The Wainwright/McGarrigle clan

If you believe that musical ability gets passed down in the genes, then it was pretty much inevitable that the union of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle would bear musical fruit. Loudon was (and remains) a prolific songwriter, while Kate and her sister Anna formed a well-respected folk duo, playing together for some 35 years until Kate’s death in 2010. The couple divorced in 1978, but by then Kate had given birth to Rufus and Martha, both of whom were, um, immortalized in song by their father — Martha with “Pretty Little Martha” and Rufus with a breastfeeding ditty entitled, irony of ironies, “Rufus is a Tit Man.”

The Wilsons

OK, so the second generation wasn’t particularly inspiring, unless you’re a manic Wilson Phillips fan, in which case, um, we’re happy for you. But the born-in-the-’40s generation of California’s Wilson family included one epoch-defining genius (Brian), two harmonizing brothers (Dennis and Carl), and one cousin who was a bit of a tool but nonetheless a valuable vocalist (Mike Love). The Wilsons’ father (and later manager) Murry was also a musician, recording an album for Capitol in 1967 — it’s just a shame that he was also by all accounts a thoroughly unpleasant man.

The Jacksons

In some ways, the Jacksons are the archetypal musical family — outrageously talented and entirely dysfunctional. As with the Wilsons, the Jackson family legacy encompassed one domineering father (Joseph) and one tortured genius (Michael, of course), but the Jacksons probably have the Wilsons beat as far as sheer breadth of talent goes — we’ll see your Carl ‘n’ Dennis and raise you the rest of the Jackson five, plus Janet for good measure. A remarkable fact about the Jacksons: eight of the nine siblings have had gold records in the USA. (Poor LaToya is the one who missed out.)

Pandit Ravi Shankar and his daughters

Surely there’s no other family in the world that can claim a Grammy-winning adult contemporary songstress (Norah Jones), a genre-hopping musical fusion pioneer (Anoushka Shankar), and the man who’s certainly the best-known and quite possibly the finest Indian classical artist of the 20th century (their father, Pandit Ravi Shankar).

The Marleys

It seems that every couple of years, a new scion to the Marley family legacy pops up to release a record. There’s Ziggy, of course, who’s been making records since the mid-’80s, working until 2001 with several of his siblings (namely Sharon, Stephen and Cedella) in all-Marley band The Melody Makers. There’s Ky-Mani, who’s made six solo albums and topped the charts in Jamaica. There’s Damian, whose gritty, urban-influenced music is an entirely different proposition, as his excellent 2005 breakthrough Welcome to Jamrock demonstrated amply. And elsewhere, there’s Rohan, who’s been procreating copiously with Lauryn Hill for most of the 2000s. We’re putting money on at least one of the five children of that union making a record sooner or later.

The Ransome-Kuti family

Perhaps the only man who can rival Bob Marley as far as an apparently endless supply of talented offspring goes is Fela Kuti — not surprising, perhaps, given that the Afrobeat maverick rocked 12 wives simultaneously during the 1970s. The most well-known heir to the Kuti legacy is his eldest son Femi Kuti, who was in his father’s band and has released a bunch of solo records over the last 20 years — but keep an eye on young Seun Kuti, who was only 14 when his father died and released a fantastic debut album (entitled Many Things) in 2008. (There’s a fascinating Ransome-Kuti family tree at Wikipedia, by the way — apart from music, Fela’s family has been active in politics, medicine, and art, with Nobel Prize laureate Wale Soyinka the best-known non-musical relative.)

The Guthries

Folk/country music seems to have a habit of producing dynasties — there’s the three generations of Hank Williams, and the Carter/Cash clan (of whom more shortly). And then there’s the Guthrie family, whose musical legacy began with the wonderful Woody Guthrie, one of the greatest songwriters this country has ever produced. Woody’s son Arlo continues to perform today, some 45 years after releasing his classic debut Alice’s Restaurant, and his children Abe, Sarah Lee, and Cathy are all musicians, as are several of his grandchildren.

The Coltranes

Some apparent empirical evidence that musical talent is a matter of nature and not nurture — despite the fact that jazz legend John Coltrane died when his son Ravi was just two, the younger Coltrane has grown up to become a fine saxophonist… just like his dad. Of course, much of this may be to do with the influence of his mother Alice Coltrane, whose visionary piano explorations were just as influential in their own way as her husband’s landmark records. The Coltranes’ two other children also followed their parents’ footsteps into music — the tragic John Jr., who drummed on Alice’s album Radha-Krsna Nama Sankirtana and died in a car accident at 18, and Oranyan, who DJs and makes electronic music. And here’s something we didn’t know until we started researching this feature — Flying Lotus is Alice Coltrane’s grand-nephew.

The Marsalises

And while we’re on jazz royalty, what about the Marsalis clan? The members of the family best known outside jazz circles are probably brothers Branford and Wynton, both of whom are renowned instrumentalists in their respective fields — Branford on saxophone and Wynton on trumpet, even if the latter has occasionally been a controversial figure over the years. They’re not the only members of the family who are well-respected musicians, though — for a start, there are Branford and Wynton’s siblings Delfeayo (who plays trombone) and Jason (drums). And then there’s clan patriarch Ellis, who remains a hugely respected jazz pianist 50 years after he first switched saxophone for the ivories.

The Carter/Cash clan

And finally, the best musical clan of them all — the first family of country music! The Carters were a hugely prolific musical bunch even before the addition of Johnny Cash to their ranks — June, who’d go on to be Johnny’s wife, was part of the family’s fourth generation of musicians, a proud heritage that stretched well back into the 19th century and was hugely influential on the evolution of country music (there’s even a style of guitar picking named after the family). And, of course, June and Johnny were the most iconic of couples, performing together for decades and dying within months of one another in 2003. The next generation — most notably Roseanne Cash, although she’s in fact Johnny’s daughter with his first wife, Vivian Liberto — have done the family legacy proud.

First though, here are yesterday’s results.  Though not very unexpected to see the way the voting turned out, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was closer than I had originally expected.

Before the competition started, I’d already predicted that it would be Elvis Presley vs The Beatles in the finals.  But, I’d never imagined that Frank Sinatra would make it to the final four.  Kudos to “Ole Blue Eyes”.

Elvis Presley  60%  vs Frank Sinatra 40%.  I didn’t think the final would be the “King of Rock & Roll” vs the “King of Pop” because I KNEW that The Beatles would beat Michael Jackson.  However, it would have been a “cool” finals that way!  Can you imagine, “And NOW Ladies and Gentlemen…For the undisputed Heavyweight (more for Elvis than Michael) Championship – The King of All Music!”  Blah, blah, blah…it didn’t happen.

…and in the other bracket to set up the finals…

The Beatles  60%  vs  Michael Jackson  40%.  The Fab Four also win by the same margin as Elvis.  It was never REALLY gonna happen…I mean, even though MJ was the “King of Pop”…he was up against – IMPOSSIBLE ODDS in having to go up against (arguably) the greatest rock band of all time.  The Beatles move on to the FINALS…We’re gonna call it the “Timeless Two”…and now it’s up to YOU to pick…

The Greatest Artist of All Time!

Before you cast your vote…Here are some interesting facts on both Elvis and The Beatles that may help you decide!

ONLY 7 ARTISTS HAVE REPUTED RECORD SALES OF OVER 300 MILLION THEY ARE: MADONNA, MICHAEL JACKSON, ELTON JOHN, LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, ELVIS AND THE BEATLES.

ELVIS PRESLEY

HE’S THE BEST SELLING SOLO ARTIST IN MUSIC HISTORY – WITH OVER 1 BILLION SOLD WORLDWIDE

186,300,000 SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES.

5.8 MILLION SOLD IN ENGLAND

THE KING WAS NOMINATED FOR 14 GRAMMYS, AND WON 3

HE RECEIVED THE GRAMMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT AGE 36

HE DID 31 MOVIES & 2 FULL LENGTH CONCERT FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILMS

ELVIS HAD 18 #1 RECORDS ON THE CHARTS

THE BEATLES

THEY’VE SOLD MORE RECORDS IN THE U.S. THAN ANY OTHER ARTIST IN HISTORY

ARE THE BEST SELLING ARTIST IN MUSIC HISTORY – OVER 1 BILLION WORLDWIDE

THEY SOLD 207,600,000 IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE FAB FOUR SOLD 7 MILLION IN ENGLAND

THEY HAVE 20 #1 RECORDS

THEY’VE WON 7 GRAMMY AWARDS

THEY APPEARED IN 5 MOVIES & 5 DOCUMENTARIES

A Hard Day’s Night, Help, Yellow Submarine, Let It Be and Magical Mystery Tour. There were also a number of documentary films made: The Beatles at Shea Stadium, The Complete Beatles, The Beatles: The First U.S Visit, The Beatles Anthology and All Together Now.

…NOW you can vote!

Here are the results from yesterday’s voting.

Elvis Presley  83%  vs  U2  17% – The King Crowns Bono!  Elvis moves on to the round of the Excellent Eight!

The Beatles  59%  vs  The Beach Boys  41% – Though The Beach Boys put up a good battle, the Fab Four were just too much.  They’re off to the next round!

Now, here are today’s battles for you to vote on!  Vote now!

See other recent 1059

Today, is a very special Day to me. It is the 17^th of March 2012, and I decided to write about Michael Jackson.

You see, all my Life, I myself have been mobbed and made Fun of, simply for “being like Michael Jackson”- whatever that meant.

Back in School, I remember when I had a phase of about 3 Years, being allergic/oversensitive to the Sun. I became very pale, and the other students mocked me saying: “ You look like a Light Bulb like Michael Jackson!”, and they would laugh about me, for no reason.

I, naturally, did not find it funny, but this is a harmless example.

The more Years passed, the harder it got. Not only did Friends of mine in private, use the FALSE allegations against Michael to hurt me and mock me, knowing I care about Michael, but the Music Industry “fought” what naturally makes me “like Michael”. They did not want to help me turn my Dream of becoming a famous, successful Singer, unless I change my Style of Moving and Dancing, Hair Color and wear more “naked” Clothes. They literally said to me:” Stop dancing like Michael Jackson, this is like too much Michael, Janet Style!” And:” Your hair is too dark and too curly, make it Blonde!”

First they made it seem like they want to support my Songwriting, so I can make real Art and write my own Songs. Then, slowly, they tried to let others write for me, what Message I represent in my Songs.

I remember exactly, how I looked one Day in the Mirror, having Blonde Hair, dark Eye Brows and dark brown Eyes. It wasn’t me anymore! I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t pull it off and betray myself, I just could not. I was still a minor, very young, and it wasn’t easy to let such Chance pass by and believe in myself, the way I AM.

All that, I learned then from Michael Jackson.

Going through these Experiences, I felt and seen in real, what Michael himself had to endure. My Respect for him personally, and his work, got bigger and bigger and bigger.

The first Time I ever seen Michael in my Life, was on TV when I was only 5 Years old, a tiny little Girl. It was the famous Club Scene, from his Film “Moonwalker”- I opened the TV exactly into the Part, where Michael smiles at the little Girl through the little Door Window she opened.

I remember my thoughts the exact same way I thought them Years ago:

“Wow, who is this Man? I want to do what he does, when I grow up!”

I never changed my Mind, the rest of my Life. I started to train my voice to teach myself how to Sing, through Michael’s Songs, Prince, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley. All incredible, special Singers. I would train my Voice, alone and shy, in a Basement Room, daily, without a break, only drinking Water and not eating, for HOURS. Michael’s Singing Style was different than all others, technically speaking. Where others used the “Classic” Techniques of Singing, and would breathe through their Stomach so to speak, Michael would do the Opposite and breathe into his Chest, which put extreme Pressure on the Voice. I remember, every Time I sang his Songs, from “Time waits for no One” to “Earth Song” to “Bad”, my Throat would feel soar, like the Vocal Muscles got trained with heavy Weights!

And I guarantee you, it’s not even true he sings so high, he is after all a Man, and I know that the lower Tones he sang on his Songs, I had difficulty as a Girl to sing when I was younger and had a really high Girly Voice, some I cannot sing till today, for they are to male.

That Time, in the late 80’s, it seemed like EVERY PERSON AROUND ME, is a Fan of Michael Jackson. I really mean it. Young Kids my Age, Adults, Teenagers, everyone liked Michael and his Music. I was really sad, when I couldn’t go to the BAD- Concert, my Parents said I am too young and People there could step on me!

Anyways, the more I seen of Michael’s work, the more I was impressed. WE ARE THE WORLD and HEAL THE WORLD seemed to me like one of the most important Songs and Messages he ever published, just like also BLACK OR WHITE. I was a little, Egyptian Girl growing up in Europe, and I could identify with these Messages. Other “Stars” sang of their Ego, and how cool they are and so forth, took off their Clothes, while Michael showed real Intelligence and deep Meaning in his Songs. And if I might note quickly: He didn’t have to take his Clothes off to be more attractive than all others, nor did he ever seek Attention.

His Will and endless Determination, made a BLACK MAN conquer a WHITE WORLD- with pure Love and Talent.

He broke Records, set new Records untouched by any other Artist, and Michael Jackson was the first AMERICAN to ever sell real big amounts of Records ABROAD from the United States. One could even say, Michael Jackson IS the American Music. He is the reason, why me and other People got interested in America and wanted to go there, or study there, like I did later. And besides that, he UNITED Blacks and Whites IN AMERICA, through his Music only. He made America LOOK COOL for the rest of the World.

Now, who is Michael, the Person, really?

One of the biggest debated Questions of our Time. Everyone seems to have an Opinion, and the Ones who never met Michael and never knew him, speak the loudest now. Human Nature is really funny sometimes.

I didn’t have the Strength nor the Courage to be honest, to speak about Michael since 2009. I spoke with private Friends and Family, but not in any public Way as I am doing today in this little Blog of mine. I was hurt too much and too deep, and it took my Voice away for 3 Years.

Michael is, and I say is because I do not believe Death to be the End anyways. Michael is the most gracious, forgiving and compassionate Man I ever knew. He really cares to help others, even if he is tired or needs help himself. He gave and gave and gave to this World when he was alive physically on this Planet, he is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having broken RECORDS with how much Money he gave to Charity, far more than any other Celebrity and out of real Compassion, not Promo.

Michael had lots of Money, a huge Ranch, also many Groupies he could’ve taken advantage of, he had Cars and a private Jet, private Tennis Courts, little Go-Cart type Cars, expensive Art Pieces, Animals from everywhere, he never CARED about Wealth in Money Form. He personally paid and prayed for many Children, he helped to heal from Cancer and other Diseases like Leukemia. He would see a Child suffering, or a Person, Woman, Man, anyone, and go into a private Room or Bathroom if People were around, and cry out of Compassion and Love and wishing to help them and heal them and pray for them. On the other Hand, he never cried on TV nor in public, through all Lies and Challenges he went standing tall, being the Man he is.

Michael is very, very spiritual. He cares also about God a lot, and therefore thanked God first thing in EVERY SPEECH he made, receiving any Award for his work. Often, in private in his Mind, he thanked God, for all sweet, beautiful and wonderful things, People and Places he encountered and seen. How many People do that?

Some of his Songs, like SPEECHLESS, Michael did really write FOR GOD. Not in a religious way or tone, but in an honest, spiritual and individual way.

When People see Michael dance, they are impressed. Some, try to copy his Style, while others claim NOW some Times and places in Internet Platforms, Youtube and such, that this or that Person, dances like or better than Michael. I don’t know where these People got their Eyes from *Smile*, and everyone is entitled to like what they want and have their own Taste and Opinion. But I can tell you from personal Experience:

Michael is one of the best Dancers in Human History, if not the Best, for me personally anyways. His technique, especially with his Feet, is so perfect, and MEGA difficult,  that most professional Dancers who ever danced with him, looked “small” dancing right next to him. We are talking about dancers, who do nothing but dance, and are the best globally, picked for dancing with Michael. He beat even them, with his natural Talent, he never had to go Years to dancing lessons or coaching, he could take ONE LOOK at a Move or Dance, and jump in and do it.

Whoever really and seriously tried his dance Style before, will know, that all your Body muscles get soar like crazy after, to me, it only confirms how super-fit Michael was physically, in fact, he used such great muscle tension and energy in his Dance, it could almost be compared to KARATE- like a Volcano of Dance breaking out.

I seen “THIS IS IT”, even though it was very hard for me to watch and I cried a lot, but his energy, was almost like BRUCE LEE OF DANCE. His Moves were faster than ever and I know, that his Shows would’ve been super great. I made yet a little Short Film Experiment, all done independent and with my little Money, it is called WOMEN OF THE WORLD. I put in all my Energy for the Dance, and after August 29^th 2011, his Birthday, where I filmed the Dance Scenes, I layed this Night in Bed and was CRUSHED and TIRED. All my Body hurt, for I am totally out of Fitness. I kept thinking: “RESPECT Michael!”

Michael Jackson is a Phenomenon, that cannot be copied. I would wish to see the Day come, when the American Music Industry shows Appreciation of Michael as a Human Being and as an Artist. Till this Day, I have not seen any real, or compassionate Tribute to Michael Jackson. Only many, many Artists claiming after his Passing, that they were all Fans and always loved him and cared, SUDDENLY. Just like Michael says in one of his Songs called TABLOID JUNKIE:

“If he dies sympathize
Such false witnesses
Damn self righteousness”  – Michael Jackson

But no matter what is being said or done, the Truth is the Truth and Michael Jackson is ETERNAL. Michael Jackson never really died- because good Souls live forever and I am very glad to know this. More will be coming in the future about this. I don’t like talking much or naming things, I prefer to focus on my work and let the work speak for itself! *big smile*

Michael Jackson wrote real History, which will remain in our Memory and Hearts, and he already changed much in this World.

From the Bottom of my Heart and Soul, I wish nothing but to see Michael’s biggest Dream come true now, that this WORLD HEALS.

And Love can make it possible and move Mountains.

Susan Elsa

“Women & Mothers of the World- Your Prayer can HEAL THE WORLD”

Claire’s List

1. “White Winter Hymnal,” Fleet Foxes

2. “California Stars,” Billy Bragg and Wilco

3. “Gone for Good,” The Shins

4. “I Know There’s an Answer,” The Beach Boys

5. “Damaged,” The Vivian Girls

6. “Riding in Cars with Boys,” Lana Del Rey

7. “Chain of Fools,” Aretha Franklin

8. “Comin Home Baby,” Mel Torme

9. “Get Up Offa That Thing,” James Brown

10. “Spooky,” Dusty Springfield

11. “Pumped Up Kicks,” Foster the People

12. “I Wanna Be Where You Are,” Jackson Five

13. “Somethings Got a Hold on Me,” Etta James

14. “Hard to Handle,” Otis Redding

15. “Daydreaming,” Aretha Franklin

Joshua’s List:

1. “Testify” by Rage Against the Machine

2. “Ophelia” by The Band

3. “You Part the Waters” by Cake

4. “For No One” by The Beatles

5. “Life, In A Nutshell” by Barenaked Ladies

6. “California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade” by The Decemberists

7. “Sprawl II  (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire

8. “High and Dry” by Jamie Cullum

9. “Love on a Two Way Street” by The Moments

10. “Almost” by Sarah Harmer

11. “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” by Jeff Buckley

12. “Cage in a Cave” by Rasputina

13. “Tenderness on the Block” by Warren Zevon

14. “How a Resurrection Really Feels” by The Hold Steady

15. “When It Rains” by Brad Mehldau

While browsing the internet, I discovered this total gem. The song is hot, but it really scorches towards the ends, especially for those of you who love this crazy ADHD music. Hey, I can’t blame ya…especially when it comes packaged like this:

Jefferson Airplane

Elton john

Harold Cocker

Richie Havens

Ginger Baker

Crosby

The Jackson 5

Donovan

Fotos vía Life

I put my foot down on Sunday night about too much TV and electronics with my kids. I suggested to my 8 year old son, Max, that he go grab a book and work on his Racine Reads and Six Flags reading logs/contests.  He started a Diary of a Whimpy Kid book that he received as a birthday present and in one night, just a couple of hours, nearly finished it.  Read more…

On Monday, as we were getting in the car to go pick up his sister, he asked me if he could bring his book and then asked if he could turn the light on in the car, so that he could continuing reading…..He is hooked!  And I am excited.

Rewind back just a couple of weeks, you find my husband and I Christmas shopping on the eve of Christmas Eve at Toys R Us, racking our brains, trying to come up with something to buy Max for Christmas. The clock was ticking and the pressure was on.  This wasn’t easy.  He just had his family birthday party earlier in the month, and his friend party was scheduled at Racine Gymnastics for December 30th.  Seriously, sonny boy really doesn’t need anything, except for a bedroom makeover, pants, shirts, socks, undies, and a lifetime supply of winter gloves…not the kinda thing an 8 year old kid really wants to unwrap on Christmas.

As we linger in the electronics department weighing the possible options, we bump into his friend’s dad and exchange gift stories.  Lucky Max, upon receiving the thumbs up from our conversation, we go ahead and purchase the Nintendo DS3…something I swore I would NEVER get…”those things are going to mess kids’ eyes up” was what I said when I first learned of this newest generation of the favorite Herrmann family hand-held.  I still think so!

I had already rationalized why I wouldn’t be be getting him a new DS (as he asked for the DSi)…we still had a perfectly working first generation DS, that I bought for my now 16 year old.  Could she have been like 7 or 8 years old?  I think so.  That thing has held up INCREDIBLY well, just showing a bit of wear in the form of a few scratches, slightly rubbed off finish, and minor looseness in one hinge. (the latter was part of my reasoning as well…it’ll probably fall apart soon.)

The minute he opened the DS3, I lost my son.

Now you must know, he’s been attached to our original DS for years, like maybe since he was 2 or 3, so it’s not like I didn’t expect it.  He’s addicted to it, like I am addicted to Facebook (ah, there I said it…I am addicted to that stupid Facebook).  What was pretty bad, got worse.  He got DS deaf, DS dumb(founded) and probably is going to go blind.  And it’s all my fault.

Okay, so here’s how it is…

…in addition to Max’s obsession with the DS, he is hooked on the Wii (thank goodness he hasn’t asked for another game system…yet.), Angry Birds on my phone, and of course, the stupid TV.

…my next child, Christiane, is my lovely 9 year old daughter….the Fashion Story maven.  Didn’t know what FS was all about until a couple of months ago when she downloaded the app onto my phone, and now it doesn’t let me forget about it, as I receive text messages, yes texts, when a new shipment of sundresses arrive at her “store”.  Gladly, I’d relay the message.  In addition to FS, there’s Bakery Story and Angry Birds all caged up on my phone.  If she’s not playing on my phone, she’s on some virtual world on the kid laptop asking me to help her log in (like I can keep all of her userid’s and passwords straight…uh uh!)  Oh yes, she plays on the Wii and watches a ton of TV.

…Kaisa Kaisa Kaisa, taking after her mother and jumping onto Facebook the minute she gets home from school.  She loves music (musicals, operas, Louis Armstrong, Nate King Cole, André Rieu, the Jackson Five), not your typical 15 year old.  You’ll find her leaving Facebook only to hop on over to YouTube.  While she’s not much of a texter, she gets a lot of texts.  And when a text is received, her phone plays a sweet little song.  Finally, you guessed it….she digs Angry Birds (on my phone) and she’s a TV and movie junkie. (that she got from her dad!)

…Lastly, is my oldest daughter, Gabby.  She is 16, going on 17…
“Baby its time to think. Better beware, Be canny and careful.  Baby you’re on the brink“
(sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. If you have no idea of what I am talking about, hint: Sound of Music).  Yup, she loves TV too. While her texting has subsided tremendously over the last couple of years, life hasn’t been the same since she got her iTouch last year.  That’s definitely her number one electronic love.  I think she’s on Facebook most of the time if she’s not listening to her music. (I really don’t like that I have to say “think“.)  I’ve got to remind her that she’s got to get up before 6am, pretty much every night at about 10 (okay, sometimes 11pm) and it’s time to turn in the electronics.

Lord, help me…what have I done?!

Two things I can think of…
First, turning in, plugging in to charge, and holding captive the teens’ electronics (in my bedroom) is a nightly thing.   Thank goodness I can highlight a good parenting directive I’ve initiated and stuck to!
The other?  Just unplugging the kids and suggesting my son read a dang book (for goodness sakes!).

Now look what I’ve started…

^^^Reading on the couch^^^

TMZ reports Dr. Conrad Murray filed documents asking for evidence the defense never got during the trial. This particular evidence could reveal Michael Jackson self administered that fatal dose of propofol. We believe he’s trying to get out of paying that  One million dollars in restitution that the prosecutors are asking for. We’d love to know what you think. Please see below to leave your comments.
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The Toje Christmas Jam of the Day is ‘Everybody Knows’ Performed by Israel Houghton & New Breed

Download: 02-everybody-knows.mp3|titles=Everybody%20Knows|artists=Israel%20Houghton%20and%20New%20Breed

Testing YouTube embedding, and spreading good taste in one post. The kick is good.

Conrad Murray was the worst kind of doctor. Michael Jackson was the worst kind of patient: A drug addict who needed desperately to sleep.

Together, they were a terrible, combustible, ill-fated combination. And now Murray is headed to jail, and Michael is still gone. We are left with a trial that forever put into the public psyche the hazy image of Michael, wrapped in a gown,  laid out dead, and a recording of him a month before that grisly photo, his voice frighteningly unrecognizable. When I heard it the first time, the description that his voice was ‘slurred’ proved woefully inadequate. His voice wasn’t slurred. He sounded as if he’d had a stroke. For one of the signature voices of my life to be corrupted like that was unforgivable.

Let me be clear: I was a Michael mark. Not in 2009, no. But from the time I was a tot growing up in Motown until my 20s, Michael could do no wrong. My older sister got the Jackson Five’s Third Album back in 1970, and from then on, she and I waited with the impatience of small children whenever our favorite brothers were going to be on Flip Wilson or Carol Burnett or Sonny & Cher. There were no forgotten chores, no missed homework assignments, no trouble of any kind from us during one of those weeks. When the Jackson brothers came on, we would be front and center, singing along to every song.

As I grew older, and Michael starred in The Wiz, then released Off the Wall and Thriller, and then brought back the Moonwalk on Motown 25, I was along for the ride. I owned every album, knew every word of every song, plopped down a $20 and a $10 for a ticket to the Victory tour.

But shortly thereafter, I took my leave. Yes, I bought Bad and Dangerous. But Michael was getting weirder—you know all the reasons why—and Public Enemy and New Jack Swing and hip hop and younger artists were making better music than him. To my mind, Michael had a great run, 20+ solid years as an important hitmaker, a streak much longer than the Beatles or Prince and rivaling that of Elvis and Stevie Wonder. Michael’s weirdness and settling with Jordy Chandler made me tune him out. From time to time, I would hope that Michael would stop giggling, would stop speaking in that fey, soft tone, would put out an album that revealed the musical genius I knew him to be. But it never happened. I grew further from him.

So just before that terrible moment on June 25, 2009, when my colleague came running down the hall with an insistent He’s dead, and I stepped into the hallway to ask who, and my legs stopped wanting to support me when I heard, and I called the only person who mattered in that moment—my sister—Michael Jackson was just the name of someone I used to love. I had no desire to go to his London concerts. I assumed they would be a ballyhooed flop, if he even completed them. And just so you understand I’m not a hypocrite, when he was no more, I thanked him on these pages for the joy he had brought me in his first 25 years, while acknowledging that his last 25 years would complicate his legacy for many.

Michael is dead. The man who escorted him on his death path has been punished. Conrad Murray gave us Michael’s last recording. One a far cry from Earth Song, Jam, Billie Jean, Let Me Show You the Way To Go, Looking Through the Windows, I Want You Back. One that has no falsettos. No ‘hee-hees.’ No ripping growls. Instead, Mike is drugged and the tape is frightening and thank God I have MP3s and youtube and CDs and This Is It and everything else. Because goodness knows, this terrible, awful final recording is not how I want to remember him.

—Bob Meadows

© 2011 The Peoples News

Michael Jackson photographed in the mid-’70s

Getting an in school suspension was not part of your plan. You just thought you’d skip your last class of the day and go and watch her run the mile for gym, since you heard her complaining about it at lunch. You weren’t sure what was more embarrassing; your mother having to be called when you’re a senior or the fact that the dean busted you on the bleachers right as she ran past you. Either way it meant you’d be spending all weekend at home and the entire day Monday in the Biology lab serving your detention. Your friend Evan drives you home and as you turn the corner onto your street you see the cream color of your brother’s truck which must mean he’s decided to come and stay for a couple of days giving you even less privacy. You grumpily stumble out of the car and head up the walk just as your mom and brother are walking out for dinner. “Grounded!” Your mother says as she walks past you.

You head upstairs and throw your bag on the floor and fall onto the bed. Turning on the tv you notice your mom has set your skateboard on your desk. The new deck, a Sean Cliver for Girl Skateboards Blacklight Series “Buddha Superstar”, glows like sea monkey’s in the dark of the room. Just as you roll over in frustration your phone rings. “Boy, you have to GOT toget here now!” Evan whispers into the phone. He explains that she’s at the skate park. “And she’s alone. She didn’t come with him. I think they might have broken up or something.” You hold the phone in your hand thinking about how much you miss her. How her hair smelled when you sat next to her in her car. How she’d smile at you right before she’d kiss you. “Give me 15 minutes.” You say and hang up the phone.

Looking at yourself in the mirror you realize there is no way you’re going to get her back looking the way you do. In fact, since she broke up with you, because you got drunk instead of hanging out with her, you’ve kind of let yourself go. She always said how she liked the way you dressed because you didn’t give a fuck and just wore what made you feel good.

You quickly get undressed and throw on your Spenglish “Juan Two Three” tee (Spenglish, $45) that she loved. You pull up your tight Nudie “Thin Finn Faded Black Black” jeans (Nudie, $199) and check yourself out in the mirror. Not bad. Not too shabby at all. But it’s not enough. Running your fingers through your hair you realize it’s greasy and you haven’t washed it in a couple of days.

You look over at your clock and realize you’ve already wasted 5 minutes. You head into the bathroom and pull the clippers out from underneath the sink. Plugging them in you look in the mirror. “Fuck it.” Five minutes later the six inches of hair surrounds your bare feet. Some pieces on your head are still longer than others, but who cares. You’re not a barber and you kind of like how it looks edgy anyway. But something is still missing. You stand there for a second and then get an idea. Walking into the guest bedroom you stand over your brother’s luggage as if you’ve found your hidden Christmas presents and don’t know if you should open them and seal them back or not. Quickly you unzip the biggest bag and look until you find exactly what you’re looking for. His brand new Gucci Washed Ostrich Biker jacket(Gucci, $11300)

You slip the jacket on carefully realizing how much it means to your brother. Standing in front of the mirror you realize it looks absolutely perfect. You’re sure you’ll be back before your mom and brother get back anyway so you’ll just slip it back in the suitcase and you’ll never get caught. You quickly grab you board and run out the door.

While running over to the skate park you think back on the first day you actually got up enough nerve to talk to her after having watched her from far away for a long time. You remember how your friends were pissed because you chose to sit and laugh with her all afternoon instead of skating. “Bros before hos, dude.” Afterwards she asked you to teach her to skate. You kissed her instead. But she became a pretty good skater…for a girl. And for the six months you were together saved up your money to buy her a board. She broke up with you before you ever got a chance to give it to her and the board still sat on the shelf in your closet.

When you finally reach the skate park you immediately sitting by herself with her back up against a tree. You throw down your board and skate over to Evan. “She’s been by herself the whole time. I’m telling you man, I think they broke up. She looks really sad.” You look over at her but she doesn’t look back. You take a deep breath and skate over to her. “Hey” You say. She looks up. “Hey.” She says back. You sit down next to her just as it starts raining. “So.” You say. “So.” She says. “Not skating today?” She asks, barely looking up. “Naw.” You say. You scratch your newly shaved head and some hairs falls in front of your face. You laugh. “I’ve missed you.” She says. You don’t say anything. You never were good with words. “It’s why we broke up. I told him I couldn’t be with him anymore because I was still in love with you.” You close your eyes and scream at yourself in your head. Don’t Cry! Don’t be a little bitch and start crying! But she’s already beat you to the punch. You stand up and reach for her hand. “Let’s get outta here.” You say. She takes your hand and stands up. She’s still crying. You reach into your pocket and grab the Sugar Factory “Hello Kitty” couture pop (Sugar Factory, $25) you bought her while at your brother’s wedding in Vegas.

She looks up and you make a face. She laughs. “Come on you asshole.” She says, pulling you with her across the field towards her car. About halfway there you stop. She turns around, confused, her hair slicked back in the pouring rain. You take off your brother’s leather jacket and put it around her shoulders. Lightly grabbing her by the back of her neck you pull her towards you. “I’ve missed you too.” You say, right before you kiss her.

“Wait!” She says. You open your eyes and look at her mysterious smirk. “I want your new board too.” She says, biting the corner of her lip. You look down and feel the rain wash down over the back of your neck as you fix your eyes on the key of her 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (Jeep, starts at $25545) thinking about all of the times the two of you made out in that car. Man, not the new board.

You think about all the nights you tried to say you were sorry but she wouldn’t talk to you. You think about all the times you walked past her house after school just to see if she was there. You think about all the times you had to watch her with him. Sometimes…life is in the risks. “Deal.” You say, smiling. She grabs you and kisses you hard.

And standing in the field, your lips meeting hers in the rainstorm, you realize how happy you are that you decided to break the rules and just say fuck it. Because even though your life is going to completely suck for the next few weeks, this moment is totally worth it. After all…this might have just been the greatest day of your life.

Be fearless. Be yourself. Be your own unexpected luxury!