and the #1 hit "Ben" (all 1972).

In 1976, the Jackson brothers signed a deal with CBS Records, first joining the Philadelphia International division and later moving over to Epic Records. The new deal with CBS provided more creative freedom and larger royalties that they were not allowed at Motown. By leaving Motown behind, they lost the rights to use the "Jackson 5" name and logo. Additionally Jermaine, who had married Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, opted to remain at Motown for a full-time solo career. Now known as The Jacksons, and featuring younger brother Randy in Jermaine's place, the brothers continued their successful career, touring internationally and releasing 6 albums between 1976 and 1984. Hits during this period included "Enjoy Yourself" & "Show You The Way To Go" (1976), "Find Me A Girl" (1977), "Blame It On The Boogie" (1978), "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1979), "Can You Feel It" & "Heartbreak Hotel" (1980) and "Torture" & "State of Shock" (1984).

Jackson starred in the film The Wiz alongside mentor Diana Ross in 1978. It was here that he met Quincy Jones, the music producer for The Wiz, who would later produce Michael's three most acclaimed solo albums, Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. Off the Wall, released in 1979, produced a record four Top 10 hits and sold seven million copies in the United States.

Michael Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall was a worldwide hit and spawned the #1 hit singles and music videos "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". A ballad, "She's Out Of My Life" reached the top 10 in 1980.

In the 1980s, Jackson released a progression of solo albums of slickly-produced synthesizer-heavy pop. In what was perhaps the "Golden Age" of the video clip, some of Jackson's videos were virtually short films with considerable plots, impressive special effects, and featuring Jackson's distinctive dance style.

His Thriller album was released in 1982, produced 7 Top 10 hit singles, broke records and quickly became the world's best selling album ever. The "Billie Jean" music video, released to promote Thriller, became the first video by a black artist to be aired on MTV, and the "Thriller" short film, included with The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, became the world's best selling home video at the time.

"Billie Jean" and "Thriller", as well as "Beat It", were the three music videos released from the album, and have since become three of MTV's most significant videos in history, placing highly on several MTV and VH1 countdowns, and receiving substantial airplay on MTV2 to this day. The album's other singles were "Human Nature" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", both of which were also hits, despite neither having music videos.

While performing "Billie Jean" during the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special on television on May 16, 1983, Jackson publicly performed the moonwalk for the first time, stunning TV audiences. In January 1984 at the American Music Awards, Jackson was nominated for 9 awards and won a record 8 awards. In February at the Grammy Awards Jackson was nominated for 12 awards and won a record-breaking 8 awards: 7 for Thriller and 1 for his narrative on The E.T. Storybook. In May, Thriller was certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest selling popular music album of all time. In addition in 1984, he was also awarded the H. Claude Hodson Medal of Freedom at the NAACP Image Awards, feted at the White House by President Ronald Reagan with the Presidential Special Achievement Award and in November was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As of 2005, Thriller is certified 27x Platinum in the U.S.

Inspired by Band Aid, he was instrumental in organizing the single "We Are the World" (co-written with Lionel Richie) in 1985. "We Are the World" was sung by 44 different singers including Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder and sold 7 million copies in the United States, becoming the best selling single of all time (eclipsed by Elton John's "Candle In The Wind" in 1997), to raise money for USA for Africa – a charity working to raise awareness about and help starving people in Africa.

Jackson starred in the George Lucas/Francis Ford Coppola 3-D film Captain Eo in 1986, which was shown in Disney theme parks until 1998. Minute for minute it was the most expensive film ever produced at the time, costing an estimated US $17 million to make. The film contained the songs "We Are Here To Change The World" and "Another Part Of Me".

In 1987, Jackson released Bad and began his first solo world tour. He performed to sold out audiences at each concert. The following year Jackson released a movie entitled "Moonwalker" and an autobiography entitled Moon Walk.

Bad was another smash success for Jackson though not as big of a success as Thriller was. Its singles and music videos "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man In The Mirror", "Dirty Diana", "Another Part Of Me", "Smooth Criminal" and "Leave Me Alone" provided Jackson with another string of hits. The album's only relatively unsuccessful single, "Liberian Girl", remains to this day as one of Jackson's least seen music videos and least heard singles. Nonetheless, he made history by becoming the first artist to generate five number one singles off of one album. Of the 7 singles released in the USA, the first 5 went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, "Another Part Of Me" peaked at #11 (#1 on Billboard's R&B charts) and "Smooth Criminal" went to #7.

The title track from Bad was intended as a duet with longtime rival Prince. Prince was approached and briefly considered taking part in the project, but eventually decided against it because of the first line ("Your butt is mine"). He later remarked that the album was called "Bad" because "they didn't have enough room to spell 'Pathetic'", though years later, former producer Quincy Jones told a different story when he said that Prince told him and Jackson he didn't want to participate because "it was a hit without (him)".

Jackson was awarded a record breaking $890 million contract by Sony and released an album Dangerous in 1991. During the Dangerous world tour Jackson announced the creation of his Heal the World Foundation. Dangerous contained the singles and music videos "Who Is It", "Give In To Me", "Gone Too Soon" (a tribute to young AIDS victim Ryan White), and "Will You Be There", which would later become the theme song to the movie Free Willy. But the album's most successful and memorable singles and videos were "Jam", "Remember The Time", "Black Or White", "In The Closet", and "Heal The World". As was becoming the standard for Jackson, the album's music videos were among the most costly, creative, and innovative of their time. "Give In To Me" featured Slash from Guns n' Roses in its video. The video for "Heal The World", to correspond to Jackson's charity of the same name, featured children and adults from throughout the world. "Will You Be There" showed Jackson singing in front of scenes from Free Willy. Several of the other videos had complex storylines and dance sequences, and featured cameo appearances by celebrities. The video for "Jam" showed Jackson and Michael Jordan playing basketball and dancing together, while "Remember The Time" was set in an Egyptian palace and starred Eddie Murphy as the king of the palace who was trying to entertain his wife, played by Iman. Magic Johnson played the king's chief guard. Jackson and Naomi Campbell played lovers in "In The Closet". While in the U.S., sales for the album only reached 7 million, worldwide, it eclipsed "Bad" as the second biggest-selling album of Jackson's career reaching over 29 million.

Of all the album's groundbreaking and popular videos, "Black Or White" probably remains the most aired and most remembered today. The original video is over ten minutes long, and premiered simultaneously on November 14, 1991, on MTV, VH1, BET, and ABC, becoming one of the most-watched music video premieres in history. The original video begins in suburban America, with Macaulay Culkin playing a young Jackson fan whose father (played by George Wendt) tells him to turn his music down. Culkin's character, instead, decides to bring his speakers into the living room and cranks the speakers to full blast, which sends the father flying through the roof, in a manner somewhat similar to that used in an earlier Twisted Sister music video. He ends up landing in the middle of an African veldt. The music to "Black Or White" then starts, and Jackson proceeds to take viewers on a trip around the world, from country to country and culture to culture. As the song ends, the video features a morphing effect, whereby the faces of several different people of different ethnicities' (including Tyra Banks and voice actor Cree Summer) are morphed one into another, as a symbol of global unity. Although this was not the first music video to feature morphing technology — former 10cc members Godley & Creme used morphing even more extensively in the 1985 video to their song "Cry", though in a less technologically polished way — it was the first exposure many people had to the technology, and this effect amazed those who saw the video for the first time. Thanks in part to "Black Or White", as well as the development of computer technology, the morphing effect has since become somewhat common in music videos today, and can now be done much cheaper than in the early 1990s. The original video for "Black Or White" then continued, even after the song itself ended, for another four minutes. The last four minutes depicted Jackson doing his infamous crotch-rubbing, smashing store windows, and destroying a car with a metal crowbar. It finally ended with a cameo appearance by Bart and Homer Simpson. However, Jackson's rampage and crotch grabbing caused a good deal of controversy with many parents of young children who watched the video's premiere. MTV and other music video stations decided to cut out the last four minutes of the video for all subsequent airings, and Jackson issued an apology statement to anyone who had been offended. To date, the final four minutes of the "Black Or White" video has only since re-aired in America on MTV2 between the hours of 1 AM and 4 AM, as part of their special uncensored airing of the "Most Controversial Music Videos" of all time, however the extended version is available on Jackson's DVDs. A few years ago, VH1 Europe aired them in daytime but now cuts them out.

The "Black Or White" video was mocked by the American comedy show In Living Color in a notoriously pungent parody that tackled Jackson's well-known skin color issues and American race relations. In it, the Jackson impersonator sang that he was not sure whether he was black or white, and was immediately arrested at the end when he struck a car's shatterproof windshield with a sledgehammer. Genesis also poked fun at the infamous section of "Black Or White" in their video for "I Can't Dance". After "Black and White" was when the tabloids began calling him "Jacko", then they put in "Wacko", and then began rhyming it with additional words.

HIStory, a double-disc album, was released in 1995. Its first disc had fifteen of his greatest hits and second disc contained fifteen new songs. The album produced two new hit singles and videos in America. "Scream" was a duet with his sister Janet whose futuristic music video, with a seven million dollar price tag, is the most expensive music video ever made. Thanks to a change in Billboard's chart policy, "You Are Not Alone" became the first song to ever debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart; the video had a cameo from Jackson's then-wife, Lisa Marie Presley. The album's other singles and videos, "Childhood", "Earth Song", "Stranger In Moscow", and "They Don't Care About Us" had limited success in America, and performed far better in Europe. "Earth Song" is an emotional plea for taking care of our environment. "Childhood" is notable for having been the theme song to Free Willy 2. "They Don't Care About Us" caused a stir when it was released due to controversial lyrics which were considered by some to be anti-Semitic. This caused American MTV and VH1 to ban the song's music video, even though it garnered heavy airplay on many of America's Boxnetworks. The lyrics "Jew me, sue me/ Kick me, kike me" were modified on the album's official release in response to the criticism. Apart from the video for "Scream," singles and videos from HIStory nowadays garner little airplay in America, making the album a failure overall by Jackson's standards, though it has sold over 18 million double albums as of 2004. It was branded a failure very quickly in American shores. Executives and Jackson hoped it would stay at #1 throughout the summer, yet it only spent 2 weeks at the top with unspectacular sales. On the other hand, the album spawned his biggest hit ever in the UK, "Earth Song" stayed at the top of the chart for six weeks and sold over a million copies.

In 1997 Jackson released Blood on the Dance Floor, a remix album of several of the tracks off of HIStory, which also included 5 new songs and has since become the biggest-selling remix album of all time. The album only had one single and official music video, the title track, which failed to catch on in America, and again proved a far more popular hit in Europe. However, Jackson also produced "Ghosts", a 40-minute short film, which was shown in several movie theaters and uses the songs "Ghosts" and "2 Bad" in the film. The short film "Ghosts" is occasionally played as an hour-long special, with space made for commercials, on MTV and VH1, especially during the Halloween season. Four years later, Jackson was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 as a solo artist.

Jackson's 2001 album Invincible, speculated but never confirmed as the most expensive album ever produced, debuted at number one on the U.S. charts, selling 2 million copies in the United States and 8 million worldwide. While the numbers seemed impressive, the sales figures were nonetheless disappointing, considering Jackson's previous success and the cost of the album. As opposed to his earlier albums which each spawned at least six singles, most of which were generally worldwide smashes, Invincible produced only the singles "You Rock My World" and "Butterflies" in America. "Cry" was also issued as a third single in Europe. "You Rock My World" managed the top ten in America, but only for a week, and its big-budget, 14-minute music video received only sparse airplay on MTV, VH1, MTV2, and BET, usually in a shortened, 5-minute version. "Butterflies" was a top 20 hit in America as well as a #2 hit on the R&B charts, but did not reach the top 10, despite a popular radio remix featuring rapper Eve; the song's relative lack of success also allowed no budget for a music video.

In June 2002, Jackson was inducted for his work as a songwriter to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In November 2002 Jackson received in Berlin Germany's Millennium Bambi 2002 award, in recognition of his status as the world's "greatest living pop icon". The awards recognize outstanding personalities and performances in various fields, including show business, film, politics and sport.

On November 20, 2003, Jackson released a new song, "One More Chance," written by R. Kelly. It was the only new track on his Number Ones greatest hits album. "One More Chance" went on to become the #1 track on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart for three straight weeks. The song was also featured as a montage video on the CBS TV special "Michael Jackson Number Ones." The special was then released on DVD as "The One." As well as the montage, there is also an original music video shot for "One More Chance" that remains unreleased.

Although there is proof that there was a skin disease called vitiligo, several members of the media refused to believe Jackson had that disease often saying he bleached his skin, an allegation denied by Jackson. Even Jackson's family members backed up his claim with his father saying his own father had suffered from vitiligo also.

The public finally got to know of Jackson's condition when he first revealed it in an interview with Oprah in 1993. Jackson has shown in various pictures over the years to have suffered from the disease. In several early-1980s concert photos, there was a white blotch showcased on Jackson's neck which could easily explained Jackson's lightening condition.

After going to a hospital, he finally recieved the news when his doctor said he was diagnosed with the disease in 1986. Ever since then, Jackson has been seen wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants under an umbrella to hide from the sun, which he says he's allergic to because of his condition.

In October 2002 various international banks claimed that Jackson was tens of millions of dollars in debt. That same month, concert promoter Marcel Avram sued Jackson in a court in Santa Maria, California, claiming that he reneged on a deal to perform on a series of millennium concerts crossing the International Date Line on the evening of December 31, 1999 - January 1, 2000. Jackson lost the case, and is appealing.

He has been involved in a legal dispute with his former financial adviser, Union Finance and Investment Corp. of South Korea, who claim that Jackson owes the firm $12 million in fees and expenses and that Jackson's extravagant spending may lead to his bankruptcy. See also Jackson's finances in connection to the trial.

He has also repeatedly been accused of child sexual abuse and was on trial for alleged child molestation and other offenses until June 2005. He denied all charges stating it was a "big lie". On Monday June 13, 2005 the jury acquitted Jackson on all 10 counts in the indictment.

In the prelude to the trial, Jackson allowed a high profile visit of children to Neverland, in December of 2004. Michael Jackson's spokesperson provided the press with a list of non-profit children's organizations, that had sent the children. According to Court TV, most of these organizations, turned out to be either non-existent, or were upset that they were falsely associated with the visit. One group, that actually did send children, was headed by Minnie Williams Foxx, the girlfriend of Thomas Mesereau, Jackson's lawyer. Critics of Jackson, contend that the visit was arranged to boost Jackson's image before the trial. Jackson's spokesperson insisted that the list given was correct, that it was wrong for the media to investigate the list, and the visit of children was a very common occurance at Neverland.

Jackson owns 50% of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, with a music catalog that includes publishing rights to songs by the Beatles, Little Richard, Elvis Presley and others. In March 2005 Jackson indicated that he was involved in a battle for ownership of these rights, and he struggled to find appropriate financing which was required for him to complete the acquisition. In July 2005, Prescient Acquisition Group, which advised Jackson, and allegedly secured this additional financing, sued Jackson (at the District Court, Manhattan) for $45 million in unpaid fees.

Jackson also owns Mijac Music, which holds his own songs.

Michael Jackson is a fan of video games and helped develop the popular Sega of America video game 'Michael Jackson in Moonwalker (1990) where the player controlled the famous pop star in an effort to save the world's children from an evil criminal mastermind. The arcade and video game was especially popular for having Jackson's songs as background music and special ability to defeat enemies by making them dance.

In April 2003 the television special Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies was aired, among other things showing Jackson having fun with children.
On February 27, 2004, Jackson was stopped by police while vacationing with his children near Aspen, Colorado, where he went because his children wanted to see snow. Jackson had been shopping at a Wal-Mart earlier in the day wearing a ski mask. Employees found this suspicious and called the police with a description of his vehicle. The incident led to nothing when he was pulled over, asked to reveal his identity, and then left to go on his way.

Jackson was considering a tour of Africa in May or June 2004 to raise money to fight AIDS, if the court would let him. The countries he was planning to visit included Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Senegal.

Michael Jackson Links:
http://www.jacksoncollection.com
http://www.celebritiesfans.com/showCELEB.php?celebID=1254