Important question

TB:

What J5/Jacksons albums does everyone have? Or, rather which ones don't you have?

CK:

I've got Live at the Forum and The Essential Jacksons and some tracks on other "ultimate" collections... and the DVDs you shared with me (love them)... so far... gonna buy the Xmas album soon...

SO:

I think I have everything except Moving Violation and the albums before Destiny. But I have several songs from early Jacksons. Are you up to something??? Stay warm T!

TB:

Of course.

No "Moving Violation?" That's a good one!

FB:

I don't have Moving Violations or Looking Through the Windows. Yeah T, what are you up to?

TB:

Does that mean that you do not have Moving Violation (a personal favorite, by the way), Destiny or Triumph?

SO:

I have Destiny and Triumph, but not the albums before that. Although many of the songs.

FS:

www.facebook/notes.com my list can be found on the above link. But I'm pretty sure T, you know what I have. MJJ~forever FB, I bet I know what she's up to....CHRISTMAS (lol)

TB:

Oh my stars, FS!

YOU DO NOT HAVE "THRILLER?"

110 million copies have been sold and you do not have one?

FS:

GIRL - I owned the original album........ when it first came out that is.

I'll get to it, I will, honest. Certain things I want NEW - I'll purchase the 25th Anniversary edition BAD and HIStory -  but first thing's first (Circus do Soil) - and my trip out West Aug 2011)

Also - - I have iTunes now! Even if I had "Thriller" here in front of me, I wouldn't listen to it, not now anyway....

I know, it's a shocker right! But look at all I DO HAVE !!! WoW huh!?

check out my spelling, circus do soil . . . I'm crackin my self up - I have a hard time with French

TB:

Everyone has now answered their important question except for the following:

RB & TD

TD will be back soon to answer. She's dancing to U2 down in the land of Oz.

RB:

Hi T and everyone, I'm here!  

My J5/Jacksons collection consists of:

-(1983) Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5 Great Songs and Performances that Inspired the Motown 25th Anniversary Television Special

-Live at the Forum

-Michael Jackson Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection

-Michael Jackson The Stripped Mixes

-The Jacksons

-Destiny

-Triumph

-Victory

-The Jacksons Live

My books consist of:

-Moonwalk

-Dancing the Dream

-Nelson George--the recent one and the one from the 80s

-Michael by RS  :  (

-Keep Moving (Armond White)

-Michael Jackson:  Before He Was King

-Michael Jackson A Life in Pictures

-Adrian Grant's books

-Katherine's book

-Opus (have not cracked it open and I've had it for a year!)

-Michael Jackson Conspiracy by Aphrodite Jones (too bad this was so very poorly written)

-For The Record

-In the Studio with Michael Jackson by Bruce Swieden (badly edited and mainly not about MJ but the little bits are fascinating)

-It's All for L.O.V.E.

-The Making of Thriller

I have read but will not own:  Tarabborrelli's book and Ian Halperin's (he's a caricature-worthy joke, but the one favor he did was to categorically "investigate" and conclude that MJ never molested any child.) I'm reading LaToya's from the library now.  Plan to read Joe Vogel's book when it arrives.  I really hope a credible biographer will take on MJ's very complex story someday.

Bye for now!

TB:

Hey all-

Would you believe I am not a fan of U2 at all. Never did a thing for me.



SO:

I've always liked U2 - and I am really impressed that they have stayed together for so long and never broke up, nor have I heard of any in-fighting. Their concerts are really great and Bono is a unique soul - very concerned about humanity. I haven't really listened to them since college though.

TD, what a fun time you had in Melbourne! What a treat to hear and see Michael! It's true, Michael's music is astounding when it's at full volume. That's another reason why I am excited about Cirque de Soleil. The music will be blasted!

After reading all of your book lists, I realize I haven't read that many books relating to MJ. Moonwalk is my favorite because it's from HIM so I can trust every word. I also read MJ Conspiracy of course. Also La Toya's book online. Dancing the Dream, Keep Moving.

You guys, I have a feeling they are going to release the album early. Just a feeling it could be out there this Friday.

TB:

I have a lot of respect for U2 but they don't move my soul or my a**. :)

Why do you have this feeling?

It would be a good thing to get the album out...just get it out and stop the talk. The crescendo is deafening!!!

SO:

Call it a premonition, and if it's ready they would want the holiday shopping weekend sales. Also they are already releasing it to all the publications for review. We'll see. Maybe I just can't stand the wait. I am not listening to any snippets or leaks. I am saving myself for the day it comes out!

Cute - true you can't "shake you body down to the ground " to a U2 tune!

RB:

Yeah, that about sums up what attaches me to music--ability to move my soul or my a**!  This is very true!

TB:

Are you saying that we can't have both? Is it really soul or a**?

For me with the Rollingstone's it is much, much more. It is the late night drive-thru for a coke in order to add a little rum to smuggle into the vintage theater in downtown M*** with my buddies, Ace, Ashtray and Stefan. The names speak for themselves. We used to go to midnight showings of Rollingstones' movies and the "Rocky Horror Picture Show."

I only have two regrets in my life

1. I never got to see MJ5 in concert.

2. I never got to see the Rollingstones in concert

RB:

Mozart doesn't make me move my a** but does move my soul.

We can have both moved under quite extraordinary circumstances (MJ.)  Yes indeed.

Rolling Stones--two words, not one!  :  )

TB:

You are right, as usual.

RB:

No, T, YOU are generally right.  :  )

Did anyone watch Oprah's interview with the Cascios and Teddy Riley today??  I forgot to DVR it!  :  (

*continuted in Important question 2

One of the many things Michael Jackson has taught me...

Saturday July 23, 2011 2:39 PM

HC: The singer Amy Whinehouse has passed away this morning... she was found dead in her apartment from an apparent overdose. Well, how I heard about this was actually in my facebook news feed where I actually saw people saying things like "oh she's doing crack in hell now lol", "oh guess she should've went to rehab". All these horrible stabbing "jokes". Finally someone said "why would you say something like that? a human being has died show some respect!" To that someone responded like "why should we care? she did it to herself she should've gone to rehab blah blah blah".

Well I am no fan of Whinehouse but I still find it appalling that people would show such disrespect for another human life. Just because she's famous? just because she died of an overdose? which hasn't even been confirmed yet anyway. If someone they knew died from a drug overdose I'm sure they wouldn't be saying things like that. It's like only because she's some famous person people feel that it's okay to be so cruel. She was only 27 and I think she does have family... maybe even a husband? well, in any case even if she had no family, she still has fans who are probably very devastated right now. There is at least someone out there who is sad because of her death and yet here are people saying this crap?

It's amazing to me too because after I read these comments, I went searching for news articles on it to confirm that she was really passed away and in one of the articles... right there... it says "struggled with drug problems for many years but she was getting help as recently May 2011..... and she had also went to rehab in 2007". So all these people that are saying "she should've went to rehab" blah blah its her fault that she died. Well idiot, do some research and you'll find that she was trying to get help. All it took from me was to click on 2 articles to find that out. People are just so lazy and rude and they really don't care so they just spout off horrible things.

I told one of my sisters she died and she started.... LAUGHING. laughing. laughing at someone dying? Really? that's messed up.

Well anyway I had to get this off my chest cuz for some reason this whole thing really got to me. As for the subject line? I can't really put into exact words how MJ relates to this but I just know deep down that he's taught me so much.... so much that has led to me feeling this way about some celebrity's passing. I guess just to have respect for people? Even if you're not a fan or even if you don't really care you still should be respectful. Also to not be so stupid and ignorant in saying things when you don't truly know what you are saying. "she should've gone to rehab blah blah" they say all that just off of whatever they've seen in the media about her instead of actually looking it up themselves to see that she did try to help herself. All it took for me to see it was clicking on 2 news articles.

JM: 

I agree, HC. It's cruel and crude. Even if  you don't like the person (as I don't like dimond, grace, orth, murdoch, morgan, bashir, o'reilly, abrams, vierra, velez-mitchell, etc), I would not gloat at their deaths nor make a joke. Of course, I would not cry either. 

CK:

But we can hope that they experience as much pain as they've doled out.

FS:

Even reading the names JM posted below triggers something deep in my soul that I never EVER thought I possessed as a human being! In the past I've been angry at the wrong doings of media talking heads. For some reason or another, I'll be darned if I can think of any of  those people now and what the reasons were for my anger. I CAN tell you this, I'll never forget the list of names in JM's email!

I do agree that death for anyone is not a celebration, or should not be made fun of. Even when "they" killed Binladen, I  was totally against all that street celebration! People were hootin' and hollerin' dancing in the street and partying it up. Half of them prob. didn't lose a loved one at the hands of Binladen but yet, there they are ... Rejoicing! 

When I heard the news, I listened and moved on. My only thought was "this means closure for a lot of people" I DID NOT need to know all the details, but there it was, all over the news!  

TB:

 HC,I can totally understand how you feel. When I saw Amy Winehouse's death on my facebook newsfeed today, I felt great sorrow for her and her family. I knew they had tried to help her but she was battling drug addiction for such a long time. Sometimes that battle cannot be won, if that is what the cause of death truly is. Everyone knows someone that has fought that battle. I personally have known several with drug addiction and especially many family members with alcohol addiction. It is painful and sometimes embarrassing but I feel so much compassion, not really judgement.

I do remember the year that Amy won 5 Grammy's. I was thinking at the time, how could they give such a messed up person those Grammy's? One of the things that has changed as a result of my 2 year journey of true discovery of Michael Jackson and the person he was, is that if that situation were to happen again, I think I could separate the problems from the talent and gifts of the person. Amy Winehouse was incredibly talented and would have had a very bright future ahead of her. Addiction derailed that potential and that must provide much pain for her family. It also deprived the world of her gifts that were meant to be shared.

Our humanity is being lost somewhere in the media's focus on cheap entertainment...news shows as tabloid and reality shows. The dehumanizing effect of this is shown by those comments that you saw. I would like to think that Michael's millions of fans around the world will provide a "sane" voice to keep the best of humanity at the forefront. Michael lived his life true to his ideals no matter the personal cost to him. That is the biggest lesson that I  have learned from him.

Rest in peace, Amy Winehouse.

This was on my Facebook newsfeed...

~You know how you either grow up in a Michael Jackson house or a Prince house?For me it was Michael Jackson. I could never decide whether I wanted to be Michael Jackson or marry him. I don’t care what people say about him now because he’s a f****** genius. That’s it – the end! He was robbed of his childhood, which is why he surrounds himself with children.~

Amy Winehouse