Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Lisa Marie touching words-Heartfelt words
Friday, June 26, 2009
He Knew.
Years ago Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in general.
I can't recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me about the circumstances of my Fathers Death.
At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, "I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did."
I promptly tried to deter him from the idea, at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that.
14 years later I am sitting here watching on the news an ambulance leaves the driveway of his home, the big gates, the crowds outside the gates, the coverage, the crowds outside the hospital, the Cause of death and what may have led up to it and the memory of this conversation hit me, as did the unstoppable tears.
A predicted ending by him, by loved ones and by me, but what I didn't predict was how much it was going to hurt when it finally happened.
The person I failed to help is being transferred right now to the LA County Coroners office for his Autopsy.
All of my indifference and detachment that I worked so hard to achieve over the years has just gone into the bowels of hell and right now I am gutted.
I am going to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth out there for once.
Our relationship was not "a sham" as is being reported in the press. It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not live or know a "Normal life" found a connection, perhaps with some suspect timing on his part. Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much.
I wanted to "save him" I wanted to save him from the inevitable which is what has just happened.
His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn't know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome then.
At that time, In trying to save him, I almost lost myself.
He was an incredibly dynamic force and power that was not to be underestimated.
When he used it for something good, It was the best and when he used it for something bad, It was really, REALLY bad.
Mediocrity was not a concept that would even for a second enter Michael Jackson's being or actions.
I became very ill and emotionally/ spiritually exhausted in my quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him.
I was in over my head while trying.
I had my children to care for, I had to make a decision.
The hardest decision I have ever had to make, which was to walk away and let his fate have him, even though I desperately loved him and tried to stop or reverse it somehow.
After the Divorce, I spent a few years obsessing about him and what I could have done different, in regret.
Then I spent some angry years at the whole situation.
At some point, I truly became Indifferent, until now.
As I sit here overwhelmed with sadness, reflection and confusion at what was my biggest failure to date, watching on the news almost play by play The exact Scenario I saw happen on August 16th, 1977 happening again right now with Michael (A sight I never wanted to see again) just as he predicted, I am truly, truly gutted.
Any ill experience or words I have felt towards him in the past has just died inside of me along with him.
He was an amazing person and I am lucky to have gotten as close to him as I did and to have had the many experiences and years that we had together.
I desperately hope that he can be relieved from his pain, pressure and turmoil now.
He deserves to be free from all of that and I hope he is in a better place or will be.
I also hope that anyone else who feels they have failed to help him can be set free because he hopefully finally is.
The World is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right.
I really needed to say this right now, thanks for listening.
~LMP
Thursday, June 25, 2009
'King of Pop' Michael Jackson is dead
(CNN) -- Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, CNN has confirmed.
He was 50.
He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center.
Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer Friday, with results expected that afternoon. Video Watch crowds gather at Jackson's hospital »
"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color," the Rev. Al Sharpton said. "To say an 'icon' would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by."
Jackson's blazing rise to stardom -- and later fall from grace -- is among the most startling of show business tales. The son of a steelworker, he rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, a band he formed with his brothers in the late 1960s. By the late '70s, as a solo artist, he was topping the charts with cuts from "Off the Wall," including "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"
Michael Jackson, Pop Icon, Is Dead at 50
LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson, the fallen King of Pop, is dead. The singer, songwriter and dancer whose career reached unprecedented peaks of sales and attention, died Thursday at 1:07 p.m. Pacific time, a Los Angeles city official said. He was 50.
Mr. Jackson, in a coma, was rushed to U.C.L.A. Medical Center, a six-minute drive from the rented mansion in which he was living, shortly after noon by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics. A hospital spokesman would not confirm reports of cardiac arrest.
As with Elvis Presley or The Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full impact he had on the world of music. At his height, he was indisputably the biggest star in the world and has sold more than 750 million albums. Radio stations across the country reacted to his death with marathon sessions of his songs. MTV, which was born in part as a result of Mr. Jackson’s groundbreaking videos, reprised its early days as a music channel by showing his biggest hits.
From his days as the youngest brother in the Jackson 5 to his solo career in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mr. Jackson was responsible for a string of hits like “I Want You Back,” “I’ll Be There,” “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” “Billie Jean” and “Black and White” that exploited his high voice, infectious energy, and ear for irresistible hooks.
As a solo performer, Mr. Jackson ushered in the age of pop as a global product – not to mention an age of spectacle and pop culture celebrity. His early career with his brothers gave way to a solo act in which he became more character than singer: his sequined glove, his whitened face, his Moonwalk dance move became embedded in the cultural firmament.
But not long after his entertainment career hit high-water marks — Thriller,” from 1982, has been certified platinum 28 times by the Recording Industry Association of America – it started a bizarre disintegration. His darkest moment undoubtedly came in 2004, when he was indicted — though later acquitted — on child molesting charges. A young cancer patient who claimed the singer had befriended him and then sexually fondled him at his Neverland estate near Santa Barbara, Calif.
But Mr. Jackson was an object of fascination for the press since the Jackson 5’s first hit, “I Want You Back,” in 1969. His public image wavered between that of the musical naif, who only wanted to recapture his youth by riding on roller-coasters and having sleepovers with his friends, to the calculated mogul who carefully constructed his persona around his often baffling public behavior.
Mr. Jackson had been scheduled to perform a 50 concerts in at the O2 arena London beginning next month and continuing into 2010. The shows were positioned as a potential comeback, with the potential to earn him up to $50 million, according to some reports.
But there has also been worry and speculation that Mr. Jackson was not physically ready for such an arduous run of concerts, and Mr. Jackson’s postponement of the first of those shows from July 8 to July 12 fueled new rounds of speculation about his health.
“The primary reason for the concerts wasn’t so much that he was wanting to generate money as much as it was that he wanted to perform for his kids,” said J. Randy Taraborrelli, whose biography, ”Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness,” was first published in 1991. “They had never seen him perform before.”
Mr. Jackson is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Curry and Jolie: The New Cosell-Ali?
During the thick and thin of his triumphant career, Muhammad Ali always turned to Howard Cosell when he wanted to give a good, honest interview. He knew Howard wouldn't hold back at all, and also knew he could let loose in that glorious Muhammad way. It was truly a journalistic relationship for the ages that resulted in a terrific friendship between the two.
So, as we were watching yet another Ann Curry interview with Angelina Jolie on the 'Today' show this morning, we put the pieces together and began to wonder whether Ann and Angie (and Brad Pitt) have the same type of rapport. It seems like for every Jolie humanitarian effort, Curry is game for a sit-down. Obviously, having an Angelina Jolie exclusive will be a boost to your ratings, and for the Jolie-Pitt crew, it's a warm place to go in a tabloid-crazy world. What do you think? Is the Curry-Jolie relationship a mutually rewarding one, or a bit of overkill?
So, as we were watching yet another Ann Curry interview with Angelina Jolie on the 'Today' show this morning, we put the pieces together and began to wonder whether Ann and Angie (and Brad Pitt) have the same type of rapport. It seems like for every Jolie humanitarian effort, Curry is game for a sit-down. Obviously, having an Angelina Jolie exclusive will be a boost to your ratings, and for the Jolie-Pitt crew, it's a warm place to go in a tabloid-crazy world. What do you think? Is the Curry-Jolie relationship a mutually rewarding one, or a bit of overkill?
Friday, June 19, 2009
Walter Cronkite Gravely Ill
TVNewser has learned legendary CBS newsman Walter Cronkite, 92, who once held the title of "Most Trusted Man in America," is gravely ill, according to multiple CBS News sources. The network began updating his obituary more than a week ago, a source adds.
CBS News executive Linda Mason, designated to speak on Cronkite's behalf, had no comment.
The avuncular Cronkite anchored "CBS Evening News" for 19 years, until 1981, when he was forced to retire. Dan Rather was named his successor. Cronkite maintained an office at CBS, where he was a special correspondent.
A native of St. Joseph, Mo., Cronkite made his mark as a World War II correspondent for United Press. He joined CBS in 1950 as a Washington correspondent. In 1962, he was named anchor of "CBS Evening News," then 15 minutes in length. The following year, it became network TV's first 30'minute weeknight newscast.
Cronkite's nightly sign-off -- "And that's the way it is..." - became part of the popular lexicon, and his gravelly voice was instantly recognizable. During his tenure, he led "Evening News" to first place in the Nielsen ratings.
Cronkite returned to "Evening News," in a manner of speaking, in September 2006, when he recorded the opening to the newscast with new anchor Katie Couric.
In an interview with this reporter in 2006, Cronkite was asked if he ever thought about death.
"When you get to be 89, you have to think about it a little bit. It doesn't prey on me, and it doesn't keep me awake nights. Occasionally, when I'm upset about something else, I think, 'My gosh, I don't know if I should do this or that because I'm not sure I'll be here that long to enjoy it.'"
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Queen Latifah Reveals Sexual Abuse
In the July issue of Essence, Queen Latifah talks about surviving sexual abuse as a child.
"He violated me," the Oscar-nominated actress says of a teenage male babysitter.
"I never told anybody; I just buried it as deeply as I could and kept people at an arm's distance ... I never really let a person get too close to me," she tells the magazine.
Latifah also confesses she never told anyone until she was 22 after her brother died, ETOnline.com reports.
"I had to get it off my chest. My mother felt terrible. She was kind of a country girl, so she wasn't up on how slick people could be. When I told my dad, he said nothing."
The abuse would cause her problems for a long time.
"I could have been married years ago, but I had a commitment issue," Latifah adds.
Eddie Murphy: I'm Too Old To Be A Rebel
Eddie Murphy just can't say "no" to family comedies. He's going PG again in Imagine That, playing a Wall Street exec who gets winning financial advice from his daughter's imaginary friends. Fortunately, none of them bear any resemblance to Bernie Madoff.
Eddie revealed to Jeanne Wolf that, no matter what he's doing, he still keeps the nutty comedic edge that made him a star.
Remembering his imaginary friends.
"I spent a lot of time watching television and I would do impressions of all the cartoon characters off the TV. I was the young Rich Little. I was doing voices really young from like when I was three or four. Finally, my mother would say, 'That's wonderful dear, but I think it's time for you to be Eddie for awhile.'"
Being a grown-up without losing his inner Eddie.
"I'm such a square, but I'm supposed to be. I'm 48, and you're supposed to be the square. I mean being a 48-year-old rebel is not cool. The one thing that's remained consistent is my sense of humor, which has always been unique. But, I'm older than I was and I could never give off whatever I used to give off when, you know, I had on a red leather suit on stage talking s—. I'll never be that guy again. But, at the same time, I've never stopped being that person. It's just that I'm an adult now."
Not apologizing for yet another PG comedy.
"I'm just trying to do all different types of things. I don't feel like I've made a transition to more family stuff. I feel like I've always, from the beginning, just done different types of things. I jumped over cars and shot my gun, and I cursed, and I did all kinds of stuff. But, I like that my kids and families can go see some of my movies too. Would I ever do action comedy or play a cop? Of course, but does it have to be Beverly Hills Cop 4? Not necessarily."
W.C. Fields was right.
"It's like everybody knows that line about not working with children and animals. I've done both, and I don't necessarily disagree. Kids need to just be kids, so sometimes it's kind of hard to get the work done on a film set. And, they also are scene-stealers. Like in this movie, Yara Shahidi, who plays my daughter, would steal every scene. I'm good, but I'm not as cute. All jokes aside, she is going to be acting for a thousand years. She is one of the most talented little actresses ever."
Still figuring it all out.
"I think the more I learn, the less I know. Does that make sense? That sounds like a lyric to a song. Who sang that? John Lennon. 'The more that I see, the less that I know for sure.'"
By Jeanne Wolf
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Denzel Washington: John Travolta Is 'Struggling' With Loss
Denzel Washington goes head to head with John Travolta for the first time in the riveting remake of The Taking of Pelham 123. Washington plays a transit dispatcher and Travolta is the madman who takes a subway train full of New Yorkers hostage, demanding millions in ransom.
Since production completed, Travolta has faced the loss of his teenage son in a tragic accident. Washington told Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf how he's tried to help his pal.
Sharing his co-star's pain.
"I talked to John a couple of weeks ago. We probably talked for two hours. He cried and he laughed a little bit. What can you say to a person who's been through what he's been through? Obviously, you try to be supportive and listen. Unfortunately, bad things happen to good people. And John and Kelly are very good people. He's one of the sweetest people I've ever worked with. It's just difficult. He's struggling. This is not an easy thing to lose a child you loved, and my prayers are with him."
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
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